Finishing Up the Lorelei and Shannon Lima Bead Challenge

I have been struggling to get this necklace finished and finally did last night.  It doesn't use many of the beads in the kit.  Actually just the Turquoise Zebra Jasper Tumbled Nuggets.

I tried many combinations with the kit beads but the necklace had a will that I gave into.  I have titled  it The Secrets of Milkweed. I have discovered that Milkweed  has not just one but several secrets.

Secret # 1
I realized that the first secret of this necklace was the pendant.  I tried a number of others but this one worked.  It is of a Milkweed plant in bloom.

The truth is that in real life, the milkweed plant is also very strong willed.  It is a big plant that takes up lots of room and farmers hate to see it get an inroad in their hay fields.  In mid summer it blooms and has a lovely    perfume, by late summer it has gone to seed and it is prolific in its production of white feathery seeds that land and replant themselves everywhere easily.

Secret # 2   The milkweed plant is the food source and birth place of the Monarch Butterfly.

Secret # 3  The name of the Milkweed plant in Latin is a family that stands for Medicine and Healing

Secret #4  The prolific feathery seeds are used as a down substitute for clothing and  quilts, especially for those allergic to bird down.

Maybe these secrets are just facts but if you think about it,  it gives the Milkweed plant an aura of powers and special abilities.  Which all goes into me liking this sweet smelling and most beautiful of weeds. And giving into its will.

                                                       The Secrets of Milkweed Necklace

I had wanted to use the lovely lavender Czech glass rondelles in my necklace but "the will"  just would not have it.  So I made a wire wrapped bracelet with them.. I love that color purple and the way it shimmers.  I used some colored aluminum wire size 18 gauge to wire wrap them that I bought especially for this project because it has a purple cast to it, I think.  And for the perfect finish : the toggle clasp by Miss Ficklemedia.

                                                          Eye of Turquoise Bracelet

I especially like these small structured challenges because it gives me a set of parameters to be creative within.  And I especially like this one because of the beautiful beads and color palette and the freedom to use as few as or many of them as we chose.  Thank you again Lorelei and Shannon

 

 Bracelet that was in the blog hop using the sweet Czech glass

flower buttons and cube seed beads from the kit.