Bead Soup Blog Party time!!

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.

The next party’s sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011.  Don’t miss it!