Design Challenge results - almost here!

Wow, did I have a good time working with the flower to design around in the design challenge! I immediately started getting all kinds of ideas and it was hard to decide what one design the flower was destined to end up in! I had so many ideas for necklaces, integrating the flower into the flow of the piece. Since I had several different sets of materials that coordinated with my flower, I was struggling to identify the determining factor that would edge one idea out, over the others.

Two things determined my final choice for the design: (1) the finished piece looking like "me" and (2) the continued flow of creativity with the piece.

(1) Looking like "me" - I love unique and different materials and designs. 'Asymmetric' is almost always most attractive to me, because it seems to leave room for your interpretation or feeling about the piece or materials. When a design is perfectly symmetrical, it seems very 'finished' and 'still', it doesn't have quite the motion or continued flow that an asymmetric design can provide. Another thing that is very "me" is an "earthy" touch. I love metal and I love texture, but I also love "cute"! For me, just a bit of cute or whimsy can be the perfect touch in a design. Often when I include something more whimsical or pretty in a design, I work to counterbalance that feel with an earthy depth or texture, through other materials in the design. It showcases the personality of the piece, without letting it get too far over the top. I'm quite happy with the way my piece turned out, balancing each of these things quite nicely in my eye.

(2) Continued flow of creativity - I was flooded with so many ideas for this flower, I felt overwhelmed with the responsibility of correctly identifying the "best" way to showcase the material. Each group of materials I put with it seemed just 'perfect' in their own right, and each idea, design and style was just as pleasing as the next! I finally realized that this artisan piece was destined to become part of a bigger artisan piece, ready to be taken to the next level by yet another pair of creative hands, eyes and mind.

... And this is all I'm going to reveal today about my final design! Tune in tomorrow (Monday 11/28) to see my final design and how I integrated all of this into the inspirational flower. I will have my final design for sale in my shop tomorrow, as well. http://www.MyHappyThings.etsy.com

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Susan :)