Art Jewelry Elements Winter Sun Challenge

I'm not quite sure how another month has flown by, another year, but it is time again for another Art Jewelry Elements component challenge.  In December we decided to do another theme challenge:  Sun.  It might seem strange to do a sun themed challenge in the middle of winter, but it also makes a certain kind of sense.  Winter is the time of year we most crave sunlight, crave the warm, sun-driven weather of the spring and summer, crave longer days and shorter nights.  During December we experience the shortest day of the year, winter solstice, when the sun is in the sky for the least amount of time during the entire year.  So, it does make sense to be inspired by the sun at this time of year, right?

My problem is that I could not find inspiration for a typically "sun" themed piece.  Perhaps it's that I really love winter?  I grew up in Alaska, and the winter was definitely my favorite season at an early age.  I have fantastic memories of bundling up to go outside and play in our twilight days, flopping on my back in the snow and gazing at all of the celestial bodies in the sky in the middle of the day, the constant presence of the moon and stars in the sky, no matter the time of day.  I guess because of this when I think of a "winter sun" I don't envision our bright, yellow, celestial source of life.  I think of stars...and because each star in our night sky (or winter day sky), is a faraway sun for another world, I ran with this inspiration for the challenge.

Luckily, Jenny had recently sent me this polymer clay star focal.  It seemed to capture the feeling I was going for:  the twinkling, shimmering, subtlety of starlight on snow.

So this happened:

I started with the sling that holds the star in place in front and back.

As soon as the star was captured in beads, I was able to work off of it with some loops and 2-hole stubby spike beads in this lovely purple halo color.  The frame is worked off of the very end of these loops, to suspend the star in the center of the frame.

I used the rest of the stubby spike beads in a double strand neck strap...it was quite the challenge to convince my beading wire to fit all around the outside of the frame, but somehow it got through all the holes.

A simple copper slide clasp finished off the neckstrap, and an extra large Czech glass drop adds some needed weight to the bottom of the focal - just to keep it balanced while wearing.

I hope you all enjoy my winter "Sun" challenge results!  Please hop along and check out how everyone else was inspired!  I'm off to do that now!

Guest Designers

Melissa Trudinger

Lennis Carrier

Linds Newnham

Tammy Adams

Sherri Hartman-Stokey
Kathy Lindemer
EB Beads and MetalWork

AJE Team

Lindsay Starr (you are HERE!)

Jennifer Cameron

Sue Kennedy

Niky Sayers

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Lesley Watt

Caroline Dewison