Pretty Palettes :: July Reveal

Hi Beading Friends!

Today is the reveal for July for the Pretty Palettes on the Halcraft blog. This month's inspiration is the Aurora Borealis and I love that Erin Prais-Hintz is a science geek and gives a wonderful explanation of how and why the aurora occurs.  I'm a bit of a science geek also and my favorite site for reading all about sunspots, solar storms, meteor showers and all things space-y is spaceweather.com. I look at that site everyday!

Here is the inspirational photo and palette of the Aurora Borealis that Erin chose.

Inspiration Photo for July

And, here are the beads I selected from my local Michaels.  I couldn't find the abalone focal that Erin recommended, but when I saw the lustrous stick beads with the AB finish, I knew they would be perfect for this palette.  I also found some matte square hematite beads that I thought might come in handy, but I didn't end up using them in these designs.

Bead Selection

To these beads, I added some that I had in my stash.  The stick beads had a gold cast to them, so I added some gold metal rounds and some gold glass rondelles.  (These happened to also be from Halcraft.)

And, now what style to make the necklace?  I wanted something that replicated the shimmering layers of the inspirational photo.  So, I thought I would make a multi-strand necklace.  Then, I changed my mind (that often happens!) and decided on a different direction.

Here's my necklace:

Aurora Borealis Necklace

The necklace is strung on one of my favorite stringing materials - black leather cord, which gives it a casual, summertime feel.  The dangles on chain of different lengths give the effect of different layers of color that move and shimmer in the light.  I used one of the stick beads for the toggle, too, even though it wasn't center-drilled.  It was drilled down far enough to wrap toward the center for use as a toggle.

The bracelet and earrings are quick and easy.  The bracelet is on leather cord with another stick bead as a toggle and two rows of beads strung on the leather.  The earrings are simple hoops - perfect for a summer night!

Aurora Borealis Bracelet and Hoops

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's designs, and I love playing along!  If you enjoy a challenge, you should play along, too!  Here's the link again!

Happy Beading!

Terry