Friday, July 27, 2012

Today is the BSBH Reveal!!

So today is the day! Well it is the first reveal day. This hop has gotten so big (399 participants!) that Lori Anderson of Pretty Little things, the organizer and fearless leader of this whole thing had to separate it into three different reveal dates!! So today we get to hop around to about 130 different blogs and see what everyone has created.

Here is a picture of the soup that my partner Linda Landig sent me. Lots of pretty stuff! And look at the colors, don't they look great together. I just love the dragonfly pendant, which is by Shaterra Clay Studio.


And this is what I did with all of that. I added some of my own lampwork beads and just a couple enamel beads and a few other little things and came up with three different pieces.

The first is a bracelet. I made the square lampwork beads first, I just couldn't find the right color yellowy orange that is in the pendant, so I was trying some the different yellowy oranges in my glass stash. So I had them all together in a pile on my bead table and I really liked how they all together.


I used the clasp that Linda sent in this piece and some of the small purple glass beads. Added in the lampwork, some enamel beads, some brass chain and spacers and there you have it. I really love how this came out! It will be a great fall bracelet.

I knew in my next piece I would need to use the dragonfly pendant. Linda also sent some yellow leopard skin jasper beads. I wasn't sure if they would look good with the lampwork beads I made, but when I put them together I liked how it looked. I stayed with the brass for the metal. This necklace is simple, but I like how it turned out.

And just for good measure....I wanted to use these really cute purple beads that I got from Linda. I had the little metal bead caps and thought they would look so cute dangling below.


Make sure you check out all the other blogs this week and come on back for the other reveal days August 11 and August 25. But for now you can check out all of these. Thanks for looking!!

 Hostess, Lori Anderson, PrettyThingsBlog.com
Alice Craddick,  Alice's Beads and Baubles
Alicia Marinache,  All The Pretty Things
Amanda Tibbetts,  Amanda Made
Amber Dawn Goldish, Inventive Soul
Annita Wilson,  AW Jewelry
Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool
Birgitta Lejonklou,  Create With Spirit   
Candida Castleberry,    Spinning Spun Sugar
Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations
Cassie Donlen, Glass Beadle
Cheryl McCloud,  One Thing Leads to Another
Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe
Christina Hickman, Vintage Treasures Jewelry
Christine Hendrickson,  Clamworks
Cilla Watkins, Tell Your Girlfriends
Cindy Wilson, Mommy's Dream
Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio
Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie
Cory Tompkins, Tealwater Designs
Cris Peacock, Cris' Page
Cynthia Deis, Shiny Little Things
Cynthia Machata, Antiquity Travelers
Cynthia Wainscott, Exotic Peru
Dana Hickey, Magpie Approved
Denielle Hagerman, Some Beads and Other Things
Diane Valasek, Dragonfly Close
Doris Stumpf, Glaszwerg
Dyanne Everett-Cantrell, Dee-Liteful Jewelry Creations
Elaine Robitaille, Too Aquarius
Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life
Enikö Fabian, Perl-eni
Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found
Heather Davis, Blissful Garden Beads
Hilary Frye, FryeStyle
Inge von Roos, Inge's Blog
Jami Shipp, Celebrating Life
Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle
Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions
Jennifer Pottner, Rock Candy Beads
Jennifer VanBenschoten,  Jewelry, Art and Life
Jenny Davies-Reazor, Jenny Davies-Reazor
Jenny Vidberg, Shyme Design
Jessica Dickens, My Jewelry, My Life, Me
Jessica Klaaren, Beadful-Things by Jessica
Joan Williams, Lilruby Jewelry
Judith Johnston, Judith Johnston
Judy Riggs, Rigglettes
Judy Turner, Silver Rains
Julie Anne Leggett, The Peaceful Bead
K Hutchinson, Jumbled Hutch
Karen Meador, Dreamcatcher Ranch
Karyn Bonfiglio, Plus Size Bangles
Katherine Gale, Terra Beadworks
Kathleen Lange Klik, Modern Nature Studio
Katja Benevol Gabrijelcic, Slovonske Technobe
Kelli Jacobson, Creative Moon
Kelly Ramstack, Adventures with Kelly
Keri Lee Sereika, Pink Lemonade
Kim Bender-Hora, KimmyKat
Kirsi Luostarinen, Kirsi Luo Korut
Kitty Bozzini, Kitty Lampwork
Laura Demoya, The Bead Therapist
Laurie Hanna, Laurie's Jewelbox
Leah Curtis, Beady Eyed Bunny
Lesley Watt, The Gossiping Goddess
Linda Inhelder, Must-Haves Jewelry
Lisa Liddy, Metal Me This
Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads
Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations
Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things
Marion Simmons, Shade Tree Studio
Marla Gibson, Spice Box Design
Marta Weaver, Marta Weaver Jewelry
Marti Conrad, Marti C's Clay Blog
Maryse Fritzsch-Thillens, GlassBeadArt, Lampwork Beads
Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio
Michelle Hardy, Firefly Visions
Mikala Coates, Maybe Just Perhaps
Mowse Doyle, HoCArt
Nancy Boylan, Snazzy Doodle Designs
Nancy Peterson, Beading From the Heart
Nicole Rennell, Nicole Rennell Designs
Niki Meiners, 365 Days of Craft
Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats
Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas
Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs
Pamela Gangler, She Always Loved Pink
Perri Jackson, Shaktipaj Designs
Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads
Renetha Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts
Shannon Hicks, Falling Into the Sky
Shannon LeVart, Miss Fickle Media
Sharon Driscoll, Right Turn Art Werks
Shelley Graham Turner, Fabric of My Life
Sherri Stokey, Knot Just Macrame
Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread
Skylar Bre'z, Brising Beads
Stacie Florer, Soul to Substance
Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue
Stacy Alderson, Iridal's Attic
Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs
Stephanie Stamper, Rainy Day Designs
Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux
Tammy Jones, Jewelry Making Daily
Tanty Sri Hartanti, TJewellicious by Tanti
Terry Matuszyk, Pink Chapeau

Vonna Maslanka, Just Vonna


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Stacked Bracelets

A while back I ran across the blog of Tracy Statler Make Bracelets. She was hosting the blog challenge Wrapped, Stacked and Layered. Although I didn't participate in this challenge, it really got me thinking that I wanted to do this! I loved the idea of all the different bracelets all layered together.


So this is what I have come up with so far. All in copper. I hammered out the copper bangles first and connected them with a brass rivet. I had gone to a local shop that had a class on making the bangle with the coiled rose. The bracelet with the cream beads uses waxed linen and copper chain that I attached a bunch of cream flower beads to. The light turquoise wrap bracelet is made of larger seed beads and copper split rings. I found a tutorial to make this bracelet on The Gossiping Goddess blog. This bracelet is so easy and really has a nice feel to it. The last bracelet is the bracelet I made last month that has some of my lampwork beads and the names of my husband and both of my kids on it. I love how they all jangle on my wrist. I think I will keep making bracelets to add to this stack, maybe I can make it go up to my elbow!! The next stack I am going to make is going to be in black and silver....I can't wait to get started!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

What I Sent in My Bead Soup

Just wanted to post a quick picture of  the soup I sent to my Bead Soup partner Linda.


I sent her just a mix of different things. Of course it is in blues and greens...cause these are the colors I love.(Next time I should do reds or oranges, something just totally out of my comfort zone!)A strand of my lampwork beads. And I also made a flat tab shaped focal, which I have never done before. I sent two different handmade clasps both in copper. I also made some glass head pins, which I have just been playing around with. There are a few enamel beads that could be used as a focal. There are some smaller beads of glass, bone and kiwi jasper. Oh, and I also threw in some suede lacing.

Can't wait to see what she comes up with. The reveal is this Saturday July 28th. That's only a few days away!!!!....I have to get back to work on my Soup!!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Bead Soup Has Arrived!!

My partner Linda Landig sent me a great soup! Linda lives in Olympia, WA. And sells her colorful pieces on Etsy and Artfire.  I have no idea how she knew I liked dragonflies! I actually have a wall in my hallway full of different dragonfly art. Anyway she sent a great soup!


 Lots of really nice beads. The dragonfly pendant is made by Shaterra Clay Studio. And I just love it. The clap is made up of two brass leaves, it is really cute. A lot of different glass beads in purple and different shades of yellow or amber. And some yellow leopard skin jasper beads. Oh and a cute little button!


 This is not a great picture(couldn't get the right angle) but just wanted to give you an idea what that wall looked like. These are things I have either made in a past life or found in my travels.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Our Visit to Costa Rica!

We had such a great time in Costa Rica!

Here we are after just getting off the plane and getting thru customs.  This is my kids and I, my brother and his family and my parents(well except my Mom she was taking the picture). Don't we look like the typical tourists?  It was very warm! So we had already been traveling for about nine hours and still had another hour and a half van ride. But it was totally worth it!






We stayed in the area of Tamarindo. And we saw so many incredible sights! From the greens of the meadows and jungles to the blues and turquoises of the ocean. In the water were large formations of black rock. We believe it was lava that was cooled by the ocean a long time ago.  We went to one beach that just went forever! The tide was out and there were so many different things to look at. We all love to look for different shells and sea glass. So, we spent quite a bit of time looking around. Lots of white shells, not so much glass. But as we were looking we started to find living sand dollars! And when we looked closer there were hundreds of them! Just under the surface of the sand. It was really and awesome sight! Here is one that is just starting to hide under the sand.


 
And when they get completely under the sand it looks like this. And when you looked back at the beach you could see all these little groupings of holes. They were all sand dollars! It was really crazy!

 
 
 We stayed at a wonderful house and the owner, Tatiana was just great she put up with a lot from our crew. But her house is really nice with a beautiful pool and a view of the golf course that the cows roam around all day and night.




There were so many interesting things to do in Costa Rica, it was really hard for us to narrow it down to what we ALL wanted to do.  In the end we did the mud baths, hot springs, zip lining(which was really so much fun!!), horseback riding, a sunset cruise and hanging out at the beach and pool.


 
 This was at the hot springs and the water was so hot! I wasn't sure were actually going to make it all the way in. But we all did and it was nice once you were in. Well for a minute or two.
 
We went on a sunset cruise and got to do some snorkeling and saw a very pretty sunset.


 
One of the things we were all looking forward to was seeing the monkeys, they were supposed to everywhere!  Well it took us a couple days, but we finally found them! And they were so loud! Hanging in the trees with their legs just hanging down from the branches. They were very funny.


 
So all in all we really had a great trip, a wonderful adventure that I know we will all remember for the rest of our lives. It really is nice to be able to go on these trips with your family and just enjoy having everyone together.

 
Oh and the necklaces I made for all the girls.....they loved them!!