The 8th Bead Soup Blog Party REVEAL Is Here!!!

First off, I would love to thank Lori Anderson for all of her hard work on the party, and for everything she's done for ALL of us.  She is simply amazing!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lori!!!

And now, on with the show!!

I was paired with the nicest beader!  Her name is Carol Wilson, and her blog is www.jetadorn.blogspot.com!   She is a very talented jewelry artist from the Sunshine State (Florida!).  I was so excited to see what she sent me, so when the package arrived, I tore into it before I even got back to the house from the mailbox!

Just a little reminder, here is what she sent me!

Just look at all the pretty purples, blues, pinks and black!   And in GOLD!!  I almost never use gold in my jewelry designs, so Carol really challenged me!  I was thrilled to see a metal in there that seemed to say "let's see what you can do with this!"  The pendant focal just stole my breath, and the hand-made clasp is so fun!  I have to admit that I had a serious case of envy for that clasp, because I couldn't make a clasp myself if my life depended on it!  HA HA HA!  

So, I've been mulling about with a couple of ideas of what to create with this bead soup.  Each one was studied on, and eventually discarded.  I mulled and thought, thought and mulled, studied and studied, I FINALLY came up with a design.  I wanted to do something that showcased each individual element of the soup that Carol sent me, and I think maybe, just maybe, I succeeded in that.

I created a hand-made chain for the focal using some gold wire.  The best part of all of this?  My mom was here visiting with me, so while I was creating, I got to spend some quality time with her.  She is a fellow jewelry artist, so there is some of her influence in this piece as well.  I wire wrapped the chain using the plethora of gorgeous beads from Carol's soup and added just a couple of others that I thought would bring out some of the stunning color in the focal.  The clasp just looked perfect with the chain as well.   Once I was done with all those wire wrapped components, I created a small coordinating bracelet and pair of earrings with hand-made earwires.  ( I CAN make earwires, just not clasps!)

I utilized the gorgeous glass, pearl and stone beads for each link in the chain. 

I think that the design sets off the gorgeous focal and the beautiful clasp well.

This photo simply does NOT do this pendant focal justice.  The colors are so vibrant and imaginative.  I could stare at it for hours!

Here is the fun earrings and bracelet that I created as well.  They are very simple, but I find sometimes that beauty can be found in the most simple of creations.

Here is another look at the entire ensemble.

Again, I want to thank my amazing partner, Carol Wilson, for such an amazing bead soup.  I hope that she has had as much fun with this as I have!!   I can't wait to see what she created with what I sent her!   

Here is the link to the participants list for the 8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party!  Please go visit everyone's pages and see what gorgeous things we created this year!!  There were over 500 participants this year, so the list is here on the link below.  VISIT VISIT VISIT!  You won't regret it!! :)

http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2014/05/welcome-to-8th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

Thank you so much for your visit, and I hope that you enjoy the Party!!

God bless!! 

Candi

Bead Soups Everywhere!

I am so excited for this year's Bead Soup Blog Party!  Lori Anderson paired me with an extraordinarily talented lady from Florida named Carol Wilson!  Her jewelry is gorgeous!!

Life has been insane busy lately with my little guy, Spring Break, and a few other things that we haven't anticipated, but I wanted to give you all a sneak peek of the beautiful soup that Carol sent to me and the one that I sent to her.

Look at all the lovelies!!  Gold isn't a metal hue that I use a lot in my jewelry, but I am always open to new and exciting avenues.  I just love the glass pendant focal and the hand-made clasp.  Just gorgeous!  The color palette is delicious!! I can't get over the richness of the colors!  Carol sent me the most beautiful seed pearls in rose and peacock.  I am a pearl FREAK!  I love them! She also sent some gorgeous little pale rose pearl coins.  Beautiful amethyst and gorgeous Czech glass crystals, also two coordinating samples of size 6 seed beads.  I cannot wait to get to work!!!

Here is the bead soup that I sent to Carol.  My friends, Laura and Rachel, at Bead Bayou (beadbayou.net) helped me compile it.  Three heads are always better than one!  We included a gorgeous copper compass focal created by local jewelry artist, Glenn Levent!   His work is absolutely stunning!!  I also sent copper findings, a copper clasp, Swarovski crystals, green opal beads, gorgeous opal cup chain, large hole pearls, stringing materials, and so much I really have forgotten it all. I hope that Carol gets to have a lot of fun with the soup that I've sent her. 

"Seasons" Blog Hop

First of all, I would like to thank Lisa Lodge at Pine Ridge Treasures for hosting this blog hop and for creating such a beautiful kit for this creation.

I absolutely loved it.  There was a beautiful ceramic pendant by "Gaea" as well as Swarovski Crystals, Turquoise, Serpentine, Agate, Crystal and some gorgeous Czech glass.  I was thrilled when I poured the mix out onto my workspace and started to conjure a "season" in my head.

The Themes were:  A season of the year   OR  A season of your life.

I decided to combine the two themes into a single piece.

The events of my life from January of 2007 until around October of 2009 have largely shaped my life.  January of 2007 was when I learned that I was expecting my first child.  As the months progressed, what started as an easy pregnancy turned into one where I spent two months in the hospital on supervised bed rest (went in at 24 weeks) and saw my son come into this world in August of 2007 at 32 weeks (2 months early) weighing 2 pounds 11 ounces and 15 inches long.  He spent another 2 months in the NICU, and finally came home 3 days before his "due date."  During those 2 months, I was at the hospital every day, every 3 hours for his feedings, every time the doctor was scheduled to visit him.  My husband was out of town a lot, so most of this time it was just me, in a town 2 hours from everyone I knew, fending for myself and my tiny, tiny baby.  For the next year, we took him to so many specialists that I lost count.  

In January of 2008, my stepfather took his own life.  He had gotten very sick just before Thanksgiving, and his decision to end his own life shook my family to its foundation.  My mother and my 9 year old little brother were heartbroken, and I was angry.  I was so angry at him for doing this to all of us.  So angry that he couldn't see what my son needed his step grandfather and my little brother needed his dad.  

In March of 2008, my best friend passed away.  She was the matron of honor in my wedding and passed at the age of 32.  It was yet another blow.  She left behind 3 young sons all under the age of 6, and I was simply in shock.   I didn't feel strong enough to handle all of the hits that kept coming my life's way.  

In April of 2009, I talked my husband into moving me and our son back to my hometown of Dawsonville, GA.  I missed being close to my family, especially with him away working so much, and wanted to have my support network close by.

That summer, the summer of 2009....

Me, my husband, mother, little brother, stepdaughter and son decided to go to Port St Joe Florida for a week's vacation.  It was a time for us to get away, to spend some time as a family and have some FUN.  It had seemed like fun was something that we felt guilty to enjoy, but on that trip to the beach, we enjoyed ourselves again.  We stayed in a beautiful little beach house with its own pool for the kids to play in.  The beaches were practically deserted, so we were able to enjoy them without fighting crowds.  It was one of the best trips I have ever had.

That trip showed us that we were going to be able to overcome our adversities, and that we'd be OK.  That with love and time, we would be OK.

Today, my little brother is a 14 year old young man who is taller than I am.  My son is a brilliant 5 (almost 6) year old who is excited about starting Kindergarten and is honestly the smartest little guy I know.  My mom is remarried, and my husband is about to start his own company.  

Me?  I am throwing my attention into my jewelry business, and counting my blessings.  Even the ones from that very dark time where it seemed like they were so few and far between.

So my piece is in commemoration of that trip to the beach that defined the true beginning of healing.  

 

The pendant says "Wave," which to me symbolizes both the waves of the beach, of waving goodbye to sorrow, and of waving hello to happiness. 

 I included some seashell beads as well as a few Czech glass ones that look like sand.  My mom picked these out of her own stash for this project. :)  

"Life is like an ocean. It can be calm and still or rough and rigid. But in the end it’s always beautiful."

My little family in 2009, Port Saint Joe, Florida (Indian Pass)

Thank you for letting me share this little piece of my life with you.

Please visit the other fabulous artists in this Hop, and thank you again to Lisa!

Hostess: Lisa Lodge, Grateful Artist 

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Cassi Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Stephanie Sanner Haussler, PixyBug Designs

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

Karin Slaton, BackStory Beads

Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution

Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Alicia Marinache,  All the Pretty Things

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Toltec Jewels, Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends

Lennis Carrier, Windbent

Erin Kenny, Beadifultherapy

Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress

Cilla Watkins, Tell Your Girlfriends

Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Sierra Barrett, Giraffe Can Has

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shirley Jones Moore, Beads and Bread

Dawn Horner, Northern Adornments

Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space

Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

YOU ARE HERE -->Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Miranda Ackerley, Daze and Days

Earring Swap Blog Hop

This post is a little late, but life has been INSANE the last couple weeks.  My son's last week of Pre-K is this week and a new workout regimen was started.  So between Pre-K graduation preparations and everything else, I have been crazy busy.  My apologies for not getting this posted sooner.

My incredible swap partner was Gina Hockett at http://www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com.  You should really check out her blog, it is simply amazing.

She sent me the most GORGEOUS pairs of earrings.  Two of them.   Take a look!

They are simply beautiful, and I am very grateful that she took such kindness and time to make these two pairs of earrings.  I didn't give Gina a lot of guidance as far as what I like and don't like.  All I told her was "I want to see your artistry in what you send."   I am simply blown away by the quality of craftsmanship and the imagination and fun that are incorporated into the designs.  I can't wait to wear them and show them off!!

THANK YOU GINA!

And now to the pair of earrings I made for her.  Based on her likes, I designed these earrings.  I thought they look like a sunset over the beach.

They are African Opal, Fancy Agate and Hand-cut Carnelian on sterling silver ear wires.  This picture isn't the best, but I think they turned out fun.

This was my first earring blog hop, and I would like to thank Jessica Murray for the idea and all of her hard work!!!

Please visit everyone else's blogs who have participated in this hop! :)

Inge von Roos: ingetraud.wordpress.com

Nancy Smith: wirednan.blogspot.ca
Marianne Baxter: http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com/
Leah Tees: mybeadylittleeyes.blogspot.ca
Andrea Trank: www.heavenlanecreations.com
Miranda Ackerley: http://blog.mirandack.com/
Cheri Mitchell-Reed: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Susan Kennedy: www.suebeads.blogspot.com
Michele Dotson: http://star-jewels.blogspot.com/
Deanna Cox: www.deannaaki.WordPress.com
Shelley Graham Turner: www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Ingrid McCue: www.wrappedinsilver.com
Lennis Carrier: http://windbent.wordpress.com
Ginger Davis Allman: http://thebluebottletree.com/
Mary Anne Flesch: www.handcraftedserenity.blogspot.com
Nicole Valentine Rimmer: www.nvalentine.blogspot.com
Stephanie Weiss: uniquelymebwd.blogspot.com/
Silvia Sernicola: http://pipa-the-latest.blogspot.it/
Karla Morgan: www.TexasPepperJams.blogspot.com
Kay Thomerson: http://KayzKreationz.blogspot.com
Paula Hisel: http://simplybeadiful.weebly.com/simply-stated.html
Carol Dillman: http://dillmansdallies.blogspot.com/
YOU ARE HERE!!  Spun Sugar Beadworks: http://Spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com
Tara Plote: http://newbiebeader.blogspot.com/
Rachel Baron: http://rbarondesigns.blogspot.com/
Laurie Keefe: http://treeofliferootedinmysoul.blogspot.com/
Kashmira Patel: http://sadafulee.blogspot.com
MY PARTNER!!  Gina Hockett: http://www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com
Shellie Grindy: http://www.creativeeclectica.com/
Shai Williams: http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/
Dyanne Cantrell: http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com
Mimi Gardner: www.OtherCuriosities.blogspot.com
Jessica McMullen: http://pheonixgatedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jennifer LaVite: www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com
Laura Medeiros: http://zoeowyn.blogspot.com/
Alenka Obid: www.pepita-handmade.blogspot.com
Elsie Fonseca: http://www.ladelizchica.blogspot.com/
Cheryl Dunham: www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com
Sandra McGriff: http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.ca
Tania Spivey: http://moobiegrace.blogspot.com/
Mowse Doyle:  http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com
Mischelle Fanucchi: http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
Beccy Peterson: Beccy's Baubles
Marde Lowe: FanciMar Designs