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.

Eye candy of the bead-y kind

I know everyone is probably anxiously waiting for the BSBP Reveal Day on Mar 3. To help you while away the time till then, I thought it might be fun to post some eye candy. The pics below are of beads/findings that are currently winging their way to me. I'm embarrassed to say that what you see is just a smidgen of the boatloads of beady goodness that I recently succumbed to. Etsy is the devil, I tell you! In  my defence, I had a milestone birthday last week, so the lovelies are my way of indulging myself. At least, that's what I consoled myself with. I might feel differently when my credit card statements arrive LOL.

Clockwise from top left: daisy headpins by Midgetgems, glass flower beads by Mandrel2, enamel bead caps by Suebeads, glass fairy disc beads by Mermaidglass

I've been eyeing those fairy discs by Mermaidglass for the longest time and finally gave in to temptation. They're just soooo pretty! I also went a little crazy and bought Sue Kennedy's enamel bead caps in various colours. I might go back and buy some more :-).

Of course, this doesn't mean I'll actually be making any jewellery with the beads. I suspect they'll go into my stash, where they'll live in solitude much of the time - periodically being brought out to be gazed at and admired. Perhaps I should stop saying I make jewellery and start admitting that truthfully, what I am  - is a bead collector.