Wednesday, October 29, 2014

October's Pretty Palette Challenge :: Cowgirl Chic

Oh, was this one a hard one! I don' t know if it was the fact that I was too oh-so-in-love with this color palette or that I had mostly rounds to work with this time. For more information and to see the rest of the participants' creations, click here to be whisked off to the Halcraft Pretty Palettes Challenge, hosted by Erin Prais-Hintz for this month! 

Here is our inspiration piece and the palette I chose to work with, by Erin Fitzhugh Gregory: 
Isn't this gorgeous!?!


Even though the painting is decidedly floral, the colors, when pulled out together, gave me a feel of leather and blue jeans, a sort of cowgirl chic, which gave rise to the Cowgirl Chic necklace.

I have been digging the often undervalued but very useful rounds lately, and this color palette really worked with the beads I had on hand. A few of the beads that I used have facets, but most are the smooth, round workhorses of the beading world.


This palette includes so many wonderful colors, and they're all over the color wheel in intensity as well as color value, giving me a brain bending workout in that way, as well.

Did anyone else struggle in this way with this palette?

Although it looks simple, it took me a surprisingly long time to design the Cowgirl Chic Necklace (hence my evening post)! I'm probably not alone in this, but although the techniques used to create this necklace are common, I find that choosing the beads for the almost-symmetrical look is challenging for me.

One special part of this necklace is the golden honey-colored beaded bead. I used Beadalon's WildFire cord to make this one.

I couldn't stop at just a necklace so I went ahead and used some very cowgirl-esque leather in one bracelet, some stretch cord to make another bracelet, and a traditional beading wire bracelet, along with a pair of earrings, perfect for horsing around. ;)


Thanks for visiting my blog, and I hope you find the time to play along next month! Erin will be revealing next month's Pretty Palette on the Halcraft blog next Wednesday, November 5th!

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13 comments:

  1. LaurelOctober 29, 2014 at 8:20 PM

    I have cowboy boots that would match every piece!!! I love them ALL. Happy rounds and cowboy chic with great names=winning!!! Great job

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    1. The Crafty MamaOctober 29, 2014 at 8:35 PM

      Thank you, Laurel! I think this set is great for everyday wear, and the bracelets look great together. Maybe tomorrow I'll take a photo of them on!

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    2. The Crafty MamaOctober 29, 2014 at 8:44 PM

      Also, I want a supply of cowboy boots like yours! I'd love it!

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  2. Treasures by LouiseOctober 30, 2014 at 4:00 AM

    What a great set of jewelry. I love how the bright color palette works together. I also would love to find a tutorial for making the beaded bead. It looks great in that honey golden color. You have made me take a second look at my round beads!

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    1. The Crafty MamaOctober 30, 2014 at 11:11 AM

      Louise, I'd love to do a quick video tutorial of how to make this. I'll put it on my to do list. It's really easy, and it works so well with rounds and especially bicones. I'll let you know if I manage to figure out a good way to put it in video!
      Thanks for your comment!

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  3. AnonymousOctober 30, 2014 at 7:09 AM

    I really do love the beaded bead along side the focal. And your almost symmetrical look is fabulous!

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  4. The Crafty MamaOctober 30, 2014 at 11:12 AM

    Alison, I debated and debated about the bead placement, so it sounds really great to hear that you like it! Have you ever done that, just shifted beads around on a bead board until they looked right? I did a lot of that with this simple strand of beads, and deciding to add the infinity loop was a fun addition, too.

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  5. UnknownOctober 30, 2014 at 1:19 PM

    I love all your jewelry, especially the necklace. The yellow really makes the necklace stand out. Great job!

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    1. The Crafty MamaOctober 31, 2014 at 5:52 AM

      Denise, thanks so much. I LOVE your pieces, too, especially the chevron necklace. I've been wanting to make one of those sometime soon. This palette was perfect for that!

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  6. TesoriTrovatiOctober 31, 2014 at 7:19 AM

    What a fun set of jewelry! I feel the same way when I approach the palettes each month. I try to put all the colors into one piece and sometimes it is discordant, but this works so well! I want to know how to make that beaded bead (tutorial idea...hint, hint ;-) I just bought the beads for the next palette and I am so delighted to see so many participants. Woohoo! Enjoy the day. Erin

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    1. The Crafty MamaNovember 2, 2014 at 9:27 AM

      Erin, thanks so much! I think sometimes, as someone who works with beads--or images of beads and beaded jewelry--daily, I get overwhelmed with possibilities when I start a project like this one. I'll do a tutorial of the beaded bead soon! Thanks for the hint, hint! :)

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  7. Kathleen Lange KlikNovember 2, 2014 at 7:07 AM

    What a wonderful collection! I am really enjoying the assymetric design of the necklace and it's beaded bead as well as the leather element of the "Rein it in" bracelet.

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    1. The Crafty MamaNovember 6, 2014 at 7:32 PM

      Thanks, Kathleen! I'm finding myself drawn to leather in as many designs as possible lately. I think I'm going to have to revisit the asymmetric design work again. It was a fun challenge to give myself!

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