I was out wandering the Internet looking for goodness and came across the Soft Flex "Flex Your Creativity Beading Contest" entries...it's time to vote on the finalists! The theme this year was "Steampunk" which is kind of a cool take on components...rough and strong are used to reflect beauty and intelligence. Most steampunk pieces feature gears, watch components, hardware, keys and other antique or aged bits and bobs turned into one-of-kind, handmade, multimedia creations.
I'm not honestly a huge fan of the steampunk style, but am always interested to see the latest and greatest, so I checked out the entries. I know some of my friends and fellow bloggers have entries in there, which are all very cool...but, my favorite piece is this one by Alyska Bailey Peterson. The mixed metal tones are the best part. It makes me want to go bust out my base metal beads and wire and get something going.
"The Last Ten Minutes of the Lost City"
There's more to the story, though...I got permission to show this picture. The funny thing, though, is that the entries only have the name of the piece and the artis. So, I had to go on a bead stalking adventure to find out more about this girl and her work! haaaaaaa
Hence, I found her website at Pointykitty Studios. That name just cracks me up!!! Plus, there are more designs in her Pointykitty Studios Etsy shop. When I contacted her to admit my stalking, she was sweet...apparently she has plans for a larger steampunk line, but they sell before she can photograph them and list them. Wouldn't I love to have that problem!? haaaaaaaaaa
So, I'm sharing my new finds as well as encouraging you to check out the other candidates in the Soft Flex contest because there weren't very many votes out there (which I can tell because after I voted, it reports the numbers for each piece.) So, click here and go check them out. I'd love to here what you think...or if you have a design out there, share a link!
That is one of the more cool ones, and I have to admit that I have voted for it at least once! (By the way, you can vote for your three favorites once per day!!!) Of course, I spread the love around each day, but I also vote for my piece, Her Clockwork Heart. You can read about my unique inspiration for the piece on my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2010/10/her-clockwork-heart.html
For me it is not about the winning or the placing, but just the showing up and trying something new. This was a fun challenge. I encourage more people to give it a shot. What have you got to lose?
Enjoy the day!
Erin
That is so cool! I'd never have thought that up!
ReplyDeleteOMG, thank you so much for telling us about the SoftFlex beading contest, what awesome entries! The one you showed was one of my three votes too.
ReplyDeleteQueenMarcy
www.queenmarcyoriginals.typepad.com
mantle@piedmontcenter.com
:)
ReplyDeleteNice feature!!! We at Soft Flex plan on posting more about the top 10 designers at the end of voting. What do think about the number of entries? Are there too many to vote on? Should we jury them next year to narrow them down or show them all? Your feedback is always appreciated :) ~ Kristen, Soft Flex Employee
ReplyDeleteGreat photo--that's one of those pieces you really need to see a close-up of to appreciate! I agree with Lori, I would never have thought of that design myself. (And I'm kicking myself for not entering because it doesn't look like anyone entered a design that looked like my sketch. Oh, well. Next time!)
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