Adventures of One Beady Woman

Michelle's Winter Challenge

2012-01-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a little late in the day for my post but, as they say" better late than never". This challenge was definitely just that for me. Due to circumstances in my life, my beading has been about nil lately. I signed up for the challenge to try and get a jump start on the year and my beading. I loved all the beads in my kit but I hit a block in design. I can't tell you how many designs I tried to come up with to do the beads justice. My own sensibilities did not like the glass with the beautiful ceramic pendants. I am sure others out there were able to combine them but I just could not find a way to do it and my design block just got worse. So, what was a body to do? Well, I needed an eyeglass holder/badge holder so the glass beads got made into something for me. I then took the pearls and the purplish daggers and did a sort of wintery choker. I really had not done any right angle weave so I challenged myself with that and combined it with netting and embellishment. I even used the ribbon from the box my beads came in as the closure. That still left me with the pendants. I tried all sorts of stuff from my stash and these things just continued to block me at every turn. I finally resorted to doing a beaded kumihimo rope in the colors of the pendant and then embellished it with white seed beads to symbolize winter snow and then used the ceramic elements as a pendant suspended from the rope. I finished off with a pair of earrings that could be worn with any of the pieces. I can't say that I like what I did with the pendants but I managed to get through the block and do something and at least this challenge got me beading again.

Be sure to visit everyone and here's the list:

Alice (Alice Dreaming)
Chris (beadjewelry.net)
Christa (Adventures of One Beady Woman)
Crystal (Here Bead Dragons)
Cynthia (Cynth's Blog)
Dawn (Morning Glory Beading)
Donetta (Simply Gorgeous)
Erin A.
Jennifer (JenniferJW)
Jennifer (Jewelry, Art and Life)
Kari W.
Kate (We Can Make That at Home)
Kay (Palm Coast Art)
Linda (Lindy's Designs)
Lisa C. (A Bead a Day)
Lisa (Inspired Adornments)
Mary (MLH Designs)
Michelle (Beads & Books)
Michelle B.
Millie (AMM Jewelry)
Norma (Moonlit Fantasies)
Pam (The Crazier Sister)
Rebecca J.
Renetha (Lamplight Crafts)
Rosemarie (Gem Rose Designs)
Shannon (Falling into the Sky)
Susan (Bead Inspired)
Therese (Therese's Treasures)
Therese (Domestic Goddess Enterprises)

Bead Soup Party Sign Ups

2012-01-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

The signups for the next Bead Soup Party are here so hurry and sign up as they end on the 9th of January. I have looked forward to this one and have counted the days until the signup time was here. This time, it is being done by lottery and the entries are limited so hurry up if you don't want to miss out. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get in as this is the biggest creative challenge and the greatest opportunity to meet new beading friends.

Bead Soup Party Overload

2011-09-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the rest of you but I have had a wonderful time visiting the different bead soup blogs and viewing and of the gorgeous beadwork. I think sometimes we get wrapped up in our own little world and Lori's "Party Time" is a time to take a break and connect with others and find out just how many talented artists there are out there. I am on sensory overload and am only part of the way through the list of participants. I have found so many new and exciting people that I want to connect with and follow and I appreciate that Lori has given us this wonderful opportunity to participate and connect.
My thanks again to my wonderful partner Kathy Alderfer of Artful Designs. She has been an inspiration to me with her awesome work. I also would like to thank my previous partners Alice Craddick and Cyndi Lavin who continue to inspire me on a daily basis. I have made three great friends through this Bead Soup project and I hope to make many more. I hope everyone out there is enjoying the blog hop as much as I am.

Here Are My Bead Soup Pictures

2011-09-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well, here are my pictures - I apologize for the quality but it is really hard to take pictures with one eye focused and one eye not (due to the cataract surgery). I can't wait until the other eye is done so I can view things clearly.

First, here is what my partner Kathy Alderfer sent me.

The Bracelet

The Earrings

Spiral Necklace with Peyote Slide

Pendant with Chain Necklace and with Spiral Necklace added

The Bead Soup Party is Here

2011-09-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

The Bead Soup Party is here today and aren't you excited to go see what everyone has made. I have to apologize that I have not kept up with my blog here lately. Life have been very hectic on my end. I have had to help take care of my 81 year old mother-in-law through two cataract surgeries and then I just had cataract surgery myself in the last week and then I just lost a dear dear friend in Florida to cancer this week. I have been frantic trying to finish my projects this week with one eye working which has been no easy task. I have the projects finished but I have to try and get the photos done and posted on my blog later today so you all will just have to anticipate the final project pictures for a few hours more.

My partner is the lovely Kathy Alderfer of artfuldesigns@blogspot.com In keeping with the Bead Soup Policy, we decided to challenge each other with our color choices on this "soup". Kathy send me the color "Pink". This was not in my comfort zone at all. I received some lovely flower beads, some unusual chunky ceramic type beads, some beautiful pink stick pearls and a lovely unakite focal and brass findings. I truly did not know what to do with this color. My focal was small for the chunky beads and I just could not figure out what to do with it in conjunction with the rest of the beads. I had an ahh haa moment and decided to be ambitious and attempt a bead embroidery pendant. I added some vintage cabs to the piece and used some of the pearls and some other beads from my stash for the pendant. I got that done (before my surgery, thank goodness) and then had to figure out how to hang the darn thing. I found some unakite rounds to match the pendant and decided to do a spiral rope. My clasp was not going to be heavy enough to support the pendant so I tried to come up with a different way to attach the rope. I found two heavier brass toggles and decided to stitch the round part of the toggles to each side of the pendant and use that as a point of attachment. I still needed to get some brass in the piece. I decided to add a brass chain with some dangles of the flower beads and unakite rounds to it. Well, then I got to looking at it and decided that the spiral rope was pretty and since it attached to both sides of the pendant, well why not make it convertible. So then I made a slide peyote pendant and added a piece of chain that could be added to the back so that if you didn't want to wear the pendant, you could wear the spiral rope and slide instead and/or just wear the pendant with the chain. Now I had two necklaces in one. I still had the chunky beads left so I added some brass spacers and unakite rounds and made a stretch bracelet with those. I still had to use the toggle so I made a pair of asymmetrical earrings with the toggle and other finding that Kathy send me and added in the flower beads and pearls with those.

I hope I have teased you enough with the descriptions so that you will anticipate the pictures that will be posted later today. In the meantime, please start visiting the others on the list to see what they created. The partners are as follows:

Click on each name to go to their blogs.
These are the partner pairs.

The Hostess, Lori Anderson and herpartner, Manuela Wutschke

1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York

2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson

3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino

4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner

5. Amanda Cargill Austinand Charlene Sevier

6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins

7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor

8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen

9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller

10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare

11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman

12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps

13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka

14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson

15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy

16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price

17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland

18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John

19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel

19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel

20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou

21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase

22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb

23. Barbara Blaszczyk andDaviniaDesign

24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall

25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll

26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley

27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala

28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman

29. Beth and Evie McCord andErin Prais-Hintz

30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle

31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen

32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards

33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson

34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier

35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander

36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye

37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock

38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone

39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf

40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi

41. Cherrie Fick and Cathie Carroll

41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick

42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg

43. Chris White and Norma Turvey

44. Christa Murphy and Kathy Alderfer

45. Christie Murrow and Dana James

46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins

47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford

48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis

49. Christine Hendricksonand Debbie Goering

50. Christine Stonefield andDee Wingrove-Smith

51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes

52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher

53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya

54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk

55. Cristi Clothier and Kathleen Robinson Young

56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent

57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj

58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman

59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald

60. Deci Worland and Lara Lutrick

61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner

62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert

63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez

64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris

65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith

66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday

67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman

68. Erin Fickert-Rowland andGeanina Grigore

69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones

70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz

71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim

72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable

73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag

74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post

75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton

76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter

77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride

78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller

79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley

80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson

81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor

82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen

83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman

84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy

85. Jennifer VanBenschotenand Kim Hora

86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg

87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann

88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay

89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh

90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski

91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan

92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean

93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis

94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt

95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski

96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio

97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts

98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker

99. Kari Carrigan and Laura Twiford

100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck

101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto

102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark

103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika

104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen

105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec

106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson

107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long

108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson

109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney

110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson

111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger

112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy

113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw

114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher

115. Lesley Weirand Liz DeLuca

116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser

117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse

118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington

119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton

119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter

120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson

121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir

122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank

123. Lori Bowring Michaud andMarci Brooks

124. Lupe Meter and Mags Saari

125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe

126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon

127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore

128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller

129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke

130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson

131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum

132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr

133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp

134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara

135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James

136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz

137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi

138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman

139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper

140. Mary Hicks and Laurel Steven

141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner

142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners

143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy

144. Missy Rappaport and Norma Agron

145. Molly Alexander and Poranna

146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell

147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry

148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson

149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna

150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers

151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari

152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan

153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag

154. Pat Haight and Mary McGraw

155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka

156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe

157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain

158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins

159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub

160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya

161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs

162. Rochelle Brisson and Sheryl Stephen

163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell

164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams

165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin

166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small

167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner

168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk

169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley

170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley

171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman

172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin

173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor

174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa

175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton

176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin

177. Sweet Freedom Designsand Tammy Jones

178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser

179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk

180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager

181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad

Bead Soup Party is here again

2011-08-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Bead Soup Party is on again - what fun. I can't believe how many more participants there are in this party versus the last one versus the one before that. Its popularity is growing and growing due in large part to all the wonderful work Lori puts into her "party hosting".

I think the fun part of this "soup" is getting to know your partner and finding out what colors they like, what findings they prefer, etc. etc. and then figuring out what you can send them to stretch their creativity. I have been fortunate to be partnered with a delightful artist, Kathy Alderfer/artfulaccents.blogspot.com. We are already emailing and getting to know one another and I can't wait to go to my stash and select just the right beads for her. I hope all the other participants are also out there getting to know their bead soup buddies. I think the greatest thing about this party is that you get to make new friends. Also, when you are in a little bit of a beading slump like I am, this party and all the creative people in it help to motivate and spark your creativity. Happy beading and everyone take the time to get to know your partners as I can tell you I have lifelong friends in my last two partners and I am sure Kathy will be added to ths list..

7000 Bracelets of Hope

2011-04-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Lori at Pretty Things has done it again with another blog hop for a very worthwhile project. The 7000 Bracelets of Hope is a project that designed to show love and support for the families of children with rare diseases. We were charged with making a blue bracelet from beads in our own stash and then to display the bracelet we made for the blog hop. Once that is done, we mail our bracelets to the Global Genes Project to be distributed along with a note of encouragement and support.

I chose to design a bracelet of balance. A good friend of mine who is Native American advised me that the combination of turquoise, coral and tiger eye provided balance. I thought that families with an ill child could use some balance so I used this combination in my bracelet. I did a double spiral stitch with nuggets of turquoise and coral and tiger eye along with seed beads and delicas. I hand crafted the toggle and also allowed a couple of loops for the bracelet to be adjustable. It is my hope that this bracelet will balance the spirit of the person that receives it and that it will give them hope for a positive outcome for their child. As a mother and a grandmother, my heart goes out to this special project.

To see all the bracelets of the participants, please visit Lori's blog www.PrettyThingsBlog.com for the complete list. If you would like to find out more about this wonderful project, please visit the Global Genes Project website.

I Have A Winner

2011-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Wasn't the Bead Soup Blog Hop both wonderful and a large dose of sensory overload? Unfortunately on the day of the Hop, in the middle of it, I came down with the flu. I took the flu shot but still got the flu - go figure. I am just now back among the living and got around to doing my drawing for my pint of bead soup. Congratulations goes to Courtney for winning my pint of beads. I hope she will enjoy them and make some wonderful things. For all of you whom I have not yet commented on your site, I am slowly making my way around to you. I am so totally impressed with all the fantastic pieces and the wonderful creativity among all the "Soupers".

Thanks goes to Lori for putting on another successful party and if you didn't make this one, be sure to make the next one. Signups begin in August. Be sure to follow Lori at Pretty Things to keep up with the "Soup".

It's PartyTime

2011-02-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 3rd Bead Soup Blog Party!

What is a Bead Soup Blog Party?

Each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending the following:

~ A focal ~ A special clasp (not just a lobster claw) ~ Some coordinating spacers or beads

Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest, and choose to use the coordinating beads or not.

Here's what I made!
The big day is here at last. I pondered and pondered what to do with the lovely beads my partner sent me. The Murano glass butterfly was too beautiful to be cluttered up with a bunch of other beads but I wanted to utilize as much of everything that my partner sent me and I also had a few beads left from my last bead soup partner that did not get used and I thought it would be nice to merge both of my partners in this soup.

I finally decided that a simple beaded kumihimo robe would set off the glass pendant. I made my kumihimo rope with cobalt blue size 8 and metallic blue size 11 seed beads. I then embellished the rope with some green/gold size 11 seed beads to bring out the green gold in the pendant and to tone down the cobalt blue. I used the lovely silver clasp my partner sent me along with some of the czech glass beads and silver beads that were part of my package. Now I am ready to fly into spring with my butterfly necklace.

Since I had so many beads and two pendants, I started a second project. My lovely partner Cyndi Lavin had a wonderful tutorial on a Robin Adkins technique called fingerweaving. I thought this technique would suit the beads she sent admirably. I wanted to keep it a little modern as well so I made it asymmetrical and combined copper chain and charms with my piece. The Pantone Spring Color Report just came out so of course I had to add in some of those "honeysuckle" pink touches to my piece. Of course, the centerpiece is the lovely lampwork bead made by my partner in gorgeous shades of turquoise and aqua.

As promised, here are the pictures of my "pint of beads" giveaway. Just remember to go visit both of my Bead Soup Partners - Alice Craddick and Cyndi Lavin and leave your comments on their sites and you will be eligible for the drawing.

Come see what the rest of us made!

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life

3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane

4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio

5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations

6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto

10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas

12. Rachel Walsh, Balanced Crafts

13. Marian Hertzog, M's Place

14. Mary McGraw, MK's Musings

15. Sarabeth Burke, Chronicles of Sarita

16. Deci Worland, Gem Trails

17. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

18. Laura Zeiner, Stick Lizard Designs

19. Kristin Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

20. Cathryn Brooks-Williams, Chile Cats

21. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs

22. Janna Harttgen, Palima-Lim

23. Libby Leuchtman, Libby Leu

24. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads

25. Deb Hunter, Living On Air

26. Diana Ptaszynski, Suburban Girl Studio

27. Jennifer VanBenschoten, VanBeads

28. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

29. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts

30. Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

31. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

32. Patricia Gasparino, My Life Under the Bus

33. Tari Khars, Pearl and Pebble

34. Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Kristi Bowman Design

35. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

36. Becky Fairclough, Chameleons Designs

37. Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead & Metal Works

38. Lynne Bowland, Islandgirl's Insights

39. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire

40. Lorelei Eurto, Inside the Studio

41. Stacy Hartis, Sissy & Jack's

42. Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

43. Marcie Abney, La Bella Joya

44. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

45. Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles

46. Melissa Mesara, One Eared Pig

47. Amanda Davie, Articulations

48. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady

49. Virginia Joste, ViviBijoux

50. Andrew Thornton, The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton 51. Lori Dorrington, Lori's Glassworks

52. Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

53. Kate Gardenghi, Tropical Blonde

54. Serena Trent, PinkIce Jewel's Blog

55. Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin de Koning

56. Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

57. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio

58. Amy Freeland, Copper Diem

59. Lisa Liddy, Joolz By Lisa

60. Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

61. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Bead Blog

62. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon

63. Leslie Gidden, Mad Maggie Designs

64. Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

65. Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

66. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.

67. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

68. Laurel Steven, Rue's Daftique

69. Ingrid McCue, Wrapped In Silver

70. Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

71. Diana Hawkey, Diana Hawkey

72. Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

73. Jeanette Ryan, Jeanette Blix

74. Jackie Ryan, Silver Lodge Gems

75. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Be Done!

76. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium

77. Valerie Norton, Hot Art

78. Jana Trupovniece, Stories of the Secret Garden

79. Amy Severino, Amy Beads

80. Emma Thomas, Fred Beans Nook

81. Karen Zanco, Everyday Gypsy

82. Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria

83. Janet McDonald, Singing Woods

84. Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

85. Kristina Johansson, Wild Roses and Blackberries

86. CJ Bauschka, CJ Bauschka

87. Angela Barribea, Re: Angela Rae

88. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy

89. Tanya Floyd, Glass Migrations

90. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss

91. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous

92. Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Bead

93. Nally Parfyonova, Nally's Creations

94. Karyn White, Releases By Rufydoof

95. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia Studio

96. Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

97. Cindy Dolezal, Cindy Dolezal Designs

98. Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

99. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

100. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings

101. Nicole Valentine-Rimmer, N. Valentine Studio

102. Jacinta Meyers, Jamberrysong's Creations

103. Charlene Gary, Gray Girl Studios

104. Rubiee Hayes, Glitter and Keys Galore

105. Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

106. Elizabeth Freeman, Turquoise Sky

107. Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

108. Lynda Moseley, Diva Designs

109. Grace Danel, Grace Beading

110. Lois Moon, Que Onda Quitman

111. Agnes Shapiro, Beader Bubbe

112. Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo

113. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs

114. Mary Ellen Parker, Bee Tree By Me

115. Barbara Bechtel, Second Surf

116. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer

117. Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

118. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

119. Ronda Adams, The Ravished Heart

120. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs

121. Anna Lear, The Laughing Raven

122. Susie Hibdon, Vintagesusie & Wings

123. Amanda Austin, Sea Shore Glass

124. Jennifer Velasquez, Jen Judd Rocks

125. Hazel Ward, All Those Things

126. Brenda Salzano, Salzanos

127. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs by Dee

128. Anna Denisova, Anita-M

129. Margaret Saari, Mags-Jewelry

130. Genea Crivello-Knable, Genea Beads

131. Penny Neville, Copper Penny

132. Angela Blasingame, Hopemore

133. Helena Fritz, Beadwork by H's Blog

134. Stephanie LaRose, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

135. Stephanie Haussler, PixyBug Designs

136. Diane Cook, Rosa & Josies

137. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art

138. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by J.P.

139. Shannon Chomanczuk, For My Sweet Daughter

140. Lisa Godfrey, Bead Happy

141. Heather Pyle, Welcome to My Muse

142. Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

143. Liz DeLuca, Creative Arty Facts

144. Sig Wynne-Evans, Beaded Bear's Nonsense

145. Loretta Carstensen, Loretta's Boutique

146. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

147. Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul

148. Shelly Graves, Stars Dance With Me

149. Jess Italia Lincoln, Vintaj Blog

150. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

151. Carrie Tahquechi, Carrie T

152. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals

153. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Quiet Area

154. Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

155. Magdalena Sikora, Poranna Gazeta

156. Nicole Keller, Nicki's Reef

157. Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

158. Noemi Baena, Fire, Metal, and Color

159. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

160. Barbara Blaszczyk, Labotorium Flory

161. Collette Collins, Firefly Myst

162. Carola Greiser, Polymer Clay Shed

163. Joanna Kopijczuk, Bizuteria z Filcu

164. LeAnn Weih, Summers Studio

165. Cassandra Watsham, Design by Cassandra

166. Anna Motz, Stunning

167. Shea Zukowski, Gr8findings

168. Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads

169. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings

170. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope

171. Alison Crenshaw, Beads by Earth Tones

172. Dorcas Midkiff, Wondrous Strange Designs

173. Melissa Rediger, Sea of Glass

174. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre

175. Julie Nordine, Julie Nordine | Credit River Art Glass

176. Menka Gupta, Menka's Blog

177. Patsy Evins, Patsy Evins Studio

178. Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're

179. Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

180. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

181. Lyn Foley, Lyn Foley Wearable Art

182. Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

183. Natalie Schuetz, Natalie S Perlen

184. Kim Hutchinson, Running on Ink

185. Haley Frank, Wide Eyed Smilin

186. Grace Caputo, Suddenly Last Summer

187. Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, Skye Jewels

188. Erin Siegel, Erin Siegel Jewelry

189. Janea McDonald, Organized Chaos

190. Kristi Evenson, Colie Bug & Co.

191. Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry

192. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

193. Whitney Lassini, Whitney Lassini

194. Nancy Schindler, The Rabbit Muse

195. Pam Brisse, The Blue Between

196. Beth Bricker, Vintage Sweets

197. Ruthie Stickney, Rose Works Jewelry and Gifts

198. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Designs

199. Karen Williams, Baublicious

200. Claire Maunsell, The Next Bend

201. Christine Damm, Stories They Tell

202. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

203. Wendy Blum, Sand & Sea Designs

204. Juli Cannon, Julsbeads

205. Jenny Robledo, La Dona Boutique

206. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry

207. Pam Krinski, Ewa Beads

208. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

209. Dana Jones, Dana's Jewelry

210. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

The next party's sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011. Don't miss it!
Visit Lori at:

http://www.PrettyThingsBlog.com

The Pint Giveaway

2011-02-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, as usual, our wonderful soup party hostess has come up with a wonderful idea to have a giveaway of a pint of beads to go with the soup party. What a wonderful idea. She wanted everyone to visit at least three blogs and then comment on them to her on Sunday. I offered that if she didn't mind us borrowing her idea, then we could come up with our own "pints" to offer. Lori, being wonderful as usual, said she didn't mind us borrowing her idea.

So now, here is my offer. I am going to put together my own pint of beads tonight and will post photos tomorrow during the blog hop. Here is the challenge to you. My first soup party partner was Alice Craddick and my new partner is Cyndi Lavin. For those of you who visit both of their sites and comment on their blogs, I will put your names in a hat for my pint giveaway. I know it is going to take a long time to get to as many of the blogs as possible so I am going to give you one week to get to these sites. I will have my drawing next Saturday March 5th for my pint of beads.

Happy Blog Hopping and Let's Have Some Soup

Bead Soup Party - It's almost here

2011-02-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

Just five days and we all get to view each other's bead soup. I am sure many of you who are well organized are already done and have your photographs ready. The rest of us are probably spending every spare minute polishing our "masterpieces".

I must admit, my partner sent me such a selection that I decided to try and be productive and prepare not one but two pieces. The first one is virtually done but I am pushing to get the second one done. It is a new technique and I am learning it is difficult to learn a new technique on a deadline. I am sure there are others out there who have done the same thing at one time or another. What is it about the Bead Soup Party that makes us want to adventure into new territory? I guess that is what is great and challenging about this project. I am frantic to get my new piece done. I also attempted something new with an old technique. The anticipation grows. What comments will I get? Will they turn out or will they bomb? Is everyone else out there going through the same thing or am I just being obsessive?

The Bead Soup Is About To Boil Over

2011-02-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

As usual, I am behind. This is mostly due to unforseen circumstances. I was trying to get the photos of my bead soup beads posted but my camera died and the cat chewed through the cord that downloads the pictures. Now I have to get a new one before next week. Daugher got sick and then I got sick, yada, yada, yada. Hectic seems to be the word of the year.

In lieu of pictures, I am going to give a written description of the beads I received and a little bit of information about my wonderful partner. Imagine my joy at receiving my special package in the mail. Anticipation of what you will get is one of thrills that comes with participating in "Bead Soup". My partner Cyndi Lavin and I had emailed back and forth a few times to get to know one another's likes and dislikes and then she sent me beads in some of my most favorite colors. I received some turquoise colored howlite drops, some gorgeous dark blue czech glass beads, some beautiful aqua crackle glass beads, some beautiful teal resin beads and some teal/turquoise colored seed beads. My clasp was a pretty silver s-clasp. And what can I say about my focals. I didn't get one, but two! Cyndi sent me a beautiful lampworked bead that she made herself. Then I got a beautiful murano glass pendant. And to top it off, she sent me two beautiful dichroic glass beads that would make a wonderful pair of earrings and some C-lon cord. I feel so blessed!

Now, let me tell you about my partner. Cyndi Lavin is a designer, author, teacher..... and so much more. She has a wonderful website Beading Arts and a daily blog as well. I have been following her blog for at least a year now on a daily basis. She has also written a wonderful online book called "Every Bead Has a Story" which is a complete and very educational book about bead embroidery. You can imagine my surprise and pleasure to know Lori had chosen the two of us to be partners. This is the other big thrill with the "Bead Soup Party". It is always exciting to find out who your partner is and Lori does such a great job of matching everyone up. I must admit, I also feel a little bit intimidated by having such an esteemed partner. It is definitely challenging me to come up with new strategies and it is stretching my creativity. It was a challenge to send my partner just the right beads as her work is varied and exceptional. She said she loved my package and I certainly loved the one she sent me.

Now the struggle is to figure out what to do with them. Fortunately, my partner's blog has all sorts of tutorials and links that have helped me get some ideas. Now I just have to execute. If some of you are in that stumped position, check out Cyndi's site, you might find inspiration there as she not only features her own work, but the work of many others. And be kind to yourself and subscribe to her blog. It is my daily dose of creative juice. Only a week to go before the blog hop - I must get busy. Talk to you all later.

Bead Soup Party

2011-01-11T08:24:00.001-08:00

Well Gang, It's here again - The Bead Soup Party - If you haven't signed up yet, go to www.prettythingsblog.com for instructions on how to get in on this wonderful sharing opportunity. You have until 1/14/11 to sign up. I did it last time and made a friend for life.

Cords, Cords and More

2010-07-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

I am in customer service in my non beading job (yes, I still have to work to support my beading habit). As a customer service representative, there is nothing I appreciate more than good customer service. Today's times do not find many merchants that provide good service. However, I have found that in the "bead world" there are many stores who do provide good customer service. One such merchant is the Satin Cord Store in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a small home based business. They sell mostly by phone or online ordering. The Satin Cord Store is one of the best source for cords for macrame, knotting, kumihimo, etc. They carry most of the colors of Superlon. They also carry a great selection of Rattail and Chinese knotting cord. In addition to cords, they also offer a great selection of Kumihimo supplies, findings, art beads, ready to wear cords, all sorts of books and odds and ends.

According to Cathy, when Robin is not traveling around doing art shows, she does give some pretty special classes in Art Clay and soldering. Cathy helps to man the fort when Robin is gone and she is Customer Service Excellence! I have ordered from them twice and have been in a rush and my package has gotten out immediately and she has given me the exact information on when it will reach me. This latest was for my Bead Soup buddy. The store that was supposed to order the cord for those mission necklaces failed to do so and the project is due next week and she was in a real bind. I called Cathy and Voila, she has my cord arriving in Michigan tomorrow so that my buddy can get her necklaces done in time for the mission trip. I am consistently wowed by their wonderful customer service.

If you have needs for cords, kumihimo supplies or just want to browse in general, visit satincord.com or give them a call at 888-RAT-TAIL (888-728-8245). I don't think you will be disappointed.

I have not received any payment or goods or services for this endorsement. This is strictly an endorsement from my own experience with this merchant.

THE BEAD SOUP REVEAL

2010-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, Wow, Wow. What fun it has been this week to view all the wonderful designs from the cooking of the soups. It truly has been inspirational and has sparked my creativity to no end. At last, it is time for my reveal from my stash from my wonderful bead soup buddy Alice.

I have been furiously working on a freeform bracelet, my first, but alas, I am stumped and do not know where to go with it. I am making it from the lovely bead soup mix Alice sent me. I am going to add pictures to my blog once it is finished. I also made a necklace from the wonderful lampwork beads and turquoise beads that were included in my stash. I had it done but didn't really like it that much. I took a class this past weekend in wire works and learned a way to perfect my wrapped loops. On Sunday I attended the Intergalactic Bead Show in Charlotte, NC. Of course, it was a bead show and I am a beadaholic so I had to get lots of new goodies while I was there. The weekend got the pot on the burner and the soup started to simmer. I just had to tear apart my one necklace and make two instead.

The first one is my Natural Earth necklace. It is made with some multi colored jasper beads whose colors I chose to match the lampwork pendant. I wrapped them in copper and added copper chain and dangled my pendant and my two lovely lampwork beads from it. I was going for one of those long necklaces and I wanted the little beads to dangle up on my neck. These two little beads resembled little flowers so I inverted the bead caps to make them rise up out of the caps. I antiqued the copper to make it go better with the chain and components. This necklace is for me to enjoy as a reminder of my bead soup buddy. Then for the second necklace I used the turquoise rondelles with olive pearls, lemon fire polished rondelles, dyed fossil coral, brass chain and these funky beads that I dangled in between the loops of the chain. I call this my Sand and Sea Bounty necklace. The funky beads reminded me of shells and the turquoise reminded me of the sea and the pearls and coral represent part of the sea's bounty. I dangled one of my weekend purchases, a brass sea shell, off the end of the necklace. I liked the natural feel this necklace gave me. All in all, I was much happier with the end results of the two over the first one and I hope you will like them too. My thanks to my wonderful bead soup buddy and to Lori for holding such a wonderful event.

The Best Bead Giveaway Ever

2010-06-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Denise Yezbak-Moore is having a stunning giveaway of 7.5 lbs of beads. She is still taking votes on whether to gift the whole stash to one person or whether or not to split it into 6 separate giveaways. Go to her blog and put in your two cents worth and you will be entered in the giveaway and if you put it on your blog, you will get extra entries. Meanwhile, I am frantically trying to get ready for my post on Friday. Both my bead soup partner and I have been having all sorts of other things going on in our lives but we stay in contact each and every day. She is finished with her freeform bracelet that she made with my stash and I have one necklace made from her stash (although I think I may rework it tonight) and I am trying to finish my freeform peice. This has been such a fun thing and I am so happy I have a friend for life out of this venture.

Bead Soup/Buddies Forever

2010-06-18T11:50:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, I have been lax about posting about my participation in the Bead Soup Party but on my behalf, I have to say it has been a very hectic and sad month with four losses of people and animals close to me. But on to Bead Soup. I found this little post on Art Bead Scene about the second Bead Soup Party and I thought it might be fun to participate. I signed up and the pairings came out and we were to email our bead soup partner and find out a little more about what they did and then pick out a selection of beads and a clasp to send them and they in return were to do the same for us. I never imagined that when I signed up, I would gain a friend for life. I emailed my partner and she emailed me and thus a friendship was born. Somehow, in the mix of things, I was paired with someone my own age who was a seed bead weaver like myself. I know Lori tried to pair us up according to types of work, but how she managed to find the perfect pairing for me, had to have had a hand from above in on it. My partner sent me a lovely selection of lampworked beads done by a friend of hers along with a lovely bead soup sead bead selection. My clasp was a lovely button that we discussed via email and she also included a beautiful bracelet that she made for me and it was done in just my colors. How she knew that is unreal. I sent her a wonderful selection of brightly colored gemstone nuggets, some colorful sead beeds, some large hole lampworked beads with frogs on them (i found out after the fact she loves frogs) and some buttons she wanted and all sorts of miscellaneous beads. She made a freeform bracelet from part of what I sent her and I am anxiously awaiting the reveal. In the meantime, we email every day and bounce ideas off each other on all sorts of things. She was asked to do a project of 200 bracelets/necklaces for a mission trip. My best friend lost her granddaughter (who was also in a sense my granddaughter) to a still birth. I was led to contribute to my partner's endeavor by helping provide the crosses to go on the necklaces as a memorial to the baby. It was meant to be!!!. My partner and I share our daily lives and beading journey every day and it is all because of Bead Soup. Lori, I am sure you never thought about the ramifications of the bead soup beyond beading, but my partner and I thank you so much for bringing us together and we will be "bead soup buddies" for a long long time. We are already planning our next exchange of bead's between one another. We are also dreaming of meeting in person at a future Bead and Button Show and we are figuring out how we can win the lottery so we can go on the next Bead Cruise. If Lori decides to do another bead soup in the near future, jump on the bandwagon, you never know what kind of journey it will take you on.

Use The Muse IV

2010-04-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a major push but my Use the Muse IV piece is submitted after much blood, sweat and tears. This contest was a real challenge and the Muse and other components were unusual and it was a challenge to find a place for all the elements. The laundry didn't get done, the house didn't get clean but my piece got submitted. I am including a sneak peek of my color scheme to tease the senses. I can't wait for the Big Reveal to see what everyone did with this challenge. As always, it is a great experience that stretches your creativity and a great big thank you goes to Scarlett and Artbeads for sponsoring such a magnificent venue for the beading world.

Use the Muse IV

2010-02-23T06:16:00.000-08:00

I just wanted everyone to know how excited I am about the Beaders Muse Use the Muse IV contest. I entered the Use the Muse III contest for the first time and was a second place winner. You can imagine how excited I am now about the next competition. This one is going to be even better as Scarlett has broken down the entries into several categories. You can be a wireworker, beadmaker, bead stringer or bead weaver. There is something for everyone in this next competition. The deadline for pre-ordering your kit is February 25th at the reduced price. Kits will then be available until sold out. The deadline for entering your piece is April 12th. If you haven't ordered your kit, you need to get busy and get it done before the 25th to be sure you get one. This contest will really stretch your creativity to new levels. Go to thebeadersmuse.com to order your kit.