2010 ESD Enchanted Challenge: Fairy Treasure - Challenge Thread

In the challenge we are to use half the threads and fibers, this sometimes presents a tough spot to be in thus creating the "challenge" LOL! For me I want to stay withing the color theme of my piece and some of those threads don't fit that at all! That being said I have to use some to meet the requirements, but at the same time I don't want to compromise my vision!

So I started using the overdyed challenge thread (which is really nice to work with BTW) for a half circle blanket stitch. That alone wasn't enough you could see obvious pink and blue shades so I started fiddling with it to see if I could fool the eye into thinking you aren't really seeing colors that don't go. What I came up with was to do a second blanket stitch half circle over the top of the first one and then add a green pearl! AND IT WORKED!!! You still see the colored thread underneath but it feels right, and not like a compromise, the impression is of green stronger than other colors yet those colors are still there peeking from under the green wool thread!
I'm happy that I met the challenge while keeping the color theme of my piece!

2010 ESD Enchanted Challenge: Fairy Treasure - Bead Flower Motif

Here is a motif I created to use some of the beads in the challenge packet. She didn't include very many beads to choose from only 3 types and 2 of them would look totally wrong on my block since they aren't within my color theme. BUT there were some yellow flower beads that would work but they had a more greenish tint to them rather than the more golden yellow I'm using. So what I did was find other flower beads in my stash that were green and yellow and I mixed them all together and started a flower bead motif which I added silk ribbon to and some french knot spikes and a few "found" trinkets and treasures.

For leaves I created a puffy leaf by doing a looped french knot just like for the little french knot flowers BUT I didn't add a second french knot with thread but just left it looped.

You see the yellow flower that looks kinda stripped at the tip of the motif? That is the challenge packet's bead flower. I used 3 of each flower bead in the motif.

To all that I added a couple of gems a little working locket, and a key.

2010 ESD Enchanted Challenge: Fairy Treasure - Beaded Vine

Finally finished the beaded vine! The leaves are tiny size 15 seed beads, 6 on one side, come back up through the last bead add 4 more and go back through the last bead, and then added a half bugle bead to the center! Then since the side beads kept popping up around the bugle bead I had to tack each side down. I also added by alternating sides some embossed beads. I love how it meanders and it's so sparkly, I love sparkle!

Here's a small shot of my workspace!

Flower Pin: Amanda

Every year I choose something to create as birthday gifts for the girls in my small group at youth group! This year I'm going to create flower pins! First is Amanda she LOVES green so I created a lovely green with a splash of yellow, and used a fancy vintage metallic black/silver glass button for the center!

I'm considering creating extra pins to put up for sale in my Etsy Shop as a fundraiser for my small group girls! We buy each girl a Bible as they become a regular (four consecutive attendances) and we use fund-raising to help buy them. Another thing we fund-raise for is Camps both Summer and Winter Camp but it's difficult to make enough money for all the girls in our group.
I created this yellow flower pin with that in mind. I just don't know if it's worth the time to put it up on Etsy, things don't seem to sell well there for some reason and it's a lot of work uploading photos and writing all the info etc. I'm also considering having a Flower Pin making party where the girls can all create flower pins for sale and I can put them up in Etsy also.
Any feedback is welcome.

Flowers and Hearts Block

I'm doing a private 8 inch block exchange with the theme of Flowers and Hearts! I pieced this block to send to Kathy and she will send me one and we will embellish each others blocks and send them back to each other by 14 Feb. 2011! Why so far off a deadline for one block? Well because we are both busy as all anything!!! LOL If we happen to get it finished sooner that's great but no rush, no pressure, just fun relaxed sharing our work with one another!

2010 ESD Enchanted Challenge: Fairy Treasure - Update, Heart Necklace

I added some straight stitches in gold holographic sulky thread! I may add more to the lace etc. later. I never really have a solid plan as I work it's kinda organic and free flowing, I go with what feels right and sometimes I have to wait awhile before I know what will go perfectly.
I've been learning a lot about myself, and my style of work as I'm working on this challenge piece. Starting to understand why I get stuck and what helps me get out of that and how my creativity flows and such. It's funny how art can reflect life too some of the same reasons for being stuck in my creative process are the same reasons I get stuck in other areas. And how a realization in one area helps the other area too! Sometimes I just marvel at how God created us like that! Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made!
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ~ Psalm 139:14

Here I added little gold bead caps with seed beads as little flowers in the vine!

I sewed on a crystal heart and used some of the challenge fiber as a necklace ribbon and tacked it on with gold holographic sulky thread! Above that is some of the challenge fiber ruched, sewn in place and a button added to the middle.

Here is a vine in progress I couched on the metallic thread. I'm adding beaded leaves and embossed beads along it to create a vine that winds through patches and the blocks helping to weave it all together.

Friendship Garden

My dear friend Wendy agreed to help me make a friendship wall hanging! She is going to embellish 3 (the below photo) of the 6 six inch blocks and I'm going to embellish 3 (the above photo) and then I'll combine them into a wall hanging of our friendship!
We've all heard the saying "Friends are the flowers in the garden of life" well Wendy is one of the best flowers I could ever ask for! I'm grateful that God put her in my life, she is truly special and I treasure her gift of friendship to me!

Here they are in a baggie ready to go to Wendy!
We aren't having any time deadline to get them done just whenever no stress! I know they will get done at just the right time, things always seem to work out like that!