Blog Hops and Challenges

The 6th Annual ABS Ornament Blog Hop

Every year Art Bead Scene hosts a handmade holiday ornament blog hop, and for the past few years I’ve joined in. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it this year, as I have had a really busy couple of months, but I found myself with some time to play today, so I put a handful of very simple ornaments together.

A couple of months ago, Michelle McCarthy from Firefly Design Studio sent me a cute snowman ornament. I found a couple of white lampwork beads with a frosted coating that reminded me of snowballs and knotted them all together.

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Ceramic bead and pendant maker Gaea always has a few festive pendants in her collection leading up to Christmas and this year was no exception. I also had a plaid tree she made last year left in my stash, so I pulled them all out. Because Gaea pairs her festive pendants with beads, there is little to do with them other than put them together, so I kept things simple and knotted them on red and green waxed linen.

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Finally, I have a stash of crystals that a friend gave me from a chandelier she removed a couple of years ago. I used some of the teardrop-shaped crystals and some Christmassy tartan ribbon to make some simple ornaments. They catch the light beautifully!

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To see what others have made, visit the Art Bead Scene blog here, people will be adding their links in the next day or so.

 

Blog Hops and Challenges

Art Bead Scene Ornament Blog Hop

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If you’re looking for the History Hop: Paleolithic Style blog post it’s here.

It’s the time of the year for decorating Christmas trees and Art Bead Scene is holding its annual Ornament Blog Hop to showcase ornaments made with art beads. This year I was lucky enough to acquire a couple of Gaea Cannaday‘s beautiful ceramic Christmas designs to use in my ornaments, and they arrived just in time.

The first one is a cute little plaid Christmas tree. Those of you who know me know of my love (umm, obsession?!) with the Outlander books and TV series, and this ornament is actually destined to be part of a Secret Santa exchange (shhh). This tree needed a decoration for the top and I’ve knotted the two together with green and red waxed linen.

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The second ornament came with three coordinating ceramic beads, and I’ve simply knotted them all together with waxed linen in a similar style to the tree.

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This ornament has already found a spot on my rather crowded Christmas tree.

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For other participants in this blog hop, visit the Art Bead Scene post here, which features everyone’s links. Sit back with a holiday drink (as it’s summer here I think I’ll have a vodka cranberry cocktail) and see what everyone has made! Happy holidays!

Beads, Blog Hops and Challenges, Swaps and exchanges

Snowflake Bird: the 3rd Annual Handcrafted Holiday Ornament Swap and Hop

Handcrafted ornament swap and hop

Today is the reveal day for the Handcrafted Holiday Ornament Swap and Hop, hosted by Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime. In this swap and blog hop, we were paired up and asked to send our partner a handcrafted holiday ornament incorporating an art bead or handmade component. Lucky me—I was paired with Erin Prais-Hintz, who makes lovely polymer clay pendants and beads.

Without further ado, here is the beautiful ornament Erin sent me. It incorporates one of her limited edition Snowflake Birds and the leaves are frosted with gold.

Erin's winter bird

Thank you so much Erin! I absolutely love it! I haven’t found exactly the right place for it yet, but it may just hang next to my desk so I can see it all the time. Our Christmas tree is a bit, umm, crowded (remind me to buy a taller one next year)!

To see what I sent Erin, you will have to visit her blog.

And follow the links to the rest of the swap-hoppers below:

Sally Russick and Beth and Evie McCord

Erin Prais-Hintz and Melissa Trudinger

Karen Williams and Shirley Moore

Lori Finney and Alicia Marinache

D Lynne Bowland and Paula Kramer

Kim Bender Hora and Jenny Davies Reazor

Becky Pancake and Lori Anderson

Veralynne Malone and Therese Frank

Tanya Goodwin and Sandi Volpe

Jeanette Ryan and Rochelle Brisson

Patti Vanderbloemen and Susan Kennedy