Cup of Bead Soup with Sue Beads -- earrings

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

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.

New Cup of Bead Soup with Lutka and Co.

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.

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.

Last Cup of Bead Soup with Lisa Boucher of Clayworks

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!

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.

2nd Cup of Bead Soup with Lisa Boucher of Clayworks

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

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!

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.

Last Cup of Bead Soup from Miss Molly's Designs

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

 

 

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.

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

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

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Cup of Bead Soup with Genea Beads

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

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.

 

What is a "Cup of Bead Soup"?

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!