Dark Bloom Design Challenge Kit...Reveal time!

So it's time again for another Andrew Thornton design challenge reveal! This month is Dark Bloom...a gorgeous blend of black, grey and silver to perfectly accent the rich purples and pinks...a fantastic palette!

In case, you haven't been following or aren't familiar with Andrew's design kits, I will mention just a couple of things...he is VERY generous with the contents of our kits. We get a premium blend of seed beads and assorted glass, a clasp, waxed linen, vintage glass, czech glass, crystals and the "mystery" component, a surprise until it arrives in your mailbox :)...it's a wonderful way to get inspired! So for any who follow my blog you know lately I've been creating a lot of bracelets...particularly the stacking/layering style. I love them and they allow for such versatility. I think the nature of the bead styles in these kits lends nicely to these bracelets. The sizes of the beads are well suited to lots of them being worn together and Andrew coordinates everything so nicely...it just seems right.

I don't do much designing with seed beads anymore...they tend to be stoppers or fillers for larger beads...but with this kit I decided to challenge myself to use more of the beautiful premium blend which is mostly seed beads. I'm experimenting lately with making my own jump rings, so this bracelet came together with the marrying of a personal challenge to use the seed beads and wanting to experiment with more ways I could use my handmade jump rings. Oh, and one of my first attempts at making ball headpins! I love how this turned out...simple but so stylish! All metal findings made by me, all beads are from the kit.

This bracelet shows another of my latest design favorites...Irish waxed linen. This stuff is great fun to design with comes in 30+ colors, creates durable designs this has replaced my use of flexible bead wire pretty much completely. I hate using crimps, I never feel like they are secure and even though its "flexible" beading wire still has a stiffness and lack of movement...to me anyway. Waxed linen has flexibility, movement and a boho feel that I really like for my designs. So every thing in this bracelet is from the kit except the copper snap clasp.

For this bracelet I went a simple design so the polymer charm would really be the focus. This was our "mystery" component, handmade by Andrew. I'm sure the flat black beads are some type of gemstone, but haven't had a chance to look them up. I used some of my handmade twisted jump rings, gunmetal clasp and faceted glass. Focal, beads and clasps are from the kit. All jump rings are handmade by me.

For this double wrap bracelet I used glass beads from the 4 mini strands to make the different sections, separated by acrylic chips from the premium blend and the rest of the waxed linen. Added a snap clasp and VOILA!

Earrings to coordinate with any of the bracelet designs...

and last I loved the look of my first bracelet with the seed beads and jump rings so much I thought it would make a nice necklace design too. So that's it for me...all the bracelets can be stacked together or worn separately and the earrings and necklace coordinate nicely with everything. Thanks to Andrew for another beautiful and inspiring kit! If you are interested in playing along the kits sell out fast so keep an eye out on Andrew's blog...I believe the next one is scheduled to go on sale tomorrow evening ;)

I hope you will hop around now to the other participants and see what beautiful designs they created!
~Kari

Hannah http://www.livingoutofcontext.blogspot.com/

Karin Grosset Grange http://www.ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.fr/

Carolyn Lawsom http://www.carolynscreations.blogspot.com/

Holly Baldwin http://www.trickoflightstudios.com/

Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com/

Ann Schroeder http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com/

Kari Asbury http://www.hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com/

Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Alison Herrington, Geri Colgrove, Crystal Lombardo Farrell http://www.andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

Busy week ahead...and a Sneak Peak at the Festival of Lights Challenge!

The coming week looks like it will be very busy for this Hippie Chick. I will be sharing my Dark Bloom Design Challenge Reveal, Thursday, August 14. I hope to complete a design for the Earrings Everyday monthly challenge...to be shared Friday, August 15. And I received my Festival of Lights Design Kit last week so time spread that out on the desk so it can properly "speak" to me :) I am also just under a month from my next trade show...and not feeling the least bit ready...YIKES! 

So let's have some pretty bead pictures to distract us from all this craziness! So this is the teaser Andrew offered on his latest design challenge. I have managed to get a kit for every challenge he has offered, except Radiant Orchid...I'm still a little sad on that one...I love purple! These challenge kits have really inspired me and it's been a wonderful summer of creativity from the challenges and it carries over into my other designs...my muse has been loving me lately so I'm just rolling with it!

Each kit is filled with goodies...glass, crystals, some vintage, all perfectly coordinated!

More glass, a generous amount of Irish waxed linen...

and what he calls the "premium blend"...this has a bit of everything...seed beads, crystals, sequins, acrylic, glass, a little of this and a little of that! And again perfectly blended to match the kit. I know you're thinking how great are all these goodies...so much stuff to get the design muse flowing...but there's more!

The "mystery" goodies...some months it's one item...other months its several! It's a mystery until the package arrives in our mailbox and always has it's own special public reveal date...if you want to see you'll have to stop back by on August 18th for the big reveal!

Other exciting things are happening and I hope to be sharing them soon! In the meantime I hope you'll stop by on Thursday, August 14th for the Dark Bloom Reveal...

~Kari