Saturday 25 August 2012

Thank you & BSBP 3rd Reveal

I'd like to thank everyone who came by and read my Bead Soup Blog Party post. A massive thank-you also goes out to the lovely people who took the time to leave a comment. I read every one and did my best to either reply, or post a comment on your blog. If I've inadvertently missed you out, I'm so very sorry. I'll do better next time. But please know that I appreciate each and every comment I received. 

In other news, today is the 3rd, and final, reveal date of Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party. I highly recommend that you visit each participant's blog to ogle the pretties they've made with their respective bead soups. You won't regret it, I promise! Head to Lori's site here to see her reveal pieces - superwoman that she is, she participated in all 3 reveal dates - before hopping over to the other blogs. Have fun!

Saturday 11 August 2012

Yay! Soup's on!




Hello and welcome to the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party from sunny Singapore!  Before I go any further, I'd like to thank Lori Anderson for putting this massive party together. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and better and better.


This is my second time playing in the BSBP and my partner for this round is Carmen Lau of Little Maketto. Carmen lives just north of the border in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which is about a 5-hour drive from Singapore. If you recall, she sent me a huge helping of bead soup. 



One that terrified me, and made me face up to my fear of - gulp! - pastels. Her soup was a genuine challenge and it alternately frustrated and inspired me. My biggest struggle was what to do with the focal, and the baby blue and pink crystal rondelles. 

Eventually, I made the following pieces. Yes, I made several - the challenge I set myself was to use as many of Carmen's beads as possible.



You wouldn't believe the number of times I made and re-made this necklace. Or maybe you would. My biggest headache was how to attach the oval focal to the chain. 

My next task was to overcome my deathly fear of pastels. I knew I wanted to use the blue and pink rondelles in a bracelet, but I didn't want to just string them. I finally made a connector out of air-dry clay, paper and resin. And I made it pink. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? In a stroke of luck, I also had some blue chain in my stash that matched the colour scheme perfectly. 



Up next were some simple earrings.



I thought I was done by then. But Carmen also sent some champagne-coloured teardrop crystals and tiny red glass drops that just begged to be paired up. 



I'm not entirely happy with the necklace, but at least it's a different style from my usual. Finally, I used up the bulk of the remaining beads in making a ring, and a bag charm/zipper pull. 


There are still a few assorted beads left (including two beautiful silver filigree hearts that I am so hoarding) but I think I did pretty well in attempting to use most of Carmen's beads. 

So, that's it from me. Thank you so much for visiting and reading till the end. My thanks also to Carmen for sending me such a generous soup that stretched both my skills and creativity. 

Now, if you aren't too exhausted, let's grab a drink (or two..or ten) and go blog hopping!

Hostess, Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Adlinah Kamsir, Dream Struck Designs (you are here)
Adrienn Lukacs, Raszputyin Designs
Agata Grygiel, Cytherea Bijoux 
Alenka Obid, Pepita Handmade 
Amy Dickerson, Damyjo Designs 
Amy Schmidt, Amy's Treasure 
Amy Severino, Amy Beads 

Andrea Trank, Heaven Lane Creations
Anke Humpert, Anart Island Studios
Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye
April Grinaway, Brooklyn Bead Goddess 
Ashley Bunting, Miss Ashely Kate 
Astrid Boyce, Astrid Boyce Beads 
B.R. Kuhlman, Mixed Mayhem Studios 
Barbe Saint John, Saints and Sinners

Beata Benkone Meggyesi, Beahobbi
Brandy McNair, Bella Vita Handmade Jewelry 
 Bryna Lumb, Bryna's Bead Box
Carmen Lau, Little Maketto
Cate van Alphen, Fulgorine
Cathie Carroll, Cathie Carroll's Studio
Cathy Khoury, Touch Jewelry 
Christina Stofmeel, Feng Beads 

 Collette Collins, Fire Fly Myst Artisan Jewelry
Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul 
Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons
Cynthia Abner, Created Treasures
Deana Hager, Just Deez'Art & Life
Debbie Phenes, Deb Joy Sing
Dhea Powers, Java Bead


Diana Welte, Lilyweeds
Dita Basu, alankarshilpa
Dorota Zeranska, gdymamczas 
Dot Lewallwn, Speedie Beadie
Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals
Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs
Emma Todd, A Polymer Penchant
Eva Sherman, Eva Sherman Designs
Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead and Metal Works
Francy Inman, Francy's Studio


Ginger Bishop, lilmummy likes...
Giorgia Rossini, Jo in Wonderland
Ine Vande Cappelle, Jewels by Ine 
Iveth Caruso, Creative Atelier 
JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions
Jackie Ryan, Kydo Jewellery
Jeannie Dukic, Jeannie's Blog
Jelveh Jaferian, Jelveh Designs
Jenna Tomalka, Twin Birch Studio
Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Beads


Jennifer Van Horn, Jennifers Jewels and Junk
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
Johanna Rhodes-Nash, Fire Phoenix Creations 
 Joyce Blair, Bent Wire West Coast
JuLee Wolfe, The Polymer Penguin
Karen Vincent, Swallow Tail Jewellery
Karin Slaton, Backstory Beads
Kayla Potega, The Eclectic Element 
Kim Dworak, CianciBlue
Kris Lanae Binsfeld, Cherish Designs by Kris Lanae


Kristen Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs
Kumi Fisher, Malie Kai Designs
Kym Hunter, Kym Hunter Designs
Lennis Carrier, Windbent
Leslie Wayment, AA Beads & More
Linda Murphy, Bonita Bead
Lisa Johnson, Whimsey Wonders


Lisa Sittniewski, Love, Yesterdays
Lois Moon, Que Onda, Q'Town?
Lola Surwillo, Bead Lola Bead
Lorelei Eurto, Lorelei's Blog
Lori Bowring Michaud, Artfully Ornamental
Lori Finney, Using My Beads
Margareta Saari, Mags-koruja
Maria Horvath, Horimarika Beads
Marian Hertzog, M's Place


 Mary Ellen Parker, BeeTree by m.e.
Mary K McGraw, MK's Creative Musings
MaryLou Holvenstot, time2cre8 
Martha Aleo, Ornamento
 Maybeline Tay, The Jewelry Larder
Megan Collins, Churchy & Her Sailor
Melissa Meman, Art. Life. Love.
Melissa Mesara, One-Eared Pig Beads
Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs


Pam Farren, re-maker
Pam Hurst, Pam Hurst Designs
Patricia Handschuh, The Color of Dreams
Patty Miller, CabariBeads
Penney Klapoth, Faerie Acres
Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings
Rhea Freitag, starrgazer creates
Rochelle Brisson, A Creative Chelle


Sabine Dittrich, PerlenDschungel
Sandra McGriff, Creative Chaos
Sandra Neights, Petalo Azul
Sandra Young, It's a Bead Life!
Sara Oehler, SoftFlex Girl
Saturday Sequins, Saturday Sequins
Shanti Johnson, Sunshine Bliss
Shari Replogle, Plays With Paper
Sonya Stille, Dreamin' of Beads


Stefanie Teufel, Stefanies Sammelsurium
Tammie Everly, TTE Designs
Tania Spivey, Moobie Grace Designs
Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures
Tina Holden, Polymer Clay Bytes!
Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends 


Tracey Nanstad, A Beadiful Mess
Tracy Choy, BumbleBeads Designs
Valerie Norton, Hot Art

Thursday 9 August 2012

And the winner.....

....of my first ever giveaway is....drum roll please......Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures! Congratulations Lisa! I'll be in touch soon for your mailing address. I hope you enjoy the bead soup.  

PS. In the interests of transparency, please know that the winner was picked via the time-honoured, fool-proof method of picking names out of a bowl. Yes, I'm sophisticated like that :-). 

Sunday 5 August 2012

Bead Soup updates, new work and a giveaway

Warning...long post ahead. But do read till the end - you'll be greatly rewarded (i.e. there's a giveaway).


If I've been strangely silent these past weeks, it's because I've been in a tizzy figuring out what exactly to do with the bead soup I received from my partner, Carmen of Little Maketto. All those baby blue and pink beads have me seriously terrified, and the last thing I wanted to do was to blog. 

But I had a breakthrough yesterday, and finally created something that didn't look like it needed to be binned. I hope you'll come back on August 11 to see what I made. 

Btw, have you visited the BSBP participants who revealed their pieces on Jul 28? If you haven't, I suggest you do so by going here. I'm still making my way through the list but I can assure you that you'll be drooling over the stunning pieces everyone created. 

Now, despite my recent silence, I haven't been entirely up to nothing. Hair-pulling and teeth gnashing apart, I've been playing with resin. Again. A good friend in the US sent me some Jewelry Resin a while back and I finally took it out to play yesterday. I'm used to ICE Resin so the product wasn't entirely unfamiliar. It did need an extra step to prep it though, but the results were pretty good.



This pendant was a huge disappointment. You can see resin seepage at the top. I used 3 layers of Mod Podge to seal it but I guess I wasn't as careful as I'd thought. The little cloudy bit up top is also where I sanded away a tiny bit of fluff that settled during the curing process. I'll be brushing on a layer of resin to cover it up later. I hear that works. 


Now this is my Christmas in August pendant :-). My first attempt at including glitter in my resin experiments - boy, does it get everywhere! The glittery brads remind me of Christmas ornaments so I'm calling it my Deck the Halls pendant. I might list it in my Etsy store. What do you think...should I? 


Ah...this ring. I had a smidgen of resin left and didn't want to waste it. Desperation led to squished up paper and leftover rhinestones haphazardly stuffed into a ring blank. Not a complete eyesore. Surprisingly. 

And finally, to wrap up this (very) long post, I'm pleased to announce my very first giveaway. It was only after I posted my previous blog entry that I realised it had been my 100th post. An accomplishment for someone who often begins something, but doesn't necessarily complete it. Unless it's a book. So to celebrate this milestone, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who's come by, read my posts, left a comment etc by giving away the bead soup below. 


It's rather a mixed-up bead soup - by which I mean, I chose beads that had meaning for me and which I thought were pretty and not because they coordinated with each other - but I hope you'll like it. From top left, going clockwise: resin pendant (my handiwork), wooden squares (could be faux wood; I got them from Japan), small glass discs (also from Japan, they reminded me of candy), amethyst (my birthstone and if you believe in crystals, it guards against guilty and fearful feelings), vintage faux pearl clasp, brown/amber lampwork glass (again, from Japan), rhodonite (just cos it's pretty, and also raises self-worth and wards off negativity), dark blue lampwork w/silver foil, vintage orange  beads, and blue lampwork bead (from Japan too). 

The giveaway is open to anyone and everyone. Just leave a comment and I'll pick a random winner on Aug 9.