Mojo Challenge Week 12: Art Inspired

I have to give you this as a challenge - it's one of my go to places for inspiration! The art world has something that will fit every style and taste imaginable. I've been taking a class and one of the mantas the teacher repeats often is that clients buy your joy.  So this week, tap into that joy.

Your Assignment:
Pick your absolute, all time favorite piece of art work (painting, sculpture, photograph, illustration, fabric design, etc.) and create jewelry inspired by this piece.

My favorite painting - Van Gogh's Irises.

Tips for Designing from Art:
Visit my Inspired by Art pin board for some of my favorites, you might find a new favorite too.

Start with the color and major motifs of the art work and find beads that relate to your inspiration piece.

Pick of piece of art work that makes you crazy happy every time you see it.  Ask yourself - what do you love about it? Is it the color, the mood, the story?  Try to capture that in your jewelry.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 12 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along at your own pace for 12 weeks of inspiration.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 11: Characters Welcomed

This is going to be a fun challenge! I love seeing when designers show off their work that has made it on a TV show, movie or worn by a celeb. It fascinating to see how they capture the essence of a character with beads and metal.

Your Assignment: 
Create a piece of jewelry inspired by a celebrity or pop culture character.  The character can be from a TV show, movie or book.  Fun, right? Ask yourself - what would she wear and go to town making it.

Earrings inspire by Katniss from the Hunger Games.

Tips for Designing for a Character:
Start by doing a little research.  What kind of clothing or jewelry did the character wear in the book or movie?  Create a pin board to gather images, outfits, photos or other inspiration of your heroine.  Was there something meaningful to the character - a symbol, a place, etc. that you can tie into a piece of jewelry?

If you are going for your favorite celeb gather together photos of her styled for the red carpet and candid shots.  Is this a piece of jewelry she would sport at an awards show or one she'd wear out to lunch while dodging the paparazzi?

Have you noticed throughout the Mojo Challenge what a great tool Pinterest can be for designers? Use it for research, to pull together mood/style boards and ultimately to reach out to women who will love your jewelry.  If you don't have an account and you sell jewelry online - take advantage of the best tool for online sellers.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 11 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 10: Fashion & Beads

This week we are going to do some window shopping to find our inspiration.  If you sell your jewelry knowing what colors are popular and the major trends can help inspire new designs. Another reason to look toward clothing stores - you'll get to know your idea client a little better.

The Assignement:
Create a piece of jewelry inspired by your favorite clothing catalog or online store.

Tips for Designing with Fashion in Mind:
Check out the clothes from your favorite place to shop and design a piece of jewelry inspired by an outfit. What would you were with that dress or sweater?

You could also head to Polyvore and search for your favorite store or brand to find outfits to inspire you.

If you sell your jewelry think about what clothing store captures your jewelry brand. Ask yourself where do your customers shop. If your clients are trendy girls in their 20's your brand is more likely to fit in at Modcloth if you are funky and retro or Free People is your jewelry captures more of a boho spirit.  If your are customers are women in their 30's or 40's who love art, culture and travel - check out Anthropologie or Sundance.

Have fun this week creating a piece of jewelry to match an outfit. If you blog, be sure to share your outfit inspiration along with your jewelry piece.

Don't worry about following trends or being trendy - pick something that feels authentic to you.  And you don't have to pick a big brand name - feel free to find your inspiration with indie designers and boutiques too.

Extra Credit:
Create a board called "Your Company Name" Style on Pinterest this week and pin clothing from your favorite brands and your jewelry. Please put your company name in there or people are just going to think your weird. :)  Add to this board frequently with clothing that matches your jewelry style and every time you add a new piece of jewelry to your shop.  Tag your clothing posts with the name of the clothing brand or catalog so their customers can find your pins and hopefully your jewelry!

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 10 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 9: Ancient History

There is a reason art students are required to study history - there is a vast source of inspiration from ancient times, other cultures and what artists have created in the past.  This week we are going to do a little research for our assignment and create something new while borrowing from the ancients.

Your Assignment:
Create a piece of jewelry inspired by an ancient design using modern materials. What's ancient? Let's anything before the Renaissance. Head back to ancient Greece, Rome, Africa, China or India for a serious dose of inspiration. Don't forget Celtic and Viking jewelry designs too. There is literally a whole world to explore!

Tips for Making the Old New Again:
When I was in art school our library had a copy of the History of Beads. What an amazing book. I would spend time recreating beads and jewelry based on those styles found in ancient Egypt and Rome.

Visit my Ancient Jewelry pin board for some inspiration.

So off you go - do some googling or head to the library for an afternoon to find your inspiration.  Once you find your inspiration decide what modern materials will best translate your inspiration into jewelry.

You can use replicas of ancient materials, you can use wire or metal to forge a design, you can use materials that used by ancient cultures like lapis, carnelian, jade, turquoise.  Or if you have a stash of old beads, like African trade beads or Roman glass pull them out.

Or you might try to replicate an ancient material.  Check out this awesome tutorial on faux Roman glass using polymer clay.  Here is a tutorial for faux jade.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 9 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 8: Color Palette Inspiration

Thanks to sites like Design Seeds and Pinterest there is an abundance of color inspiration for the picking. Last week we played with one color this week we are going to take it to the next level.

Your Assignment:
Find a color palette to use as teh inspiration for your next jewelry design. Pick a color palette that isn't your go-to colors! Think outside the box this week.

Extra credit: Use the same color palette in different proportions to create two different pieces of jewelry. (See Below)

Tips for Working with Color Palettes:
First you can find a million amazing color palettes on Design Seeds or check out my Pin board for ideas. I happen to love the color palettes that Brandi Hussey created for the Art Bead Scene challenges, like the one above.

Both of these designs use the same color palette - the one of the left is predominately the light blue with the copper color as the secondary. The bracelet on the other hand used the copper hues as the main color with green, yellow and blue as accents in equal parts.

By varying the proportions of the colors you can find a great deal of inspiration in one single color palette.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 8 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 7: One Color

Sometimes too many choices can be stifling - causing a creative paralysis. So this week we are going to limit our choices to increase our creativity. It's about to get monochromatic up in here!

Your Assignment:

Make a piece of jewelry with just one color, varying to value (light & darkness), shape and texture for interest. 

Tips for Working with Just One Color:
Start this assignment at your bead boxes, gathering up variations of one oclor to work into a design. Find beads that are different in shape and size, go for interesting textures. You can use texture in the beads or mix in wire or fibers.

Check out this awesome article on Making Your Monochromatic Magnificent by color guru Margie Deebs and the article from Brandi Hussey on the Color of Metal is required homework for this week!  You'll notice in each of my examples below I used metal as a contrasting color for my designs.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 6 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 6: The Poetry of Beads

Oh no, I had lost my mojo for the Mojo Challenge! I've been scrambling around between events, deadlines and battling viruses. Fun! And terrible for blogging.  But I'm back and we are going to tackle the next 6 weeks with excitement and creativity - because that's why you are checking in each week right? 

Your Assignemnt:
Create a piece of jewelry inspired by a poem, quote or a song.

 Nothing Gold Can Stay inspired by Robert Frost's poem.

Tips for Getting Your Beads to Sing:
If you have my book Jewelry Designs from Nature, I have a great article on the poetry and beads that you should check out.

So how to do you get from a song, quote or poem to a piece of jewelry?  Look for visual clues in the text, it may be a symbol like a nest or bird, or a word or it could be a color or imagery described a poem. Find beads that express those ideas as your focal and work from there.

Don't spend a lot of time searching for the perfect quote or song.  Pick one that is already meaningful to you and gather up your beads.

Check out my Inspired by Nature Jewelry Challenge from a few years ago for some instant inspiration.  I paired up photographs with a poem and gave design tips for each set.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 6 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 5: Jewelry Redos

I took a little hiatus due to my travelling schedule. I hope you are all ready to jump in and start again with week 5 of the Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge.  Let's rev up those creative engines this week!

Your Assignment:
Take apart a few older designs and use the pieces to create a new creation.

We all have that pile of jewelry that we have either fallen out of love with or it sat in a box because it was only 'meh' and didn't have the design punch we were hoping to achieve.  Maybe it's older jewelry that is no longer in fashion or doesn't fit your style any longer. Whatever the case, I know you have some jewelry that could use a second chance.  I know I do!

So pull out those pieces, remember to snap a before photo and then get to work disassembling and then working your mojo.

Tips for Redos:
*Look for pieces that have special beads you'd like to reuse.
*Take apart a few pieces to give yourself more choices and who knows, maybe you'll be on a roll and create several new designs from your reclaimed goods.
*Focus on the principles of good design to make sure your round two is a stronger piece of jewelry.

Here is a must-read series on the 7 Principles of Design for Jewelry Making on Fire Mountain Gem's website. (Scroll down on at the bottom of the article for the links to the entire series.)

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 5 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 4: Findings

It's week 4 of the Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge! I hope you've had a chance to jump in and have been inspired to create some amazing jewelry over the last three weeks. I love seeing and reading about your creative adventures in our Facebook group.

Your Assignment:
Make some findings and use them in your jewelry.  It can be earwires, clasps or chain.  You can make them out of anything - anything.  Wire, metal, beads, seed beads, polymer clay, metal clay - whatever is calling your name, jump in and give it a try!

Get creative, have fun and don't forget to share your work with us.

Two toggle clasps that I created - making your own findings takes your jewelry to the next level! 

Tips for Making Your Own Findings:
Practice, practice, practice.  Plan to make several pieces before you have one that is ready to use in your jewelry.  Practice with copper wire if you are making wire findings before moving on to silver.  Copper is a very soft metal, brass is much harder - keep that in mind when working.

Finding Inspiration:

Candy Cane Earring Tutorial by Heather Powers

Sun Clasp by Heather Powers 

Earwire Tutorial from Deryn Mentock

Spiral Wire Clasp Tutorial by Cindy Wimmer

Chain Tutorial by Keirsten Giles

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 4 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 3: Back to School

Welcome to week 3 of the Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge. It's been so much fun to see all those bead soup and challenge projects. 

Your Assignment:
It's time to go back to school! Learning something new is a super way to get your jewelry making mojo kicked into high gear. 

Find a project in a book, magazine or online (tutorials and videos are perfect for this challenge) and create a piece of jewelry inspired by the project.

If you blog about your assignment, be sure to share the link to the tutorial or book.

(I can't talk about books without showing mine!!!!)

Back to School Tips:
Pick a project that you already have the materials on hand or can easily get them, since this is a weekly challenge! Substitute beads that you already have on hand rather than going on a shopping expedition. 

Don't spend too much time searching for the project. I'm sure you already have one you've pinned or bookmarked that you have been wanting to try but haven't had the time.

Schedule your "class" on your calendar this week so that you actually make the time to do this challenge.

Memory Wire Cuff Bracelet Tutorial

The Library:
Humblebeads Projects (40 free projects)
Bead Cruise Program - this is my annual mini-magazine I create for the Bead Cruise.
Art Bead Scene Free Projects
Vintaj Projects
B'Sue Boutique Videos
Beading Daily Projects
Fusion Bead Projects 
Lima Beads Projects 
Nunn Designs
Beaducation
Ornamentea

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 3 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.  Can you still join? Yes! You can follow along and do all 12 weeks or pick and choose the ones you find inspiring. 
 

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 2: Bead Soup

Welcome to Week 2 of  the Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge.  This week is going to be fun and easy.

Your Assignment:
Find a little stash of bead soup and make something with it.

Now, I would keep it simple and let the beads do the talking - remember the challenge is to get you making something - so don't think too hard about this.

There aren't any hard and fast rules for the challenge this week - just use what is in your bead stash.

(This has nothing to do with the popular blog hop that we all know and love. Bead soup is a random mix of beads that are either leftovers from other projects or a little mix you gather together.)

Bead Soup Tips:

You could make a stack of bangles, a crazy long necklace knotted on linen, simple loops to create a beaded chain like the one I did, etc.  Keep your techniques simple and your beads limited.

If you don't have a 'soup' mix started, I suggest getting a little bowl and pulling out some beads and use only those in the bowl.  Limiting your choices can be very freeing and help get you producing new jewelry! Sometimes our bead stash can be overwhelming.

Find a unifying element for your soup - it could be a spacer bead, a color or a bead shape, this will help you soup from becoming a hot mess!

I used three repeating elements in my design, tiny gold spacers, the small disk bead shape and the elongated oval of the owl and white beads.

More Bead Soup Inspiration:
Check out Lori Anderson's book Bead Soup for lots of great design tips.  I have a project in there along with many of my beady friends, it's super inspiring. 

Why not host a bead soup get-together with your creative friends and have a little bead party in real life?  You can read all about hosting one of your own right here.  I've done this several times over the years and it's always fun!

Check out the Spring issue of Jewelry Stringing Magazine for a section on bead soup creations.

I bought this tutorial a few years ago and love it - it's such a fun way to dig into a mix of bead soup! The Tribal Gypsy Bangle Stacks Tutorial is from Fanciful Devices.

Share your progress!
If you write a blog post about your Week 2 Challenge share the link by clicking on the blue button below.  If you don't have a blog leave a comment here to let me know you participated in the Facebook group this week.

What is the Jewelry Mojo Challenge? Click here to read all about it.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mojo Challenge Week 1: Challenges & Contests

This week is about stepping up and entering a challenge or contest.  Nothing stretches my creativity more than a few boundaries to reel me in and get me focused.

Your Assignment: 
Pick a contest or challenge, make something or start something! Blog about it or share your entry on the Facebook group.

Here are a my top picks for contests & challenges:


Blog hops are a great place to start, they are no pressure, a fun way to meet new bloggers, they give you a little creative jump start, sometimes there are prizes involved and it's a nice way to break out of your comfort zone.

Art Bead Scene Challenge
Challenge of Music Blog Hop

Blog hops also can be quite the multi-taskers. You get some social media exposure, a new finished piece of jewelry to sell and often a chance to win a prize. 

If you participate in this month's Art Bead Scene challenge and use Humblebeads in your design you can enter to win a gift certificate from Humblebeads.com. Read the details here.

*If you are hosting a bead/jewelry blog hop free free to leave a link  in the comments below or in the Facebook group.


Bead Star
Bead Star is the competetion hosted by Interweave Press.  There are several categories with all sorts of awesome prizes and the added bonus of seeing your work in print if you are a finalist. 

Bead Dreams
Oh, this is the big one right? Bead & Button sponsors this contest each year that covers beadmaking and jewelry designs.  The finalists are amazing.  This is the contest to design that crazy, over the top piece of jewelry that you've been dreaming about.  Big, bold, amazing techniques, this is the place to step up like an Olympic Athlete and show your best.   I'm planning to enter this year, I have a big crazy necklace in mind.

Uncommon Goods Jewelry Design Contest
This is a monthly contest that could really add a big boost to your business if you win.  Keep the designs interesting, but something you could reproduce a 100 times if you had to or could hire someone to make them. I enter this one often, I haven't made the finals yet - but I keep trying!

Challenge Rules & Guidelines

Mojo Challenge Facebook Group

To enter this week use the InLinkz Tool or leave a comment below if you are participating only on Facebook.

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge

Happy Monday! It's time for a big challenge.  I need some motivation and inspiration and I love working with kindred spirits to keep it fun!

Last week on the Art Bead scene I posted 10 Tricks to Get Your Jewelry Design Mojo back. You can read the post here and see the graphic below. I couldn't help think this would be an awesome 12 week online challenge.

Join me every Monday for a weekly assignment to get your creative juices flowing.  You can share your results on the blog post from each Monday. 

Challenge Prize:
What's a challenge without a prize? You can enter each week by sharing your link on the Monday blog posts.  At the end of the 12 weeks I will draw one random winner for a $100 Humblebeads.com gift certificate. Each week you have a chance to enter by participating.

Rules:
The only rule is to participate in the weekly challenge.  Share your link or comment on the blog post for each challenge.

FAQs:
Participating may or may not end in a finished piece of jewelry, so you may blog about your process or your inspiration for the week. Share your blog post or photos in the Facebook group or here on the weekly blog post.

You don't have to use art beads or Humblebeads for the weekly challenge, you can work in any jewelry medium or style.

Do I need a blog to participate? No, you can participate and share in the Facebook group.

Be sure to leave a comment each week if you are sharing your work only on the Facebook group so you can be entered in the challenge.

You don't have to follow along each week, this is mainly to get you inspired and connect with other creative jewelry designers.  

Mojo Challenge Facebook Group
Join the Facebook Group for insider tips, updates and to share your work!

 These are the weekly challenges, I have two bonus creativity challenges for week 11 & 12.

Feel free to grab this graphic for your blog posts or sidebar. 

Week 1 Challenge

Week 2 Challenge

Week 3 Challenge

Week 4 Challenge

Week 5 Challenge

Week 6 Challenge

Week 7 Challenge

Week 8 Challenge

Week 9 Challenge

Week 10 Challenge

Week 11 Challenge

Week 12 Challenge