I love how Claude Monet depicts the play of light and color in his paintings. It’s also my favorite thing about using crystals when I’m designing jewelry.
It’s not particularly surprising then that this year’s Swarovski Create Your Style design contest is using Monet’s chief inspiration — nature — as its theme.
I encourage all you crystal lovers out there (and I know there are a lot of you) to submit your favorite design to the “Be Naturally Inspired” competition. It has categories for professionals, amateurs, and students, and every year the contest gets some spectacular entries. But I know from our forum challenges, reader galleries, and contributor submissions that BeadStyle readers have created pieces that could hold their own in the stiffest competition.
Don’t be intimidated — you can do this!
Just submit a piece of jewelry, home décor, or paper craft using 80 percent CRYSTALLIZED – Swarovski Elements. (Swarovski is transitioning its DIY products to the CRYSTALLIZED trademark, so you’ll be seeing more “CRYSTALLIZED” than “Swarovski” soon.)
Anyway, the remaining 20 percent of your design can be pretty much anything — except for non-Swarovski cut crystals, naturally.
The deadline for submissions is May 16, 2008. Participants must submit two digital photographs of each submitted design (don’t send the finished pieces) and a complete list of the CRYSTALLIZED – Swarovski Elements used to create the piece. You can enter only one category, but you can enter as many designs as you like.
The first place winners in the professional and amateur categories will get a trip to Austria. The second place winner will receive a $3,500 CRYSTALLIZED – Swarovski Elements gift certificate. The third place winner will receive a $2,000 CRYSTALLIZED – Swarovski Elements gift certificate.
Student winners will receive $5,000, $2,500, or $1,000 toward tuition.
Personally, I’d love to go to Austria. And I get dizzy thinking about $3,500 worth of crystals sitting on my desk. If that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is!
For more details, visit create-your-style.com, e-mail cys@swarovski.com, or call 800.388.8842.