Build a Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques, Alexandra Sefton, Part #3

It's finally here--The Final Reveal of my whole New Jewelry Line for the Build a Line Challenge Class I've been taking for the past 3 months from the incomparable Brenda Sue Lansdowne--our mentor,  teacher and wonderful guide through this amazing journey!

 Brenda has so generously shared her vast experience and wisdom with us, and been such an inspiration to the other 55 classmates and me.  It's been fun, it's been agonizing-- sometimes I thought I'd never come up with 5 cohesive pieces for a new line at different price points with my theme of: Imagine the Colors of Nature, using components from Brenda Sue's shop.  I've learned more than I even realize at this point!  Just like life! Over the next few days and month, I will be listing these pieces for sale in my etsy shop and at craft shows!  Be sure to visit often and watch for special offers from me on Imaginary Jewelry on Facebook.

 The photos above show the first part of my colorful metal line, with a necklace and earring set, and 2 brooches that can be converted to necklaces and also can be worn in different directions!  These and the following photos show how I layered color after color on metal for the first part of my line (big new learning experience for me!).  The 2nd part of my line includes adjustable bracelets, rings and accessories such as key rings, etc.   The whole line incorporates pearls and nature elements as you can see!

This photo shows 2 big oval necklace and earring sets, in the same hand-painted on metal style, with pearls, crystals and nature elements.

Here are some smaller necklaces at lower price points, with all kinds of earring possibilities: owls, cats, birds, butterflies, flowers, leaves, etc.

Here are 2 "feather" or leaf necklaces showing the different ways to wear them.

This is the 2nd part of my line showing different varieties of adjustable bracelets and rings, with lots and lots of dangles, in pearls, swarovski crystals, charms and so on.  The first photo shows how you can order a bracelet at 3 price points:  many dangles, medium and just a few!  These bracelets can be stacked with others too for a stylish look! The adjustable rings and bracelets are so comfortable because they are a complete circle and don't pinch your skin.

These are my hand-painted blue leaves in an adjustable bracelet, adjustable ring and earrings.  Each can be purchased separately or as a set.

Here are some of the varieties of  adjustable finger rings that I will be offering.  These are in gold or silver, with owls, cats, swallows and so on--and just for fun a Steampunk gear, key and lock ring!

Next are the silver and antique brass key rings with choices of words and dangles in different colors.  These can also be bag charms or put on backpacks or belts!

And finally, here are some fancier necklaces:  first The Flying Swallows necklace with swarovski crystals and pearls, which can be done with different colors of crystals and pearls.

 Next, three Falling Leaves necklaces in different colors and metals, with pearls, crystals, etc.

And last, my fave:  The Swirly Gig Necklace in antique brass with swarovski Capri blue crystals and teardrop pearls.

Hope you enjoyed the show!  In upcoming blogs I'll go into more detail about the pieces and what I've been learning.  Be sure to leave me comments here so I can do a Happy Dance!  And the links below will take you hopping to the other 55 participants' lines of incredible creations.  Live large and love living!  <3<3<3



Visit the links below to see all the wonderful people participating in the blog hop:

Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques : Jewelry Making Outside the Box

Marcia Tuzzolino : Aurora Designs

Jann Tague : Clever Designs by Jann

Judy King : Apt to Wander Studio

Linzi Alford : Magpie in the Sky, Spoil Heap Tales

Cynthia Wainscott : Exotic Peru

Carole Carlson : Beadsophisticate

Lynn Stinten : Dragonzwench

Marica Zammit : Bead Lovelies

Catherine Shattuck : VRBrose

Michaele Collie : The Vintage Gem

Mary Craig : Jewelry Alchemy

Lee Koopman : Strega Jewelry

Erin Whitacre : Shattered Time Jewelry

Monica Casady : MJCasady Copper Works

Leila West : Leila Nicole Designs

Cindy Peterson : Howling Dog Jewelry

Leila Belcher : Leila Bee Designs

Gloria Allen : Wings and Beads

Pamela Anger : Novegatti Designs

Tammy Adams : Paisley Lizard

Lynda O'Mara : LOmara Creative

Elizabeth Hildreth : MadScientistsDesigns

Dana Hickey : Wind Dancer Studios

Janet Calardo : Jan Lea Designs

Maria Clark : Sweet Willow Designs

Lori Beekman : B. Accessorized

Jennifer Kroeger : Relic Charm

Amy Jorgensen : Hoarder's Corner

Robin Reed : Artistry: Handcrafted Bead Designs

Ingrid Anderson : Lilis Gems

Louise O'Shields : Desire Divine Jewels

Susan Killam : Killam Creative

Mary Katherine Deis : The Rose Sword: Artisan and Vintage Collectible Jewelry

Nike Bottalico : Nike Bottalico

Susan Bowerman : Woodside Wireworks

Kristy Le : Kristy Le Trendy Jewelry Designs

Jan Peters : Stylized Vintage

Mitzie Crider : Needful Luxuries Occasional Blog

Gina Hockett : Freestyle Elements

Linda Anderson : From the Bead Board

Alexandra Sefton : Imaginary Jewelry and Altered Art

Melida Boman : The Journey of Pens and Things

Teresa Shurter : TreeZ's Treasurs

Melissa Latimer : Smithed Up

Renee Hong : Fine and Dandy Jewelry and Art

Nadine Edris : Moondance Jewelry

Lori Meyer : Parisienne Girl

Jennifer Merrill Williams : Artists of All Stripes

Denise Lussier Poirier : Jewelry by Denise

Renee Allen : Small Stuff Design

Autumn Adams : Autumn Dawns

Elizabeth Owens : 1996 Shabby Lane

Kat BarronMiller : Midnight Kat Productions Art Jewelry

Sandra Ballard : Mama San's Mojo

Coral Law : ab:coraldesign

Build A Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques, Alexandra Sefton, Part 2

Greetings from Freddie, my green helper, the Endangered N.W. tree octopus!  He says this 3 month Build a Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques has been, and is a roller coaster!  Ups and downs, tearing hair out, doing the happy dance, it's all been happening for me and the lucky 54 other wonderful jewelry designers who are doing this challenge with Brenda Sue Lansdowne--our incredibly funny, kind and generous teacher.

Are you ready for the 1st big reveal?  I  have a terrible fear of heights, but I jumped way out of my comfort zone and learned to do assemblage jewelry, colorizing metal and so much more.  Here I have some of the pieces from the new line I've designed:  Imagine the Colors of Nature.  In the next month, the first of these pieces will be appearing for sale in my Etsy shop.

Yes, that IS a different theme than I blogged about last time! As anyone familiar with the creative process knows, you don't always end up with exactly what you imagined in the beginning.  And as Bob Ross said, "there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents," or in my case, happy BIG accidents!

In the next two weeks I will blog more about how I created these pieces. But for now, you can see that there are 2 parts to my line:  (1)  The Nature Brights Line: copper, silver, gold and brass assemblage pieces and hand painted metals with: leaves and flowers, birds, dragonflies, and butterflies. Some pieces can be adjustable to brooches, many will have matching earrings as an option.  (2)  The Mini Cha Nature Line: incorporates the same nature elements as above,  but in adjustable bracelets and mini rings with leaves, pearls, birds, mini lockets, flowers and more.  I have many other colors planned--a lovely denim blue, teal, magenta, pink and much more to be seen at the final reveal!

This is my first time learning and experimenting with colors on metal and assemblage jewelry!  I had so much fun using patina paints and lumiere paints with their "halo" colors and pearlescents--almost a leafing effect when you mix the colors.  It took some time to figure out which colors worked well together but eventually I settled on the colorway for my line.

March 20 is our final Blog Hop and I will have surprise pieces for the rest of my new line that no one has even seen yet!  On that day, you will be able to see my complete line of delicious colors and mini chas!!

I'd be delighted if you'd leave comments for me--and have fun hopping on to see the other participants' new lines by clicking on the links below.  Live large and enjoy!!!  <3<3<3



Visit the links below to see all the wonderful people participating in the blog hop:

Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques : Jewelry Making Outside the Box

Marcia Tuzzolino : Aurora Designs

Jann Tague : Clever Designs by Jann

Judy King : Apt to Wander Studio

Linzi Alford : Magpie in the Sky, Spoil Heap Tales

Cynthia Wainscott : Exotic Peru

Carole Carlson : Beadsophisticate

Lynn Stinten : Dragonzwench

Marica Zammit : Bead Lovelies

Catherine Shattuck : VRBrose

Michaele Collie : The Vintage Gem

Mary Craig : Jewelry Alchemy

Lee Koopman : Strega Jewelry

Erin Whitacre : Shattered Time Jewelry

Monica Casady : MJCasady Copper Works

Leila West : Leila Nicole Designs

Cindy Peterson : Howling Dog Jewelry

Leila Belcher : Leila Bee Designs

Gloria Allen : Wings and Beads

Pamela Anger : Novegatti Designs

Tammy Adams : Paisley Lizard

Lynda O'Mara : LOmara Creative

Elizabeth Hildreth : MadScientistsDesigns

Dana Hickey : Wind Dancer Studios

Janet Calardo : Jan Lea Designs

Maria Clark : Sweet Willow Designs

Lori Beekman : B. Accessorized

Jennifer Kroeger : Relic Charm

Amy Jorgensen : Hoarder's Corner

Robin Reed : Artistry: Handcrafted Bead Designs

Ingrid Anderson : Lilis Gems

Louise O'Shields : Desire Divine Jewels

Susan Killam : Killam Creative

Mary Katherine Deis : The Rose Sword: Artisan and Vintage Collectible Jewelry

Nike Bottalico : Nike Bottalico

Susan Bowerman : Woodside Wireworks

Kristy Le : Kristy Le Trendy Jewelry Designs

Jan Peters : Stylized Vintage

Mitzie Crider : Needful Luxuries Occasional Blog

Gina Hockett : Freestyle Elements

Linda Anderson : From the Bead Board

Alexandra Sefton : Imaginary Jewelry and Altered Art

Melida Boman : The Journey of Pens and Things

Teresa Shurter : TreeZ's Treasurs

Melissa Latimer : Smithed Up

Renee Hong : Fine and Dandy Jewelry and Art

Nadine Edris : Moondance Jewelry

Lori Meyer : Parisienne Girl

Jennifer Merrill Williams : Artists of All Stripes

Denise Lussier Poirier : Jewelry by Denise

Renee Allen : Small Stuff Design

Autumn Adams : Autumn Dawns

Elizabeth Owens : 1996 Shabby Lane

Kat BarronMiller : Midnight Kat Productions Art Jewelry

Sandra Ballard : Mama San's Mojo

Coral Law : ab:coraldesign

My Crazy Beadin' Cha Cha Life

So how did I get started beading and making jewelry and living the crazy chaotic crafter's life?

First you'd have to know that I am ALL ABOUT COLOR.  I eat it and drink it and can't get enough of it.  My house is a chaotic mess of colorful things  and I usually wear bright colors.  Lime green is my favorite since I was little, but right up there is bright turquoise, fuchsia, bright yellow, reddish purple, and the list goes on and on.

So, 50 centuries ago when I was in elementary school, I used to have groups of imaginary friends with whom I played--my fave group being the pirates.  Somehow I had some shanks of seed beads and would bury my treasure in the neighbor's yard!  The short version is that I always wanted to be creative but couldn't find my niche.  (More on my forays into other crafts in another blog.)  A few years ago I realized that at each craft show I went to, I stopped at EVERY jewelry booth.  One time in Estes Park I bought a millefiori necklace and started thinking...What if I could make my own jewelry in just the colors I love?  So I fell out of my comfort zone, took a class at one of my fave local bead shops, Alley Cat Beads, and lo and behold....I found I was successful.  I completed some earrings, a bracelet and a necklace and I was in love with the process!

I showed some of my first things to people at work and they were very nice but as I look back at those things, they were terrible!  But I have experimented, and worked and learned and hope that at this ripe old age, I still have many years of hand and eye co-ordination left to keep creating.  There is such a thrill in going to my magic room, messing around with my beads and coming up with an object of beauty. I found that I love making multi-colored cha cha bracelets as in the above photos, love the rustle of all the dangles as you wear them, and love how pretty they are.  They take a ridiculous amount of time to make, most have 60-80 hand wire-wrapped dangles.  In an up-coming blog I''ll write more about my love of cha chas--and I don't even know how to dance!!

In 2011, I started my etsy shop selling my creations and have done several craft shows. (www.wilywolverine.etsy.com)  In up-coming blogs I'll talk about why "wilywolverine" and why
"Imaginary Jewelry".

Right now, I am super excited to start the Brenda Sue Boutiques Build A Line Challenge.  You can look for more info here on that in days and weeks to come, but I hope to be creating many new and wonderful things!

So Live Large and Have Fun!  :):)