Winter Sparkle Blog Hop Reveal

It has arrived!!!  I have been waiting to share with everyone the pieces I created for this fun blog hop.   Lisa Lodge over at A Grateful Artist has put together a wonderful collection of beads for me to create with.  If you are not familiar with a blog hop, this is how they work.  Those interesting in participating sign up with the host and then you receive a collection of beads in the mail.  (to see the unveiling of what I received, check out this post)  Then you get to creating!! On the assigned day, all the participants post their blogs with the reveal of their designs. Then, it is off to visit all the other participants to see what they came up with.

Now if you are ready for me to get past the explanation and show you my pieces; wait no more!  Lisa sent me a lovely selection of crystals, beads and a great focal.  There were enough there for me to make three different designs.  

Royal Milky Way

I love these earrings.  They combine my love of purple and crystals wonderfully and the metal components just seem to work to come together in such a great way.  The clear crystal rondelles highlight the flat purple beads and it reminds me of stars in orbit around a planet.  The metal connectors continue on the planet theme, and I topped each earring with two amethyst colored crystals and darker seed beads.  The metal bar beads tie the earrings to the necklace that you will see in a bit.

Sparkle in the Night Sky

I was drawn to these faceted beads when they first arrived.  Surrounding them with the amethyst and clear crystals really highlights the sparkle in each bead.  Where I live, it is very easy to see the starry night sky.  When I look up on a winter night, the sky seems to come alive with shimmery light.   Those stars and the cold bite on my skin as I look up is my inspiration for my bracelet.  

Bird in Flight

Up Close

When I posted about the beads I had received, this bird in flight was the favorite of my readers.  So how could I not include it in a piece?  She seems to take flight through a sparkly sky, surrounded by the crystals I used in the other two pieces.  To connect with the deep metal color of the pendant, I added some gunmetal glass seed beads.  Finally, to set off the pendant, metal bar beads segment that part of the necklace from the rest.  Finally, I added a clasp that contains a purple velvet Swarovski crystal nestled in the heart.  

I had a lot of fun working with the beads sent to me for this hop.  I even have quite a bit of supplies left, so be on the look out for more designs in this color palette.  Winter can be full of sparkle and in those quiet moments, it is extremely beautiful.  Now it is time to have some fun, follow the links below and hop around to see what everyone else has created.  

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life 

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Ev Shelby, Raindrop Creations 

Dolores Raml, CraftyD's Creations

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Cassi Renee Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Annette Rivers, Mama Owl's Mess

Tammie Tusher Everly, TTE Designs

Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines (you are here)

Norbel Marolla, She Flies Again Jewelry

Karen Burg, KEB Designs

Karin Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Jasvanti Patel, Jewels by Jasvanti