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!