Bead Hoader's Blog Hop

Sadly, I have to confess my jewelry is not completed for the blog hop. Time has gotten away from me taking care of my Mother.  She has been in the ER seven times since the end of March with extended stays resulting from five of the visits and the last trip was this morning.  You would think that I would have had time to bead while at the hospital but I just couldn't concentrate.  Once life it back to some what normal (what ever that is anymore!) I will post my creations.

Please take the time to look at everyone else's creations.  There are 159 beautiful artists showing off what they had in their treasures stashes.  I am so jealous of their beads.  I wish I could sneak in and check out their hidden collections!!!

Please click on Lori's name  to check out her blog and the links to everyone else. Lori Anderson

ZnetShows Summer Design Challenge

Hello Everyone!  It is time for the ZnetShows Summer Design Challenge.  I feel very honored to be asked again by Hope to design for their company.  This time the twist is that Hope partnered us up with another designer and they chose our beads for us from a huge selection that Bill picked out.  My partner is Donetta Farrington, a talented jewelry designer and creator from Portland, Oregon.  We emailed each other a couple of times before selecting the beads.  I found out that she used to live in Dover, DE (I live 45 min. from there.) and I have an Uncle who lives near her.  Our global world keeps getting smaller and smaller.  Please click on Donetta's name and visit her blog site.  She created some fantastic pieces of jewelry from the kit I chose for her.

Now without futher ado,  this is the kit Donetta chose for me:

Stone -- Jasper Marquis

Sea glass--  23 mm aqua rings

Pearl-- 3mm white pearls

Metal-- antiqued silver leaf chain

Crystal- Mint julep mix

Extras-  gemstone triangle beads

 and seafoam green sea glass pebbles

Oh my goodness, she did a fantastic job picking out for me.  I love the colors and got so excited to start designing.  I knew immediately that I wanted to incorporate a spiral stitch using the crystals, pearls and pebbles, but Donetta threw me for a loop with the aqua rings. I kept looking at them trying to imagine them with the seafoam pebbles and the crystals.  I fiddled with the some more then it dawned on me I had the perfect crystals from ZnetShows last challenge and hmmm the metal leaves then hmmm a pair of earrings were born.

The jasper marquis called to me and said "I want to be a bracelet."  I figured that if stones were going to talk to me I had better answer so the bracelet was formed, but it seemed to be missing something.  After taking it apart five times I realized that they needed the crystals and leaf charms from the leaf chain so I started taking apart the chain and wrapping the crystals.  I just love the bracelet and can't wait to show it off.

Finally, I finished my first idea-- the spiral necklace using the crystals, pearls ,and  pebbles.From my stash, I found mother-of-pearl chips, seafoam sea glass nuggets, and the perfect seafoam green seed beads.

A closeup of the spiral

The finished necklace

Special thanks to Bill and Hope for giving me this opportunity to design again for them.  Their web site is awesome and their products are fantastic with very excellent prices.  Please visit ZnetShows, Inc. you will not be disappointed!  Be sure to visit their blog ZnetShows.blogspot.com to see all the participants in this challenge. 

Bead Hoarder

Just a quick post.   I watch the show, Extreme  Hoarders, and think to myself  "I will never be like that." However, when I go into my bead room---- Oh My Goodness!  I seem to just love to buy beads, think of a project to make with them at the time of buying them and then just can't part with them. I know that I am not alone in this situation because 167 artists signed up for the Bead Hoarders Blog Hop sponsored by Lori Anderson.  Everyday I see Lori's name or think about her I am thankful to know her.  She is giving me the incentive I need to get off my butt, dig out the stash of beads in my room and create!  Thank you Lori!

Please check back on July 20th for my blog posting.

7th Bead Soup Revel --- Second Revel

Well as usual I am running a bit behind in posting my blog.  I received a fantastic Bead Soup from my partner, Judy Robinson She turns plain ordinary wood into beautiful Native American flutes, vases, beads, and cabochons.  I have had much fun reading her blog and learning about her skills.
As I said Judy sent me a fantastic bead soup. In case you didn't see my earlier blog, here is a picture of what she sent me.

The first item I played with was the number 11 seed beads.  I set up my loom and began a bracelet which I love!!

Then  I kept staring at the two cabs she made.  The larger one is beautiful but the smaller cab made out of  splatted maple just kept calling me.  The markings looked so much like the beach and ocean horizon.  So I dug into my stash found a sea shell and two fossils and went to work.  (Let me tell you although I am not happy that Lori has been so ill I was thankful for the extension last week). This piece just grew on it's own.  A friend asked me where do you get your ideas for the bead placement and my response was "the beads go were they want to."  I think that this is one of the best pieces I have made and the first I have titled-  A Walk Along The Beach.  I know there aren't too many lavender boardwalks but in my bead world there is.

The focal piece from Judy.

The fossils

The seashell

The clasp from Judy

I still have lots of goodies left from my soup mix and ideas are forming but for now I need to explore what everyone is posting.  Happy Blogging friends and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Pleas check out  Judy's blog and visit the board on 7th Bead Soup Blog Party board.  The Jewelry art is fantastic!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINKS ON LORI ANDERSON'S BLOG TO VISIT ALL THE GREAT ARTISTS IN THE SECOND REVEL!!!   http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2013/04/the-7th-bead-soup-blog-party-second.html

Thank you Lori for a wonderful fantastic job with this Bead Soup Party.  I know it have been an act of love for you!

Special Surprise!

Several weeks ago, I received a very special surprise.  Kathy from ZnetShows e-mailed me concerning my blog.  She had read it and asked if I would be interested in designing for their March newsletter.  Of course, I said Yes!!!! A couple of days later I received a fantastic collection of beads to design with.

I was on the way to Newport News, VA to see my brother so the package went with me and the imagination kicked in.  I visited two of my favorite bead stores The Bead Store and Bead Retreat.   At the Bead Store, I found the perfect sea glass blue seed beads (along with a bunch of other beading supplies you can never just buy one thing at a bead store), then off I went to Bead Retreat.  She doesn't have a web site but her address is 1105 William Styron Sq. S., Newport News, VA (just in case you live down in the area)  I found the coolest sea charms and chain at her shop (and more extra beading supplies) and she is a wonderful person to visit.  Back to Tom's house I went and started creating.

The sea glass shell pendants and crystals are from Znet and I combined it with a spiral rope. I was so excited about this necklace I finished it in just two hours.

 Next, a simple chain necklace with a shell pendant and charm with matching earrings. Note the earring have shell chain drops.

I then made a RAW (right angle weave) bracelet  using three of the sea glass nuggets, a third necklace with the daggers, three pairs of earrings, one with daggers, one with sea glass bottle top rings, and the third with pearls and crystals.

Of course I help loads of help with my designs from two very critical inspectors--

 Marvin and Emma.  Somehow every once in a while one or the other would join me at the table and as usual lay right on top of my work. Sigh, oh well.

Finally, a picture of everything I created.  I had so much fun with this design project.

I would like to thank Kathy and Bill for this chance to design using their sea glass and crystals.  They have a very interesting blog on how the sea glass is created, please visit it. Znet blog on sea glass.  Also please visit their web site

7th Bead Soup Blog Hop

Good Evening Everyone!  It is now time to stir up the ingredients for my Bead Soup, get my imagination in high gear, and create sometime beautiful with my soup I received from my wonderful partner Judy Robinson!
This is Judy's first time with the Blog Hop and my third time and I wish I could stop drooling over what she sent me.

First, I opened the box and it was filled with a beautiful soft tie-dyed purple bag. (One of my favorite colors!)  And in the bottom was a letter from Judy.  She stitched up the" beadle bag" for me from her flute bag materials.  Judy designs, creates and embellishes Native American flutes.  And by creates I mean she turns the wood herself to make the flute. I am in awe of her talent and skill!

Back to the soup ingredients-- I opened the bag and found the following ingredients:
Natural color mix of #8 seed beads, 4 cathedral beads, 2 brown stone beads, 4 green-gold speckled glass beads, #11 golden grain seed beads, #11 jade green delicas, a copper toggle, and two gorgeous wood cabochons. (more about them in a minute)

   The cabochons are extra special to me because Judy turned them herself!  The larger one is made from her favorite wood, sycamore.  This piece is from a Florida sycamore that was six years old which had to be taken down.  The cab is so awesome you can count the rings.

The second cab is a little smaller and from a spalted maple.Judy explained that spalting in wood comes from  fungi when it attacks the wood.  (Please check out her blog for more pictures of items she has turned.)

I think both cabs are fantastic and I can't wait to use them.Of course, you will have to wait until the second revel to see what I have created!  Judy and I are in the second revel---  April 6th so please come back!

Thank you, Judy for the wonderful soup ingredients.