It is a song written by Richard & Robert Sherman for the Disney film “Summer Magic” released in 1964. The movie, based on a book by Kate Douglas Wiggin, is about a Boston widow and her children taking up residence in a small town in Maine! Walt Disney didn’t initially like the song when first hearing it, but songwriter Robert Sherman explained to him that to bugs, other bugs weren’t ugly! Even if they look ugly to us, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Disney liked the idea and the song went on to become one of the most popular songs of the year. Sung by Burl Ives, his folk music style brought the lyrics to life.

Challenge Registration Deadline: December 19th, 2008
Challenge Submissions Deadline: July 15th, 2009

These lyrics include a lonely caterpillar looking for love. His friends the beetle, dragonfly and spider suggest that he attend the annual Ugly Bug Ball and he may find his love there. All the bugs in the garden attend, and of course the caterpillar finds his caterpillar queen!

I thought this would be a great idea for a bead challenge. Creation in the smallest detail reveals inspiring beauty and infinite choices. Especially when it comes to bugs! Amazing creatures in their own right, it feeds your imagination in the limitless possibilities! Butterflies are every color in the rainbow. Some have pale iridescent wings and others bright orange or yellow calling attention to themselves. Some beetles can have that cool “AB” finish on their shells so when the light reflects their color emerges. Without the light, they blend with their surroundings. Some bugs are big, some are small, some have furry legs, some long and slender. Others mystify us with their strength like ants working diligently around an ant hill. Without bees we wouldn’t have honey, and silkworms spin their silk that we ourselves can wear it after all their hard work! The architecture a spider uses in its web is engineering at its finest. Have you ever seen a Goliath or Rhinoceros beetle? They are the craziest looking things!

The world is full of color and inspiration in these creatures, and it brings us to the possibility that not all species may have been discovered yet! Use your imagination!!

The challenge is to bead a bug! Your own interpretation, or maybe a new species not discovered yet. You decide if it’s jewelry, wearable art, or 3-dimensional. We’ll let your imagination discover that part of your project! Color, texture, is wide open to where your creativity takes you. Does it have wings? Does it live in the forest or the ocean? Yes, even the ocean has amazing “bugs” to inspire you! I can feel those creative ideas flowing already!

Please keep in mind they will be on display so size will need to be no more than 12” at its widest point. Also if your piece needs to be hung, please incorporate this into your design.

You may begin as soon as you’re registered! To register, please e-mail your name and mailing address to Deb using the Bead Challenge contact form. You may register by phone as well. Call (207) 865-4785 or toll free 1-877-922-3237.

Our last challenge was a great success! We hope your submission will join the display during the month of August 2009 at our own Ugly Bug Ball at The Beadin’ Path in Freeport Maine. Behind the Mask, the 2008 Beadin’ Path Challenge brought participants and visitors from all over the world in to peruse and examine the show.

Feel free to contact me (Bead Challenge contact form) with any questions you may have. I look forward to seeing your artistic inspiration!