I was asked by Beads & Beyond Magazine to join their Designer Challenge to feature in the December edition.  The Designer Challenge gives several designers a pack of goodies to make jewellery with and you have to make 3 projects.  No pressure then!  :)

I was SO pleased to find that my pack contained scale maille and jump rings and I had great fun making my Christmas projects.  One of the projects uses gorgeous brown/bronze scales that are really beautiful - in hindsight I should have made the statement necklace using those but for some reason I didn't!  Mind you, gold and silver goes with everything doesn't it?

Anyway, yesterday my November copy arrived and, advertising the December edition, is one of the projects I made!  Whoop whoop!  I really enjoyed making this actually because it's something I'd wear - always a bonus!

In the December edition, I've also contributed a silver metal clay basic project suitable for beginners.  So if you want to get a copy of this (or any other edition) you can visit their Facebook page or call 0044 1684 588599.

I've been really inspired recently to add colour to metal clay and there are so many ways of doing it:  enamelling, adding polymer clay, paints, resin etc!   One thing I've not seen added before and there's probably a good reason that I don't know about :)  is adding gilding flakes, topped with resin.  I really hesitated because I wasn't sure whether I was going to like so much colour AND whether it'd work.

After a few "shall I?", "shall I not?" discussions with myself, I went for it.  I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.  What the photo doesn't show is that the gilding flakes really range in colour through silver, gold, bronze, red, copper and this gives the piece a lovely autumnal feel (the look I was going for).  Topping it with resin has sealed it all in and I'm hoping that it'll also help to keep the colours fresh ............. time will tell!