Inspired by Winter :: What Lies Beneath

Sally at The Sutdio Sublime put out a challenge to help keep us a little motivated during those shorter, darker days of winter. It can be tough to find inspiration when you've only got a couple of hours of decent light for photographing, or even just to get outside and smell the air and be inspired by what's around you. I don't know about all of you, but winter can be tough sometimes to find that inspiration. 

So Sally is encouraging us to get out of our winter rut and think about how winter could actually inspire what we are creating on our beading tables. The prompt that caught my eye was to look at the "muted colors of nature as it awaits spring."  Specifically that meant to me what lies beneath the surface. No horror music necessary. I'm thinking of the crocus when they start to push up through the snow, or perhaps the dormant plants just under the frozen layer of a local pond patiently awaiting the spring thaw. 

That image of a frozen pond is exactly what this slice of of moss agate reminds me of: the green life just beneath the surface with bits of snow still mixed in. I set it up on its side so you could see how the light comes through the agate ... it makes for a beautiful effect! 

I wanted to make a simple necklace and use a winter white that had some warmth to it ... I used jade rounds and carnelian cylinders ... the color is unusual for both of these stones, but nonetheless, that is what these are. I was gifted the gorgeous carnelian from my friend Christine at One Kiss Creations and I've been looking for just the right setting to include them. I just love how these match up to the jade rounds. Thank you Sally for the inspiration on these long days of winter - it got me using some very beautiful pieces from my bead stash! Check out all the other lovely bloggers participating in Sally's challenge:

Sally  Russick                          Karin Slaton                       Lola Surwillo

Patti Vanderbloemen             Rochelle Brisson                Veralynne Malone           

Shelly Buettner                      Renetha Stanziano            Mary Lamoray

Therese Frank                        Tanya Goodwin                  Lynsey Brooks

Donna Bradley                        Jenny Davies Reazor         Mary K  McGraw   

Jo Tinley                                Cynthia Machata               Pam Farren

Ailsa Cordner                         Karin King                          Jess Green

Staci Smith                             Beth Emery                        Susan F.

Rana Wilson