Bridal Challenge Week Five: Bead Chips (Alternate Post Title: Better Late than Never)

Pretty, isn't it?  Anyone who has seen my beadwork has probably seen a version of this bracelet.  It has a peyote stitched base and a beaded toggle clasp.  Normally, I make the base about 12 beads wide, but I thought a bride would merit something a bit daintier.  This one is woven on an 8 bead wide base.  I used the left-over seed beads from the netted necklace in week two and some crystal-lined clear 11/o beads to raise the chips up.

I am what you would call a reflective beader.  When I finish a project, I decide if I like how it looks.  Was the process satisfying or tedious?  Was it "worth" the time it took?  In the case of these challenges, I also wonder, "Would a bride actually wear this?  What kind of bride would wear it?  What type of wedding and or dress would make this jewelry appropriate?"

This piece strikes me as a bit clunky for anything other than a very casual wedding, perhaps a beach wedding.  WeddingMountain.Com carries a whole "destination wedding" line, including these two dresses:

As I consider the dresses, I like the bracelet best with the short number (which is actually a bridesmaid dress.)  So, my reflection is this: use this bracelet as your bridesmaid thank-you gift!

Bridal Challenge Week Four

Here's what I'm working with this week...chips.  Not Barrel O'Fun, but Mother of Pearl and glass (imitation Moonstone.)  I've had these for months and thought they would be a nice accent or fill color for one of my nugget garden bracelets.  I'm not really going out on a limb...no big surprises, you will be seeing a bracelet in the near future.