Toast of the Town Blog Hop

When Erin Prais-Hintz announced this blog hop,

I jumped in with both feet.

Erin designed a necklace for Michael's and named it

Toast of the Town!

I loved the necklace!

I decided to try it.

The only rule Erin had for this blog hop was that we should try to stay true to the spirit of the necklace she designed.

We didn't have to shop Michael's for our beads.

(I did!  te-he!)

We could use beads from our own stash.

All we needed to do was to follow the directions for the necklace Erin designed.

Oh. My. Goodness!

Follow the directions?

Okay, I did.

Here is my necklace, and I love it!!!

 When I went to Michael's I took Erin's directions with me.

I was determined to follow those directions to the letter.

Ooooooops, as you can see I didn't.

There was a 50% off sale, need I say more?

Anyway, by the time I was finished, I had chosen red, black, and white for my color palette.

The only mistake I made was in the toggle clasp I bought.

The Michael's where I shopped did not have the clasp that Erin used in her necklace, so I bought a different one.

 As I worked on my necklace, it became apparent that my beads would not fit through the toggle clasp, as I needed to do.

I had to use a bigger clasp.

 It doesn't appear to be that big, but it is!

By using this big clasp, I was able to fit my beads through the hole.

Whew!

I decided to twist the necklace and wear it as a choker.

I love the eclectic look of the necklace when I twisted the choker.

I will enjoy wearing this, especially with the holidaze coming on!

Thank you, Erin, for hosting this blog hop!!!

Now, here's a list of the other participants.

Tanya - A Work In Progress

Lee - Strega Jewellery

Elisabeth - Beads for Busy Gals
Molly - Crafting A Life in Indiana

Pam - Re-Maker

Beth - EB Bead & Metal Works

Emma - A Polymer Penchant

Michelada - Micheladas Musings

Penny - Copper Penny Designs

Kay - Kayz Kreationz  (Note: Kay had to go out of town. Do check back for her reveal!)

Mallory - For the Love of Beads

The REVEAL - The Challenge of Color Blog Hop!

When Erin proposed this challenge to her blog readers,

I was fascinated!
I didn't know what color to choose, so I sent Erin an email saying
"either red or you surprise me."
Guess what,
Erin surprised me!
I received a post card a few days later that had the colors
Foamy Sea - Underwater - Bashful Rose
I loved them immediately.
Now, the colors in this photo are not true to the colors on the paint chip that Erin sent.
The blues are greens, but the bashful Rose is close.
I immediately set to work going through my glass rods, looking for the colors.
The Bashful Rose jumped out at me.
I found a coral that was so very close to the rose that I started to make my beads
IMMEDIATELY!
While the beads were soaking in the kiln, I went through my stash of beads and found the perfect greens to match those on my color chip.
Yipeeee!
I was able to use all the colors!
The next step was to put together the jewelry items.
I waited for the the kiln to cool.
I took out the beads,
and to my HUGE surprise,
the coral had changed from a blushing coral to an orange coral.
This does happen with corals.
Oh, well,
Life and lemons seem to go together.
I pulled out my wire and began to work.
Now, yesterday, if you read my blog,
you saw the sneak peek,
so,
in case you didn't,
here's my what I posted.

I used copper wire to link my pieces.
I used my hand made glass beads.
I used assorted beads for accent.
So,
at long last,
here it is.
Are you ready?
Ta-Da!

This Rose is not so Bashful!

The rosie coral turned orange, but I like this bracelet anyway!
I was able to use one of the greens in this one:
Foamy Sea.

Now on to the next Reveal!


Views of Underwater Charms while Flying Above the Foamy Sea
(How's that for a creative use of a title?)
I was able to use all three colors in this necklace.
Notice the little bird?
She had the proper greens in her.
She is one of my favorite beads!
I really love her!
Anyway,
there you have it.
My Reveal.
Now, get started clicking on the links below and enjoy the show.
It's going to be great!
Thank you, Erin!
This was a great Challenge!


The Challenge of Color Blog Hop - December 3, 2010

• Alice Peterson
• Amy Freeland
• Beth McCord
• Brandi Hussey
• Cary Scholes
• Catherine Pruitt
• Cindy Wimmer
• Claire Maunsell
• Cory Tompkins
• Courtney Breul
• Cristi Clothier
• Cynthia Riggs
• Emanda Johnson
• Holly Westfall
• Janea McDonald
• Jeannie Dukic
• Jennifer Cameron
• Judy Campbell
• Karyn White
• Keirsten Giles
• Kelly Morgan
• Kristie Roeder
• Kristin Stevens
• Lisa Godfrey
• Lisa Tracy
• Lori Anderson
• Mallory Hoffman
• Marie Voyer-Cramp
• Mary McGraw
• Nicole Keller
• Nicole Valentine
• Paige Maxim
• Patty Gasparino
• Rebecca Anderson
• Renate Stark-Krammer
• Rita Parra
• Shannon Chomanczuk
• Sheila Summers
• Stefanie Teufel
• Yelisa Rojas

Inspiration Found

Everyday I read a wonderful blog called Treasures Found: Inspiration is Everywhere written by Erin Prais-Hintz. It's truly one of my favorite blogs. Erin shows us, as we journey through life, to find treasures everywhere we look and how to gain inspiration from them. This blog is beautiful and informative. I love Erin's writing style, and her jewelry is beautiful!

I have taken her lessons to heart, and I have tried to find inspiration in what I see. In this case, I think I did! Can you guess what I used? Are you ready?
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>Here's the answer!

















Paper Towels----------------------->



Not just one paper towel, but another one, as well!



















Here's how they inspired me!
















These butterflies ------------------->
are for Beads of Courage. This paper towel inspired the new wing shape.


















This paper towel inspired thoughts of spring and button flowers!
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Isn't that wonderful that something so mundane and everyday can inspire a bead or two or three or four?

Erin, thank you for your guidance and helping me to learn to see that there truly are treasures everywhere. With those treasures is inspiration!