Yes, I should be working on my bead soup right now, but I'm taking a break to play with some photos. Photos of "blog hop/challenge leftovers" you might call it.
When I participate in challenges and things like that, I often start to pick out beads I think would work for the theme, palette or beads given to work with. All too often I don't have that many beads of each sort so I end up scrapping ideas based on that (or the fact I lack a matching focal). It's really all about having a really tight budget and loving colours so I rather buy a few beads of each colour or finish than enough beads of a fewer number of colours. Sometimes the lack of materials only become apparent after a while.
It can also be that I begin working with one idea in mind and then it evolves or is scrapped and I can no longer use the beads first picked out. Here are two examples of that.
The other leftover is my unfinished wrap bracelet intended for yesterday's Challenge of Music. As mentioned I had to give it up when I couldn't find a focal I liked. Instead I made something else that I, in the end, quite liked. So it wasn't all bad. Even if it felt frustrating and stressful to scrap an idea in the last moment before a blog hop.
The beads are purple aventurine (sometimes called purple jade) and czech druks in frosted milky pink apollo gold. Much more subtle and earthy than the twilight colours used for the brooch/pendant that became my challenge entry.
I'm not sure whether to finish the bracelet or not, nore about what to do with the beaded beads at the moment. Right now they're somewhere between WIP and UFOs. I liked putting the beads together, though, and that's my reason for showing them here. (And also, I took the photos because I liked the beads toghether. Nothing beats purple and green.)
So why not mix in some pale green beads with those purples and use your beaded beads all together? Bracelets don't always need a focal... and neither do necklaces, for that matter.For a necklace, do a loop of beads at the bottom for a focal and let one of the beaded ones, or one of those filigree ones dangle in the center of the loop :)
ReplyDeletebeautiful!
ReplyDeleteI adore your beaded beads!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful beaded beads. Lovely colors! This doesn't look like leftovers to me. They are now connected to a disappontment. I hope you will be able to see them as beads full of possibilities to create something wonderful. You could take some silk ribbon and chains and make a necklace or a bracelet. Some more beads may be needed. A focal is not always necessary. Your beaded beads are beautiful enough to draw your attention.. It could be a symmetrical necklace with your beaded beads and those filigrees or an assymmetrical.one with the beads on one side.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Hopefully I'll get around to doing something with the beaded beads. If not soon so at least in the near future so I don't forget about them.
ReplyDeleteI should perhaps add that, as mentioned above, you don't always need focals, but the reason I was on the hunt for one in this case was that I felt the bracelet would be very plain -- at least too plain for a challenge/blog hop -- and therefore this focus on making a focal clasp (ideally I wanted a button and then a hook clasp that would fasten under it).
Hi, I didn't mean to tell you that focals are not always needed. Of course you know it. I was just thinking of what could be made (by me) from those lovely materals without a focal piece.;-) Anonymous
DeleteFunny, I was wishing there was a Leftover Bead Soup Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea -- sounds fun! Being a slow hopper, I've seen quite a few leftover posts during these three parties I've been in. Seems like a lot of people do get leftovers they later get around to working with or designs they want to redo/tweak.
DeleteMyself, I've got a MOP button left from Penny's soup that I -- after the party -- got some ideas about how to use. So there'll probably be a(nother) leftover post on this blog in the near future.