Mmm That's Some Tasty Soup!

So it may have taken a little longer than expected to get ready for my big 3 day show, and as a result I completely forgot to schedule the Bead Soup reveal in advance and am a day and a half late. My apologies to everyone! So my awesome partner, Cassie Donlen sent me her awesome handmade beads, bead headpins, and enameled pendant (not to mention all the other beads, findings, and cool chain) I was over the moon excited!  Here is what she sent me again:

I ended up making a few different things using what she sent combined with a few of my beads, and I still have lots of beads left over! I immediately knew I wanted to make a bracelet with the larger beads and the focal b/c I love a good toggle clasp on a bracelet! I used the large beads, the small spacer beads she made, and a few of my own beads.

Next I used the long silk in a moon face necklace of mine. The colors of the bermuda blue crystals went great with the deep turquoise color of the silk, and it was just what this long necklace needed to complete its dreamy feel.

Lastly, I used the funky, large silver chain in a fun charm bracelet. I used a different, multi-color blue/turquoise silk, along with a few of her beaded headpins. I added random beads and fun sea charms. I'm calling this one "Sea Spray." There are a few copper pins thrown in the mix...fitting since Sea Spray could cause certain metals to rust, as I learned the last time I was at the beach! 

I hope you've enjoyed my soup, I had a lot of fun cooking it up. Please visit the other participants by going to the main list page HERE Definitely visit Cassie by the link at the top if you haven't already, the necklace she made is awesome!

April ECHO Creative Club Reveal

It's reveal time for the Echo Creative Club!!  If you missed my preview post, I have one of Jeannie's Lonely Heart Pendants. 

Last year I had another style of heart from her, and I created this awesome necklace that I decided was too over the top for it to be wearable. Now I'm not saying I wasn't proud of the design, I did put a lot of thought and time into it, but at the end of the day, it was too much for my personal style to really wear it. And I do love funky hearts, so I wanted to make something this time that I could and would enjoy wearing. I already knew I wanted to make it longer this time so it would fall below my bust line. Everything that falls above it looks funky on my thanks to my body type. dI ended up using this fine rolo antiqued silver chain and some fun steampunk gears and links. I made a connector by glueing a Tim Holtz tiny gear onto a slightly larger copper gear, then used a hole punch to make it a link. It is 2 sided, so if it flips around, it looks the same. I knew I was going to keep it simple but asymmetrical, so I balanced the other side with 2 smaller links, and used a section of double chain between to give it more weight. Something told me to stop there. I know it is simple, but that's how I like my jewelry most of the time b/c I am usually running around in yoga pants, such is the life of a mother. That being said, I wasn't trying to take the easy road necessarily, but rather wanted to highlight the pendant itself, which is really the star, and compliment it with a similar asymmetrical, whimsical feel in the chain without totally overdoing it. I used a larger gear to link the pendant to the necklace and voila! What do you think?

I hope you like it, I have been fretting over whether it was too simple, but at the end of the day, I like it and will definitely be wearing it - today in fact! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, please visit the other participants listed below!

Dagi http://www.kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/
Jeannie K Dukic http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog
Lola Surwillo  http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com/

Creativity in the Works

Hello all,

March came and went quickly thanks to our wonderful 9 day vacation to Orlando. April has been a month of catching up, custom orders, and preparing for a 3 day show I'm doing at the end of the month. It is also a month of creativity, as I have 2 different design challenges in the works. The first is the Polymer Clay Bead Challenge with the Echo Creative Club. We take a bead that is gifted to us by the ever creative Jeannie K Dukic and design something with it. This month, I had one of her fabulous Lonely Hearts Pendants.  

Isn't is cute?!  I think so. I will post the final piece I made on the 25th of April.

Next up is the one and only Bead Soup Blog Hop! My partner for this event is the oh so talented Cassie Donlen. Click her name for her website, or click HERE for her blog.  She is an incredible designer and glass bead maker, among other mediums. She sent me a gorgeous bead soup including one of her focal enameled flower clasps found HERE as well as 3 of her candy pop beads, found HERE.  There were also an array of other glass beads, some of her handmade glass bead headpins, fantastic funky chain, and a beautiful dyed silk. It was like a bead filled birthday! I am so lucky to have been paired with a bead maker as talented as she, so please check out her stuff and show her your love and support if you are in the market for some unique components! Also her finished jewelry is fantastic! I especially love her cool, funky bangle bracelet sets! 

Here are photos of the soup she sent. First, the attractive packaging was so cute!

Then you open the boxes and bag, and here is what was inside!

Here is a close up of the beads, spacers and headpins, and focal clasp, I just love everything about all of them!

I've had so much fun working with these colorful and whimsical components. I can't wait to show you all what I made. The reveal date is April 27th, so look for my reveal on that day!

Thanks for checking out my creative challenge components and reading!