Another Giveaway -- Beads!

I was approached recently by Auntie's Beads and asked if I'd like to choose a few beads and create with them and share my thoughts with you.  This was my first experience with Auntie's Beads, and after looking through their web site, I chose an assortment of pewter beads and copper beads.

My first pairing is copper-plated pewter with ceramic by Round Rabbit Extra. I quite like the design of the copper beads -- I've not seen them anywhere else.  I decided to mix bright copper with the oxidized copper of the bead and the ear wire as a subtle contrast.   

"Garden Grace"

My next pairing is pewter with another set of ceramic beads, this time by Elaine Ray.  Once again, I chose the silver beads based upon not having seen them before.  After all -- isn't that what we're after?  And what's cool is they don't cost an arm and a leg.  I often will use pewter rather than sterling silver when I can find unique beads.

"Pink Roses"

My last creation is the one I'm most happy with, for several reasons.  You know when you buy a bead and you have NO idea why, you just think it's cool as all get out?  Most of them time, as soon as I see a bead, I know exactly what it will turn into, but sometimes, I run across these rogue beads that just sit there smugly and say, "Yo.  Buy me."

I've had this huge purple lucite bead for ages.  It's a big bead, 1" in diameter, so that alone limited me.  But when I chose a 1.5" tall copper-plated oval pendant, I had a "tah-dah!" moment.

"Blue Violet"

Using twisted copper knot rings as bead caps and bail, the large lucite bead nested well and made the perfect addition to the copper oval.  To highlight the blue/violet of the bead, I used a deep purple satin cord as the necklace.  What do you think?

So here's the fun part -- I have beads to gift to one lucky winner!  

The beads in the hand can be strung either vertically or horizontally (a rather cool feature) and the twisted wire beads have a lot of possibilities for those who want to add texture to their work.  And the two copper-plated pewter beads in between are the same as the ones I used in the "Garden Grace" earrings.

It's easy to win -- leave a comment.  If you don't have a blog, leave an email so I contact you if you win.  I'd love if you blogged about the contest, too!

The contest winner will be announced Thursday, December 16th!

Thanks for playing!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and writes the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.


Legal stuff -- As a reviewer of products at Auntie's Beads, I receive the beads above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Auntie's Beads for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.