leather and beads

I had to give the style a try, but the bead weaver in me finished this bracelet with a picot edge and a woven toggle clasp.  I started with a beautiful strand of aqua  Czech roundels, added a layer of silver 6/0's that look like mercury glass because they are not holding their finish, and ended with a row of warm gold picot.  I'm about to see if rubbing on some Renaissance Wax will hold the finish on the silver beads.  

I distressed the leather and used 8 lb. Fireline

Soups Exchanged

Although I haven't been posting much, I have been beading.  I'm just about done with my piece for the Amy Beads Summer Lovin' challenge and I'm working on my Bead Soup Blog Hop piece.

the reveal is August 1st

Emma Todd of A Polymer Penchant and I exchanged beads.  As Emma mentioned in her post, Lori Anderson, our BSBP hostess, must have a crystal ball to work some kind of beady magic when she pairs off beaders.  Here is the gorgeousness I received from Emma.  I adore the focal and am loving those three-lobbed teal beads which I believe were also made by Emma.  I've been looking at (and buying) some larger beads this year so this soup is perfect for me.  We reveal on August 11th, but there are actually three reveal dates and the first is July 28th - this Saturday!

from Emma's blog - find Emma's beads here on Etsy

Here is what I sent off to Emma in Canada.  The soup started with the ceramic focal by Tracee Dock at The Classic Bead.

a slightly internationally flavored bead soup

I had a bit of trouble deciding if I wanted to accent the blues or the greens in the pendant, but I realized maybe I was not the one who should make that choice.  I sent along beads to pull out both colors and also really liked them together. The pink Czech beads with gold accents came from Two Scoops in Sweden, the Czech faceted olive beads (which I called matte crystals above) are from Yashmacreations in London, England.  The amazonite rounds are from a stash I used to made a pearl, amazonite, and sterling rosary for my mother-in-law.  The rest of the amazonite now lives in Mexico and is in the hands of one devout lady.  The blue quart came from Marcie Abney Carroll's (La Bella Joya )destash shop and I loved it so much I search and found some more.  It is a pretty good kyanite imitation.

Marcie was my first BSBP partner and I'm pretty sure Lori partnered us because we both seed bead and we are both Spanish teachers.  The party is definitely great for sales because I've been buying patterns and beads from Marcie since then.  Although I don't sell on-line, the BSBPs have helped me to pick up blog followers.  I think I had a grand total of nine going into the first party.  I can't for the first reveal on Saturday. 

Click here for the list of BSBP participants.

Dragon

I found this bookmark pattern on Pinterest and turned it into a bracelet.

a very friendly looking dragon

Here is the link to the pattern which I completed in peyote and brick stitch instead of completely in brick stitch.  Here is a link to my Pinterest board which has loads of peyote, brick, and other flat stitch patterns.

I was motivated to get this baby done because of all the jokes about pinners never making anything they pin.  I think I'll stick with making jewelry from Pinterest ideas because the few recipes I've tried have been total fails - including the peach cobbler I tried yesterday (recipe already deleted from my food board).  I usually make peach galletes, but I was looking for something a little different.  If you have a great recipe for a fruit cobbler or crisp, send me a link.

Bead Soup Party Season

Emma Todd's Poppy Beads

Our wonderful hostess Lori Anderson has finished the monumental task of pairing beaders from around the world for the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party and beads are being exchanged.  This will be my fourth BSBP.  A few years ago I had just started blogging about jewelry designing and making when I spotted an invitation to join the very first BSBP, but I was too intimidated by the big names who had already thrown their hats in the ring to give it a go.  The next time around I decided I was ready.  I have been paired with three fabulous  artists and my current partner, Emma Todd of A Polymer Penchant, is wonderfully talented. You can find her work on Etsy.  Reading her blog, I discovered Emma and I share a love of poppies and peacocks.

Emma Todd's Peacock Beads

Here is a little sneak peek at the soup which is on the way to Canada.