Bead Soup Blog Party Whoop, Whoop!!!

The 6th Bead Soup Blog Party sponsored by Lori Anderson at Pretty Things has 400 participants this time and Whoop, Whoop I'm one of them.  I am so excited to be participating in my first Bead Soup Blog Party.  This Bead Soup Party is so large that Lori has divided it into three reveals and I'm in the last one, August 25th.  The first reveal is July 28, second reveal August 11 and the third reveal August 25.  I didn't notice until I started typing this blog that two of those dates are significant dates for my family.  The second reveal is my second son's birthday and the third reveal was my dad's birthday.  So they really are parties!   If you're not familiar with the Bead Soup Blog Party, and I can't imagine anyone in the jewelry community that isn't, Lori pairs up participants and each person is to send a focal bead, a clasp, and coordinating beads to their partner.  On the reveal dates we get to blog about our beads and it is a huge show and tell.  Love it!  

My partner for this bead soup is Laura Guenther of Blue Antiquities.  Go check out her blog and get to know Laura.  I am just starting to get acquainted with her myself.  And please be sure to check out the party beginning July 28th.  It's going to be a great one!

Inspired by the Beach!

Jen at Art Jewelry Elements is having a blog hop featuring jewelry Inspired by the Shells on the Beach.  Now I'm sure that Jen didn't mean literally jewelry made of shells on the beach but.........

My family loves the beach, at least 3 out of the 5 of us do.  We have been vacationing at the beach as long as I have been married (31 years) and my kids were little, which has been a pretty long time considering that my oldest son is 28.  I love shells and my favorite pass time at the beach is collecting shells.  I have accumulated quite a few over the years.  They are stored in shoe boxes, Pringles cans and various other containers in our basement.  One of my goals the past couple of  years was to make some jewelry with some of those little treasures.  My daughter Baille and and I make jewelry together and we often take jewelry projects with us on vacation.   On a recent trip to Myrtle Beach, Baille decided that her project was going to be a bib necklace made with shells and she started collecting shells the first day we were at the beach.  This particular trip was  taken with two of my daughter's friends, their mom and another friend.  By the end of the trip all four of our female traveling companions decided to do the same project.  My husband and son decided this wasn't for them and they went fishing.  Now while every one else was collecting the perfect shells for their creation, Baille was picking up shards and broken shells.  I was so busy helping everyone else that I didn't get my project completed but I am in hopes of getting out my shells and starting up again before summer's end.  Here is the necklace Baille made and some shots of the other one's as well.  Fun trip!  Fun project!  Hopefully I'll still get mine made!  

Bead Soup Party!!!

Yippee, Yahoo!  I made it on the list for Lori Anderson's of Pretty Things Blog 6th Bead Swap.   Lori has done a tremendous job with the Bead Soup Blog Party as it evidenced by the overwhelming number of people that are signing up for this swap.  Lori's original swap was only 97 people and this swap is almost at the 400 mark.   The last swap was done by a lottery and I didn't make it in.  This time Lori decided that there would be no limit on participants and I'm on the list.  I'm so excited and a little nervous at the same time.   In the past swaps the participants were all so talented and each design was beautiful - will I measure up?  That's the big question.  Follow along with me on my first Bead Soup journey.  Please go check out Lori's blog for all the inside scoop.  

Giveaway at Lorelei's!

Head on over to Lorelei Eurto's blog for a chance to win one of three great sets of beads that Lorelei brought back from Bead and Button.  Lorelei is sharing the love today!

Alice in Wonderland Blog Hop

What a fun blog hop that is being hosted today by Staci Louise Originals. 

I wasn't able to participate in this one but today is the reveal!  I just finished hopping and you should check it out.  What great designs and what a fun idea.  

Here's the link to the Host blog with all the links to hop from there.  Hop on along.

Staci Louise Originals!

Art Bead Earring Swap Reveal

Hi there, I've been absent from my blog for  awhile.  May was a very busy month and I was out of town for most of the month  I did however squeeze in an earring swap that was sponsored by Diana Ptaszynski  of Suburban Girl Studio.  

My partners in this swap were Shannon Hicks of Uptwnshfallingintothesky.blogspot and Jenny Davies-Reazor of  Jdaviesreazor.com/blog.  The earrings were to include art beads and sterling silver ear wires.  Between my travels, I sent off the earrings to my partners.  


Since I do not make art beads I purchased ceramic beads for my earrings from Natalie Pappas of NKP Beads on Etsy.  Both pairs of earrings featured beads from Natalie and were navy blue.  


Here is what I sent to my two partners.  It was a little intimidating since this was my first swap and without knowing the style of each of the partners.  I went with a very simplistic design.    

Once I finally got home from my travels, I had my two packages to open.  Here is what I received from my two partners.


The first pair of earrings were the earrings from Shannon Hicks.  Her earrings featured cute little lampwork owls and very ornate wire wrapping in my favorite color - Red

by Shannon Hicks

The second pair came from Jenny Davies-Reazor and featured some of Jenny's own enamel beads in a gorgeous teal/green.  

Thanks again to my earring swap partners for such lovely earrings.  Thanks to

Diana Ptaszynski for sponsoring this fun swap. 

Now on to the other blogs to see what the other swap partners received.  Thanks for visiting today. 

Diana Ptaszynski     http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com --> Hostess

Jan Onipenco    http://moltenmayhem.typepad.com/

Patti Vanderbloemen        http://myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com

Mary Harding   http://www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com

Diane Hawkey    http://www.dianehawkey.blogspot.com/

Lesley Watt        http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com

Jenny Davies Reazor      http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog

Melinda Orr      http://www.orrtec.blogspot.com

Cilla Watkins      http://www.tellyourgirlfriends.com

Stephanie Haussler       http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com

Sally Russick     http://www.thestudiosublime.com

Susan Kennedy       http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Amy Freeland  http://www.copperdiem.blogspot.com/

Marla James     http://marlasmudmoments.blogspot.com/

Pam Sears http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Tania Spivey http://www.moobiegracedesigns.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Lange Klik http://www.modernnaturestudio.blogspot.com/

Lori Bowring Michaud  http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com/

Erin Prais-Hintz  http://www.treasures-found.blogspot.com/

Gail Barnett http://www.atlastanewyearsresolution.blogspot.com/

Linda Landig  http://www.lindasbeadblog.com/

Sharleen Newland http://www.shaterraclaystudio.blogspot.com/

Dee Elgie  http://cherryobsidia.blogspot.co.uk/

Mary Shannon Hicks  http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/

Lisa Johnson  http://whimsyswonders.blogspot.com/

Shelby Foxwell  http://sundownbeaddesigns.blogspot.com/

Keri Lee Sereika  http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com/

Cheryl Brown    www.dragonflybeads.ca

Linda Younkman http://www.lindysdesigns.blogspot.com/ --> You are here

Kari Asbury http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com/

Fay Wolfenden http://www.torchfairy.blogspot.com/