Yes, this really is my Bead Soup post!

Well, first off I am so sorry to be late.  I almost did not post anything at all, due to a trip planned after I had signed up for this event.  I really enjoy doing this blog hop so I thought I could fit it all in, but alas I could not.  I have half of an amazing charm bracelet completed, but it just was not going to happen in time.  So this morning, I took the advice of my crafting pal Joanne Huffman and made a simple assemblage with my focal.

Here is what I was sent by my partner Tanya Wiles.  The piece that she made from what I sent her is really lovely, so please take the time to stop by and leave her some blog love!

As I said before, I started an intricate charm bracelet, but just could not finish it in time.  The amazing hand forged clasp was already attached and I had already used up all those yummy flower beads, so unfortunately they did not make it into my little assemblage where I used my focal.  I know this does not align with the expectations of the hop, but I conceded this morning that something was better than nothing!  I hope you all understand.  Lori, I am so sorry!  Please be sure to stop by Lori's blog here to see what she is up to and also gain access to the blog addresses of all the participants!

Now, I really can't take credit for this idea either.  The house here was made by a wonderful artist Nichola Battliana.  She generously sent me a bunch of goodies a while ago and I thought this was the perfect venue for my cute little fairy home.  The concept was totally hers as well! :)  Thanks for the inspiration Nichola!  She makes wonderful (and way more intricate) teacup dwellings and sells them on her etsy shop.  Please stop by her shop to see her wonderful whimsical work.

The teacup in my piece was actually picked up on my recent trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  I was on the hunt for them due to Nichola's inspiration.  In the north country we have garden gnomes or wee people who help animals.  This cup was found at the last rummage sale I hit on my way out of town.  I could not resist going to one more sale that I saw across the street from my favorite pasty shop, and it payed off.

During my time up north I visited lots of spots that were "Pure Michigan." (cue music...Michiganders, you know what I am talking about...)  I spent time in Crystal Falls and Copper Harbor, I visited the monks for thier sweets at the Jampot and dipped my toes in cool lakes.  I spent quality time with extended family at our camp, ate thimbleberries and raspberries right off the bush, combed beaches for agates, and read three books.  I took in local art, fresh local fish and farm fare, paid respects to my elders and drank strong coffee over rich conversations.

The statement is so true: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."


Cheers,

Rhea  

The bead soup is simmering

I am happy to report that my bead soup has arrived and I am totally up for another challenge.  My partner, Tanya Wiles at Tenebrous Hollow Studio, is a fiber artist and she makes some really interesting pieces.  She also hand forged the tiny little clasp!  The focal is really unique and I have never worked with anything quite like it.  This should be an adventure once again. 



Here is another shot after I stirred my soup.  Look at all that handy work in the flower, really neat. There are so many interesting little bits and pieces, an idea is beginning to brew...  If you have no idea what this event is all about, please hop on over to Lori's blog and read all about the fun.   



Now that Tanya has her parcel, here is a picture of what I sent to her.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with, and the blog hop is always fun. 



The reveal date for my group is August 11, so be sure to come back and check out the results of this fabulous exchange.

Cheers,

Rhea

Making some Bead Soup

I have had so much fun the last two times, I decided to play once again in the Bead Soup Blog Party, hosted by Lori Anderson. 

This time around my partner is Tanya Wiles.  Her blog can be found here.  I am excited to see what she sends as her personal style is still a mystery to me.  I hope she can find use in this little batch of beady soup!  Here is a teaser that I will reveal once she gets her parcel.

The whole idea is to send some bead soup (a focal, a clasp and some complimentary beads) to your partner, make something from what they send you and then show it off on a blog hop.  It is such an inspiring exercise.  You never know what you will get and it really helps you work outside of your traditional supplies.   Here is what I conjured up the first time around.  To read more about it the post is here.

The second round was really tough, but I was up for the challenge.  I really learned a lot from my second round.  To read about my doughnut saga read here.

I hope you will all tune in to see what this year will bring for both me and my partner.  This round there are three reveals and mine will be on August 11th.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Time for the Bead Soup Blog Party!

Hey there loyal followers and hopefully some new ones! 

Welcome to my little corner of the Bead Soup Blog Party (BSBP).  I am super happy to post my big reveal for Lori Anderson's BSBP.  Please head over to Lori's blog for a full list of participants in order to be able to fully enjoy the experience of the hop. 

Here is a picture of what my partner Cory sent along to inspire me.  I have to admit, this was a major challenge for me!  She sent me lots of items that were of a larger scale than I typically work in.  Also, in the past, I have not necessarily embraced the gemstone donut as a viable centerpiece.  I love how this exchange offered me the opportunity to stretch myself creatively.



My favorite part of my soup was the clasp she sent.  I am not used to working with metals in a finish other than silver, I love how this experience pushes us to try new things.  I did decide that I was going to make something that could utilize this clasp as a focal, so here is what I made.



I really love the color combo on this piece.  Again, this is not something I would usually do in terms of color palate.  Typically I have been wearing this piece with the clasp in front but off center, but I could easily wear the clasp in the back for a different look.   I was amazed at how difficult it was to find beads with a copper finish in the mainstream shopping experience.  I had to seek out a local specialty bead shop in order to find adequate supplies.   



And then there was the donut...I am not going to lie, for me this was difficult to use.

I was able to use the focal by utilizing lots of other fun materials from Vintaj.   Again, I was stumped on size.  After lots and lots of consult with my artsy friends, I embraced my giant modified focal and added a simple chain.  The necklace is quite long as I used 36 inches of chain. 



And here, a nice close up of my focal.  I really love the look of the patina on the bird.  This little detail also actually ties the two pieces together quite well. 

 

Here you can see how nice they look together.  Surprisingly, they coordinate very well.

 



I still have some left over soup to continue to challenge me.  I really love those cream colored carved beads, but everything I tried to make with did not work due to the size issue.  I do not give up easily.  I am confident my extra beads will end up in a project soon.  There is a special place I am going to use Cory's handmade bail, so stay tuned to see the completion of a really cool mermaid project soon.  

Thanks as always for stopping by!  I hope you will use the links provided above to visit other blogs on the hop!

Cheers,

Rhea

A bit of Bead Soup

I am so excited to be able to get crafting now that I have my bead soup.  My partner Cory sent along a lovely parcel of beads for me to play with for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party. 



I love, love, love the copper toggle.  I am not sure which focal I will use, I do love the handmade peyote bail made by my partner.  She packaged everything so nice and included this handmade embellishment pictured below.  I do have to say that these beads are of a much larger scale than I would usually choose for myself.  This is the spirit of the challenge though and I welcome the opportunity to try to create something outside of my creative box. 

        

   

Here is the reveal of the beads I sent her.  We are allowed to show off what we sent once they have been received. 



Keep following along and before you know it the blog hop will be upon us!

Cheers,

Rhea

Bead Soup Teaser

I was lucky enough to be selected in the lottery for this installation of the Bead Soup Blog Party.  This is hosted a few times a year by Lori Anderson.  As the hostess, she connects fellow bloggers and jewelry artists and we exchange "bead soup."  This consists of a quality packet of beads which has to include a focal, a special clasp and some complementary beads.  Participants are challenged to use at least the clasp and focal in a project.  Then we all post on the party day check out each other's work.  I have done this once before, and I really enjoyed the process. 

My partner this round is Cory Celaya.  I am really excited, as her style is quite different than mine. Her work is absolutely lovely.  She has a real boho/tribal/gypsy style, from what I can gather.  Hopefully this connection with a different genre of work is inspirational for both of us.

We are allowed to post teasers of what we send prior to our partners getting the beads.  Here is a sneaky peek of what Cory has coming to her.

I will post a full reveal once she gets her beads and I receive mine.  Thanks for following along!

Cheers, 

Rhea 

A serving of Bead Soup

I hope you all are hungry for some jewelry inspiration.  I am partaking in a really great art event called the Bead Soup Blog Party.  Recently my partner Kari, over at Pearl and Pebble sent me a lovely mix of beady ingredients.  We were challenged by our hostess, Lori Anderson, to use our ingredients and make a lovely item to post on our blogs today.

The pendant, which is so lovely, is from Muddy Fingers.  This would be a challenge for me, as I have never really utilized ceramic in my beading endeavors before.  I do love the color, the pattern and the exquisite texture this pendant has.  I also received all kinds of wonderful stones and a clasp that is way too pretty to reside on the back of one's neck. For this reason I made two pieces and used both the clasp and the focal as center pieces. 

      



I picked up the spacers and the larger green faceted beads in a lovely shop called Bead Heaven in Downers Grove.  I splurged on something I probably would have not usually purchased for myself, as I was on vacation and I had the blog party to complete.  I think my investment paid off.  When stringing this piece I used color blocking, which is something I have never done in jewelry.  I love how the blog party has stretched me creatively.



The clasp is one I have been hording for quite some time, many years in fact.  I purchased it at Bead in Button and loved the little moon on it.  Again, I justified the specialness of this project to use a quality item.  I used blog party as opportunity to read up a bit more on photography and display.  I think I may have learned a little as the close ups are more interesting picures. 

                         

 

For the second piece, I wanted to showcase the clasp.  The focal here is from Bead Heaven and I used a few more of the accent beads from Kari.  I pushed myself again and did not do a symmetrical pattern.  I made lots of mini patterns in a slightly random way.   This necklace had to be strung twice.  The first time I made it, I put the pendant really close to the focal and my clasp would not lay correctly. I took it to an artsy gathering and consulted with my pals.  They were able to advise that the clasp move up a bit.  I am grateful for their input, as it really made a difference.  Can you see why I did not want to hide that clasp?  It is so pretty!



I still have some beads left from this wonderful exchange.  The large white ocean jasper is totally stumping me, due to their scale.  I hope to use the momentum of this experience to stretch myself to use them in something soon. 

Thanks for stopping by!  There is so much more soup to share.  Please stop over to the Bead Soup Blog Party to see the links for all the other players, they would love to have you!

Cheers,

Rhea