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

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.

http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2014/05/welcome-to-8th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

Soup's Here!!

Are you in the 8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Hop? I'm sure glad I am! The amazing Lori Anderson, has put together yet another fun-filled hop despite her personal challenges. I'm very fortunate to have been paired up with the super talented, Kris Lanae Binsfeld of Cherish Designs for this year's hop. We hit it off right away and she was very sensitive to my allergies and sent me soup that I could work with. So very much appreciated! AND she sent an amazing assortment to work with. Really has my creative juices flowing!

I tend to work more with seedbeads these, but am excited to see where this challenge will take me. I especially love the hand made wired focal in the lower left. It's made with an assortment of the beads she sent me so I look forward to using it in at least one of my creations.

I also hope that she enjoys the soup that I sent her. I included a lampwork disc bead that I made out of a much sought after glass that's no longer in production. It's one of my favorites! And some matching disc beads as well as an assortment of other beads that I hope will spark her imagination. Can't wait to see what she creates!

Soup's In the Mail!

You've heard of, "The checks in the mail"? Well, the soups in the mail. lol! Not the traditional type of soup of course! This is even better! It's BEAD soup! This is one of the most fun blog hops I've been involved in, run by the fabulous Lori Anderson. Through all her many physical ailments, this girl has still managed to put yet another Bead Soup Blog Hop together! She's a truly amazing person who I've had the pleasure of meeting and consider a friend. I won't go into all  her wonderful qualities. Suffice to say that I think the world of her.

So, now on to the soup! I am partnered with Kris Lanae Binsfeld of Cherish Designs. It's been super fun getting to know her. I think it was a great pairing on Lori's part. Our techniques vary greatly so it will be interesting to see what she does with the soup I sent her. Can't wait to see what I get to work with as well. 

So, wanna see what I sent out to Kris? Here you go! 

You didn't expect me to actually show you the soup before she gets it, did you? ;)

It's Show Time - 7th Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal!!

Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Hop Parties are always a good time, but I really enjoyed getting to know my partner, the super talented Skylar Bre’z of Brising Beads. So I was very anxious to see what goodies awaited me. I received a plethora of beadie delights from her leaving me many options. 

What to do? What to do? It seemed like she knew me though we had never met. I'm an ocean loving girl so the turquoisey blues really spoke to me, but there was that beautiful Ammonite and the lovely sepia toned vintage cab that she made. They looked like they were meant for each other. So off I went...and here's what I've come up with. I decided on bead embroidery and since there was lots going on already I used a simple cord with 2 of my boro beads on each side of the pendant for balance. What do you think? I can't wait to wear it!

And this is the soup I sent her. I can't wait to see her creation!

If you'd like to join on the fun next time, check out Lori's blog for details. 

Please join me in visiting all the other participating blogs to see their creations:

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/03/7th-bead-soup-blog-party-first-reveal.html

Hearts From a Friend

If you're a facebook addict like I am, you might've noticed that recently you've been given the option to send a gift to someone you're sending birthday wishes to. I was always skeptical, thinking that maybe it's yet another scam, but on my birthday this past week, I got a notice that my friend, Lori Anderson, sent me a birthday gift...jelly beans! I was still skeptical, but filled out my info & lo & behold, guess what came in the mail today?? JELLY BEANS! From Lori Anderson! I'll give a shout out to the company they came from, Sugarfina.com. And they're heart shaped! Now I don't know if I can bring myself to eat them, they're so cute! Thank you Lori for the jelly beans, but even more so for your friendship! <3

You've Got Mail!

I was so excited to get my mail today! My bead soup arrived from my bead soup blog party partner, the uber talented seedbead artist, Skylar Bre'z. I was perusing her etsy shop and look at the lovelies I found there, like this one with druzy cabs...totally drool worthy!

Or this whimsical one...

Head on over to her etsy shop & check out her work!

Now, on to the bead soup she sent, along with a very thoughtful and beautiful hand written note. Even the envelope is beautiful!

 

And now for my beautiful soup...please stop by March 30th for the big reveal!

Bead Soup's On!!

I connected with my bead soup partner, a hugely talented seedbead artist. Not sure we're supposed to reveal that info yet, so will hold off for now. We were supposed to not ask what they'd like, but to send something that might challenge them. I SO hope she likes what I've sent out today. Wanna see??

Please stop back 3/30/13 for the reveal. Can't wait to see what I get!

Memories and Thanks Blog Hop

Lori Anderson presented the idea of this blog hop as a way to honor the memory or to thank someone who means a lot to us. As she simply states, "You never know what you might mean to someone". The idea of this blog came about after the passing of another beader, Marianna Adams, who sadly I did not know, but who's daughter, Lena Adams, I recently 'met'. What a special young lady she is. Her mother would be so proud!

Rather than touch on the memory aspect I chose to focus on the thanks. There have been so many wonderful, talented beaders I've come to know over the years, many of whom I've come to call friends. One such person is Marlene Cupo of Amazing Designs by Marlene. I 'met' Marlene through a Cup of Bead Soup that I was invited to participate in. Marlene was 1 of 4 participants besides Lori Anderson and we quickly forged a friendship. We even had plans to meet in NYC when she came up north for a visit to her daughter and grandchildren. But then Hurricane Sandy hit and the meeting never took place. In my heart of hearts, I know that we will 1 day meet.

Even before this blog I had intended to make her something special as a surprise. When I ran a fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy victims recently, Marlene bid on a pair of hand knit socks that she knew I was dying for. She outbid me, but before long, those socks showed up in my mail, bid on and purchased for me by my dear friend. She said that she wanted to do something to support the relief effort and do something nice for a friend. That's just the kind of person she is.

So, when this blog hop idea came up, she immediately came to mind. I was already planning on making her something special and this provided me with the idea. Marianna's favorite color was red. I have been making lampwork glass ribbon hearts in all sorts of colors, red being one of the most popular. I attached it to a beaded spiral rope in white with red crystal accents, with one of my white swirled lampwork beads one 1 side and a vintage red elongated bicone on the other, finished off with a matching sterling heart clasp. I hope she likes it and makes her smile as I did while making it for her.

I hope you'll  join me in checking out the other amazingly talented artists to see what they've come up with and their inspirations. I had issues with posting the complete list here so please go to Lori Anderson's blog, Pretty Things, for the complete list.

Pretty Things

In The Pink

I had heard rumblings of Lori Anderson’s Bead Soup Blog Party ®, or BSBP for short, in the past but could never manage to sign up for one in time....until about 6 months ago. And boy, was it ever FUN! To those uninitiated, the brainchild of this fun project is Lori Anderson. You'll have to read her blog to see what it's all about because this post is about HER, not her blog.

Over the years the BSBP's have grown in size so Lori opened up a facebook group so everyone could interact with one another even beyond the reveals. It's a fun group filled with caring people that love to share their work and ideas and are always more than happy to give advice when needed. It's wonderful for those times when our lives may be too busy to sign up for a BSBP, so we can keep in touch with one another.

But I digress...Shelley Graham and Sandra McGriff came up with a fun way for us all to honor and thank Lori for all she's done. We decided to all go PINK! Lori has had her own personal struggles, which she details in her blog post, explaining how she came to have pink hair. With my son's wedding just weeks away, I must admit that I cheated and used pink extensions, which may be for the best. I don't think I can carry it off as nicely as Lori. lol!

I was so inspired by her attitude that I created this pink haired lampwork glass goddess bead for her. To me, it represents the goddess that she is to all of us. Love you Lori! Thank you for all you do! I hope it puts a smile on your face!

Here's a list of the other participants. Check out the other pink haired goddesses!

Gail Vanderster-Zwang http://angelmoose.blogspot.com
Lea Avroch http://lajewelrydesign.blogspot.com
Leslie Wayment  http://www.aabeadsonline.com/blog
Kelley Katherine Hagerty-Fogle  http://www.mylifeonebeadatatime.blogspot.com
Sheila Davis http://www.stonedesignsbysheila.blogspot.com
Amanda Effron http://craft-o-licious.blogspot.com
‎Solange Collin  http://www.blog.ahowinjewelry.com
Jennifer Chasalow VanBenschoten   http://www.vanbeads.blogspot.com
Isolina Perez  http://IsolinaPerez.blogspot.com
Toltec Jewels www.JewelSchoolFriends.com
Sherri Stokey  http://www.knotjustmacrame.com
Mary Howell Govaars  http://mlhjewelrydesigns.com
Bee Kuhlman http://mixedmayhemstudios.blogspot.com
Lynnea Perry Bennett   http://designsbylynnea.blogspot.com
Alicia Marinache  http://www.allprettythings.ca
Heather Otto http://www.thecrafthopper.com
Kimberly Flood  http://www.goddessesandbeads.blogspot.com
Courtney White Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com
Lisa Liddy  http://lisaliddy.wordpress.com
Marlene Cupo http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com
Marianne Baxter  http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com
Mária Horváth   http://horimarikabeads.blogspot.hu
Andrea Beth Trank www.heavenlanecreations.com
Heidi Mansfield Kingman  http://mybeadtherapy.blogspot.com
Emoke Schmidt  http://emoke1.blogspot.com
Sandra MrtzDiaz www.petaloazuljewelry.blogspot.com
Lupe Meter  http://gesmpccorner.blogspot.com
Tanya Boden http://fusionmusebangkok.blogspot.com
Ambra Chicandfrog http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com
Kumi Fisher http://maliekaidesigns.blogspot.com
Sandra Young  http://blog.gypsyroadbeads.ca
Sandi Marinaro Volpe  http://www.sandivolpe.com
Gretchen Nation  http://www.artfoodlodging.blogspot.com
Mimi Gardner  http://www.othercuriosities.blogspot.com
Marian Hertzog http://mhertzog-msplace.blogspot.com
Sonya Ingersoll-Stille http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com
Terry Matuszyk   http://pinkchapeau.wordpress.com
Audrey Belangér  http://esperianterra.blogspot.com
Sandra McGriff http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com
Shelley Graham Turner http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Sally Bohner Anderson
Mowse Doyle http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com
Judy Daly Reganti
Brenda Lee Sigafoos

Cup of Bead Soup Results

I was invited by Lori Anderson to make lampwork beads for her Cup Of Bead Soup. I was to make a large focal for 4 participants who would then create something using the bead. I toyed with different ideas for the bead, knowing I wanted it to be something really special for the talented jewelry artists participating. I finally settled on a large encased lentil, approximately 1.25", made with a high silver content that creates all sorts of lovely reactions. I added a murrini on each side for added interest. Here's the bead to refresh your memory.

I've been waiting (somewhat) patiently since making the bead for the day of the big reveal to come and that day is here!!

My 1st visit was to Lori's blog.  Is there nothing that Lori can't do & do well?? She came up with this unique pendant using tiny gemstones that she wire wrapped. her generosity holds no bounds. She also posted a mini tute on her she went about wire wrapping them. I think I may have to give this a try myself one of these days.

My next stop was at Marlene Cupo's blog to see what she created. I was floored! Amazingly, she was able to interpret what I created out of glass into polymer clay beads that were almost identical to the focal bead. She had asked me for an explanation on how I made the 'flowers' for the bead. You can read her post to see what I said & see her unbelievably gorgeous necklace.

Next stop on the Cup of Bead Soup train was a visit to Sonya Ingersoll-Stille's blog.
Sonya started out with 1 idea and then scrapped it for a different seed bead creation using a stitch that she tried for the 1st time. Check out her blog to see them both. I personally loved the spiral too, but have to agree that the end result was perfect, down to the beaded toggle closure to match.

Last, but certainly not least, was Shaiha's creation, which was another unique idea. She created not one, but TWO bracelets that can be worn separately or together. What a brilliant idea! And I just love the clasp she used!

This has been such a fun and inspiring challenge! I bow down to these fabulous jewelry artisans and their amazing creations! I hope you'll stop by their blogs to read about the experience from their perspective.

Lori of Pretty Things

Marlene of Amazing Designs by Marlene

Sonya of Dreamin' of Beads/SAS Jewelry Designs

Shaiha of Shaiha's Ramblings

I love collaborating with jewelry artists so please check out my sites as well:

http://www.LAJewelryDesigns.Etsy.com

http://www.LAJewelryDesigns.Artfire.com

https://www.facebook.com/LAJewelryDesign

Cup of Bead Soup Winners are....

The suspense is over! The lottery winners are:

Marlene of Amazing Designs by Marlene

Sonya of Dreamin' of Beads/SAS Jewelry Designs

Shaiha of Shaiha's Ramblings

and of course, Lori of Pretty Things

As a beadmaker, nothing gives me more pleasure than having a designer share their final project with me. So, to have 4 super talented artists design a piece using the same bead I've created is going to be a BLAST!!! Please check back June 30th for the reveals. I'll be waiting patiently till then....or trying to! lol!

A big thank you to Lori Anderson whose creative spark brings out the best in all of us!

My links if you’d like to see some more of my lampies:
http://www.LAJewelryDesigns.etsy.com
http://www.LAJewelryDesigns.artfire.com
http://www.LAGypsyDesigns.etsy.com
http://www.facebook.com/LAJewelryDesign
http://www.facebook.com/LAGypsyDesigns
http://pinterest.com/leaavroch/
https://twitter.com/#!/lajewelrydesign

Pretty Things Cup of Bead Soup

I've participated in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog parties in the past so was honored when she contacted me asking if I'd be interested in providing beads for her Cup of Bead Soup. What fun! Of course I said YES! The hard decision was what to make. I tried several designs finally setting on the bead above. This bead is a complex one, using silver glass (meaning that it contains fine silver). The glass is very expensive, but so worth it! It creates such amazing colors that are ethereal in quality. The lentil bead has a silvered glass murrini on each side & interesting patterning. Check out Lori's blog for info for participating in this fun project.

Pretty Things: ~~~ Win a Set of Impress Art Letter Stamps!! ~~~

Pretty Things: ~~~ Win a Set of Impress Art Letter Stamps!! ~~~

What a wonderful, generous giveaway on Lori Anderson's blog! Makes me want to check out all the other yummy alphabet stamps!

As  if that's not enough, she's also giving away this awesome stamping hammer especially for metal stamping

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal.....Finally!!

Some of you know already about the past week....no laptop for over a week and the passing of my BFF's dear mother, may she rest in peace. I won't go into it again except as a means of explanation for why I haven't posted my Bead Soup Blog Party creation until now. I finally got my laptop back, uploaded my pics from my external HD...thank G-D that worked cause I don't know where I'd be without my photos!

My Bead Soup Blog partner was Kristie Roeder of Artisan Clay. She sent not one, but three focals to play with. I only had time to use 1 so far, but definitely plan to use the others at some point in the future. For this piece, I used her clay donut for the focal and some of the amazonite rounds she sent. I made a couple of lampwork glass lentils to match as well as some glass discs for the other side. I decided to go with a copper clasp I had in my collection to pick up some of the coppery highlights in the drops that you see on the left of the pendant. Hope you like it! Please go check out Lori Anderson's blog and visit the numerous super talented folks involved in this.

Bead Soup Blog Party!

YAY me! I finally remembered to apply to participate in the Bead Soup Blog Party this time around run by Lori Anderson. It's a fun event where artisans are assigned random partners. Each person then selects a focal bead, a special clasp & a collection of other fun beads to send, from which each person will then create a fun necklace, bracelet or anything else their creative minds can come up with.

My bead soup partner is Kristie of Artisan Clay on Etsy. She's a potter & creates such fun designs! I love her work & can't wait to see what she sends. And, no, the beads in the bowl are not what I'm sending. That remains a secret until they're out the door. :-)