The October Challenge Reveal

Thanks to everyone who took part in the October challenge. There were just a few entries this time, but as always, very beautiful beadwork from you all!

The list of names was randomized at Random.org and the luck winner whose name is at the top is...

JENNY ARGYLE!

Congratulations Jenny, you've won the £15 voucher to spend at www.Jencel.co.uk!

The new challenge for November will be posted shortly so please pop back in a little while to see what our chosen theme is.

The October Challenge

Welcome to the October challenge! The theme this month is FIREWORKS!

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 Liz at ottbs@live.com along with any other details we have asked for. The challenge runs until Midnight on Monday the 31st of October 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 October 31st 2016.
• You can make any item, it does not need to be jewellery.
• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• Findings are exempt from the colour challenge.
• 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!

The October Challenge Reveal

Huge thanks to everyone who joined in with our October challenge! Here are all the gorgeous entries we received in our colour scheme of Grey and Red. The results of the prize draw are, as always, at the end of the post.

A list of all the entrants names were put into a randomizer at Random.org and the name in position one receives the prize of £15 to spent at RB Beads. That lucky beader is...



AUDREY GRAY!



Congratulations Audrey, we'll be in touch with you shortly about your prize :)

Well that's it for the October challenge, we hope you enjoyed it. Didn't have time to join in? Then why not create something for the November challenge which will be posted very soon.

The October Challenge

Welcome to the October challenge! It's colour time and this month we would like you to create something in Grey and Red.

The guidelines for this challenge are very simple - use any shades of grey (excluding black & white) and any shades of red! And don't forget, you can use multiple shades of these two colours within your piece. Please note: Shiny silver is not accepted as grey for this challenge, but any matt silvers that look grey are fine.

THE TWIST:

For the twist this time we'd like you to include SQUARES in your entry. There are several ways that you can incorporate squares - either in beads/findings etc. or as a pattern or beadwork shape in your piece. For this challenge cube shapes and cube beads are counted as squares and are accepted. Please note that 'square stitches' such as cubic right-angle weave and square stitch will not count for the twist unless they are formed into a square shape. Remember, the twist is optional, you do not need to include it for your entry to be accepted but if you do you will receive two entries into the draw. 

THE PRIZE:

Our sponsor this month is Rachel and she's offering £15 to spend in her online shop RB Beads!

HOW TO ENTER:

Simply email a photograph of your entry to Liz at ottbs@live.com. The challenge runs until Midnight in your own time zone on Saturday the 31st of October and the winner is drawn and announced the following day. The challenge is open to beaders worldwide.

RULES & OTHER INFORMATION:

• Entries must have been started on or after October 1st 2015.
• You can make any item, it does not need to be jewellery.
• You can use any craft technique but it must include beads.
• No other colours except for those stated.
• Findings are exempt from the colour challenge.
• 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 colours allowed in this challenge.

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!

The October Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our October giveaway! The winner of these gorgeous Soutache kits from Simply Soutache is...

...Ericka Stafford! Congratulations Ericka, we'll be in touch with you shortly about your prize :)

Special Guest October Giveaway!

After a short break we're back with our monthly giveaways and for October we have a special guest - Teressa from Simply Soutache! Teressa is very kindly giving away two of her soutache kits - Simply Spicy and Simply Cool - worth $27.50 to one lucky winner. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning these beautiful kits is to comment on this post. The winner will be drawn at random after 6pm on Wednesday the 30th of October. Giveaway is open to entrants worldwide.

The October Challenge

Welcome to the October challenge! This month we have a slightly trickier challenge with colours that you may not use very often. Combining traditional Halloween colours with stormy skies, sunny days and beautiful sunsets, we'd like you to create something in Black, Orange, Gold and Grey. 

Photo by Hope Abrams

Please use all four colours in your entry. You can use multiple shades of each colour if desired. Beads with AB/rainbow or Picasso finishes are allowed 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! To clarify the use of gold - this can be metallic, gold or or golden-yellow coloured. *If you are using a cabochon or other focal bead in your design it can have small amounts of other colours in it, provided that 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 some PEYOTE STITCH 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! For those who have never done peyote, there's a fab tutorial right here on the blog.

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 October Challenge so we 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 October 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 (UK time) on Thursday the 31st of October.

Can I enter more than once?

You can make as many pieces as you like using the chosen colour way. 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 Beads and More by Yashma and Valentina's offering one lucky winner their choice of £25 worth of goodies from her shop!

The winner will be drawn by Liz after 6pm on Thursday the 31st of October using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

The October Challenge

Welcome to the October challenge! This month we have something just a little bit different for you - a freestyle challenge - with a beautiful photograph for your inspiration.
  .

Alice in Wonderland: White Rabbit - Long Live the Queen

A freestyle challenge means that you can create whatever you like, providing it has some connection to the photograph. Maybe you'll be inspired by the colours, shapes, materials, or other elements. If you click on the photograph you can see the larger version, there really is a lot to be inspired by!

The twist for this month is Hearts. The twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use the twist then you'll 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 October Challenge so that we know that it's your entry and also let us know what you used from the photo as your inspiration. 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 October 1st 2012.

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 full credit.

When is the deadline for entries?
The deadline is 6pm (GMT) on Wednesday the 31st of October.

Can I enter more than once?
You can make as many pieces as you like using the photograph as inspiration. 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 Rachel from RB Beads and she's offering a fabulous £20 worth of size 11 Delicas or seed beads to one lucky entrant!

The winner will be drawn by Liz after 6pm on Wednesday the 31st of October, using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!