Bead Soup Blog Party-3rd Reveal

Bead Soup Blog Part  3rd Reveal!

It's  my first time in this fabulous event organized by Lori Anderson and it has been so much fun.If you haven't heard  about it where have you been?Over 500 jewelry designers worldwide are matched up with partners and they exchange Bead Soup that includes a focal and clasp as well as other jewelry making bits and pieces. Each partner then makes one or more jewelry creations using the focal, clasp and any components they wish to add.Then the creations are posted on their blog on one of 3 reveal dates to share with everyone.

I can't imagine how much work this involves for Lori and she does it with such grace and enthusiasm. This year she has been ill through the whole event but has still managed to pull it off in great style. She even took on 3 partners herself! WOW!

My partner is Toltec Jewels from the U.S. who hosts Jewel School Friends and creates stunning jewelry. She sent me the most delicious

bead soup .The colours she sent are not my usual but I love these beautiful beads and colours. I've made 8 pieces and still didn't use everything !!!!







She also sent this yummy dessert!

Now  for the fun part but first a giveaway. I'll pick a name at random from the comments to win these cute "Bead Soup" earrings.

The silver plated spoon charms are topped with hematite rings around pewter beads from my soup and hung from my own sterling earwires. Perfect to wear with soup!

My  first set is necklace, bracelet and earrings featuring the gorgeous lampwork of Jelveh Jafanan. The kyanite spike beads, blue Greek ceramic square beads,blue crystal beads from my soup combine with copper beads and findings from my own stash to make my favorite necklace. The bracelet includes more of Jelveh's beads(including the focal),two of Lori Anderson's purple lampwork beads, 4 charoite beads and the beautiful sterling silver clasp sent to me by Toltec Jewels. I added silver plated bead caps and blue coloured jade beads from  my stash. The earrings used the last 2 beads from the set of lampwork beads and the dangles are  chevron amethyst spears.

The next pair of earrings have 2 of the beautiful charoite beads from my soup and bronzy dangles from Petra of Scorched Earth on Etsy

The biggest challenge for me was the gorgeous Sand on Fire vessel focal. I love it but I wanted to make something to do it justice.I used Czech glass copper crystals and Lapis Lazuli beads hung on antique copper chain. What do you think?

This carved bluestone bracelet combines copper squares rings and a raku disc from my stash with a single lapis bead from my dessert.

Next I made a multi-strand necklace using the Czech glass beads which are brown with blue highlights that go really well with ab crystal beads from my stash. Those are the Greek ceramic spacers from my soup , with coloured jade beads and antique copper spacers and chain

The last necklace I made is with wine coloured lampwork beads from Crazy Lady with spacers I made using hammered sterling wire on a sterling chain.

Well that's everything and I still have many goodies left !!! Thank you sooo much ,Toltec Jewels, for the wonderful soup. Thank you fellow bead soupers for looking and commenting.And a million thanks to Lori Anderson!!!! Don't forget to go to Toltec Jewels blog and see what she made of my soup.This is my first time at the bead soup party but I hope not my last. Please follow my blog to see what new goodies I come up with.
Here is the list of all the participants in the 3rd reveal. Have fun!!!!

April Showers!

This is my entry for Art Bead Scene's April challenge.Again I've used some of Ema K's wonderful lampwork beads paired with coloured jade, crab fire agate and copper bead caps. I couldn't resist the little bronze umbrella as the finishing touch.

The inspiration for this challenge was Monet's" A Walk in Argenteuil" Check out the other entries at Art Bead Scene Blog.

AJE earrings

I'd better post this picture now since one of the earrings fell on the floor and broke into many tiny pieces! The hoops were made by Petra of Scorched Earth on Etsy and I love them . I used bronze artistic wire to make a coil and earwires to match the bronze glaze on the hoops. Luckily I bought 2 sets of these hoops but these match the ceramic beads I have perfectly. At least I took a picture before they broke.

So many pretty things!

 Yesterday  I was helping my friend sort through her stuff in preparation for a big move and downsizing. She buys and sells vintage jewelry and has multiple boxes filled with items she doesn't want so will be selling. Luckily for me she was in a real purging mood and let me take anything I wanted!!!! Wow, did I score! So many fabulous pieces and beads and findings that I'm in jewelry heaven. I came home with 4 large ziploc bags stuffed to bursting with goodies. Luckily our tastes are completely opposite so she was happy the let them go to a good and loving home. Once I finish with BSBP7 I have projects to last me all summer!!!

She also gave me this great book for inspiration. Somehow she ended up with 2 copies of it. How many of us has done that......forgot what we owned and bought a duplicate?

My BSBP7 partner

I am so privileged and thrilled to have Toltec Jewels for my partner in the 3rd reveal of BSBP7. She is a kind .generous and very talented writer and jewelery designer. She is the host of Jewel School Friends has been helping me so much since this is my first time in BSBP and she is an old hand with lots of experience and knowledge about blogging and jewelry making.She has sent me many encouraging emails with tips and comments and the most amazing bead soup you can imagine. Prior to this I mostly worked with copper and earth tones but since getting this soup an entire new colour spectrum has opened up for me and sparked my creativity. I can't stop making!!!
Here's a annotated version of the fabulous bead soup she sent me.The colours are wonderful. Can't wait until our reveal on April 13 to see what she made of my bead soup and to show my creations to the jewelry world of Lori Anderson and Co.