7th Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal!!!

Today is the day!!! I am so excited to finally get my post up!  I was supposed to be in the first reveal, but life sometimes gets in the way of what I need to do and what I want to do, and even after taking extra time, there has been more chaos and sadness at our house. Among the many things going on and going wrong, we lost our big Greyhound, MacIntyre, he was a dear, sweet soul that slept with my son especially when my son was sick., he watched over our Wolfhound, Elka, especially when she was new to the family and so sick and was an all around fun, bouncy, funny dog. Sigh.... so here I am!
Dear Shannon Hicks is my bead buddy for this BSBP( http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/ ), she sent me the most beautiful beads... Amber, Carnelian, Wood Jasper, Picture jasper, Delicas, crystals, silver lined seed beads... well... she didn't just send one focal... she sent two, she didn't just send a clasp... she sent two! The first focal is a beaded globe that is absolutely beautiful, the second is a tube of swirled peyote stitch that is just as beautiful... the first clasp was hammered copper type, the second matched the tube... I was in love!

Close up of the wire and bead crochet

                                 I don't normally step outside my color pallet... I know, that's not that creative, but I choose light colors normally... aqua, turquoise, white, pink... OK, so I do like those colors but it goes to my eyes as well, I have had several eye operations for axial myopia and for cataracts and then to remove scar tissue, and now I am facing one more to help my retina... hopefully it will all end up with me wanting to use bright, dark and in between colors! For now, I have had a wonderful time playing with all the beads that Shannon sent. I started playing with them the night that I received them... I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with them, didn't sit down and sketch out anything, just started doing a right angle stitch because I really loved all the beads and wanted to use them all, I thought if I made a pattern with the right angle and then used some of the beads as a fringe and used the tube and matching clasp that it would be great.... not so much, I took it out and started all over with something that would incorporate all the colors in it. I think I did ok with it, the necklace is something that I have been playing with for a while, I have some Celtic Knot beads and stone and I liked it so I adapted it and used some of the stone and chains that I had

planned on using anyway, added clay, metal. glass, crystal, stone, bone and some wire crochet that I had fun doing...but then last week I saw something similar on a page of Facebook... ugh... I hate that. I hate it when I play with an idea for too long and then someone else posts something so close to what I had been working on. I suppose that is normal isn't it? I had probably seen something somewhere that got me thinking on those lines anyway... So I did this necklace and got off track and made a bracelet and then a pair of earrings, ring, another ring, and another... I used the focal that Shannon sent as part of the necklace and used the clasp as part of the focal and the other part of the clasp is used higher up than the focal... I loved that clasp... I couldn't help using the clasp ring as part of the focal instead of as a clasp. The work in it is so beautiful and it echos the circle of stone...



Watch back showing clasp

Here is the watch I put together, I made it a bit more plain but when I had time in between the original reveal and now, I added a bit more to it, I like that it is dangly without being too much. I used metal, clay, bone, glass and crystal.

 Metal has always fascinated me and when I got the chance I took a class from Gwen Youngblood who is my hero! I love her work, and she got me thinking I could do just about anything that I set my mind to!

Watch

Later on I took a class from Richard Salley that opened up my eyes and gave me wings! He is probably one of the best teachers that I have ever had. I may not have been the best in class or the fastest... matter of fact, I think I was the slowest, but he encouraged and helped, and when he found out that I didn't have a clue what I was doing, he came by and would ask me questions and get me to thinking. I would dearly love to go to Mexico and take his week long course. ahhhh.... what would be more enjoyable? I used some of the beads from the soup mix in this and the second clasp is here. I mixed clay, metal, glass, crystal, bone and wire, and can't forget the riveting!



Another bracelet that I made out of an old fork. I like to pound away at the silverware, but this one was pretty hard, Stainless steel! It did come out to a pretty patina though, I used clay, stone, glass, acrylic, metal and wire.



Forged Forkcuff



I love that the colors in this were so earthy. It is rare that I use gold tones, but this got me working with them. I have a ton, don't get me wrong, I buy gold tones of things but they seem to never see the light of day, I fondle them and put them away in a drawer, thinking there will be a project for them... YES!



Then there are the rings, I had fun with those, I made one funky, one kind of nice, and one that I didn't like at all, so I didn't take a pic of it :)



 

second ring

 Earrings were fun, I used the Celtic Knotted Amber from the mix, they are something that I will definitely wear! I used some earring findings that I have had forever, and some chain that I've had forever, and a mix of the beads from the mix, adding some pearls and glass red beads to the mix. The chain isn't great but it is hidden enough in  here that it works.

I haven't made earrings for myself in ages. Don't know why, but I love earrings, always have... but just never get around to wearing any. This has really reminded me how fun they are and I will wear them.

 Then there is this... the other focal that Shannon sent. It is beautiful on it's own and I thought about just putting it on a beautiful chain or ribbon.... but I have been playing with Celtic Knots for a while, and I keep finding someone else that has something like mine, then I change it more... well. this is it   I absolutely can't see to do any small beadwork, I had to use a magnifying glass to do this, and that is something that I share with Shannon. She is visually challenged as well, so I know that Lori didn't consciously know that she was pairing us for that reason, but she sure did a great job!

Huge thanks for the wonderful mix of beads and findings! They really got me to looking another direction and a different color selection for sure.

We have been through so much recently, my son and his health issues and school... my work, company, the dogs, and my Mom... throw in a holiday and some crazy weather and it has been a wild ride. Here's to surviving spring break, STAAR testing, Vet visits, crying little boys, and the Bead Soup Blog Party! I have enjoyed every minute that I have spent browsing and loved looking at all the work and reading so many wonderful blogs. There are so many creative and fun people out there, I would love to know every one! A HUGE thank you to Lori Anderson for getting us all together, she has done a fantastic job and we all appreciate her work. Take a minute if you haven't looked at the list of people and their blogs that are participating  at http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/ and look at as many as you can, there are some amazing artists out there!
This has been fun!!