The Vocal Focal...

...isn't that the most fabulous swap name? And this was one of the most fun swaps I've been in, as well. Just a small one...there were 12 of us. My partner is Renetha Stanziano at Lamplight Crafts and Renetha actually sent me TWO beautiful focals!

The first one is a beautifully etched-finish long tablet glass focal, drilled vertically. The colors are right in my wheel house and so of course it was this one that I started thinking about to begin with. How to show it off, without overwhelming it?

I thought about hanging it simply from a nice rope of some kind...but that seemed too ordinary, somehow, for this gorgeous bead...

I thought about trying to wire wrap it a bit and do a chain with some complementary beads...but my wire wrapping skills are so far primitive at best..and I didn't want to "cover up" the bead with wire in any way.
And then, as beady things will tend to go, I had an inspiration in the shower one day.. (don't visualize that scene...it will be bad for your mental health!)

When I look at the bead, I think immediately of water and waves; it may be tough to see in the picture, but the bead is sparked with a bit of silver in those curls...it's just gorgeous. The word that came to my mind....is rivulets....rivulets, running down to the ocean...and there's where my design came to being.

I plan on doing a plump skein of individually strung seed bead strands, that will move and shimmer, in the colors drawn from the bead. I am including a chain which I have used a bit and absolutely adore as one of the strands as well; it is a very tiny what I call dot-and-dash ball chain and will add a bit of texture and some additional sparkle, and mimic the silver in the bead itself.

The skein will be caught at centre front with a bail made of swarovski Crystal AB bicones or rounds in RAW about an inch or so wide; I'm hoping it will look like wave splash :-). The bead will dangle from that.
Here are the seed beads I've pulled, to give the general idea:

And a bit more closeup to show the detail of the bead and that dot-and-dash chain I love:

And then....the second beautiful focal Renetha sent me! I'm a little star-struck LOL...Renetha's friend the inimitable Carole Ohl designed this focal, which Renetha then stitched. 

It is absolutely gorgeous! I don't have plans "set in stone" yet for this one, but am leaning toward a really simple textured seed-beaded bracelet, probably silver, with this as the focal clasp. It is well-designed as it has a "slip-on" feature at the back which makes it really easy to attach, almost like a slider bead.

Thanks again to Renetha and Bonnie Coursolle at Jasper's Gems who organized this swap! Here is the list of the other particpants. Please take a few moments to visit them as well!

Cindy Wimmer	Sweet Bead Studio
Ginger Bishop	lilmummylikes
Bonnie Coursolle	Jasper's Gems
Andra Weber	Andra's Joyful Journey
Shirley Moore	Beads and Bread
Kashmira Patel	Sadafulee
Maybeline Tay	The Jewelry Larder
Dee Torcherer Elgie	Cherry Obsidia
Bonnie Coursolle	Jasper's Gems
Rhonda Baird	Dizzy in Chains

ETA: I see some of these links are not working, and I'm not sure why...working on it!
ETAA: Fixed!

Great contest!

Irina Miech is a favorite designer of mine, and one of my favorite blogs is having a contest to win her book.

Run over to Art Jewelry Elements before midnight on Sunday Apr 22nd, follow the instructions, and you too have a chance to win!

If you're a beady type...and why wouldn't you be, if you're here....follow AJE too! It's a wonderful new blog.

In other news....I've been busy as can be getting things ready for a few swaps in which I'm participating. I sent off beads on April 4th for a Bead Only swap created by Lori Anderson at Pretty Things, to my partner Deana Hager in PA...sent Art Charms in Blue and Brown to my Artcharms Group, for redistribution after May 1st...sent buttons Apr. 12th to my partner Cynthia Riggs for the Sweet Bead Studio Button Swap and sent focals to Renetha in OH Apr 10th for the Vocal Focal Swap, the brainchild of Bonnie at Jasper Moon, who is a fellow Ontarian. Whew!

Now I'm just waiting for the mailman, and I'll show you all what I'm creating from all these! So excited to have them arrive! I will post pictures of what I sent as soon as I am informed they have received their packages.

At the moment, I'm working on pieces for the Clay Fan Festival, held as a fundraiser for the National Inclusion Project the May long weekend, in PA. I will not unfortunately be able to attend, but I hope they will raise some money for the NIP. I will post pictures as soon as they are done.

Have a good weekend!

A contest made for me!

I have quite a number of things on the go at the moment...but one of them that will be ongoing for a few months is this contest from Beadwork magazine. When I saw the announcement a few months back...it seemed made for me! I do love my beaded beads, and search out new variations everywhere. I'm excited to bead along and participate!

So far, there have been two of the five patterns published. Here are the beads I've made so far:

The three beads at the right of the picture are the same bead done in different sizes and color variations; they were really fun to make, and were the first pattern published. The base component is the small star you see to their left. This one is size 15 beads. 

The larger one to the upper left of the picture is the newest bead from the Apr/May issue of the magazine; the first one was a real challenge, but now that I have it figured out, I'm just waiting for some additional 8mm beads  I've ordered (I don't often work that large) to create an additional one or two. 

Can't wait to see the rest of the patterns!

....and the winner is....!!

Just to refresh your memory, I had a giveaway connected to my Bead Soup Blog Party post....the winner gets to take home this bracelet:

I have made the winner selection, in my most scientific way (papers with numbers in a cookie tin)....and the winner is Kia of Kia Dallon Studio!

I have left a message for you, Kia...but just in case you see it here first...please get in touch with me and I will get your bracelet in the mail next week!

Thank you so much to everyone who visited, joined, and left their comments...I appreciate you all so much!

AND....here is the completed necklace from yesterday:

Here is the beaded bead detail:

Here is the direct link to the free pattern for the beaded bead. (Please note that mine is changed a fair bit from the original.)

Hope you're still hopping and still having fun!

Still Hopping!

I am having such fun hopping! I apologize for being rather behind...but I'm enjoying all the blogs so much that I'm taking the time to spend a little extra time with each one. I WILL eventually get to you all though! This last week has been an extremely busy one for me as I had to work through last weekend's event at my real job...so I'm sorry that I haven't yet been able to respond to everyone...but I will!

On a somewhat off-topic note, you will probably have noticed that the majority of my production of jewelry goes to benefit the National Inclusion Project. I am the volunteer coordinator in Canada for the charity, and if any of you watch The Celebrity Apprentice, this season you will see my boss at the NIP competing! He is of course competing on behalf of the NIP, and we are all so proud of him! So, every Sunday night at 9 PM until May 20th, you know where I'll be! Please help us cheer him on! He is, without a doubt, the finest man it has ever been my pleasure to know, a wonderful CEO...and he deserves to win!

While I watch Celebrity Apprentice with my heart in my mouth, I of course bead to relax...so here is what I've been working on over the last week or two...

I'm not normally a big gemstone person, but this strand of faceted agate beads just reached out from the wall and grabbed me. I wanted to do something really quite simple, to show off the gems themselves, so I chose to just string them, with a beaded bead as a focal at centre front.

I actually ended up doing three different beaded beads for the focal, as I played with different components of the bead and color variations. 

I am going to use this one; it is a slightly different variation of the basic pattern from Mu of centperles blog.Thank you to her for the original pattern, which I have amended a bit to create this focal.

It is created from Swarovski crystal, seed beads and Swarovski glass pearls; the same color pearls are used as separators through the necklace length, for the gemstones. 

I will show you the finished necklace tomorrow, when I draw for my Bead Soup Blog Party Giveaway Winner

Edited 03/10/12 to give direct link to the free beaded bead pattern. 

It's BSBP Reveal Day!

The big day is finally here! Sometimes it seemed like it would neeeever get here...and then it felt like it was coming too fast LOL!

A little precis of the deal.....our famous and SO organized host, Lori Anderson of Pretty Things Blog has been doing an amazing job of running the Bead Soup Blog Party for several years now...this is the 5th BSBP!


Last time, the BSBP grew so large that it became overwhelming for everyone involved, so this year Lori limited the participation to 200...and I was one of the lucky ones chosen, by lottery, to play.
And how do we play? Each member is paired up by Lori with another beader...sometimes in another country, sometimes down the street...and in my case, across the country and totally by chance, in the city I lived in previously for 35 years. And we lived in the same neighbourhood! And her bff was my next-door neighbour! How random is that!...and we didn't even know one another at the time.

Once our partners are selected, we each get together a "soup" to send to our partner by a specific date; the soup must contain a focal bead, a special closure, and some coordinating beads. Sometimes (lucky me!) it contains MUCH more than that!

Then, on a specified date, we reveal on our blogs, the work of the last month or so on our soups...and have fun and gain inspiration visiting one another's blogs!

Here is a pic of the soup I sent Marie-Noel in Calgary:

And here is the soup she sent me:

Kind of different looking, are they not LOL??! That's the FUN of the BSBP!

Although Marie's style and mine are obviously quite different, I tried to put a bit of myself into the pieces I created from her lovely ephemera bits. One of the pieces went together quite easily, one of them I struggled with a bit, and one of them fought me to the finish!

Here is the first piece, the simplest, and the easiest. This is called Paris Spring:

I loved Marie's focal at first sight, and was able to pull out the subtle lilac in it with the rayon cording and mimic the cording with some simple seed-beaded loops (which slide), knots and a simple beaded dangle for the pendant. I wire-wrapped a closure for the necklace. This one hangs quite long, and I love it!

Here is the second one; this is also a necklace, called Dragonfly Summer:

Dragonfly Summer has linked beads and chain in the soft colors of the gorgeous dragonfly focal; many of them are the extra beads Marie-Noel sent me. The neat Vintaj closure between the upper and lower focals is the clasp Marie-Noel sent as well. The lower focal is an embellished, seed-beaded brass hoop. A large beaded bead provides the balance to the necklace, at the top left of the picture. (Thank you to Liz Reed of The Crimson Moon for the use of her beaded bead patterns here and in the bracelet.) This is the one that was recalcitrant, and I may yet change some things! :-)

Tell me what you think! 

This next piece is a bracelet called Autumn in Paris:

The beautiful russet-toned focal was matched with a variety of gemstones(most of which are Marie-Noel's), another beaded bead and loop as a closure, and a pretty lampworked drop on the looped chain. It is simply strung with metal beads, the gemstone beads and chain. 

This bracelet is my give-away for the BSBP! If you would like to win it, simply become a member of my blog...leave a comment telling me you have joined....and on March 10th I will make a random drawing from all who have done so. Be sure your email is linked so I can get in touch with you! I will be announcing the winner here, so stop back to see! 

Thanks so much for visiting!! Have a wonderful time visiting all the other blogs...don't forget to sign up for the give-aways....here is the list!

Hostess, Lori Anderson


Special Book Sneak Peeks, Cindy Wimmer

1.  Adlinah Kamsir (Singapore) and Hajer Waheed (Kingdom of Bahrain)

2. Adrienn Lukacs (Hungary) and Agata Grygiel (Poland)

3.  Agi Kiss (Hungary) and Carolien Muller-Genger (the Netherlands)

4.  Agnes Asztalos (Hungary) and B.R. Kuhlman

5.  Alesha Conklin and Becki Mendivil

6.  Alice Peterson and Carol Dillman

7.  Alicia Marinache (Canada) and Dita Basu

8.  Amanda Dittloff and Brandy Thomason McNair

9.  Amanda Tibbetts and Andrea Trank

10.  Amy Freeland and Kay Mallery 

11.  Andra Weber and Christine Murrow

12.  Ann Sherwood and Diane Welte

13.  Barbara Bechtel and Kerry Bogert

14.  Barbara Lewis and Cat Pruitt

15.  Bonnie Coursolle (Canada) and Fay Wolfenden (Canada)

16.  Carmel McGinley (Australia) and Tracy Stillman (Australia)

17.  Cassie Donlen and Deryn Mentock

18.  Cathie Carroll and Janel Dudley

19.  Cece Cormier and Morwyn Mullins

20.  Charlene Jacka and Christina Hickman

21.  Cheryl Brown (Canada) and Diana Ptaszynski

22.  Christina Stofmeel (the Netherlands) and Eva Kovacs (Hungary)

23.  Christine Damm and Deb Brooks

24.  Cilla Watkins (Canada) and Elaine Robitaille (Canada)

25.  Sabrina Straub (Switzerland) and Kathy Combs

26.  Cindy Cima Edwards and Eleanor Burian-Mohr

27.  Cory Celaya and Rhea Freitieg

28.  Courtney Breul and Dana Hickey

29.  Cynthia Abner and Jennifer Boreck

30.  Cynthia Tucker and Jean Peter

31.  Debbie Goering and Heidi Post

32.  Dee Elgie (UK) and Joanne Lockwood (UK)

33.  Dian Hierschel (Germany) and Eniko Fabian (Austria)

34.  Diane Cook and Lyn Foley

35.  Donna Bohler and Lisa Lodge

36.  Donna Millard and Kiersten Giles

37.  Doris Stumpf (Germany) and Eszter Czibulyas (Hungary)

38.  Elisabeth Auld and Eva Sherman

39.  Elke Leonhardt-Rath (Germany) and Marjolein Trewavas (UK)

40.  Ema Kilroy and Laurie Keefe-Cecere

41.  Erika Nooteboom (the Netherlands) and Giorgia Rossini (Italy)

42.  Erin Grant and Jean Wells

43.  Evelyn Duberry (Canada) and Gaea Cannaday

44.  Genea Crivello-Knable and Heather Powers

45.  Ginger Bishop (military, Okinawa) and Martina Nagele (Germany)

46.  Heidi Kingman and Lori Greenberg

47.  Helen Kemp and Lisa Wangeman

48.  Helene Goldberg (Australia) and Karen Vincent

49.  Jamie Hogsett and Jeannie Dukic

50.  Jeanette Ryan and Jelveh Jaferian

51.  Jennifer Cameron and Tania Spivey

52.  Jennifer Justman and Kari Carrigan

53.  Jennifer Tough and Lorelei Eurto

54.  Joanna Matuszczyk (Poland) and Julianna Kis (Hungary)

55.  Joanne Tinley (UK) and Michaela Pabeschitz (Austria)

56.  Julie Anne Leggett and Kelley Fogle

57.  Karen Hess and Linda Landig

58.  Karyn Bonfiglio and Kathleen Lange Klik

59.  Kashmira Patel and Kat White

60.  Kat Barron Miller and Kelly Morgan

61.  Kathy Lindemer and Rose Binoya

62.  Krafty Max and Sandra Miller

63.  Kristen Latimer and Pam Ferrari

64.  Kristie Roeder and Lea Avroch

65.  Kristina Johansson (Sweden) and Penny Neville (Canada)

66.  Krisztina Erlaki-Toth (Hungary) and Nicole Keller (Germany)

67.  Lara Lutrick and Lisa Suver

68.  Laura DeMoya and Lisa Hanna

69.  Libby Leuchtman and Melanie Brooks

70.  Linda Koch and Rosemarie Cowit

71.  Lisa Chapman and Menka Gupta

 72.  Lisa Liddy and Marion Simmons

73.  Lori Anderson and Marcie Abney

74.  Lori Bowring-Michaud and Mary Govaars

75.  Lori Dorrington and Maria Rosa Sharrow

76.  Lori Finney (Canada) you are here and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp (Canada)

77.  Lynn Bennett and Mandi Ainsworth

78.  Marta Kaczerowska (Poland) and Milla Starchik (Canada)

79.  Mary Harding and Shannon LeVart

80.  Mary Jane Dodd and Stacey Curry

81.  Melinda Orr and Molly Alexander

82.  Melissa Meman and Michelle Escano-Caballaro

83.  Michelle Jensen and Sandra Young (Canada)

84.  Nan Emmett and Nicole Valentine-Rimmer (Canada)

85.  Nancy Boylan and Suzette Bentley

86.  Natasha Lutes and Patti Vanderbloemen

87.  Pam Hurst and Rebekah Payne

88.  Patty Miller and Sara Rhoades

89.  Rebecca Anderson (UK) and Lori Anderson

90.  Rebecca Sirevaag and Sharon Driscoll

91.  Rochelle Brisson and Shannon Chomanczuk

92.  Rosa Maria Cuevas (Mexico) and Tejae Floyde

93.  Sabine Dittrich (Germany) and Sally Russick

94.  Sandi Volpe and Sarah/Saturday Sequins

95.  Shanti Johnson and Tracy Mok (Canada)

96.  Skylar Brez and Theresa Buchle

97.  Sonya Stille and Traci Zeller (Canada)

98.  Stefanie Teufel (Germany) and Tania Hagen (New Zealand)

99.  Stephanie LaRosa and Vonna Maslanka

100.  Terri Wlaschin and Wendy Blum

Almost BSBP time!!

So exciting...it's almost Bead Soup Blog Party time! The big reveal will be next Sunday, March 3rd (where DID February go, anyway?) and it seems like I've been working and re-working my pieces forever. One came together very easily...one I struggled with a bit...and one fought me all the way LOL. I now have 3 pieces completed, the pictures put together and I just have to write my blog for that day.

Just as a reminder, here's the blog soup lucky me received from my partner in crime Marie-Noel

And here's a little teaser for next Sunday of one of the finished pieces:

Looking forward to seeing you next week! I WILL be having a giveaway! 

And now...it's on to the next project! I was delighted to find, last week, some really special gemstone strands from a new supplier here in the city. So it's on to some quite simple stringing of the gemstones and other beads, combined with some of my special beaded beads. I'm looking forward to it and will be showing you the results, hopefully soon!