Saturday, October 27, 2012

A walk through the forest - aka Sharyl's Bead Packet Design Challenge #2, the reveal

As you know from previous posts - this weekend is home for 3 Blog Hops.

This post is for Sharyl's Bead Packet Design Challenge #2 - featuring Natalie Pappas of NKP Designs


When I first saw Sharyl's original post I almost fainted: along with gemstones and glass I am in love with ceramics too. I saw many ceramic beads, but being quite new to the artistic world I saw very few ceramic art beads, and even fewer up close and personal :) The colours weren't the ones I would pick for myself but I threw my name in the hat nonetheless, the whole package looks truly delicious.

A few weeks after the registration I was the proud owner of my first ceramic art beads. No, scratch that - my first and gorgeous ceramic art beads! I received them shortly after attending a Rock and Gems Show where I bought a few beauties, one of them being an Onyx small bowl... which became the first home of my new beads (see below).

I kept them on my table and played with them for a little bit - imagining various ideas, none being worthy of their beauty. I knew I wanted a simple yet very elegant design, something to let the finesse in the beads prevail.

Luckily for me the muse decided to take pity on me and this is what they became shortly after:

A walk through the forest: ceramic beads by NKP Designs, gemstones, copper, leather, OOAK design :: All Pretty Things

Is there a way to take good pictures of long necklaces?! This is a very long one - doesn't even need a clasp :)


Each bead has been carefully wrapped sandwiched between 2 antique copper spacers. The beaded components have been linked with 3 strands of copper chain (2 different chains, one antiqued, one not). Around the neck I used a piece of leather, wrapped with copper - it makes for such a soft and easy wear!

A walk through the forest: ceramic beads by NKP Designs, gemstones, copper, leather, OOAK design :: All Pretty Things

I love tassels and I used the large focal ceramic bead to create one - pulling all the elements together: a strand of leather is kept together by one copper spacer, and a few more strands of chain give the tassel a playful and charming air.

These are the beads I started with: and have used all but 2 white stones for the necklace.

A walk through the forest: ceramic beads by NKP Designs, gemstones, copper, leather, OOAK design :: All Pretty Things

What do you do when you have 2 stones? I don't know about you - but I made earrings:

A walk through the forest: ceramic beads by NKP Designs, gemstones, copper, leather, OOAK design :: All Pretty Things

As simple as the necklace, and lovingly brushing my neck with the tassel chains :)

A walk through the forest: ceramic beads by NKP Designs, gemstones, copper, leather, OOAK design :: All Pretty Things

A walk through the forest: ceramic beads by NKP Designs, gemstones, copper, leather, OOAK design :: All Pretty Things

I need a real-size mannequin - my necklaces are getting longer and longer and I have no neat way to present them properly.

Anyhow - I am uber-pleased with my set, I just love how it drapes and how it wears. It has the ability to change a low-key attire into a very elegant combination, and to match the elegance of a cocktail dress and make it playful and charming.

P.S. Since Kashmira asked so nicely, I tried my best to get a complete picture of the necklace - not my best pictures, but you'll get the idea of how the necklace will look like (a lot slimmer than in the pictures, I widened it as much as I could)


 That is, in fact, the blouse I've been wearing it with a lot!


Thank you, Sharyl for the opportunity to play along - Natalie's ceramic is absolutely gorgeous and Sharyl's matching of the stones was perfectly done.

Thank you for visiting with me for this challenge.
Please make sure you visit the other participants (and if you are curious my Solar Flare blog hop too!). Remember to visit tomorrow too, for the Oktoberfest :)

Sonia Smith - her piece will appear on Sharyl's blog

Kashmira Patel of Sudafulee... Always in Bloom
Alicia Marinache of All the Pretty Things  <-- You are here
Laren Dee Barton of Laren Dee Designs
Shirley Moore of Beads and Bread
Alice Craddick of Alice's Beads and Baubles

13 comments:

  1. Hi Alicia,
    I love, love, love what you designed with the clay beads and they look so beautiful with the cooper and black cord. I love the earrings although my neck is not long enough to wear them.
    Therese

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  2. Please please please find a way to photograph the necklace. the copper and leather look soooooooooo pretty with that peach bead. but am not able to visualize the full design and am dying to see it!

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  3. It's beautiful, Alicia! I saw your page up earlier and wanted to congratulate you for that! Thought I'd get the first comment in, but had to circle back to take care of business, and see the others have beat me to it! :-)

    I think you've done a lovely job! I didn't realize these would be your first pottery art beads, but you will be spoiled from now on! You obviously found a way to bring out the best in them. Your pieces are so graceful and flowing! I would not have thought to use these with all the lovely chain, but it's a beautiful match!

    Congrats and thank you so much for participating! --Sharyl

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  4. Oh, I'm lovin' that copper! When you see my design, you'll see why! :) I like the tassel earrings too, I bet they feel wonderful on. My husband liked your copper spacers much better than what I did. I wish I had a solution for long necklaces, but I don't. Hopefully someone else will have a solution.

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  5. I love the set you have designed. First Pottery Beads!!! You must be hooked now! I just love them. I love how each one is a little work of art.

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  6. What a great necklace. I love the length, all the chain and the tassels on both the necklace and earrings. Very pretty.

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  7. Wow, that is gorgeous. I, too, love the copper chain with those beads. I have used many, many pottery beads in my jewelry and I love working with them. My guess is you will use them more now too.

    Great job. It is beautiful!

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  8. Alicia - I am going to start calling you the "Blog Hop Queen"! Boy have you been busy. What a lovely set - the copper chain looks awesome.

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  9. That is beautiful! I love the copper and leather and how you let the beads shine! I can't blame you for not wanting to take it off. :)

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  10. Really like these pieces and the flow of the colors! I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the earrings! I've been wanting to do some with chain, and haven't had a chance yet ... and this is exactly what I had in mind - love them!

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  11. Oh I just love them! I love tassels, too.

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  12. Oooooh!Thank you! LOVE it! And have a suggestion...how about adding a nice feather to the tassel too?

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  13. Like your designs, amazing how 10 of us with the same beads made 10 different versions of necklaces and/or earrings. I like that your necklace is long, I made mine long too!

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate and love to read your comments!