Monday, June 4, 2012

Cup of Bead Soup winners are....


The three lucky winners who will design with me are:





Congratulations!  Lea will be contacting you soon.


The next Cup of Bead Soup will be after 
the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party
(or should I say parties as we will have three hop dates)
and will have FIVE slots

and this time, 
international folks CAN participate!!!!





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Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party tm.   


Join me at the Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Sign Ups for Cup of Bead Soup with Lea Avroch

If you've been a follower of my blog, you're familiar with my Cup of Bead Soup project.  For the past year, I've purchased beads, sight unseen, from various bead makers and tasked myself with creating things with components I didn't choose myself.  It's been a fantastic way to push my design skills and break out of making the same old/same old.  In essence, it's a one-woman-production of the Bead Soup Blog Party.  


But this year, I changed things up.


Now, three lucky people will be chosen at random, and these three designers will receive the same bead I do.  We'll make our pieces and have a mini-blog hop on June 30th.





Lea Avroch is this month's Cup of Bead Soup contributor.  She's a fabulous lampwork artist and she's created a gorgeous focal bead for us.  It's made with silver glass (expensive and touchy to use so I haven't gotten the nerve to use it yet!) with murrini and beautiful patterning.  For this Cup of Bead Soup, you'll receive this focal -- and you use your EXISTING STASH to make something. 


Measurements 

width  ~32 mm
height  ~30 mm
depth ~ 14 mm

Cost $25 (which includes shipping)
 (US participants only this time, I'm sorry!)


To throw your name in the lottery:

1) Click here to comment
 with a way to contact you

2)Blog, Facebook, or Tweet it for extra chances


Winners announced June 3rd.

Please visit Lea's sites:




  

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Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party tm.   


Join me at the Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Welcome to the Cup of Bead Soup Reveal for Nan Emmett!

If you've been a follower of my blog, you're already familiar with my Cup of Bead Soup project.  In 2011, I purchased beads, sight unseen, from various bead makers and tasked myself with creating things with components I didn't choose myself.  It's been a fantastic way to push my design skills and break out of making the same old/same old.  In essence, it's a one-woman-production of the Bead Soup Blog Party (and sign ups for THAT are coming so SOON!)  Anyway, I changed the process for 2012 to include three additional designers, the same set of beads, and made it a mini-hop.  Each Cup of Bead Soup, you'll have the chance to sign up to participate and be chosen randomly.



This month's bead artisan is Nan Emmett.  Nan and I met online when she first started making beads and I've loved her work ever since.  To remind you, this is the set the four of us used:




I started with the bird pendant.  I wanted to make something spring-like, and thought of tree blossoms on the branch.  I followed the color of the pendant with the green and the yellow matching links and the blue in the Czech glass and lucite flowers.  To stay spring-like, I added purple, pink cording, and to top it off, a leaf toggle clasp.




To make the pendant piece, I took a 10-gauge piece of sterling silver and hammered it as flat as a I could into a slight curve.  I touched the ends of the silver to the torch to round them out a bit, as cutting this heavy a gauge of wire usually leaves some rough ends.


Next, I took 24-gauge wire and lashed a profusion of flower charms to the branch.  On either end, I made sure to leave one loop slightly above the surface so I could connect the pendant to the rest of the necklace.  The flowers are a mix of Thai silver and vintage lucite.



I used one purple patinaed link from a chain by Miss Fickle Media  to attach the bird pendant. I just liked transferring the pastel colors instead of adding a silver jump ring, and it's all about the details for me.


Once again I challenged myself by using waxed linen instead of wire linkages or beading wire.  I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with it!


My next piece is much more delicate, and uses Nan's disk with the hole in the middle, a few of my lampwork beads, Czech glass, and seed beads.

I took one of the leftover Thai silver flowers and  gently mashed the round loop to a narrow rectangle.  I then threaded a piece of wire through the rectangle and the hole in the disk, bent it upwards, and make a bail.  Again, details -- a pretty dangle on the end of the extender chain.  I like doing this because it also adds a small amount of weight as a bit of a counter-balance to the necklace.



Next, I used Nan's organic faceted ceramic beads in blue and green, one of my lampwork beads, and a few purple patina beads from Miss Fickle Media.  This is a double-stranded bracelet, incorporating the remaining purple chain I'd taken a link from for the first necklace and a matching purple toggle clasp.



Once again I went for the waxed linen, this time in purple.  Fiber and cording works wonders on large-hole beads!  The silver beads are a recent find from AD/Adornments.


Lastly, Nan gave us all a surprise -- a Cup of Soup pendant!   This one I worked up in copper, blue Czech glass from the first necklace, the last of my Miss Fickle Media purple rings, a bit of peach and ivory to balance the pendant's colors, and some touches of coral pink.  A double strand of copper and a hook clasp that closes on the side of the necklace complete the look..





Now visit the three jewelry designers who used
the same components
but put their own style into them!
and 
Patty Gasparino

Please visit Nan Emmett's shop
for limited edition Cup of Bead Soup sets!

(Convo her to reserve one if you don't see them right away.)

Etsy Shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/SpiritedEarth 
Stay tuned for the next Cup of Bead Soup lottery sign ups
featuring a special focal from
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Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party tm.   
Join me at the Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Sneak Peek of Saturday's Cup of Bead Soup Reveal!




A little sneak peek of one of my
Cup of Bead Soup creations
with beads by Nan Emmett.

Visit me Saturday to see what I and three other designers
made with the same components ....
how different do you think we'll be?
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Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party tm.   

Join me at the Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!

Monday, April 9, 2012

April/May Cup of Bead Soup with Nan Emmett of Spirited Earth




If you've been a follower of my blog, you're familiar with my Cup of Bead Soup project.  For the past year, I've purchased beads, sight unseen, from various bead makers and tasked myself with creating things with components I didn't choose myself.  It's been a fantastic way to push my design skills and break out of making the same old/same old.  In essence, it's a one-woman-production of the Bead Soup Blog Party.


Now it's your turn to join me!

Three lucky people will be chosen at random,
and these three designers will receive the same kit I do.



Aren't these wonderful?
Perfect for spring heading into summer jewelry designs.

The cost of this kit will be
$20 (not including shipping)
(which is actually below her cost)

After the mini-hop on May 12th,
Nan will be offering 15 limited edition sets
in her shop, Spirited Earth.

Good luck!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Cup of Bead Soup Reveal with Barbara Bechtel of Floridity

If you've been a follower of my blog, you're familiar with my Cup of Bead Soup project.  For the past year, I've purchased beads, sight unseen, from various bead makers and tasked myself with creating things with components I didn't choose myself.  It's been a fantastic way to push my design skills and break out of making the same old/same old.  In essence, it's a one-woman-production of the Bead Soup Blog Party.  I changed it this year to include three additional designers, the same set of beads, and made it a mini-hop.  Each Cup of Bead Soup, you'll have the chance to sign up to participate and be chosen randomly.



To remind you, these are the beads that Barbara Bechtel created:
I made three pieces, and the necklace and bracelet used techniques I'm not familiar with.  I really wanted to try and push myself.
First the necklace:
The ingredients:
* Barbara's key pendant and two of her faceted beads *
* Three handmade lampwork glass beads by me *
* Czech glass beads in pink and purple givre *
* Thai spacers *
* A Mamacita bird bead *
* A Pacific Opal Swarovski crystal *
* Purple waxed linen * 
* A handmade clasp by me *
I'm definitely not used to how to manipulate waxed linen in this way, especial with the pink beads whose holes would only allow one strand through, not both.  I used lark's head knots to connect any of the rings and made three knots between each bead.  
Now for the bracelet.
The Ingredients:
* Two of Barbara's faceted beads *
* One of Barbara's beads I'd been hoarding *
* A vintage key *
* Oxidized wire *
* Purple waxed linen *
* Teal suede *
* Large link chain *
* Pewter toggle*
* Aluminum jump rings *
I've never laced suede through chain, ever.  I'm not sure I did it quite right and I had no idea how the pros finish it, so I made two triple knots of waxed linen at each end.  I added the key to pull it together with the necklace. 
One of the reasons why I used such heavy gauge wire to link the beads is because the links of the chain aren't soldered, and due to the difficulty of opening and closing edged (not round) rings, I knew I needed wire that wouldn't fall through.  For the same reason, I was careful to use a heavier gauge jump ring to connect the toggle ring and bar.  I connected the key with waxed linen to pull in color.
And now a simple pair of earrings:
The Ingredients:
* Barbara's charms *
* Lampwork drops by Unicorne Beads *
* Sterling silver jump rings and ear wires *
I loved the texture of the charms so much that I didn't want to over do it.  I had these leftover lampwork drops from ages ago, and it goes to show you, leftover beads can TRULY be used even years later!

The other three designers you MUST visit:
and
 Here's a collage, a piece from each of us:


Barbara will now be selling a limited number of the bead kits you see above -- 
only 16, and they'll be first come, first served, 
so be sure to visit her store 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

March Cup of Bead Soup!



This has been in the planning for MONTHS 
and I'm excited to finally start!


If you've been a follower of my blog, you're familiar with my Cup of Bead Soup project.  For the past year, I've purchased beads, sight unseen, from various bead makers and tasked myself with creating things with components I didn't choose myself.  It's been a fantastic way to push my design skills and break out of making the same old/same old.  In essence, it's a one-woman-production of the Bead Soup Blog Party.


Now it's your turn to join me!

Three lucky people will be chosen at random,
and these three designers will receive the same kit I do.




The four of us will then create a piece of jewelry and have a mini-blog hop to show what four people can do with the exact same beads.  After the blog hop, the bead artist will have a limited number of kits for sale.


So let's start!!!

The photos you're looking at are for the March Cup of Bead Soup.  Barbara Bechtel of Second Surf and Floridity is well known for her amazing handmade polymer clay beads, charms, and pendants.  I really love her work (the heart pendant in my blog header is made by her as well!).

This kit will contain:

* one teal rustic key focal bead
* one double-sided pair of leaf charms
* four carved nugget beads
* one limited edition 5x7 Bead Soup print!



Cost is $20.

(Sixteen limited edition kits will be available after the hop for $35).

To throw your name in the hat, leave a comment 
and a way to contact you if you don't have your email in your profile.

Comments will close on Monday, March 5th.
 Comments must be made on my main blog (click here)

Mini-hop will be April 7th.

More Cups of Bead Soup will occur monthly!

(Cut and paste this button into your blog if you like!)


Comments must be made on my main blog (click here)

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Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party.