Pretty Palettes April Reveal: Humblebeads + Halcraft

 

I was so thrilled when Molly from the Halcraft team asked if she could use my artwork as this month's Pretty Palette Inspiration. Halcraft sent me a lovely package of beads for this month's challenge in the hues above and I created a ton of beads in this color palette to match.  

First up is a bracelet using stones and glass from Halcraft with a Humblebeads toggle and disk beads in coordinating colors. I used the Halcraft beads a fun dangles on the large copper jump rings. The heavy stones in the back help balance out the design and ensure my toggle with stay on the top of the wrist.

Next up are the same glass beads with some fun acrylic beads from Halcrft (those faceted teal ones, I love the shape and color!) I created a wire fringe for the beads and knotted a very long necklace with a similar bead combination. I used a waxed linen in a rust color for this design.

I created the bird with the colors from the challenge. I also used raw copper for a bright pop of metallic color in the necklace. I added in a few spacers in antique copper. 

I used the same wire fringe design for the earrings with some of the Halcraft beads as accents. I'll be sharing this technique today on Facebook live for Bead Table Wednesday at 2pm EST. 

And here is the little tour of some of the beads I made this month inspired by the color palette. You can find beads in my Etsy shop.

And I'm super excited to share that the pattern from this month's challenge can also be found on fabric in my Spoonflower shop! Stop on over to check it out. 

To see more of my art work visit my website at HeatherPowersArt.com. 

Thank you Molly and Halcraft for another fun month of inspiration. Stop by the Halcraft blog to see what everyone else made for the challenge! I can't wait to see what my creative friends have been up to and how they were inspired by my painting.  

Halfcraft + Humblebeads: Pretty Palettes Challenge

I was invited this month to participate in Halcraft's Pretty Palette Challenge this month. I was gifted an assortment of beads in hues of peach, orange, green and brown. I loved the earthy combination and pulled out some art beads to help add a story to this lovely collection of glass, stones and wood.

For those of us in the north that weather through dark, cold and grey winters, it takes quite a bit of faith to trust that the promise of spring is right around the corner by March. Even thought a snowflake may still fall this time of year, once I hear the birds sing for the first time in spring I know the world will soon wake up. I wanted this necklace to capture that faith in the promise of spring!

For this first necklace I used 1mm gold leather from Classic Elements and strung on those gorgeous wood disks from Halcraft. I paired one of my Gilded Bramble Birds and Diane Hawkey word bead in shades of green. 

I was pleasantly surprised that those green jasper chips had large enough holes for the leather, but they did! I don't think I've used chip beads since my beginning days of jewelry making. I have to say I like their organic, rustic look. 

I used some of the seed beads sent in a mix of beads and finished the design with a leaf button.

This design used more the seed beads from the Halcraft mix. I strung them on headpins to make a tiny tassel with an enamel leaf from Gardanne Beads. I wrapped a wire nest for my Gilded Bramble Bird. 

I had one wooden disk bead left, so I didn't want to waste that! I used another word bead from Diane Hawkey that was the perfect color and sentiment. On the pearl leather cord I strung wood beads from the Halcraft stash. 

(I'll be sharing how to make wire nests for your birds and other beads today on Facebook live at 2pm EST. https://www.facebook.com/humblebeadspage/) 

When I saw these ceramic beads in my package I was both delighted and little scared. These are some big beads girls! I actually almost bought them last month but chickened out because of their size. My goal for this necklace was to make something I'd wear, so I thought simple, little nature thrown in but let those big beads do the talking.

I really love the mottled finish on the beads, they reminded me of my Monarch Beads, so I pulled those out from my stash along with those oval wood beads. The round wood beads are from Halcraft.

I strung on the large beads and used a spacer before I knotted the 1mm leather cord that I used for the necklace. I knotted between all the other beads and finished this necklace with adjustable knots. Simple, but fun and something I'd totally wear.

My last design is a knotted bracelet on waxed linen cord. I really went out of my comfort zone with those bright orange glass lentils. But as soon as I saw this tiny heart charm from Mary Harding I knew I could pull it off.

I used one of my Wooden House beads and another Monarch Disk with the glass lentils, quartzite and dye jade beads along with a few more wooden beads. I love how the blue of waxed linen is part of the design throughout the bracelet. 

I want to thank Molly for inviting me to join in the fun this month and a big thanks to Halcraft for providing the beads and inspiration! 

Stop over to the Halcraft blog to see more creations inspired by this month's Pretty Palette challenge and to learn more about the beads. 

Gilded Bramble Birds, Monarch Beads and Wooden House beads can all be found at my website, www.humblebeads.com. 

Halcraft Pretty Palettes Challenge

My friend Erin invited me to take part in this month's Halcraft Pretty Palette's Challenge. She sent me a very sparkly, icy inspired collection of beads and told me to create whatever I'd like and I could add in other beads. The inspirations were macro photos of snowflakes from a Russian photographer. You must go visit the Halcraft blog to see there beauties. 

So I gathered my Humblebeads, took a quick trip to Michael's to round out my color palette with a few more earthy options and set to work. I was a little afraid of all that pastel bling from the challenge, but a great challenge pushes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to put your stamp on it, stretching in the process. 

First up is a linked bracelet with a Humblebeads Winter Branches House Beads. I paired together the the snowflake charm, faceted glass and rhinestone beads Erin sent with faceted teardrops and metallic hematite from the Halfcraft Bead Gallery collection. A few copper hematite and copper jump rings added in darker colors to match my focal bead. 

Snowflake charm earrings with faceted glass and crystals from Halcraft.

Erin had sent in a few rose quartz beads inspired by Pantone's color of the year. I wanted to create a piece of jewelry in the pink hues that felt a little like spring might be on the way! I pulled out my Skeleton Leaf pendant, a disk bead and a Wedgwood bead in green from my Humblebeads stash. I paired with up with these unusual shaped sunstone beads that I picked up from a local bead store. My Halcraft beads are tiny dangle accents in between each link. Hurry spring...hurry.

I pulled some of the rose quartz colors to create a coordinating pair of earrings using art beads from Green Girl Studios and Gardanne Beads. 

This was a fun piece, I can't remember the last time I made a charm bracelet. As you'll soon notice, snow owls and woodland inspirations became my underlying theme for the challenge. This bracelet captures it all with art beads from my collection and tiny accents from Halcraft. 

 Snow owl charm earrings with tiny rose quartz crystals and lampwork beads. 

I wanted to create a multi-strand bracelet that captured those wintry hues and pulled out my Winter Wonderland spacers. I paired them up with faceted teardrops from the Halcraft Bead Gallery collection, each one on dark annealed steel wire to darkened my color palette.

For the multi-strand connectors I pulled out some metal blanks, cut them and hammered them to create a birch bark texture. I love how these turned out and tied the bracelet together. A Green Girl Studios owl clasp finishes the design.

Owl charm earring with Humblebeads disks and Halfcraft faceted glass teardrops. 

I love a good challenge and Halfcraft certainly provides a lovely one from Erin each month. Please head over to Halcraft blog and see what Erin created, she's kinda amazing you know! Thank you Erin and Halcraft for the opportunity to showcase art beads for the Pretty Palettes Challenge.

May Halcraft Pretty Palette Challenge

I'm excited today to take part in Halcraft's Pretty Palette challenge hosted by the super talented Erin Prais-Hintz. Erin found this awesome Scandinavian print, those foxes and leaves really called to me! 

Erin sent me a package of beads she picked for this month's palette. I could use any of the beads and add in my own. So let's jump in and see what transpired!

My first creation I honed in on the the graphic leaves in the inspiration. I really loved the black petal beads from Halcraft, in fact I had a strand in my bead stash already. I paired them up with the gold matte Czech glass and just a splash of the red with the Czech glass coin beads.

Being Mrs. Art Bead Scene, I had to add in a few artisan beads. I grabbed this beautiful fiddlehead pendant from Kylie Parry and matched them up with my Humblebeads branch disk beads in copper.

For my next creation I was inspired by the print to create a bead just for the challenge. I created this tiny fox running in a birch forest. My Halcraft beads the jet petals, dyed bamboo coral sticks, the red Czech glass coins and the matte gold beads. 

My final design I played with an asymmetrical pattern with the petals, gold matte beads, the red Czech coin in a brighter hue. The focal is one of my new faux sgraffito style beads. The copper branch beads pulls in some of the reddish hues from the palette.

Stop on over to the Halcraft blog today to see what Erin and the other participants created. Thank you Erin for the inspiration!