Festive Fun Challenge Reveal

Thank you to everyone who joined in with the Festive Fun Challenge , as always some very beautiful and creative entries.

Sarah G.

Sarah made this beautiful embellished Christmas ornament.

Fatema

Fatema says - Since my favourite festival is "Ganesh/Ganpati utsav "-My Challenge piece is my very own and immensely popular creation-This palm sized  beaded idol of Lord Ganesha.I look forward to this 11 day festival break usually taking place in August/September.During this period, the ganpati idol is brought home or to public pandals and it is followed by festivities.Hundreds of ganesha idols ranging from tiny homemade ones to gigantic ones are ceremoniously welcomed into homes and pandals.Idols are immersed in water to chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya,Pudchya Varshi Lavkar Ya"(Come back soon next year!)to mark the end of the festival.

This festival is one of the most important festivals of Maharashtra,India and is celebrated with great zeal and fervour!

Jenny

Jenny designed and made this lovely Christmas ornament.

Audrey

Audrey wrote - My entry for festive fun challenge it's my design using craw raw peyote and herringbone stitches.  I just love  celebrating the Christian festivals especially Christmas and Easter I love sparkle so I have combined these two things the sparkle of Christmas the cross at Easter.  The cross comes off the necklace and makes a Christmas tree sparkly decoration, back on for a Easter celebration necklace. So here it is Rejoice necklace.

Vidya

Vidya says -The Fall is a very festive season in our house. My entry consists of several "flowers" all made with beads of course. 

All the names were put into the list randomizer at random.org and the lucky beader whose name is at the top of the list is...

Jenny!

Congratulations Jenny, you're the winner of the £15 to spend at Old Bicycle Shop!

There will be no challenge through December, I hope you all have a happy and peaceful season!

Happy beading!

Sarah (T)

Festive fun challenge.

Hello,

I'm sorry that I was unable to kick off a challenge earlier this month! Instead we're having a 6 week challenge that will take us into the first week of December and we'll start back in 2018. Crikey that year went so fast!

This challenge is called Festive fun and I'd like you to create a piece, jewellery or non-jewellery, inspired by your favourite holiday. We are a diverse crowd and it will be wonderful to learn more about each other's traditions! It would be lovely if you could tell us about your inspiration too.

THE PRIZE:

This month our sponsor is Davida and she's offering £15 to spend in her online shop Old Bicycle Shop!

HOW TO ENTER:

Email a photograph of your entry to Sarah at ottbs@live.com along with any other details we have asked for. The challenge runs until Midnight on Sunday 3rd December 2017 and the winner is drawn and announced the following day. You can email your entry at any time during the challenge period . The challenge is open to beaders worldwide.

RULES & OTHER INFORMATION:

• Entries must have been started on or after October 23rd 2017.
• You can make a jewellery or non jewellery item.
• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• Your entry must be a finished piece.
• If your entry isn't your own design you must credit the original designer.

There is more detailed information on the challenge here but if you have any questions please leave a comment below or email us. 

Happy beading!

Sarah

Stashtember Reveal.

Thank you to everyone who joined in the Stashtember Challenge! As always absolutely gorgeous entries! 

Louise

I chose Juno as my inspiration. 

As juno is part of the asteroid belt I took the colours and the swirling image to create a cellini spiral bracelet.

I have attached a picture of the asteroid belt to show the colours I saw and a final image of my Juno bracelet.

Fatema 

Here is my Stashtember challenge entry -A pair of peacock earrings - The pattern is  by my Russian friend Varvara Smith. Ihave created these earrings inspired by an aspect of  the First topic - The Ancient Roman Goddess Juno. Goddess Juno often appeared sitting pictured with a peacock. Thus I created these bright peacock earrings.

Sarah G

I chose the birth of Elizabeth 1 as my inspiration and square-stitched a Tudor Rose.

Audrey

I was inspired by considering space from mention of the German astronomer  so I have made Eridhans Polaris  pendant with Jupiter  beads on the strap.

Jenny 

Hashtag steps was inspired by the Blackpool illumnations - the miles we had to walk to see them on foot.

All the names went on to a list and Random.org chose...

Sarah G.

Congratulations Sarah! You're the winner of the £15 voucher from Celia at Jencel!

The October challenge will be announced in the next few days.

Happy beading,

Sarah

The Stashtember Challenge!

(First of all I would like to thank you all for your good wishes and understanding, they were much appreciated!)

I'm a bit early for this one, but I'm at home today and in work on Friday so I thought I'd get a head start!

Welcome to the September or should I say Stashtember Challenge!

This month, we will be digging through our stashes and pulling out those treasures that will help us celebrate the month of September. There are many interesting things listed on Wikipedia as having happened in September. I've pulled out a list below, please choose one topic to base your design on, you can then use any aspect of this topic to inspire your design. I can't wait to see where the inspiration takes you. But remember, all beads should be from stash!

• German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding named an asteroid belt after the Roman goddess Juno.
• Richard the Lionheart was crowned King of England.
• Edvard Grieg, Elizabeth 1, Isambard Kingdom Brunel were born.
• The Blackpool Iiluminations were first switched on in 1879.
• Star signs Virgo and Libra represent September.

THE PRIZE:

This month our sponsor is Celia and she's offering a £15 voucher to spend in her online shop Jencel!

HOW TO ENTER:

Email a photograph of your entry to Sarah at ottbs@live.com along with any other details we have asked for. The challenge runs until Midnight on Saturday the 30th of September  and the winner is drawn and announced within 3 days. You can email your entry at any time during the 1 month period. The challenge is open to beaders worldwide.

RULES & OTHER INFORMATION:

• Entries must have been started on or after September 1st 2017.
• You can make any item, it does not need to be jewellery.
• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• Your entry must be a finished piece and include a paragraph on your inspiration and how your entry relates to the challenge theme.
• If your entry isn't your own design you must credit the original designer.

There is more detailed information on the challenge here but if you have any questions please leave a comment below or email us. 

Have fun and happy beading!

Sarah

Apologies for the radio silence.

Dear all,

Please accept my apologies for the lack of challenge this month. There has been a lot of "Life" happening. Our beloved old dog fell ill and passed away and I'm afraid that, on top of an extremely busy time in work and covering the school holidays for kiddo, has fried my brain and I forgot!

I'll try to be back on to of it still on, in the meantime I hope you have some beady fun!

Love,

Sarah

June Challenge Reveal

Hi all,

Apologies for my tardiness this month, I couldn't quite fit everything I needed to do in the last few weeks!

In order to try and catch up, I'm going to take a break from the challenge in July, but will be back with something tricky in August!

Thank you to everyone who joined in and beaded some beautiful pieces, taking us on a lovely trip around the world!.

Fatema

Here is my June blog challenge-A kangaroo (and her joey) keychain.The pattern has been taken from a japanese book "animalia".Sine childhood,I have been fascinated with kangaroos.Kangaroos are endemic to Australia and have been depicted in Australian art,official currency,literature and continue to be used today by sporting teams and fans and advertisers as a symbol of all things Australian.Their amazing hopping ability,the pouch on the bellies of the female kangaroos to cradle their babies called joeys makes them such extraordinary marsupials.I would love to see them if I ever get a chance to visit Australia!

Coral

I picked Sinkiang, China because I had some pendants in my stash (one I did just make a necklace from last month) but they made me curious about the area. The necklace I've made for this challenge has the pendant that represented the Queen of Sinkiang...here is what I learned about the province from Wikipedia..."Sinkiang (or Xinjiang) refers to a former province of the Republic of China. First set up in 1884 as a province of the Qing Dynasty, it was replaced in 1955 by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomus Region of the People's Republic of China. The original provincial government was relocated to Taipei as the Sinkiang Provincial Government Office until its dissolution in 1992.

I made this all from stash some going back to the 1960's...rhinestones, chain and crystals.

Audrey

This is my June challenge  entry it's my interpretation of Hindia by Heather Collins.  I have always been interested in the Persian Mogul influences on India  so I have made this necklace up in the colours that reflect Persian culture  but Indian style. 

Kristen 

At first I thought I'd bead a Huichol Mexican bracelet.

I have long admired the bright colors in traditional Huichol pieces.

But!

I'm part of another FB group who focused this month on Loom pieces.

The group will be working on "Gerdan" or "Split Loom necklaces" for July.

This inspired me so much that I made the necklace over a weekend!

My country of inspiration: Ukraine

Jewelry piece: Gerdan necklace 

It can be a few different styles, one commonly found a long strip of loom work.

Long meant to put on over the head. Featuring geometric patterns.

These patterns can express world views in times past. 

Horizontal lines meant land, wavy ones meant water, a cross was fire, circle meant the sun.

Google: "Gerdan Ukrainian" - and the screen fills with vibrant color, lots of flower and geometric motifs.

Design credit by Anna Belous (aka Anabel) at www.anabel-beadpatterns.com

Jenny

A design inspired by Chinese Philosophy.

All the names were put into the list randomizer at random.org and the lucky beader whose name is at the top of the list is...

Audrey!

Congratulations Audrey,  you're the winner of the £25 voucher to spend at Beads and More by Yashma!

June Challenge

Welcome to the June Challenge! The theme for this challenge is:

Wander where you will.

Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca 2015.

There are so many wonderful, fascinating countries in this world of ours each with a unique history, intriguing traditions and a sense of beauty of their own. For this challenge I'd like you to take a virtual trip around the Globe, stick a pin on a map or lose a few hours on Google to choose a country that interests you and bead a piece inspired by anything about that country that tickles your fancy! You can find a list of sovereign states on Wikipedia to start you off on your journey.

Please include the name of your chosen country and a short paragraph on your inspiration so that we can all learn a little more about our world.

THE PRIZE:

This month our sponsor is Valentina and she's offering £25 to spend in her Etsy shop Beads & More by Yashma!

HOW TO ENTER:

Email a photograph of your entry to Sarah at ottbs@live.com along with any other details we have asked for. The challenge runs until Midnight on Friday the 30th of June and the winner is drawn and announced the following day. You can email your entry at any time during the month. The challenge is open to beaders worldwide.

RULES & OTHER INFORMATION:

• Entries must have been started on or after June 1st 2017.
• You can make any item, it does not need to be jewellery.
• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• Your entry must be a finished piece.
• If your entry isn't your own design you must credit the original designer.
• The photo above is for decorative purposes only, please refer to the text below it for details on the theme or colours allowed.

There is more detailed information on the challenge here but if you have any questions please leave a comment below or email us. 

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

Sarah

April/May Challenge Reveal

Thank you to everyone who joined in with this challenge! I'm thrilled that so many UFOs now have a new lease of life as finished pieces!

Carol H

This is based on Shelley Nybakke's "Until I Breathe"

I haven't beaded for over 12 months so decided to use 5 of the "dangles"  I had already done!

Jenny A

Sarah G

The design credits for the base go to Julia Gerlach, and the Absolutely Stunning 
'Sign of the Zodiac' cameos are courtesy of Davida Krill and The Old 
Bicycle Shop....(I HAD wanted to feature every sign of the zodiac on my 
necklace, but even I (lover of all things over the top) had to concede 
that doing so would have been EVER SO SLIGHTLY mad! So I went with five.

Fatema I

I dug into my stash and created entry numbers 1,2,3, 4, 5, 7, 8,9 10 11 and 13 which are all my designs!Entry no 12 is a customised hand ornament for a client which is also my own design.Entry no 11,14 and 15  are table mats for which I utilized most of  the plastic bicones  accumulated over a period of many years.Entry no 6 and 16 are pairs of earrings which I made with the help of guide central video tutorials on you tube.All these projects were beaded during the months of April and May.

Lucy K

 Lucy finished this Anais brooch from a pattern by Ellad2 (Ella Des)

Kristen H

Kristen finished 12 pieces to enter for the challenge.  

Design credit in 7 picture: (top right)

Heather Kingsley-Heath

Melissa Grakowsky

Melissa Grakowsky (again)

Kelley Weiss

Diane Dennis

Sandra Youbger

Melissa Grakowsky (center)

Design credit in 5 picture (top right)

Erin Simonetti

Jay Dee

Justyna Szlezak

Julia Pretl

Nancy Dale  

Maureen L

The centre necklace is Nefertiti's Treasure designed by Melanie de Miguel, a workshop from several years ago.

The outer necklace is Dragon Claw Necklace designed by Laura McCabe, a kit I started last year.

The pendant and earrings are my version from a Bubble Hubble workshop with Melanie de Miguel in March this year, made to go with my outfit for my son's wedding recently.

Vidya 

Vidya finished this design from Eridhan creation.

Esther B

This is "Tassel Lariat," a workshop pattern from Helena Tang-Lim. Started in class with her last August, and just finished now! Whew!

Signy C

I completed 7 items for this challenge!

4 beaded bezels on moon cabs (only 30 or so left to go!)

2 pairs of earrings

1 beaded necklace for a pendant

Louise B

All the entries (1 per finished item) went on a list and I used Random.org to pick a number.

The Winner is Kristen H! Congratulations Kristen! Please get in touch and I'll send you your prize! 

Thanks again for entering everyone!

Sarah x

The April/May Challenge

Welcome to the April/May Challenge "Spring Fait Accomplis"! 

This challenge is a 2 month Finish Fest.

Let's dig through our stashes and pull out all those UFOs (unfinished objects) and half done WIPs (works in progress), I know we all have them, and get them done! If you don't have any UFOs or WIPs, you can still enter with the items you have made during this period.

Just one photo per person please, with all your finished items within it, you get one entry per each item finished! Please include the number of items entered in your email.

The Prize:

This prize comes direct from my stash to yours and includes a Lisa Peters Russ cabochon and 40g of my "Lake" custom bead soup.

HOW TO ENTER:

Email a photograph of your entries to Sarah at ottbs@live.com along with any other details we have asked for. The challenge runs until Midnight on Wednesday 31st May 2017 and the winner is drawn and announced the following day. You can email your entry at any time during the 2 months. The challenge is open to beaders worldwide.

RULES & OTHER INFORMATION:

• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• Your entries must be finished.
• If your entry isn't your own design you must credit the original designer.

There is more detailed information on the challenge here but if you have any questions please leave a comment below or email us. 

Happy beading!

Sarah

March Challenge Reveal

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in with Mad March Hair challenge where we asked you to create a hair accessory. Once again the creativity shown is fabulous and a great range of styles!

Audrey

Audrey beaded a floral hair clip using a braid and flower pattern from the book A beaded floral. The idea how to put it together and make this using the flowers and braid is her own. 

Fatema

Fatema designed a beaded hair comb.

Sarah G.

Sarah G created this clip featuring a bead embroidered grey Muslin Moth.

Shyeni 

Shyeni embellished a hair band with a beaded bead.

Signy 

Signy made a pair of hair sticks for this month's project.

Lucy

This design is called Club Mace Hair Sticks by Good Quill Hunting aka Christina Neit.

 

Lucy had the pattern for ages and saw the Challenge being about hair pieces as a good opportunity to dust it off and get cracking.

 

Jenny 

Jenny beaded a hair grip using a design from Bead and Button April 17 by Carolyn Cave.

All the names were put into the list randomizer at random.org and the lucky beader whose name is at the top of the list is...

Sarah G!

Congratulations Sarah, you're the winner of the £15 to spend at Old Bicycle Shop!

Happy beading!

Sarah (T)

The March Challenge

Welcome to the March challenge!

This month the challenge is Mad March Hair!

Please create a hair accessory using beads.

It could be an embellished hair grip, a hair band, a scrunchie or even a fascinator, anything goes as long as it can be worn in the hair!

THE PRIZE:

This month our sponsor is Davida and she's offering £15 to spend in her online shop Old Bicycle Shop!

HOW TO ENTER:

Email a photograph of your entry to Sarah at ottbs@live.com along with any other details we have asked for. The challenge runs until Midnight on Friday 31st March 2017 and the winner is drawn and announced the following day. You can email your entry at any time during the month. The challenge is open to beaders worldwide.

RULES & OTHER INFORMATION:

• Entries must have been started on or after March 4th 2017.
• You can make any type of hair accessory.
• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• Your entry must be a finished piece.
• If your entry isn't your own design you must credit the original designer.

There is more detailed information on the challenge here but if you have any questions please leave a comment below or email us. 

Happy beading!

Sarah

January/February Challenge Reveal

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in with our January/February challenge where we asked you to create something inspired by "In The Shadows". I loved the creativity shown in interpreting the theme and enjoyed reading the inspirations!

Fatema 

In keeping with the 2 month Jan-Feb 2017 creative challenge of “In the Shadows”I have created this pair of Count Dracula earrings. The design is by Dorothea Hodge. These Earrings are a kind of tribute to my all time favourite actor-The Late Mr.Christopher Lee who has according to me immortalized the character of Count Dracula in the Dracula films. The First Dracula movie I watched as a child was the 1958 film “Dracula” and it created an everlasting impact on my mind! Finally I got an opportunity through this challenge to create these cutely scary  earrings symbolizing Count Dracula/Christopher lee-a dark undead corpse like creature lurking in the shadows waiting to attack unsuspecting victims after sunset and before sunrise!

Jenny

'In the shadows' immediately brought to mind a monochrome WIP I created using MiniDuo beads when they were released in the summer of 2015.  However I could not locate the WIP or the beads in my stash. The design is recreated using Turquoise picasso SuperDuos and gold bronze MiniDuos.  The shadows are created by the valley of MiniDuos that spin around the rope design.  

Dee

My inspiration for the In the Shadows theme was the unusual water lilies that bloom in the night.  I wanted to create something that would sparkle and catch even the smallest amount of light so I used dark beads and a matching swarovski crystal. 

Shyeni 

With the change occurring in my life, my bead work has been in the shadows recently. I started this piece for a bead a-long that I was participating in, to make something that I  wouldn't take up too much time and therefore encourage me to pick up my needle regularly. However the subtle colours and shading remind me of shadows and light, so here we are. 

Louise

I used all stash, matsuno seed beads, silver shadow Chinese crystals and a vintage glass button that only shows its true beauty up close as the detail is hidden in the shadows of the cut.

Audrey

Silvers greys and purples always make me think of shadows so I've made. Amy Katzs Full circle necklace in those colours because it says to me shadows.

Sarah

Here is my entry for the Jan/Feb 'In The Shadows' Challenge. She, of 
course, is lurking in the shadows because she is a Witchy Woman, and 
therefore just too clever and powerful for her own good.... Fabulous 
face by the lovely Pam Gordon!

Dawn

I feel that I am living in the shadows of a political administration that has the potential to do great harm not only to the people of this country but to those around the globe as well. I have not ever been a politically active person. I have always voted when there was an election after carefully reading the voter's pamphlet but that is as far as it went. I am disturbed enough now that it is coming out in my artwork. This book reflects the turmoil we are experiencing now and my hope that there will be a better future, hopefully sooner rather than later. This is my hope for a secret garden in the light at the end of the tunnel.

Kirsten

 "In the Shadows" challenge, its the Bubble Ball pendant designed by Sabine Lippert.

I chose this as the project as "In the Shadows" because its a 3 dimensional beaded ball.

I imagined shining a light into the middle of the ball, creating shadows on other beads on the inside.

All the names were put into the list randomizer at random.org and the luck beader whose name is at the top of the list is...


Audrey !


Congratulations Audrey,  you're the winner of the £15 voucher to spend at Jencel!

Happy beading!

Sarah