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Believe me, I tried every combination I could think of. Contrasting colours, complementary colours, no other colours ( just clear glass), metal including copper, brass and silver, adding other art beads, making something in polymer clay to go with it, wire wrapping, symmetry and assymmetry, lariat, sead beads, sari silk, waxed Irish linen and so on. I truly believed that I was going to fail this challenge due to lack of inspiration.
A couple of years ago I bought Stephanie Eddy's Lazee Daizee and played around with viking knit for a couple of months. It didn't turn out great and was time consuming so it's been tucked away until now. I have an idea to make something for a friend's birthday this summer so I pulled it out to use. I came across this coloured wire in my wire stash and it reminded me of my green nemesis bead so I thought I'd give it a try. I hadn't done viking knit for a long time so I did a trial with the seafoam green before pulling out the pricey silver for the gift.
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Guess what? I really liked how the green seafoam viking knit turned out so it became my bracelet for this challenge.
I used the Chicklet bead as the focal and framed it with two oval blue green azurite ovals that I've been wanting to use for months. The sterling flower spacers are from my Bead soup sent to me last year by Rita of Toltec Jewels so it seemed appropriate to use them in this challenge. I still haven't figured out the fastening and I have to do some work on the wire ends of the viking knit but I am happy to have made this. And I didn't fail the challenge!!!.JPG)
Thank you Rita for hosting this great Blog Hop. It was a great idea and definitely a challenge for me! Thank you for sending me the bead and for pushing me yet again outside my comfort zone. I'm looking forward to seeing what everybody else has made.
Here is the amazing list of all the other talented artists in this hop so please hop along and check out their creations. I know it's a bit overwhelming but do what you can and be sure to go to Rita's and Sue's blogs to see their work.
Guest of Honor & Featured Artist: Susan Kennedy
Sue Kennedy's blogs: SueBeads...A Beady Girl's blog
Hostess:
Artists:
Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com
Jael Thorp http://jaelsjewels.blogspot.com/
Melissa Trudinger http://Beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/
Nan Smith http://wirednan.blogspot.com
Carolyn Lawson http://Carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
Robin Reed http://willowdragon.blogspot.com
Kathleen Breeding http://www.zibbet.com/99BottlesofBeadsontheWall
Linda Landig http://lindalandig.wordpress.com
Cheri Reed http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com
Heather d-Entremont http://frugalmadougall.wordpress.com/
Lori Schneider http://www.beadaddicted.blogspot.com/
monotones are the best way to go, when you are faced wit ha color that does nothing for you and I think you did great in the end with the viking knit
ReplyDeleteNice work. I like your color scheme and I think that green wire in the viking knit is just perfect.
ReplyDeleteI love the monochromatic palette! The knit is exquisite!
ReplyDeleteWhat luck to have that perfect piece of green viking knit just hanging around. It was obviously waiting for the chicklet to show up
ReplyDeleteHi Nan,
ReplyDeleteYour bracelet is beautiful and you did a wonderful job with the Viking knit.
Therese
oh now that is stunning! green is my favorite color, and I absolutely love the color of your chicklet (isn't if funny how for one person the colors just pop, and for another not so much). But to use this with the viking knit - that is just sheer genius .... LOVE it. I would wear that everyday
ReplyDeleteGreat bracelet. The wire with the stones and the glass bead is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe Viking knit is absolutely perfect, they were meant to be together. Beautiful colors and simple but stunning design!
ReplyDeleteIsn't is great when inspiration finally hits?! This worked out really well.
ReplyDeleteIt really worked out that you kept with it because your bracelet is lovely. I love the chicklet color, and the wire is perfect with it. Nice job. It's always satisfying to make things work in the end!
ReplyDeleteWOW! way for that muse to come back just in time and with the perfect design! beautiful work. you should be very pleased with yourself :)
ReplyDeleteYour quote: "I did not fail the challenge"...
ReplyDelete(-: Noooooo (-: You designed something special! How great is that, coming from no inspiration and ending with this piece! What a perfect colour combination ♥ great job!
Your muse was just on vacation and she came back with some great inspirations. I just love this bracelet and I have to admit that I am rather partial to the color but then I love greens.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the Viking Knit! Great colors in this piece!
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that this is a fantastic bracelet - the Viking wire and azurite work well with the Chicklet.
ReplyDelete~cryssT
Cool! I have a knitting spool I want to try out... I am not brave enough yet to try wire! The colors work well, and you nailed challenge! WooHoo! :)
ReplyDeleteI like Viking knit when other people make it! Love that silver peeking out of it. I'm glad you found the spool of wire, it turned out great!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on such a GREAT piece! You overcame and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bracelet!
ReplyDeleteLinda A.
http://cherryOnTopDesign.co
http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Sometimes inspiration comes quickly, and sometimes at the last minute! It was interesting to hear what all you considered but decided against. What you created though, looks inspired to me! Glad it all worked out so beautifully in the end! :-) ~Sharyl
ReplyDeleteWell, you know, greens not one of my favs either, however, I sort of like the shade of the one you received..and definitely like what you did with it! ...well thought out design that showcases the bead to the max...Well done!...:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great piece! I loved reading about your creative process for creating this. It reminds me of Ireland. I hope you keep making pieces with the viking knit.
ReplyDeleteI never tried viking knit, but seeing your piece, I will have to give it a try. Thanks for the inspitation!!
ReplyDeleteI know I left a comment the other day, but since I don't see it, I'm gonna try again. Of course, I don't remember what I wrote, but I do remember loving how the color of the wire goes so well with the chicklet. And how fortuitous it was that you had just happened to use that color as your practice for another piece and still have it around. Beautiful combination.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the green colors and viking knit....excellent job!
ReplyDeleteNan, I LOVE this bracelet! The thunderstorm green is my very favorite color! I love it, and waiting for the right inspiration, until all fell into place, was ingenious because it is so beautiful. This year, I made a new commitment to creating jewelry on a finer scale, more towards traditional rather than art jewelry styles, and it is really hard! I'm working to create very wearable, elegant pieces. Well, you've created elegance here! Viking knit is so perfect in the green, and I love how sophisticated your colorway is with the silver and stormy greens of the lampwork & azurite. I'd wear this in a heartbeat! In fact, it so goes with my wardrobe -- which is full of grey-greens from light shades to darks :) Beautiful! Brilliant xxoo
ReplyDeleteThank you always for sharing your talents, your wire working gifts.
Happy Hopping! Rita
Oh wow! The crocheted wired is beautiful. That's really beautiful. http://clay-space.com
ReplyDeleteHi Nan your viking knit accents Sue's chicklet really well. I have been wanting to learn viking knit and I was lucky enough to sign someone up to teach it at my bead group for next year. Yeah.Your design is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHow elegant your bracelet is! Your viking knit is perfectly executed. I really must give this a try. It is so pretty. Love your color scheme! Green is one of my favorite colors! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of a kind bracelet Nan! Love your work! I wish I could make the same bracelet of my own!
ReplyDeleteCool bracelet! After all your struggles with what to pair it with you came up with a winning combination!
ReplyDelete