Bead Soup Blog Party – Bead Hoarder’s Edition Reveal

Tags

Art Incendi, Artisan Clay, Golem Studio, Kristie Roeder, Lorelei Eurto, Marsha Neal, Marsha Neal Studio, Miss Fickle Media, Sherri Stokey, Staci Louise Smith, The Classic Bead, Tracee Dock, WoolyWire

I always hoped I’d be able to take part in one of Lori Anderson’s Bead Soup Blog Parties, and this year I am! This year it is the Bead Hoarders Edition with the idea of counteracting the negativity in the world by sending someone else something we treasure.  Host Lori Anderson advised us to pick something we love and hoard and package it up with a note prior to knowing who our partner is.  That is what I did, but it wasn’t easy because I hoard everything bead related. My partner is Lorelei Eurto. I love all her work and own several of her pieces. I learned a lot about art beads from her blog and shops, and I believe I have every one of her tutorials and the book she co-authored.  (No pressure!) She sent an amazing group of things!

The resin charm and copper wrapped key are from Miss Fickle Media, three (!) coils of WoolyWire, two packages of enameled beauties from Art Incendi, a beautiful donut from The Classic Bead, an owl pendant by Golem Studio and another gorgeous donut from Marsha Neal Studio. Wow!  I love everything.

It was not my intention to use most of what Lorelei sent in time for the hop, but I did!  So, on with the show.

This necklace uses the trio of Art Incendi hearts with beads from my stash on waxed linen with a macrame loop.  I included a few beads I’ve had for many years (we’re talking double digits) – the dark green irregular shaped beads with gold and the pumpkin shaped light green. I ended it with a painted polymer clay box clasp by Sherri Stokey that I’ve been hoarding for just the right piece.

Lorelei included so many lovely items, I decided to make a charm necklace. In keeping with the theme of this hop, I used some of my own favorite items.

Here is a close up of the charm part so you can see them better.

I used one of the enamel over brass charms from Art Incendi and the resin piece from Miss Fickle Media.  From my own stash, I wire wrapped some garnets (my first gemstone crush and still a favorite) and a fabulous Staci Louise Smith crystal and polymer drop. I hung all of them off of a verdigis metal triple ring, also from Staci Louise Smith.  I used a strand of every other way simple cut turquoise.  The simple cut is my favorite shape, even more so when the holes are drilled through every other bead top to bottom and every other bead side to side.

Lorelei is a big owl fan, and she generously sent me a beautiful owl pendant by Golem Studio. I often feel I “should” try new things and new designs.  But with this pendant, I went classic.  I just love a simple, knotted necklace.  Meditative and relaxing to make, easy to wear.

I used several different Czech glass beads, waxed linen and a sterling toggle clasp.

I told Lorelei that I was glad she had sent some donuts because I find those a little challenging.  I love the Marsha Neal green and turquoise donut she sent. I have a small Marsha Neal stash, and this will help me become more confident in using the donuts. I absolutely love the colors and the multiple textures.

I thought roman glass would be perfect with the donut, but I couldn’t quite get my shapes to work for me.  I did put a few pieces above the donut on wire to form a pendant, and I do love how they look! I tried a variety of other beads with the pendant, but nothing worked as well as the leftover turquoise from the charm necklace I also made for this hop! I added some suede, chain, one dyed malachite bead and a toggle clasp from Miss Fickle Media.

I used the enamel starfish by Art Incendi in a bracelet with some jasper and copper. I strung it on leather and added a wire wrapped stone and copper goddess charm.

I just couldn’t stop being inspired. The Miss Fickle Media key is such a unique statement piece, I knew I wouldn’t need much with it. Some very large ball chain I got at the hardware store came to mind as something that was also a bit different and could hold its own with the key!

I added a wire wrapped black tourmaline nugget with some irregular large holed glass beads on a large jump ring for a little color.

I like what some might consider unusual color combinations. I find them very exciting and energizing, so that’s what I’ve used here – red and chartreuse – with the donut from The Classic Bead.

Many pendants by Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead (yes, I have a stash) bring to mind the country cottage look – comfortable, pretty, soft.  I decided to take this one a different way!  I used a mix of vintage Czech glass beads (I love the whimsical nature of the dice), and metal.  I even put chartreuse seed beads in this peek-a-boo toggle bar.

Last but not least, Lorelei said she included WoolyWire to boost my creativity. I have to admit, I struggled a little with how to best use some of it. Then I decided to put a smoke-fired heart pendant by Kristie Roeder of Artisan Clay with some matte amazonite rounds.  I made a bail form for the pendant and wrapped some WoolyWire around it.  Perfect color!

I had so much fun creating for this hop and am grateful to my partner Lorelei Eurto.  Please visit her blog to see what I sent her and what she made.  Also, visit our host Lori Anderson’s blog to see what she made and access the links to the over 150 other people who have also taken part in this Bead Soup Blog Party Blog and Pinterest hop.  You can also click on the links below. Have fun; I will!

Lori Anderson :: Hostess

Claire Fabian

Jennifer Strehler

Rochelle Brisson

Annita Wilson

Melissa Trudinger

Loralee Kolton

Valerie Tilghman

Mischelle Andrade

Elizabeth Bunn

Marianna DeLuca Wehner

Johana Nunez

Jenny Kyrlach

Elizabeth Hodges

Lennis Carrier

Candida Castleberry

Mary Govaars

Sandi James

Arlene Dean

Kristina Eleniak

Nan Smith

Nadine Edris

Denise McCabe

Donna Marie Hanna

Audrey Belanger

Nicole Rennell

Robin Reed

Gail Zwang

Terry Jeanette Carter

Donna Hoblit

Ann Schroeder – You are here!

Klaudete Koon

Veralynne Malone

Lorelei Eurto – This is my partner!

Ann  Sherwood

Jackie Locantore

Mowse Doyle

Dorit Woldenga

Cheri Reed

Dolores Raml

Palak Udeshi

Laurie Vyselaar

Heather Canepa

Dorothy Supri

Sharyl King

Elaine Robitaille

Heather Marston

Terry Matuszyk

Andra Weber

D’Arsie Manzella

Sooz Anzalone

Karin King

Leona Smith

Tania Spivey

Jasvanti Patel

Danielle Kelley

Shai Williams

Jacqueline Marchant

Erin Kenny

Becky Pancake

Kelly Schermerhorn

Renetha Stanziano

Rana Wilson

Janine Lucas

Kelly Hosford Patterson

Andrea Glick

Joanne Bell

Sarah Strover

Sam Waghorn

Helena Hatten

Jackie Ryan

Bridget Torres

Inge von Roos

Krafty Max

Iveth Caruso

Rebecca Ednie

Amy Severino

Sandra Wollberg

Blanca Medina

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell

Samantha Wescott

Christine Stonefield

Silke Groeber

Alenka Obid

Lori Bowring Michaud

April Grinaway

Yvette Goodridge

Kathy Lindemer

Kathleen A Breeding

Joyce Becker

Pam Farren

Divya N

Sherri Stokey

Terri DelSignore

Kate Gonska

Jean Wells

CJ Bauschka

Bonnie Coursolle

Barb Fernald

Noemí Baena

Dana Phillips

Karen Firnberg

Michelle  Escano Caballero

Natalie Ettinger

Valerie Norton

Rachel Malli

Denise Milward

Bobbie Rafferty

Vonna Maslanka

Elisabeth Auld

Hannah Rosner

Carla Fry

Terri Gauthier

Teresa Fischer

Tanya Goodwin

Barbara Judy

Leanne Loftus

Carrie Stalcup

Lori Schneider

Joelyn Bissing

Kate Dufour

Gail Poveda

Katie Nielsen-Nunez

Pam DeBoer

Dee Elgie

Judy Jacobs

Elisabeth Matouschek

Shawn Elkins

Sally Russick

Susan McClelland

Tracy Stillman

Robin Lynne Showstack

Marianne Baxter

Maria Rosa Sharrow

Therese Frank

Sandi Volpe

Leslie Scholz

Joan Williams

Laura Guenther

Liz Engriser

B.R.Kuhlman

Bev Breisinger

Radel Vela

Kim Dworak

Carol Dillman

Alice Craddick

Janeen Burlingame

Leah Curtis

Ann Marie Hodrick

Donna Millard

Hajer Waheed Khalil

Lucy Clasen

Michelle McCarthy

Maria Rios

Babette Cox

Natalie Davidson

Brenda Ballou

Christina Hickman

Heather Gunther

 

SaveSave

Crystal Clay Experiments

Tags

Becky Nunn, Crystal Clay, Erin Prais-Hintz, Nunn Design, Sherri Stokey

I have wanted to experiment with Crystal Clay since I saw this use of it by Erin Prais-Hintz.  I’m generally a chicken to try new stuff because, as my dad was commenting recently, when you start learning something new, you have to start here and I want to start HERE!!  But, I’m getting better at learning to slow down, practice and know that if I keep trying I’ll get better.  So, I’m willing to show my experiments here.  My mom did this with me.  Here is a getting ready picture.

I didn’t end up using any of the beads on the left that I had a big plan for; you know how that is!  But I did make that heart bezel into a steampunk piece.  That was my mom’s idea.  The end product was one of our favorite experiments.  I wanted to try a variety of techniques.  We pressed items into the clay in patterns (random or not), rolled clay in beads, used chain in a Nunn Design itsy charm and put clay on the top of an itsy bottle from Becky Nunn tutorials and stamped and colored the clay from a Becky Nunn example and a Sherri Stokey blog post.  We’re pretty in love with those Sherri Stokey examples.  She’s the macrame genius behind Knot Just Macrame.

We chose silver and copper Crystal Clay for our first experiments.  We are big fans of metallic, but we were disappointed in both of these colors.  They are very flat and not metallicy at all.  Next time we are going to experiment with mica powders in them.  You don’t need much clay, so although we made a total of 12 (small) pieces, we have more than half of each color left.  We are also going to buy brighter colors for our next experiments.

So here is our big make.  My mom said her favorite is the steampunk heart.  I like that one, but it would be more fun with a different color clay.  I really like our itsy charms with the crystal and ball chain.  That’s from a tutorial, so that makes me think I’ll like the finished product more if the design is well thought out.  Since this was our very first time, we were mostly just seeing how the clay worked.  Neither of us is a big fan of the really random stuff – my orange button where I just pressed the clay filled bezel into a pile of beads or my mom’s green itsy bottle top where she rolled it.  I was impatient when I tried to place beads really carefully, so I trashed it and started over.  I have a plan to do a very big bezel placing beads really carefully in a pattern, so I know I’ll have to focus on that one project and take it very slowly to have any hope of making it work.

We agreed that our favorite technique was stamping and coloring the clay.  I used to have a huge collection of rubber stamps.  I got rid of those in an art swap but had saved a few.  We used one of those, and I didn’t think much of it. I couldn’t find the few patinas I had, so we just used acrylic paint and creme paint.  I don’t really know what difference there is for epoxy clay purposes.  Feel free to enlighten me in the comments if you know.  So first we painted on our base color and let it dry.

Here are the pieces painted their base color.  When I saw this, I was so disappointed.  My mom’s green really showed the pattern well.  My brown drowned it out.  We let them dry and sanded the high parts so that we could highlight them with gold creme paint.  (I figure this is what Gilder’s Paste is like).

Wow, what a difference the highlighting made!  The contrast is great with my brown.  My mom’s doesn’t show up as well if it’s not in the right light.  Lesson learned: think about how colors work together.

We watched lots of videos about clay and stamping and patinas and what have you.  We are excited to try again with more knowledge and more supplies.  We found some bezels we really love in this shop.  Mica powder is on our list, and we bought a four sided stamp at Michael’s the other day.

So, here is a finished piece with my itsy bottle top using Crystal Clay.  The little tag charm says “create” because despite having lots to learn, I’m willing to create using new techniques, tools and products.  My lid has slightly too much clay on it, but it turned out pretty well.  I’m excited to try more experiments!

From My Phone

Tags

Knot Just Macrame, KnotAlong, Love My Art Jewelry, Sherri Stokey

I am sad to say that my computer is in the shop, but I didn’t want to be silent here too long. I expected to post over the weekend about Sherri Stokey’s wonderful KnotAlong. She posted a tutorial on both her blog, Knot Just Macrame, as well as the Love My Art Jewelry blog on August 21, 2015.  I don’t know how to link from my phone!