Big Hole Challenge - blog hop

If you're looking for the Creative Chaos Design Challenge - please click here

The second challenge I participated in today was Kristi Bowman's Big Hole Challenge. I was fortunate to be chosen and I received a gorgeous clasp / pendant / focal made by Kristi from copper... with a big hole - hence the name of the challenge.

I was looking forward to receive my component - from the pictures I could only fall in love with Kristi's work!

Unfortunately, the copper focal did not arrive before I left for vacation and this week was a bit crazy - so I basically had a few moments yesterday to complete the challenge... Fortunately, I also knew what I wanted to make. Something completely new for me, but I had this idea and I wanted to implement it.

So here I am, with a gorgeous copper focal in my hand... I don't have much copper - I work almost exclusively in silver - but Tina send me a few copper findings back for our April swap, so I borrowed 2 of the copper beads from there. Luckily for me, I had some other copper findings (a few eye pins, a few jump rings, and a pretty long chain. Plus some 28 ga wire I bought long time ago, which came in really really handy :) I already had freshwater pearls in a fine pinkish-ivory shade, they look splendid with copper. I needed one more thing - which I also had. What else can you call this but fate? Months ago I saw this hand-dyed silk ribbon at our local store, they had lots of colours and completely inexplicably I bought 2 yards of this copper-green ribbon. They had turquoise, they had blue, red, yellow, green - everything. What did I buy? Copper! Why? Because fate knew in a few months' time I will participate in this challenge and I will need copper ribbon!

This is what become of this eclectic combination (with elements from 6 different sources):

It is a lariat - I folded the silk ribbon in 3, so it's about 24" long, wrapped along the copper chain, 'sewed' in the freshwater pearls (on copper wire), wrapped everything once through the copper focal, made a cute tassel - using one end of the ribbon, and 4 lengths of chain - with the 2 copper beads as the 'weights' and freshwater pearls wrapped on the wire.

Below you'll find more pictures of it - I love the way the silk wraps around the wire, and the freshwater pearls are so delicate and fragile looking - it makes for such a romantic piece!

I have to make a confession: I *love* the lariat - I finished it yesterday evening and I've been wearing it since (with a brief pause to take pictures!)

Please make sure you visit the other talented participants - thank you for visiting with me today!

KristiBowmanDesign - our wonderful host

Dragonfly Close

Karen Williams

Staci Louise

Teathered Cat

Pine Ridge Treasures

Jennifer Cameron

Karen Totten

GeneaBeads

Linda Larsen

Barbara Lewis

SueBeads
The Crafthopper
LamplightCrafts
Spice Box Designs
All the Pretty Things <-- you're here
Jean A Wells
Kristen Stevens