Fairy Tale/Spring Blog Hop -- Bead Soup Blog Party Light

Lori Anderson has done it again!  This time with fewer players and a theme.  The swap theme was "Fairy Tales/Spring" and the only requirement was that we design a piece and post for today's blog hop.  Imagine my delight to discover that my partner was our hostess herself.  I don't know what thrilled me more, receiving beads that Lori had selected or the opportunity to have her design a piece using my beads.  I sent Lori a selection of my polymer and some accents, but you will have to visit Lori's blog to see what she created.  Lori sent me a wonderful selection of playful resin, flowers, charms and crystals along with two lovely lampworked beads.  The minute I opened the package I saw this:

Right here should be a picture of the beautiful charm
bracelet that I made with Lori's beads.  Unfortunately, I had camera
problems on Friday and asked my son to take pictures
for me early Saturday morning.  Much to my dismay, while
cooking, he sliced his palm, which led to the hospital and stitches
and life got in the way...  Life sometimes gets in the way of art...
Stay tuned (Please!).

I know that you are excited to see what everybody created, I'm sure everything will be amazing.  Without further ado, here are our swappers:

Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Rebecca Anderson, Song Beads

Courtney Breul,  Beads by Breul

Loretta Carstensen, Designs by Loretta

Evelyn Hall, Dragon Lady Evelyn

Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box 

Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Design

Tara Plote, Newbie Beader

Christine Brandel, A Hot Piece of Glass

Lisa Sittniewski, Alterityart

Joanne Matuszczyk, Filcowe

Jenni Connolly, Jenni Bead

Geneva Collins, Torque Bead

Elizabeth Auld, Beads for Busy Gals

Sally Russick, Wireworked

Mary McGraw, MK's Creative Musings

Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs

Shai Williams, Shai's Ramblings

Joanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

Sweet Addy Designs

Valerie Norton, Hot Fused Glass

Anybody can join the Bead Soup Party.  Visit the group at Bead Soup Blog Party and join the fun!

The Biggest Giveaway I've Ever Seen

 

You'd be crazy not to enter.  Click Here.  Hurry, winner will be chosen on May 30th.

While you're at it, subscribe to Art Bead Scene, it's the place to be.

Particularly Proud Pendant

In filling out an Application to be part of The Best Little Bead Box swap, I needed to include a piece of mine that I was particularly proud of.  Although I've gotten more advanced in my jewelry making/beading skills, I keep coming back to this pendant, made a few years ago, that I gifted to my dear friend, Gina.  My goal now in my jewelry design, is to include some of my own beads or pendants in every thing I make.  I have been a busy bee designing new bead sets and pendants.  Stay tuned for pictures ... weather permitting.  As for this necklace, the coral beads are premo polymer clay finished with acrylic paint, the pendant is polymer embellished with real turquoise.  The necklace is strung with silver spacers from Rings N'Things. 

PROM

This past Saturday, my youngest son, Steven, took a lovely young lady, Stephanie, to her prom.  They looked amazing!  I figured he'd kill me if I posted a picture of him with his date, so I posted this one of him and his mom instead.  He's a handsome lad, if I do say so myself.

Vintage Venitian Glass

Do Be Do Bead Do 008
Originally uploaded by Do Be Do Bead Do

I had these beads in my stash for a long, long time. I also had that pretty vintage button and a lot of hematite beads. Put them all together and this is what I got.

Lists...

Anybody who reads blogs or has a Facebook account knows about meme lists.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  If you aren't familiar, what happens is someone, somewhere starts a list:  "25 things about me," "The ABC's of me," you get the picture.  You fill out the list, tag a bunch of your friends and ask that they change the answers to their own, tag their own friends and so on, and so on.  Sometimes I fill them out, sometimes, I don't.  But, I always enjoy reading them.  Keeping with my word for the year ("Grateful"), here is my 3 things that I am grateful for list, in pictures:

 

AND

Don't worry.  I won't tag anybody.

It's supposed to rain in L.A. -- Time for Soup!!!

Even though I am a commuter, I love rain.  The smell, the sound, the look of it.  I love how rain clouds mute colors.  Speaking of muted colors, the picture is of my soup ingredients for Lori Anderson's bead soup blog hop.  Although I am finished with my pieces (I made a necklace, bracelet and earrings from the soup and some other materials from my private stash), I can't post pictures until the big reveal on February 26th.  Stephanie sent me really pretty soup.  A cameo as the pendant and a cute heart shaped toggle clasp.  Also in the mix were some shell ovals, a stand of absolutely beautiful big fresh-water pearls, some sparkly black a/b crystals and some rain-cloud gray glass round beads.  Please come back on the 26th to see my finished pieces and for a list of all 200-something blogs that participated in the hop this round.  Oh, and if you are like me, enjoy the weather!