Thanks to everyone who joined in with our February challenge, as always you made some fabulous creations using the blue and brown colour scheme! Before we show you all the entries, let's have a another look at the photo we posted for your inspiration.
And the lucky person who's name is at the top of the list randomized by Random.org is...
Congratulations Donna, you have won the £15 voucher to spend at Absolute Beads!
I hope you've all enjoyed taking part in this challenge as well as seeing all the wonderful entries. Please check back tomorrow when we start a brand new challenge for March :)
Thanks to everyone who joined in with our February giveaway. Random.org gave me lucky number 7 and that comment belongs to Michelle Mullen! Congratulations Michelle, please email your address to me at ottbs@live.com and I'll pop your prize in the post :)
We thought it would be nice to have a regular giveaway on the blog so I'm starting it off for February with this set of six Enchanted Garden beaded beads (made by me!) for you to use in your work. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to comment on this post! The winner of the giveaway will be drawn at random on Tuesday 19th of February after 6pm.
I'm so excited to announce that the latest book in our Bead, Book & Bounce feature is Sabine Lippert's Beaded Fantasies.
As always, if you have already finished projects from our Bead, Book & Bounce choice, you're welcome to share them when we 'reveal and review', or you might like to create additional projects using the patterns as an inspiration and changing them to suit your tastes!
"This book is a glorious riot of colour and beautiful beads." Dee Wingrove Smith.
If Beaded Fantasties isn't already on your bookshelf, or you're not quite ready to commit to a purchase, there are two free downloadable projects available from the Lark Crafts Blog - Les Fleurs Necklace and Purple Rope Necklace. Both are beyond beautiful!
And, If You're Interested -
Sabine's blog, Try To Bead, is a veritable feast of delicious projects including an inspirational gallery, project kits and free patterns. You can also read an Interview With Sabine Lippert, with advice for budding beaders and would be designers!
In 2012, we introduced a new blog feature - Bead, Book & Bounce. We've chosen some of the most popular beading and jewellery making books and one by one we've been challenging our readers to dust off the books on their shelves and create projects from their neglected library.
Over the past few months, we've all been working on projects from The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells. Well received - and well loved - in the beading community, this book contains a wide range of projects all inspired by some of the most popular beadweaving stitches.
It's now time for us to share our projects, finished or not, that have been inspired by the tutorials, techniques or gallery pieces included in The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving. We're starting here on the blog with two wonderful projects by Susan Sassoon. Susan says "I tend to change things up a bit rather than follow a pattern directly, so my entries here may not look too much like the proejcts, but they started out with the main stitch from the pattern and then I took it elsewhere!"
"The black and silver triple curved necklace was inspired by Carol Horn's rainbow necklace - only I used my own size beads and created a triple curve instead of the single curve."
"The necklace with the diamond shaped pendant started off as the choker with a secret necklace but I preferred a V shaped necklace instead of the rounded one, so I changed it up."
How amazing are Susan's projects? I really love that she's managed to create pieces inspired by the book, but with her own twists. Please share your own projects with us using the Mr Linky.
* Please link directly to your reveal and review blog post, so that we can find it easily.
* Please leave a comment here when you link up your project.
* Please try to visit the blogs of other participants when you can. We all love a bit of love!
And don't forget that we're still working on projects from Sonoko Nozue's Japanese Beadweaving, with the new reveal on the 6th March.
Any shades of brown and blue are accepted as well as any finishes, including beads with an AB/rainbow coating. But due to the fabulous prizes on offer each month
we’re pretty strict on the colours allowed, so no colours other than
those specified please! *Update* If you are using a focal bead or cabochon in your design, it can have small amounts of other colours in it, provided the main colours of it fit our challenge. But the beads you use with it must be in our challenge colours only.
Now here's the twist...we'd like you to include Wood somewhere
in your entry. The twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use
the twist as well as the colour scheme then you will receive two entries
into the draw!
How do I enter?
There are two ways...
1. Email your photograph to Liz at ottbs@live.com
2. Or add them to our Flickr group pool.
Choose whichever way is easiest for you, you don't have to do both. In either case, please mention that it's for the February Challenge
so I know that it's your entry. We're happy for you to post your photos
on our Facebook group as well but please make sure that you've also
submitted as above. Entries that have not been emailed or added to the Flickr pool will not be accepted.
What can I make?
Anything as long as it involves beads! Any technique is accepted, from
beadweaving and stringing to wire work and bead embroidery. Lampworkers
and polymer clay artists are also welcome to submit beads they've made.
I'm sorry but any entries that do not include beads in some form or
another will not be accepted. Your entry must be made especially for the challenge, please do not submit something that was made before February 1st 2013.
Does it have to be my own design?
No. We're happy for you to make something using a pattern from a book,
magazine or tutorial but if you do please let us know the designer's
name so that we can give them credit.
What about findings?
Findings (clasps, earwires, metal spacer beads etc) are exempt from the
colour challenge so you can use silver, gold or any other colour
findings that fit in with your project.
When is the deadline for entries?
The deadline is 6pm (GMT) on Thursday the 28th of February. Can I enter more than once?
You can make as many pieces as you like using the chosen colourway. All
entries will be shown here on the blog but you will only be entered into
the draw once (or twice if you've used the twist).
I'm not in the UK, can I still join in?
Yes of course! We welcome submissions from around the world so don't
worry if you're not in the UK. Our sponsors have agreed to post prizes
overseas so you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!
Any other questions?
If you have any questions about the challenge please feel free to email Liz at ottbs@live.com
The Prize
This month our sponsor is Steph of Absolute Beads and she's offering a fabulous £15 voucher to spend in her online shop!
The
winner will be drawn by Liz after 6pm on Thursday the 28th of February,
using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on
the same evening.
