Wow! It's been a while

I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted on my blog. I haven't been intentionally neglecting my blog, just focusing on other things.  One being, finally opening a shop on Etsy.  

I have been planning this for a while, but was still lacking the confidence to take the final step.  Once the shop was open, I felt confident and ready for my first sale.  When I received the Etsy notification that I had made my first sale, I was elated at first and then started to freak out, loosing all sense of rational, and I couldn't think of my next step in the process.  Needless to say, I regained composure and completed the sale process smoothly.

And talk about perfect timing!  A day or so after opening my shop, I was contacted by Karen Martinez of Fairies Market inviting me to do a guest post on her blog.  This is a new post series for Fairies Market called Creator's Corner and will feature talented artist, sharing their life and creative works.  I am honored to be the guest of today's debut post!

Now back to my work table to finish some pieces that I hope to list in my shop before Monday.  Wishing all of you a wonderful and creative weekend!  Here are some links for your creative inspiration....

Something Sublime: Finding Creative Inspiration For Jewelry Artists And Creatives: 7 Ways

Fairies Market: Jewelry Designing with Color

Cold Feet Studio: A Little Monday Riveting

Art Jewelry Elements: Kiln Enameling for Beginners...that's me!

Earrings Everyday: We're All Ears September Reveal

Earrings Everyday, We're All Ears, May 2014 Challenge

Zigzag Nerite shells - Neritina Communis - from Atlantis Shell Co

I love the inspiration picture for the May challenge!  I am a long time collector of shells, with two bowls and a tea cup full, but I don't have any as beautiful as the shells in this picture.

I love the color combination of red and black and have several outfits with these colors.

So, I made two pairs of earrings, slightly different, the second pair adding the cream color from the shells.

I was happy with how the earrings turned out, and tried to take pictures that did them justice.

Thank you for stopping by!  Please visit Earrings Everyday for the links to all of the challenge participants blogs and see the lovely earrings they have created for this month's challenge.

Bead Soup Blog Party 2014

Welcome to my reveal for the 8^th Bead Soup Blog Party, hosted by Lori Anderson of PrettyThings

This is my fourth time to participate in Lori Anderson's BSBP and I have partnered with some very talented and creative jewelry artists! This year is no exception as I was partnered with the very talented Lauren Potts of Lp's Jewelry.

Lauren sent me two batches of beautiful soup ingredients, one in shades of blues, purples and greens, that includes a Lauren's handmade copper pendant, a copper clasp, ribbon crimps and bird charms. I love the lampwork beads that Lauren's boyfriend made and the faceted Amethyst is gorgeous! The other batch includes Lauren's handmade brass pendant, handmade clasp, an earthy mix of beads and brass chain and ribbon crimp. 

My first serving of bead soup is a necklace made with Lauren's handmade bronze pendant. I added a wire wrapped bail to the pendant, adding one of the large agate rounds (love these beads!). I added dangles of crystals and pearls to the top of the pendant. I strung several long lengths of brown wax linen to the bail and added another large agate round and a domed brass washer. I randomly knotted some beads and crystals from my own stash. The necklace is finished with Lauren's handmade clasp at the back.

 For my second serving of bead soup, I made a bracelet using the beautiful lampwork beads, faceted amethyst, green “opal jasper” rounds and the copper clasp. I added the Caribbean blue opal Swarovski crystals and copper spacer's from my stash. 

 I also made a pair of matching earrings, using the bird charms and two of the lampwork beads.

 And I was so inspired by these beautiful blue chalcedony drops, that I made another pair of earrings, using a pair of Rebekah Payne's Ridged Rounds polymer clay beads. My granddaughter love this blue and has asked if she can have these earrings when she's older (she's to young for dangle earrings) :-)

  

 

Oh, my goodness! This was just the tip of the iceberg! I still have so much left to work with and have several projects laid out on my bead table.

Please visit Laurens blog to see what she created with the Bead Soup ingredients that I sent her.

Thank you, Lauren for being such a great partner and sending a wonderfully inspiring Bead Soup!

Thank you, Lori, for taking time to organize the BSBP and working so hard to make everything run smoothly!  We appreciate your family's help too!

Thanks for visiting today! Please visit Lori's blog for links for all of the Bead Soup Blog Party participants!

My Soup Ingredients Have Arrived!

My bead soup ingredients actually arrived several weeks ago and I had started the blog post, but never published it (D'oh!), which I discovered when I logged in to work on my BSBP Hop post.  So, before you see my Bead Soup creations on May 10th, below are the wonderful ingredients that I received from my BSBP partner, Lauren Potts.

Lauren was very generous, sending ingredients for two soups, one in beautiful blues, purples and greens and another in lovely earth tones. She also included extra beads and pendants for future inspiration!

 

And, since I know that Lauren has already received her package from me, below is picture of the soup ingredients that I sent.

Please join me for the Bead Soup Blog Party reveal on May 10th to see what I was inspired to make with Lauren's soup ingredients!

April 2014 Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge

The art piece, Swaying Dancer by Edgar Degas, chosen for this months ABS Monthly Challenge is such a lovely piece and very inspiring. I just love the range of colors picked up in Brandi Hussey's color palette!

 Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green), 1877-79

by Edgar Degas

Pastel and Gouache on Paper

26" x 14" (66 x 36 cm)

 I had a hard time deciding whether I wanted to make a necklace or bracelet and finally decided on a pair of earrings.

 I had been hoarding my last pair of Rebekah Payne's lovely Sandy Beach Blue sand-etched rounds polymer clay beads and decided they would be perfect for this project. I incorporated Vintaj Arte Metal bead caps and some tulips with verdigris patina.  Also included are small orange fancy jasper rondelles, indigo crystal rondelles, 4mm Padparadscha Swarovski bicones and hand made silver filled ear wires. 

 Visit the Art Bead Scene blog, or The Art Bead Scene Flickr Pool to see the creative designs that have been submitted.

Have a blessed day!

Earrings Everyday April Challenge

I discovered the monthly challenges on Earrings Every Day last month, but to late to participate. I've been needing some creative nudging lately and thought this would be perfect.  I kept checking the EED blog for the April challenge, but when I first saw the inspiration photo for April.....nothin'.  I looked at the picture again the next day.  Still....nothin'.  Okay, maybe I won't be participating in April and I'll be inspired by the May challenge.

Later that day, I was working on my Bead Soup project and ran across some Wasabi colored roundelle beads in my stash and Bam! I had an idea for my challenge earrings.

 Mojito's on the Patio

Visit Earrings Everyday for the links to see all the challenge participants and visit their blogs to see the wonderful earrings they have created for this month's challenge.

Introducing My Bead Soup Blog Party Partner

 

I'm getting excited about the up coming Bead Soup Blog Party! How about you?

I'd like to Introduce my swap partner for the 8th Bead Soup Blog Party, Lauren Potts of Lp's Jewelry.

Lauren makes beautiful jewelry using natural elements such as gemstones, pearls, wood beads and feathers. She also incorporates handmade glass beads, crystals, mixed metals and silk ribbon.

 

Here are pictures of some of Lauren's beautiful jewelry pieces

You can see more of her lovely jewelry on her blog http://www.lpsjewelry.blogspot.com/ And her FB page at https://www.facebook.com/LPjewelry

Here is a sneak peak of the soup that I'm sending Lauren

 

So, what exactly is the Bead Soup Blog Party®?

• Lori Anderson pairs each of us with another jewelry designer
• We send our partners a quality package of beads.
• We make one or more pieces of jewelry with those beads, incorporating beads from our own stash as needed.
• The focal and clasp that we received MUST be used.
• We post pictures of our creation(s) on our blog on the reveal day, and we try to visit as many of the other designers' blogs.

I'd like to send a heart felt Thank You to Lori Anderson the creator, organizer and host of this event! Lori, her wonderful family and some other special people have worked very hard to make this years BSBP possible!

Please come back on May 3rd for the reveal and blog hop!