At long last, it's time for another round of the Bead Soup Blog Party. We pair up, swap beads, create, and reveal our goodies en masse. This time, Lori Anderson decided to add a twist: hoarding. For a long time, I convinced myself I wasn't a bead hoarder, but looking at the beautiful handmade beads I've collected over the years is evidence to the contrary. We were asked to choose a special hoarded bead and send it to our partner.
I was very lucky to be paired with Alice Craddick. She loves color. Although I usually stick to certain palettes, I, too, am drawn to colorful delights. Here's the zesty set of orange, lime, turquoise, and purple beads Alice sent me.
Photo from Alice
I was so excited, I even forgot to take a photo! I immediately started making earrings from the small beads, but that pinwheel focal took more time. It's so unusual, and I wanted to compliment the fun, colorful design.
I was very tempted to use the lime lampwork beads (top of the photo) in earrings, but I decided to work them into a necklace with the focal. The lampwork is by Buckaroo Beads, and I love, love them.
In the necklace, I used the ceramic pinwheel, small faceted blue glass, and the lime green lampwork. The rest is from my stash, so this necklace has definitely turned into a stash buster!
I also made a pair of who-hoops with some of the small beads Alice sent.
I'm sure you're wondering what I sent to Alice, so here are a couple snaps. And yes, it's all pretty colorful. I couldn't choose one color, so I sent Alice a rainbow of components I've collected over the past 8 years.
A huge thank you to my swap partner, Alice, for the delightful collection of beads and for reminding me how fun it is to go a bit wild with it in my designs. Now, I'm off to see what she made!
You can find the full list of participants (it's a doozy!) on Lori's blog, Pretty Things. It goes without saying that Lori is a spectacular hostess. Thanks so much for hosting another Bead Soup Blog Party and for encouraging us to dive into our stashes!
