We're All Ears :: Use Your Leftovers Challenge

Hello earring peeps!
It is time for the reveal of the 5th annual We're All Ears Use Your Leftovers challenge!

I always enjoy doing this one because I can create as many as I can no matter the theme or the color and can use whatever I happen to have on hand.

First I pulled together an assortment of beads that I thought might be good for quick earrings. I put them in this vintage cornbread pan that I have. From there I just had to dig in!

I put on the 100 Uplifting Songs playlist on Spotify. They really were happy songs that helped me create happy things! I also set a timer for one hour. I wanted to finish things up in a short amount of time so that I wouldn't overthink things or try to complicate matters, as I am wont to do. (I will admit that I hit the snooze a couple of times so that I could put the finishing touches on!)

One of my tips for a challenge like this that has a time limit is to make sure that you have all the beads and findings (head pins, eye pins, wire, spacers, jump rings) within reach. And I also make all the earring dangles first, and then add the ear wires at the end. That helps me to maximize the time.

Then I gave myself about 45 minutes to quickly photograph the earrings and write this post. So in under 2 hours I made 8 pairs of earrings! Perfect for stocking stuffers for all your favorite people!

I think there are some winners here! I am sure that at least one of these pairs will be on my ears for Christmas, and the rest will be given away to spread some holiday cheer!

Now it is your turn.... show me what you made from your Leftovers!

We're All Ears :: December Reveal :: Use Your Leftovers Challenge

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Use Your Leftovers Challenge!

I don't know about you, but when I get to this time of year, I can barely move in my studio space it is so crammed with stuff. My space is so very unproductive, so I tend to neglect it. But I am still a working artist and I have deadlines and custom orders, so I have to gingerly tiptoe around the piles. Right now my studio looks like I am auditioning for Hoarders :: Artist's Edition.

Unfortunately, my craftermath picture from this year looks a lot like the one from last year.

So the challenge was this...
Pull out some beads and components in a tray or bin or muffin tin or whatever works for you.
Put on some music or use a timer like I did and CREATE!
Take some pictures and show us what you did.

I have to admit that I didn't pull the beads out. I just decided that I had to use whatever was within reach on my table. I have an unbelievable addiction to Humblebeads. Clearly, this is a sickness that I don't want the cure for! Those who know me recall that I have a teal footed compote bowl on my table where Heather's beads reside. Well, this fall when I was teaching some classes (which I would dearly love to do more of, but in my own home....) I wanted to give my students a Humblebead of their own. So I pulled out every disc bead that I could find. I put them in this carved wood leaf bowl. And, boy! Do I have a lot!

Most of the earrings that I made include treasures from my Humblebeads stashes. Not that I don't love all the other art beads that I have lying around, just that those are the most plentiful and closest to reach.

I put on some classic Christmas music and set my timer for 10:00pm. I was surprised that I was able to make a something like 23 pairs of earrings in 2 hours! I even made a couple of different collections. If you spot something you are interested in, it is ready to ship...just send me an email or PM on Facebook to let me know which ones you like. All are between $20-30. Great stocking stuffers!

Now it is your turn! I always love this challenge for how very inspired you can get when you limit your time and your resources. And after this you have a whole bunch of earrings ready for your holiday gifting needs! Win-win!

Forgot to mention...I am giving away a prize package of an Emergency Earring Making Kit ($40 value) for anyone that plays along. Winner will be chosen on Christmas Eve! I think some Humblebeads will be included from my overflowing stash! Ho, Ho, Ho! *<]:-}}}}


See you in the new year with a new challenge!

We're All Ears :: December Inspiration

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Use Your Leftovers challenge! 

After stuffing ourselves for Thanksgiving in the United States, as well as getting prepped for holiday open houses, craft sales, gallery openings and the sort, it is likely that you might have a leftover problem. 

Beading leftovers are no stranger to me. My studio looks like you pulled open one of those giant crackers and out popped all manner of beads, findings, leather, cord, clay, wire, metal and the like. When a bead rolls off my table (which they frequently do), I rarely bother to find out where it went. I just keep right on going. There is always another right there waiting.

If you are like me, then you have multiple projects happening at all times (and in my case, in various rooms of my house, much to the chagrin of my darling husband). When complete, the resulting project gets buried by the next one...literally. I imagine my studio is like an archaeological dig...strata of projects past are discovered as you dig deeper into the ever-growing pile. Every so often I feel the need to sort through it and {attempt} to put it away. But more likely than not, I am overstuffed from my marathon creating and I just push back from the beading table, vowing to tidy it up tomorrow.

There is only one thing to do with a bead feast craftermath like that: USE YOUR LEFTOVERS.

So in the spirit of the holidays, I challenge you to play the  

Leftover Transformation Game 

with me. Are you ready to play?

Make your own Keep Calm poster at http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

First, take a picture of the craftermath from your bead feast. I know it won't be pretty! I expect that it will be littered with beady crumbs of all sorts. But think of those bits as delicious morsels waiting for your inspiration to strike!

Here is the picture of my craftermath from 2015 (oh, it's real people! And it hasn't really changed much in the last 12 months!):

The working corner of my studio room...if you can get to the table from all the boxes and bins behind it barricading it in!

Next, find a divided box, bin, baggies or small bowls and go through the stash on your festive table picking out coordinated sets that you can use to create earrings. They don't need to be same... this is a good time to practice asymmetrical earrings! Put these pieces together with ear wires, chain, findings, etc in each division of the box. I have found that a mini-muffin tin is a great way to corral these bits! Work quickly! Don't take too much time, just focus on filling the sections.Think of this like your staging area for Leftover Transformation.

Here is my tray from 2015...

Now, kick your creating into high gear! Consider this a Quickfire challenge...Put on some fun music...Set a timer (challenge yourself to see how many pairs of earrings you can create in an hour...or 15 minutes... or make one pair a day for 7 days... whatever works for you!). DON'T THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH (leftovers are supposed to be easy!), just make it happen. Sometimes the best things happen when you are on a deadline and you can't afford the time to overthink! 

Finally, share your bounty of tasty Leftover Transformation creations on Friday, December 16th with the blog party right here. I would be surprised if you didn't make multiple pairs of earrings from this exercise. The bonus is that you will now have a ready-made collection of quick gifts for stocking stuffers, teachers, co-workers and friends just in time for celebrating all the winter holidays and festivities! (Or a different pair for you to wear each day until the new year!)

In the spirit of giving, I will offer a giveaway of a surprise earring design grab bag of beads and components, valued at over $40. But in order to be chosen, you must participate in the blog hop starting on December 16th! Winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries on December 23rd (that will give you one full week to make your Leftover Transformation magic happen!).

Let's get this leftover party started...tell your friends to join in the fun, too!

 

We're All Ears :: December Reveal

Ready to play the Leftovers Transformation Challenge? Of course I had a Christmas concert tonight until almost 10pm... and then I stepped in to help out a fellow editor over at the Art Bead Scene by taking her slot for the Inside the Studio... which didn't leave me much time (I don't even want to tell you what o'clock it is now... let's just say I am closer to waking up to start the day than sleeping!). But that is the whole point of this monthly exercise... to make it a quickfire challenge, something that you dive into and not overthink. And that is exactly what I did. But in addition to doing the earrings for this challenge, I did the same process and made a necklace that I plan to gift to my sister for her upcoming early January birthday. So it works not only for earrings, but other things as well!

Let me recap what the process is...
First, take a picture of the craftermath from your bead feast.

I am not even sure that I have six square inches to bead on!

Shocking. I know! And this is but one corner of my rather large studio space. Lots of craftermath to work with for this feast!

I have many of these trays filled with treasures waiting to be loved into being....

Next, find a divided box, bin, baggies or small bowls and go through the stash on your festive table picking out coordinated sets that you can use to create earrings. 

I managed to find an unused one (!) so I filled it up with pairs of art beads I thought I would work with.

Now, kick your creating into high gear! I put on a station that Pandora suggested called "Power Up Mixtape." Turns out it was the right combination of Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5 and Gwen Stefani. Once I found the beads I wanted to use, I limited myself to anything else that I could get my hands on that was within reach. That meant that I couldn't open drawers of turn around and pull out baggies from bins. It had to be in front of me.

Then I set a timer for about 40 minutes.

 And then I gave myself two songs (only two!) to create a pair of earrings.

Because I couldn't spend all the time in the world, I just had to barrel through, and I think I came up with some winners!

A Delicate Balance

A Delicate Balance

I think these glass flower beads are from Nikki Thornburg. I wanted to be able to show the shape of the flower and keep them light. I had a similar pair of earrings on my table that were gifted to me that allowed a flat bead to be fully facing forward. They have a gentle curve. There is a loop behind the beads to make sure they don't fall off...and that would be perfect for adding another dangle!

Red Relics

When you have beautiful art beads, sometimes simple is the way to go. These rustic ceramic charms are from Jenny Davies-Reazor. I liked the texture on the rings. That is all they needed.

Emerging

Heather Powers makes the most exquisite caned beads. These monarch disk beads are superb. I bought these wood ovals from her as well, and they look like some sort of milkweed pod.

Peacock Proud

I am really delighted with how these turned out! I started with swirled headpins from Rebecca Anderson of The Curious Bead Shoppe. Those leaf shapes are hand painted lucite from Heather Steed French at Vintage Meadow Artworks. I topped that with come peacock patterned polymer clay disk beads from Humblebeads and what I call 'oil slick' beads in a warm amber color. (I just realized that there are pretty green and gold... for my favorite team! Go Packers!).. .I think I might just have to keep these!

Remember Me

These earrings came together after I made the necklace for my sister's birthday present for the Art Bead Scene. I employed the same technique for working on a tight deadline with the leftovers on the necklace as I did on these earrings. They feature peacock feather polymer clay disk beads from Heather Powers of Humblebeads (have I told you that I own almost every Humblebeads ever?), Czech glass flowers (Kelly loves tulips!), copper, brass and crystal. To see the necklace that goes with this, check out the Art Bead Scene!


Finally, share your bounty of tasty Leftover Transformation creations on Friday, December 18th with the InLinkz party right here. I hope you were inspired to make at least a few pairs of earrings that might be suitable it as gifts for those on your list! Or to treat yourself!

In the spirit of giving, I will offer a giveaway of a Simple Truths Bundle of the winner's choice from my website, valued at over $40. But in order to be chosen, you have to participate in the blog hop starting on December 18th! Winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries on December 25th (that will give you one full week to make your Leftover Transformation magic happen!).

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code

We're All Ears :: December Inspiration

It occurred to me after the recent Thanksgiving feast that I didn't actually have any leftovers. You see, my sister-in-law's and I have divvied up the holidays over the year. My holiday to host is Easter. That means that I need to stuff myself silly on Thanksgiving, because I actually don't get to drag out the leftovers for a week.

But beading leftovers are no stranger to me. My studio looks like you pulled open one of those giant crackers and out popped all manner of beads, findings, leather, cord, clay, wire, metal and the like. When a bead rolls off my table (which they frequently do), I rarely bother to find out where it went. I just keep right on going. There is always another right there waiting.

If you are like me, then you have multiple projects happening at all times (and in my case, in various rooms of my house, much to the chagrin of my darling husband). When complete, the resulting project gets buried by the next one...literally. I imagine my studio is like an archaeological dig...strata of projects past are discovered as you dig deeper into the ever-growing pile. Every so often I feel the need to sort through it and {attempt} to put it away. But more likely than not, I am overstuffed from my marathon creating and I just push back from the beading table, vowing to tidy it up tomorrow.

There is only one thing to do with a bead feast craftermath like that: use your leftovers.

So in the spirit of the holidays, I challenge you to play the  

Leftover Transformation Game 

with me. Are you ready to play?

Make your own Keep Calm poster at http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

First, take a picture of the craftermath from your bead feast. I know it won't be pretty! I expect that it will be littered with beady crumbs of all sorts. But think of those bits as delicious morsels waiting for your inspiration to strike!

Next, find a divided box, bin, baggies or small bowls and go through the stash on your festive table picking out coordinated sets that you can use to create earrings. They don't need to be same... this is a good time to practice asymmetrical earrings! Put these pieces together with ear wires, chain, findings, etc in each division of the box. I have found that a mini-muffin tin is a great way to corral these bits! Work quickly! Don't take too much time, just focus on filling the sections.Think of this like your staging area for Leftover Transformation.

Now, kick your creating into high gear! Put on some fun music (I like A Profoundly Funky Dance Party mix on Google Play). Consider this a Quickfire challenge...Set a timer (challenge yourself to see how many pairs of earrings you can create in an hour...or 15 minutes... or make one pair a day for 7 days... whatever works for you!). DON'T think about it too much (leftovers are supposed to be easy!), just make it happen. Sometimes the best things happen when you are on a deadline and you can't afford the time to overthink!

Finally, share your bounty of tasty Leftover Transformation creations on Friday, December 18th with the InLinkz party right here. I would be surprised if you didn't make multiple pairs of earrings from this exercise. The bonus is that you will now have a ready-made collection of quick gifts for stocking stuffers, teachers, co-workers and friends just in time for celebrating all the winter holidays and festivities! (Or a different pair for you to wear each day until the new year!)

In the spirit of giving, I will offer a giveaway of a Simple Truths Bundle of the winner's choice from my website, valued at over $40. But in order to be chosen, you have to participate in the blog hop starting on December 18th! Winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries on December 25th (that will give you one full week to make your Leftover Transformation magic happen!).

Let's get this leftover party started...tell your friends to join in the fun, too!