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Friday, May 09, 2014

SOUP'S ON!!

The BIG Reveal day is finally here!  500 Bead Soup makers from all over the world will be posting their creations made from their partner's fixings on their blogs today. (You can see a list of everyone and their blogs at the end of Lori's post HERE -- It's a LONG list lol but well worth visiting everyone!)

I had such fun playing with all of the lovely beads and findings that my wonderful partner, Dolores Raml sent.  Be sure to visit her blog, CraftyD's Creations after you finish reading here.  She made the most amazing pieces with the ingredients I sent.  Totally different than what I had in mind when I was picking out special things for her.  That's what makes Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Hop so fun. She mixes us all up and somehow pairs us with great people who approach this jewelry making adventure with new eyes and challenges us to do the same. Can't thank Lori enough for all the hard work and dedication to this project.  Be sure to visit her at Pretty Things Blog as well to see her lovely soup too.

So, first off, a little reminder of my fixings Dolores sent....


Isn't you mouth watering just looking at those yummy goodies? My first challenge was that gorgeous enameled butterfly.  I wanted to use the cording for a necklace with the butterfly as the focal piece.  And a challenge it was!  I've never used cording before in jewelry so it was a bit tricky for me.  How do you get the cord through the tiny holes in the beads??? That limited me to which beads I could use!  But of course, Dolores sent lots of variety to play with so it wasn't a problem.  And...... Drum roll ...... Here's what I came up with!


What do you think?  I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt at using cording and I know I will be playing with it again soon. Thanks again Lori and Dolores for gently pushing me out of my comfort zone to try something new!

Next, I just had to make something with those big clear beads.  They have just a slightly purplish tint to them and they remind me of bubbles I see while I'm snorkeling!  Did I tell you Dolores lives in South Dakota?  A long way from the sea, hehe, so I'm sure that's NOT what she was thinking of when she saw these beads. I think I remember her saying in one of our getting to know each other emails "Im not a sea person" :)  She even sent me some brass sea stars she knew I would appreciate.  So here are those bubbles....


Just LOVE these big clear beads!  And had to use them for some earrings with the Sea Stars......


And then there was the cool polyclay stone looking bead Dolores made.  Perfect for the focal piece of a bracelet!  (Funny--when you visit Dolores' soup, you'll see she made a bracelet very similar! Great minds thinking alike--even when not thinking in their usual way!)  I like big bracelets and many times will make them with a few strands together but this time I wanted to try it in a different way (the whole idea behind Bead Soup!) so I used the large polyclay bead as my base.  Think I will really like wearing it.  Love the purple and green color combination.


I had quite a few of the purple round, flat-ish beads left so I knew another bracelet was in order...but what to use them with? I've had these large clear-ish stone beads for the longest time and haven't ever really known what I wanted to do with them.


I think the smooth round, wooden beads are great between the shiny quartz stones.  It looked a little plain so I added the silver and ceramic accents to jazz it up. I know, they are 'sea themed'.... can't do everything totally different! This bracelet is a bangle; made on a simi-stiff joined wire so there is no clasp.

Hmm....more beads + more pretty green and turquoise string = bracelet!  Remember I said I had trouble figuring out how to use the beads with those tiny holes with the cording? I knew those turquoise and green beads belonged with that green and turquoise string.....  I took a piece of flex beading wire and attached it to a shank button, strung the beads on the wire and knotted the string to the shank also, then macraméd around the beads.  All that macrame from the 70s came back to me (well sort of! I didn't get very fancy). Fun!  Think I'll be trying some more of that too :) (BTW - I added a lot of clear glue to the end knots thinking the flex wire will probably want to work it's way out of the cording when it worn even though I did put crimp beads on the ends)  The ends of the string were just knotted, leaving a loop to slip over the button for the clasp.


Well, that's pretty much my soup.  Hope you found it tasty!  I do have some beads left and will be making earrings with them but since earrings are what I do most of the time I didn't want to make them part of my soup.  I'll share those later. Be sure to visit my partner Dolores and you should visit her Etsy Shop too for her fun goodies.  Listed below are the rest of the party people--visit them too!  Lots of yummy soup to be sampled!  Enjoy! And Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Soup is Simmering!

I'm having a GREAT time mixing and stirring and experimenting with new soup!  My partner, Dolores, over at CraftyD's Creations sent me wonderful fixin's :)


Yummy - Yummy! Along with the soup, Dolores also sent a lovely handmade card.  Thank You!  So pretty and sweet! So for the fixin's....What a wonderful selection!  I immediately saw two soups forming when I started looking through the beads.  First is the cold enameled Butterfly in blues and greens. Just beautiful! I've been wanting to try this technique but haven't had a chance.  Thanks Dolores - going to LOVE working with this :)  And cording!  How did Dolores know that I've always admired creations using cording but haven't pushed myself to try it out?  That's what Lori's Bead Soup Blog Hop is all about - trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zone. Those blues and greens are just sparking all kinds of ideas!  And as if all those lovelies weren't enough, Dolores also included another focal of one of her polyclay beads along with coordinating polyclay beads too.  Can't leave out the yummy accent beads....love the combination of wooden, glass, and ceramic for lots of texture! Dolores sent along the two brass Sea Stars - just because :)  (I have to admit, I immediately made a pair of earrings with the Sea Stars and have been wearing them LOL, but sorry, you'll have to wait until reveal day to see them and the other yummy soup mixes!)


Reveal day is May 3rd. 500 fabulous Jewelry Artists will be posting their Soups on their blogs that day. Be sure to come back for links to the treasures!

For more Bead Soup Blog Hop info, you can check out our fearless leader, Lori Anderson's, website HERE!  Have fun hopping.

Thursday, March 06, 2014

It's Bead Soup Time Again!

Aloha!  Lori Anderson is hosting her fabulous Bead Soup Blog Hop again - Woohoo!  Always such fun.  There are something like 500 people in this Hop....WOW :) That's A LOT of coordinating.  We can't thank you enough for the time and effort that goes into this Lori!

And my partner is......(drumroll :) ).......DOLORES  RAML You can find her lovely goodies at CraftyD's Creations  and fun things in her ESTY SHOP too. Always great meeting new art buddies :)

Stay tuned......

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The Journey of the Traveling Bracelets....

Here it is June already and I haven't even posted about a wonderful project with a group of great and talented women I'm doing this year.  Our friend, Lorie Garver, organized two groups of 12 for two round robin bracelet exchanges.  Starting January 1st of this year, we each made a bracelet with one charm and a little booklet telling a little about our theme for our bracelet and pages for each person to write a little something about the charm they are making to add to our bracelets.  On the 1st of each month we mail to the next person on our list of 12 people. We have the month to make a charm according to the theme of the bracelet and to jot down our thoughts in the accompanying booklet.  The books and bracelets were pretty cool to begin with but now that we are half way through, they are really taking shape and developing quite a bit of personality!

I just mailed off Shirley Hall's bracelet to the next on the list and thought I would share some photos with you.  Shirley's theme was sewing....remembering her mother's love and talent for sewing.  It's been so fun being able to add our own memories to the bracelets.  When Shirley wrote about her Mom and sewing, I immediately thought of the times watching my grandmother work away on her Singer treadle sewing machine when I was a kid. She could really make that thing sing! And what wonderful creations she would put together! We lived in California and she lived in Michigan but for a few weeks every other summer I got to spend time at their little cottage at Lake Odessa, MI.  I loved walking to town to go to the Woolworth's to pick out some fabric for matching dresses she would make for myself and my cousins that would be visiting.  We'd even get to sit at the Soda Fountain counter and have a coke...or maybe even a root beer float for a special treat!

Here's Shirley's bracelet and book -- almost half way done since we are going on month 6 :)





























Isn't it cool?!  The inside pages are pretty special too with lots of buttons, lace, and goodies sewn in....































and here is my page and charm....

My charm started with a metal bobbin from my Mom's old Singer -- do they even have metal bobbins anymore?  Since Shirley wanted her bracelet to be mostly antique copper or gold, I added some old gold toned buttons from my grandmother's button box, a tiny gold pair of scissors charm, a 'made with love' copper heart, and a few jump rings with glass beads for some sparkle. I really like the way it turned out and how it looks on Shirley's bracelet.  Hope she does too!





Wednesday, April 24, 2013

More Fun Stuff From the Bead World!

Aloha! We're back from our cold but fabulous trip to Connecticut to visit our daughter's family for fun and birthdays.  I'll post more about that when I get my photos organized. Wanted to share with you this post I read this morning from Marianna at PRETTY SHINY THINGS. I found her blog when I was blog hopping for the Bead Soup Blog Hop a few weeks ago.  Lots of fun eye candy on her blog.  But today she posted about THE ART BEAD LOVE TOUR.  Love the name!  A chain of handmade beads has been traveling around via USPS for about a year and a half now.  How have I not heard about this???  So fun!! And I'm all about having fun with beads!!  Check out the links highlighted to read more about it.  Hope they make their way across the Pacific to me one day :)  Have a great day!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Reveal Day Is Here!!

Aloha and Welcome to 'The Second Reveal' Blog Hop Party!!

My soup has been cooked and waiting to be served -- So glad you came by to have a taste! For those of you that don't have a clue as to what I am talking about, Lori Anderson from "Pretty Things" has been putting together these Bead Soup Blog Hop Parties for the past few years where she partners us with beaders from all over the world and we post our goodies on Reveal Day - Today!  You can read more about it HERE. We can't thank you enough Lori!  All of your hard work is sooooooo appreciated! The organization of it all must be overwhelming!

Lori pinned a map of all 541 of us....


WOW!  That's a lot of people!!  That's me out in the middle of the Pacific -- the one to the right, on Maui!  There is one other from Hawaii too.  I haven't found you yet, so leave me a note if you visit here :)

On to the soup!  My lovely partner, Becky, sent me the loveliest beads to work with. Mahalo nui loa again!  Here's a reminder so you don't have to go back through old posts....


And here's what I made.....

First, I knew I wanted to use that focal lampwork bead in something that would really stand out.  I love to wear bracelets so decided to use most of the beads in a really special one.  Here it is!


I used the focal bead and the cool clasp and most of the beads in my bracelet.  I love it!!  The lampwork bead is mostly green on one side and purple and green on the other so I can flip it around whenever I want.  How fun :)  Here's what the other side looks like....


Like I said, lovely beads!  Pearls and crystals and lots of yummy beads!  Okay.....there's more! Becky included three green tear drop beads that I hadn't ever worked with before.  I've seen them in different jewelry pieces and really like how they just gently dangle.  Much easier to do than I thought!  I used one to hang off this next necklace and the other two for dangly earrings.  I bought the lampwork sea star bead at the Whale Day Festival (I LOVE the Whale Day Festival--especially the Whale Day Parade--every February in Kihei) this year and thought it would be perfect for soup. Used the crystals Becky sent and the rest of the chain from my soup as well.  Love the way it turned out -- so fun to wear.


The white round beads and the rest of the marbly beads made this wonderful little bangle bracelet with just a couple of the crystals to finish it off....



The last bit of my soup were the green, jade looking beads that I just couldn't figure out how to use in any of the pieces I made.  I got to meet an online friend from my Art Charms group while she was visiting Maui last month and I took her to my favorite bead shop in Paia, Aloha Beads.  We each bought a Honu (green sea turtle) bead carved from bone to make ourselves something special to remember our meeting. What could be more perfect for a Honu necklace?  I also bought the Sea Horse bead at Aloha Beads as well.


Well, that's it for my Bead Soup -- Hope you enjoyed your visit :)  Below you will find a list of the rest of the Second Reveal Blog's to visit.  I know there are quite a few but grab a cup of tea visit us all...you are in for a treat! (and you can take a few days haha) Enjoy :)


Agata Grygiel
Ali McCarthy
Alice Craddick
Amy Severino
Ana Krepel
Andra Weber
Andrea Glick
Andrea Trank
Anitra Gordy Boyers



Annette Rivers
Anu Tuppurainen
April Grinaway
Audrey Bélanger
B.R.Kuhlman
Barbara Bechtel
Barbara Mason
Becky Pancake
Beti Horvath
Billi RS Rothove



Bobbie Rafferty
Brandi Burdick
Candida Castleberry
Carol Dillman
Carolyn Gebert
Carolyn Lawson
Caron Reid
Catherine King
Cathy Jakicic



Chandra Merod
Charlene Jacka
Cheri Reed
Cherrie Fick
Cherrie Warzocha
Cheryl Brown
Cheryl Dunham
Cheryl Foiles
Cheryl Gangle



Chris Eisenberg
Chris White
Christina Miles
Christine Murrow
Cindy Ritchie
Clare Etheridge
Cory Tompkins






Cris Peacock
Cynthia Abner
Debbie Rasmussen
Debi Levine
Deborah Brooks
Deborah Read
Debra Behrends
Dorota Żerańska
Elaine Robitaille



Elsie Deliz-Fonseca
Emma Todd
Erin Guest
Evelyn Shelby
Evie and Beth McCord
Francy Inman
Ginger Bishop
Gloria Allen
Hajer Waheed



Hope Smitherman
Ilenia Ruzza
Ilona Hegedűs
Ine Vande Cappelle
Jackie Ryan
Janine Lucas
Jean Peter
Jean Wells
Jeanne Steck



Jelveh Jaferian Johnson
Jennifer Cabic
Jennifer Reno
Jennifer VanBenschoten
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Jenny Kyrlach
Jenny Robledo
Jessica Brower
Jill MacKay



JJ Jacobs
Jo-Ann Woolverton
Joanne Tinley
Johanna Rhodes Nash
Judy Robinson
Juli Cannon
Julia Gerlach
Julie Bowen
Julie Panusis



K Hutchinson
Karen Martinez
Karen Vincent
Karen Williams
Karin Slaton
Karyn Bonfiglio
Kat Douglas
Kate Dufour
Kate Mulligan



Kate Richbourg
Kathleen Gallant
Kathleen Lange Klik
Katie Nielsen-Nunez
Kay Bolton
Kayla Potega
Kelli Jacobson
Kelly Patterson
Kelly Ramstack



Kiersten Kern
Kim Sparks
Klaudete Koon
Klaudia Tóth
Krista French
Kristin Oppold
Kym Hunter
Lana Kinney
Laura Guenther



Lauren Fenty
Leah Curtis
Lennis Carrier
Linda Murphy
Lisa Johnson
Lori Anderson
Lupe Meter
Lynn Jobber
Mandi Effron



Marcia Dunne
Margareta Saari
Marianne Baxter
Marie Covert
Mary Ellen Parker
Maryse Fritzsch-Thillens
Megan Milliken
Melissa Meman
Melissa Mesara



Michaela Pabeschitz
Michelle Tucker
Mimi Gardner
Mischelle Fanucchi
Monica Phillips
Mowse Doyle
Nancy Boylan
Nancy Dale
Pat Haight



Patina Queen
Patty Miller
Pia Kaven
Rebecca Anderson
Rose Johnson
Roxanne Blanc
Sarah Goode
Sarah Singer
Sarah Strover



Shalini Austin
Sherri Stokey
Sherry Baun
Sheryl Stephens
Silvia Sernicola
Solange Collin
Stacie Florer
Stacy Alderson
Stephanie Haussler



Stephanie LaRosa
Sue Burleigh
Susan Bowie
Susan Kelly
Susan of Libellula Jewelry
Susan Sheehan
Suzanne Fragiacomo
Tammi Sloan
Tammie Everly



Tania Hagen
Tania Spivey
Tanya Goodwin
Tanya Wiles
Tari Kahrs

Theresa Buchle
Tiffany Smith
Tina Holden



Tracey Nanstad
Tracie Dean
Tracy Bell
Tracy Kruse
Veralynne Malone
Veronica Campos-Hallstrom