Every month the talented artists from the Art Jewelry Elements team host a component of the month challenge. This month's themed challenge, March Hare, was aligned with the spring season. Bead and component makers created hares in their respective mediums. For hare eye candy, head over to the blog post introducing the AJE March Hare Theme.
Jenny Davies-Reazor, a mixed media artist inspired by myth and folklore, was kind enough to give away two of her hare pendants, and I was fortunate to win one of them. What an exciting day it was when this little hare arrived in the mail.
His cute little face sat on my studio work table for a long time both inspiring me and taunting me. Purple is a color I rarely use in my jewelry, so this project challenged me a bit. I pulled out trays of purple and brown beads to match the pendant but then felt stuck determining secondary colors. Then I remembered that I had just purchased some ribbons that might work in this project.
Elizabeth Girod makes the most gorgeous hand-dyed, serged cotton/silk batik ribbons. Just take a look at the selection in her shop, Fire & Fibers. The ribbon I wanted to use had an array of colors in it - purple, green, brown, orange, red, and blue.
That ribbon really inspired interesting color choices. The next moment my table was cluttered with beads in a variety of colors and the fun began. I textured and antiqued some copper washers and attached the ribbon to them. Now, what to hang from them? I discovered some purple satin cord in a long-neglected drawer; it matched the pendant exactly. After weaving the cord through the chain, I slipped on a bail and attached the pendant with a jump ring.
The simplicity of this design really spotlighted the hare pendant. But anyone who knows me, can totally relate to this next sentence. I can not leave things well enough alone. Simple just doesn't register with me; I always take the next step into complicated.
I decided to add another beaded strand, stringing Czech glass, crazy lace agate, variscite, and turquoise beads along with copper spacers. Allowing for options, I made this piece convertible by attaching extra jump rings to the copper washer and crimping lobster clasps to the beaded strand. (This idea was a collaboration with a dear friend who always helps inspire me creatively. Thanks, Bonnie!)
Here is the necklace with the beaded strand attached. I think the weight of the necklace feels more balanced now than with just the single chain.
Then, another birdtrack into complicated hit me. With lobster clasps at both ends, the beaded strand could be removed from the necklace and used in a bracelet. On its own, it was too long for a single wrap and too short for a double wrap, so I tied two pieces of deerskin leather - turquoise and chocolate brown - to a jump ring and clasped the beaded strand to it. Now all I needed to do was knot the other end of leather to another jump ring and add an extender.
As a triple wrap, this bracelet has an interesting variety of colors and textures.
The chain extender allows for adjustability, something I think is necessary in marketing bracelets.
Now, with this leather section, I had yet another necklace option: attaching the leather section to the clasp and randomly weaving the leather around the beaded and chain strands. Looking very boho now!
With all of these materials crowding my work space, how could I not make earrings to accompany this set? I colored some copper rings with amethyst Vintaj patina, textured and antiqued some copper washers, and made a riveted deerskin loop to hold them. A few dangling beaded jump rings provided some color and movement.
So there you have my Convertible March Hare project. Thank you, Jenny, for sending me your sweet hare pendant. This was most certainly a challenging but satisfying project. I look forward to working with the other two wonderful pieces you included in my package. Thank you!!
See what I mean about my difficulties with simple? Enjoy hopping around to see the other March Hare creations linked below.
Art Jewelry Team
Guests
Aural - Woodland Bay Native
Heather - Hidden Ridge Studio
Cindy Martin-Shaw (You are here!)
Karin Grosset Grange - Ginko et Coquelicot
Michelle McEnroe (4 pieces pinned on the AJE Pinterest page)
If you'd like to read the reveal post on the Art Jewelry Elements blog, click on the link below:
Your pieces are just beautiful! Stunning colors, too ♥
ReplyDeleteHeather
http://hiddenridgestudio.blogspot.com/2015/03/march-hares-reveal-art-jewelry-elements.html
Thank you, Heather. What a fun project this was, especially exploring color.
DeleteCindy! Its awesome! I didn't know purple would be such a challenge, glad my intuition sent that one to you. You rose to the challenge admirable! I liked the first one: great ribbon, really cool bail. I liked version 2.0 much better. The hare pendant is not small and the second strand felt more balanced. But the third - wow. And convertible. Thats cool. Purple isn't my color either, but when you bring in the browns and aquas - yum.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for joining the AJE team for this inaugural theme challenge! I'm thrilled its a hit!
Jenny, you definitely sent me the perfect pendant. The color journey was a satisfying experience. Also, it was so kind of you to include two more pieces. I will enjoy designing with those, too. Your work is fabulous! I loved this challenge and hope to participate in more.
DeleteIts a very unexpected yet pretty color combination. I would not have put these colors together but they look fun
ReplyDeleteHi, Divya. I agree about the color combination. I wasn't sure at first, but it is really growing on me. This was a "challenge" in several ways and helped me grow.
DeleteHi Cindy, you have made such a lovely necklace I love your choice of colour and the ribbon works so well and that teal leather strand in your last version makes a nice colour statement with the purple. love it!
ReplyDeleteJackie
Thank you, Jackie. This was such a challenging, yet fun, project. I enjoyed playing with color and discovered a new palette with which to experiment.
DeleteFabulous design Cindy - such beautiful rich colours and lovely depth and texture.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leslie. I am such a fan of your work, and your compliment means a great deal to me. This was a great opportunity to play with color and design. I found a new palette to work with and learned so much in this challenge. I love your hares!
DeleteCool love the colors and all the depth
ReplyDeleteWoodland Bay Native
Thank you. Loved this challenge!
DeleteBeautiful! The ribbon is perfect, and I love that you can have so many looks with the same design!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caroline. I had a difficult time limiting my ribbon purchase; I wanted to buy them all. They are gorgeous, and I love how the colors in the ribbons influenced my design. It was fun, yet challenging, to figure out how to make all the options work, but in the end I feel satisfied with the outcome.
DeleteWow, such a unique and convertible design! I love the whole set, the colors and your mix of materials are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karin. The convertible thing was challenging, but I love having options. This was fun!
DeleteI love the way your mind worked on this one. I too have a problem leaving a "simple" design alone. I tend to add dangles. What you did with the layers and the convertible pieces is wonderful. The design is rich and vibrant and has lots of interest. And how fabulous that you make coordinating earrings.
ReplyDeleteHi Tammy. Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with just leaving a simple design alone. I always feel compelled to add earrings while I am in the "zone." Maybe they shouldn't be quite as "matchy-matchy" but I guess that is the way my brain is wired. :)
DeleteI love it! I saw the first photo and though oh thats nice, the second and thought, oh wow now it's amazing and then a third option too, thats too cool! I love how versatile this piece is and the colours you used are really beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNiky, your comment made my day. How sweet of you! Thank you! I did have fun with this challenge; it really made me think. I also discovered a color palette that I'll probably use again.
DeleteSuch a beautiful and versatile piece, I love the turquoise with the purple!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. I enjoyed playing with color on this challenge and will probably use this combination again. I really had to think about how to make all of the pieces work together, but now I have a sort of template to work from for future pieces. I love these challenges!
DeleteThe colors you chose are my absolute favorites when used together! Your design is so versatile and creative...its great when one lovely piece can be used so many ways in a wardrobe. Fantabulous idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol. This is a color palette I know I will be using again. I am no longer intimidated by purple. :) I enjoy having lots of options, so this was a fun project. I learned a lot!
DeleteLovely piece, fab versatility incorporated into it too, looks like you had fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I really did have fun with this one and learned some things along the way
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ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved seeing the evolution of this necklace! Beautiful in all its incarnations. The color challenge of the purple brought out the best in you because it looks great with turquoise. The earrings are great too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann, for your kind words. This was truly a challenging project that resulted in a new favorite color combo as well as a new design concept. I love when that happens!
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