Saturday, May 10, 2014

It's Here!! The Bead Soup Blog Party!!!

Pin It The big event that we've all been waiting for is here! The Bead Soup Blog Party, heretofore known as BSBP. *smile*

Before I go any further, I MUST say a HUGE thank you to our fearless leader, Lori Anderson. Through all her challenges, she has somehow managed to put together another amazing BSBP! This is the 8th! I've been fortunate to have participated in a few of them over the years. I've made wonderful friendships along the way, including Lori. I'm eternally grateful to her! Please make sure you make her blog a priority! I really don't know how she does what she does with all that's going on. Love you Lori!!

I know I say this about all the BSBP's I've participated in, but this was truly one of the best for me. I got to meet an awesome lady and a huge talent, Kris Lanae Binsfeld of  Cherish Designs by Kris Lanae. We have very different jewelry making styles, but we connected right away. Birds of a feather, as they say. ;) And what a generous soup she sent, all beautifully packaged with a lovely note.


The piece de resistance was this drop dead gorgeous focal that she wire wrapped, incorporating many of the components in the soup. 


My mind was whirling with ideas, but it took some time to formulate the plan, which kept changing every time I picked up the piece to work on. Isn't it always so? I'm a little disappointed in myself that I only made the one piece that I did. I had other ideas in mind for the remaining soup, but life sort of got in the way. To begin with, my daughter-in-law went into labor 4 weeks early and presented us with our 1st grandchild, Alexander Jack. Sorry, proud grandma moment....have to share a pic of my little man at his 2 month birthday.


Been busy helping them with him and also with their move into their new house so not much 'me' time left for the things I enjoy, but he's my top priority right now. (insert heart smiley)

But you came to see beads and what I made with them, right?? Though our techniques are very different, we both share a fondness for recycled materials. I usually work with seedbeads so decided to step outside my comfort zone and do a wee bit of wire work...and I do mean, a WEE bit! ;) Her focal takes center stage of course! I took copper chain that I had in my stash and then intertwined the silk ribbon that was part of the bead soup with some sari ribbon that I've been hoarding and ran it through the links on the chain. I call this piece "Gypsy Treasures" because it's made out of some of Kris' recycled glass components and some of my lampwork and enameled beads, all dangling from the chain and cord in a fun way with her gorgeous focal. The only thing I would've done different is to make it more asymmetrical, but believe it or not, that's harder then it sounds. Ah! We're always second guessing ourselves, right? At least I always am! Still very happy with the outcome and plan to make more pieces out of the rest of the soup when time permits. 

Oh and before I reveal my creation here's a pic of what I sent to Kris. I included some of my lampwork beads. Can't wait to see her creation(s)!


On to my reveal....Kris's focal really makes the whole piece!


One of my enameled beads with a lampwork headpin.

Another fun little lampwork bead with brightly colored dots


A corrugated enameled bead

I just had to add a couple of my bellflowers into this! I absolutely love making these and recently hosted a challenge on my facebook page to see how my customers have used them. They're far more creative then I am, but had to try my hand at it too.


I have a busy weekend for Mothers Day. Tomorrow is my mom's 93rd birthday and then having my family here on Sunday for Mothers Day so may not get to hop much until Sunday night or Monday. Here's the link to all the other blogs. Hope you'll check them all out.



123 comments:

Peru-Medesigns said...

First I have to tell you that your Alexander is a very cute baby....Your jewelry is very pretty. I like the cubes that you make with the wire. Good job!!

Donetta said...

So much earthy, organic loveliness! You did a wonderful job with your bead soup!

Tandra said...

Oh! your necklace is gorgeous! Love all the elements! Love the fibers,and the enameled beads!

Kokopelli said...

What an amazing piece of wirework! ANd a lovely soup. So keep making things with it, even after the BSBP.

inaurem said...

I love the colours blue & copper is a great match. You mad a cool jewellery.
greetings,
Agata
www.inaurem.pl

Natalie @ NorthShore Days said...

So pretty and beachy, totally my style. Love it

Unknown said...

What a lovely bead soup. That pendant is awesome and your necklace is gorgeous :)

Anonymous said...

fantastic wire work, lovely colours too

roomforchange said...

What you made from your Soup is fantastic!! But not as good as the creation that is Alexander Jack! Enjoy being a Grandma!!

Deb Fortin said...

love the mix of wire and sari silk. organic and hard edged at the same time , blue and copper is always a great combo

Tammy Adams said...

Lovely necklace design, And I'm not just saying that because I love organic copper style jewelry.

Unknown said...

Wonderful Job Lea!! It is just so Happy and well made! I love the colors and all of the pretty dangles!! Have a Blessed Day!!!

Cece Cormier said...

Love the use of the fiber, gives a very fluid feel and makes me think of the beach.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous necklace, I love how you incorporated the wire and silk.

K Hutchinson said...

Great mix of elements! Nice job with the wirework!

Sheila Davis Designs said...

Very pretty Laurie!

Unknown said...

Oh Lea....how beautiful is that!! love it :)

Dolores Raml said...

Gorgeous necklace, I love all the different elements you have going. Congrats on that beautiful grandson, they do make life grand.

Karin said...

Lovely work - great job with the soup!

Monique (A Half-Baked Notion) said...

You so beautifully combined these close colours into an awesome piece, Lea (love the lovely pic of your sweetie!)

Jean A. Wells said...

A beautiful reveal. Love what you did with her focal. Great job!
Jean

Kumi Fisher said...

That is a great necklace! The colors just pop!

Unknown said...

LOVE the wire work in your necklace and the focal you received. Bravo!

Terri said...

Artistic and so creative. Love the color combo too! Just Soup-er!

Coloraddiction said...

Funky and fun! I love that focal - and your necklace is gorgeous!

Unknown said...

Great job!

vovsblog said...

Such lovely work well done!

Ann Schroeder said...

Beautiful colors. You make a great necklace for that wonderful focal!

Maire of Thistledown said...

As always you make the prettiest jewelry!
This is such a wonderful color and design!

Shyme said...

Such a cute necklace!

Elizabeth said...

Love this piece Lea!! The textures and collage aspects of it are glorious!!

Andrea said...

Gorgeous! Oh and the baby is pretty darn sweet too. Congrats!!!

Regina said...

Congratulations on the little man! Congratulations on a great design too, love the colors the variety and the beads. Great job!

Unknown said...

Your piece is in my favorite colors and I love it. Congratulations on being a grandma. There is nothing like it. He is so cute. It is amazing you had time to create this lovely piece with all you had going on and you did a fantastic job!

Anonymous said...

Congratulation as being a new Grandma. I love your piece, I love the way you use the sari ribbon....

Purple Fish Studio said...

Beautiful piece, lovely organic movement. I love the earthiness and the colors.

Alicia said...

Oh, Leah, congratulations! That's such a wonderful moment - and a cutie pie grand-baby!

As for your soup - absolutely gorgeous! Love how you incorporated your glass work into the existing metal work. The mix of silk and metal is right up my alley :) and the colours are my favourites too!

Liz said...

Such a cute baby boy! Your piece is beautiful! I love your focal that Kris made and I also love the lampwork focal that you sent Kris.

Marianne Baxter said...

I love all the color with the blue and the copper. Great job!

shari said...

Wonderful job Lea. I love the colors and what you did with those beads.
And Happy birthday Alexander.

Bev said...

Love your creation! Copper & blue rock!

Cornerstoregoddess said...

what a cool job of wire-wrapping. Beautiful!

Janice said...

I love all the different elements and textures. Great wirework too. Sure win!

msbuck said...

Just lovely!

Mary said...

Wonderful!! I love the wire work so pretty with the colorful sari ribbon

tappingflamingo said...

nice job! tell your mom "happy birthday! and you have a happy mother's day!

Anonymous said...

What a clever pretty necklace! And I am SO jealous of your cute grandson. (Still waiting patiently to become a grandmother....)
Great job!

Ann said...

Your sari silk hoard really fit in perfectly with the soup you were sent. The necklace turned out great and your grandson is a doll :)

andizee said...

Gr8 necklace. Gr8 job as always!

Unknown said...

Wow, love hte mix of glass and textiles and metal. THat's just stunning!

Unknown said...

Well - first off -- Happy Mother's Day, Grandma!! How fun! And what a beautiful necklace design. So many goodies tucked into that treasure. The square links and enameled bits are beautiful!

Kari Asbury said...

Congratulations Grandma! What a handsome boy :) Your necklace is amazing too! ;)

adlinah said...

Love the combo of blue and copper - beautiful necklace!

Ren said...

Stunning design! You've done a great job. I love the coppers and the blues together. You got such a wonderful soup.
xx ren @renlish.com

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful! Unique and colorful.

PiPa said...

Lampwork and wirework together are perfect, so are turquoise and bronze. Lovely work

PiPa said...

Lampwork and wirework together are perfect, so are turquoise and bronze. Lovely work

gelfling50 said...

amazingly beautiful....such talent just brilliant...and oh by the way I under stand the proud grandma thing I have 8 grand children and my first great grand baby is due in October I can't wait it has been 11 years since we have had a baby in this family.

Unknown said...

Beautiful necklace. The colors just sing together! Very unique.

Jo-Ann said...

Love the copper and aqua colour palette. Your finished piece is fabulous!

Unknown said...

Congratulations Grandma! Your necklace is lovely and I love how you joined the chain to the rest of the design! Very nice!

Unknown said...

Hi Lea! Congrats on the new grandson. I hope you're having fun with him. Love the jewelry. Great designs and colors. Just yummy.

Karin G said...

What a beautiful necklace! I love copper and and the mix of different materials make it so interesting.

kerensky said...

Wow - what a fab soup you were given. You made some great pieces with them too.

A Polymer Penchant said...

My goodness, he is so adorable, I can see of course where your time would be spent, rightly so. Although you sure did make a beautiful necklace, I think you hit the asymmetry just right, your eye keeps moving to see all the little suprises very pretty. Hope you and all the mums are enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day

Cynthia said...

Such a cute baby! Your necklace came out gorgeous. I would of had a hard time with the focal. Excellent job!!

Ginger Davis Allman (The Blue Bottle Tree) said...

Now that is an interesting construction for sure. I love the way the bead and fabric part is sort of suspended from the large wire links. Very creative.

Lori Anderson said...

OH CUTE BABY ALERT!!!!!

Doesn't Kris make the coolest wire things? I love everything I've ever seen of hers and own last year's BSBP creation she made.

I LOVE how you wove the chain through -- reminds me of a net, an entire beachy theme. I love it!

THANK YOU for being a constant member of this party -- it's so appreciated.

cleew09 said...

I agree, the focal is drop-dead gorgeous! You did a great job incorporating it into a beautiful piece of jewelry!

Anonymous said...

love this piece! you used that focal beautifully!

Rachel said...

Beautiful necklace, Lea! You are right, that focal is gorgeous and you did it justice!

Ghislaine said...

Well I had a 'die of the cute moment' there with your 'proud grandma moment' so we're all back in balance right away, hahahaa, he is gorgeous!
I absolutely love what you did with your Soup, precious piece!!!!

Chris said...

Your grandson is darling!!! Congrats!!! I am really into using recycled materials also and will enjoy going through the rest of your site when I have recovered from BSBP. Your use of wire is inspiring and gave your piece a sense of cohesiveness with that beautiful focal. Well done!!!

CraftyHope said...

First off, congratulations on the birth of your grandson. He is just too cute! As for your bead soup creation, it is more than cute. . .it is stunning. Well done.

Brittany Kuhlman, COC, CPC, CCC said...

Awww. Your grandson is totally precious! So cute! And man, that necklace is amazing. I love all the shapes and detail. The focal really is epic. Great job!

Unknown said...

Congratulations and blessings on your grandson, he is very cute. I love the necklace, I like the way you put it together, the colors are wonderful too!

Niky Sayers said...

You did a great job with that focal and congratulations on your beautiful grandson he is super cute!

Silver Parrot said...

Looks like you got some wonderful materials to create with and you did a beautiful job turning them into such a pretty necklace!

TesoriTrovati said...

First and foremost...congratulations grandma! Wahoo! What a sweet little man you have there and years of fun to look forward to! What a great bunch of ingredients you got. That pendant by Kris is so great, totally one of a kind. I love that it inspired you to step outside your own box. Your flowers are delightful and play so well with all the other pieces. And you will get back to the rest of the goodies when you can, but that little man is far more important! Thank you for sharing your talent with the 8th Bead Soup! Enjoy the day. Erin

Anonymous said...

Love what you made! It has such an almost ocean feel to it. Kudos on a well served soup!

WindDancerStudios said...

Babies always always come first - hugs kisses baby pinches (cheeks) Have fun with the little one and enjoy the rest of the soup when you have time. Symmetry not necessary on any of them :)

Leanne said...

Love your necklace - perfect for summer! Enjoy your grandson - he is adorable!

Crystal said...

Congratulations on the arrival of your Grandbaby! He's adorable, and that necklace is just lovely... the layered wrapping-in of the chain is really unusual and bold!

https://pattimillerbeads.blogspot.com/ said...

I love the ocean theme. Two of my pieces were ocean colors! I adore the square links! Awesome piece!

Anonymous said...

Good use of that very cool interesting focal bead.

La Marquise said...

First, congratulation for very cutr 2month Alexander.. second, congratulation for your mom 93rd b'day..
Now your necklace... love it so much! especially those two enameled beads with lampwork headpins on either sides of the focal that bring perfect harmony to the whole necklace.

Unknown said...

First, Congrats to you Grandma! He is so cute! I really like what you did with your soup! Great colors and the pieces you added are just the perfect touch.

CherishD said...

Lea,

I am sorry I have been unable to comment on your blog before now... After returning home from a weekend away, we had no internet!

I just want to say what a true joy it has been to be your partner! Your work is so beautiful... I love the soup you sent me... and have received so many compliments on the beauty of your beads! I love that we are so similar in our love for upcycled, yet different in our technique!

Your design is inspiring... I love how perfectly the focal matches your other beautiful beads. Please do not apologize for being there for your family... Family is priority number one! Thank you for the gift of soup that you sent. It was an honor working with you! XOXO Kris

fay ................................................... said...

Great job..love the colours

fay ................................................... said...

Great work... love the colours

fay ................................................... said...

Great job..love the colours

KayzKreationz said...

What a pretty piece. I think you did a great job with your 'wee' bit of wirework to accentuate that great wirework focal. :) Love the way you incorporated the chain, ribbon and other recycled pieces into the necklace. Congrats on the grandbaby.

Shai Williams said...

First of all, Congrats on the new grandbaby. He is a cutey!

I just love your necklace! It is so in my colors and is just gorgeous! I love how you added your own wirework to extend out the focal. Great job!

Becky Pancake said...

Congratulations on becoming a Grandma. He is a cutie. Your necklace is beautiful. The copper goes well with the turquoise. Kudos to you for stepping out of your comfort zone and doing wirework.

Karen Mitchell said...

Love your necklace! Great texture and colour.

Donna Cruz-Comia said...

Perfect soup! Congratulations on your new grandson :)

Pepita said...

What a pretty combination of colors, textures and materials in your piece!!!
Congratulations for your new family member and enjoy being a Grandma!
Alenka

Unknown said...

Congrats for the beautiful grandson!
you really done great works with your soup ... I'm really in love with your wireworks ^_^

Jasvanti said...

I love what you made with your soup. Lovely!!

Treasures by Louise said...

It's a beautiful necklace, the perfect setting for a unique focal. And congratulations on your grandson!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous Lea, really lovely! That wirework focal is rather spectacular, and you've highlighted it wonderfully!

Deelitful Boudoir Photography said...

Your work is fabulous as ALWAYS! I love the colors. The headpins are great! Glass beads are stunning! Wow!!

min said...

such a pretty soup you got! you did fantastic job with it. and you make wirework look easy... truly a stunning piece of handmade jewellery.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous necklace and bellflowers.

Chris Hansen said...

What a stunning bead soup, what an adorable kiddo, and what a fantastic necklace you created with the soup! Happy birthday Alexander, and huge congrats Lea on making such a lovely necklace!

Linda A. said...

Love the color combos! Turquoise and copper are AMAZING together! SO creative and fun!

Linda A.
http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
http://cherryOnTopDesign.co

Liz said...

Gypsy Treasure is sensational. Love the wire work and the colors. Fabulous!

bailaora said...

Impressive work with wire and cool composition! congrats!

Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends said...

Congratulations, Grandma Lea :) Beautiful baby -- welcome, Alexander! And congrats on a phenomenal jewelry design and reveal -- such splendid copper wirework and beautiful style. Chic, sublime, unique and lovely! Happy Hopping!♥ Rita

Unknown said...

Beautiful work!

Unknown said...

Love your necklace. Unique and great use of your soup. Great colour combination too.!

The Jewelry Larder said...

Love the wirework and the design is so unique! Love your creation!

Just Beads said...

I love the combination of blues and greens and copper. Great soup!

Unknown said...

What a cutie pie! And what a lovely job you did with your bead soup !!! Take care of that adorable little boy!!!

Krafty Max Originals said...

I love it!! And you are right, adding the chain from your stash, just perfect!! Congrats on the grandbaby and on your soup creation!! ~KM

AnnodArte said...

Beads and wire! Love!

wadham97 said...

My favorite color combination - turquoise and copper - YUM!

Unknown said...

Don't know if Alexander or the jewellery is my favourite :-) Love it both... You made some wonderful pieces in great - almost classic - colour combinations♥♥♥

Have lots of fun with Alexander1

bairozan said...

It may be one piece but it is gorgeous - beautiful beads, vibrant colors (of the wire, too), wirework and interesting bail - I like it!

Kepi said...

Gorgeous necklace a perfect showcase for the focal, your wire wrapping is awesome!

Unknown said...

The colors are gorgeous!! Love your designs and that baby has stolen the show! How cute and precious.

Kelly said...

Love the detail in your necklace - color, design, balance, everything! Looks like it could have washed up on an exotic beach, perfect as a sea shell. And congratulations on your very adorable grandson. He is absolutely precious.

Arlene said...

So I would have sworn I made it through everyone's bead soup. I have been without motivation so just randomly picked a link to visit. I had NOT see everything. I think I am going to spend some time over the next couple days making sure I got everyone. LOL BEAUTIFUL bits sent and a exciting piece made.