The Challenge of Colour was a Challenge Indeed!

Phew! This was a HUGE challenge for me, mainly because this is really my firat attempt at making an actual piece of jewellery! (I'm not sure if I actually specified that to the lovely Miss Erin, because I was a wee bit worried that I wouldn't be able to play!) Therefore you have to please forgive me some technnical fumblings and less than professional finishings as I figured out how to do most of this as I went along (making jump rings for the first time people, was my learning curve steep or what?!) However I am pleased as punch with the outcome, my first necklace!

The second major challenge in all this was the fact that my pallette came with PINK in it. Now, this may not seem like a big thing to anyone out there but I am the original anti-pink girl. So much so that I once raised hundreds of pounds for Scottish Mountain Rescue by wearing pink for an entire day, my friends have SO many photos!) I thought I was stepping out of my comfort zone with green (I normally hide in purples and reds) but pink...hmm...

This is the pallette that the lovely Miss Erin picked for me...gorgeous isn't it?

See the lovely original pallette post on Miss Jessica Colaluca's Design Seeds blog here.

I did as Miss Erin said and printed it out...and contemplated it...and stared at it some more...then I think I ran away and hid because it was scary pink AND green! However, I am not such a wuss as that makes me sound so I armed myself with some 'orange-juice' and started brainstorming. Naturally, as a bookbinder, that gorgeous rose suggested layers of petals made of paper and my thoughts turned to books... What about a focal that was a book, made of layers of all the colours from the pallette, layered up like the rose? Now there's an idea, hmm... To work!

(please excuse the photos, I have just finished and taken photos and as it is 1am here there is no natural light to take adventage of! If I miraculously manage to surface early enough to prepare for my 9am meeting with the boss's boss and have coffee, I will try and get some better shots. Not sure that these show it but the centre layer is a glowing burnished gold with a partial layer of green handmade tissue paper with actual grass in it on top. I am using my pallette, all of it!)

I love the result (although I feel that I could have made a much better clasp, the ribbons are too over-powering although they do look fun on) and I hope you do too. I think I may have to turn my hand to this wonderful jewellery-making business again in the near future (all I can say now is that I need new tools, the pliers I have are up-cycled from some other use and are actually slightly rusty! Please don't faint in horror!) :)

Please check out all the other wonderful people taking part in this brilliant challenge, I can't wait to see what they have all created. I bet I will have half a notepad full of ideas when I have been through all these...

go look and be inspired!

Last, but very definitely not least, thank you so much to Miss Erin of TesoriTrovati for hosting this challenge and encouraging us to dip at least a toe in some unfamilliar waters. She never fails to inspire me with some tiny (or large) gem in her blog.

1 Norma Turvey ~ Teal ~ Color Crave

2 Jeannie Dukic ~ Green ~ Mineral Tones

3 Mary McGraw ~ Teal ~ Embellished Hues

4 Jo Tinley ~ Red ~ Decadent Tones

5 Rebecca Anderson ~ Pink ~ Tulip Tones

6 Kristi Jaro ~ Red ~ Temple Entrance

7 Stephani Gorman ~ Green ~ Dew Tones

8 Melissa Meman ~ Green ~ Fruit Star

9 Kathleen Lange Klik ~ Teal ~ Silk Hues

10 Cynthia Riggs ~ Red ~ Autumn Comfort

11 Heidi Post ~ Teal ~ Flora Bright

12 Cece Cormier ~ Teal ~ Merino Teal

13 Amy Freeland ~ Gray ~ Cultured Tones

14 Alice Peterson ~ Blue ~ Island Play

15 Rose Noble ~ Gray ~ Autumn Stacked

16 Kristina Johansson ~ Yellow ~ Sunny Flower

17 Kirsi Luostarinen ~ Teal ~ Dragon Hues

18 Tari Kahrs ~ Orange ~ Citrus Tones

19 Mallory Hoffman ~ Purple ~ Petaled Dark

20 Molly Alexander ~ Brown ~ Peppered Tones

21 Regina Santerre ~ Red ~ Frosted Berry

22 Emanda Johnson ~ Teal ~ Color Purl

23 Amy Severino ~ Orange ~ Winged Tones

24 Bobbie Rafferty ~ Teal ~ Lime Hues

25 Tanya Goodwin ~ Gray ~ Pecked Tones

26 Lisa Lodge ~ Blue ~ Nocturnal Tones

27 Hope Smitherman ~ Blue ~ Bloom Tones

28 Linda Landig ~ Green ~ Cacti Dark

29 Ambra Gostoli ~ Teal ~ Perched Autumn

30 Lori Bowring-Michaud ~ Blue ~ Sharpened Blue

31 Pippa Chandler ~ Teal ~ Hungarian Hues

32 Keirsten Giles ~ Purple ~ Mineral Brights

33 Jennifer Justman ~ Blue ~ Autumn Rays

34 Sandy Richardson ~ Purple ~ Moroccan Brights

35 CJ Bauschka ~ Teal ~ Teal Air

36 Shaiha Williams ~ Teal ~ Sushi Hues

37 Kay Thomerson ~ Purple ~ Autumn Spectrum

38 Sally Russick ~ Purple ~ Golden Gate Tones

39 Cilla Watkins ~ Purple ~ Autumn Infused

40 Shirley Moore ~ Purple ~ Frozen Heather

41 Jenni Connolly ~ Gray ~ Paw Tones

42 Tamara Soper ~ Green ~ Field Tones

43 Sharyl McMillian-Nelson ~ Blue ~ Nested Blues

44 Jen Velasquez ~ Pink ~ Sweetened Tints

45 Maria Grimes ~ Red ~ Bright Bloom

46 Elisabeth Auld ~ Gray ~ Petaled Tints

47 Susan Kennedy ~ Pink ~ Zinnia Tones

48 Shannon Chomanczuk ~ Gray ~ Autumn Leaf

49 Holly Westfall ~ Yellow ~ Sprinkled Tones

50 Patty Gasparino ~ Red ~ Color Carton

51 Angela Little ~ Pink ~ Singapore Brights

52 Lizzie Zawinski ~ Green ~ Budding Hues

53 Kristen Stevens ~ Pink ~ Scooped Tones

54 Dawn Doucette ~ Brown ~ Jarred Tones