Saturday, December 7, 2013

I Love Clay Blog Hop - Reveal Day

I Love Clay Blog Hop


I'll be honest...when I first opened my package from Lisa with the lovely polymer clay connector bead for this design challenge, I had NO idea what to create with it. 

The oval, highly textured connector is made by Heather Powers of HumbleBeads. It is dark turquoise (or teal?), with white and brown accents, and a matte finish. The detail on it is amazing!

It sat on my work table for weeks...looking at me. I'd keep picking it up, feeling it and trying to imagine it in a unique design.

And as the date for the blog hop was getting closer and closer, I started to panic! I still had no ideas, no inspiration, no clue what I would do. The final week was upon me and time was running out. What the heck am I going to do?

I pulled beads and components from every corner but nothing in my stash seemed to 'work' with it. Hold on a minute, I thought, maybe I'm going at this the wrong way. The connector is so elaborate and beautiful on it's own, why not try the minimalist approach?

I've started to play around with chain mail recently and have been incorporating it into some of my designs. So, why not? I pulled out the bronze rings that I've been using and my two pairs of pliers and got to work.

The modified mobius pattern of the chain and simple hand-made clasp let this fabulous connector bead shine as the prominent feature of this bracelet.


Sometimes less is more, and that seems to be exactly what this situation called for.

To see the clay creations of the other participants, check out the links below...

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes
Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design
Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware
Carolyn Lawson, Carolyns Creations
Bonnie Coursolle, Jasper's Gems
Dolores Raml, Crafty D's Creations
Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures
Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design
Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations
Mowse Doyle, Mowse Made This 
Janine Lucas, Esfera Travel Blog
Karin Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot
Kelli Nelson, Zenith Jade Creations
Ann Schroeder, Bead Love
Jasvanti Patel, Jewelry by Jasvanti
Candida Castleberry, Sugar Spun Beadworks
Robin Reed, Artistry HCBD
Katrina Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

13 comments:

  1. I love the copper and teal combination. This is a simple but beautiful design!

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  2. I agree - sometimes simple is the way to go in order to let beautiful art beads shine! Good job.

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  3. Hi Bonnie,
    You are so right sometimes simple is the best and the beautiful hand made chain was the perfect thing to pair up with the beautiful clay focal you received. Gorgeous!
    Therese

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  4. What a great way to hi-light the amazing focal.

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  5. Love the chain you added to your connector bead, it showcases the beautiful bead so well.

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  6. Amazing focal and your design let it sing!

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  7. very pretty, simple is very good.

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  8. The chain makes the connectors colors shine. I agree simple is often better. Well done!

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  9. The chain work complements the focal really well. Love the finished bracelet!

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  10. What a gorgeous bracelet. The focal and the chain really suit each other.

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  11. Beautiful design Bonnie!!! Have a Blessed Day!!!

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  12. Brilliant solution. It's a beautiful piece.

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  13. You did a beautiful job with your teal connector - copper and teal go perfectly together!

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