Welcome to the 3rd Bead Soup Blog Party – we’re rockin’ the house!
I am so excited THE day is here! Thank you for partying with me, whether this is your 8th or 125th stop along the Bead Soup tour.
I want to give a great big shout out to my dear friend and Bead Soup Blog Party creator , Lori Anderson. Lori has been our fabulous hostess and has put in a tremendous amount of time behind the scenes organizing this party of 210 participants. Lori has shared so much of herself through inspirational stories and blog tips along the way. {She’s like the big sister you always wish you had}. Lori, here’s to you (insert the sound of clinking glasses here)!
Just in case the Bead Soup party is new to you, here’s the quick low-down. The participants were randomly paired with a partner and exchanged bead components consisting of a focal piece, clasp, and coordinating beads. Our only “rule” was that the clasp and focal needed to be used in our finished piece. I participated in the inaugural party; you can see my post about it here.
Imagine my delight when I found out I was paired with Amanda Davie, an artist whose work I had long admired on Etsy. That was only the beginning, just wait til you see the Bead Soup that Amanda sent to me! Oh my, Amanda spoiled me. I received a treasure trove of gorgeous lampwork, stones, pearls – all sorts of gorgeous beads. The best part? The real jewels in my “soup” were all of the handmade components. Amanda sent me a polymer clay bezel clasp, copper and bronze metal clay pieces, an enameled link, and several resin-filled bezels. Now let’s move on to the pictures! Without further ado, here’s my stunning Bead Soup –
It was a tough decision with so many great beads to chose from! From the start though, I knew I would make something long. That was my ticket to incorporating as many beads as I could. I had various lay-outs going: single strand, double strand, a combination of strands! My husband stepped in to the studio, took one look, and had advice for me as well. That’s when I knew I better rethink where I was heading. I’m awfully proud of my finished necklace, entitled “Light and Day”, taken from the snippet encased in the resin bezel I chose. I finished off the piece with Amanda’s own copper/brass/polymer clay clasp – sure makes the necklace pretty from all angles.
Let’s see…for the chain portion of the necklace, I relied on my old faithful friend, wire. In “Light and Day”, I chose a beautiful and warm bronze wire (which I oxidized to a nice, aged patina). I created bead caps and metal disc links topped with buttons from bronze sheet metal. The stand-out element has got to be the beautiful polymer clay discs by Christine Damm of Stories They Tell.
I just love the eagle resin-filled bezel that Amanda created, right down to the great color. The perfect color. To add some size to the focal, I added a rectangle cut from bronze sheet. This also gave me the opportunity to add extra holes for dangles. I added Amanda’s copper and bronze metal clay leaf and branch. I adorned the Lake Michigan beach stone with wire and seed beads. A touch of leather was added here and there to further the rustic feel of the necklace. My focal reminded me of a dream catcher. In the end, I really enjoyed the challenge of working with a color scheme and a motif that I do not ordinarily work with.
51. Lori Dorrington, Lori’s Glassworks
The next party’s sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011. Don’t miss it!
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I love your necklace, the many different materials you used and how you pulled it together so well with your own lovely oxidized wired links.The Eagle, stone, leather turquoise elements give it that rustic native American look, really lovely.
what a lot of treasure From Amanda!! you did a marvelous necklace, lot of details… very “tribal” bravo!!
You made a great necklace, Cindy. So lovely combination of your soup and I like the way you used the wire!
It’s a fabulous necklace. Your a lucky girl to have been paired with Amanda!
I love to hear what your husband told you, becuase you have made one gorgeous piece. The focal you have created as a backdrop for the eagle is stunning, love the dangles. A bird’s eye view of the southwest… love it.
Love the necklaces you made! The first one is quite steampunk-y. I do like how the blues bounce off of the copper metals, really makes them stand out.
Cindy, I’m speechless – the only thing I can say is: WOW, WOW, WOW!
Cindy this is beautiful. I always go for the bling and forget about the rustic, earthy feel. This inspires me to create something natural. I really am in love with the whole southwest natural look of this. What a great soup to choose from, all of the choices would have made me so indecisive.
What a great necklace Cindy very natural and spring like love the bird!
Jackie
What a gorgeous soup mix! Very interesting ingredients + your fabulous design style = a very cool finished piece! Love your riveted pieces! Hope I win!
That’s such a beautiful necklace! I like the combination of turquoise and red! Pretty!
Beautiful, Cindy!
I makes me want wear a long necklace- and I usually dont! I love your style, and you really make a wonderful soup!
Cindy, your’re the first person I’ve visited and I’m just wowed at your piece! I love the focal and how you’ve integrated the many different colors into a very cohesive and beautiful whole! And THANKS for using my beads! So glad you appreciate them. I never would have envisioned them in this combination but your genius is that you did! Thanks and have a happy Blog Hop!
Stunning !!!
I LOVE the design and the gorgeous color!!!
m.e. : )
BEAUTIFUL!!! Your necklace is stunning!!!
Outstanding!! I wish my skills were as talented.
Beautiful necklace Cindy, you have such creative vision and really know just the right way to put everything together!
Oh Cindy I know you would WOW me and you so did!!!! Every piece of it is so well plannned and all you! LOVE!
Wonderful necklace. I love how you made the focal and integrated all those different beads together.
Cindy, Cindy, Cindy!!! YOU DID IT!! What challenge you had, beautiful beads but so different from what you usually work with. I think you did such a fantastic job and made a stunning necklace. I love the oranges and blue (one of my favorite combos) and Southwest feel is great.
Wow, the textures and colors are put together so beautifully. The bronze element to the pendant really set it off! Great Necklace!
~*HI CINDY!!!*~
WOW!!!
I LOVE what you did with all of the juicy ingredients that Amanda sent you to work with!
I love it!!!!
YUM!
Delicious bead soup Cindy!
:o)
And I really love how you honored Lori too, that warmed my heart to read! oxox
Amber
Just plain yummy!@!@!! It is so neat to watch people you know take things you don’t see them work with and turn them into something where you can see their handiwork. This is so different and yet so familiar and you! Great job Cindy!!!
Cindy….this is beautiful! You did a super job, and I can see how much thought and effort you put into your piece =) I especially love your little buttons, and the wrapped beach stone is actually my FAVORITE part of the necklace!!….and oh, yes! your links ROCK =)))
I agree…you are a genius. This is a seriously cool necklace! You really stretched into the Southwest feel and made it yours. I want to come over and sit at your table and cut and forge metal…and drink coffee and chat with your boys. 🙂 Enjoy party day!
As always you have out done yourself! So many beads to choose from. I like all the different elements that you incorporated into the pieces.
Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Stacy
I am just crazy about the beads you received but ALSO I have to say your mannner of creating seemingly effortlessly beautiful designs with them is a total pleasure to view. !!!
What a great exciting collection you presented us with! Thank you!
jean yates
What a wonderfull necklace!
Wow, what a treasure you received from Amanda. I love your piece with all its lovely color and textures. Your wire links look great with all the components.
Have a wonderful weekend Cindy!
Awesome!!!!
So many tiny details to this necklace, from each single handcrafted bead down to the wire work and texture…Wow, what a piece! It even could have been Native American inspired I thought. Wow a work of art. Fantastic ^_^ Virginie ViviBijoux.com
Ps/ please count me in for your lovely giveaway!
I am absolutely, completely blown away. I am in LOVE. The soup you received was absolutely inspiring and I would have stolen it had I been to your house and seen it! And I can’t wait to see this gorgeous work of art in person!
OHMY! This is all kinds of AWESOME! I love your use of each piece to create such a wonderful earthy creation! Your work is BEAUTIFUL and I am so so so going to follow your blog now! <3
~Shelby
Your design is so intricate and beautiful – true eye candy!
Cindy – that’s absolutely stunning. I love your creativity and the “feel” the piece gives is so me. Enjoy wearing it my dear!
{Hugs!}
Very nice job, I love what you did with everything you received! 🙂
Cindy – This is a color scheme I’m at home with and you NAILED it! I love the chain you created from the brass wire, the way you wrapped the beach stone is so enchanting, the custom plate for the focal and the little touch of leather. Just awesome!
Amazing. This theme really is different for you but you made it your very own with all of that wire work. I love the blue patina on the focal. Wonderful necklace!
I love it! I have admires Amanda’s work for a long time and I love the way you used her soup. One of my favorite touches are the tiny seed beads you wrapped around the stone dangle. Ditto Lori’s comment – I would have swiped your soup, and I’d love to nab this piece too. Bravo!
Fantastic piece, I love the desert Native American feel and the wonderful wire work. Also would love to win!
I’d be proud of that necklace too! You so skillfully incorporated to many wonderful elements and truly made a statement that will always be gorgeous and wearable. Love it!
I admire what you did with these beads! I saw the selection and was completely stumped, then was completely delighted with how you put them together! Thank you for sharing your inspiration. Beautiful.
Oh MY! Just gorgeous! Wonderful soup and amazing piece!!!!!
WOW!!! I absolutely love what you made! Your necklace is so organic & gorgeous, you were very creative with the components. Great idea about adding the cut bronze rectangle behind the resin pendant in order to add those fabulous dangles. I love the seed bead & wire-wrapped Lake Michigan stone… I have a ton myself from beach combing in New Buffalo, MI. 🙂
Inspiring and beautiful! You received a bounty of soup ingredients but the end result is totally awesome! I love it! This is something I would enjoy wearing! Congratulations!
HI Cindy – you piece is so lovely, all this detail is so wonderful and I love that dream catcher idea. I wish you would make 10 posts per day showing new jewelry because I love everything you are making. Still it calms me that even experts like you have to sit down and sometimes take a few rounds to decide on their final piece. Well yours are always perfect. I love it. Oh and certainly I will play along for the giveaway, but even without you would have been one of my first stops. have fun hopping.
wow you had some great bead soup to work with! I love all the cool stuff you made with it!
Love how you put all those different components together and the focal piece is amazing. I like the length and the look is fantastic!!
Fantastic!! I adore the necklace you made!!