BEAD SOUP PARTY...today is the day!

It's here!! Are you ready??? Today is the day that all of the Bead Soup Party participants reveal what they created w/ the bead soup that their party partner sent them. The requirements were that we were to send our partners a focal piece, some coordinating beads &/or spacers & a clasp. We were only required to use the focal & the clasp... the extras we could use or not.

I knew the minute Lori paired us up that Jen & I were going to have a wonderfully creative partnership... I had no idea that a wonderful new friendship was going to be part of the package! It's hard to believe this pairing only happened a few short weeks ago... Jen feels like someone I've had a relationship w/ for years already. What lucky girls we are. :o)

When we started talking about what we should send eachother, I asked Jen to challenge me. I loved her colorful polymer clay pieces, although I typically don't work w/ such bright & vibrant colors, I really wanted to work w/ her pieces....

.... & challenged I was!! :o) I had lots of fun w/ it, though!! I DID find myself toning the colors down w/ etched copper & neutral colored sea urchin pieces & I really REALLY like how it turned out! I knew I didn't have it in me to create something w/ all 3 polymer focals that Jen sent me, my jewelry style is fairly simple, but I really loved these pieces so much that asked Jen if I could cut one of them up because I had a few ideas how to work more of it into the piece... including the clasp. I ended up making a toggle out of a piece of polymer & then made a few more elements w/ a few more of the cut up pieces.

Here... I'll stop talking about it & just let you check it out....
(click the images to enlarge)

Hope you like it, Jen!!!

I hope everyone had as much fun w/ their bead soup... can't wait to see what everyone created!

There are a total of 84 of us participating in this party... here's a list of the other blogs... go check them out, I am!!

1. Lori, An Artists Year Off (our hostess!)

2. Mallory, For the Love of Beads

3. Terri, Blooming Ideas

4. Cindy, Sweet Bead Studio

5. Lorelei, Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio

6. Kerry, Kab's Creative Concepts

7. Erin, Treasures Found

8. Jeannette, Jeannette Blix Wire and Metal Jewelry

9. Adrienne, Adrienne Designs

10. Nan, Spirit Rattles

11. Laurel, Rue's Daftique

12. Nancy, Beading From the Heart

13. Mary, MK's Creative Musings

14. Cassie, The Glass Beadle

15. Dot, Winchell Clayworks

16. Sharon, Sharon's Jewelry Garden

17. Lisa, Lo and Behold

18. Norma, Bead Dreams and Moonlit Fantaseas

19. Judith, Judith B.

20. Debbie, Prairie Emporium

21. Maria, Garden Path Beads

22. Susan, Kaplan Creations Jewelry and Glass Design

23. Melissa, Melissa Meman: Art, Love, Life

24. Marianna, Pretty Shiny Things

25. Lisa, Joolz by Lisa

26. Cristi, 2 If By Sea

27. Sandra, Marbella Jewelry Design

28. Maria, Greene Earth Originals

29. Barbara, Jewelry of Distinction

30. Leslie, Bei Mondi

31. Loretta, Designs by Loretta

32. Linda, Bella Bead Jewelry

33. Kathie, The Bead Cult

34. Patty, Plays With Fire

35. Nicki, Nicki's Reef

36. Anne Marie, Heart's Desire

37. Mary, Mary Harding Jewelry

38. Jayne, Mama's Got to Doodle

39. Emanda, Artemesia's Studio

40. Whitney, Whitney Lassini

41. Marcie, La Bella Joya

42. Suzann, Beadphoria

43. Jen, Jen Judd Rocks

44. Julie, Credit River Art Glass

45. Janiece, J Birds Garden

46. Kate, Organic Odysseys

47. Laurie, The Mermaid Tale

48. Michelle, My Crazy Crafty Adventure

49. Sue, Sue Beads

50. Janeen, Wild Vanilla Designs

51. Nancy, The Rabbit Muse

52. Kristie, Artisan Clay

53. Regina, Regina's Writings

54. Tari, Pearl and Pebble

55. Lyn, Lyn Foley

56. Beth, Sunshine Daydreamz

57. Cathryn, Chile Cats

58. Emma, Fred Bean's Nook

59. Connie, Cetta Cheese Chatter

60. Juli, Jul's Beads

61. Julie, RockerJewlz

62. Libby, LibbyLeu and Glass Too

63. Melanie, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

64. Katie, My Life and My Beads

65. Zuleykha, Zuleykha's Polymer Clay

66. Rekella, Me But a Little More in Depth

67. Ricki, What's New at Ricki Voges Design

68. Lisa, Lucid Moon Studio

69. Jo, Daisychain Jewellery

70. Lynette, Rock Hill Designs

71. Lynne, Island Girl's Insights

72. Chas, One Woman's Haven

73. Ruthie, Rose Works Jewelry

74. Elizabeth, Turquoise Sky

75. Maire, Maire Dodd

76. Janet, Singing Woods

77. Eileen, Dorset Hill Beads

78. Julie, Miss Kitten's Jewels

79. Joann, Jo's Jewels

80. Patti, PJ Clark Designs

81. Mel, Kookie Designs

82. Erin, Every Heart Crafts

83. Dale, Flights of Fancy

84. Dee, Runako Designs

Thank you, Lori, for hosting such a wonderful event!!! It's been a blast getting to know Jen & meeting other people in the party.

Time for a few hours of sleep, LOL, then I'm roaming around to check out everybody's work!

Enjoy all!!

~ Julie

BEAD SOUP PARTY...Reveal happens tomorrow, Feb. 10th

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the day that all of us Bead Soup Party participants will be revealing what we created from the bead soup that we received from our party partners! Yes...I still have work to do. :o)

Lori Anderson, our fabulous party hostess, will have the participants listed on a new post tomorrow... check it out & be sure to visit all of the websites & see all of the pieces that were created. I can't wait to see my party partner, Jen's reveal!

Here's a teeny tiny little tease for you from me.....

....check back tomorrow to see the whole shebang. :o)

till then...

~ Julie

BUSY BUSY GIRL...

Hey you! (yeah, YOU!)
I've been a busy busy girl the past several days trying to put together a RESOURCE page on my website for lampworkers. It started out as a simple list of my go-to glass & supplies sources that my first lampworking teacher asked me to put together for her for her students. (she knows I get around) But, being the A.D.D. perfectionist that I am, I couldn't leave it w/ SIMPLE. No way. It needs to be a COMPLETE source list... starting out w/

GLASS . TOOLS . SUPPLIES

...then adding subcategories for SPECIALTY suppliers, like:

Frit & Murrini

Glassworking & Shaping Tools

Glassfinishing Tools

....then Studio Equipment...

then books & magazines & tutorials & teaching studios, jewelry making supplies & on & on & on.

LOL... it never ends.

I'm getting some wonderful suggestions... can't use them all... but it's nice for others to check it out for me & fill in some blanks.

BUT... I have to stop for a few days, at least..... the BEAD SOUP PARTY is coming to an end on Wednesday & I have got to finish up my piece!! (no, I'm NOT a procrastinator... no way. LOL. I've been a little stuck w/ this piece... fighting to keep myself from taking this fabulous pendant that I've made from Jen's polymer piece & put it on a gorgeous silk ribbon. LOL. I like simpler pieces where the focal stands out...but we've challenged eachother to do something outside of the norm & Jen's done a fantastic job w/ my piece & is learning new techniques & is working w/ new materials in the process!! So time to get busy & do the same thing!!!

While I'm here :o) ...here's a little show & tell... a new heart necklace...I love it!

(click for larger image)

What do you think??? You love it, too... don't you?? :o) Need to get it listed in my Etsy store... will be after I get this Bead Soup piece finished up & posted, though!!

Till then...

Have a great week!

~ Julie

BEAD SOUP: SHE LOOOOOVES IT...

Just heard from Jen that she got my Bead Soup package & she LOOOOOVES it! Five O's... I counted. :o) I love her enthusiasm, I just can't wait to see what she puts together!

I figured since she received it, I'd reveal what I sent....

Remember the teaser image...

(click images for details)

This is the original image that I teased up...this is how it was all packaged.
& here's the complete stash.... a FABULOUS (if I may say so myself) glass focal bead... some smaller coordinating glass beads... all capped in etched copper & lined in sterling. Textured (acid etched) copper rings that were originally plain copper washers. Aren't they awesome?? :o) Hand fused fine silver rings. I included a couple of sterling viking knit caps & the copper toggle clasp is one of the etched washers & a piece of etched copper that I cut from an etched sheet. Of course I had to include a beautiful hand dyed silk ribbon from Heidi of JamnGlass.
& here's side two. I love the mix of copper & silver... I hope Jen does, too.
Handmade copper toggle clasp.
This was such fun to put together for Jen. Much more subtle & organic than what she's used to working with..........we said that we were going to challenge eachother. I know that I'm feeling quite challenged, but really psyched! I know she's going to do a fabulous job w/ it.

NOW WHAT DO I DO???? BEAD SOUP...

Here are the fabulous goodies (a bead soup!) that I received from my Bead Soup Party partner Jen Judd-Velasquez, of Jen Judd Rocks!

(click on the images for detailed view)
Isn't it all so fabulous?? Her polymer focal pieces are so gorgeous...I certainly wasn't expecting THREE of them! My head is about to explode from all of the ideas popping in & out. :o) I told her to challenge me... I got my wish. :o) I know it's not necessary that we use everything that we received, but I'm going to try... at least where the focals are concerned.

Wish me luck!!

~ Julie

THE PARTY HAS STARTED....

Last week I invited you to Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Party where blogging jewelry artists, whether designer or glass bead artist, signed up for a virtual party where we are hooked up w/ party partners who we then trade a focal bead/piece, coordinating spacer beads & a nice clasp w/. We then have to create a fabulous piece of jewelry w/ what goodies they sent & post it to our blog by February 10th. All in all, EIGHTY-FIVE artists signed up to participate! How cool is that?

I wanted to introduce you to my party partner, Jen Judd-Velasquez, of Jen Judd Rocks! I first checked out her blog to learn a little bit about her & check out what she creates before getting in touch w/ her. We've been chatting back & forth a little bit, getting to know eachother. She's a cutiepie & really talented!! (she's also in the Air Force & I grew up an Air Force brat! She's been stationed in a few places that I lived a long LONG time ago, that's been really cool!) Alot of what she does is work w/ other artists lampwork beads & other focals, like this gorgeous piece she put together using a clay focal piece by Kristie of Artisan Clay.

Isn't that fabulous? She obviously has a fantastic eye for detail. But she also makes her own beautiful polymer clay focals that I just love.

They're just so creative & really funky!! Jen actually asked me if I wanted her to send me other artist's beads or something that would coordinate w/ mine & I responded: "As far as what I'd like to work with, if I really had a choice, I want to work w/ YOUR pieces, not someone elses. I think it'll be really fun to see what I can do w/ something completely different than mine & I love your polymer pieces, so don't worry about putting together something that will go w/ my stuff. Challenge me! :o) I'm going to do the same! This'll be fun! :o)"

So that's what we're doing. I know she'll do something fabulous w/ what I'm sending her... I can't wait to see what she's sending me & start figuring out what out of the box type of piece I can come up w/!!

I thought I'd tease Jen a little bit by posting what I'm sending her... kinda. ;o)

Here's a picture of the box...

& here's a picture of the contents...
See what I mean by sorta?? LOL.

When I know she's received my package, I'll post a REAL picture of what I sent her.

Can't wait to see what everybody else is sending & receiving...& then see what they create out of it!! I'm sure there will be some extraordinary pieces created!

Till then....

Julie