Cool Community Challenges, Blog Hops, and Giveaways :)

TWICE AS NICE HOLIDAY IN JULY 

The 14th Bead Soup Cafe Blogger/Non-Blogger Challenge is underway, hosted by yours truly. 

With Christmas in July festivities this month, I decided to go with a multicultural & inclusive Holiday in July theme and offer TWO design inspirations and challenges: create jewelry with a woodland theme and/or create jewelry with a Holiday party theme. 

REVEAL DATE: August 17

 The woodland theme also fits for Christmas, nature, and has a warm colorway that I created at Colourlovers. The Sparkling theme also fits Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Seaside Holiday, and has a cool tone colorway created at colourlovers. Artists can choose one or both photos for inspiration. I'll be giving away two gift certificates to Lima Beads for the design with the most votes in each theme. Visit the TWICE AS NICE challenge at the cafe' to join in the fun! 

MICHAEL'S BEADING CHALLENGE BLOG HOP

On July 16th, join Heather Powers of Humblebeads and Lorelei Eurto of Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio for their Michael's Design Challenge. Buy the beads at Michael's stores and create something special. Look for: 

REVEAL DATE: July 16

I found most of the beads! :) 

Round Cut Horn Beads 91920

Aqua 9.5 x 10mm Table Cut Glass 55809

Purple Glass Round 6mm 80842

Green Ceramic 12mm Round 92927

Aqua Opaque Table Cut Glass 99069

Bone Amber Rectangle 12 x 20mm 93294

Reconstituted Turquoise White Rondel 93741

Design your jewelry with this colorway inspiration:

Add your blog post to the link-up on July 16th at Humblebeads. 

Follow these rules from Humblebeads: 

You must have a blog to participate. It's a blog hop!

Don't have one but want to start one? Lorelei has a nice ecourse on setting up a blogger blog from start to finish. Get it here.

Use the beads shown here, and you can add in up to 2 additional bead types to your design. Create Any piece of jewelry you like, with the beads, using your own choice of focal. If you want to make a necklace, and some matching bracelet and earrings... the sky is the limit.

Choose any design you like, using any technique - that'll be the fun part of the whole thing- to see what different things you can do with these same beads.

There are no rules folks. If you find similar beads somewhere like Hobby Lobby, go ahead and use em. Seeing what everyone does with similar beads, is half the fun. If you can't find a particular bead strand at Michael's you can substitute a similar one.

BEADING ALL-STARS GIVEAWAY

Lori Anderson is having a book giveaway! Visit her blog, Pretty Things, to enter by July 11th.

GIVEAWAY ENDS: JULY 11

ANCHORS AWEIGH DESIGN CHALLENGE & BLOG HOP

Sign up to toss your name into the sailor's hat for a chance to win a pair of beautiful anchor charms from Suburban Girl Studio for the challenge & blog hop hosted by yours truly. Ten winners will design with the sapphire porcelain anchor beads -- for free! Artists may also join the challenge by purchasing anchors from Suburban Girl Studio directly. Winners will be announced on July 9th and the blog hop is September 7.

REVEAL DATE:  September 7

PINE RIDGE TREASURES GEMSTONES & METAL CHALLENGE & BLOG HOP

Pine Ridge Treasures will host another fabulous design challenge this month for artists who wish

 to create with bead mixes made of Metal & Gemstones. Lisa Lodge offers several design challenges & blog hops each year, ranging from $10-$20 in price for the bead mixes. Join her Facebook group for upcoming Design challenges and blog hops, Pine Ridge Treasures Beads & More. 

REVEAL DATE: July 19

Gorgeous picture jasper and antique brass I received for the challenge! 

BLU MUDD DESIGN TEAM CHALLENGE #5

Look for some outstanding designs for Challenge #5 as Moriah Betterley of Blu Mudd hosts another challenge at her Blu Mudd FB group featuring jewelry made with her beautiful ceramic art beads. Voting begins on September 1st, and although sign ups are now closed, I encourage you to get involved and get ready for her next challenge! The art bead kits for the contest are gorgeous, and the Blu Mudd Design Team artists are a great group to design with! 

REVEAL DATE: September 1st

Also, check out the new BLU MUDD KIT OF THE MONTH

July's kits are sold out, but keep your eyes open for August's! The kits are beautiful, and available for special prices, too that will make your jewelry designer's heart sing! Or, in July's case, flutter! 

The new Blu Mudd Kit of the Month Club rocks!
Learn more at Blu Mudd on FB and watch the Blu Mudd website. 

Check out the Summer Issue of CREATIVE SPARK! 

The digital magazine is created by the Znet Design Team, and I'm so proud of friends 

who have work published  in the magazine. Full of summer splendor & style! 

Check out the Summer issue of Creative Spark! 

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BCM

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: July 15

We're looking for submissions for our next Bead Chat Magazine issue! Images, articles and tutorials! 

Everyone who submits a tutorial or article receives a free ad in the magazine! I've added a file to the group which is the tutorial submissions form which includes more info regarding ad sizes etc.

Our main visual theme is Indian Summer; think flora, fauna, harvest, festivals etc. but we're also using Beachy and Rustic too so a wide range of themes for you to focus on, you can also submit images using the colour palette provided here.

Images should be as large as possible, watermark free, in focus with good lighting.

If you would like to submit an article for Bead Chat Magazine, please contact me, Melinda, Linda or Cynthia for more details or to discuss.

Email images, tutorials or article ideas to beadchatmagazine@gmail.com 

BEAD RECIPES Haberdashery Blog Hop

Artist extraordinaire Melissa Trudinger of Australia is hosting her very first blog hop, The Haberdashery Blog Hop on August 2nd. Artists will design with ribbons and buttons, fabric scraps & pizazz to create what's sure to be beautiful jewelry. There is also a Pinterest Board that is sure to have excellent design inspiration!

REVEAL: August 2

ART JEWELRY ELEMENTS JULY Monthly CHALLENGE

I'm so excited!! I was chosen to be one of three artists for the July challenge at Art Jewelry Elements. I'll be creating with one of Francesca Watson's beautiful glass cabochons, and I am thrilled! Aren't they exceptionally lovely? 

REVEAL DATE: July 31

The gorgeous glass cabs for the Art Jewelry Elements July challenge I'll be in! :) 

Toltec Jewels is an author by day, jewelry maker by night. Her literary work is housed by the San Francisco MOMA and is published internationally in popular magazines, literary quarterlies, and university publications. She has won a number of awards for both her 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.