Lori Anderson's 5th Bead Soup Blog Party - REVEAL!!!!

YAY!!!  It's Lori Anderson's bead soup reveal day!  Honestly, I know I won't accomplish anything else but blog hopping today!  There will be no doing laundry, dusting (ok...I don't do that anyway), and the family is definitely going to have to fend for themselves today...It's ok...I stocked up on ready to eat snacks, and dinner is in the crock pot!

First, and foremost a HUGE thank you to Lori!!  I can't imagine after organizing a massive blog hop that she has a single nerve or a nary pink hair left on her pretty little head!!  So for you Lori:

My BSBP partner is Jennifer Cameron of Glass Addictions.  Awesome partner, who creates stunning lampwork beads and jewelry designs!  After exchanging a few emails with Jen, I set of in search off the perfect soup mix for her.  Here's what I came up with:

And the unbelievable soup beads I received from Jen:

When I received the coveted package, I held my breath as I lifted the lid!  As soon as I picked my jaw up off of the ground, it hit (as it usually does)...this isn't what I had expected?  In my own mind I had somehow picked out what Jennifer would send...am I the only one who does this?   Even though I have no control over the selection my partner puts together, I still somehow think I'm in control of the situation!  Yet more proof that this life is so unpredictable!  This is when the reality of Bead Soup Blog Party quandary descends...and for me, it's the best part of the hop!!  Reds, aquas, purples...oh my...now what?

Helping #1:  As bad as this sounds...I don't wear earrings often.  Stop "tsk-tsking" me!  I think it comes from years of office work, and always having a phone glued to my ear.  Many earring impressions later I just gave them up.  Sure, I wear them when we're out on the town, but unfortunately we don't paint the town very often!

I like whimsical, not only in jewelry, but in every aspect of life, and these fit the bill perfectly!  I had a couple of these brass starfish connectors laying around, and decided to use waxed cotton instead of head pins for more of a casual look and a lot more movement.  Jen sent me the amethyst nuggets, Czech glass, labradorite, and pearls and I added pressed glass, candy jade, magnesite, impression jasper, Swarovski, and lavender Czech glass shells.  Of course I had to add a little sari silk...it seems to creep into everything I create lately!

Helping #2:

I love bracelets!!  I don't tend to make them often, as that's my husband's department, but since I keep my Bead Soup creations for myself, I went at it!

I adore these lampwork beads that Jen made and included in my soup!  I'm not usually a red wearing girl, but I'll make an exception for these...maybe with the cute grey dress I have, yet never wear?  Jen also sent the "dangles" of tiny dusty purple pearls and AB lavender Czech rounds.  Also included in my soup mix, was a gorgeous pewter starfish clasp from Green Girl Studios.  I love "sea side" inspired components, but I couldn't for the life in me create a piece using it as the toggle.  Nothing seemed to "fit"...and after 3 failed attempts, I decided it would work best as a charm.  Being pewter, it stands out among the copper, almost making it as much of a focal as the lampwork...PERFECT!!  My all time favorite is coral.  Seriously, I hoard it...have bins of it...every shape, color, and size, so I accented all the loveliness of the lampwork with a single organic coral bead!  I recently tried my hand with Copprclay and using the bumps of Jen's beads as inspiration, made a sea urchin toggle clasp and a tiny little charm to complete the look (I know they're not the best, but I'm such a novice that it's not even comical).  The toggle and clasp haven't been tumbled yet, hence the dull sheen....but I was impatient and wanted to get photos ASAP!

Helping #3:  Quite possibly my favorite piece I've ever made for myself...which doesn't happen often!  But when I signed up for my first BSBP, I promised myself that the beads I received, and the pieces I designed would be just for me!!

The lampwork focal that Jen sent is absolutely amazing, yet it intimidated the hell out of me!  It sat on my bead table front and center for a few weeks...just taunting me!  I didn't want to just put it on a chain and call it a day, because I knew it deserved more!  It was destined to be a necklace, and I wanted it to be a signature, bold and artsy piece, 3 pounds of wasted copper wire later I came up with this!  Again it sat on my work table...I had the focal wrapped, but now what?  A few days later I was digging around in my mold container and spied tiny little resin frames that I had purchased (but forgotten about) to use for making molds, and the proverbial light bulb went off!  

Just days ago, I blogged that I very rarely wear any of the typical dainty beads that I create...which seems insane to me.  But, I'm a funky/bohemian type, and delicate just doesn't fit my personality, but I had an idea to make it work!  I made tiny picture frames from polymer clay, grunged them up, drilled them, and inset little polymer clay embroidered flowers/vines into each frame.  Dainty, yet more me!  The dangles are a mix of all the soup Jen sent me (including a single blue kyanite...I'm hoarding the remaining four) and a few from my own stash.  I've since relocated the teal shell spike to the other side as it distracted from the "crystal ball" lampwork, and we couldn't have that, now could we?

Group shot:

I never wear matching pieces...nor do I make them...it's against my religion! :)  So, while I wouldn't wear all of these pieces at the same time, (wouldn't I look like the circus coming to town?) I love that I can switch them up, yet they all coordinate.  Not to mention I think I found a favorite color palette of aqua and tomato red! 

Last minute creation...Helping #4:

I finally decided what to do with the amazing blue kyanite that was included in my soup! I love these lampwork beads from my own stash, and Coppr Clay seashells that I made for these earrings.  Everything will take a dip in liver of sulfur, but as usual I waited until I was completely out to order more!

Now, for a little sneak peak of a give away!  

I decided to share the "leftovers" from my soup (labradorite, pearls, amethyst and Czech glass), and created a bracelet with one of my new framed embroidery beads to hang front and center.  I'll give everyone a few days to blog hop before I post the actual give away.  Stay tuned!

I apologize for the shoddy photography of the last two pictures...I really was in a hurry!  I will retake pictures of  the give away bracelet before I post the actual give away next week!

So, there you have it!  I apologize for being long winded, especially since you have 200 other blogs to visit...but as usual, I'm usually the talker of the bunch!

Now, run along and check out all the other participants' creations!  

Click on the pic for the participants!!