Serving up some Soup- Bead Soup that is!

The unveiling has arrived. I must confess that I have mixed feelings about the finished product. The BSBP is all about going out of your comfort zone and trying new things, and to that end, this was a definite success. Andra Weber was my partner and she sent me some beautiful choices to work with. We discovered that we had several things in common- we both have 3 daughters and the same faith beliefs. Don't you love when you find a bead soul mate? While we do very different kinds of beading, we both enjoy learning new things, we love beads and most of all, we love Jesus! Can't wait to see what she created with what the soup that was sent her way. Please be sure to stop by her blog, Andra's Joyful Journey.

Andra blessed me with a lovely combination of copper beads, a copper clasp, copper glass rondelles and a beautiful focal bead from 2 Bead Sisters . You can see the full assortment here. She gave me lots of wonderful choices! The guidelines were as follows: you must use the focal and the clasp that your partner sent. Using additional items from your soup or from your stash are up to the individual.

So,without further ado, let me serve you up some soup from the 5th Bead Soup Party. I was able to finish the main piece, but there's another course that is still simmering after experiencing a technical glitch yesterday and a time glitch today. That means you have Bead Soup Part II to look forward to, but here's my soup de jour:)

For this challenge, I decided to depart from the usual stringing, and venture into knotting. In fact, there's not a single crimp in this piece! I loved, loved, loved the copper and wanted to play that up and use the warm, rich colors to balance the cool colors in the focal while weaving black components to tie it all together. I'm still a novice with the knotting, and tried several different weights/types of cording materials before finding what worked with the various sized beads. In retrospect, I probably should have used beeswax to keep the fibers more cohesive, but it's all about learning :). I've developed a crush on chain maille and so again, veered away from the known, and tried a Japanese triangle for the first time as well as creating the mobius chain on the one side of the necklace.

The other side was chain purchased from Michaels, where I have the joy of being a jewelry instructor.  I also used some 26 g copper wire to wrap the cording to the chain and add a decorative element that tied together the three different points of the necklace.

This was the necklace before I oxidized it (again, something new for me) using this technique. Can you see the difference? I love the bright copper, but didn't have enough jumps to make chain for the second side, and the purchased links were darkened already.  Not having a cohesive metal color is too far out of my comfort area.

So, what are the misgivings? I'm not as happy as I'd like to be with the quality of the finishing of the different techniques. Now that I've got a pearl knotter (and am learning how to use it ), I may re-do it after waxing the cords/strings. The big copper beads and copper clasp are so pretty and I'm not sure they were done justice, but for right now, it's done! I can't wait to show you my second offering in a couple of days. I'm using another form of beading that's one of my favorites. I also need to use the matching beads to make a pair of earrings and complete the set.

Ready to taste some more soup? Here's the list of all the participants. A  BIG thank you to our wonderful
Master Soup Chef, Lori!

Hostess, Lori Anderson


Special Book Sneak Peeks, Cindy Wimmer

1.  Adlinah Kamsir (Singapore) and Hajer Waheed (Kingdom of Bahrain)

2. Adrienn Lukacs (Hungary) and Agata Grygiel (Poland)

3.  Agi Kiss (Hungary) and Carolien Muller-Genger (the Netherlands)

4.  Agnes Asztalos (Hungary) and B.R. Kuhlman

5.  Alesha Conklin and Becki Mendivil

6.  Alice Peterson and Carol Dillman

7.  Alicia Marinache (Canada) and Dita Basu

8.  Amanda Dittloff and Brandy Thomason McNair

9.  Amanda Tibbetts and Andrea Trank

10.  Amy Freeland and Kay Mallery 

11.  Andra Weber and Christine Murrow (you are here)

12.  Ann Sherwood and Diane Welte

13.  Barbara Bechtel and Kerry Bogert

14.  Barbara Lewis and Cat Pruitt

15.  Bonnie Coursolle (Canada) and Fay Wolfenden (Canada)

16.  Carmel McGinley (Australia) and Tracy Stillman (Australia)

17.  Cassie Donlen and Deryn Mentock

18.  Cathie Carroll and Janel Dudley

19.  Cece Cormier and Morwyn Mullins

20.  Charlene Jacka and Christina Hickman

21.  Cheryl Brown (Canada) and Diana Ptaszynski

22.  Christina Stofmeel (the Netherlands) and Eva Kovacs (Hungary)

23.  Christine Damm and Deb Brooks

24.  Cilla Watkins (Canada) and Elaine Robitaille (Canada)

25.  Sabrina Straub (Switzerland) and Kathy Combs

26.  Cindy Cima Edwards and Eleanor Burian-Mohr

27.  Cory Celaya and Rhea Freitieg

28.  Courtney Breul and Dana Hickey

29.  Cynthia Abner and Jennifer Boreck

30.  Cynthia Tucker and Jean Peter

31.  Debbie Goering and Heidi Post

32.  Dee Elgie (UK) and Joanne Lockwood (UK)

33.  Dian Hierschel (Germany) and Eniko Fabian (Austria)

34.  Diane Cook and Lyn Foley

35.  Donna Bohler and Lisa Lodge

36.  Donna Millard and Kiersten Giles

37.  Doris Stumpf (Germany) and Eszter Czibulyas (Hungary)

38.  Elisabeth Auld and Eva Sherman

39.  Elke Leonhardt-Rath (Germany) and Marjolein Trewavas (UK)

40.  Ema Kilroy and Laurie Keefe-Cecere

41.  Erika Nooteboom (the Netherlands) and Giorgia Rossini (Italy)

42.  Erin Grant and Jean Wells

43.  Evelyn Duberry (Canada) and Gaea Cannaday

44.  Genea Crivello-Knable and Heather Powers

45.  Ginger Bishop (military, Okinawa) and Martina Nagele (Germany)

46.  Heidi Kingman and Lori Greenberg

47.  Helen Kemp and Lisa Wangeman

48.  Helene Goldberg (Australia) and Karen Vincent

49.  Jamie Hogsett and Jeannie Dukic

50.  Jeanette Ryan and Jelveh Jaferian

51.  Jennifer Cameron and Tania Spivey

52.  Jennifer Justman and Kari Carrigan

53.  Jennifer Tough and Lorelei Eurto

54.  Joanna Matuszczyk (Poland) and Julianna Kis (Hungary)

55.  Joanne Tinley (UK) and Michaela Pabeschitz (Austria)

56.  Julie Anne Leggett and Kelley Fogle

57.  Karen Hess and Linda Landig

58.  Karyn Bonfiglio and Kathleen Lange Klik

59.  Kashmira Patel and Kat White

60.  Kat Barron Miller and Kelly Morgan

61.  Kathy Lindemer and Rose Binoya

62.  Krafty Max and Sandra Miller

63.  Kristen Latimer and Pam Ferrari

64.  Kristie Roeder and Lea Avroch

65.  Kristina Johansson (Sweden) and Penny Neville (Canada)

66.  Krisztina Erlaki-Toth (Hungary) and Nicole Keller (Germany)

67.  Lara Lutrick and Lisa Suver

68.  Laura DeMoya and Lisa Hanna

69.  Libby Leuchtman and Melanie Brooks

70.  Linda Koch and Rosemarie Cowit

71.  Lisa Chapman and Menka Gupta

 72.  Lisa Liddy and Marion Simmons

73.  Lori Anderson and Marcie Abney

74.  Lori Bowring-Michaud and Mary Govaars

75.  Lori Dorrington and Maria Rosa Sharrow

76.  Lori Finney (Canada) and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp (Canada)

77.  Lynn Bennett and Mandi Ainsworth

78.  Marta Kaczerowska (Poland) and Milla Starchik (Canada)

79.  Mary Harding and Shannon LeVart

80.  Mary Jane Dodd and Stacey Curry

81.  Melinda Orr and Molly Alexander

82.  Melissa Meman and Michelle Escano-Caballaro

83.  Michelle Jensen and Sandra Young (Canada)

84.  Nan Emmett and Nicole Valentine-Rimmer (Canada)

85.  Nancy Boylan and Suzette Bentley

86.  Natasha Lutes and Patti Vanderbloemen

87.  Pam Hurst and Rebekah Payne

88.  Patty Miller and Sara Rhoades

89.  Rebecca Anderson (UK) and Lori Anderson

90.  Rebecca Sirevaag and Sharon Driscoll

91.  Rochelle Brisson and Shannon Chomanczuk

92.  Rosa Maria Cuevas (Mexico) and Tejae Floyde

93.  Sabine Dittrich (Germany) and Sally Russick

94.  Sandi Volpe and Sarah/Saturday Sequins

95.  Shanti Johnson and Tracy Mok (Canada)

96.  Skylar Brez and Theresa Buchle

97.  Sonya Stille and Traci Zeller (Canada)

98.  Stefanie Teufel (Germany) and Tania Hagen (New Zealand)

99.  Stephanie LaRosa and Vonna Maslanka

100.  Terri Wlaschin and Wendy Blum

As always, hoping this soup brings you a dash of grace and a splash 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!