"I found I could say things with colors and shapes
that I couldn't
say any other way —
things I had no words for."
—Georgia O'Keefe
The challenge kit from Baubles & Beads, a bead shop in Berkeley, California is one of the nicest challenge kits I've ever received. (If you're not near their store, you can shop online.) Not only is the color palette gorgeous, but all the materials came with brief descriptions and prices, so it would be easy for me to find and buy more of my favorites. |
The Materials in Detail
Don't you want to see some close-ups?
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I'm a fan of Swarovski crystal pearls because of their uniform hole size which makes it easy to string them on beading wire. I actually already had a handful of this exact color leftover from a bracelet project. To me it looks like a light cocoa brown, but Swarovski calls this color "bronze." |
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I own an embarrassing amount of turquoise beads. I love the shape and texture of these Czech glass beads. |
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Leather and suede is still very popular in jewelry designs. This band is exceptionally soft and supple. I love the color, too. They're described as "artisan-crafted" and made in the U.S. |
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I use a lot of wire in my jewelry. This vintage bronze is a beautiful color which will work with a lot of the Vintaj and other dark findings. This is a thin gauge, which makes it nice for beads with tiny holes (like pearls) or for decorative wire wrapping. |
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I love the color palette of these nylon cords. They're described as Chinese knotting cords. They have a little bit of texture to them. I'm eager to try them, since this will be a new material for me. |
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Matte gold is one of the hot colors for fall/winter, so these 3mm cornerless brass cubes will fit right into trendy designs. I don't use a lot of gold in my work, so this will be a good challenge for me. |
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Doesn't this brass look like fun? I've seen the necklace crescent shape before, but I've never used one. The other two shapes are completely new to me. I have lots of ideas for these pieces; the trick will be narrowing them down. |
Quotation source: BrainyQuotes. Yes, another quote by Georgia O'Keefe. She always seems to pop up no matter what topic I'm writing about.