May Monthly Blog Tour

 "A small house must depend on its grouping with other houses for its beauty, and for the preservation of light air and the maximum of surrounding open space."

~ Clarence Stein

In response to this beautiful street scene we had houses and trees galore, but we also had shutters and doors and keys and the beauty of the wide open sky. The color palette was earthy in greens and creams and browns and blues with a little bit of coral thrown in. Let's start the show!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Alice of Alice Dreaming (above) had the cutest little house pendant but had a little mishap. She came up with a clever solution to fix the house and add some visual weight to her piece. I like the textures and the different materials that lead your eye around the piece.

"Italian Ice" is the name of the piece by Angela Lund and picks up on the tree motif in the painting. I love the beautiful greens and brown of the pretty art bead focal that she found. She picked it up at the Bead & Button show. Maybe I will see her at that booth this year!

Jo of Daisy Chain Designs Jewellery (above) makes the most lovely metal components that are whimsical and sweet. For this month, Jo made a beautiful little house clasp, plus she added some other fine art bead artists as well. I hope she will make more of these sweet houses, because I sure do want one of those!

Sometimes the best laid plans don't go as planned. That is what A Polymer Penchant discovered. She struggled with finding her way in this inspiration. I can relate to that! She became fascinated by the shutters on the houses and created a design that evoked those little wooden slats. It is a work in progress, she tells us. I am really intrigued to find out what she will make with the shutter piece she crafted!

Sharyl of Sharyl's Jewelry switched things up a bit and started out making a bracelet instead of her usual necklaces. I really love the wood like ceramic frame that she used in one and the weaving of the ribbon in the other for a lovely spot of color. But she just couldn't help herself and made a necklace, too!

Joining us this month is Cate Van Alphin Fulgorine (above). I am just blown away by the magnificent hollow donut pendant that she created. The salmon colored sky above the tips of the trees was what caught her attention. I am very intrigued by this!

Charlie of Clay Space did some mighty fine multi-tasking this month with a bevy of designs. Her bracelet and necklace looks like a walk down this village street complete with cobblestones to me.

Kerri of Pink Lemonade was also doing double duty with her design. As part of the Echo Creative Club she received a lovely shabby chic pendant that looks like it was right at home in the painting. I love the soft and soothing color palette she chose.

Miss Sue of SueBeads (above) found the perfect little house bead in her stash. She used some interestingly shaped beads to give a feeling of movement as you stroll along the winding avenue in the painting. Lovely!

I just love the balance of the design that Heidi of Ex Post Facto Jewelry designed. From the pretty house pendant to the leafy fringe and the beautiful carved jade, this piece hits a lot of the motifs in the painting.

Keeping with the theme of houses, Miss Cece Cormier of the Beading Yogini hand crafted her sweet little house. I love the details and the textures that she used. 

I love the little door charm that Pam of Klassy Joolz (above) found for her bracelet. The ruffly green glass beads remind me of the leaves fluttering in the breeze. Pam also completed a second piece with a key that I love!

Bee Tree by m.e. proves that you don't need to do fancy or complicated to have a stunning design. She made this quirky cuff bracelet with a house, a heart and a key in a great earthy mix of cream and rusty brown.

I think that the designs that come together effortlessly are a true sign that our Muse is ready to go. Miss Malin of Beading by Malin de Koning let the beads just fall into place on this beautiful design that brings all the pieces together seamlessly.

Tracy of Tracy Stillman Designs (above) was drawn to the architectural lines and the perspective of the meandering street. She brought a romanticism to the painting and softened the hard lines with a muted color palette.

Miss Kirsi of Kirsiluokorut is really immersing herself in learning the art of enameling. She made all the beads and the quaint little house in her necklace. A really fun and bright color palette that picks up on the sky.

I don't know about you but when I am fueled by caffeine and a deadline nothing can stand in my way. Apparently that is the way with Shaiha of Shaiha's Ramblings, too. The pistachio colored shutters and house were all the inspiration that she needed and then let it all fall into place. Beautifully, I might add.

I don't know what to be more impressed by... the fact that Beth & Evie McCord of EBBeadandMetalWorks (above) made a bracelet (a cuff no less!) or that they hand sawed from copper this beautiful house or that they left it with the rusty patina. Just....wow!

Welcome to Renetha from Lamplight Crafts! She used a gorgeous lampwork focal bead that brought out the impressionist brush strokes of the painting perfectly. And as a bonus she made a bracelet too! Check it out!

Miss Leah of Beady Eyed Bunny decided that she would make her own art beads for this challenge. The soft fringe on the fabric that backs her cuff bracelet echoes the soft sky at twilight and her house bead is darling!

Fresh Baked Designs (above) won our prize last month and was surprised and delighted to find that her winnings last month perfectly complemented the rich earthy palette of this month's painting. That is true serendipity!

There is a great satisfaction in making your own components for a design. Your hand print is all over it! Miss Kimberly Idalski of Kimi's Jewelry did just that. She brought in the vanishing perspective, the green and cream, the texture of the shutters and even the leaves in the wind and made an abstract statement necklace to be proud of!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for the late start everyone! I am hosting the Challenge of Literature blog hop over on my blog today so I am a tad bit behind. But I wanted to say that I am just always inspired by the creativity that our ABSers show each month, and this was no exception! 

Thank you to all who participated in this month's challenge! Looking forward to what June will bring!