Challenge Week 7

The week ended on a great note, I went to the Marching Dragons Craft Fair at Brick High School. The morning was a little slow, I think the cold weather kept people away. In the afternoon it got crowded and I had lots of visitors to my booth. So I'm a day late in posting my weekly challenge.

This week for the 7th challenge I made another version of a ring. I'm trying to find a ring format that I like, so if you have a favorite of the ones that I've done so far please let me know. The ring I made (shown left) is a light amethyst Swarovski crystal in a four prong setting. The wire is 20 gauge square sterling silver, wrapped three times to give a nice base to the crystal.

I wanted to try to use the 4 prong setting to make a ring because I thought it would look very formal. I like the way it came out, but it's not my favorite.  I prefer the ring that I made with the 3 round crystals.  I'm going to keep experimenting though, I'll know when I find the right combination of stone, ring and wrap.

Please stay tuned to see what new items come off the work room table.

Challenge Week 6

This week's challenge entry is a little late, I had a very bad case of the flu and couldn't think about making jewelry. So, I'm finally starting to feel better and have made a variation on another piece that I've made before.

For the challenge this week I made a barrette covered in 4mm square flat back crystals. Previously the crystals that I used were round. The way this barrette sparkles reminds me of the old mirror balls used in the discos.

This barrette is great for bridal wear and also for a night on the town. It is 2 inches long and is a little more than a quarter inch wide. It's the perfect little hair jewelry for most occasions.

Check back on Saturday to see what comes off the work room table.

Challenge Week 5

Welcome to Week 5 of my 52 Week Jewelry Challenge. This week I made a beaded bracelet. As I have been trying to stretch my jewelry making style, I included some cube beads into this bracelet.  That's a little stretch because I feel more comfortable with round beads. The cubes are Swarovski crystal elements and the rounds are glass and have both blue and black colors in them.  I really like these beads and I think they blend well with the black cubes.

The cubes were in my beading supplies because I had seen them in a catalog and liked them, also bought some turquoise color cubes, which are still in the package. So this week when I was looking for materials to use I thought this would be a good bead to use to challenge myself.

You can find this bracelet on my website. I hope you like this week's bracelet and will come back next week to see what new item comes off of the work table.

Challenge Week4

This week I used the last of my favorite beads, they are a turquoise color Czech glass, oblong shaped bead. I paired them with white cats eye beads to make a very soothing combination of colors, in a princess length necklace (18 inch).  I have used this combination before in a floating bead necklace that was bought at a craft fair faster than I could put it on the table.  The clasp that I used is an antique finish square that I think compliments the shape of the Czech glass beads.

I have 2 of the Czech beads left and will make a pair of earrings to match the necklace.

Look for more pictures in my shop.

Challenge Week 3

Sometimes I make a piece of jewelry that I really like, but I probably like it because I made it. So I show it to people and they say "Oh, it's nice" and I wonder if they are saying that because they like it or because they don't want to hurt my feelings. My confirmation that it's not just me is when someone actually wants the piece or asks me to make one in a different color.

When I made my first ring people said they liked it. But my confirmation came when a friend's daughter tried it on and didn't want to take it off, it was a perfect fit too. So I literally gave it to her off of my finger. Please excuse my insecurity, I'm an artist, it comes with the territory.

My second attempt wasn't as successful. I used a stone in a setting, rather than a bead. It looked rather clumsy when I was going for elegant.

The challenge for Week 3 was to make a ring that I can put into my store, and I think I found it. It's a simple design inspired by one that I saw in a magazine. I used medium blue Swarovski crystals on sterling silver wire, with antiqued silver spacer beads. I have other color beads that I have already started to make into rings.

This challenge has been so much fun, I'm glad I started it. I have an idea for next week already!

Jewelry Challenge - Week 2

This week I did something completely new, I made Hair Jewelry.  Really, that's a fancy way to say barrettes. My friend's daughter is getting married and at the reception she is taking her veil off and wants something to hold her hair in place, so she asked me to come up with something.  I made several pieces of Hair Jewelry for her to choose from.  All of these barrettes can be worn by the bride or her brides maids. I will post the ones that my friend doesn't take to my shop.

Here is a picture of all of them, I also have a picture of each individual barrette below. I made a variety so she could choose or use one as a starting point to make one into exactly what she wanted. She liked the crystal one, far left, and asked me to add a flower. So the flower on the left is a crystal barrette with a flower.

This is the crystal barrette; my sister said it was her favorite and I have to agree, for a gown with all crystals, this would be perfect.

This is the crystal barrette with the flower added, it really looks pretty. I also put a crystal in the center of the flower instead of the pearl that it came with and the little shoots that come off the flower had pearls, so I changed them to crystals.  I used all Swarovski crystals for both barrettes.

 This is my second favorite, I used silver beads that have crystals in the center of each bead.

 Not only would this barrette be good for a bride but also for brides maids.  It's simple yet beautiful.  I can also make it in different colors

Last but not least is the barrette that has pearls with a single flower on it.   See more pictures of all of these barrettes on my website.

Have a good week and I'll see you back here next Saturday for Week 3 of the challenge.

52 Week Challenge - the beginning

Inspiration is needed here at McLachlan Design Studio. So I decided to give myself a 52 week challenge, to make one new piece of jewelry per week for a year.  It seems like a daunting task but I've decided to go for it. I get into a rut where I don't make anything at all for a long period of time, then inspiration hits and I'll work for several days and make a lot of jewelry, then fizzle out.  So this will keep me on a schedule.

To start the challenge off, I've made something totally different than my usual bracelets and earrings. This is also unusual because my standard materials are crystals or glass beads with silver. 

This necklace is called Love 4 Turquoise; I had to use the love theme considering it's the month of Love.  The center front of the necklace is 4 love knots, made from sterling silver, with a turquoise bead hanging between the center two knots.  The sides/back of the necklace are sections of sterling silver Figaro chain separated by turquoise beads.  The necklace is between 9 1/2 and ten inches long. You can see more pictures of this necklace in my Bonanza Store.

Check back next Saturday for Week 2 of the challenge.  If you would like to challenge me with suggestions of materials or type of jewelry you would like to see, let me know.  I'm up for the challenge and you may even get something if I use your inspiration/idea.

Have a great week!
Denise