Anchors Aweigh Blog Hop

Toltec Jewels is sponsoring another blog hop using some really cute anchor components from Suburban Girl Studios.   I have been really inactive in the blog hop scene this year and I decided that this would be a good chance for me to rev up my creative juices and join in.  Well.... let me tell you, there probably is a good reason why I don't do more blog hops - time crunch.  I postponed using my components  until the last minute as I was getting ready for vacation (actually I should be sitting on the beach in sunny Florida as you are reading this).    I debated about just not participating but decided against doing that - there is just something about saying you are going to do something and then not following through that bothers me.  So between packing the car and checking off all of those last minute items on my list, I made a pair of earrings.  I really wanted to get more creative and I did actually do some searching for something I could make in a short time frame using nautical knots with rope or with seed beads but panic set in an I copped out for simple.  Funny thing is that I won an anchor component identical to this from Diana's bead swap at Bead Fest this year and some of the ingredients in my gift came in handle in this last minute effort.  I used the yellow waxed linen and the navy and white seed beads from the kit to do a simple fringe earring.

(Well I went into my post to update the participants list and accidentally deleted my photo on my iPad --  photo is on laptop at home and can't readd.  So much for trying to do this on time). Funny thing I didn't resave the post but lost picture anyway.   Please visit the other participants sites for a look at their creative designs:

Anchors Aweigh Participating Artists Featured & Honored Artist:        Diana Ptaszynski Diana's Shop:                           Suburban Girl Beads Diana's Blogs:                          Suburban Girl Studio                                                                                                  Art Jewelry Elements Hostess: TJ                              Jewel School Friends Bobbie Rafferty                        Beadsong Jewelry Chris Eisenberg                        Wanderware Heather Richter                         Desert Jewelry Designs Michelle McCarthy                    Firefly Design Studio Kathy Lindemer                        Bay Moon Design Dini Bruinsma                           Angaza by Changes Cynthia Machata                       Antiquity Travelers Kathleen Breeding                     99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall Linda Younkman                       Lindy's Designs Robin Reed                              Artistry HCBD Marla Gibson                            Spice Box Designs Gina Hockett                            Freestyle Elements Renetha Stanziano                     Lamplight Crafts Marianne Baxter                       Simply Seablime Jewelry            Christina Miles                         Wings N Scales Marybeth Rich                         A Few Words from Within the Pines Shai Williams                           Shaiha's Ramblings Cheri Reed                               Creative Designs by Cheri Monique Urguhart                     A Half-Baked Notion Jennifer Reno                           Musings of a Crafty Jenny Shirley Moore                           Beads and Bread Tammy Adams                         Paisley Lizard Melissa Trudinger                     Bead Recipes

Choosy Chicks Love Chicklets Blog Hop Reveal

When I saw the blog hop that Rita of of Toltec Jewels organized using these cute chicklet beads from SueBeads I was disappointed that I had not seen it earlier and I missed the cut.

Sue Beads Chicklets 

I had seen a previous blog hop using these beads and I thought they were just the cutest little beads.  I was disappointed that I missed out on the original cut for signing up for this hop.  

I really wanted to try these little beads so I hopped over to Sue's Etsy shop and picked up a couple of chicklets for myself.  Rita so graciously let me join into the hop.

It's been awhile since I've done some basic bead stringing and as I pulled out my wire and my crimp beads I was a little stuck as to how I was going to use my chicklets.  A bracelet was definitely going to be my choice but how to accomplish that and give the chicklets the respect they were due was a dilemna. My original idea was to use some super duos that I had in a denim color but I couldn't get them to work correctly on my wire.  Next I went to my bead stash of sodalite beads - I love blue lapis and sodalite and have a fair amount of beads in those colors.  My chickets were a light gray blue that I ended up pairing with several different shapes of sodalite, sterling silver and gray seed beads for a multi strand bracelet.  Simple but sweet!  Thanks to Rita and Sue for  this great blog hop!  

Sodalite and Sue Kennedy's Chicklet beads

Another view

Here is the link to the other participants.  Please visit their sites to see what great things they did with their chicklets.

Guest of Honor & Featured Artist:  Susan Kennedy
Sue Kennedy's blogs:         SueBeads...A Beady Girl's blog
                                    Art Jewelry Elements
Sue Kennedy's website      SueBeads
SueBeads Art Beads          SueBeads

Hostess:                                           
Toltec Jewels                                          www.JewelSchoolFriends.com

Artists:
Linda Anderson                                       http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Reno                                           http://jenrenjewelry.blogspot.com/

Shirley Moore                                          http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com/

Kristen Stevens                                        http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com

Marybeth Rich                                         http://forestofjewels.blogspot.com

Jael Thorp                                                http://jaelsjewels.blogspot.com/

Melissa Trudinger                                     http://Beadrecipes.wordpress.com

Andrea Glick                                            http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/

Nan Smith                                                http://wirednan.blogspot.com

Blanca Medina                                         www.peru-medesigns.com

Shai Williams                                            http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com

Carolyn Lawson                                       http://Carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com

Rana Wilson                                             http://Ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com

Robin Reed                                              http://willowdragon.blogspot.com

Robin Showstack                                     http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/

Sheila Prosterman                                     http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com

Karla Morgan                                          http://Texaspepperjams.blogspot.com

Kari Asbury                                             http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com

Kelly Rodgers                                          https://www.facebook.com/BeadinBlackBlue

Jayne Capps                                            https://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com/

Mischelle Andrade Fanucchi                    https://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com/

Heather Richter                                       http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com

Chris Eisenberg                                       www.wanderware.blogspot.com

Kathleen Breeding                                   http://www.zibbet.com/99BottlesofBeadsontheWall

Linda Landig                                           http://lindalandig.wordpress.com

Crystal Thain                                           http://beaddragons.blogspot.com/

Cheri Reed                                              http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Heather d-Entremont                               http://frugalmadougall.wordpress.com/

Dini Bruinsma                                          http://angazabychanges.blogspot.com/

Lori Schneider                                         http://www.beadaddicted.blogspot.com/

Tammy Adams                                        http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog.html

Melinda Orr                                            http://bandanagirl.indiemade.com/blog

Lennis Carrier                                         http://windbent.wordpress.com/

Cynthia Machata                                     http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Hodges                                    http://thewhisperingseas.blogspot.com

Debbie Rasmussen                                  http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/

Tanya McGuire                                       http://tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/

Charlie Jacka                                          http://clay-space.com/blog/

Ev Shelby                                               http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com/

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson                        http://sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com/

Jasvanti Patel                                        http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com