Pretty Things - Cup Of Bead Soup

March Cup of Bead Soup!

2012-02-25T18:18:00.003-05:00

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)

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.

BIG CHANGES in the Cup of Bead Soup project!

2011-11-27T02:42:00.001-05:00

This has been in the planning for MONTHS

and I'm excited to finally fill you in!

If you've been a follower of this page or my main blog, Pretty Things, 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.

Starting next year, a bead maker will create

FOUR identical Cup of Bead Soup kits.

One for me...

three of YOU!

When it's Cup of Bead Soup time,

I'll write a post for interested participants to comment on.

Three lucky people will be chosen at random,

and these three designers will receive the same kit I do.

Each Cup of Bead Soup will have

a different price range, with all proceeds

going directly to the bead artist.

(Support handmade!)

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.

Sound like fun?

Then stay tuned -- a blog button will appear soon

with the date of the first "pick me!" post.

The first bead contributor will be....

Barbara Bechtel of Second Surf and Floridity!

I hope you like this new format

and I can't wait to create with you!

Lori Anderson makes 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.

Cup of Bead Soup with Sue Beads -- earrings

2011-11-09T11:47:00.002-05:00

Sue has been so gracious in dealing with my looming deadlines and incapacitations and I kept her through November as the Cup of Bead Soup artisan. For now, I'm going to show you just one pair of earrings I made with her enameled filigree disks she sent me, and save the rest for a later feature. I'm so sorry -- it's not normally me to be late but if you saw my to-do list, you'd understand.

Sue is also going to be in the Virtual Craft Show, so you don't want to miss commenting during that time because her giveaway is awesome!

These earrings were a case of serendipity. I was working on a piece for my book and there happened to be some wood rings sent to me by a contributor. As so often happens, my desk overflows and those rings settled next to the filigree, and these Bohemian-style earrings were born...

Ear wires by Vintaj

Antiqued brass jump rings by Tierracast

Enameled filigree by

Please visit her at

SueBeads Etsy Shop

SueBeads Blog

SueBeads Web Site for Made-to-Order Beads

2nd Cup of Bead Soup with Sue Beads

2011-10-27T10:47:00.001-04:00

To learn more about the Cup of Bead Soup Project, click here. You can view past Cup of Bead Soup participants and the designs I created by clicking the button right below my blog banner. Also, I'll be creating a new Cup of Bead Soup program next year, where three of YOU will join me in creating a piece using a designers set of beads! So stay tuned for the full explanation in December.

I really, really couldn't wait to work with Sue's set of etched black and clear lampwork beads.

When I went to the Bead and Button show, I bought a lot of lucite flowers in all shapes, sizes, and colors. When I saw frosted white and black ones, I immediately got an idea, and put them together in a bag and stored them for when the right set of lampwork came my way.

Well, these were the right set of lampwork.

I added lucite flowers with Swarovski crystals nestled inside, and white frosted lucite beads. All are vintage, which I thought was apt as, to me, this looks like a Victorian piece.

Even though as of today silver has dropped from $50/oz to about $35/oz, that's still a far cry from the $15/oz I'm used to working with, and the $4/oz I started with! So to help make things a bit more palatable for the customer, every other bead has gorgeous (but more expensive) bead caps, and the others have equally pretty but less expensive (relatively) large spacers. The small bead charms are Tierracast pewter (I sometimes mix sterling with pewter) and the toggle is a spectacular sterling silver (whose price has gone up hugely, and I cry). These bracelets take a long time to make, too.

There's a fun story about this bracelet. I took it with me to my craft show this weekend. I am fortunate to have some amazing repeat customers, ladies who even take a day of vacation to come be the first in the door on Friday. One lovely lady got to my booth within five minutes of show opening and snagged this bracelet immediately. Then my second group of ladies came to the booth and wanted to know if I'd made something with "those pretty beads we saw on your blog".

I pointed to my other customer and said, "She beat you by fifteen minutes!". There was some friendly banter and customer #2 decided it wasn't her style but made me promise that for the last set of beads....

... she'd get first dibs. So Sue, your bead were a hit!

I hope you'll visit Sue's store and blog, which you can visit by clicking below:

SueBeads Etsy Shop

SueBeads Blog

SueBeads Web Site for Made-to-Order Beads

Book Review: "Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters"

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

First Cup of Bead Soup with SueBeads

2011-10-04T14:19:00.001-04:00

It's October, and time for a new Cup of Bead Soup project. To learn more about the Cup of Bead Soup Project, click here. You can view past Cup of Bead Soup participants and the designs I created by clicking the button right below my blog banner.

This month's sponsor is Sue Kennedy of Suebeads.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Sue, and she's a talented lampworker as well as a fabulous enamel artist. This month, she sent me some of both.

First up is a set of beads that at first, I thought was really going to challenge me -- and they still might. The colors keep changing on me, but that might be because my eyesight is going.

My challenge will be to pull out the unexpected colors without overpowering all the many colors that are IN the beads. Sometimes when beads have a lot of colors in them, it's easy to end up with a cacophony of voices, as it were. But I think I have an idea.

This next set I knew IMMEDIATELY what I wanted to do. In fact, I've had a set of beads sitting in a bag WAITING for the perfect lampwork to go with them. The challenge will be to do these stunners justice and translate my mental vision into actuality.

These etched beads look like they're flocked with black velvet. I really, really hope I can pull off what I envision.

These next two sets of beads beg for earrings. I really haven't used adorned headpins that much before, so I'm really going to have to think hard about what to put on top of these cool orange glass headpins. I can't just stick any old bead on these, you know! And the other two beads remind me of the sea, so some ideas brewing there. I wish I still did craft shows in Virginia Beach like I used to -- they'd eat these up.

And finally, a couple of sets of Sue's enameled beads, including her gorgeous fall leaves (need more of those!) and filigree wheels. She also included a pair of Christmas-y beads, which I've already used, as you'll see in a minute.

SO! I usually make about 200 pairs of Christmas and holiday earrings in August. August was a rough month with the Bead Soup Blog Party sign ups and what-all so I got behind. The past weeks, I've been playing catch-up and I think I have enough for my shows coming up (three more left, thank goodness). I immediately gravitated toward the green and red lampwork beads as this year I didn't buy a lot of extra lampwork (been in destash mode). I thought about poinsettias (quick tip -- if you have animals in the house, be careful, as they're poisonous to them if they eat them) and found some red lucite bell flowers and green Swarovski crystals.

Simple, but quite pretty, I think, and a little different than Christmas trees and snowmen.

I hope you'll visit Sue's store and blog, which you can visit by clicking below:

SueBeads Etsy Shop

SueBeads Blog

SueBeads Web Site for Made-to-Order Beads

Last Cup of Bead Soup with Lutka and Co.

2011-09-30T17:04:00.001-04:00

Today is the last day of the month, and that means the last Cup of Bead Soup with Lutka & Co. Lutka & Co. makes lampwork beads, and if you remember, sent me these four sets:

You can see what I made with the big purple dotted beads by clicking here and what I did with half of the pink strand by clicking here.

OK. Up first is the other half of the pink strand. My first instinct was to go to my tried-and-trued, the dangly charm bracelet. I love anything with dangles, as we all know. However, that would be sort of like cheating. So I did the unexpected -- I decided to do dangles, but stole the green leaves from the purple flowers for the dangles. I added an errant silver dragonfly, and you get "Garden Party".

The dragonfly is purposefully off-center because that's how I roll these days. It sits quite firmly on that leaf and don't ask me how I did it because frankly, I couldn't tell you but it required wire and a bit of swearing (no children or pets were harmed in the making of this necklace).

And there you have it. I split two sets into two. And just realized I shot the photo with the leaves flipped the wrong way. Dang. But trust me, it's gorgeous when worn correctly.

Next is the perfume bottle. This was a challenge. I cut off the wire that came wrapped around the bottle because I had another idea, which quickly failed a miserable death, so it was back to wire. I quickly learned just how DIFFICULT it is to wrap these bottles -- or, at least, for me. Took a couple times. I then decided to give the bottle cap a more Victorian flair and redid the top with a long headpin I had.

The rest, I left mostly chain, but with bits of silver, rhodonite, and amethyst and a tiny bit of pink ribbon. I saw SO much fiber and ribbon in the Bead Soup Blog Party and I've always wanted to try it but have just failed miserably, so I thought I'd start small. So here is "Amphora".

Now, this last piece is hands down my favorite. I don't know if it's the style or what, but I'm pretty sure it's the color combination. It's (to me) unexpected. I really wanted to rock those purple flower beads and this entire concoction came about so randomly. I started with one idea and ended up SO far in left field for lack of the proper elements -- but I really, really, love it. It needs a name -- anyone have one?

It may not look like much, but worn, it's so cool. That sea green GLOWS. The flowers hang just so. And the chain is JUST the right openness.

And to tie it all together, earrings.

Overall, I'm really tickled with these recipes of soup!

You can visit Lutka and Co. by clicking here for their shop and clicking here for their blog.

2nd Cup of Bead Soup with Lutka and Co.

2011-09-12T16:08:00.000-04:00

You can read more about the Cup of Bead Soup project by clicking here.

Today I'm going to show you the second piece of jewelry I made with handmade lampwork beads by Lutka and Co.

I took apart this set:

And chose the ones with yellow in them. Yellow is a tough color for me to work with because I look horrendous in yellow, and have you found yourself not making jewelry in colors you don't rock in?

So here I have these beautiful floral beads in pink and yellow, and I'm trying to decide on the contrasting color. Well what DO I look good in? Purple!

I had this small bag of purple keshi pearls (oh how I love that shape!) and a silver bead I'd been hoarding that reminded me of folded paper lanterns. I know, I know -- I mixed bright silver with Thai and oxidized -- but I didn't think it was too distracting and on the wrist, it worked. It doesn't always work -- but I think it did this time.

Some of the beads had raised details, while some were melted in. I liked that. This is definitely a "touch me" textural bracelet, so having everything down to the glass have a touch factor really made this a treat.

Yes, this is one of my more traditional styles. However, I did try to shake it up a bit with the addition of the textured pearls rather than crystal or smooth gemstones, and I went a little asymmetric. Asymmetry, while one of the styles of jewelry I admire the most, is not the easiest for me to do, and in jewelry of this style, TOO much asymmetry would hurt the eyes, I think.

You can visit Lutka & Co. by clicking here for the store and and here for the blog.

Stay tuned through the month of September for more, and visit the Cup of Bead Soup Page for past creations!

1st Cup of Bead Soup with Lutka and Co.

2011-09-02T19:13:00.001-04:00

Having a Cup of Bead Soup going on at the same time as a Bead Soup Blog Party is what they call insane. So Lutka and Co. is on through the end of September and I'm pushing hard!

You can read more about the Cup of Bead Soup project by clicking here.

I received these bead sets:

I immediately gravitated to the large purple, white, and pink hollow beads in the upper right. As in, yanked open drawers to find this ONE piece of Vintaj Arte Metal I knew I had.

I had a strange idea that I thought would be creative, out of the box, and really super-neat if it worked out.

I wanted to make a chandelier fan pull.

Can you see it?

Really, it's a super-easy project. I took a thick piece of twisted silver, double-stacks of large silver daisy spacers, and 8mm Amethyst, 3mm Rose AB2X, and 4mm Violet Opal Swarovski crystals, and adorned the Arte Metal. Stack it all together, and here you go. Pretty, pretty.

Very simple, and not jewelry, but oh I love it. I hung it from the fan in my library and it was a cruddy weather day and I kept falling off the ottoman since I have NO balance so I have a lovely collection of blurry photos and pictures of the floor and my feet, but this will give you an idea:

It looks like I missed some crystals, but I did use a pattern in putting them around. Equal sides have two crystal sets clustered closer than the other equidistant sets, but putting them all the same distance around took away from the look of the bead. (You gotta trust me on that one.)

The hardest thing to do was connect the ball chain to the loop on the chandelier. The TOP of the fan pull hooked in just fine, but I had to do something with the bottom. I threaded the ball chain through the "pendant" loop, cut a long length of 24ga wire, and started wrapping and wrapping and wrapping up and around and down. It's nice and firm now, and I didn't bother to oxidize it because the air will oxidize it soon enough.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Cup of Bead Soup, and look for more soon!

New Cup of Bead Soup with Lutka and Co.

2011-08-11T19:30:00.000-04:00

Well! Now that partners have been partnered for the biannual Bead Soup Blog Party, I can get a belated start to August's Cup of Bead Soup project with Lutka and Co. You can read more about the Cup of Bead Soup project by clicking here.

I received a lovely assortment of handmade lampwork glass, and you probably already know how much I love handmade glass! Take a look....

photo by Lutka and Co.

I already have an idea for the top left beads -- they're nice and large, and if the idea in my brain comes through, I'll be making something really cool, and functional rather than wearable jewelry. If my idea doesn't work, I'm going to be so disappointed with myself!

Don't you love the vessel in the bottom left? Like a sweet little perfume bottle. And those purple flowers! I feel like planting them. And finally, the upper left -- those beg to become a charm bracelet. But who knows?

You can visit Lutka and Co. by clicking here for their shop and clicking here for their blog.

Last Cup of Bead Soup with Lisa Boucher of Clayworks

2011-07-28T15:07:00.001-04:00

Today is my third and last showing of work made with ceramic beads by Lisa Boucher of Clayworks. You can read more about the Cup of Bead Soup project by clicking here.

All of the pendants Lisa sent me had an ocean them, so when I picked up the pendant with the double Atlantic auger shells on it, I knew I had to really play up that beachy theme.

I've had these wild vertagles shell wheels I bought from Beads and Pieces for a long time, and I finally figured out what to do with them -- make a fringe for the auger shell pendant. I chose some copper chain from Ornamentea and set to work. After a lot of wire wrapping, I added four of the ceramic accent beads Lisa sent, and finished everything off with some silk ribbon.

"She Sells Sea Shells"

I learned a lot with this Cup of Bead Soup. I tried some new things, and I still have a ways to go with the fiber techniques. I don't come naturally to fiber, but I'll keep at it when the right beads come along, and I believe that Lisa's pendants and beads are a natural fit.

Thank you so much to Lisa of Clayworks! Please visit her at the following sites:

Shop: Clayworks by Lisa Boucher

Blog: Lisa's Clay Happenings

Happy Creating!

2nd Cup of Bead Soup with Lisa Boucher of Clayworks

2011-07-18T15:54:00.000-04:00

Today is my second showing of work made with ceramic beads by Lisa Boucher of Clayworks. You can read more about the Cup of Bead Soup project by clicking here.

I think this is my favorite pendant of the group Lisa sent. This necklace came together quickly and with very little thought. I love when that happens!

I used bronze jump rings to connect the pendant to links of, of all things, an inexpensive chain I found at Ben Franklin. Where I live, Ben Franklin is the closest thing to a Michaels there is. I usually never buy beads or chain from either one, as they've knocked off bead-maker friends of mine, but sometimes they have things that I groove on. In this case, it was a large-link antiqued brass chain that I knew I could take apart and use as links.

I used the smaller accent beads Lisa sent and dangled them in the center of the textured rings. This is where I say I LOVE Vintaj 3" head pins. Yeah, yeah, I know -- way more wire than I need. But I always make wrapped loops, and I like having plenty of wire to "crank" around the neck of the wire. I also used Vintaj wire to link together the bone beads (again, a Michaels find). Teeny tiny wood beads I rescued from a vintage necklace accent the ceramic beads.

I finished the top of the necklace with faux suede cording from Barbara Lewis. I don't like large chain at the back of my neck because it annoys me and I'm always fiddling with it, and besides, I love how the color blends with the colors of the ceramic. The clasp is another Vintaj piece.

I'm much happier with this piece than my last one. And I REALLY appreciate the suggestions I received via post and email. I think I'm going to rework it and add another strand of something to the linen. I really DID want suggestions, and I'm glad you guys took me up on it.

Stay tuned for the last piece, coming soon! In the meantime, please visit her at the following sites:

Shop: Clayworks by Lisa Boucher

Blog: Lisa's Clay Happenings

Happy Creating!

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

1st Cup of Bead Soup with Lisa Boucher of Clayworks

2011-07-09T18:29:00.000-04:00

Today is my first showing of work made with ceramic beads by Lisa Boucher of Clayworks. You can read more about the Cup of Bead Soup project by clicking here.

I knew I was really going to be challenged by this month's beads. I don't typically work with this style and the bail of the pendant I chose to work with today is a tough one at times to design with. If you string with it, you have to be sure to but larger holes at the ends of the "tunnel" so the beads don't slide back and forth and you lose your center. Then you need to make sure the beads aren't too big because you don't want the wire to show when the necklace is held up. Making wire loops is an option, but then you get an entirely different drape. All good things to keep in mind!

I wanted to challenge myself with some fiber this time and chose a length of raw linen I got from Stephanie Lee at a class I took with her. The idea was to create a "caught in the sea by a net" image. I have no idea if I created that or just created Amateur Hour.

As with most new mediums, I'm apprehensive and fly by the seat of my pants. I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't draw out plans. I just wing it. And sometimes that makes a really cool piece -- and sometimes it creates a piece that needs some work. So I welcome your comments on how to make this better.

I started by knotting the linen at the sides of the pendant so it wouldn't slide. Then I took some smaller pieces of thread and knotted on a few copper spacers, like flotsam caught in the net.

Next I added a ring from Vintaj that I filed to weather it a bit, knotted on the matching ceramic beads, more copper (both strung and knotted on), and finally the clasp at the top. When I originally received this box of beads, I had plans for the clasp on the side of the necklace, but it just didn't look right this time.

I honestly have no idea what I've created. Is it interesting? Is it a flop? Does it need something? Should I start all over? I know what I had in mind but I'm not sure I got there. Any constructive comments are welcomed -- please don't say "oh lovely you rocked it you are the queen" when you have ideas! That's how I learn.

One thing that shines, though -- Lisa's beads. Not a THING wrong with those. So please visit her at the following sites:

Shop: Clayworks by Lisa Boucher

Blog: Lisa's Clay Happenings

Happy Creating!

Cup of Bead Soup with Clayworks (and a lesson via Zack)

2011-06-30T14:23:00.000-04:00

What is a "Cup of Bead Soup"?

Well, I wanted to continue the exciting challenge of the Bead Soup Blog Party, but this time for myself, challenging my skills by working with one artist a month. I receive a package of beads each month, sight unseen, and then I create with them. I blog here about the creations for a month, explaining techniques, thought processes, and obstacles I meet along the way. It's also a great way to introduce you to new and exciting beads!

July's Cup of Bead Soup is sponsored by Clayworks by Lisa Boucher. I'm excited about working with Lisa's hand-painted clay beads and pendants because when I saw them, I thought about using a stringing form I rarely use -- fiber. I'm not sure I'll be successful at translating my ideas into reality.

So let's take a look at what Lisa picked out!

I love this pendant with two Atlantic auger shells. The hues of purple and blue/green are right up my alley. Zack and I have spent some time searching for shells, beach glass, and shark teeth, and this pendant reminds me of that.

Another sea-themed pendant and more of her pretty beads. I love these colors! How about those swirls for the ocean waves?

This is really cool -- not only an awesome pendant, but one of Lisa's handmade ceramic toggles! I already know the design I want to work with on this one, but still need to figure out if I can execute it.

My challenge with this month's Cup of Bead Soup is going to be transferring what's in my mind to my hands. I have this problem with drawing as well, and recently Zack and I had a serious discussion about it. Zack and I share the same perfectionism gene, and while it can be a good thing if controlled and understood, it can be devastating when you're little and each day seems to be your whole world.

It's important when creating, whether it's jewelry design, altered art, knitting, or what have you, to allow yourself to fail. Some of the most exciting, interesting things have been brought into the world by what at first looks like a mistake. This link talks about a LOT of cool things -- Post-It Notes, the Slinky, and potato chips weren't made intentionally. And I just ordered this book to help Zack understand that mistakes aren't the end of the world.

Please visit Clayworks at the following sites:

Shop: Clayworks by Lisa Boucher

Blog: Lisa's Clay Happenings

Happy Creating!

Last Cup of Bead Soup from Miss Molly's Designs

2011-06-29T18:11:00.000-04:00

It's that time -- time to say goodbye to a last helping of Bead Soup from Miss Molly's Designs. Today I'm showing you a bracelet and a necklace I made with the purple and green enameled beads she sent.

Remember these?

I knew these would be my favorites -- they're SO in my color palette.

First the necklace. I decided to make a very simple necklace from the get-go. The question this month was, what sort of beads would I decide to use as accents?

I left the pendant on my beading table (along with ten million friends) and hoped the right beads would roll along and snug up next to this pretty thing. Lo and behold, they did, in the form of a bead swap package I received at some point along the way. Green pearls. Awesome! I added purple Czech glass I bought at Bead & Button and here you go.

I also made some earrings to match.

The last piece I made incorporated the large enameled beads in purple and green with tiny lampwork beads from yet another bead swap. I strung the enamel beads with five or six tiny daisy spacers in between each bead. Next, I made a bunch of dangles with little lampwork beads (these are truly tiny, only about 8mm in size). I added two dangles to a jump ring that's large enough to slide back and forth over the daisy spacers, and there you go -- charm bracelet without chain.

I hope you enjoyed this month's Cup of Bead Soup with Miss Molly's Designs! Stay tuned for next month's featured designer, and be sure to continue to visit Molly:

Molly Alexander

Shop: Click here

Blog: Click here

Cup of Bead Soup with Miss Molly's Designs -- #2

2011-06-16T17:14:00.000-04:00

This is my second design with the bevy of beads from Miss Molly's Designs. This time, I chose to work with the pale blue and brown set, with beads that ranged from the chunky to the more sedate.

Enameled beads by nature are lightweight, and I wanted to make a "half-and-half" necklace, meaning, half the necklace would be predominantly enameled beads, and the other half would be something else. What that Something Else would be remained to be seen.

The challenge was three-fold -- one, find beads that matched the size of the large enameled beads, two, find complimentary colors for the unique blue shade, and three, find beads that were of equal weight to the enamel beads.

After much poking around, I found a solution. Large fluted bleached wood rounds, natural wood triangles, and these awesome Czech glass beads that couldn't have had a more perfect coloration if I'd designed them myself.

My other challenge was to NOT use metal spacers between any of the beads as I'm used to doing. I just automatically go for them every. single. time. I was determined this time to just leave it alone, choosing to finish the necklace with an antiqued vermeil clasp.

Question is, what do you think? Do you think I SHOULD have used small gold spacers between some of the beads? Is the bleached wood too pale? I know I got the size right, but tell me what you REALLY think.

You can find more of Miss Molly's work at the following:

Molly Alexander

Shop: Click here

Blog: Click here

Cup of Bead Soup -- Fleur de Lis necklace, and a vintage book

2011-06-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

Today I'm showing you a necklace I made with some of Miss Molly's Designs enameled beads. I chose the red and blue beads with the fleur de lis pendant because another friend's gift in the mail reminded me of a piece of random metal I had from Metalliferous. I had originally thought of using a vintage key, but I this bit of bronze made me think of old 1700's gates leading into elegant gardens.

So, here we go!

I wanted to use an asymmetric pattern but not go too wild, as my mind has been dwelling on a historical fiction book I'm reading, "Now Face to Face". There are so many intrigues and assignations behind elegant closed doors and decorative garden gates, and while the jewelry of that time period is glittery and glamorous, I didn't make this necklace with jewelry in mind, but architecture.

I had a large vintage bead that worked well with the enameled beads, and the oxidized copper chain blended well, I thought, with the mix of metals (I put a tiny bit of brass on the vintage bead, see?).

Overall, I'm pleased with how this turned out. And a note on the book the necklace is photographed on -- in keeping with the vintage theme, I used a recent acquisition "Young America" by Aldine Book & Publishing Co. In my search to learn more, I found out that this book, which I paid $15 for, was published in 1887 and is available through three sellers here from $350-$400. Woah.

But I couldn't possibly sell this book. I believe in rescuing history, and holding this treasure in my hands, and opening it on the rare occasion (the pages are SO fragile, I have to be so very careful), brings me joy.

cover

Advertisements on the inside covers, and several pages in the back, almost like this was a bit of a hardcover magazine. I have to research this more.

And a sample of the inside -- lots of stories and illustrations, and I've even found some scraps of paper inside with notes from whomever used to own this about their favorite passages and their own bits of poetry.

I hope you've enjoyed this Cup of Bead Soup!

You can visit Miss Molly's Designs here:

Shop: Click here

Blog: Click here

Cup of Bead Soup with Miss Molly's Designs

2011-06-05T15:45:00.000-04:00

This month I'll be working with some lovely enameled beads from Molly Alexander of Miss Molly's Designs. When I opened the package of beads, I was overwhelmed by the ideas that exploded out of the box and into my head. For now, I'll show you all the lovelies, and stay tuned on this page for the month of June to see what I make! (Don't forget to become a Cup of Bead Soup page Follower so you don't miss a thing!)

For some reason, this set makes me think of "American Pickers" on The History Channel -- maybe because last night, Rick and I watched the Civil War episode and these beads evoke thoughts of the American flag. Now, that doesn't mean they'll end up in a piece like that, but one never knows......

Good Golly, Miss Molly, but you know what I like! Purple and green -- it's going to be hard to let anyone else have a chance at whatever I make with these beauties.

I LOVE this color combination so very, very much. But I'll let you in on a secret -- when I love something this much, I worry the most about doing it justice. (Hands twist together nervously....)

And finally, these two very lovely pendant pieces. The one on the left has a cool gradation of purple in it, while the one on the right is more muted. I am feeling like pairing ceramic with one, polymer clay with the other -- hmmm. Lots of possibilities.

Molly made a bunch of awesome beads and findings for you and posted them in her store today (and hurry -- FREE SHIPPING!), so please click the links below to not only visit her store, but to visit her blog. By the way, her jewelry? Divine. I own several of her pieces, in fact!

Stay tuned!

Molly Alexander

Shop: Click here

Blog: Click here

Final Genea Beads Cup of Bead Soup -- and an Auction!

2011-05-29T16:34:00.000-04:00

It's that time -- time to say goodbye to this month's sponsor for the Cup of Bead Soup project, Genea of Genea's Beads.

Genea sent me some gorgeous handmade lampwork glass beads that were absolutely in my favorite color palette, but were in shapes and styles that challenged me. You can click here and here to see the other goodies I made with the cheerful beads I received. Today I'll show you the last three pieces, and you'll have a chance to bid on all three in a very special auction. More on that in a bit.

The first piece was made with the bits-and-bobs bag Genea sent from Yvonne of My Elements. I've had a lot of fun using these little bits of fun in my other pieces, so I made a delicate necklace that would work well for a fun-loving adult OR a teenager.

This is called "For Caylin", and you'll see why in a minute. The sterling silver necklace is 16" long, and the painted plexiglass, crystal, and anodized aluminum pendant is 1.75" long.

The next piece is a pendant I named "Ballerina" because it reminds me of those amazing, long tulle creations I always longed to wear. The handmade glass is 20mm tall and I added a cluster of glass flowers beneath, along with a gorgeous sterling silver star. The bail will take up to a 6mm chain, and the pendant measures 2.25" in length.

Lastly, I have a chunky necklace made with one of Genea's amazing hollow beads, nearly 1" in size, in berry colors with subtle purple polka dots. I added two of her purple lampwork glass spacers, four vintage lucite teardrops in a glowing hot pink, and two luminous purple glass beads. The beaded length is 7", and the remainder is made up of matte dusty rose seed beads.

The necklace measures 16-18" with the sterling silver chain extender and lobster claw clasp.

Now for the auction!

I became acquainted with Kristina Proffitt recently and her work with increasing awareness of Type 1 Diabetes. Her daughter, Caylin, was diagnosed on March 2, 2011, and now the Proffitts have created a fundraiser to not only help fund diabetes research.


Caylin

The first part of the Caylin's Cure fundraiser raised over $2100 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I think we in the beading community can raise even more.

Why do I care? I have a lot of friends with diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2. I've made awareness jewelry on my web site for diabetes for a long time to help support research. It runs in my family, and I get tested often. But mainly, I can't imagine a child having to deal with needles and pain and everything that goes into this. I can't imagine a family that has to worry about something like this.

Here's the first phase.

I'm auctioning off all three of these pieces, with 100% of the proceeds going to Caylin's Cure. Then in a few days, I'll post about how you can join a blog hop to auction off a piece of jewelry at whatever percentage you choose. You can pick something out of your existing inventory -- you don't even have to make anything.

How to Bid

To bid, just leave a comment with the name of the piece and a price. I'm going to take comment moderation off, which means we'll probably get some icky spam, but it's the only way to be fair on the bids.

Anonymous bids are welcome --

just give yourself a name, and if you win, email me for payment information.

Bidding ends

Saturday, June 4th, 3pm

Thank you.

Cup of Bead Soup with Genea Beads

2011-05-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

Today I'm going to show you several things I made with Genea Beads, this month's Cup of Bead Soup contributor. And there's something I must admit about this exhibit -- I just got totally, utterly stumped on one piece, and I'm going to give it away to the first person who wants it to see if they can make something better out of it!

But first, the things that turned out quite well, in my not-so-humble-opinion.

Genea sent me a batch of her lampwork head pins, and along with some rubber O-rings, seed beads, and a few of my own tiny lampwork spacers, I made charms. The charms are all about .75 - 1" tall, and I attached them to their copper chains in two different ways.

First, we have "Summer Rain". I connected the three charms to a large bronze ring, a smaller purple rubber O-ring, and another bronze ring to the copper chain. This makes the pendant measure about 2" total.

Next, the second charm necklace, called "Summer Raindrops" (see a theme here?). This time I added a lot of tiny bronze jump rings to a large purple O-ring, along with the charms, and another smaller, lighter purple O-ring. This pendant measures a little over 2" before being connected to the copper chain.

Finally a bracelet made with Genea's iconic Wing Ding beads, so I named the bracelet, well, "Wing Dings". Nothing else would do!

I wrapped three of the Wing Ding beads with sterling silver, capturing them in a sort of cage, but left them in bright silver rather than oxidizing them. I fiddled around with the order of the colors -- each bead is slightly different in hue from the other, but my OCD mind had to have them ordered just so for balance. (Is anyone else out there like that?). One Thai silver bead helped lengthen the bracelet, and I'm never afraid to mix metals, so I used a pewter toggle from my last BeadFest trip to finish it off (along with some cute bead charms).

And now for the one that got away.

On one of the many nights when I couldn't get to sleep, I got the brilliant idea of poking holes in the tubing Genea sent me, sticking her lampwork headpins through it, and creating an incredibly awesome, totally unique SOMETHING. Now, I was starting to fade out into the Land of Nod, so that "something" was rather nebulous, but I woke up and at least remembered:

a) stick holes in the tube, and

b) stick decorative headpins through the holes.

And that's where things went creatively stupid.

I used a needle to make a hole in the tubing. I added a bead to the headpin and stuck it through. I made a wrapped loop. Now what to do with the danged wrapped loop?

Then I realized the tubing needed shape, so I stuck copper wire through the tubing (and luckily around the headpin wire). Now the tubing could be twisted and bent. But now what?

After DAYS, this is all I could come up with, and it's awful.

Dude.

Not my best moment.

So the first person who comments THAT THEY WANT IT

(and remember, I have to approve all comments,

so they WILL have the time stamp on them from when

YOU wrote it, not when *I* approved it)

will get this.

I just want to see what you make with it, and I'll post your creation right here!

I have two more beads to use, and have only a week to work with them, so stay tuned! In the meantime, please visit Genea:

Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Genea

Blog: http://www.geneabeads.blogspot.com

What is a "Cup of Bead Soup"?

2011-05-21T12:35:00.001-04:00

What is a "Cup of Bead Soup"?

Well, I wanted to continue the exciting challenge of the Bead Soup Blog Party, but this time for myself, challenging my skills by working with one artist a month. I receive a package of beads from a new artist each month, sight unseen, and then I create with them. I blog here about the creations for a month, explaining techniques, thought processes, and obstacles I meet along the way. It's also a great way to introduce you to new and exciting beads!

Interested in participating? Email me for details!