Buried Treasure - the "Use your stash" reveal!

Treasures inside, savvy? 

Welcome!

The first reveal of 2016! 

We all unearthed treasures in our hoards, stashes, treasure troves, inventories... now its time to see what wonder we have created. Please join us and out guests this month. 

AJE team:

Lesley Watt

Lindsay Starr

Caroline Dewison

Jennifer Cameron

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Susan Kennedy

Niky Sayers

Guests: 

Terri - Terrri’s Blooming ideas

Shai - Shai’s Ramblings

Melissa - Bead Recipes

Tammy - Paisley  Lizard

Sarajo - SJ Designs

Kathy - Bay Moon Designs

Karin - Ginko et Colquelicot

Lola - Bead Lola Bead

Samantha - Wescott Jewelry

Mona - Bijoux Gem

Suntsa - Suntsan

Brooke - Artistic Endeavours 101

January challenge: Buried Treasure

Buried Treasure aka "Use your stash!"

Dig into the treasure you have been hoarding... 

We all have one. Call it a treasure, or a bead stash. Call it loot or inventory. It most likely does NOT look like this: 

Keeping your beads safe? Paranoid? 

It probably looks more like this: 

ONE of my 4 artist bead treasure boxes. Can you spot all the pieces by AJE team mates? LOL

What could be better than starting the year off right with new creative ideas? Using a treasures bead or component! Last year we started what may become a tradition here at Art Jewelry Elements - the "Use your Stash" challenge. (Granted, thats not a very poetic name, but it gets right to the point.)

Here is how it works: 

• Gather your beads and components by any and all of your favorite artisan bead makers. 
• Fondle. Think. Plan. Design. Dream. 
• Create! 
• Sign up here! Leave a comment with your name AND your blog address. 
• Blog! Buried treasure reveal date is January 31st 2016. 

**Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
**Pull out those pieces you love from your stash and ENJOY them. What are you saving them for? 
** This Buried Treasure challenge is NOT limited to AJE artists - but we DO love you see what you create with our creations. 

Until then - Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Happy Creating!

The January Component of the Month reveal! AKA "Use your stash!"

Did you dig around in your stash? Did you unearth treasure? 

This month the AJE team is hosting a "Use your stash" COM challenge - for lack of a more poetic term! We challenged each other, and you to create using components from your stash. ( Components created by AJE team members, naturally.)

We all do it... fall in love with a miniature work of art/art bead/component and treasure it. We purchase bc its so lovely, and we don't have any plans to use it right away... This month was the time to fondle, dream, design and create with those pieces!

Thanks to everyone for their patience and creativity, their enthusiasm and fast email responses... ;-)

Here is the list of the participants - the team, winners and special guests! 

AJE team: 

Kristen Stephens 

Susan Kennedy 

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Lesley Watt    

Melissa  Meman

 Lindsay Starr 

Jennifer Cameron 

Caroline Dewison

Linda Landig

Guest Participants ( aka winners)

Lee - Strega Jewellry

Shai - Shai’s Ramblings

Samantha- Wescott Jewelry

Kathy - Bay Moon Designs

Nikki - Silver Nik nats

Melissa Trudinger

Becky Pancake

Yvette - Blue Kiln Beads

Karin - Ginko et Coquelicot

Bonus participants! 

Sarajo Wentling

Leah Curtis

Susan Delaney 

Updated! please add:
Karen Z
Christine Walker

January Component of the Month - from the vaults? Use your stash!

Do you ever sit in your bead room and look over the treasure, hoard, art beads you have collected? Do you love them, fondle them, call them Precious? Gorgeous miniature works of art that you needed to have, even though you weren't sure how you were going to use them in a finished piece...

Then this is the COM challenge for you! 

Harry, Ron, Hermione in Bellatrix's vault at Gringott's 

Does your studio, bead room, dining room table, work space look like Bellatrix LeStrange's vault? Piled high with treasure, and avalanche if you touch the wrong stack? 

This past August, after Beadfest, Jennifer and Lesley were at my house and we were trading a few last beads before they had to leave.  The idea was tossed out that we do a one-of-a-kind Component of the Month challenge where we USE OUR STASH! Pull out a piece we had been holding on to, a treasure created by one of our AJE team mates... and put it to creative use. Brilliant!

So for January we are challenging each other in a new way: AJE members will use an art bead/component in a finished piece; an art bead/component created by any one of their team mates. This diverse array of work will be blogged on the reveal date of January 31st, 2015.

And for you? Our loyal readers have more chances to win! There are 8 members, each contributing pieces/prizes. How to win? Leave a comment ( and email) below,. you know the drill!  And we encourage our fellow bead hoarders, collectors, art bead aficionados to create along with us. Even if you don't win one of these featured pieces - raid your stash! Delve into your treasure and create using an art bead by any AJE member.

You could win one of these: 

Top: Sue Kennedy, Lindsay Starr, Jen Cameron. Center: Caroline Dewison.
Bottom: Lesley Watt, Melissa Meman, Kristen Stevens. 

Winter snowflake: Linda Landig

Bonus: because I couldn't decide between these two wintery options. 

If you would like to play, here are the rules…

• The AJE team will give away the components pictured above to 9 winners; selected randomly from those who leave comments below this post. Your comment must include your EMAIL address so we can contact you should you win.
• Which piece are you winning from the picture above? Let us surprise you! 
• Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
• The names of the 9 winners will be announced on December 17, 2014.
• This giveaway is open to US and international countries, but please be aware that international addresses will have longer postage times… sometimes up to 3 weeks.
• The blog reveal will take place on January 31, 2015.

Creative Block!!!

Good Morning.  There has been a flurry of beading going on and some deadlines that were met.  Custom pieces that were completed and in process of completion.  A clean or almost clean bead tray actually freaks me out so I went to my stash.

Look at all those.  The centers are artbeads and the little file cabinets are seeds and do you know what happened?  None of them are talking to each other.  Creative block attack!  I know it happens to everyone and it has happened to me before but this time it was so strange.  Strange because I have amazing artbeads.  I have a good supply of seeds to match why oh why cant I seem to find the inspiration?

This is my overflow tray.   
 

Things that need to be finished but how to finish has stumped me.  

There are groupings of seeds and beads that work well together but the way to do them is stumping me.  

Also there are a couple of pieces I need to get tutorials written for but for some reason each time I get to photographing them the pictures are turning out incredibly blurry and for me that doesn't happen very often.  

I know if I force it I will not be happy with the results.  The other issue for me is I have found that I work so much better with surprises.  I am actually thinking that the next time I have the bucks to buy beads I am just sending payment with a request to surprise me!

I think I just need to step away for a bit.  I hate doing that because for me beading is very therapeutic.   So what do you do when this happens to you?

Kristen