Secret Snowflake Challenge Reveal

Sunday is the reveal day for Michelle Mach’s Secret Snowflake Challenge. I'm doing my post early since I won't be home. Michelle put together a beautiful kit of Czech glass beads, button pearls, pewter daisy spacers, a silver plated ring, and porcelain pendants and charms from Chinook Jewelry. She also included a lovely embossed snowflake envelope as a gift to us.

I started late on this project, and ended up photographing my pieces in the last few moments of daylight the evening before the reveal date. I’m not thrilled with the pictures, but you’ll be able to get a good idea of each piece.

The first is a pair of earrings using the porcelain snowflake charms and Czech beads, hung on sterling ear wires.


'Let It Snow'

The second piece is a bracelet made with dangles using most of the glass beads in the kit plus a few Swarovski crystals and seed beads of my own. The chain is hammered silver links.


'Cold As Ice'

The necklace was a struggle for me. I wanted to wrap a short wire with dark blue sari silk then with beads, but it didn’t turn out like the vision in my head. So I used a luxury bead blend left over from one of Andrew Thornton’s recent challenges, along with Vintaj chain, a silver-studded blue lampwork bead, and the porcelain focal from Chinook Jewelry.


'In The Bleak Midwinter'


Each time I sat down to work on this challenge, the song ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ kept playing in my head. The song is one of my favorite Christian winter songs. It’s a hauntingly lovely tune, and I love it when we get to sing it in church.



I’ve posted the lyrics,as well as a video of the song. Be sure to visit the other participants to see what they made with the same kit. The list is below the video.


In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him: give my heart.



Alice (Alice Dreaming) That's me!
Chris (beadjewelry.net)
Christa (Adventures of One Beady Woman)
Crystal (Here Bead Dragons)
Cynthia (Cynth's Blog)

Dawn (Morning Glory Beading)
Donetta (Simply Gorgeous)
Erin A. See Michelle's Blog
Jennifer (JenniferJW)
Jennifer (Jewelry, Art and Life)

Kari W. See Michelle's Blog
Kate (We Can Make That at Home)
Kay (Palm Coast Art)
Linda (Lindy's Designs)
Lisa C. (A Bead a Day)

Lisa (Inspired Adornments)
Mary (MLH Designs)
Michelle (Beads & Books)
Michelle B.

Norma (Moonlit Fantasies)
Pam (The Crazier Sister)
Rebecca J.
Renetha (Lamplight Crafts)
Rosemarie (Gem Rose Designs)

Shannon (Falling into the Sky)
Susan (Bead Inspired)
Therese (Therese's Treasures)
Therese (Domestic Goddess Enterprises