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I want to start off by thanking everyone again, both for the participation in the contest and for the encouraging comments left to those who braved the rules and entered a design. It's so inspiring to see where everyone uniquely ended up, all from the same simple start. The 22 entries received were truly a masterclass in ingenuity, with each piece speaking to the personality of its artist. As mentioned in the previous blog post, to be told that this is the first time in years many of these participants felt inclined to pick up their wire and tools to create is a massive boon to what's become a rather bruised and battered spirit these last few years. Through your willingness to indulge me, and enter a design, you've inspired me and pushed me to continue to create. From creativity, creativity is born. I hope this cycle is indefinite. As with the previous iterations of the challenge, there are two winners to announce. The first is the Group Favorite, receiving the majority of the votes cast by the participants. Of the 22 participants, the entry to receive the majority of the votes cast was the beautiful piece by Ellen Lasky! I can absolutely see why this piece won the hearts of the participating artists, with a fun (yet elegant) flow. And so appropriate for the summer months in which we find ourselves! While there is never a profound prize for the "Finish It!" Design Challenge (meant mostly as a fun exercise among artists), Ellen has won my final finished design (showcased in the previous blog post) and a handful of cabochons with which to continue her wire wrapping journey.  Next is the Judged Favorite, picked by a majority from a panel of 4 wire wrappers (not participating in the challenge) and 3 muggles lol. It was almost unanimous amongst us that the beautiful peacock-inspired design by Sandy See take the title. And I admit to being more than a little tickled that the two winning designs are both inspired by animals! Symmetry is a personal nemesis of mine in that, while I love to attempt it, I admittedly rarely succeed at making something .... thoughtful. I personally found Sandy's piece a thoughtful exercise in symmetry, while also maintaining a fun spirit. Sandy has also won a handful of cabochons to continue wrapping with. Congratulations to both of the winners, and a truly heartfelt bellow of gratitude to the fellow participants and the community as a whole. If you have yet to view the Gallery of Entries and show your love to these wonderful artists, please take a moment to visit the link! Now, I definitely appreciate that the summer months are a TERRIBLE time to host a contest, lol, so I hope to have the next one during a more opportune month or season. If you'd like to participate in the next challenge, leave a comment letting me know which month you'd prefer! Until then....
happy weaving and stay creative! Nicole
1 Comment
 So, I recognize that the bustle of summer makes for a terrible time for a contest, but I'm so thankful for the 22 entries received in this round of the "Finish It!" Design Challenge. Its been incredibly inspirational and encouraging to see the creative depth in each of these entries, all of which started from the same steps, yet evolved to envelop their own story and personalities!
And, as someone with a chronic illness, who understands what it is to lack the energy or inspiration to create, I was especially touched to have received so many messages from those who said this challenge was the first time in years they've picked up their wire and revisited their love for wrapping and jewelry making. It made me feel excited again, to see the spark come alive for so many who thought it lost. Thank you so much for talking the time to inspire ME with your amazing resilience, creativity, and enthusiasm! Now I would like to say that Pinterest, where the Gallery of Entries is, is easier to navigate than ever but, if you know social media at all, even a little, you'll know that's a bold-faced lie. These sites never make anything easy, do they? So, O have the gallery up for viewing at the link at the bottom of this post, but can't link directly to the July 2024 "Finish It!" Design Challenge album. It should, however, be the first to show. You can view all the entries there! Now, about the voting.... only participants are able to vote for their ONE favorite entry, by commenting "VOTED" beneath the submitted image. However, despite what seems to be a new cap that Pinterest has placed on the number of comments you can leave in a day (at least according to the experience of those who have tried so far), I encourage everyone to revisit these images, as time allows, and leave some encouraging words for all the brilliant entries, when you're able. For reference, the picture above is what my design became, and you can definitely see the vast difference (better differences to boot, I might add) the entrants brought to the table. I'll tally up the votes on Wednesday and announce the Group and Judged Favorites. Each will win a little bundle of cabochons, to hopefully continue revisiting that spark, and the Group Favorite will also win my completed version of this project. Stay tuned for the winner! Get on ovet to the link, https://pin.it/1Za9F0yEE, and check out those entries! And thank you so much to those who entered for being such an amazing inspiration. Happy weaving, and stay creative! Nicole Oh-m-gee. It has been FOUR YEARS since we've last had a "Finish It!" Design Challenge, and I am so excited to get back to it, see who enters and what's in store! It is always (and I do mean always) marvelously inspirational what you all manage to do with the small direction provided, how every entry is a totally unique masterpiece, despite their same humble beginnings. I admit that I'm hoping, selfishly, to see myself motivated by the entries that come trickling through my inbox, and that you all feel the same when you view the entries yourself. Now, the purpose of this challenge is to encourage each participant to extend themselves, their talents and creativity, beyond the limitations of a single set of instructions and create pieces uniquely their own. Each contest has resulted in a wealth of beautiful and original artistic expressions, and I expect this one will produce no less the amount of brilliance. You have all amazed me with, not only your exuberance and enthusiasm, but your results as well, and I’m excited to see what this contest will inspire within you. Here’s the gist: At the bottom of this post is a link (highlighted in red) to a tutorial only 8 pages long, and ending abruptly halfway through the instruction. Your job is to create a piece beginning with the steps, as explained in the file, but ending with your own imagination! Enter between June 17- July 31. Open worldwide. Contest Rules
While this challenge is intended to reward you with a sense of accomplishment, and offer a self-congratulatory pat on the back (with bragging rights), the “Group Favorite” will win my completed version of this project, and a small bundle of cabochons from my personal collection. A “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (who are not participating in the contest), will also receive a small bundle of cabochons from my personal collection. Every contestant will receive the finished version of this tutorial simply for participating. So it’s a basketful of goodness, and all you have to do is try. A copy of the finished tutorial will be emailed once your entry is received. Please contact [email protected], or comment below, with any questions regarding the challenge! Happy weaving everyone, and I hope you have fun! Nicole 
Now on to the winners! But first, I'll say a big thank you to everyone for participating. You fill me with a sense of creativity and reignite my passion for design, each and every time I see one of these pieces, and I hope you participants all had fun giving it a go.
Both winners deserve a round of applause for their work, as does everyone who participated in the challenge. I'm always so humbled by the entries received, the participant's excitement and encouraging words to one another. You all represent a true sense of community, and I'm just happy to be a part of it.
These winners have received their $25 cash prizes and have been emailed regarding the other winnings. I hope you'll head on over to the Pinterest gallery, if you haven't already, and show your appreciation for these two amazing designers, as well as all those who took the time to enter with their original creations. Thank you and happy weaving, Nicole
Now VOTING BEGINS and it's time for the normal contest jargon.... View the GALLERY OF ENTRIES here (please view from desktop or laptop as the link is proving finicky from phones and tablets)
I often hear a lot of folks say that tutorials somehow negate the creative force, that following the instructions of another lacks a sense of originality. And this design challenge proves exactly why that's nonsense! Instruction is not law, it's not immutable. You are allowed to work with the flow of a lesson, or row down your own river. It's a jumping-off point, but not canon. I love to see how others change designs, allow mistakes to happen, cut wires too short accidentally and have to improvise. Those moments always spoke to me on a personal level, and offered me the opportunity to own the process, which is exactly what these entrants have done. They OWNED it! (Please note: I received 69 emails and responded to each. I checked my spam folder daily to make sure I didn't miss a single entry. If you attempted to enter and do not see your entry in the gallery, please send me an email ASAP. I will add your entry to the gallery as quickly as I'm able.) The gallery of entries will be available for VOTING, however, through July 22nd, 2020. Voting is open only to those who participated in the contest. To vote:
A note to non-participating viewers and commentators…. please reserve the term “VOTED” for participants only, to avoid confusion during the judging process, but do feel free to comment as a show of appreciation for the beautiful work submitted. These entries are worthy of the recognition they receive and then some. On July 23rd, votes will be tallied and the “Group Favorite” (most voted by participants) will win my completed version of this project, any ten tutorials of their choice and a $25 cash prize via PayPal. In the case of a tie, I will place the deciding vote. Also, a “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (who are not participating in the contest), will also receive any ten tutorials of their choice and a $25 cash prize via PayPal. Every contestant should receive the finished version of this tutorial as a thank you for his or her participation. This tutorial will be sent as a reply to all the participants, within the next day or two. Please check your spam folder or contact me at [email protected] if you do not receive your copy of the tutorial by the end of the weekend. Thank you all so much! Happy weaving! Nicole
Enter between June 10-July 15. Open world wide. The purpose of the "Finish It!" challenge is to encourage the participants to extend themselves, their talents and creativity beyond the limitations of a single set of instructions and create pieces uniquely their own. Tutorials have been an integral part of my personal evolution as a jewelry artist, from such talents as Eni Oken, Iza Malzcyk, IMNIUM and Lonely Soldier. And my progression from the steps and instructions provided to me by others has been a worthwhile journey towards my own creative self-discovery. Tutorials need never represent a "cookie cutter" aesthetic, nor the only design possibility, but rather a gateway to limitless possibilities, and the entries received for these contests have proven, time and again, the truth of that statement. Here’s the gist: At the bottom of this post is a link to a tutorial or, more accurately, the beginning of a tutorial, and ending abruptly less than halfway through the instruction. Your job is to create a piece beginning with the steps, as explained in the file, but ending with your own imagination! Contest Rules:
While this is mostly intended to reward you with a sense of accomplishment, the “Group Favorite” will win my completed version of this project and any ten tutorials of their choice, plus $25 via PayPal (be sure to be PayPal ready!) A “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (none of which will be participating in the contest), will also receive any ten tutorials of their choice plus $25 via PayPal. Every contestant will receive the finished version of this tutorial simply for participating. This tutorial will arrive as a reply to your submission email, after the contest is closed to new entries, so check your spam folder if you do not receive it by July 22nd. Also, be sure your email host will accept incoming attachments. I've had many emails rejected because the mail box was full, or security settings did not allow attachments. Note: Please access this file via a laptop or desktop computer. Some mobile devices are uncooperative with PDF downloads, and I may not be able to address requests for manual email delivery of this file in a timely manner (thus using up your submission time).
Anyway, that means I'm even MORE impressed with the entries, because the participants took the steps I provided (which didn't include that pesky 14 gauge wire) and had to incorporate that nonsense piece of wire in there somewhere! And boy did I open every single email submission I received and say to myself "Why didn't I think of that?" Because every single entry was outstanding. By the way, if you haven't already seen the Gallery of Entries, check out the gorgeous work by clicking the link highlighted above! You wont be disappointed. Now for the winners! We had both a "group favorite", voted for by the participants of the challenge (and only the participants, to help avoid a popularity contest), and a "judged favorite" chosen by a panel of seven individuals, myself included., who were non-participants in the challenge. So let's begin!
Both winners will receive 10 tutorials of their choice and a $25 cash prize (payable via PayPal), and Dalila will receive my finished pendant (sans that 14 gauge round wire!). But honestly, guys, let's be straight.... the struggle to judge this was real, and I imagine that sentiment is shared by all the participants who cast their vote. Because every entry was a wonderful peek inside the character of its creator, and inspires in me the motivation and creative drive to get some work done! Thank you so much to everyone who participated, and I hope you will all check out the entries linked above and share some love with the contestants.
See you in the next challenge! Stay creative! Nicole
I often hear a lot of folks say that tutorials somehow negate the creative force, that following the instructions of another lacks a sense of originality. And this design challenge proves exactly why that's nonsense! Instruction is not law, it's not immutable. You are allowed to work with the flow of a lesson, or row down your own river. It's a jumping-off point, but not canon. I love to see how others change designs, allow mistakes to happen, cut wires too short accidentally and have to improvise. Those moments always spoke to me on a personal level, and offered me the opportunity to own the process, which is exactly what these entrants have done. They OWNED it!
(Please note: I received 54 emails and responded to each. I checked my spam folder daily to make sure I didn't miss a single entry. If you attempted to enter and do not see your entry in the gallery, please send me an email ASAP. I will add your entry to the gallery as quickly as I'm able.) The gallery of entries will be available for VOTING, however, through May 23th, 2019. Voting is open only to those who participated in the contest. To vote:
A note to non-participating viewers and commentators…. please reserve the term “VOTED” for participants only, to avoid confusion during the judging process, but do feel free to comment as a show of appreciation for the beautiful work submitted. These entries are worthy of the recognition they receive and then some. On May 24th, votes will be tallied and the “Group Favorite” (most voted by participants) will win my completed version of this project, any ten tutorials of their choice and a $25 cash prize via PayPal. In the case of a tie, I will place the deciding vote. Also, a “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (who are not participating in the contest), will also receive any ten tutorials of their choice and a $25 cash prize via PayPal. Every contestant should receive the finished version of this tutorial as a thank you for his or her participation. This tutorial will be sent as a reply to all the participants, within the next day or two. Please check your spam folder or contact me at [email protected] if you do not receive your copy of the tutorial by the end of the weekend. Thank you all so much! Happy weaving! Nicole
Enter between April 15-May 15. Open world wide. The purpose of the "Finish It!" challenge is to encourage the participants to extend themselves, their talents and creativity beyond the limitations of a single set of instructions and create pieces uniquely their own. Tutorials have been an integral part of my personal evolution as a jewelry artist, from such talents as Eni Oken, Iza Malzcyk, IMNIUM and Lonely Soldier. And my progression from the steps and instructions provided to me by others has been a worthwhile journey towards my own creative self-discovery. Tutorials need never represent a "cookie cutter" aesthetic, nor the only design possibility, but rather a gateway to limitless possibilities, and the entries received for these contests have proven, time and again, the truth of that statement. Here’s the gist: At the bottom of this post is a link to a tutorial or, more accurately, the beginning of a tutorial, and ending abruptly less than halfway through the instruction. Your job is to create a piece beginning with the steps, as explained in the file, but ending with your own imagination! Contest Rules
While this is mostly intended to reward you with a sense of accomplishment, the “Group Favorite” will win my completed version of this project and any ten tutorials of their choice, plus $25 via PayPal (be sure to be PayPal ready!) A “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (none of which will be participating in the contest), will also receive any ten tutorials of their choice plus $25 via PayPal. Every contestant will receive the finished version of this tutorial simply for participating. This tutorial will arrive as a reply to your submission email, after the contest is closed to new entries, so check your spam folder if you do not receive it by May 22nd. Also, be sure your email host will accept incoming attachments. I've had many emails rejected because the mail box was full, or security settings did not allow attachments. Note: Please access this file via a laptop or desktop computer. Some mobile devices are uncooperative with PDF downloads, and I may not be able to address requests for manual email delivery of this file in a timely manner (thus using up your submission time). Good luck everyone and happy weaving! Nicole
Wow. Just.... wow. The entries I received for this design challenge were all out of this world, and completely, unabashedly unique. I'm so tickled to see such a level of uniqueness derived from the same beginning steps, the same materials and tools. The magic factor here is, of course, the imagination, talent and creativity of those who entered... who managed to blow us all away! If you haven't already seen the GALLERY OF ENTRIES please CLICK HERE. Note: It's best to click from a laptop of desktop. For some reason, I've failed at technology and social media this month, or Pinterest changed their platform, or perhaps a combination of both, but apparently folks had trouble accessing the album and, from a phone, the link was sending you to the Pinterest main page. So... I'll probably rethink things a bit for the next one! It's a learning experience for me too! Still, we had a total of 68 beautiful entries and each one deserves a round of applause. From these 68 entries, the participants placed a vote for their favorite and the highest vote won the honor of "Group Favorite". A panel of seven judges, consisting of both consumers and jewelry artists, came together to pick a "Judged Favorite". As in previous challenges, the winner of the Group Favorite vote wins my completed version of the project as well as 10 tutorials of their choice. The Judged Favorite also wins 10 tutorials of their choice. And... get this... we had our first ever TIE! That's right... a tie for "Group Favorite"! This is the first time I've ever had the extremely difficult tie-breaker job! There were a few votes that were not qualified (cast by non-participants), so posting the winners took a bit longer than anticipated as I cross-checked votes with participants. So let me introduce you to the two participants who tied for GROUP FAVORITE!
These were both incredible designs, showcasing a load of originality and daring, each with a mountain of movement and character. Ultimately... as they say in Highlander.... there can be only one. I will emphatically state that choosing one over the other in no way implies one is actually BETTER than the other. However, I had to go with where my spirit called me. And the winner of GROUP FAVORITE is.... LOIS DEMERS! Lois wins my completed project as well as 10 Nicole Hanna tutorials of her choice. However, I would like to also offer Caroline Louise her choice of 10 Nicole Hanna tutorials as well, because she made a stellar piece of art! And as if these two pieces aren't enough to wet your creative whistle, let me introduce to you the JUDGED FAVORITE!
Angelina Croft First of all, manipulating that 14 gauge wire is a BEAST, but she also managed to make the leaves flow effortlessly, creating a truly cohesive flow that moved seamlessly with the required steps. Really beautiful work. Angelina wins 10 Nicole Hanna tutorials of her choice. But you know what. I wanted to offer up an HONORABLE MENTION as well, because it's my design challenge and I wasn't NOT going to mention this piece......
Donna Thrower I mean... come on.... Not only is that an example of the most meticulous weaving I've ever seen (sure... I may be a little jealous), but the symmetry is SPOT ON and the photography is natural and inspired, and she received her fair share of the votes as well. I can only say I wish I'd designed this first. Lovely. So, with that said, I'd also like to offer Donna 10 Nicole Hanna tutorials of her choice.
And that, my friends, brings to close another amazing "Finish It!" Design Challenge. Please give these winners a huge round of applause and congrats. They deserve it, as do all the entrants who took the time to challenge themselves and complete and submit their entries. Thank you so much everyone for participating, for encouraging the participants, and for your patience during my social media/Pinterest kerfuffle. Hopefully I'll have things a little more clear for the next run. And there will definitely be a next run, so keep your eyes peeled and check back often! Stay creative! Nicole |
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