Saturday, September 17, 2011

Bead Soup Blog Party

Participating in BSBP has been quite a learning curve for me.   When my bead soup parcel arrived I spread out the beads and findings and quite honestly had no idea where to start as I am more used to working with seed beads.
Lots of setting out, adding and subtracting and looking through my myriad books and magazines did not really offer much inspiration.  I eventually went through my large stash of beads picking out complimentary beads which was not easy as I did not have many of the same shades of sea green/blue. The wonderful Shibuichi luna fairy focal is made by Green Girl Studios and my first thought was to perhaps try and wrap it around a donut bead.   After some research I discovered that Shibuichi is a mixture of silver and copper and is very strong, certainly not flexible enough to bend.   The Swavroski crystals and seed beads were similar enough in colour and I peyote stitched a ring of beads and added a  brass circular Vintaj finding.  Brass chain and various beads from my soup mix completed the necklace fastened with a very basic hook and jump ring clasp.
I am pleased with the result, perhaps not what I had planned originally but it rather took shape in stages! 

 

The flower Shibuichi clasp did not seem right with my necklace and I made a bracelet using this lovely finding, some of my left over beads, brass chain and two tiny Vintaj butterflies.


This is my first attempt at working with wire and I do need to improve my technique. Although I work with my hands continually stitching I found that turning wire loops requires a lot more strength and was not as easy as it looks. I also used some head pins from recycled vintage jewellery which were quite thick.
A further learning curve has been photographing bead work as the colours in digital photography can be misleading. The little glass drop bead on the necklace is actually quite blue/green but in the photo it looks green. The circular beadwork looks very deep blue but is actually quite similar in colour to the beads in the necklace. Took photographs using a black necklace display stand which drained the colour from my beads. Think I will have to recover it with white fabric!
A big thank you to Lori Anderson of Pretty Things Blog for organising the Bead Soup Blog Swap.  I have had a loads of fun, learnt a lot and feel a little more confident in designing my own jewellery. Looking forward to visiting blogs to see what other participants have created.
There are 364 bead soups to see, click here to start visiting. Have fun

40 comments:

Pepita said...

Wendy, I think you lived up to the challenge and made beautiful pieces. Good job!

As to the photographing of jewelry I can totally relate. I find it hard to do.

I posted two projects. The focal I am still struggling with...:-)

- Pepita

Sandi Volpe said...

Beautiful work!!

horimarika said...

I like your jewelry! Good job!

Shai Williams said...

You definitely lived up to the challenge and surpassed yourself. Beautiful work!

Jo said...

You have made two beautiful pieces! I love the focal, and the beadweaving you've done. The wirework does get easier with practice - honest!

KayzKreationz said...

Those turned out beautiful. Blue is not a color I work with, but you really did a wonderful job with those pieces. I love them both.

CraftyHope said...

Both of these are simply beautiful! For not working with wire much, you really did a great job!
There's something very soothing about both of the pieces. Lovely!

Nicki said...

This necklace is so stunning I just love it. So delicate and beautiful. Just gorgeous.

Unknown said...

Your Bead Soup pieces are just beautiful.

Cynthia said...

I love the soft blues, wonderful job!

Myléne Hillam said...

What a beautiful colour combination to work with. I love the bracelet with the stunning clasp.

Michelle Mach said...

Beautiful! Good call to make a separate piece with the clasp so it could really shine.

SoulsFireDesigns said...

Wendy, I think you did a beautiful job stretching out of your comfort zone! Well done! Both the necklace and bracelet are lovely!

Pam @ The Blue Between said...

you got very pretty pieces - love your focals! I too hate photographing jewelry - I'd make it more often if it wasn't such a pain to photograph! You did great though :)

Sweet Freedom said...

Love the colors and asymmetry in your necklace, and the bracelet is lovely!

Silver Parrot said...

Very pretty. So feminine and delicate!

Loris Glassworks said...

Wonderful! You have created a terrific piece of wearable art. I like your use of color and texture. Thank you for sharing your artistic process along the way. Cheers!
Lori

Christals Creations said...

Fab soup. . . :o)

Lori Anderson said...

Oh PRETTY! I love the beaded ring, and everything is just so rich!

I hope you'll join me at the next party! The badge and dates are on my blog now!

Love, Lori

Ann said...

Very nice pieces, good job of highlighting both the focal and the clasp.

Shirley said...

I totally understand! I normally work with seed beads as well, and this soup really stretched me! I think you did a wonderful job, and your piece is quite lovely. I understand about photo skills. I'm also working on improving mine. Have a great time on the hop!

My Life Under the Bus said...

So pretty That's one of my favorite focals!You did good!!! So funny how we separate seed beads from beads beads and they look so good together! Happy Hopping!

Terri said...

Gorgeous pieces! Loving this color pallet. So good that we get to be challenged through this bead soup swap that Lori has organized. You have met the challenge with these stunning designs.

Beadaholique said...

So pretty! I was so impressed with the necklace and then was pleasantly surprised as I kept scrolling down to see that you made a bracelet as well. They are both really, really, pretty.

Julie & Andrea

Bobbie said...

Lovely job! I like how you used beadweaving to put a little extra bit of yourself into the necklace. Pretty!

Sandra said...

Beautiful, especially considering you you usually work with seed beads. I love the beaded ring you added, and the bracelet is something I'd wear in a heartbeat!

coffeeaddict said...

Wirework takes years of practice. I've been sewing most of my life and I agree wire is completely different, hard and more detrimental to delicate finger tips.
I love both the necklace and the bracelet, very delicate and fairytale like :-)

Maggie said...

Both pieces are beautiful. I love how they compliment each other without being matchy matchy. The butterfly fairy focal is wonderful.

Wendy said...

Beautiful! Love the bracelet and the colors are wonderful!

Heidi Post said...

Great stuff. The fairy is beautiful and that's a winning color combo. You made lovely pieces!

LeeLu Creations said...

Love the bracelet!

Tracy said...

Love the bracelet, very nice!

Kathy ~ Artful Accents said...

Pretty colors!!

EmandaJ said...

Very elegant, lovely pieces. We’re all being pushed outside our comfort zones — with amazing results!

Enjoy the hop,
Emanda
http://artemisiastudio.blogspot.com/2011/09/bead-soup-reveal.html

Maneki said...

Beautiful jewelly! Very nice design and pretty colours. Great work!

Anonymous said...

I love these pieces. You didn't go over the top but made pieces wearable and that used the soup well. I know you will enjoy them. :o)

Jennifer Cameron said...

You did a tremendous job with your soup. I love everything! So beautiful, feminine and sparkly. I love sparkly. These are not my usual style, but I would wear them in a hearbeat that's how much I love them.

Christine Altmiller said...

what absolutely beautiful jewelry and colors!

Melissa said...

What romantic pieces! They totally fit your style. The colors and composition are elegant and timeless. Beautifully done!
Melissa
http://design.kcjewelbox.com

Serena Trent said...

I your pieces are nice but the bracelet is so cool!

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