It's Bead Soup reveal time!

The bead soup my wonderful swap partner, Tandra Boyer, gave me was just what I needed to get the creative juices really flowing again.  My muse had been playing hide and seek with me for awhile, but the soup fixins intrigued her....and me too!  So, ready to see what my muse and I came up with? 

When I first opened Tandra's package, I just couldn't take my eyes off the rhinestone shoe buckle and the sparkly magnet clasp.  Those two elements seem to combine so naturally with pearls and bead chain to create an almost Downtown Abbey-esque feel, don't you think?

The next element which called to me was the little bead-filled bottle.  And I was intrigued by the idea of combining the two main colors from the soup fixins, turquoise and purple.  While I love each of those colors individually, I hadn't really considered using them together until I saw them side-by-side in Tandra's package.  Now, I just can't stop combining those colors in piece after piece.  

So fresh and springy!  

Then for some earrings...

And then an almost finished bracelet...

See what I mean by not being able to stop using Tandra's color combo?! 

So now, be sure to check out Tandra's blog to see what she did with the bead soup I sent to her.  Here's the link:  http://alittleinkalicious.blogspot.com

Plus, hop on over to our fabulous Bead Soup Blog Party hostess, Lori at www.prettythingsblog.com to see what she has cooked up with her soup.  And check out out main party website  www.beadsoupblogparty.com for links to all the other Partiers

Bead Soup -- Look What My Partner Sent Me!

I received the most wonderful package in the mail the other day from my Bead Soup Blog Party partner, Tandra Boyer.  When I opened the package, there was this beautiful tin box and lovely card -- made and embellished by the super-creative Tandra.

 And, inside the tin box was a beady feast....all organized into the cutest little tins and organza bag....

 

The little organza bag held this vintage rhinestone focal (I suspect it graced someone's shoe, once upon a time) and rhinestone magnet clasp (super-strong!)....

Then there was this adorable little glass bottle, filled with aqua/turquoise colored beads...

Finally, inside the little tins....pearls....

More vintage rhinestones...and vintage bead chain....

A gorgeous selection of aqua/turquoise colored beads....include two multi-hole long beads which will be great as spacers.  And, because Tandra knows how much I love purple, she even put in a special collection of lovely purple beads.   

 

The entire collection looks like this....

Now just I need to stop fondling and drooling over these lovelies, and start putting them together into new pieces of jewelry....   The creative juices are flowing already....

Bead Soup -- what I sent to my partner

My Bead Soup Blog Party partner this year, Tandra Boyer, told me that her favorite color is orange.  And that she's not too fond of purple.  We had a good chuckle over this, since I'm just the opposite (love purple, don't care for orange). 

Given her fondness for orange, I knew I had to include both carnelian and fire agate beads in my selection for her.  Then, as contrast, I included several different blues....including a few that are almost purple (tee hee!) 

The focal is a fabulous agate bead which mixes a bit of orange with a deep blue, and I turned it into a pendant for Tandra using rose gold color wire and more carnelian beads; then just for fun I added carnelian and dumortierite dangles. 

Can't wait to see what Tandra cooks up from these soup fixins!

After a break of a few years, I'm finally back in the groove of selling my jewelry creations at Indianapolis-area art and craft shows.  The first one of 2014 is this coming weekend in Noblesville.  Called "Springtime in Indiana Art, Craft, & Craft Showcase", it will be held on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds on Saturday, 3/15 (10am-5pm) and Sunday, 3/16 (11am-4pm).

Here's just a sampling of the new wire sculpture pendant designs I'll have at the show:

Lapis Pendant

Montana Agate Pendant

Mammoth Tusk with Malachite and Amethyst Inlay, wrapped in copper wire sculpture

White Sea Glass Pendant

Sonoran Desert Jasper Pendant

Hematite Druzy Pendant

Rhodochrosite Pendant

Time for the 2014 Bead Soup Blog Party

I have been sorely remiss in updating this blog, and for that I apologize.  But, now I'm back and ready to participate in the 2014 Bead Soup Blog Party.  I've been paired with a lovely lady from California, Tandra Boyer.  Check out her blog here:  http://alittleinkalicious.blogspot.com


Tonight I will be putting the finishing touches on my soup ingredients for Tandra, then into the mail it goes.  Can't wait to see what yummy soup she creates from these baubles.