Michaels Toast of the Town Necklace hop

And a Finally Friday necklace, make that two - or really four since they’re both reversible.  Since the Toast of the Town necklace can also be worn a bazillion ways I’ve totally lost count.  Lets go straight to the pictures.



Now I did my level best to follow the directions so thoughtfully written by Erin Prais-Hintz, but I did adapt on the fly a bit.  I talked about my shopping trip and how my palette changed, but I ultimately steered back to more blues.  I started with the pale green shell beads and the few oval pyrite.  Then I grabbed the teal ring and the Crystazzi glass pearls I had already (both also from Michaels).  Next up I made two styles of polymer beads and the toggle bar (the bar is actually a bead gallery pendant hanger I transformed).  Once I had all that I was still needing something in the 4mm range to spread all over.  I was craving a little more texture, so in went the blue apatite chip beads and I love them here, I should have used more.


I can’t wait to see all the variety born of this design, this is a blog hop after all.  Please be sure to visit Erin’s blog to check out her next incarnation of this design and link on to all the other participants.  Many thanks to Erin for the design, and inspirational push to try it out myself.

…But before you run off, I did promise you two other necklaces.  The focal pendants for these I created a few years ago and once I saw the Design Seeds palette I thought of them right away.



The beads featured along with the pendants are all created from the same polymer canes, I think this particular cane design I learnt from a Donna Kato book.  These longer squiggle beads and large hole beads are both available in my etsy shop.



Here is the second design.  I’m pretty sure that the clasp below is a Vintaj one I think I will need more of, since I really like how this design came together – if I do say so myself!

Many thanks to Shannon also.  Her regular choosing of palettes helps me not get lost in the sea of gorgeousness that is Design Seeds.

The Michael’s trap

It began innocently enough.  I saw Erin Prais-Hintz’s post offering up a challenge involving her stunning “Toast of the Town Necklace” she had created for Michael’s.  I’m borrowing her picture to show you – isn’t it beautiful!



Her latest challenge shows three different colourways, each up for grabs, and my first thought was “hey I have those blue ceramic coins!” See I just had to join in.  You can join in too, if you comment on the post – her post – today.

Then I saw Shannon Chomanczuk’s Finally Friday post featuring a primarily blue palette for reveal also on November 2nd.  It sure felt like a blue version would be the way to go.  This is “crashing blues” from Design Seeds



I set about collecting blues and decided that a quick trip to Michael’s was in order.  It was 50% off beads this week…



Bear with me on the iphone pics, I just had to share tonight. On the left are some polymer coins I made a few months ago and a couple of glass rings (from Michael’s too) that I’ve had for years and a die formed two-tone polymer shell starting point that I had in mind as a toggle bar. On the right are some of the blues I had on hand, destined to be part of the bracelets I have planned for 7000 bracelets.

So off to Michael’s I went, coupon in my pocket, and polymer coins in hand to pick out some more bits. Here’s what I came home with



Hmm, sorry if there was some natural light you would see that is a whole mass of green beads, not blue at all.  You know what’s better than 50% off beads?  Still great 80% clearance beads, it’s not like they go bad! Now dear American friends, you get a much better price on beads than we do, it depresses me to see the difference. But still, a good deal all the same. On the left we have the mass of pale green shell beads (they say “Aqua” but they lie) and one stand of Pyrite ovals.  In the center I’m auditioning some other glass rings I had.  Lastly, on the right I couldn’t say no to the jade and ceramic rondelles.

This is the point were I decide it’s time to hurry up and leave so I don’t spend more. Which I do.  While making stops at the thrift store and Homesense for show display type items I realize I left Michael’s without what I meant to buy with my coupon!  This is the trap. They always keep me coming back.

That’s my story. Oh wait, no that’s not it, I almost forgot.  When I got home and walked over to the mailbox to pick up the mail I had left Friday since it was raining,  I found this



I tried not to get my heart set on it since I was pretty sure my sweet hubby was not going to be keen on picking this up for me. (I would totally help but someone has to stay with Averleigh).  I showed him the picture, he claims there was a “guilt trip” and it’s now in my garage.  Thanks babe.  I’m also not allowed to ask him to carry anything heavy in such a scenario for the rest of the year.  Fair deal I say.

Finally Friday–count me back in!

It’s been a while since I joined in with Shannon’s Finally Friday challenge.  All the palettes from Design Seeds seem to be so inspiring – so as I’ve said before, I love that Shannon picks ONE to work from otherwise I’d be lost on that site for hours and hours!  Self-confessed blue girl that I am, there was no way I’d let this week’s selection get away

Here it is: door tones


I would love to walk through that door, but I’ll have to settle for it just entertaining my muse.  I had already created this “shutter” focal for a previous challenge and other coordinating beads.  They had sat in the same dish for these last months waiting to become something.  I thought of them as soon as I saw this palette.

Here is my interpretation



When I made those little cylinder beads with two holes I wasn’t quite sure how I would use them.  I work like this all the time creating different shapes and hole positions with no clue if it could be wearable.  Most of these experiments are just a product of squishing polymer and saying what if? I think this time though this works for me.  I don’t know what on earth to call them, they feel a little like ladder rungs in this necklace.  Rounding out the handmade by me polymer in this piece are the small rondelles then I’ve added Chalcedony, ebony wood, and a whole bunch of seeds.  It ended up quite long, but light as a feather. 



Please pardon the lint and gas meter – it was starting to rain so I was taking cover and hurrying.  I just thought it looked a lot better on.  Someday I’ll get the swing of taking nice pictures of necklaces, sigh.