8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party

Every year, Lori Anderson (Pretty Things) hosts a huge bead soup blog party. This year, over 500 people were partnered up and exchanged beads to challenge each other to make something beautiful out of the beads they receive.

This is my first time joining the party and I had a great partner as a mentor. Her name is Laurie Vyselaar of Left Hand Jewelry  Please stop by and see what she made.

This is what I sent to her. Some mookaite beads, agates, sunstones, pearls, and amethyst beads.

She sent me a really colorful ecelectic collection of beads.  I grouped them in the  way I was thinking of using them to create.

Can you see that big blue polymer heart? That was the first piece I worked with. It was so pretty by itself I didn’t want a fancy clasp or a lot of beads to take attention away from it. I made some double infinity links for my chain and added a few bead units in the deep red beads, made myself a heart bale to hold it on the chain and here it is. Says lots of deep blue love, eh?

Check out the beautiful lampwork beads from Carolyns beads. I liked them so much, I checked out her shop and bought a set of different beads to make a necklace for my daughter’s Easter Egg. (oops, I got off track). Anyhow, the crisp white and beautiful green made me think of a Bible verse. YES, I know I am pagan but I have read the Bible, 3 times to be exact, cover to cover and I do know a verse or two. Here’s what I thought of.
Matthew 6:28
“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.…

And, yes, I know this is not a lily but it has that same pure white color and frankly, even Solomon in all his glory would have been proud to wear these beads. I made a bracelet using just the green and white beads and some love knots I hand made.

And last, but by no means least, my favorite thing. I want to know how you like it too. First, let me say that I simply fell in love with that fiber Laurie used to tie up my packages and made up my mind that I would use that as part of my soup.

Did you notice that ceramic focal from Captured Moments?   It’s a bright orange and I believe it was called Candy Apple. Well, when I think of orange and food, I think of SPICE, not candy. And when I think of spice, I think of Creole food. When I think of Creole food, I think of African ladies in New Orleans. When I think of African ladies, I think of one of my most favorites, the talented Angelique Kidjo And when I think of her, I think of my favorite song she sings, Zelie (pronounce it Zell…ee…aay). Zelie is a beautiful, raw and colorful song. That’s how I wanted my necklace to look. Spicey, raw colorful and beautiful. I think I got it down.

WAIT!!! Before you look, could you listen to the song?

 

And now, for the necklace.

 

 

 

Ooops! I forgot to use the clasp, a beautiful clasp she sent. It was too big to use with any of the pieces I made so I had to dream up a piece that would showcase that clasp. I made this gypsy cuff bangle using locker hooking with Sari silk ribbon and some shells and think it does a fine job of focusing on that beautiful clasp.

 Click here to visit Lori’s blog where there is a list of ALL the participants.