Etsy Beadweavers September Challenge

It's time again to celebrate the talent and imaginings of The Etsy Beadweavers as they create wearable art for their monthly challenge.  This month is "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!"  The challenge was to create a piece that features a wild animal and some element from the Wizard of Oz. 

You're walking into the deep, dark forest and all you hear is the rustling of leaves and the beating of your heart. You imagine the eyes of forest creatures watching you behind every leaf and tree. Are they hiding, those Ravens, Owls and Hawks? Let's hope your friends are with you!

Who doesn't love the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy, the Tin Man and Scarecrow walk frightened into the forest chanting "Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!". That happens to be this month's Etsy Beadweavers Challenge, and I've created this necklace I've called "The Forest Has Eyes" expressly for the September Challenge.

At the heart of this beadwoven and bead embroidered piece is a stunning cab by Golem Design Studio http://golemstudio.com/, a part of their Wild Jungle series that features a collage of birds (and a fish!). I've used seed beads in the colors of the cab, blue, turquoise, purple, yellow and white along with some opaque turquoise crystals, gold luster purple crystals, white and teal glass pearls, opal purple glass beads and metallic purple bugle beads to accent the cab and two mountain jade purple cabs. There are two big birds flanking the middle cab with bugle bead "feathers" all around. All over the piece you can see glass pearl "eyes" surrounded by tiny seed beads.

The piece is suspended by a herringbone rope necklace punctuated by the assorted larger beads with a silver leaf hook closure. The 22" necklace is part metallic purple and part luster turquoise seed beads. The back of the embroidered piece is lined with tan ultrasuede.

Please visit our team blog, www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com (http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com) between the 9th and 15th and vote for your favorite entry.