At Last....my Soup has come along! (Bead Soup, that is!)

My lonely nights are over...and life is like a song!  Or something like that :)

Wow,  this was really more of a challenge than I thought it would be...it was that dang, gorgeous, ginormous, glass leaf pendant that totally threw me. Thank you, Kate Clawson!!  BTW, go see what she did with the soup mix that I sent her!  Brilliant!

Okay, back to my piece...I really didn't want the pendant to be a pendant...I was going to wrap it in some way to have it connect to the necklace at both ends, then have something else, like the metal leaf drop.  Well, as pieces have special ways of evolving, that didn't actually happen, but my goal of making the leaf more than just a glass pendant hanging on a necklace was acheived, IMO!

I wrapped the leaf with tiny gauge copper wire in a needlelace sort of technique, a la Mary Hettmansperger and Eni Oken, with the addition some hammered spirals here and there, at the bottom of the leaf, and again in the bail I decided on.  I embellished with some tiny copper beads, then set out to create a necklace to hang this behemoth on!

I utilized my new mad skillz (thank you Barb Lewis!) to add an enameled filigree bead to the mix of chartreuse and brown glass beads Kate sent, as well as the pleated metal beads, for one side of the necklace.  Since the bail was asymetrical, I decided the whole necklace should be, so only used the chartreuse beads on the clasp side.  Speaking of the clasp, I love this little "leaf-within-a-leaf" toggle...Kate, you will have to divulge your source, my dear!

The whole thing brought together with copper wire wrapped loops and rollo chain, and then I oxidized it to within an inch of it's life.  Whew....that is it, I believe!

Please click on this photo...the sizing is off here, but the big picture is beoooteeeful! :)
I have some left over glass beads that I intend to add to a bracelet or earrings soon, most likely for a giveaway.  I feel the need to give back to my peeps, especially after having won a few fab giveaways lately m'self!

Thank you all for waiting for me...hope it is worthy!!