Late as usual! I was out all day yesterday and my blog post just wasn't ready for release so I have had to sort it all out this morning, good job I took the photos the other day..see I was trying!
Its the 8th Bead Soup Blog Part reveal, hosted by Lori Anderson of Pretty Things
Its my second time taking part and this year I got a bead soup buddy from across the pond, that great big pond, my bead soup buddy is Janet from Anvil Artifacts and if you get a chance to check out her blog and her Etsy shop please do as her work is truly stunning; which didn't help when she sent me the most amazing and ENORMOUS bead soup, the pressure was most definitely on!!
A fantastic collection of Jasper stone beads, fossil beads, agates, moakite, aquamarine...so much!!
Not to mention some beautiful coral and a simply gorgeous mother of pearl clasp with some of Janet's beautiful wire work as part of the toggle.
This was actually the last piece I have managed to complete...I have plenty more beads to be making sooo much more!
Using copper wire and some lovely green beads from my 'stash' I made my first ever tree of life pendant using the last of the lovely citrine beads.
Next up, I just loved the fossil beads, and these beautiful round ones are called Mammoth bone beads and my over active imagination immediately thought of big woolly Mammoths roaming the lands of long ago, so I teamed them up with some of my glass bones, some of those beautiful agates, some silver plated wire - hand made links and clasps by me! - and a cute glass toadstool for a splash of colour.
This is my focal piece. When the bead soup came I was heavily experimenting with bead embroidery. My focal piece from Janet was this amazing huge Ammonite which she had attached to a silver clasp for hanging, I did remove the clasp as I really wanted to use this piece in a bead embroidered way, with some of those gorgeous moakite beads - the dangly ones - some more agate beads, a few glass beads on the silken rattail and a hand forged copper clasp by me. I loved doing this piece, the soft and subtle colours that is Janet's colour palette really challenged me to find the colour within, working with a more reserved palette was a very interesting experiment.
Still bead embroidery and having a bit of fun with the mother of pearl buttons and a piece of the beautiful rich red coral. I have plans for this to go into a picture frame, it brought me huge joy to sit and do this piece I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Some Jasper stones and more agates, this time with a bit of colour, soft and subtle colour but colour none the less. I called this bracelet A dog called Jasper, so I wouldn't forget the name of the stones!!
Lampwork glass dog head bead, a beautiful Great Dane head, some copper wire and my other muse of wire work. I have come through the bead embroidery phase for the moment...
But before I did finish my bead embroidery phase this piece happened. Fossil bead centre, aquarmarine drops and discs, citrine clusters and hours of relaxing stitching.
How I used my clasp. This piece still needs tweaking as it doesn't lie with the clasp directly opposite the focal glass flower bead and that annoys me! I love the clasp its so tactile. Using some more of the agate beads and these fantastic wood agate beads, lovely chunky beads and a touch of the moakite and the agate stones with a bit of orangey colour and one of my sculptural flower beads, I really like this piece. I added a few glass spacer beads which are etched for a matt finish, but they are in soft brown...see Janet I do do reserved colour!! :)
I still have so much to play with and have a piece using the big chunky Flourite nuggets and beautiful pearls on my bead mat in a half constructed state. I really enjoyed the collection of beads that Janet sent me and I highly recommend a trip to her Etsy shop Anvil Artifacts her work is truly stunning and its been a pleasure to have her as my bead soup partner, we have been chatting across the miles and I truly hope it continues as she is a lovely lady with a massive collection of beads!!
Here is the list for the other bloggers taking part in the Bead Soup Party.
