Friday, May 9, 2014

8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal

The day has finally come for the Bead Soup Blog Party (BSBP) Reveal.  I blogged about the BSBP when my soup arrived in the mail from my partner, and again when my partner got my soup.  You can find those posts here and here.  So, to recap, this is the soup I received:

I created a bunch of pieces, using most of the soup ingredients.  I started on the focal, the curved copper band with swirls and painted coloring.  As beautiful as this focal is, it proved a challenge for me to use it.  The reason for this is that I'm mostly a necklace girl.  This focal was simply made for being a bracelet.  I really tried hard to think of how I could make this into a necklace focal, but in the end I made it what it wanted to be, a bracelet.  I also incorporated the silk sari fabrics into this and 2 of the pink shell beads...  I had some vintage buttons that became the beads for the bracelet band.  Here are some shots of that piece:





I had this pink cord necklace that perfectly matched those pink shell beads... I also had a pendant that I had made out of polymer clay which had that same pink color, and those items were what created the second piece.  From the soup, the only items I used in this piece are the pink shell beads:


Next up, I had to use the clasp.  I didn't want to use the clasp in the same piece as the focal because I have an aversion to mixing metals.  The metals in the focal piece were copper and the clasp is silver tone.  The clasp also is in the whimsical shape of butterflies.  I decided to do a spring inspired piece using most of the multicolored crystal beads that were found in my soup, and I decided to make a butterfly pendant using my upcycled materials.  This butterfly pendant is created with fused plastic snack bags:



Next, I still had more of those fun, bright pink shell beads to use, so I decided to pair them with one of my dyed tyvek pendants as seen here:



The soup included a bunch of pearls, some glass ones and some freshwater pearls.  They were all in various shapes, sizes and colors... and some of them were drilled off center.  I decided to pair them with this great neutral variegated cording that I had.  I also decided to go for another bracelet design and earrings (another rarity for me).




Next I zeroed in on a small grouping of pale green cube beads (possibly fluorite).  I decided to do a boho look necklace with these pairing them with varying strands, disc beads from my stash and some garnet colored glass beads from my stash, and the focal is a multi-colored polymer clay bead:



There were 4 large moss agate (?) beads in my soup which I decided to pair with a polymer pendant that I made last year, which was sitting around waiting for inspiration.  The pendant was created while playing with Lynda Moseley's controlled marbling technique.  I pulled in some coral beads to draw on the orange tones in the pendant:


And finally, I wanted to use at least one of those metal sheets that I was sent in my soup.  Now, they were quite a challenge.  First, I'm no metalsmith... but I do like to play around and experiment with things.  These babies are big, about 3" by 4", and the metal is quite heavy.  I don't have any tools that can cut through that, nor do I have any great shaping tools.  But I do have a vice and decided today at the last minute to play with one of the plates to see what happens. I paired my bent up piece of metal with some thick grey knit cordage, its almost like a scarf necklace:



I still have some ingredients left over for further play! Plenty of the silk sari fabric, a couple more of the various colored crystal beads, the big green lampwork bead, and still a few more of the pink shell beads... oh, and the other 3 metal plates (though I think the one with the best impression will become a polymer clay texture plate). ;)

I had so much fun creating things with the soup.  It was a definite challenge for me, as all of the ingredients were items I wouldn't normally have acquired for my own supply, so it really pushed me to work with things out of my "norm".  I'm considering making 2 of the pieces part of my "permanent collection", so I think it's safe to say that I created pieces with which I'm quite pleased!  Please do have a look at my partner's blog to see what she did with the soup I sent her.  My partner is Arlene Dean from A Glass Bash, and you can find her reveal here.   Here is the soup that I sent to her:



Thank you Arlene!  There were close to 500 other participants in this blog party, please take some time to check out some of the other soups and reveals!  You can find the full list of participating artists, with hotlinks to their blogs here.  Many thanks to Lori Anderson for organizing everything!! Oh, and leave me a comment and let me know what you think about my creations! :)

91 comments:

  1. Wow! You are very creative using it all! I love how you put the pieces together, the wire wrapping so beautiful. Happy Bead Soup Party!

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    1. Hi Juniper Goods! Thanks so much for the wonderful comment!! :)

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  3. I love your very first bracelet you are showing with those lovely colors so much. Wow, what an awful lot of work...so many cute pieces. Congrats on using the Soup with so many different styles.
    Sabine

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    1. Hi Sabine! Thanks so much for the lovely comment!

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  4. What a great display of varying styles. The minimalist in me loves how you showcased each bead and mixed texture so beautifully.

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    1. Hi Mary Ellen! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments!

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  6. Already saw one of your beautiful bracelets on pinterest (the fist one). It's soooo fetching, love it!

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  7. Lovely lovely pieces. I left a comment early this morning but I guess it didn't stick. That moss agate piece is my favorite, but they are all fabulous.

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    1. Thanks so much Tammy for the wonderful comment! :)

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  8. You have mastered asymmetrical! They are all great designs and show such a range.

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    1. Thanks so much Shaiha for the kind comments! I do love asymmetrical jewelry, and must admit it's my favorite to design! ;)

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  9. You did a great job with the soup you received. My favorite is the first bracelet and the last neck piece.

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    1. Thanks Line! The last neck piece is one that I'm considering keeping for myself... I like it too! :)

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  10. Such variety in your work. Lovely pieces!! Very unique!!

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    1. Hi roomforchange! Thanks so much for the sweet comment!

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  11. I like that last piece with the metal sheet, gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you! That piece is one of the ones I'm contemplating keeping cause I like it so much too! ;)

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  12. A very nice reveal. My favorites are the first bracelet. Love the way you wove the fibers together and that button strand is gorgeous in it....and the butterfly necklace.....and the asymmetrical moss agate necklace. Its gorgeous. Great job! Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.

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    1. Thanks so much Jean for the wonderful comment! :)

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  13. You had some challenging pieces there and you were able to use your usual fantastic design skills and out of the box thinking to come up with some very nice pieces. Your color sense is always so good, Beth. And those tyvek pendants are so wonderful and original, like bright tie-dyed butterflies.

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    1. Thanks so much Ginger for the kind comments! Means a lot to me, as I admire your work and your design sense so much!

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  14. Wow what wonderful pieces, I am really drawn to first bracelet, the pink/purple necklace and your last necklace with the metal piece. Never seen anything like those. Awesome work!!!!!Thanks for joining and posting!

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    1. Thank you so much Veralynne for the wonderful comment! :)

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  15. I gasped at your soup! And squealed at finished pieces. I LOVE that bracelet! Kudos!

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    1. Wow Debi, thanks so much for the lovely comment!! :)

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  16. Wow that metal chocker is stunning! You made so many beautiful and unique pieces. They are all so beautiful!

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    1. Thank you so much Kumi, for the sweet comments!

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  17. Wow, you made so many stunning pieces from your soup. I just love that metal/scarf choker and I am so in love with that bracelet and the turquoise and coral necklace with your gorgeous pendant. You are so talented and made such a great use of your soup.

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    1. Thank you so much Christa for your sweet comments! :)

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  18. Wow! What a stunning collection! Love all of the colors and how you used them. Love that green asymmetrical necklace. So happy you shared with all of us!

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  19. I loved how you used such a variety of designs and materials to get some beautiful and wearable jewelry! A butterfly out of snack bags?? IT is amazing, and your polymer clay pieces are gorgeous as well. Impressive!

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    1. Thank you so much for the kind comments! Yes, the butterfly is from snack bags, actually the purple layer was from a dog treat bag and the black from a potato chip bag. ;) I'm a tree hugger, so I like to keep as much out of the landfill as possible, so non-recyclable items often get turned into art supplies!

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  20. So many designs!!! Amazing. You should definitely make more bracelets in the future, those two are fabulous!!!!! I really love them.

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    1. Thanks so much Emmanuelle for the kind comments! :)

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  21. All you pieces are fun and a good use of your soup. I really like that first bracelet and how you incorporated your vintage buttons into the design. Very clever.

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  22. Hi there: You created a great group of pieces, I like how you worked your signature pieces in with the bead soup. I am intrigued by the recycled Tyvek, and will be following you. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such nice comments.

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    1. Thank you Louise, for the kind comments, and thanks too for the follow! :) Since you mentioned interest in the Tyvek pendants... they are something I came up with about 5 years ago. I wrote a tutorial on them (one on the shell/heart shaped ones and one on a flower shaped one, and also offer a combo tutorial at a discount) all can be found in my www.onemoreuse.etsy.com store...

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  23. Totally awesome pieces, the first bracelet with the colorful copper focal is stunning and I would love to wear it. Each piece is amazing so well done.

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    1. Thank you so much Kepi, for the kind comments! :)

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  24. Oh my that is a stunning array of creations! You attention to detail makes each piece a joy to look at. I love your simple solution for turning one of the metal sheets into a pendant. Genius!

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    1. Hi Nelly, Thanks so much for the wonderful comments!

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  25. Wow you got a lot done and with such variety - Go Girl!!!

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  26. Lovely pieces - so many different styles and gorgeously mixed together. Love everything!

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  27. I was in total awe when I saw the pieces that you made from your bead soup! Your creativity is astounding!

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    1. Thanks so much Rdegas, for the generous comments! :)

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  28. Wow! love everything you made! Especially the bracelet (made me smile) and the butterfly made out of plastic bags - genius! I am going to check out your tutorial on Etsy.

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  29. the buttons you used are a great addition to the bracelet band. I love it! And the sheet metal is just inspired. Excellent!

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  30. I am so impressed with the inventiveness of all your designs, Beth :) Bravo!

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  31. copper band connected with fabric- really great look, bracelet rocks!

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  32. OMG this is the most beautiful soup I have seen till now, I am having a case of serious bead envy. I am drooling over the metal sheets and bracelet focal, they are awesome, no wonder your final creations look fabulous

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    1. Thanks so much Divya, for the sweet comments! :)

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  33. You made so beautiful designs. I'm very impressed. My absolutly favourite is the first bracelet. I love the way you used copper, fabrics and the little buttons together. Great colours tto.

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  34. Lovely pieces, and I adore the first bracelet with that wonderful metal focal. Clever use of the metal sheet too!

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such kind comments!

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  35. Your work has a wonderful organic feel. I love the you met the challenge of the sheet metal, simple but elegant.

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    1. Thank you so much Jo-Ann! Sorry for the delay in response, had a busy couple of days including a special celebration! :)

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  36. Beautiful designs! I especially love the first bracelet and the last necklace...so creative even though you lacked the tools to work with metal like that...very nice job!

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  37. Holy beady goodness! A yummy soup indeed... great pieces. I love your use of color and your willingness to mix it up. Upcycling, mixed media, asymmetry - wow! A definite feast for the senses.

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  38. You did SO MUCH with your soup! Impressive! I have to say that my favorite pieces are the butterfly piece and the big metal piece. It would be a HUGE challenge to work with sheet metal and you had a great idea to mix it with something soft, to counter the hardness of the metal well done!


    Linda A.
    http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
    http://cherryOnTopDesign.co

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  39. I love your style! Everything you made from your Bead soup is special and one of a kind. I love the way you mixed your own stash with your soup and still came up with personal designs true to your vision. I couldn't pick one i like best. They're all great!

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  40. That is one fun bracelet! You did a great job! You sure got a fine soup and made so many pretty feminine designs. BUT.........I love that last piece! Yep, it's bold and beautiful.

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    1. Hi! Thank you for the comments! Yes, that last piece is one of the 2 that I was considering keeping for myself, I'm glad you like it too! ;)

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  41. I can see how it would have been difficult to try to turn that focal into a necklace. However, I think your bracelet is fabulous. I especially love the buttons you have woven into it. As well, your use of upcycled/recycled materials is inspiring! Lastly, I adore what you did with the metal piece. It's really eye-catching!

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    1. Hi CraftyHope! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your comments!

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  42. I'd like to say that I'm impressed with all your pieces. The buttons in the first necklace are such a great addition! It's interesting how our creativity can be triggered by single new bead while we have our own stash - as shown in your second necklace. Fusing plastic bags is on my list and your butterfly only proves it's worth trying!

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    1. Thank you so much for the great comments! I agree, it is interesting how just one new component can spark creativity to use something that's been sitting around a while! ;)

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  43. Wow! You sure got a lot out of your soup. So many lovely pieces! I wold have been really thrown by those metal sheets. The necklace you made with the silver one is stunning. My favorite of all is the bracelet with the curved copper. So pretty!

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    1. Hi Barbara! Thanks for stopping by and for the lovely comment!! :)

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  44. Lovely pieces. I really like the way you have strung the bicone bead in the boho necklace, but my favourite necklace is the asymmetric moss agate one.

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    1. Thanks so much Cate, for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  45. I'm glad you modeled them, it really showed them off in their best light!! I think my favorite is the pearl bracelet, the fibers give it softer look. Well done!

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    1. Thanks so much for the comment! Sorry it took me so long to post and reply, the notification got buried in my email!! :/ Crazy busy times will do that... ;) Thanks again for visiting and for the lovely comment!

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