Summer Color Surprise Blog Hop

Lisa Lodge of A Grateful Artist has created a jewelry making challenge just perfect for summer: color! Today we celebrate the colors of summer in jewelry created with colorways of beads Lisa sent us as surprises.  

 I love color -- in fact, I can't think of a color I don't like -- so color challenges are always fun for me, no matter what color I'm working with. Yet when I received my beautiful mix of purple and lavender beads I was delighted. The color is soft and pretty. Here is the mix I received:

The beads are a beautiful color, with lavender Czech, brilliant violet cubes, small pearlized cubes, and purple iris seed beads. There were antique silver findings and pretty soft metallic gold tones. There was a little of everything to take off from and create some really fun jewelry. 

So firstly, I created simple floral drop earrings. I added  carved garnet leaves and antique copper rose beads to the the two pretty Czech flowers Lisa sent me. I like linear earrings, and I'll wear these to transition from summer to Autumn.

Summer to Autumn Floral Earrings

"Garner"

Looking at the beads,  I was drawn to the soft yellow gold (with a touch of rose gold) beads. There luster and interesting faceting kept catching my eye! They were the perfect color for trying out something with my new bright 16 AWG copper wire and 20 AWG rose gold wire. I had just enough of them to create wire-work earrings in an India style paisley design:

Paisley Patterns of India

"Indian Summer"

Inspired by the 3 pretty bicones in my mix, I added more of my own bicones & a rivoli crystal to create a lovely beadwoven summer flower :) I varied a lush pattern by Hannah Rosner, using purple iris mags I had on hand as low-lights to coordinate with the Heliotrope rivoli and to make the soft AB pink crystals pop. The lavender Czech leaves were from another mix Lisa had sent me, so I made some botanical fringe :) This will be a birthday gift for a friend.

"Fairy Flower"

But... I'm still Inspired!! LOL, what next? 

The Color Summer Surprise challenge and my bead mix really got me thinking. I'm inspired to keep going! I'd like to create pretty peyote stations with the 3 violet cubes. They are just the right size for my pattern, so maybe earrings are in store:

Peyote cubes?

And I'd like to create a multi-strand necklace with the soft Czech. How perfectly the lovely Czech beads match pretty seed beads I have on hand. Together, I think they'll make a very cool monotone, luscious lavender necklace:

Lavender fields?

Enjoy the rainbow of art and artists today! I let Lisa know that my daughter was having a brain MRI and some serious health issues were challenging our family; I was still in the hop, although my comments on your jewelry would be late. I hope she passed along the message to everyone! xxoo Rita

The Participants:

Your Hostess: Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Chris Eisenberg, Wander Ware 
Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs (Posting on Sunday the 25th)

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Monique Urquhart, A Half-Baked Notion

Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool

Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space

Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Toltec Jewels, Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends <-- you are here :) 

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Julie Lockhart, Copar Aingeal

Dolores Rami, CraftyD's Creations

Elizabeth Bunn, Elizabeth Beads

Mowse Doyle, Mowse Made This

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry
Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations

Toltec Jewels is an author by day, jewelry maker by night. Her literary work is housed by the San Fransisco MOMA and is published internationally in popular magazines, literary quarterlies, and university publications. She has won a number of awards for literary and jewelry arts. She is happiest making handcrafted jewelry with her entire family, snuggling with her doggies and grandkids, sewing, singing, reading, and learning more jewelry techniques. She is the hostess of JSF, a diverse community of expert and emerging artisans taking inspiration from each other and jewelry arts. Join her on FB for networking, fundraising for Beads of Courage, jewelry making challenges, blog hops, contests, give-a-ways and of course, cool beads and jewelry!