So here we are again, at the 8th Bead Soup Blog Party, the highlight of the blogging beader’s calendar! The premise is simple, participants are paired up by our amazing host Lori Anderson to swap a bead soup containing at the minimum a focal and a clasp, plus some coordinating beads. This year almost 500 beaders and jewellery designers from around the world signed up to play. Today we reveal what we made using the beads our partners sent us.
My partner, Sandra Wollberg, from Wiesbaden, Germany (you can read more about her here), sent me a fabulous soup, including a pendant, clasp and bracelet bar from Blu Mudd, handmade polymer clay headpins, a stunning Czech glass button and a selection of beads including Czech glass dragonflies, flowers, leaves and little critters, freshwater pearls and some painted shell beads, Indian glass, and peanut beads. There was also some sari silk and a packet of mica sheets, thrown in by Sandra as an extra challenge.
To get my muse going, I started with a few pairs of earrings, using Sandra’s polymer clay headpins, one pair wrapped with the pretty painted shell beads, the other one combined with two little ladybird beads from the strand of Czech glass critters. A third pair of earrings became a posy of Czech glass flowers.
Next on the list was the bracelet bar. I had it in mind to combine it with leather, and I found some lovely soft teal blue leather that picked up the blue colour in the flowers embossed on the bar. To counter its one-sided weight, I knotted a selection of beads onto some teal blue waxed linen.
My first necklace was inspired by the dragonfly beads and the Czech glass button, which also features a dragonfly. The challenge for me in this piece was to work out how to incorporate the button into a necklace,, especially as I also wanted to use the clasp Sandra sent me. In the end, I cut off the button shank and used a filigree piece from Vintaj to wrap around the back of the button, with a couple of jump rings to create a link. Between the button link and the clasp, I strung the Czech glass dragonfly coins and the pearls, and used a Vintaj dragonfly as a pendant. I’ve called this necklace the Dragonfly Pond necklace.
And finally, a necklace with the Blu Mudd owl pendant. The pendant is glazed in a glossy gold with breakthrough undertones tones of teal and green. I was inspired by some of Lorelei Eurto‘s recent necklaces, with beads knotted on linen, so I picked out a selection of beads in blues, greens and bronze shades, as well as a deep red to give a pop of colour, from both the bead soup Sandra provided as well as my own stash and knotted them on teal blue waxed linen (you’ll recognize some of the beads from the bracelet). The pattern repeats linearly from the clasp to the pendant, but looks asymmetric—a trick I think I picked up from one of the posts in Love My Art Jewelry‘s recent bootcamp on asymmetry. I’m really pleased with how this necklace turned out, I think it really captures the autumn woodland feel of Sandra’s soup. I’ve called it the Owl in the Woods necklace, and I think I’ll keep it for myself!
Now, there are a few elements from my soup that I haven’t yet used. The Indian glass beads are destined for a necklace when I find the right chain. I almost used the peanut beads in the dragonfly necklace, but the seed beads just looked better. And I plan to make a few more pairs of earrings as well. The sari silk is lovely and I’m sure I will use that somewhere soon. The mica sheets are a bit more challenging, and I’ve been looking at various tutorials and blog posts about how to use. I have had them out to play with but so far I haven’t actually done anything. I have plans though, which I am sure I will blog about down the road.
Thank you Lori, for once again throwing a wonderful party with fabulous guests, despite your own personal challenges besetting you at every turn! I’m already looking forward to whatever you dream up for next year’s party! And thank you Sandra for a fabulous soup, which stretched me as a jewellery designer. I hope you had as good a time playing with my soup as I did with yours!
Now, I have the daunting but enjoyable task of visiting as many of the other blogs partying with me as I can. To see what Sandra made with the soup I sent her, visit her blog. And for the full list of participants, go to the main BSBP page.
Beautiful pieces Liss. The owl necklace is beautiful and I can see why you would want to keep it. Thanks for introducing me to the BSBP :-).
Melissa, one word – YUMMY! Great soup, wonderful meal. Best of all pure enjoyment without the calories 😀 Your earrings are full of whimsy, the bracelet is fun and light, the necklaces – WOW! I especially liked the dragonfly. Love owls as you know. Just know, what you created with the soup, lovely as it was made my heart smile. HAPPY, HAPPY am I. Thanks for sharing your art ❤
Wow!! I love all your designs, but the dragonfly necklace is gorgeous.
Gorgeous, springy, I love them all, the owl necklace in particular is an explosion of happiness!
Yes, I agree. The Owl Necklace is the star of your soup. I saw all of the colors & wanted to eat it up like candy.
Wow! Look at your haul!!! What a generous partner and the resulting creations are so pretty! The Owl in the Woods is my absolute favorite and such a treasure trove of color and shapes. Thank you for visiting my party post!
WOWZERS you got a great soup to work with. All you pieces are so fun and sweet. The owl necklace is my favorite. It will be lots of fun to wear!
So many great designs, Melissa! Great job!
what a collection of colorfilled gorgeousness! You’ve got the touch! Wow! very lovely! jean
http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/
Love the soup and love your use of it! I especially like the necklace with the dragonflies!
You made beautiful jewelry with your beautiful soup, I love what you did with the owl pendant as it’s so colorful. But I love dragonflies too…
Lovely soup, great pieces, I love the bracelet!
Sandra sent you a great soup and you’ve created some wonderful pieces with it – I absolutely love the Dragonfly Pond necklace!
Such lovely work well done!
All great colorful pieces Melissa. Love how you incorporated the pieces in the soup into individual little works of art. Love everything!
what a great variety of designs! the owl necklace is my favourite!
such a gorgeous stash to work with and I love the drama of the dragon fly necklace and the modern touches in the wrap bracelet
Totally you! I love the unexpected pops of color and that you’re never afraid to experiment with shapes.
Wonderful color picks! I especially love the bracelet with the suede piece!
What a totally fab soup and how beautiful are all the wonderful items you made.
What a great soup and lovely designs Melissa…love the owl necklace particularly – so rich in texture and interest.
I love everything! It’s all so cheery and bright. 🙂
<3,
Andrea
Very nice! Love the earrings.
Great soup! I especially love how you brought out the color in the bracelet bar. That is such a sweet bracelet.
Wow way to rev that creative engine with so many designs! I LOVE the owl and dragonfly designs! xo Genea
Love the owl necklace and of course the dragon flys .. so creative!
Beautiful pieces, as I would expect, Melissa. I can’t seem to stop looking at that bracelet, it’s gorgeous!
that was an excellent soup, and faBU DESIGNS MADE WITH TI
Loved the designs and the owl necklace was my fav!
What a wonderful soup you received! Love the bracelet!
The piece with the owl is my favorite! very nice world.
I can’t pick a favourite, you did a wonderful job with them all. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the mica, I had some on my table in some planning that didn’t make it either.
All such fun and colorful designs Melissa! You have a beautiful way of combining colors—I’m inspired looking at each one! I have to say though, the bracelet is my very favorite—the soft spring colors are delightfully sweet!
So beautiful! I love all your pieces.
Great trick with the linear repetitive pattern to achieve asymmetric design. Thanks for the tip!
What lovely soup you received! Your design are magnificent, I love the earrings.
That was quite a bountiful soup! My favorites are the third pair of earrings with all of the flower dangles, and the bracelet. Nice work!
Love the selection of beads you had to work with and absolutely love what you have made. The owl necklace is adorable. Just love all the happy colors. Nice work!
Your pieces are amazing! I LOVE the colors! So jubilant and pretty!
Look at all these bright, amazing colors ! Yowza ! So many pretties !
LoveloveLOVE what you did there, and the beads you used in addition to mine. All those pieces have such a rich, organic, nature-y feel to it. I especially admire the knotted necklace with the owl, it’s beautiful. That trick with the linear pattern is definitely something I need to remember.
The other necklace is gorgeous too, I love how you counterbalanced the button and the toggle clasp against each other, and those iridescent blue seed beads you picked to go in between, they really make me think of pond waters.
Love the earrings of course (says the woman who owns enough pairs to wear a different one each day of the year), and the bracelet. Those flower dangles on the bracelet are a very nice idea, and the turquoise suede is a perfect match for the bracelet bar and the beads you picked. Very nice!
xoxo
Sandra
Melissa, these are really amazing designs. I really love dragonflies so this speakse to me on a lot of levels!!! Wonderful Job! Have a Blessed Day!
I love the owl necklace is my favorite, nice job!!!
Your pieces are so sweet – I love the colors in each piece! All of your pieces would be fun to wear!
Love,love everything the dragonfly necklace ,the owl necklace the earrings .
Beautiful pieces…love the dragonfly’s! Lots of wonderful texture!
Oh, oh. The owl necklace is exquisite! Wonderful work!
How GORGEOUS! Thank you for sharing info about assym class you took…. Seems like I’m the only person on the planet *not* doing it. :). Well done!
Linda
http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
http://cherryOnTopDesign.co
Wow, wonderful pieces, all of them. Love the bracelet and the earrings with the tiny little flowers.
Stunning♥ pieces made with stunning soup, what else can I say!!! ♥Love♥ it all…
Love your dragonfly necklace
Wow, did you get the gorgeous soup! Love all your designs, but my favorite is the owl necklace. Kudos on your beautiful work!
What a lovely soup and such fun designs you created! I think my favorite is the bracelet, I love how you used the leather and the knotted beads to accent the bar piece!
Beautiful pieces!
I love everything, especially Mr Owl. I need to learn more about this symmetrical asymmetry!
Colorful and exciting designs each and every one! The owl necklace grabbed my attention. Really Soup-er!
What a wonderful soup-so much to choose from. Love all your pieces.
I love the vast mixture of colors on the owl necklace and then the more subdued feel of the dragonfly piece!! both will be such fun to wear!! The earrings are delightful as well!!
Great job!
I understand why you like to keep the owl in the wood necklace for your own … It’s too cute! Even if it countains such a variety of colors and type of beads, it’s so well balanced. Love it!
WOW! I love the mix of colors on your pieces! My favorite is the earrings with the blue polymer clay headpins.
Melissa – I went through all your creations and when I got to the owl necklace decided that was the one. It’s darling. And I would wear it in a heartbeat. Rose
Lovely earrings and bracelet. The two necklaces are great. Tough to choose between dragonfly and owl, but I think owl wins it for me.
I love how you paired that wonderful clasp on one side of the necklace against mr dragonfly on the other. Both elements get to be seen and make for a stunning piece. All of your creations are so well made and carefully thought out. Beautiful work.
Melissa, I love your blog! It’s so beautiful, just like you. And what a fabulous BSBP8 reveal! Your bracelet just mesmerizes me. I’ve looked at it & looked at it, taking in the brilliant & beautiful design elements, learning from seeing & admiring your work. The colors, the techniques, the beads & Blu Mudd bar are ingenious and delectable! The dragonfly necklace is breath-taking — the layout you patterned is wonderful to the eye, graceful and lovely. And the owl! Charming and delightful – full of color, warmth, fun.
As always, fantastic jewelry! I admire your work & learn so much from you. Bravo! Happy Hopping! ♥ Rita
I love these wonderful colors, and the blue felt on the bracelet is awesome. You did a great job!
Wow, that soup was delicious! My favorite is the gorgeous owl necklace. Lovely.
What a great soup you received. and love the pieces you made with them. Especially the owl necklace.
What a pretty soup, I love your dragonfly and owl necklaces!
Jackie
Oh wow do I love all the color here! Your necklace is so pretty. The posy earrings are my favorite!!!
What a wonderful array of colors! I like all the pieces, but, we must be kindred souls, that little owl is sooo cool and the necklace is just beautiful. I would keep him also!
I really love the colours on the dragonfly necklace!
Cute earrings Melissa and your bracelet is lovely. My brother photographs and catalogs dragonflies so I felt connected to that necklace as well. Great job using the owl pendant.
Great designs designs and colors!
Hi there …We’ll I just love your designs and the beads you chose for each design…I would have to say the Owl in the Woods is my absolute favorite piece…It has that whimsical, mystical feel about it…When I first saw it an old Disney movie popped into my head….This movie is so sweet ,It is in the red wood forest….the name of the movie is the gnome mobile….It was woodsy and colorful and I do believe an owl was in it but not sure. It had tons of gnomes in it though…I know it probably doesn’t make sense but that is what this adorable sweet and pretty necklace said to me…lol…Ty for sharing your brilliance with us all…I hate to chat and run but I have loads of hopping to get done …bye now
Love the dragonfly the best! They are one of my favorite subjects to create cards with as well as jewelry. All your work is beautiful. Thank you for stopping by my blog.
You got some wonderful materials! The dragonfly necklace is so pretty!
All of your designs are lovely. I especially like the bracelet with the leather and the last necklace. The colors and design are so happy.
Very pretty jewelry! So cheerful and upbeat! Great use of your soup. I was anxious to see what you did with the mica sheets so I’ll be following to see what you come up with. My faves are the bracelet and dragonfly necklace! Thanks for sharing.
What a lovely soup you have made some really pretty things with it I especially like the dragonflies necklace its lovely!
Jackie
Yummy bead soup, I love all of your designs, especially the owl necklace.
Each piece is lovely. The bracelet is so pretty. I’ve never seen an owl necklace I like as much as yours.
http://mistheword12.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/bead-soup-ready-set-make/
Beautiful designs! I just love both the bracelet and your owl necklace.
Love, love, love both of your necklaces. And the earrings. And the bracelet. Everything is so lovely and colorful! Your photos are so clear that I almost feel I can touch the beads. You were very blessed with a gorgeous soup, and you made the very best of it.
Oh wow oh wow oh wow!!! LOVE the soup that you got and I absolutely adore the pieces you’ve made! Such creativity!
That owl necklace is pure perfection. Such a wonderful combo of colors and design! Great work!
Love the dragonfly necklace. It is wonderful!
LOve your Dragonfly Pond necklace. Excellent use of the button. I love how you balanced the button with the toggle. Symmetrical and asymmetrical at the same time. And your Owl in the Woods necklace is awesome. A fun and fantastic mix of colors and textures.
What a great collection of fun and funky designs. I love them all with their fabulous textures and colors
Love the color combinations and textures….fantastic designs!
Hello Miss Melissa! I am still hopping (and will be for weeks!). Love your yummy soup! What a lot of great ingredients. I love the little polymer clay headpins. And that last necklace with the wee little owl is adorable. I knew that I would enjoy tasting your soup! Thank you for sharing your creations in the 8th Bead Soup! Enjoy the day. Erin
Love your bead soup pieces! Very nice combinations.
You were given a very generous soup and did justice to it. You creations are wonderful.
I must apologize for being so late arriving, Melissa… I started at the end and worked backwards (we older gals can get a tad eccentric LOL). While all your creations are luscious, I am actually quite partial to your sweet bracelet with the leather (yum!) I actually picked up some pointers on asymmetry from your post which I hope to employ in future work 🙂
Owls and dragonflies are among my favorites for creating jewelry. Well done!
Wow, love your pieces, great designs – you showcased your soup so well!
Very organic. Love the feel of all of the pieces, especially the bracelet. Great job
Still hopping over here!! Love your soup what a beautiful lot of colour and texture. The owl necklace is my favourite but I love that dragonfly pendant and that clasp you have an eye for putting everything together 🙂
Beautiful designs and all very different! The earrings are bright and richly ornamented, the bracelet is so richly textured and has a great color combo! The dragonfly necklace looks like it is floating on a lake and placing the button and clasp on the opposite sides is such a great design idea! The owl necklace has an array of so many beautiful shapes, colors and textures that I just couldn’t stop looking at it!
Really like your bracelet! I’m actually organising a mass bead soup where all the crafters get the same set of beads 🙂 i think it ll be really cool too see what 10s or even 100s of people make with the same beads! planning to send out the beads 2 aug with designs revealed end aug. Would be cool if u d like to take part (details on https://hapinesswherever.wordpress.com/bead-soup/) 🙂