Be Thankful.... Blog Hop Reveal!

I am so excited!  I've been waiting, counting down the days to see what everyone has designed for this Blog Hop!  Some wonderful designers joined in, so I know there will be fantastic pieces shared.  Also, since I am thankful for all of you,  at the end of this post there will be information about the Giveaway I am hosting as my way of saying thanks!

I chose Be Thankful as the theme for this hop because I wanted to take a moment to really think about what I am thankful for. I thought about my family,  my friends,  my ability to share with all of you, and even my creative abilities.   I was all ready to fill a spot here talking about these things, but then my dear online friends did something last week that took my breath away.   I received a handmade card that contained little notes from a group of ladies I have never met in person but are my online friends.  Each one of them wishing me a happy birthday.   What I learned in those notes was that I do make a difference and that I have left a little mark somewhere here on this big blue marble we all live on.  So I am thankful and I am very very blessed.  

Our guest artist for this hop is a very creative woman who is not only an extremely talented wire artist but she is also one of the most caring people you will ever meet.   She always has a kind word, a hug or a smile for you.   Cova Cobalt is a one-of-a-kind, free spirit who designs from her heart.  Here is an example of her work:

Please check out Cova's Facebook page, Cobalt & Copper,  it is a great place to visit!  Now, on to the designs!  Here is a peek at the beads as I worked on them.

I am such a bad bad hostess! I forgot to take a before shot of my beads!  This was a quick photo of my bead board with my cell phone, but I had never set everything out all pretty like to show what I sent to each participant. Hopefully, one of the others did and you can get a better look at what we had to work with. Each participant received a selection of Czech beads, a Czech lampwork tube bead and one of Cova's copper clasps.

I know I usually don't show my earrings first (yes, I always have to make earrings, there is something weird about me that way :) )  but I am building up to my final piece so we are starting backwards this time.  Since this is a Fall themed hop, all of the beads I sent are in Fall color palettes.  These earrings just sing Fall to me.  The carved ovals make me think of the sun setting on a crisp Autumn  day and the pink opalite leaves seem to float in the wind as they sail slowly to the ground.   For a bit of extra autumn sparkle I used some little orange and amber rondelles to finish the piece.

Originally, this piece started out as a necklace.  I love that amber Venetian-style lampwork tube bead.  From the moment I started collecting the beads for the hop I knew I wanted to use them, so I felt it had to be the star of a pretty necklace.  But, the more times I laid it out on my bead board the more it called to me to be a bracelet, and in the end, it won.  I highlighted the tube bead with brown druk beads that have this great Picasso finish, and Czech glass rondelles in these great shades of red, aqua, peridot and amber.  Fall color is more than orange and brown.  It is an explosion of color, and these beads highlighted all those colors to me.  Finally, the leaf on the drop is a light amber and ties in the Fall theme perfectly.

My final piece is a big step outside my comfortable artistic box for me.  I rarely ever use red as a main color in a design.  It is bold..I am not.  I am shy and reserved unless I know you really well.  But I wanted to challenge myself,  embrace a bold color and focus on my artistic talents.  That also meant I had to try and do something that was asymmetrical.  My love of clean lines and perfect patterns vary rarely gets pushed aside, but with all these lovely beads that all worked together I just had to try!  I hope that it has come together in a good piece.   I used garnet colored faceted beads for the body of my necklace and then on one side is more of the carved ovals with the orange and amber beads.  On the other side,  more of the brown druks and this time they are joined with rondelles in green, amber and beige that have a thick Picasso finish.  They make me think of little layer cakes.  I just love those beads!  

The pendant on my necklace is a symbol of me.  I chose the name of my business, Forest of Jewels, for my love of the trees that surround my home.  The forest calls to me every day and I am so very thankful to be able to wake up in this tiny bit of heaven and enjoy the nature that surrounds me.   The pine cones in this pendant symbolize not only my identity but also my love of the stately trees that surround my home.  The rustic pine cone pendant is polymer clay and was created by JeraLuna

Thank you so much for reading all the way through my post and I hope that you have enjoyed my creations. Before I link you to the other participants,  I did want to mention the giveaway again.  As a thank you,  I will be drawing one name from those who comment below and that winner will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to Lima Beads!!  Just leave a comment letting me know what you are thankful for and I will be drawing a name next Saturday, Nov. 29  and posting the winner as an update to this post.

Make sure you stop by and check out all the other participants and thank you again for stopping by! 

Featured Artist:  Cova Cobalt of Cobalt and Copper
Your Hostess:  Marybeth Rich of Forest of Jewels

Participants:  

Gina Hockett of Freestyle Elements
Carolyn Lawson of Carolyn's Creations 
Shaiha Williams of Shaiha's Ramblings
Lisa Knappenberger of LiRaysa Designs
Bianca Medina of Medibeads
Lee Koopman of Strega Jewellry's Blog
Mowse Doyle of Mowse Made This
Linda Anderson of From the Bead Board