Sign Ups are OPEN!

It's time to sign up...for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party with Lori Anderson from Pretty Things.  If you have a blog (this is the whole reason I started mine some time ago) and love making jewelry, please do yourself a favor and hop on over to her page to sign up. You won't regret it. It's grown me creatively, exposed me to amahzing artists from around the world, and provided hours of oohing and aahing inspiration.

You've only got through Sunday, January 27th so don't wait! It will definitely add a splash and dash of grace and joy to your beading life :)

Christie

They're Here!!!!

I discovered I'm very liberal in my use of exclamation points ( note to self: be less exclamatory) but when something's worth celebrating, why not use them? Today we'll celebrate the Bead Soup Blog Party because I've got my beads- doing the happy dance :)

I once again forgot to take pictures of what I sent to Andra Weber , but she'll be posting them so hop on over later. I did take this, though. Does it count? Here are my beads for her all bundled up before I mailed them.

And here's what I received from her  :: big sigh of delight::

 Luscious, gorgeous opalite rounds in different sizes start off the list. I already know what is going to happen with these, and can't wait to get started, They won't be part of the main project, but Lori has always encouraged us to do more than one thing if necessary, and I find it VERY necessary to use these :).

The focal bead and matching rounds are from 2 Bead Sisters - handmade beads with a beautiful combination of caramels, blues and blacks. Inspired? Yes, ma'am.

But she didn't stop there...

Are you drooling yet? I am. Mother of pearl rounds and mother of pearl rice beads from a local bead shop Andra frequents, Sand and Stone Creations, as well as beautiful copper glass roundels, copper round and butterfly spacer beads, and a lovely copper clasp. The richness of the colors in combination with one another is truly a delight. These are so very pretty- it was hard to leave them on the table and come to work

Finally,

.
lots of 4mm faceted Czech glass beads and handmade black and white glass toggle. One can never go wrong with black! .  (note to self: edit, edit, edit) We're required to use the focal bead and the clasp/toggle- it's up to the individual participant  if he/she uses the beads that were sent along with the goodies and/or adds to from their stash.

And now the true work begins. Don't forget to check back on March 3 when all the BSBP participants will reveal their creations. If you're looking for inspiration, Lori has a brand new baby that's sure to please- her latest book all about Bead Soup. Congratulations to her, and many thanks again for allowing us to join in the current one.

Visit me again on Friday to find out about my latest obsession, but until then...
Wishing you splashes of grace and dashes of joy

Christie

I'm blessed!

I've neglected this blog. They say confession is good for the soul, so I'll just admit it. I've thought about numerous times, but for various reasons (none of them good) didn't follow through. Lori Anderson, though, has given me powerful incentive for 2012! 384 people signed up for 200 spots in the latest Bead Soup Blog Party- and I'm blessed to be one of those. Do I deserve it? Nope, not one bit. I've followed several of the blogs from the last time and they've been posting away. Not me. I've been keeping busy with jewelry but didn't post a single word. As I waited to hear whether I'd be chosen I realized how big a gift it would be to be allowed to join in, and the odds of that happening were only about 50 percent.  And then enters this wonderful thing called Grace. I got what I didn't deserve.

One of my beautiful daughters posted this status on Facebook after a stressful and difficult start to an exam day: "The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair". Isn't that true?

Found this on Photobucket;  kinda sums it all up...

God's Grace

 

My partner is Andra Weber- and I love the name of her blog. I've got about 2 weeks to email her and get together a stash of goodies to send her way. This is so exciting! So here's to undeserved splashes of grace and a big dash of joy...

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!