Thursday, July 16, 2015

Andrew Thornton's Endless Sky Challenge


Andrew Thornton sponsored this Endless Sky Challenge by putting together 30 kits and challenging jewelry designers to use as much or as little of the kit to create a piece that showcases your creativity, individuality, and artistic expression. Ideally your creation will spotlight the great assortment of beads included in the kit, but the (endless) sky is the limit with what you can make!

Andrew Thornton's kit
The kit is an airy mix of Japanese Miyuki seed beads, Toho seed beads, Japanese Matsuno seed beads, vintage French seed beads, vintage Venetian seed beads, vintage Czech seed beads, freshwater pearls, glass pearls, Czech glass (both old and new), LOTS of aquamarine, agate, chalcedony, sodalite, stone, vintage sequins, German glass, jade, Swarovski crystal, vintage Japanese glass, vintage lucite and MUCH, MUCH MORE!
Thornton kit that Bay Moon Design received


For this challenge, we were given the creative spark in aquamarine. Thornton said, " I looked at the stone,  thought of the sky... an endless sky, studded with lazily drifting clouds. It's easy to say, "the sky is blue". But in reality, there are lots of colors represented above; there are shades of pale gray, subtle purples, and even tinges of green. The stone aquamarine has all of these colors".  This kit attempts to capture that ever-shifting blue.
Dreamy Blue Cloud Necklace by Bay Moon Design

The mystery component is the Thornton focal which I used in my first necklace.  When I saw all the seed beads I thought-not for me.  They were so gorgeous I found a way to incorporate them into this blue necklace as well as a second necklace. The stone and agate turned out to be perfect to use with them.   I also added one of my handmade sterling silver clasps to it. This dreamy cloud necklace is available for purchase HERE.


Butterfly Component in this necklace is by Jenny Davies-Reazor
This butterfly necklace features a handmade signed ceramic butterfly by Jenny Davies-Reazor . The pink and aqua heart ceramic below the butterfly is from Jeraluna Designs. With the yellow, pink, and aqua butterfly pendant I added royal blue and medium blue cultured sea glass with blue seeds from this kit on Irish waxed linen thread. The boho necklace is held together with a handmade silver lobster clasp. It is a real statement necklace with these vibrant colors and it is available for purchase HERE.



Textured Ceramic Earrings by BayMoonDesign

Sometimes you just need the perfect pair of beads to pop up.  Here, I found a pair that went perfectly with Susan Kennedy ceramics.  I love these textured blue, green, tan ceramics paired with soft aqua beads from the kit.

Jellyfish Necklace by Bay Moon Design
I managed to use a few more beads from the kit in this jellyfish necklace.  The large, round vintage lucite and powder blue bead that I put into the center were perfect to incorporate with the ceramic jellyfish to make the focal.   The jellyfish ceramic is by Suburban Girl Studio.   I also used some of the oval shaped grayish blue beads in this fun, summer necklace which is available for purchase HERE.  I think it makes a great summer birthday gift or hostess gift for a stay at the beach.

Can you believe I still have some beads left?

Here are the links to what other folks did with the same beads.  It is always interesting to see what others come up with!

Andrew Thornton, Melissa Wynne, and Laurel Ross http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/


Do you have a favorite?
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7 comments:

  1. Andrew ThorntonJuly 16, 2015 at 4:50 PM

    Such a treasure trove of pieces! I'm always impressed by all the delightful things people create from the kits. My favorite is the one with one of Diana's pieces. It's whimsical and beachy and love how all the muted colors work together. All of the pieces are great though! I love modern elegance of the lampwork glass earrings. So many wonderful art bead makers in your pieces! Oh and for being "not for you", the seed beads are awesome in your first necklace. They break up the color and add texture and look almost like water droplets studding clouds. Great job and thank you so much for participating!

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  2. Shai WilliamsJuly 16, 2015 at 8:55 PM

    I always look forward to seeing what you will make next. They are all great designs but I am in love with the last necklace. So perfect to wear for a day/night playing on the beach.

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  3. ChristinaMarieHJuly 16, 2015 at 10:46 PM

    I love the necklace you made with the surprise pendant! Those chip beads had me stumped.

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  4. Dolores RamlJuly 16, 2015 at 11:38 PM

    Beautiful designs, I especially liked how you used the seed beads in the first necklace.

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  5. UnknownJuly 17, 2015 at 5:45 AM

    I love your first necklace with the mystery component and the SEED BEADS! I love how you used them. They make it look magical! I like the idea of using a butterfly - things in the sky. It's also fun to see how people used the lucite ring. I tried a necklace with it that did not turn out, so I like to see successful uses to inspire me in the future!

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  6. Bijoux Gems JoyJuly 17, 2015 at 9:38 PM

    Your pieces are all gorgeous. I like the last one with the beachy feel, but am especially fond of the butterfly necklace.That punch of yellow is perfect.

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  7. Inner Muse Jewelry DesignJuly 25, 2015 at 8:28 AM

    So many beautiful designs to choose from! I love how you studded the gemstone chips with the seed beads, they add visual interest and texture to the deign and really accentuate the blues in Andrew's focal. You used the waxed linen beautifully in your other necklaces. Combined with the pretty focals you chose and the various kit components, you really captured the theme of this challenge to a 'T.' Beautiful work!

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