Bead Peeps Swap n Hop partners

I signed up again this year for the Bead Peeps Swap n Hop because I had such a good time last year. The best thing about swaps is getting to know your partner. The admins work very hard at matching everybody up and do a fabulous job at it. My partner this year is Lori Jean Poppe. We wrote back and forth to each other to get to know a little bit about each other which helps us to choose what to send for the swap. We have to swap beads, a focal bead and a clasp. They should be of high quality such as we would gift to a good friend. I have always been so impressed with the quality of beads that I have received in previous swaps. The jewelry making community is extremely generous.

Lori is  an amazing woman who seems to do everything! It makes me tired to just list all of her accomplishments! She lives in Bear Creek , Wisconsin and works a dairy farm with her husband, sells essential oils, designs jewelry and is currently running in the local school board election. Lori is a mother and advocate for her daughter with Down Syndrome She has worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant, Special Education Aide and Special Needs Advocate. See what I mean?

Somehow Lori finds time to pursue her artistic passions. She has dabbled in stained glass, fused glass, lampworking, leather work and metal weaving/wrapping. She is a rock hound and polymer clay artist. I am "gobsmacked" by her life and what she manages to fit into it. I forgot to mention that she is also a housewife and mother of 4 which as we all know is more than enough for any woman! I am in awe of Lori and her superwoman status! Here are some her artistic creations.

I was tasked with sending a bead soup to Lori for our Swap n Hop in the Bead Peeps Facebook group. I have nowhere near the variety of artistic talents that Lori has but have been making jewelry and polymer clay beads and components for several years so I hope I have chosen a selection that will please and challenge her. Here is the teaser photograph I made before I sent her goodies off to Wisconsin.