Gemstone and Metal Blog Hop reveal

Today is the reveal for Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures' Gemstones and Metal Blog Hop reveal.  Each of the participants purchased a kit from Lisa that contained gemstones and metal findings.  My kit kit contained Black-lined Jasper, some Snowflake Obsidian, a silver-plated toggle clasp, two bails, and two different spacer beads.

I have never worked with either gemstone but the Snowflake Obsidian called to me first and this piece just seemed to flow together.  I used the Snowflake rounds and rondels along with turquoise howlite and red seed beads.

I was able to make two sets of earrings to go along with this necklace, each different than the other.  One set is just the Snowflake Obsidian round, red seed beads, and the turquoise howlite on an eyepin.

The second set is Snowflake rondels with turquoise howlite and red seed beads with dangles.

My next piece used the Black-line Jasper ovals and diagonally drilled squares (diamond shaped??) stones to make a necklace.  I used the ribbed silver-plated spacers that Lisa sent in the kit along with the leftover purple glass beads I had from the recent Michael's Challenge blog hop.

I have two sets of earrings for this necklace and I have another necklace laid out already to string using the rectangle Black-lined Jasper beads.  I hope to update the pictures by Monday evening.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the other participants:

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Katrina Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Margaret Pelech, Big Margaret

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  You are here.

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware (May be delayed a few days)

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Robin Reed, Artistry HCBD

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Cassi Renee Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons

Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things (May be delayed a few days)

Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Judy Campbell, Macmillanmarie Jewellery Design

Nan Smith, Handmade Jewelry Nanmade

Marde Lowe, FanciMarDesigns

Linda Anderson, From the Bead Board

Leithleach Alainn Seodra, Alainn Jewelry

Lisa E. Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs
Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

Be sure to stop back by August 2 for the reveal of the Summer Carnival Blog Hop and on August 3 for the Chicks Choose Chicklets Blog Hop.

 

Carolyn

I apologize for the lateness of my post but my computer did not want to co-operate last night or this morning.

Alenka's blog anniversary blog hop

The day has finally come for Alenka's blog anniversary blog hop.  As I wrote in my previous post, I responded to Alenka's post for people to participate in her blog hop.  I received a blue to purple colored polymer clay bar that she made herself. 

I had thought about a bracelet with the bar as the center piece but it is a straight bar with no curve to it.  As I thought about it, I gathered together some beads that I thought would go well with it. 

Crystals shaded from blue to purple

I found some crystals that I thought followed the colors in the bar and decided to make a necklace with the bar as the centerpiece with some dangles at the bottom.

Here is a look at the entire necklace but I have close-ups of the bar and dangles.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit it the other designers in the blog hop:

Ginger Bishop           

Susan Kennedy         

Becky Pancake          

Debbie(Kepi) Rasmussen   

Evelyn Shelby 

Dini Bruinsma           

Monique Urquhart   

Jo-Ann Woolverton  

Penny May     

Carolyn Lawson       You are here

Ana Cravidao                        

Dolores Raml                        

Cynthia Machata

Your comments are always welcome.

Carolyn

Blog hop is Sunday not Saturday

I need to apologize to everyone.  I got the date of the blog hop wrong.  It is actually tomorrow, Sunday August 11.  I do hope that you will come back tomorrow and see what I made with Alenka's component.

Above is the component I had to work with.  I like what I did with it and hope you will return tomorrow to see what I did.

Here is a hint of what I did.  You have to come back tomorrow to see the entire piece.

Thanks for stopping by.

Carolyn
 

Alenka's blog anniversay blog hop coming up soon

I have lots of blogs that I follow and back in June one of them celebrated her first blog anniversay.  Pepita Handmade asked her followers what they would prefer that she do and the results were a blog hop.  Here is a link to Alenka's announcement post: my-1st-blogoversary.

A couple of weeks later she announced that 13 (her lucky number) of us would be participating.  Alenka made the components that she sent to each one of us.  I am the happy recipent of the blue bar in the second row. 

The picture above does not do the piece I received any justice and the pictures that I took are not much better.  In fact they are much worse.

 

I am certainly going to have to take better pictures than this for reveal day.  These do not show the lovely graduated shaes from light blue through dark blue to shades of purple.

Be sure to come back again on Saturday, August 11 and see what I and other beaders have made. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Carolyn

Spring Fling Challenge

This was a post I started early this week but didn't finish, so I am turning it into my reveal post for Amy's Spring Fling Challenge.

This Saturday, April 20, is the reveal date for Amybeads' Spring Fling Challenge.  Amy and one of her previous Bead Soup Blog Party partners went together to sponsor the challenge.  Alenka made the pretty dragonfly pendant and Amy supplied the beads.



This is the selection of beads that were sent to the participants.



Here is the picture off Amy's website that is so much clearer than mine.



Below are the pictures of what I made from selections.  I used some of all the beads except for the crackle beads in the upper left corner of the picture above.

I used a glue-on bail for the pendant.  I glued it on at an angle so that the dragonfly is not straight up and down.

I added touches of green with Preciosa twin beads. 

I also added lavender/pinkish glass pearls to extend the length of the necklace.

In this picture is you can see the green Preciosa twin beads.

I used a triple ring toggle clasp to give the necklace some additional length.  It is 15 inches and the additional extension makes it 16 1/2 inches.

Here are the matching earring that I made using purple beads, white mirror beads and the navy pearls.

Here is a closer look at the pendant where you can see that the bail is off-set from the top of the dragonfly's head.


Here is a link to Amy's blog to see her creation and the list of the other participants:  Spring Fling Challenge

Thanks for stopping by.  Comments are welcome.

Carolyn

7th Bead Soup Blog Hop second reveal

Some of you stopped by to see my initial post about the upcoming second reveal for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party.  Here are the pictures I posted of what my partner,Chris Miller, sent me.

Purple jade, Marsha Neal pendant, Ivory Cinnabar

Pressed glass and pearls

Jade in white and purple

Pressed glass beads, purple colored jade

Pearls



Cinnabar, white jade and silver beadcaps



Marsha Neal pendant, silver findings including toggle clasp



Here is what I made with her goodies.



I decided to use antique copper for the findings.  I used a pinch bail to attach Marsh Neal's pendant to the necklace.  I also incorporated the ivory cinnabar and purple jade nuggets.  I used antique copper spacers and black seed beads.



Here are the earrings that were made using the ivory cinnabar and purple jade nuggets.

Here is another view of the entire set.

Here is another set that I made with Chris' goodies

I used Chris' white jade rounds, her flat purple jade rectangles and the silver flowered toggle clasp that she sent.

Here is a close-up of the silver connectors from my stash that I used in the necklace.  I used three of the connectors to help lengthen the necklace.  I also used silver daisy spacers on either side of the purple beads.

 

Here is a close-up of the earrings that I made for this set. 

Here is the last set that I made from my Bead Soup.

Here is a close up of the diamond shaped spacers the I purchased to contrast with the square shape of the pressed glass beads that Chris supplied.  I used daisy spacers on each side of the square beads and silver seed beeds between the glass beads and pearls.

Close up of the earrings for this set.

I was also able to make a bracelet for this set.

Be sure to visit my partner's website:  http://dzeyenrstudio.blogspot.com/  to see what she made with what I sent her.

The full list of blogs that are featured in the second reveal are available here:

7th-bead-soup-blog-party-2nd-reveal

I want to thank Lori Anderson, our hostess, for the super work she has done in putting on these blog hops.  The first one was on March 30 (7th-bead-soup-blog-party-first-reveal) and the third one will be on April 20.

Thank you for viewing what I made.  I apologize for the pictures, not sure what happened.  I will be trying to replace them with better ones so please check back next weekend.  I will also have a link to the list of blogs for the third reveal.

Please leave a comment as I love to read them.

Thank you for stopping by.

Carolyn

Operation Tackle That Bead Stash March Challenge

Here is what I created for the Operation Tackle That Bead Stash March Challenge.

I used beads from my stash, bluey-lavender, pink, and grey twisted beads with silver seed beads and purple glass leaves.

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by.

Carolyn

Bead Soup beads have arrived!



Goodies have arrived



My Bead Soup partner, Chris White, sent me some challenging beads in my soup.  They arrived neatly packaged in organza drawstring bags.

Pressed glass squares and glass pearls



Purple and white jade



Jade nuggets, Marsha Neal Studio ceramic pendant, ivory cinnabar



Glass squares, jade rectangles and nuggets




Glass pearls




Ivory cinnabar, white jade, silver spacers and beads caps



Silver spacers, bead caps and toggle clasp, Marsha Neal Studio pendant 



Jade rounds, rectangles, silver spacers and toggle clasp


What to make is now the question.  Do I go for multiple items or one item?  The only requirement is to use the focal bead and the clasp.  So do I only use those items from the soup? That will be the question.  Please come back for the second reveal date of April 6th for this year's Bead Soup Blog Party.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please come back on Friday, March 1, for the Challenge of Music reveal.

Carolyn