Saturday, August 11, 2012

6th Bead Soup Blog Party, 2nd Reveal

Well, good day to you! Thanks for stopping by on this second installment of the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party, 2nd Reveal! First, a great big thank you to our hostess with the mostess Lori Anderson of Pretty Things. Lori, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to hosting this wonderful creative opportunity for us all! Lori has a book coming out early this fall! There are 400 talented designers participating in the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party so we're revealing in 3 different installments.

Let's get right to things, you've got a lot of hoppin' to do! My partner for this swap is Leslie Wayment of AA Beads & More in Sebastian, FL. It was pretty daunting putting a soup together for a bead store owner (Leslie's also a full-time pharmacist AND she cabs rocks - I don't know how she does it!)! I think I gave her a soup to give her a little bit of a challenge!
My soup to Leslie
Leslie was very generous in her soup to me, in shades of red and blue:
I am VERY proud of myself. I was able to get 2 pieces made (I have a third started which I'll finish this weekend) and they were made and photographed a week ago! That never happens! The first piece is a necklace using most of the beads from the soup, the focal, and the gold toned clasp. I decided to do a simply strung necklace that was symmetrical. I haven't strung a symmetrial necklace in a long while.
Oh, how my Gram and my Aunt Madeleine would have loved this necklace! Those gals loved their red, white and blue!

For my second piece I made a bracelet. I had ordered one of Heather Powers' starfish connectors in a new colorway, sandy shores, and shortly after I received it I received my July Simple Truths Sampler Club from Erin Prais-Hintz. Well, as I looked at them with my soup my wheels started spinning. I used 3 of the red beads Leslie sent me, along with Heather's focal, both of Erin's small pendants, sea glass I drilled and a clasp I fashioned from sea glass. I love it!
 Thanks for stopping by! Check out Leslie's reveal here and grab a cuppa' to check out all of the other lovely creations!
Hostess, Lori Anderson, Pretty Things
Adlinah Kamsir, Dream Struck Designs
Adrienn Lukacs, Raszputyin Designs
Agata Grygiel, Cytherea Bijoux
Alenka Obid, Pepita Handmade
Amy Dickerson, Damyjo Designs
Amy Schmidt, Amy's Treasure
Amy Severino, Amy Beads
Andrea Trank, Heaven Lane Creations
Anke Humpert, Anart Island Studios
Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye
April Grinaway, Brooklyn Bead Goddess
Ashley Bunting, Miss Ashely Kate
Astrid Boyce, Astrid Boyce Beads
B.R. Kuhlman, Mixed Mayhem Studios
Barbe Saint John, Saints and Sinners
Beata Benkone Meggyesi, Beahobbi
Bryna Lumb, Bryna's Bead Box
Carmen Lau, Little Maketto
Cate van Alphen, Fulgorine
Cathie Carroll, Cathie Carroll's Studio
Cathy Khoury, Touch Jewelry
Christina Stofmeel, Feng Beads
Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul
Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons
Cynthia Abner, Created Treasures
Deana Hager, Just Deez'Art & Life
Debbie Phenes, Deb Joy Sing
Dhea Powers, Java Bead
Diana Welte, Lilyweeds
Dita Basu, alankarshilpa
Dorota Zeranska, gdymamczas
Dot Lewallwn, Speedie Beadie
Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals
Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs
Emma Todd, A Polymer Penchant
Eva Sherman, Eva Sherman Designs
Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead and Metal Works
Francy Inman, Francy's Studio
Ginger Bishop, lilmummy likes...
Giorgia Rossini, Jo in Wonderland
Ine Vande Cappelle, Jewels by Ine
Iveth Caruso, Creative Atelier
JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions
Jackie Ryan, Kydo Jewellery
Jeannie Dukic, Jeannie's Blog
Jelveh Jaferian, Jelveh Designs
Jenna Tomalka, Twin Birch Studio
Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Beads
Jennifer Van Horn, Jennifers Jewels and Junk
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
Johanna Rhodes-Nash, Fire Phoenix Creations
Joyce Blair, Bent Wire West Coast
JuLee Wolfe, The Polymer Penguin
Karen Vincent, Swallow Tail Jewellery
Karin Slaton, Backstory Beads
Kayla Potega, The Eclectic Element
Kim Dworak, CianciBlue
Kris Lanae Binsfeld, Cherish Designs by Kris Lanae
Kristen Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs
Kumi Fisher, Malie Kai Designs
Kym Hunter, Kym Hunter Designs
Lennis Carrier, Windbent
Leslie Wayment, AA Beads & More
Linda Murphy, Bonita Bead
Lisa Johnson, Whimsey Wonders
Lisa Sittniewski, Love, Yesterdays
Lois Moon, Que Onda, Q'Town?
Lola Surwillo, Bead Lola Bead
Lorelei Eurto, Lorelei's Blog
Lori Bowring Michaud, Artfully Ornamental (you are here)
Lori Finney, Using My Beads
Margareta Saari, Mags-koruja
Maria Horvath, Horimarika Beads
Marian Hertzog, M's Place 
Mary Ellen Parker, BeeTree by m.e.
Mary K McGraw, MK's Creative Musings
MaryLou Holvenstot, time2cre8
Martha Aleo, Ornamento
Maybeline Tay, The Jewelry Larder
Megan Collins, Churchy & Her Sailor
Melissa Meman, Art. Life. Love.
Melissa Mesara, One-Eared Pig Beads
Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs
Pam Farren, re-maker
Pam Hurst, Pam Hurst Designs
Patricia Handschuh, The Color of Dreams
Patty Miller, CabariBeads
Penney Klapoth, Faerie Acres
Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings
Rhea Freitag, starrgazer creates
Rochelle Brisson, A Creative Chelle
Sabine Dittrich, PerlenDschungel
Sandra McGriff, Creative Chaos
Sandra Neights, Petalo Azul
Sandra Young, It's a Bead Life!
Sara Oehler, SoftFlex Girl
Saturday Sequins, Saturday Sequins
Shanti Johnson, Sunshine Bliss
Shari Replogle, Plays With Paper
Sonya Stille, Dreamin' of Beads
Stefanie Teufel, Stefanies Sammelsurium
Tammie Everly, TTE Designs
Tania Spivey, Moobie Grace Designs
Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures
Tina Holden, Polymer Clay Bytes!
Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends
Tracey Nanstad, A Beadiful Mess
Tracy Choy, BumbleBeads Designs
Valerie Norton, Hot Art

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

It's Almost Bead Soup 6 Reveal Day!

This Saturday, August 11, is the second reveal date of 3 reveal dates (July 28 was the first and August 25 is the third) for the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party hosted by the hostess with the mostest, Lori Anderson! I'm paired with Leslie Wayment of AA Beads for this hop.

This is the soup I sent to Leslie, I can't wait to see what she makes with it:
 This is the soup Leslie sent to me, she was very generous:
Believe it or not, I've actually already completed two pieces for the hop from my soup - I'm so pleased with myself that I'm not last minute! I might actually have time to complete one more!

Come back on Saturday to see the reveal and the list of participants for the second hop!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Welcome to the family!


This  boy…..
 Matt
met this girl.....
Katie
a little over a year and a half ago. She’s lovely, she sparkles. 
Katie & Matty
She’s helped make this boy into the man his mama has always known he could be. Thankfully, his mama didn’t raise a dummy! 
Shock and Awe!
He’s asked her to marry him and she said YES! May you both always remember in the future how madly, deeply in love you are today. 
We are one very happy family! Welcome to the family sweetheart!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Lorelei Eurto/Keirsten Giles Cone Challenge!!

O.K., late to the party. I thought I had the scheduled post worked out, guess not. Anyhoo,
Good morning! Welcome to the Cone Challenge!! Keirsten Giles of The Cerebral Dilettante and Lorelei Eurto have teamed up for a wonderful challenge using copper cones handcrafted by Keirsten. She sent 6 different sets of cones to Lorelei for the challenge. Lorelei kept a set to participate with and she randomly selected 5 of her readers to participate as well. Lucky, lucky me! Above is a picture of the etched, patinated cones I received. How lovely!

When I saw Lorelei's post about the challenge, I knew right away what I'd make if I were selected. Now, conceptualizing and creating are sometimes two different things. As Sally Jean Alexander says "embrace the imperfection". I have a lot to embrace with this first piece, but I love it regardless.

I turned the big 5-OH last Friday. I have been contemplating this event for the past year. I haven't looked at it with dread like I did turning 40, but I've been doing a lot of reminiscing - wishing I'd done some things differently and glad I've done some things the way I have. So, when I saw the cones I thought they'd make a cute party hat. I am not a mixed-media artist, I think that's clear in this piece. I also have lovely handwriting, I'm complimented on it regularly - you wouldn't know that from this piece. I apparently need lines. Anyway, I'm embracing the imperfection:
It says, "She decided to live her life with the glass half full so that when the calendar turned to 50, the lines on her face were more from laughter than crying.....". That's me, I think I was either 1 or 2, I'm thinking 2. I sawed the back off the cone and made it into a party hat. I added a piece of a fluffy chenille stem to the bottom of it and a sparkly pom-pom to the top, and edged the wooden piece with black and white glass tiles. The little balloon is a piece my daughter Gabrielle soldered and enameled in her metalsmithing class last fall. I thought it looked like a little balloon.
What did I do with the piece, which was actually 2 pieces because of the seam, that I sawed off the back? Well, I did what any bead lover would do, I made 2 copper beads. Just like making crescent rolls.
I need to file the sharp tips.
The next piece I have titled "Flotsam and Jetsam". Beachcombing is my favorite pastime and I wanted to make a beachy talisman with the other cone. So, I made a tassel focal with the second cone and added one of the two copper beads I made to it. The tassel also includes a lampworked disc and drop, some stones, Swarovski crystal, drilled sea glass, lucite beads from the Beadin' Path, some Czech glass, and metal charms - all dangling on waxed linen cord and embroidery thread. It's wired with copper wire, lucite spacers and a triangle bead. I've connected to a bronzy toggle. Pardon the cruddy pics:
The remainder of the necklace is made with MOP donuts from Michael's, copper jump rings, vintage copper chain from the Beadin' Path, a delightful little copper shell clasp from Joanne Tinley of Daisychain Extra and some wonderful enameled filigree beads from my Pantone Spring 2012 bead swap with Keri Lee Sereika of Pink Lemonade. I LOVE this necklace! It's twisting just a tiny bit around the clasp, so I need to tweak it, but I love it.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Please stop by the other participants blogs to see their lovely creations!



The Crazier Sister http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/

BeadBug http://www.CopperGlassAndRecycledTrash.blogspot.com/

Yay!Jewelry http://yayjewelry.blogspot.com/

Jen Judd http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com/