Bead Soup Blog Party #7...Soup sent

I understand my partner Leah Mifflin Tees has received her Bead Soup from me, so I will post what I sent...I have a few photos as I kept changing the soup up :-)

My favorite part of developing the soup is playing with color combinations, and I always end up learning something from both my experience playing with the soup I send, and of course playing with the soup I am sent in return.

This time, the first thing that spoke to me was a shell pendant; I love the beach and beachy themes, so I started with it and pulled out some of the neutral and copper tones from the shell. At this point it was looking pretty neutral (ie, dull), so I went across the color wheel and added a bit of purple in beaded beads and pearls for shimmer. I love those pearl "spikes" by the way, I hope Leah can have some fun with them. The dragonflies at the top right of the photo are the clasp:

As I was digging around, I found some fairy ribbon in my fibre stash that worked well for color

It was at this point that I found out that Leah, who is a fellow bead-weaver, was to be my partner...then I could go crazy and add some seed beads, which I really, really wanted to do! 

BUT....as we were a bit rushed at that point to get mailing, I forgot to take a picture before I packaged Leah's soup...hope you can make out some of the additions in this picture. More purple for brightening, and some pretty czech peachy seeds:

I was all ready to post....THEN this focal jumped into the box instead of the shell! The nerve!! But he just felt he belonged in the mix, I guess...:-) (see new focal bottom right of the picture)

And off they went to Leah....

Focus on Life Week 8~Monochromatic

Last week we celebrated an early Spring with the beauty of flowers....this week, Sally has us headed in the opposite direction completely. Here is her prompt for this week's photographs:

"This week look deeper through the lens to the story your photo captures and then process it to one colour! Or be daring and shoot it in B&W"

This last weekend, I drove a few hundred kilometers to celebrate the milestone birthday of a friend...as it was a several hour trip for me, I stayed overnight at the farmhouse home of another friend. I love their home; at this time of year, from the front windows you look out upon the peace that is winter on a farm....this tree stands as a sentinel guarding the house from the bitter winds blowing off Lake Huron, and all you can see is the undisturbed snow. Soon the snow will nurture the crops that will help to feed both their cattle, and eventually of course...us.

Enjoy the peace.....

See the other stories from our participants here: 

Studio Sublime

Focus on Life: Week 7 Beauty of Flowers

Sally's prompt for us this week was:

"This week take a moment to bring a little happiness to your soul and enhance your well-being. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of flowers."

Have I mentioned that I live here?:

....and that it is currently 25 below zero? Celsius? 

Yeah....not much in the way of flowers blooming out in my yard right now! And if there were...I would definitely be wondering what sort of aliens they were! 

But.....I DID manage to make a trip out this past week, to the HUGE greenhouse out on the edge of town. Where I was the only person in this gigantic building (other than the staff)!

And it was about 50 degrees in there....

Not much blooming in there, either....

But I did find this....

The gardening experts will have to tell us what it is...but I thought it was very pretty! And I'm FAIRLY sure it was alive! 

And I even thought these were very pretty!

Although I'm fairly sure they were NOT alive!

And these too! 

Thanks Sally! Although I tease, I did enjoy my trip to the echo-ing, empty greenhouse! In a month or two, I'm sure it will be hopping in there! 

Now, run on over and see what everyone else found! 

The Studio Sublime

Bead Soup #7

This is the third year I've participated in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party. The Party has grown to such a size now that it involves 500+ beaders in umpteen countries participating.

I am thrilled this year to be paired with another seed beader!

Leah Mifflin Tees lives in Red Rock, ON; Red Rock is just northeast of Thunder Bay, in northern Ontario on the shore of beautiful Lake Superior. 

Leah loves to explore all kinds of beading according to her blog; she does beautiful bead embroidery, and has fairly recently discovered soutache. There are some gorgeous pieces for you to explore on her blog!

I hope Leah will enjoy the soup I will be sending her next week~I'm anxious to see what she does with it!

Here's your sneak peek, Leah!

And here it is, all ready to go.....

Focus on Life~Week 6

This week is going to have to be a "cheat and run" for me! So sorry, I've been called into work on my day off...AND we are under about a foot and a half of snow, with it continuing to snow heavily, from winter storm Nemo. Not sure if I'm going to be able to make it to work or not, so if I miss Week 7....call out the St Bernards!

Here was Sally's inspiration for Week 6:

"Since love is in the air in February, this week keep your heart open, breathe in the air and feel the love, then capture it in a photo. Feel the love that the universe is trying to show us every day!"

Somehow, I DON'T think this is what Sally had in mind.......here is the love the universe is showing US today!

PS...that is NOT a basement window!

Libby says:

I LIKE winter....but!!

but here's a little "show the love" picture I took around Christmastime......

Please be sure to join everyone linking up their pictures at Sally's blog Studio Sublime here

Focus on Life Wk 5~Capture our Hearts

Here is Sally's instruction for our fifth week prompt:

Have you ever taken a moment to notice all the hearts that come into your life everyday?  From candy hearts, patterns on clothes, a paper heart you make yourself or heart shaped spirals made from the ornate rod iron fencing that you may or may not have ever noticed on your walk around the neighborhood, hearts are hidding everywhere.  This week pay attention to your surroundings, think outside the box and capture a heart! 

In thinking about this over the last week, I was reminded not only to "see" the hearts, but to think about the things that I "heart"; ie, the things that make life livable/fun/important on a day to day basis. 

And, so on that note....here are a few of my favorite hearts....

#4. Funky shoes! 

Converse should pay me....I own way too many pairs to mention...although there IS that custom-designed pair I'm still trying to figure out how to get them to ship to Canada! 

#3. Coffee Mugs...and latte

Always my favorite souvenir if I am travelling, or want a memento of an occasion....maybe because I use them every day and can remember the fun times. And one of the best things I ever bought myself is my Tassimo machine, which keeps me sane in the winter months in Canada. That and Second Cup latte, of course!

#2. In conjunction with the above mug...this guy:

No explanation required...just see my last post. He just makes me smile. Which I am doing even as I look at this picture. 

#1. This organization:

As you can see from the banner, we are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. These hearts (see the shapes in the logo?) shape my days and have shaped them for 10 years now. Here's one of the many reasons why:

Why Isn't Everybody Doing This? 

And here's something YOU can do to help!

Inclusion-grams

Send a special Valentine to everyone you know this month!