Beadwork Challenge

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 

original post date

Beadwork Magazine Challenge 

 I am a huge fan of Beading magazines and books, and among them Beadwork magazine. My favorite, and first section I turn to is always the beadwork challenge! I find it inspiring, and so interesting to see what each individual artists creates with the same products.

So last fall after participating in Lori's bead swap. I decided to take a leap of faith and try out for it. I wasn't super hopeful as I had never entered anything before, and had heard it can take years of submitting to get in.

So, when I received an email from Beadwork just 3 days later, I was absolutely shocked! So shocked in fact that I didn't believe it. I thought it had to be a mistake. I thought, perhaps a computer glitch? And everyone had gotten that congratulation email. Funny how our minds work, huh?

Well, it wasn't a mistake. I was one super lucky bead artist! I had been selected to receive one of their monthly challenge kits.  Thank you Lori for running the Bead Swap! that partnered me up with Marcy who gifted me the most adorable glass beads, that inspired my beaded garden, which I sent to beadwork as a example of my work, which won me a spot in the beadwork challenge!

SO here is my big reveal! I've had to hold onto this news for 7 months...

check it out! my very first publication...

My cousin Julie wearing my challenge piece

Magazine that my challenge piece was in.

May 2, 2012

This is a very special piece. It is a rosary that I made for my Goddaughter for her first communion coming this Sunday.  I used olivine cathedral beads because her birthstone is peridot, however olivine can be substituted. As it was for a rosary, i wanted it to be a little more mellow, and not so vibrant as the peridot would have been. It was my first rosary, and it was just a lot of fun to make for her.

Birds on a branch. The pendant is hand made. I start with paper clay, cut it, dry it, sand it, and then create a picture on it using variety of materials. This is a remake of a necklace I created about a year ago, and was created as a special order. The bead colors are the same, but the patterns are slightly different.