I'm Going To Be Scarce

OK OK you are probably thinking, "going to be scarce"? So what does she call her recent absences from the blogging community.

Yes I know I have been absent a lot of late but that was mainly due to really biting off more than I could chew and poor time management as well. Well this month is set to be very busy indeed and blogging and all it entails I would expect to come to a virtual stand still.

So what has been and what will be keeping me busy you wonder:

• I am please to say I completed my June ATC on time, actually over a week in advance (the theme was DREAMS) , my partner received it and so now I can show it here.

Stars Are Where Dreams Are Made.

• My youngest turns five tomorrow (I don't do big birthday parties every year but only on specific birthdays) The number 5 is a big party year, so I'm currently planning and preparing for the kiddy invasion on Saturday.
• I am also working on one of the books of a participating member of the altered book round robin swap I blogged about previously (here & here). It is due to be completed and back on its round robin journey on the 8th of July so I'll blog about it when I'm done. There will be one more book to do after this one.
• Lastly I am also currently going through the preparation stages for my first ever Handmade Jewellery Party.

Click on the picture to view it better

I am terrified that my stuff won't be well received, as well as the worry that no one will turn up. The invites are out, I am tweeting and facebooking about it. So I am spending a large chunk of my days creating stock along with other preparations.
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Here are some of the preparations, making gift bags for purchases (fingers crossed), making displays and tags for my pieces and lots of other stuff. I am writing a list and checking it twice, too make sure I cover all the possibilities I could think of.

If you have thrown a Jewellery party before and have any tips I would be eternally grateful to receive them.

And like the virtual invite says above, if you are in the Kent area and would like to have a cool girly evening out, then email me for more details, I would love to meet you.

So that's it really, I can honestly say I have nothing big planned for the month of August and I plan to keep it that way. I need to be careful to not burn myself out, so August month is going to be all about slowing down and enjoying the ride, rather than being in the driver's seat with the no idea where the breaks are!

So If you are not seeing me around, you know why, I'll Be Back!! :)

PS I'll be updating my gardening blog later and you are more than welcome to pop along for a visit.

Blogshop: http://kellascreativewishes.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.storenvy.com/CreativeWishes
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CreativeWishes
My Gardening Exploits: http://kellasvegeplotandothermusings.blogspot.com/

RAINBOW HEART: My Bead Soup Party Reveal

Well its Bead Soup Reveal Day and by some stroke of good fortune I have met the deadline. As you know by my previous posts I have bitten off a little more than I can chew in the number of projects I have signed myself up for. So with all that has been going on I only got my soup started on Thursday the 17th, which I got completed yesterday during the day (Isn't amazing what you can do under pressure). The weather has not been cooperative though and so I have been impatiently waiting for the sun to shine so I could take some photos, which in between the scattered showers today I was able to do when the sun peaked out momentarily. .
So anyway lets get down to the reveal, as I previously shared with you before, my bead soup partner this time is Johanna. She sent me the beads and clasp pictured below, in all honesty pink is not a colour I wear or generally work with, so the challenge was on.
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I started first by creating a pendant focal piece with the large heart shaped bead. Using linked eye pins I attached four bits of silver coloured chain which I topped of with one of Johanna made lampworked beads.
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I really wanted to inject some colour into the design (mainly because I don't really own and pink coloured clothing), so I added some etched glass beads of various colours, to one side of the necklace.
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I also really enjoy adding fibre to my designs so to complement both the coloured and pink beads I added a double length of pink rat tail cording and a double length of multi thread fibre cording (but I also wrapped it in very fine pink beading wire to keep it from unravelling), the multi thread fibre cording also had threads of the colours of the bright glass beads. Which I hope will help to balance the piece.
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I only used one side of the clasp in the design because the other half was missing a hole (see pic to the right) so I could not easily attach it to the necklace (and remember I was kinda running out of time). I hope at a later stage to find away to attach it to the necklace.

So that was the design process, I am please with the outcome and I wore it yesterday and today when I went out with the girls. I asked others I met to give their opinions on whether the piece worked well with all the differing components and mostly everyone liked it, though I think it was case of they thought its quirky nature matched my general style. So still not sure of its public appeal.

I wore it with two differing single colour outfits and found because of the multi colour beads it easily matched what I was wearing both times. So I can happily say it will be worn quite a bit, so thank you Johanna for the beads you sent me and thanks as well to Lori the Bead Soup Party Host for organising another satisfying party.

OK! OK! enough of my waffle hear is the piece in its entirety...

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Here is my Bead Soup Reveal titled:

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Rainbow Heart

Well what do you guys think, is it back to the drawing board?

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Now the Party is to last all week long and so there will be reveals on the participating bloggers over the next 8 days (see the list below).

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Visit Lori's blog for the participant's links and to see which number they are in the list. There is also the Bead Soup Party button, which incidentally will link you back To Lori's page, so if you get lost while you blog hop, clicking on a Bead Soup Button on the other participants blogs should take you back to Lori's original list and links, you can also check out the flickr group's link for all the photos of this and the previous bead soup party.

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Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you all again soon, here's wishing everyone a great blog hopping week! :)

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Here are the days of the varying reveals:

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Saturday, June 19th - blogs 1-13
1. Lori, Pretty Things
2. Lorelei, Lorelei1141
3. Norma, Moonlit Fantaseas
4. Beth, EB Bead and Metalworks
5. Katie, KatieBead
6. Kimberly, Bahama Dawn
7. Debbie, Prairie Emporium
8. Lisa, Joolz by Lisa
9. Kate, Tropical Blonde
10. Janet, Singing Woods
11. Julianna, Juls Beads
12. Erin, Treasures Found

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Sunday, June 20th - blogs 14-26

14.Jen, Jen Judd Rocks

15. Kella, Me But a Little More In Depth (Thats Me)

16. Emanda, Artemisia Studio

17. Marie, Skye Jewels

18. Loretta, Designs By Loretta

19. Stacy, Sissy and Jack's

20. Joanna, Filcowe

21. Diane, Diane Hawkey

22. Marianna, Pretty Shiny Things

23. Anna, The Laughing Raven

24. Marcie, La Bella Joya

25. Lois, Que Onda Q'town?

26. Jayne, Mama's Got To Doodle

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Monday, June 21st - blogs 27-36

27.Lisa, Alterity

28. Dale, Dales' Flights of Fancy

29. Melanie, Kookie Designs

30. Christine, A Hot Piece of Glass

31. Nancy, Beading From the Heart

32. Laurel, Rue's Daftique

33. Sandi, Do Be Do Bead Do

34. Nicki, Nicki's Reef

35. Virginie, ViviBijoux

36. Janeen, Wild Vanilla

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Tuesday, June 22nd - blogs 37-47

37. Filomena, Pink Velvet Bird

38. Lyn, Lyn Foley

39. Tari, Pearl and Pebble

40. Rebecca, Song Beads

41. Regina, Regina's Writings

42. Nancy, The Rabbit Muse

43. Whitney, Whitney Lassini

44. Maria, Garden Path Beads

45. Michelle, Life in the Bead Lane

46. Ann, My Critical Eye

47. Lisa, Lucid Moon Studio

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Wednesday, June 23rd - blogs 48-59

48. Nan, Spirit Rattles

49. Amy, Copper Diem

50. Malin, Beading by Malin de Koning

51. Anne, Gardanne Glass Lampwork

52. Alice, Alice's Beads and Baubles

53. Barbara, Second Surf

54. Amanda, Articulations

55. Heather, Humble Beads

56. Melissa, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

57. Kate, Organic Odysseys

58. Patti, PJ Clark Designs

59. Stefanie, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

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Thursday, June 24th -- blogs 60-71

60. Carol, Carol Bradley Designs

61. Wanda, A Frayed of Fibers

62. Diana, Vintage Blue Studio

63. Marieke, Marieke's Blog

64. KJ, Silver Parrot

65. Maire, Maire Dodd

66. Shannon, Miss Fickle Media

67. Dana, Dana's Jewelry Designs

68. Charlene, The Bead Dreamer

69. Elisabeth, Beads for Busy Gals

70. Cathryn, Chile Cats

71. Missy, Melissa Rappaport

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Friday, June 25th - blogs 72-84

72. Cindy, Cindy Dolezal Designs

73. Valerie, Hot Art

74. Courtney, Beads by Breul

75. Johanna, Fire Phoenix Creations

76. Shea, gr8findings

77. Julie, Pryce Designs

78. Jeannie, Jeannie's Blog

79. Patricia, Verre Design

80. Christa, Adventures of One Beady Woman

81. Heather, My Muse

82. Susan, Night Beader at Large

83. Sonja, Drachenei

84. Jennifer, Glass Addictions by Jennifer

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Saturday, June 26th -- blogs 85-97

85. Melissa, One-Eared Pig Beads

86. Rebecca, 2SistersBeadwork

87. Karyn, Releases by Rufydoof

88. Denise, Bling on the Blog

89. Doris, Glaszwerg

90. Megan, Churchy & Her Sailor

91. Jo, Daisychain Designs

92. Jen, VanBeads Jewelry and Design

93. Kristie, Artisan Clay

94. Jess, Vintaj

95. Suzann, Beadphoria

96. Sharon, Sharon's Jewelry Garden

97. Michelle, bMichelle

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Blogshop: http://kellascreativewishes.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.storenvy.com/CreativeWishes

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CreativeWishes

My Gardening Exploits: http://kellasvegeplotandothermusings.blogspot.com/

Altered Book Round Robin and Bead Soup Sneak Peak

Just a quick update on the Altered Book Round Robin Swap I'm currently hosting. I completed the pages of Tracey's book which was a book of poems, so using the poems as inspiration, I glued, cut, collaged, etc some of the pages. Here is a video of the pages I altered.

I must say I am really enjoying this art form and look forward to putting my mark on the other participant's books.

I am currently working on completing my Bead Soup jewellery piece. The big reveal starts tomorrow the 19th and will run till the 26th. Visit this link at Lori of Pretty Things the soup's host, to find the links to all the participants and here are the dates bloggers according to their list number will be revealing their pieces:

Date of Reveal - Participant List Nos:
Saturday, June 19th - 1-13
Sunday, June 20th – 14-26
Monday, June 21st – 27-36
Tuesday, June 22nd – 37-47
Wednesday, June 23rd – 48-59
Thursday, June 24th – 60-71
Friday, June 25th – 72-84
Saturday, June 26th - 85-97

My reveal date is not till the 20th but if I complete it early enough today to take photos, then I'll update my blog later tonight with my reveal, so stay tuned. So please share the blog love and visit all the participant's blogs to view all the spectacular jewellery pieces that they have created.

Here is a sneak peak of how my piece is developing.

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Catch you later,

Blogshop: http://kellascreativewishes.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.storenvy.com/CreativeWishes
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CreativeWishes
My Gardening Exploits: http://kellasvegeplotandothermusings.blogspot.com/

Over Stretching One's Self

So my blog world hiatus continues and it is mainly down to taking on more than I should in the timescale I have allocated for everything. Lessons have been learnt and I aim to do better from next month, I have to get through this month first.

I will quickly bring you all up to speed on what I have been up too.

I my 2nd to last post I mentioned that I was working on a new Round Robin Swap, the theme being Altered Books. Well this is my first ever foray into this art form and I am so totally in love with the process.

I bit off a little more than I could chew in the size of my book and really underestimated how much time it takes to work on one of these. Plus my last deadline sort of cut into the time I had allocated to work on this project.

But never mind, I got it completed and sent it on its way to the next participant. I choose to make the theme of my book be about Nature, here is a short video of the process and the finished pages I completed before sending it on.

You can also see some pictures of the other participant's work if you visit the flickr group. I am currently working on the book sent to me and I will reveal it once I'm all done and it is sent on its way.

Well in all that chaos re working on the book, I also still had to complete last months ATC which was themed VW Beetles. I had planned to do something with the original love bug Herbie but I ran out of time and did something else. I wasn't completely happy with it (some how it felt unfinished) but I couldn't see how to tweak it further.

I created a faux stained glass effect ATC.

But wanted to create a little bit of whimsy and make it interactive, hence the pull tag and the picture background. I hope my recipient liked it.

I received mine from Joolz Kay and here is the ATC she sent me:

Isn't it a cutie of a card.

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You can see more of the VW Beetle themed ATCs at the flickr group. June's ATC theme has also been released and the deadline for signing up is tomorrow (yes I know another short notice deadline) the theme is DREAMS. I am yet undecided on whether I'll take part but knowing me I probably will (glutton for punishment that I am).

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So that's it for now, I am also still working on my bead soup, the big reveal is due on Friday, which is the same day I have to send off the altered book I am working on. I also have a birthday party to prepare for, yep my little one is turning 5 and wants a mermaid costume to wear for her party, which is on the the 3rd of next month. There is also more backlogged blog posts to write, so you see the train of life just seems to be going faster and faster, I just hope it doesn't derail as things will certainly get messy!!!!

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I am popping into visit all your blogs from time to time but I don't always have time to leave a comment.

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PS my garden related blog has also been recently updated, would love for you to visit.

So keep well everyone, catch you all laters.

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Blogshop: http://kellascreativewishes.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.storenvy.com/CreativeWishes
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CreativeWishes
My Gardening Exploits: http://kellasvegeplotandothermusings.blogspot.com/