February Monthly Blog Tour

Happy Hop Day!

The Conference of the Birds elicited some very creative minds this month. We see so many different varieties of birds, so many different variations on the peacock as well as abstract interpretations of the flora and fauna and a rich and varied color palette. It always makes the editors here so happy to see our faithful readers returning time and time again to regale us with their ever-evolving design sense, but this month we are delighted to also welcome some brand new participants to the challenge. We are so glad you are here! We know that you will find the ABS a wonderful community of incredibly talented people all here to share the joy of art beads and jewelry with one another. My only disappointment... no one picked up on the chicken motif!

;-)

On with the show!

Welcome to your first ABS Blog Tour Miss Bobbie of Beadsong Jewelry! We are so delighted that you chose to share your beautiful peacock feather design with us. I am crushing on that focal bead, and the swirls of the wire echo the eye of the feather. The fiber and the choice of the rest of the beads is a very nice tie in to the inspiration painting. We hope you will come back and share with us again!

Jo Tinley of Daisy Chain Designs Jewellery is an amazing metalsmith. She crafted a stunning feather clasp in silver to complement the beautiful lampwork glass bead in soft serene shades of blue and green. Jo says that she is going to make more of these shapes. To that I say, yes please! When can I buy them?

What I enjoy most about these monthly challenges is that every single person can look at the same inspiration and see completely different things. I almost missed the river flowing through the inspiration painting and the lovely lotus blossoms along the edge. That is until I read all about it from Angela Lund-Logan (above). Thank you for opening my eyes to all the details!

Sharyl of Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections got super inspired this month and made not one but two pieces! Each of her necklaces has the soft blues and greens of the painting but really have completely different looks. I find it intriguing that each time you look you see a different direction to go in with this inspiration painting! Check out her blog post here.

Pam of KlassyJools gives us a beautiful bracelet with the soft sand tones and the ethereal blues. The birds in her piece make me think they are soaring high in the sky. I love the mix of textures in this piece. Read all about it here.

Sometimes you have to trust that you know what you are doing. I hope that after entering this first Art Bead Scene challenge, it won't be your last Miss Beth (above)! Beth created a lyrical and infinitely interesting design that keeps your eye moving and treats you to little surprises along the way. Read more about the design process at Three Trees Art.

So many new faces this month! Miss Madonna Lisa Cruz from Crazy Notions in the Philippines designed her own peacock with bright colors and loads of texture. I am in awe of creativity like that! Welcome to the ABS to another new international friend! We look forward to seeing more of what you will share with us.

Re-Maker crafted her sweet and feminine necklace from some repurposed pieces making her art truly one of a kind. I love the little details, like the strand of seed beads and the little ruffled edges of the pendant. Read more about her design process here. 

There is something so intriguing about this necklace. The rough druzy stones suspended from the intricate herringbone weave and the lush lampwork all work in harmony to create a most lovely interpretation of the inspiration color palette. Read more about the necklace (above) from Backstory Beads.

Kimberly of Kimi's Jewelry noticed right away that the peacock was trying to steal the show in the Conference of Birds. She crafted a gorgeous peacock with all the feathers ablaze in a knock out necklace. Go and read about her process here!

Lynne of Island Girl's Insights (above) felt the need to create her own version of the background in this painting through her glass. The photo above is a closeup of the bead she made that became the focal for her necklace. I love that it can be worn with the chain or removed. That is awesome! Read more of her inspiration on her blog.

Birgitta treats us to an eclectic and charmingly rustic beauty with her bib necklace. Plus her piece pulls from all sorts of far off places making it truly international. I love the charming mix of materials and colors. The fiber gives a softer edge to the piece. Beautiful work!

We welcome yet another newcomer to the Art Bead Scene challenge. Hello, Mirabeaux! The focal bead she chose is so reminiscent of a close up of a peacock feather and she tells that her choice of beads resembled bird beaks. So soft and soothing yet so wild and free is this design. We are so glad you chose to share it with us!
 

I am very intrigued by the process that artists go through to create their beautiful baubles. Jenna of Honey Bijou (above) is a talented polymer clay artist and a gifted jewelry designer. She shows how she went about creating the cane for the peacock beads in this stunning piece.Thank you for sharing how you went about it. That makes your work all the more special to me.

Pulling in the regal colors of purple and royal blue, Lorelei Eurto proves that even the most simple design can be stunning and magical.

Patti of My Addictions Hand Crafted drew inspiration from the creek and the rocks to the beaks of the birds (which I totally never noticed until you pointed that out!). I love this eclectic style that has so much to look at that your eye is roving all the time. I would never be bored wearing a necklace like this!

This dreamy interpretation from bee tree by m.e. has a soft trance-like quality. The birds seem to be in flight in the bright blue sky with the sun shining. I love that sense of movement in this piece (above). Learn more about the design process here.

Miss Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio found some hidden treasures in her stash... lampwork glass beads in the perfect shades of the painting with even a river running through it! I love the special chain that she created using jump rings. Stunning!

Lynda Moseley of SCDiva (above) is celebrating a return to the well of creativity with these lovely peacock earrings. They have this old world quality that Lynda is famous for creating, and yet the colors are so modern. Read more about her inspiration here.

Speaking of peacocks, you have to check out the cute little peacock that Jennifer Cruz of Purple Luggage created. Her commissioned necklace is made from polymer clay using a special cane that she developed for a truly delightful design.

Cece Cormier, The Beading Yogini,  says that this design just sprang to life in her hands. Isn't that the nicest thing when that happens? Her bird focal is something special and a must see!

Miss Rebekah of Tree Wing Studio (above) admits that blue is a hard color for her to design with, especially this light blue that is predominant in the painting. She chose to see the abstract bushes in the design as a wing shape and used a pretty pendant as her focal. But it is what she did with the leather and the ornate bead caps that make this piece truly sing!

And last, but certainly not least, Miss Beth and Miss Evie eked out another amazing design! Their teamwork is inspiring, even despite illnesses and set backs this month. They persisted to create this intricate peacock focal and lampwork beads and we are so fortunate to be able to learn more about it! Read about their Peatalk design here.

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Thank you all for participating in the February Monthly Challenge. Stay tuned for the announcement of the March Monthly Challenge!