AJE Component of the Month Reveal - September

Time for another little tour around the blogs of the AJE team members and guests to see what they've done with this months component - my own bursting seed pods...

Well the first thing you'll notice is that the component I've used isn't one of the colourful ones pictured here. When I made these I had an idea in my head for using two caps to create some sort of collar necklace but, by the time I got around to making it much later things had changed. I'd been busy making new autumn stock for the shop and fallen in love with a chunky pine cone pendant which was demanding to be used.

 Part of the attraction of this piece was the natural kiln produced patina and I decided the pod needed to match and so my design was driven towards a very earthy and muted (even for me) palette. I used the pod to cap a ceramic bead from AJE team mate Diana and attached this to the pine cone to create a focal pendant.

I mixed some more of Diana's beads with some carved ebony beads that I have a passion for and accented them with tiny brass spacers that echo the texture of the pine cone. On one side I added one of my bronze acorn caps and on the other one of LeAnn Weih's gorgeous ceramic birds. The beads are strung on waxed linen attached to a couple of textured bronze ring connectors. and finished with a hand forged bronze wire clasp.

I was thinking of using some sari silk at the back but whilst I was rummaging I came across this lovely printed cotton ribbon from Smitten Beads and it was such a perfect match I decided to go with that instead - I really like the folksy feel it gives. I used a double thickness and a simple capped rivet to join the ends on the underside at the back.

And this is the finished design...

Since the Beatles song 'Norwegian Wood' just happened to come on the radio as I was finishing the piece I took it as a sign and decided to make that the name.

I hope you like my design - looking back on the past few COM's I have noticed a certain similarity in my designs so I'll have to try and shake it up a bit next time...but I'm happy with this one.

To see what everyone else has done with their components just use the links below to visit their blogs:

Guest designers:
Erin Prais-Hintz - Tesori Trovati
Cate - Fulgorine
Claire Lockwood - Something To Do With Your Hands

AJE team

Jennifer Cameron

Kristen Stevens

Jenny Davies-Reazor
Francesca Watson
Melissa Meman
Linda Landig
Susan Kennedy
Rebekah Payne
Caroline Dewison
Lesley Watt                 You are here!

Have fun!

Lesley

And the Winners are...

  

Many thanks to everyone for another great response to the giveaway and I'm delighted to announce that the winners are:

Bronze components - CLAIRE of OBSTINATE PURSUIT

Earrings - LINDA LANDIG

Congratulations ladies - I will be on touch shortly.

Commiserations to the rest of you and better luck next time as I'm pretty sure there will be a next time!

Lesley

Another Milestone and a Giveaway...

2013 has been a pretty good year for me so far and I'm delighted to be able to celebrate the fact that THEA Elements has now passed the 2000 sales mark in just a little over 18 months. I'm gobsmacked by this and I've said it before and will continue to say I am immensely grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged me throughout this period. So in the time honoured tradition I'm having a giveaway to say thank you. Since I'm celebrating 2 thousand sales there 2 prizes up for grabs...

First up  is a little collection of my bronze components with a bit of an autumnal feel. There is a  lovely sea urchin pendant that's been enameled with glass frit, a leaf skeleton clasp, a pair of maple leaf headpins and a pair of bronze scroll ear wires by made by the lovely Lisa Quinn...Think you could do something with these...?

The second prize is a pair of my wire macrame earrings featuring lovely etched lampwork beads by Sue Priest, accented with Czech glass and oxidised copper wire and hung from hypo-allergenic Niobium ear wire. I love the soft muted colours of and have called them 'After the Rain'.

So, two lucky people will walk away with one of these prizes each and it could be you because all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. But there are are lots of ways you can increase your chances of winning too... Do any of the following and leave an additional comment each time and you will get an extra entry for each one:

• Share this giveaway on your own blog.
• Share this giveaway on your Facebook pages, Google+, Twitter etc.
• Become a new follower of 'The Gossiping Goddess' - see sidebar.
• Become a follower of my Facebook page.
• Follow me on Pinterest
• Like my Etsy shops THEA jewellery and THEA Elements.
• Anything else of you can think of to spread the word.

Don't forget to leave a separate comment for each method to maximise your chances though!

The giveaway will close at 8am BST (UK time) on Wednesday 25th September 2013 and I will randomly select and announce the winners later in the day.

So all that remains is for me to once again say a huge thank you to everyone who has made 2013 such a great year so far and long may it continue...oh - and good luck with the giveaway!

Lesley

Bead Soup Feature in Jewelry Affaire

The Autumn 2013 edition of the magazine 'Jewelry Affaire' features an article on Lori Anderson and her Bead Soup Blog Party. I knew my BSBP partner Silke Grober had been asked to send one of her pieces in for consideration but I'd completely forgotten about it until last night when I saw the pictures of not only Silke's lovely necklace but my components and the bead soup I sent her too...

 

Thanks to Jennifer Cameron for sending me these photos - sadly we don't get Jewelry Affaire in the UK so It's the nearest I'll get but it's great to see my little beads in such a publication and well done to Silke for getting her BSBP design published.

If you can get hold of it do take a look as there are other BSBP designers featured in Lori's article.

Have a great Sunday all...

Lesley

AJE Earring Challenge - Reveal 17, Weeks 35 & 36

Shockingly it's September 15th, this is my first post of the month and I don't know which is worse - the fact that I've not posted anything or the fact that two weeks seem to have slipped without me noticing...time must have sped up surely?

Blogging is not the only thing I've be remiss with and I'm way behind on the AJE Earring Challenge which has it's latest reveal today. I have however managed to make three new pairs to at least plug the gap a little...

I've been feeling the urge to play with sheet metal of late and this autumnal pair feature leaves from my first attempt at fold forming - heat and hammer is a very satisfying combination I must say. The lampwork beads are by Caroline Rhodes.

I love red and black together as the contrast is always very striking so for this pair I teamed the lovely ceramic flowers from Karen Totten with 'Fallen Angel' black brass and some tiny Czech glass beads. The name was inspired by the lyrics of the song 'Red and Black' from Les Miserables.

This final pair are just full of fun with the lovely polka dot etched lampwork beads by Kaz Baildon dressed up with some handmade twisted bronze  rings and bead caps by Lisa Quinn and my own bronze ear wires.

All earrings will be listed in my Etsy shop shortly but feel free to contact me if interested.

You can check out what the other challenge participants have been making by visiting the AJE Earring Challenge Pinterest page and you can also see who is blogging about there designs on today's AJE Blog post.


Lesley