Beadin Path Lucite Challenge- Reveal day!



About a month ago I blogged about a new challenge, where I shopped my heart out picking out some lucite from Beadin Path when I was in Maine for a little vacation with the hubby.  Heather and her team, put together the kits and offered them for sale on their website! Today is the day we get to reveal what we made! Excited, aren't YOU!?

When I sat down to make my lucite goodies, I felt good. I've totally got this, I thought. I LOVE lucite. This is going to be a real cinch.  Then I started playing around with the pieces. The big chunky black flowers have just enough of a curve in them that they don't always want to sit just right. I say just right. What I mean is, FLAT. This can definitely affect the overall design of a piece.

The next challenge- the chain.. Lucite chain is really cool in theory. However, unless the links are lined up just right, a slight tug on a necklace can cause the entire thing to pull apart. Trust me. It happened me. When I put it on to model for the pictures, I went to remove it from my neck, and it came apart in 3 pieces. I'm not really sure how to combat this challenge. So I'm just going to show you the piece and we'll pretend it stays together for the purpose of this blog post. :)

 I used sections of the chain, and seed beaded loops using gunmetal seed beads. Then beaded sections up each side, using the red, green barrels, and coral coins. To clasp the back, I used a nice flat silk ribbon in black. This is my favorite part of the necklace. It is nice and soft on the back of the neck.

 Here, I am showing you the back of the flower so you can get the gist of what I did to one of the black flowers as a focal. I created the focal using a black flower, one of the gunmetal flowers, and a glass bead. Using some steel wire, I formed a simple loop on one end, strung on the seed bead, metal flower, and black flower- and formed another simple loop on the back of the flower. I used some teal indonesian seed beads, pulled one down to the center of the beading wire. Thread the 2 strands of beading wire up through the loop on the back of the flower. I strung 3 teal glass beads onto each wire, and then strung the metal seed beads to loop through the chain links.  Crimped each wire at the base of the seedbeaded loop.

As long as I don't walk, run, or shake my booty, the lucite chain links will stay where they are. Otherwise they do end up shifting, and if they do, it can easily pull apart.   I'm sure that if I had more time, I could somehow come up with a remedy but for this challenge, I could not. And since I tell it like it is, that's my story.
Moving on....

The next piece I crafted is a bracelet. A very chunky, and eye-catching bracelet. I brought out some large 15mm Cream lucite rounds, also from Beadin Path, to pair with a black flower as the focal. For the center of the flower, I used one of the lucite buttons.


I used some gunmetal rounds in between the cream rounds, and placed 2 red barrel beads by the clasp which I fashioned out of another lucite button and a handcrafted steel wire hook clasp.
I didn't get the best pic of how this one is strung so I'll try to explain...
I took the beading wire, and thread it through the button shank. Pulled the 2 ends of wire together, and thread them down there one of the metal flowers from the kit. Then down through the black flower. Continued stringing the cream beads and metal rounds. You can't really see the metal flower under the button but it's an important element that keeps the button shank stable at the center of the flower, where it's a bit less wobbly!


The last piece I made was another necklace. In this piece, I pulled out a large brass metal flower from MissFickleMedia, and an enameled red flower from C Koop Beads, to layer with the black flower. I beaded an asymmetrical design with the coral coins and red and teal barrel beads. A seed beaded toggle wraps around the lucite button for the closure.



I really like how this last one turned out, and can absolutely see myself wearing this one!

Regardless of the quirkiness of the beads, I did have a blast with this challenge and I do hope you all enjoyed seeing the progess! I can't wait to hop around to see what other people created using their kits!
Here's a link list...

SongBeads
Pixiloo
Lisa Cone
Suzanne Kiertianis
Copper Diem
http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/
http://franciebroadie.com/blog/

If you are participating and I don't have your link, send it to me or post it in the comments! Happy Hopping!

Comments

  1. okay, i'm glad i'm not the only one that was fighting with that chain! I love your designs! thanks for such a fun challenge!!!

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  2. HAHA! I was fighting with chain and flowers too! Your designs are great. I seriously am going to do a Part 2 with the rest of the beads. It's all the fault of those damn (beautiful) flowers.

    Thanks for a great challenge!

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  3. They are fun colors. I said almost the same thing to Songbeads when I saw her creations this morning.

    Glad you shared the difficulties of the lucite chain.

    They are all eye catching.

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  4. What fun pieces! I am loving seeing what everyone did.

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  5. Great pieces! I love the bright colors of this kit. I'm sorry the chunky chain didn't cooperate because its got great potential. I'm off to see what the others made.

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  6. These are awesome. At one point, I thought the buttons would work great in the flower, but couldn't figure out how to pull it off. I'm so glad you did. The bracelet is awesome and the flower is so big and bold. :) I love the last necklace also. It's just the perfect combination. I could totally see me wearing it too. :) Thank you for the challenge, it was so much fun!

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  7. I love what you did with the flowers. I admit, they mystified me. The last necklace really speaks to me, I love the asymmetry and the very cool brass flower. Also, those buttons made me happy, really happy.

    I want to share how I got the chain to behave. I discovered that if you go along and turn each piece, as you are assembling it, one solid side next to one open side, the only open pieces are the ends. They can't move around once they are linked like this because there isn't enough room for them to turn themselves around. Then I used Tacky Glue to seal the end openings, and very carefully hung it to dry. I used a couple of coats, I'm sure you could use resin also. Then I glued two bits of ribbon over the openings, and attached them to the necklace like that. I don;t usually use glue, I see it as cheating, but to me, this was the ONLY way they would behave. I tried wire, it slipped right off the slippery lucute.

    Anyway, thanks for this challenge, I enjoyed it SOOOOO much!

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  8. I couldn't get that chain to work at all! Hence the fact I only used it as single links (love what Lisa did with those seed bEaded links). I love all your pieces - think the second necklace is my favourite, I love the stacked flower, so pretty. I need to get me some C-Koop! Thanks so much for organising this challenge, it has been really fun - not components I've ever worked with before and I loved it! Hope you do another soon :-)

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  9. Very cool pieces! I think the final necklace is my favorite - the layered flower is gorgeous.

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  10. Anonymous9/22/2012

    Color blocking the beads in the necklace really make this piece a knockout. Love all the designs in this truly challenging beading opportunity.

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  11. Chain was apparently the death of us all.... Here's where you can see what I did: http://www.rigglettes.blogspot.com

    Thank Lorelei - it's always fun to explore new materials & styles!

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  12. I wore my necklace yesterday and a) the chain didn't fall apart and b) the flowers laid correctly (mostly).

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  13. Anonymous9/27/2012

    You know, it's very reassuring to read that even you have to struggle with your components sometimes ;) Lovely work, as always!

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