New earrings

I made this pair of earrings back in December. Finally got around to taking pics. And also listing them in my Etsy shop.

Look what I got!

Yay! My partner June and I have both received our soups! It took just about a week for our beads to travel the distance between New Zealand and Singapore. Wasn't that quick?

June has already blogged about the soup I sent her. You can read her post here. She also took a great pic of the beads. I did take a photo of the soup before I mailed it off, but I forgot to include some ingredients that I added at the last minute. Doh! For what it's worth, below is a pic of most of what I sent June:

The main focal is a glass disc by mandrel2 on Etsy. The back-up focal is a ceramic pendant by White Clover Kiln. The beads are an assortment of Swarovski crystals and pearls, Czech pressed glass beads and spacers, lampwork beads from Tokyo (the white ones with swirls), glass rounds, fire-polished rondelles, and acrylic rounds again from Tokyo. The clasp is a vintage faux pearl box clasp. I also added 2 metal leaf connectors and some rubber tubing. Just for fun.

And now, for June's fantabulous soup brewed just for me:

That fantastic focal is New Zealand Paua (Haliotis Iris - a member of the abalone family and found only in NZ). June tells me she tumbled and polished it herself. I was so touched to know this. I love that she sent something native to New Zealand. How thoughtful! June also sent some accompanying Paua beads, as well as a good amount of Swarovski crystals and pearls (what a coincidence we both sent Swarovskis!), Preciosa crystals and dyed stone rounds. She also sent a beautiful silver toggle clasp and a wee frog charm. 

I love the colours of the soup June sent me and I'm cracking my brains as to what to make with that beautiful focal. I so want to do it justice. June and I are in the 3rd Reveal so please come back on April 13th to see what we end up creating.

Introducing my Bead Soup Partner

My partner for Lori's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party is.....drum roll please...........June Butt of One White Swan! Yay!! June is from New Zealand and is an uber-talented jewellery maker. She created the most amazing necklace (the sex-bomb necklace) using polymer clay, pearls, crystals and ostrich tufts. You have to visit her blog to see her cool creations. June assures me she also makes 'normal' stuff. Yeah, right. I'm pretty sure whatever June makes, it's all fab!

I must say that I'm thrilled to be partnered with June since I've always heard wonderful things about her country. I've never been to New Zealand but I have several friends and colleagues who have. And every last one of them has raved to me - at various points in the past - about how beautiful it is, how nice the people are and how much they wish they could live there. In fact, I know of a few Singaporeans who have chosen to start a new life over in New Zealand. From all I've read and seen, it certainly sounds like a nation with a saner pace of living. 

Back to the BSBP, June was super quick in emailing me once we were partnered and we've already exchanged several emails, even though she's tremendously busy overseeing the overhaul of her kitchen. Unlike previous swaps, I didn't procrastinate much this time. I'm proud to say that I mailed June's bead soup this morning - it was the earliest I could send it off since the post office was closed the last few days due to the Chinese New Year public holiday here in Singapore. 

Also unlike previous soups - where I seemed to send everything but the kitchen sink - I opted for a more.. umm.. 'focused' bead soup this time. It's a smaller helping but I tried my darndest to pick beads that complemented each other, as well as including a couple of slightly out-of-the-ordinary 'ingredients'. I really hope June likes what I sent. Here's a pic to tease her, and the rest of you:

Bead Soup Blog Party 2013

If you didn't already know, sign-ups for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party are next weekend. There will only be 1 BSBP this year, so don't forget to throw your name into the hat if you want a chance to play. You can bet I'll be signing up for it. I thoroughly enjoyed the two times I got to play in the BSBP, and even when I wasn't a participant, I still had a fantastic time visiting the blogs and drooling over the amazing jewellery creations. 

Thank you!

I want to thank everyone who visited and read my Memories and Thanks Blog Hop post. I especially want to say a huge 'thank you' to those of you who took the time to leave a comment (some of which made me tear up). I'm still making my way through the participants list - and if I haven't commented on your post, I sincerely apologise. I'll get  to it as soon as I can. 

Memories and Thanks Blog Hop

When I first read about the Memories and Thanks Blog Hop on Lori Anderson's blog Pretty Things, I was certain I wanted to participate. Her post on why she was holding the Blog Hop, which you can read here, moved me. Briefly, this Blog Hop honours both Lori's friend, Marianna, and all those people in our lives (alive, or otherwise) who mean a lot to us.

I knew from the start that I wanted to create a piece of jewellery to honour the memory of my mother, whom I lost much too early in life. One of my greatest sorrows is that I never had a chance to really know her as a person; as an individual with all her idiosyncracies. She was always just 'mummy' to me. She checked my homework, she attended my school's Sports Days, she took me shopping.

This much, however, I do know. My mother took pride in her appearance and until she got too sick, almost always wore a slick of lipstick whenever she went out - even if it was just to the corner shop. She loved her sweets. I remember her making coconut candy and, towards the end, she always had a roll of Werther's Butterscotch candies with her. She also loved to read, especially paperback Mills & Boon romances. More than anything else, though, she loved the movies. Old Hollywood films and classic MGM musicals were her favourites. I suspect she enjoyed the glamour and spectacle that were common in movies of that period (I say this because she was also fascinated by the English royal family).   
 
Nothing says Old Hollywood to me more than the colours black and white, even though the movies my mother watched were usually in Technicolor. So when it came to making my jewellery piece, I turned to several polka-dotted black & white vintage beads I picked up on my last holiday. I didn't have enough beads for a necklace so I made a bracelet instead,  closing it with a pretty heart toggle. 

And because my mother thought Rock Hudson was da bomb (I often wonder what she would have made of the fact that he was, as it turned out, gay), I made a double-sided charm with images of Rock on one side and the movie Giant on the other. I was in a rush when I made the charm, so it's decidedly wonky. The paper images are raggedy and the resin is smeared on one side. But since I made it removable, I can always replace it later. 

So there you have it: my Black & White Bracelet. 

Thank you for staying the course and reading through my post. My thanks also to the fabulous Lori for coordinating this Hop. And it goes without saying that I am forever and always thankful to my mother. For handing down to me her love of books and movies (both of which have given me much pleasure over the years), for teaching me that being helpful, kind and hardworking is more important than being an A-student (although that's a bonus!) and - in the short time she had with me - for helping me to be the the person I am today. 

The other participants of this special Hop are listed below. I hope you'll find some time to visit each one of these awesome individuals. 

Hostess, Lori Anderson       Pretty Things

 Adlinah Kamsir                   Dream Struck Designs

 Aimee Biondolillo               Aimee's Jewelry Treasures

 Alicia Marinache                 All the Pretty Things 
 Andra Marasteanu               Handmade by Indra Marasteanu 
 Andrea Trank                      Heaven Lane Creations
 April Grinaway                   Brooklyn Bead Goddess

Barb Solem                         Vivi Magoo Presents

Becky Pancake                    Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Beth Emery                         Stories by Indigo Heart

Bonnie Coursolle                Jasper's Gems

Cassi Paslick                       Beads: Rolling Downhill

Catherine King                    Catherine's Musings

Cece Cormier                      The Beading Yogini

Chandra Leitz                     Juniper Goods

Charissa Nesler                   FireStorm Designs
Charlie Jacka                       Clay Space

Christina Hickman              Vintage Treasures Jewelry

Christine Murrow               Charis Designs Jewelry
Christine Stonefield            Sweet Girl Design

Chrizette Bayman               Bead Soup Mix

Cindy Wilson                      It's My Sea of Dreams

CJ Bauschka                       4 His Glory Creations by CJ

Crystal Thain                      Here Bead Dragons

Cyndi Lavin                        Beading Arts

Debbie Rasmussen             A little of this, a little of that

Denielle Hagerman             Some Beads... and other things I like
Diana Gonzalez                  Arte y Poemas

Diane Hawkey                    diane hawkey

Dita Basu                            ankarshilpa

Donetta Farrington             Simply Gorgeous

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell     Deeliteful Jewelry Creations

Emma Todd                        A Polymer Penchant

Erin Kenny                         beadiful therapy

Erin Prais-Hintz                  Treasures Found

Gina Hockett                      Freestyle Elements

Gloria Allen                        Innovative Dreams Jewelry

Heather Marston                 CSW Designs

Inge von Roos                    Inge's Blog

Iveth Caruso                       Creative Atelier

Jacqueline Marchant          Fiddledeedee Jewelry

Jami Shipp                         Celebrating Life!

Jean Yates                          Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Do!

Jennifer Reno                     Musings of a Crafty Jenny
Jenny Robledo                   Peppa's Dream

Jennifer VanBenschoten    Jewelry, Art and Life
Jessica Klaaren                  Cellar Door Jewelry

Jessica Murray                   Whimsical Monkey

Joan Williams                     lilruby jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton            It's a Beadiful Creation

Joanne Browne                   josjewels1

Jodie Marshall                    Jodie Marshall Lampwork Beads Wearable Art

Johanna Rhodes                 Fire Phoenix Creations
John Rasmussen                 Rasumussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

JuLee Wolfe                       The Polymer Penguin

Julie Bean                           Blue Pig Blog

Karen Mitchell                   Over the Moon Designs

Karin King                         The Sparklie Things Blog
Karin Slaton                       Backstory Beads

Kat Douglas                       Washoe Kat's
Kay Bolton                        Toodles and Binks

Kelly Hosford Patterson     The Traveling SideShow

Kim Ballor                          Vitamin C ... A Daily Does of Creativity

Kim Dworak                       CianciBlue

Kim Houston                       The Pink Martini
Kym Hunter                         Kym Hunter Designs

Laren Dee Barton                Laren Dee Designs

Lea Avroch                          LA Jewelry Designs

Leanne Loftus                      First Impression Design

Liddy McLaughlin               Liddy McLaughlin Art

Linda Florian                       Lily's of the Valley Jewelry & Creative Creations

Linda Inhelder                     Must-Haves Jewelry

Lisa Hamilton                      Simply Irresistable Jewelry
Lisa Suver                            Fancee That

Lori Bowring Michaud        Artfully Ornamental

Lori Poppe                           Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

LouAnn Elwell                    Southpass Beads

Mandi Effron                       Craft-o-licious

Marcia DeCoster                 MadDesigns

Marcia Dunne                     The Alternative Foundry

Marie Covert                      Creating Interest

Marjorie Savill Linthwaite     bennubirdrising

Marlene Cupo                        Amazing Designs by Marlene

Martha Aleo                           Ornamento

Marti Conrad                          Marti's Buttons -n- Beads

Mary Ellen Parker                  BeeTree by m.e.

Mary Govaars                        MLH Jewelry Designs

Mary Lindell                          Mary Lindell Artisan Jewelry

Maureen Connolly                 Mrs Beadsley's Workshop

Maybeline Tay                       The Jewelry Larder

Melissa Elgin                         The Addicted Beader

Melissa Mesara                      one-eared pig beads

Menka Gupta                         Menka's Jewelry

Michaela Pabeschitz              la mar de bonita

Mischelle Fanucchi               Micheladas Musings

Mona Rae Baroody               Who Does She Bead She Is?

Nan Emmett                          Spirit Rattles -- Spirited Earth

Nancy Pedersen                    Something Heartfelt by Nancy

Natalie Davidson                  NorthShore Days
Nikki Douglas                      Bead It and Weep

Pam Farren                           re-maker

Pam, the Crazier Sister        The Crazy Creative Corner

Pam Traub                            Klassy Joolz
Priya Krish                           Hellopalz  
Rebecca Anderson               Song Beads

Rebecca Sirevaag                 Becca's Place

Robin Kae Reed                   Artistry HCBD

Rochelle Brisson                  a creative chelle

Rosa Maria Cuevas              Helena de Troya

Sabine Dittrich                     perlendschungel

Sandi Volpe                          Sandi Volpe

Sandra McGriff                    Creative Chaos

Sarah Goode                         Pookledo
Sarah Singer                         String a Song of Sixpence

Serena Trent                         All Things Made Jewelry

Shai Williams                       Shaiha's Ramblings
Sharon Palac                        Sharon's Jewelry Garden

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson    Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections

Sheila Davis                         Stone Designs

Shelley Graham Turner        Fabric of My Life

Sherri Stokey                       Knot Just Macrame

Sherry Baun                         Unicorns Jewels

Skylar Bre'z                         Brising Beads

Stephanie Haussler              Pixybug Designs

Tania Spivey                        Moobie Grace Designs

Terri G.                                Blooming Ideas

Terry Carter                         Tapping Flamingo

Terry Matuszyk                    Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Toltec Jewels                       Jewel School Friends
Tracy Kruse                         Goldkisses Art

Tracy Martin                        Nutkitten's Jewelry

Zia Parks                              Anzi~Panzi's Work Shoppe

Zoe Marcin                          Beads, Tea and Sweets

Happy New Year to One and All!

Happy 2013 everyone! To those of you who visited, read and commented on my blog in 2012 - thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you continue to drop by my little corner of the blogosphere. And to the newcomers - welcome! I hope you enjoy the few minutes (or seconds) you spend here. I'm signed up for a couple of upcoming blog hops, so pop by again soon, k? 

Till then, here's to a year of good health, much joy and endless possibilities for one and all.