Celebrating!

Yesterday, my husband and I spent the afternoon strolling the Artists Market at the Decatur Arts Festival, and met Dan’s friend, Jessica, and her husband, John, at an outdoor café overlooking the festival for lunch. Perched atop high stools, we had a front row view of the festival goers and the artisan works on display. As we were getting to know each other over pulled-pork sandwiches and bottles of ale, Jessica asked me how I got started in beading. I recalled a trip to the beach nearly four years ago with several of my sisters-in-law. Each night, Dan’s sister, Kathy, spread her bead stash across the condo’s dining table and everyone dug in to create colorful masterpieces in glass and stone. Jewelry was not something I gave much thought to, and although I did manage to string a simple bracelet, I spent most of those hours organizing Kathy’s stash by size and color. There was something about the feel of those beads in my hands!

Once home, I ventured into a local bead store to find a clasp and some crimps for my beach creation, and as I approached the cash register, I noticed a magazine cover and realized you could SEW with beads, too! I left with my first tube of seed beads and a package of needles. That magazine was Bead and Button, so you can imagine how excited I was when I learned last night that my necklace created for this year’s Bead Soup Blog Party was chosen by Kalmbach Publishing as a winner in the Best Use of Seed Beads category!

  

I am so honored that my necklace received the same award from Beaducation. As I’ve branched out from beadwork into wire the last few months, I discovered the work of Lisa Niven Kelly, who is such an inspiring wire artist. The online classes at Beaducation are the first place I turn to master a technique and explore the possibilities of metalworking.

And, of course, showers of thanks go to the extraordinary Lori Anderson, for her tireless work in bringing all this about, and a huge personal thank you from me for being my Bead Soup blog partner this year. Lori gifted me with the sensational Thai silver elephant pendant and I had the fun of dreaming up a design worthy of it!  

Who knows, maybe next Memorial Day week-end I’ll be experiencing the Decatur Arts Festival from inside one of those artisan booths. It's fun to dream!

You can see all 46 Bead Soup Blog Party winning designs by clicking here.

Bead Soup Blog Party - Second Reveal

As we embark on today’s Bead Soup Blog Party reveal, I’d like to start by thanking Lori Anderson, the visionary and organizer extraordinaire behind this fun and fabulous event...and my partner in this second reveal. If you haven't already, click over right now to her Pretty Things blog to see what Lori created from the Soup I sent her.

Here’s a reminder of the sumptuous Soup I received from Lori.

 

The Thai silver focal is embossed with elephants and my first design was inspired by the power and beauty of these animals, resplendent in their colorful trappings and ornate saddle cloths.

The pendant arrived complete with fringed tassel added by Lori and her note let me know the chain was from AD/Adornments.  Kathy Domokos still stocks the chain, so I was able to order some and separate the tiny metal drops to use as fringe on my brick-stitched bail.

Although I used only the focal and the pewter spacers in my first piece, my color palette comes from the rest of the soup ingredients - the intensely saturated blues and aqua blue-greens of the Kazuri beads;  a muted version of the orange-red from the handmade glass discs and the lighter purples in the amethyst. I wanted the necklace to have a tribal vibe, so I constructed two kumihimo ropes, using size 11 sterling, pewter and zinc metal beads, along with opaque gunmetal that closely matches the drops in Lori’s fringe, and wrapped the ropes tightly in peyote-stitched bands.

The rope ends are finished with Kazuri rounds and the pewter spacers from Lori’s soup, which proved to be the perfect embellishment for my handmade S-clasp. I wanted this necklace to be adjustable from 16 to 19 inches, and I was reserving the pewter clasp for my second piece.

The nearly matte finish of the deep amethyst discs is striking and brings out the luminosity of the Kazuri beads. For the bracelet, I scaled the kumihimo ropes down to one inch and used Japanese charlottes in pewter and silver to complement the silver tones in Lori’s clasp. The elephant charm is from Nina Designs.

Again, thanks to Lori for sending such fantastic materials to inspire me. I still have lots to play with after today's challenge. But wait… the fun has just begun. Click on this link to explore the designs of all the other participants in the Second Reveal.

Pretty Things in my Mailbox

How excited was I to learn that my partner for this year’s Bead Soup Blog Party was none other than our hostess, Lori Anderson?

Over the top! It was on my first visit to Pretty Things, where I was introduced to Lori’s deliciously photographed, lively designs, that I aspired to venture beyond my first love, beadweaving, into wire working and more.

Lori's Strawberry-Limeade bracelet

Lori gave new definition to the term jewelry artist. I still remember the first post I read on Lori’s blog. It was about getting away…and coming home; weaving together books, bridges, friendly baristas, and a how-is-it-humanly-possible-to-have-such-a-clean bedroom. That post made me want to be a better blogger!

And speaking of pretty things… here’s what arrived in my mailbox yesterday.

Lori has recently been under the weather, and while she was confined to the aforementioned, picture-perfect bedroom, she made this bag to hold my bead soup. How awesome is that? And she included the stone cab, not as part of the soup, but just for some extra fun!

 

I am so excited about that Thai silver focal, assembled by Lori! And those colors, captured in glass, gemstone and ceramic! I can’t wait to lay them all out on my mat and play around with them, just to visualize the possibilities. But first…I have to go tidy up my bedroom!

Bead Soup Blog Party - Playing with Fire

My Bead Soup Blog Party partners, Evie and Beth McCord, presented me with four of their vibrantly toned enameled focals; one for each of the classical elements, air, fire, earth and water. (You can see the entire bead soup here). I tend to create on a very small scale – I consider size 8 seed beads monstrous and if I were going to stray from my typical 3mm crystals, it would be toward 2.5mm, not 4! In the last year I've pushed myself to incorporate larger beads and a greater variety of materials in my work, so these big, beautiful pendants were the perfect challenge!

Have you followed Alan Alda’s challenge to the scientific community to explain to 11-year-olds exactly what a flame is? I’d recently watched the winning entry, an illuminating video by Ben Ames, complete with catchy rock song. So, since flames were already stuck in my head, I chose to design with the fire focal for this challenge.

Expanding on the orange, yellow and red in the luscious lampwork beads from Evie and Beth, I added sterling silver, some richly colored squiggle beads, Czech glass and Kazuri rounds, a bit of red and yellow coral and black agate. Looking to create a neckpiece with firm structure and very little drape, I chose cubic right angle weave, reinforcing each stitch twice to ensure a very square shape. To stabilize the center section of the neckstrap, I inserted a length of 18 gauge wire, twisting the ends into simple loops, which I secured in the beadwork. To connect the sides, I made 5 passes through the center piece with 10-pound Fireline. I wanted the neckstrap to maintain this shape when I added the pendant portion of the focal.

Beth and Evie included a beautiful sterling silver toggle clasp which was perfect with the vivid yellows and oranges in the pendant.

Silver is also a fresh look with the  yellow-gold seed beads and orange-red stones in the earrings. These pieces are sure to put some sizzle in my fall wardrobe!

In his 7-minute video, Ben Ames, graduate student in quantum optics, explained life’s little mystery of the flame. I am so glad Beth and Evie McCord explored it even further and transformed its power into art! Take a minute now to head over to the EB Bead and Metalworks blog to see what they did with my bead soup! Then click here to go to our hostess, Lori Anderson's blog, for links to all the Second Reveal participants (scroll half-way down the page.)

As always, Lori, the biggest thanks to you for encouraging our creativity and organizing all 400 of us into this year's Bead Soup Blog Party. Fire element finished, I'm diving into the water focal next!

Lunch for One: Soup is On!

Road trips are over. Summer guests have departed. Even Dan is away for the week-end, which leaves me completely on my own for three days.  Time to take a deep breath and dive into my bead soup from Evie and Beth McCord. Sketches have been drawn and beads gathered over the past few weeks. Since I’m slated for the Second Reveal of the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party next Saturday, it’s time to make my final decisions.

Beth and Evie were so generous in providing me with four (yes, four!) pendants, representing the classical elements: air, fire, earth and water.

I’m more than a little nervous in coming up with a design to highlight the brilliant colors and expert craftsmanship in these amazing focals! EB Bead and Metalworks’ designs have been treasured by many an artist – take a minute to click on the fabulous photos below and read the stories of just two that are sure to inspire!

Kokopelli pendant in a design by Heather Pyle of My Muse, Aquariart

Lori Anderson's Lotus Blossom Necklace, Cup of Bead Soup project

Bead Soup Bounty

Our mail carrier was very late making it down our street today. So late that my husband was home from work when I walked in from the mailbox with a large box that held what I knew would be my bead soup from partners Evie and Beth McCord of  EB Bead and Metal Works. And, oh! What a bead soup! Six jewelry boxes were neatly stacked inside.

The first two boxes held these blue enameled copper pendants, handmade by my partners, which brought to mind the sky and sea. As you turn the pendant on the left in your hand, the blues change from inky to royal, and I love the cooler blue and bisque-white pendant on the right, inviting the eye to explore its contours.

The third and fourth boxes held these attention-getting focals, with the drama of red, black and orange and the burnished landscape palette on the right.

The final boxes revealed this fabulous and oh-so-generous coordinating collection of lampwork beads and a silver clasp. All but the clasp were hand made by Evie and Beth!

As I stood in awe of the bounty now glittering across my kitchen table, my husband said, “Those don’t look like the kind of materials you usually work with.” Exactly! That’s where the fun and challenge of the Bead Soup Blog Party comes in. I have never worked with enameled focals, and rarely use lampwork beads in my designs.  I am certainly out of my element, far from my creative comfort zone, and I’m SO excited!

Our reveal date is August 11^th. But you don’t have to wait until then to check out the sites of the talented mother/daughter McCord team. You can see more of their enameled copper and lampwork designs on Etsy, savor their Flickr spread, and read all about this talented family on their blog.

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal

Today is the day all 362 participants in Lori Anderson’s Bead Soup Blog Party (BSBP) reveal the pieces they’ve created with the bead soup they received. Here is another look at the collection of beads I received from my partner, Heather DeSimone of Beadin’ Path.

The 1960’s brass focal sent me on a tour of vintage clothing shops and collectible markets to get a sense of the era. At a shop in Nashville, I met a couple of stylish sisters who were selling their collection of vintage Hermes silk scarves – iconic pieces that would have adorned the necks of the likes of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn or Jackie O. Too dear a price for me, but one in their collection, still wrapped in its original tissue paper, inspired my color palette (black, gold, cream and silver) and my design element – graceful leaves. 

Black and gold are always sophisticated, and I find that cream, often thought to be a cool color, can warm up a palette, the way these Swarovski pearls (in light rose cream) help to showcase the intricate design and detail of the lily focal.

After investigating several dozen leaf designs I settled on a Russian-inspired variation from Sheila Summers. Her free tutorial is precise, well-written and very easy to customize.

I wanted my choker to be as easy an accessory as a scarf – just wrap it around your neck and instantly brighten your day – without having to think about it again. To that end, I needed to ensure that the peyote tubes, supported by a 3mm buna cord, would stay put – no shifting or twisting or spinning of leaves. So I zipped the tubes on the cord, and found that if I switched to a size 10 beading needle, I could stitch right through the cord, anchoring each tube in place. The necklace is finished with Heather’s fabulous carved jet beads and silver clasp, making the closure as elegant as the focal!

Warmest thanks to Lori Anderson for hosting this extraordinary online party! You’ll want to check out what Heather and the other 360 party guests dreamed up by clicking here.

Vintage Soup

Just returned from a ten-day trip, and have to admit that more than once, my foot was a little heavy on the gas pedal in anticipation of finding my bead soup from Heather of The Beadin Path when I got home.

I was not disappointed! The brown box was waiting on the counter, and inside – this wonderful vintage soup, infused with tantalizing colors and textures.

Just look at the range of colors in the 1960’s brass lily focal! Beautifully complemented by large jet Lucite rounds, chunky red German glass squares, 1920’s Bohemian topaz faceted glass, and, (my favorite!) carved Victorian-era jet beads. A delicate silver clasp completes the soup.

It’s great to be home, and back to the bead table. And fun to receive Heather’s lovely collection of beads that have set my thoughts spinning!

The Party Begins...

What are the chances? My Bead Soup Blog partner is someone I am already very familiar with, Heather DeSimone, co-owner of The Beadin’ Path in Freeport, Maine. You will often find me poring over the designs and articles on this award-winning store’s website, a virtual one-stop wonderland for jewelry designers.

Not one to wait, I ventured out last week in search of beads for my soup, straight to my favorite brick-and-mortar beadstore, Beadazzles.  Beadazzles’ owner, Alice, is a great source of inspiration and an artist whose designs always make a statement. Her shop is a reflection of her own style, and is so much more than a place to buy beads; it’s a destination and, usually, a hive of activity. But when I stopped in last Monday morning, I found a lone beader working at a corner table, and Alice, restocking the seed bead wall.

When she heard about my mission, she jumped at the opportunity to offer her suggestions (which I took, with much gratitude.) And that was before I knew who my partner was!

So am I nervous about sending out this package to Heather, who spends her days surrounded by strands of glass, shell, gem, vintage and crystal beads? Is there any chance she’ll be inspired? Since my choice of beads was guided by one savvy bead store owner and going into the hands of another, I think the odds are just fine!!!