Bead Soup Reveal!

My very first BSBP- how exciting! Lori Anderson went above and beyond in organizing over 360 of us from around the country and world, into pairs- quite the feat! In my previous post, you can see the wonderful stash of beads that Dana's Jewelry Design sent my way. We both thought alike with the antique brass chain/findings/goodies so it was fun to be able to put them to use. She gifted me with such a variety of things that it made choosing a direction a little bit of a challenge, but such a nice one!

The rules were as follows: You must have a blog (the incentive to get mine going) and you must send your partner a party pack containing a focal, some coordinating beads or spacers, and some kind of a special clasp. You had to use the focal and closure you were sent, and could add to the rest of the pack that from your own stash. Dana sent me greens, blues, browns and creams- such a choice! 

After pondering and changing my mind multiple times, I kept coming back to the magnetic door focal and the greens, and the idea of a garden began to emerge  I loved the variety of greens and yellows. I  also wanted to use some simple chain maille techniques ( something I've been enjoying lately) and to jump out of my little symmetry box. Now, I am NOT a gardener- family, friends and neighbors can attest to that (think black thumb :/) but I do enjoy looking at the results of those who are. One of my favorite books growing up was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was given to me by my Great Aunt Win- my "birthday" aunt, and when I looked at the secret door, inspiration began.

Here is the result:

Started with the lovely little door,wrapped on the pretty green quartz briolette and Swarovskis and added a little love- can't have a garden without it!

Then I did some simple byzantine chain maille on one side with the Chinese jade and bead caps on one side, and used part of the toggle clasp as a design element because I love the flower designs- too pretty to hide at the back. Mix it all together, let it simmer like a good soup should, add a few extras in and it's ready to serve.

I love it! and it's something I'm going to wear a lot. I give away or sell a lot of things that I make, but this one's mine. It represents exploring new things, planting new seeds and a wonderful experience. Dana included more of the briolettes, so I'll be making a pair of matching earrings ( yes, I'm a set kind of person). Thank you again, Dana, for your generosity.

(All through the making of this a song by one of my favorite worship artists kept running through my head. If you've never listened to, or heard of, Jonathan David Helser, do yourself a favor and listen to "The Reward" about what started in the garden.  It's number nine on the media player. He's an amazing, anointed musician who's passionate about sharing the heart and love of God.)

Then I looked at what was left- still so much to choose from, and yesterday morning I remembered a bracelet I had seen at American Eagle a store my daughters shop at, and realized I had the makings for a quick little bracelet. What to see? Here it is.

It just happened to match perfectly with what I was wearing yesterday, and as I love bracelets, it kept me company and made me smile every time I looked at my wrist. The beads are strung on Stretch Magic, so it's easy to get on and off and the chain gives it a different look. Bev from Flamingo Toes is always posting wonderful tutorials on how to do knock offs from famous stores, and I thought of her while doing this.

Don't forget to click on the link and visit Dana's blog to see what she created. Want to see more? Click on Bead Soup link for a full list of all the participants. It's going to take me awhile, but I plan on visiting all as many as I can.

Hoping your day has a splash of grace and a dash of joy!

As Promised...

Here are pictures of the amazing assortment of beads sent by Dana James- this was more than a soup, it was a smorgasbord! She went above and beyond, and presented me with choices and combinations galore. Thank you, Dana!

See that stamp focal pendant? Handmade by Dana herself. She gave me 3 different clasp options, chains, charms, bead caps and Tim Holtz findngs- very unique. But wait, there's more!

Add to that some beautifully lustrous mother of pearl beads, another adorable focal, Swarovski (one can NEVER go wrong with them), green quartz, Chinese jade and sumptuous tigers eye beads. Thought we were finished? Oh no... the bounty continues.

I'm not singing the blues with these babies. Lampwork beads, faceted blue glass beauties, some rich, dark blue labradorite ( did I mention I love navy blue?), and finishing up with some leather cording. She also included some antique brass findings and a piece of sunny yellow ribbon which I discovered after taking these pictures, tucked away in the bottom of the bag.

Am I blessed or what? Can't wait to get some time set aside to ponder the possibilities. Hurricane Irene may give me some extra at-home time by the end of the week, but we'll have to wait and see where she ends up. As of right now, she's headed our way, but there's a lot that can happen between now and the end of the week.

Wishing you splashes of grace and dashes of joy!

Bead Soup Blog Party

It's official! I'm paired with Dana James for the BSBP. She's the first on my list of blogs that I follow, and I'm ( take your pick) thrilled, awed, a little intimidated , very challenged , but oh! so excited to be partnered with her.I'm going to take pictures of the wonderful beads she sent to me and post them tomorrow. She's an accomplished beader/teacher/jewelry maker and it's a privilege to be linked to her. There's a total of 362 people from around the world participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party this time.The big reveal will be September 17th. Time to put on the creativity hat and see where it leads.

School starts Monday- back to routine. Daughter #1 remains in Orlando ( go Knights), daughter #2 is safely in Tallahassee (go 'Noles) and daughter #3 begins her junior year in high school(go Brahmans). No more carpooling, no more drop offs/pick ups and I'll have 2 afternoons plus one whole day for things I need want to do.  There's no telling the thousands of miles  and hours I've logged with children in the car- this begins a whole new era. I've scheduled several classes to teach at Michaels for September. I taught Wire Crochet today to 3 women who are interested in learning new techniques and had a ball.They were delighted with their creations, and said they'll be coming back to learn more. I chose to get certified through Michaels because when I was learning how to make jewelry it was so hard to find classes that were local. Now there's only one independent bead store left and they don't offer instruction. The classes offer me a chance to give back and teach something I love doing.  If I ever make it to Seattle, however, I'm hunting down Dana for a class at Shipwreck Beads! I'm also in the process of moving into the new bead space, and while it's a lot of work and far from finished, I'm so enjoying working /organizing/ and making it my own. 

So, pictures to follow- so much to learn about this blogging thing, but I'm going to be like the Little Engine that could, and say "I think I can, I think I can"!

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy!

Jumping In

Ever wonder if you're ready to tackle something new and bigger than you've ever tried before? I'm there. I've wanted to do Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party since I stumbled across it back in February. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I chose to dive into blog world. Tomorrow's the final day to sign up, and questions/anxieties/doubts are rising to the surface. It's easy to listen to the voice of fear and failure, isn't it? Am I really good enough to participate? Do I REALLY know what I'm doing with making jewelry? What if it's horrible? On and on and on. Do you ever get tired of the "what ifs" that stop you from trying?

Then today, I came across a posting on a dear friend's Facebook page and suddenly, I knew that, afraid or not, I'm going to commit. While some most of the designs posted in February were amazing and so intimidatingly beautiful, I'll never know if I can do it if I don't try. This is still a blog taking baby steps, but I'm believing that there's others out there who are in a similar boat. So, read this wonderful post from the Brave Girls Club, and join me in taking a leap of faith. Thanks, Toni, for sharing- you do my heart good!

So, deep breath, I decided that before I posted this, I would sign up. There's no sense talking about taking a leap of faith unless you're willing to act on it. My email has been sent- I'll see what number I am tomorrow. Who knows where this could lead?  As Eleanor Roosevelt said: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do".

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy!

New Beginnings

This is a new venture for me, so welcome to the journey!  I'm in the process of moving out of a shared space in my husband's office and into a new space just for me and the tons of beads I've acquired- pictures to follow (can one ever have too many?) New spaces invite all sorts of possibilities and  I'm intrigued to see what the end result will be.  The space needs to be functional, pleasing to the eye, ORGANIZED, and one that inspires creativity.

If you've moved into a new craft space recently, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and suggestions, as to what worked or didn't work for you.I'm wanting to set up a desk space that works for both my beads/jewelry making but also for packaging/shipping the finished pieces- and then there needs to be a space for photographing as well. My dream desk is about $600- sigh.That won't be happening any time soon but you can see it here and dream with me :)

My dream workdesk

Amazing, isn't it? For right now, I'm going to be content with what's available and find ways to use what's at hand! As in trying to see the glass half full and not half empty kind of thing.

So, here's to potential, and lessons that will be learned along the way. I'm intrigued to see where both the workspace and this blog ends up, aren't you?

Hoping that today brings you a splash of grace and a dash of joy.