BAO Color Challenge

I love beading challenges... they push my creativity. More than once I designed things that I probably wouldn't have done if it wasn't for the challenge. Challenges also force me to work on a project - from start to finish - within a time frame, which I find to be a good exercise for my concentration at work. If I had enough time, I would have participated in each and every one of them...There's the EBW monthly challenge; the ABG challenge and a few others that I don't recall now, but I really enjoy entering the Bead Art Originals color challenge.

Given a specific color palette to work with , I enjoy looking over my bead stash to find the right colors for the challenge. That way, I get to see (and use) different kinds of beads that I have long forgotten about their existence... It's fun, and it also sparkle up my creativity!

This bracelet was created especially for the latest BAO color challenge.
I really liked the spicy colors picked up for it (see photo below). I found leftovers of Czech pressed glass spacer beads in very dark chili pepper red that was perfect for the challenge, and designed the whole bracelet around them. With the tiny bit beads that were left, I created a matching button clasp.

Check out the BAO blog to see other member's entries for this challenge

The bracelet came out Xceptionally TeXtured (that's the name I gave it) - the spacer beads add texture to the bracelet and make a repetitive X pattern. I made one more bracelet in cold/warm colors for testing a shorter thread path for the tutorial I made for this design. New thread path worked just fine and much quicker, and I managed to finish the second bracelet in just two hours! :)

This Wednesday we are celebrating the Jewish New Year.

Let's hope that next year 

the wars & terror around the world will end;

poor people will have the ability to live decent lives they deserve 

to have as human beings ;

corruption will be eliminated; 

people will be more caring & nicer to each other;

and we'll manage to take a better care of our larger home - the globe;

 (yes, I know, it almost sounds like too far distant future...but it's up to us!)

I wish you all a very happy, loving, peaceful, prosperous and creative New Year!

Shana Tova!

*!שנה טובה*

Magical Magatamas

Last month at a wedding party, I met a few people I haven't seen in a couple of years. We chatted a bit and they asked me what job do I have and I told them that I am a jewelry designer. Then they were very surprised that I don't wear any jewelry (mine or others), and they said that I am a living example of  "a shoemaker who is walking barefoot" (it's an old Hebrew say). Funny, but true!... I stopped wearing jewelry long before I had started beading due to allergy to metals I had developed, and somehow I got used to being "jewelry-naked" (except for a watch, if that counts). I promised my relatives to show them some of my work the next time we meet, which would be next week in another family relative's wedding. I decided to wear a nice jewelry set to show off at the coming wedding... After all, my jewelry is made from glass beads, so there shouldn't be any allergy excuse... ;)

Luckily, my Muse cooperated and I managed to finish this new necklace and matching bracelet on time before the wedding (a tutorial is also ready & available). They are made with seed beads, glass pearls, Swarovski crystal beads and Miyuki long Magatama beads. (I take this opportunity to thank the people of Bogal, who are always very helpful and come to my rescue whenever I run out of beads before the project is finished... Thank you, Gloria and Avishai for an excellent customer service!).

Once again I had a challenging (read: annoying) designing process with those Magatamas (mainly because of their large, diagonal holes), but I love them, and I didn't want to give up on the texture they add to the beadwork. I am very pleased with the result! The necklace is laying nicely around my neck and the bracelet is softly draping  my wrist.

Now all I have to do is to find something nice to wear that goes with this set, which is another challenge for me! I never had to match the clothes to the jewelry - it usually goes the other way around, right?... ;D