Saturday, April 13, 2013

7th Annual Bead Soup Blog Hop Party - Round 2!

Welcome to the 7th Annual Bead Soup doo-hickey!  Sorry for delay in getting my post up.  My son went on a camping trip with the Boy Scouts this weekend. He was supposed to have left yesterday afternoon, leaving me with all kinds of creative time while his Dad was at work.  Alas, it was not to be...it rained really hard and they decided to give the ground time to dry up, so they left out this morning.  There went my Friday night crash session!  No worries, though!

For those of you in a parallel universe who have never heard of the Bead Soup Party, it is a fun challenge/swap/show and tell/blog hop dreamed up by the talented and super sweet Lori Anderson.  Participants get paired up and they swap a bead soup mix. This can include just about anything...not very many limitations, except for maybe plastic, or stuff you would otherwise throw away!  You must include a focal-sized component, and a premium clasp.  Premium?  Not just a lobster or spring ring type...more fancy!  In turn, the recipients of said bead soup can create whatever their heart desires, as long as it includes the focal and the clasp, and they don't even have to be in the same piece!

So, now that we are all on the same wavelength, let me introduce you to my partner, Pia Kaven!  She is a fabulous lampwork artist who sent me some gorgeous beads!


At first, I was sure I would be able to create something fabulous and innovative in my sleep with these!  I mean, look at them, how could I not?  After sitting down to work with them, though, the ideas just weren't coming.  The embossed beads were my 1st priority...that yummy big focal is really heavy, so I wanted it to be balanced.  After a few iterations, I decided to create a wire frame around it. I sketched out several ideas and finally came up with this.


I textured the copper wire and wrapped the focal onto it, then embellished it with one of the smaller spacer beads Pia sent.  I knotted several of the coordinating beads on some leather cord in a teal color that I got in a box of cool goodies from Melinda Orr. I made some little tubes from some etched copper to wrap the leather with, inspired by Keirsten Giles' lovely copper work, then connected the leather section to some copper chain.  Finishing touches include some Czech glass flowers (old habits are hard to break) and a swirly copper hook clasp I made.


With the smaller embossed beads, I created earrings in the same design.


The clasp Pia sent was very sweet...I couldn't fit it into my idea for the main design, though, so I decided it would make a perfect clasp for one of my Swarovski rosary bracelets.  Another one of Pia's beads...this one with swirly seafoam-y color...was added as the Pater bead.

Here is what I sent Pia...go and visit her blog and see what I created.


For the full list of participants of this round, go over to Lori's blog... there are a lot of us, so have fun!


49 comments:

  1. Very nice. I love the look of your wire work with the blue Asian looking beads.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your wirework frames, all your pieces are lovely and very wearable

    ReplyDelete
  3. I your earrings and necklace beautiful work but your earrings are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful work done with beautiful beads. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the wirework frame for the focals and earrings- nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really love the frames you created with wire for the focal and earring beads, so innovative! Your rosary bracelet is lovely too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the way you've encapsulated the focal in wire and made matching earrings. They're gorgeous pieces. Excellent work.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely works as always, Melissa! I especially admire those earrings :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really, really like how you framed out the focal - it really takes the piece from pretty to fantastic. The earrings are fabulous and I love the 2nd necklace. Heck, I love all these pieces - you have a new fan!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love how you set the focal and the earrings. Great job.
    kathy

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pia does great lampwork, doesn't she? You did an amazing job using them! Those earrings are breathtaking. The wirework really emphasizes the theme of the beads. Amazing work! -Julie

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, I can't believe how beautiful everything looks. I am totally at awe. I especially love the earrings.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You made such beautiful pieces with your Bead Soup, Melissa! The wirework is great! I especially love your rosary bracelet - it is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Woohoo, your wirework is amazing. What a great inspiration for us lampworkers how to draw attention to the focal! I like the assymetrical look of the first necklace, beautiful work Melissa!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love the wirework frames for the embossed lampwork. You made a great batch of lampwork into exceptionally beautiful jewelry. Well done Melissa! PS Our Scout camp out is this weekend. I better start my anti-rain dance, huh? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a stunning set of jewelry you created. I love the wire frames you made for the focal and the earrings. You are so talented. Love the addition of the leather and beads to the necklace. Just fab!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous7:17 AM

    love those cobalt blue earrings, they are a joy and the necklace is a stunner too. great work

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lovely work! The earrings are my favourite

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love your wire work for the stones making them lovely pieces of Art.

    ReplyDelete
  20. the earrings are fantastic

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love the wire-framing of the focals! I like how you the thick wire and simple design compliments the focal. All of your designs are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  22. What beautiful pieces you designed.

    ReplyDelete
  23. What can I say....I am a purple freak and those are just beautiful!!! You did a great job.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love the frames that you made for the focal and the matching pair. They really set off the beads to their best advantage. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I just love the necklace. That frame really made it your own.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love the bracelet!
    I'm on the 3rd reveal, I'm partecipating for the 3rd time on BSBP, I love this funny party!
    ciao dall'Italia

    ReplyDelete
  27. Gosh, they are all lovely! Even when I greatly admire the fabulous wire-wrapping, the last bracelet is my favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  28. You have chosen just the right materials to go with the beautiful blue beads. The necklace and earrings are stylish and artistic, but I am sure they could go to the office with me any day. And I think that is what really good jewellery is about.

    ReplyDelete
  29. You made an amazing wirework and those beads look even more beautiful with those copper frames!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Melissa your wirework is exceptional. I love the bead frames and clasp you created. You really showcased Pia's wonderful beads beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Completely gorgeous! The earrings in particular made me stop and gasp -- truly a wonderful balance of everything involved. And your comment about someone having to live in a parallel universe not to have heard of the Bead Soup hops? Genius.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Love it....love it all, but the earrings are especially appealing to me. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Ohhh love what you made Melissa! Can't decide which one I like best as they are all great!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Gorgeous! I just love the earrings most of all. I bet they swing wonderfully!

    ReplyDelete
  35. The swirly copper pieces you made to go around the blue stones are just amazing! They really make your pieces unique.

    ReplyDelete
  36. It's all beautiful but I absolutely love those earrings!

    ReplyDelete
  37. OH wow, very nice designs. I just love your wire work! And, those colors are super cool as well!

    ReplyDelete
  38. You always make such amazing things! Your soup pieces are no exception. I also made a wire frame around my focal, but your execution is way above my level. One day I hope to possess something CLOSE to your skill level. Alas, for now I'll just dream and keep bending wonky wire ;)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Wow you did such a nice job. I love the rosary bracelet. I pinned it too.

    ReplyDelete
  40. So Stunning! I love the elegance, the space the frames provide, it's just gorgeous. I'm at a loss for adjectives. Just wicked awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Very nice, great design, love the colors. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Nice soup. I love what you did with those gorgeous beads...your designs highlight them so well...beautiful pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I love everything you made! I would have struggled with the shape of that focal also. It's so beautiful! I wouldn't want to distract from it, but it's so heavy it would be way out of my comfort zone. I love how you worked with it.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Oh, I forgot to say! I LOVE your wire-work. Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Very creative pieces! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Beautiful and very pretty pieces :-) especially the flower ♥earrings!

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments!!!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...