Bead Soup Party Day #3

Day Three of the Bead Soup Swap -- If you have not checked the blogs from the previous two days, you need to do it! They all are just amazing! Below is a list of today's Bead Soup Swap Participant Reveals -- But first . . . .

My Necklace over my black mock-turtle neck blouse. I hope this give you a sense of scale of the piece.
Also, here is a pair of earrings I made with some of the "leftover" Soup ingredients.

June 21th

27. Lisa, Alterity

28. Dale, Dales' Flights of Fancy

29. Melanie, Kookie Designs

30. Christine, A Hot Piece of Glass

31. Nancy, Beading From the Heart

32. Laurel, Rue's Daftique

33. Sandi, Do Be Do Bead Do

34. Nicki, Nicki's Reef

35. Virginie, ViviBijoux

36. Janeen, Wild Vanilla

If you have not already, sign up for my birthday giveaway {HERE}. It is going on all week, so come back at the end of the party to see who won.

Bead Soup Part Day #2 -- My Reveal

The Bead Soup Swap Party started yesterday! Visit the artists listed below and return to tell me who is your favorite!

You will notice that today is my scheduled Reveal date and Heather Pyle of My Muse my bead buddy's is several days away. That is so we can all ohh and ahhh over the wonderful masterpieces that have been created in this monumental swap/challenge involving nearly 100 artists all organized by Lori Anderson of Pretty Thing.

This is what I got from Heather in May. The inspiration is the carved limestone Heather had seen at the Alamo. I have an ancestral connection to the Alamo and also love medieval carvings which I described in this blog {HERE} I was so excited to receive these gorgeous beads. And I loved the strand of wood beads as well as the patinated deep bronze chain and toggle set.
This is the Sneak Peek I posted a few days ago.

And another closer look at the beautiful filigree ring and key toggle.

And here is the finished piece. I wore it a couple of time and receive loads of compliments and the 'stones' are as light as a feather so I did not get a headache -- love that!

I had enough left over to make at least one more piece and a set or two of earrings. I will post those during the week.

This is what I sent to Heather. Stay tuned, her Reveal is June 25th

Now go out there into Blog-o-land and visit these fine artists, leave comments -- we all love comments!

June 20th

14. Jen, Jen Judd Rocks

15. Kella, Me But a Little More In Depth

16. Emanda, Artemisia Studio (YOU ARE HERE X)

17. Marie, Skye Jewels

18. Loretta, Designs By Loretta

19. Stacy, Sissy and Jack's

20. Joanna, Filcowe

21. Diane, Diane Hawkey

22. Marianna, Pretty Shiny Things

23. Anna, The Laughing Raven

24. Marcie, La Bella Joya

25. Lois, Que Onda Q'town?

26. Jayne, Mama's Got To Doodle

Also, if you have not already, sign up for my Birthday Giveaway {HERE}. It is going on all week, so come back at the end of the party to see who won.

Parr-Tay! Day #1

The Bead Soup Swap Party has begun!
Visit these artists and return to tell me who is your favorite!

June 19th

June 19th
1. Lori, Pretty Things The Hostess with the Mostess! Thank her for starting the whole thing
2. Lorelei, Lorelei1141
3. Norma, Moonlit Fantaseas
4. Beth, EB Bead and Metalworks
5. Katie, KatieBead
6. Kimberly, Bahama Dawn
7. Debbie, Prairie Emporium
8. Lisa, Joolz by Lisa
9. Kate, Tropical Blonde
10. Janet, Singing Woods
11. Julianna, Juls Beads
12. Erin, Treasures Found


If you have not already, sign up for my birthday giveaway {HERE}. It is going on all week, so come back at the end of the party to see who won.

What a Birthday!

Today was my birthday (also Kelly Morgan's over at Silver Parrot). It was one of my best birthdays, and I mean that too. My husband has taken a day off here and there this past couple of weeks and, of course, took today off to help me celebrate.
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It was such a lovely, leisurely day.
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First, we watched the USA vs. Slovenia World Cup Game while I photographed my finished Bead Soup Swap piece. Here is a sneak peek.
I wore it last night to Quilt Guild and today when we went to my favorite museum and got loads of compliments! I cannot wait to do the full fledged REVEAL on Sunday. (One of my online friends sent me a note stating that the dates in the previous post were incorrect -- so I changed them to the correct dates - sorry 'bout that!)
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Well, we drove from Denton to Fort Worth with a short stop at Cabela's for my sweetie. Then we went to the Kimbell Museum for the remainder of the day and had a lovely lunch there as well. The Kimbell is a small, very fine museum that usually has to put most of their permanent collection away when they have a traveling show. But today I saw more of their collection than I ever have before, plus the newly acquired Michelangelo (click on the link above to see it). It was a real treat!

Okay, I promised a birthday celebration giveaway. Here is how it works -- post a comment on this blog post with your email address and I will draw a random number at the end of the week (at the end of the Bead Soup Blog Party!) Keep checking here for the Party participants revealing their masterpieces each day.

Is It Soup Yet? -- Almost --Corrected!

(Dates have been corrected!)
WELCOME to the party!

Starting Saturday we will be revealing the pieces we made with the beads and goodies our swap partners sent us back in May. This is Lori Anderson's second swap party and it is even bigger than the first with nearly 100 participants. Because the group is so large, Lori has broken the group down into a smaller groups with about a dozen participants revealing their creations each day. My date is in the second group on June 20th and my bead partner, Heather Pyle from My Muse (#81)will reveal on the 24th. So, get ready for a fabulous week of wonderful websites of jewelry and bead artists

Blog Soup Party Goers Reveal Dates
June 19th
1. Lori, Pretty Things The Hostess with the Mostess!
2. Lorelei, Lorelei1141
3. Norma, Moonlit Fantaseas
4. Beth, EB Bead and Metalworks
5. Katie, KatieBead
6. Kimberly, Bahama Dawn
7. Debbie, Prairie Emporium
8. Lisa, Joolz by Lisa
9. Kate, Tropical Blonde
10. Janet, Singing Woods
11. Julianna, Juls Beads
12. Erin, Treasures Found

June 20th
14. Jen, Jen Judd Rocks
15. Kella, Me But a Little More In Depth
16. Emanda, Artemisia Studio
17. Marie, Skye Jewels
18. Loretta, Designs By Loretta
19. Stacy, Sissy and Jack's
20. Joanna, Filcowe
21. Diane, Diane Hawkey
22. Marianna, Pretty Shiny Things
23. Anna, The Laughing Raven
24. Marcie, La Bella Joya
25. Lois, Que Onda Q'town?
26. Jayne, Mama's Got To Doodle

June 21th
27. Lisa, Alterity
28. Dale, Dales' Flights of Fancy
29. Melanie, Kookie Designs
30. Christine, A Hot Piece of Glass
31. Nancy, Beading From the Heart
32. Laurel, Rue's Daftique
33. Sandi, Do Be Do Bead Do
34. Nicki, Nicki's Reef
35. Virginie, ViviBijoux
36. Janeen, Wild Vanilla

June 22th
37. Filomena, Pink Velvet Bird
38. Lyn, Lyn Foley
39. Tari, Pearl and Pebble
40. Rebecca, Song Beads
41. Regina, Regina's Writings
42. Nancy, The Rabbit Muse
43. Whitney, Whitney Lassini
44. Maria, Garden Path Beads
45. Michelle, Life in the Bead Lane
46. Ann, My Critical Eye
47. Lisa, Lucid Moon Studio

June 23th
48. Nan, Spirit Rattles
49. Amy, Copper Diem
50. Malin, Beading by Malin de Koning
51. Anne, Gardanne Glass Lampwork
52. Alice, Alice's Beads and Baubles
53. Barbara, Second Surf
54. Amanda, Articulations
55. Heather, Humble Beads
56. Melissa, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love
57. Kate, Organic Odysseys
58. Patti, PJ Clark Designs
59. Stefanie, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

June 24th
60. Carol, Carol Bradley Designs
61. Wanda, A Frayed of Fibers
62. Diana, Vintage Blue Studio
63. Marieke, Marieke's Blog
64. KJ, Silver Parrot
65. Maire, Maire Dodd
66. Shannon, Miss Fickle
Media67. Dana, Dana's Jewelry Designs
68. Charlene, The Bead Dreamer
69. Elisabeth, Beads for Busy Gals
70. Cathryn, Chile Cats
71. Missy, Melissa Rappaport

June 25th
72. Cindy, Cindy Dolezal Designs
73. Valerie, Hot Art
74. Courtney, Beads by Breul
75. Johanna, Fire Phoenix Creations
76. Shea, gr8findings
77. Julie, Pryce Designs
78. Jeannie, Jeannie's Blog
79. Patricia, Verre Design
80. Christa, Adventures of One Beady Woman
81. Heather, My Muse My bead swap buddy
82. Susan, Night Beader at Large
83. Sonja, Drachenei
84. Jennifer, Glass Addictions by Jennifer

June 26th
85. Melissa, One-Eared Pig Beads
86. Rebecca, 2SistersBeadwork
87. Karyn, Releases by Rufydoof
88. Denise, Bling on the Blog
89. Doris, Glaszwerg
90. Megan, Churchy & Her Sailor
91. Jo, Daisychain Designs
92. Jen, VanBeads Jewelry and Design
93. Kristie, Artisan Clay
94. Jess, Vintaj
95. Suzann, Beadphoria
96. Sharon, Sharon's Jewelry Garden
97. Michelle, bMichelle

Lisi's Orphans -- Give them a good home

I recently posted about Lisi's Lampwork Beads and the 80 orphans I adopted. I used seven in two commissions and decided that the rest should go out into the world as Noah intended: two-by-two, (or as Earrings).I have nineteen (19!) pairs of earrings I am about to post in my Etsy shop Artemisia's Studio. It would probably be a good idea to give me until tomorrow to finish posting.
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These really are really yummy.
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The Lampwork beads are nearly identical ("nearly" is why they are orphans) and measure approx. 8.5mm x 12mm on 1/16" mandrels. They are topped with a crystal and silver roundel, a faceted color crystal to match the bead, a daisy spacer and another tiny crystal for just perfect touch of bling. The lever-back earring findings are silver-plated, but can be changed out for other kinds of ear-wires.

Friday is my Birthday

A lot is going on this week:

*I need to finish my Bead Soup Swap piece for the "reveal" this weekend.

*My dear husband is taking off a few days of vacation time (we are not going anywhere, but staying close to home).

*Our local Quilt Guild is having a silent auction and fundraiser

*I am volunteering with our local health-care center.

*Next Sunday is Father's Day.

*And this Friday is my BIRTHDAY!

Yep, another year older (-and wiser? mmm not sure.)

Please help me celebrate my birthday.

I am having a giveaway of a piece of jewelry made from some of the elements I received in the Bead Soup Swap from my buddy Heather Pyle. I have two piece: one is the "Official Bead Soup Swap Piece" and the other is from some of the remaining pieces I did not use in the "official" piece. Obviously, I cannot show either piece until the scheduled reveal (which starts June 19th, but I do not show mine until Saturday June 20th). I will announce the rules of the game on my birthday Friday 18th of June.

Treasury!

Deb from ZurDesigns and Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) posted a beautiful Treasury that includes one of my Anglican Rosary Bracelets. The Treasury is called "Your love is better than chocolate" Mmmm! Click the photo to go to the treasury and check out my companions. Thanks Deb!

And the Winner of the Bracelet Challenge is. . .

Kate Clawson of Ongoing Explorations of an Organic Artist.

Here is her entry! Check out her blog {HERE} to read about her inspiration and process. Thank you, Kate, for your beautiful submission.

And thank you to Richard Shilling for allowing me to use his beautiful Land Art for the challenge.
(Psst, Kate! Send me your address to artymezia{!at}yahoo{dot}com and I will send you your pound of beads!)

Creativity -- What a Concept!

This will be a short post today, but it packs a punch.

Business Week has an article online that states CEOs are looking for something we as artists and designer already have: Creativity!

We think outside the box. We do not wait for all the reports to come in before making creative decisions. We do not rely on the status quo. In short, we shake things up!