I’ve participated in Lori Anderson’s Bead Soup Blog Party several times and she’s such a lovely person to work with. One day, I hope to take her out for pie.
This Bead Soup catches me on my way (like airborne if you are looking at this Saturday morning) to Colorado to help my amazing mother with her second hip replacement in 4 months. So it’s been a crazy week wrapping up projects to get out of town and also keep two businesses running while I’m in the mountains.
I’m a procrastinator…sometimes by choice and sometimes by situation. It was definitely situational this time. Add a little (OK HUGE) creative block and general trepidation to make Jen’s beads look good and you have an all out panic attack yesterday afternoon.
But I figured it out.
Here’s a recap of what my partner, Jennifer Geldard, sent me:
And here’s the result! If you keep reading, you’ll see close up shots of the various components.
I wanted to showcase the awesome bird and also tie in the the hollow rounds, plus get the brass from the clasp tied in with the copper loopy chain. It was a major case of “edit thoughtfully” in the words of Tim Gunn. I was snipping and cutting right up to showtime!
Here is a close-up of the bird, sitting on the branch bead with a few of my textured beadcaps for spacers to tie in the copper/metal theme.
Next is a close-up of the other beaded element. I ended up going for balanced asymmetry (I may have just made up a phrase). This was where editing came in. Jen sent 4 of these amazing hollows. I tried to work more in and it just wasn’t working for me. So you’ll see in the last photos that I made earrings from a couple.
You can see one of the hollows with an etched copper and etched brass beadcap wired to some cool brick red lava stone that I had on hand. It went well with the turquoise rondelles that Jen sent.
I started this off with two full strands of chain. The copper circles in circles and the medium-weight brass chain. It just wasn’t working for me, so round two of “balanced asymmetry”. The copper chain wasn’t adding a thing to the hollow/lava/turquoise segment, so I ditched it.
Last up (almost) is this amazing clasp that Jen made from brass wire and metal and stone. I really wanted to showcase it in front somehow, but I also wanted it in the same piece as the bird focal. So, it lives as a traditional closure in the back. The good news is my hair is usually very short in back so it will be visible when I wear this.
Here’s another view of the component. It really is amazing. I think you’ll be seeing more of these from Jen.
So, there you have it! Oh, wait…I said “earrings” earlier, didn’t I.
Here are the earrings I made to wear with this. they look heavy, but they aren’t. The lava beads are very lightweight, as are the hollows.
And one last shot of the full necklace. Thanks for stopping by. Now head out to see the other great Bead Soup results. Thanks to Jen for an amazing batch of ingredients. Stop by her blog to see what she made with what I sent to her. And if you leave a comment, I’ll enter your name in a drawing for a pendant with the last Jennifer Geldard ivory hollow bead…it’s half-finished…by the time everyone gets through the blogs, I’ll be done and one of you lucky people will be the winner.
Here’s the list: Click on each name to go to their blogs.
These are the partner pairs.
The Hostess, Lori Anderson and her partner, Manuela Wutschke
1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York
2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson
3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino
4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner
5. Amanda Cargill Austin and Charlene Sevier
6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins
7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor
8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen
9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller
10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare
11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman
12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps
13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka
14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson
15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy
16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price
17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland
18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John
19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel
19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel
20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou
21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase
22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb
23. Barbara Blaszczyk and DaviniaDesign
24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall
25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll
26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley
27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala
28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman
29. Beth and Evie McCord and Erin Prais-Hintz
30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle
31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen
32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards
33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson
34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier
35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander
36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye
37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock
38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone
39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf
40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi
41. Cherrie Fickand Cathie Carroll
41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick
42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg
43. Chris White and Norma Turvey
44. Christa Murphyand Kathy Alderfer
45. Christie Murrow and Dana James
46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins
47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford
48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis
49. Christine Hendrickson and Debbie Goering
50. Christine Stonefield and Dee Wingrove-Smith
51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes
52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher
53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya
54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk
55. Cristi Clothier and Kathleen Robinson Young
56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent
57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj
58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman
59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald
60. Deci Worland and Lara Lutrick
61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner
62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert
63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez
64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris
65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith
66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday
67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman
68. Erin Fickert-Rowland and Geanina Grigore
69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones
70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz
71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim
72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable
73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag
74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post
75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton
76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter
77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride
78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller
79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley
80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson
81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor
82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen
83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman
84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy
85. Jennifer VanBenschoten and Kim Hora
86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg
87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann
88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay
89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh
90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski
91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan
92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean
93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis
94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt
95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski
96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio
97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts
98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker
99. Kari Carrigan and Laura Twiford
100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck
101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto
102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark
103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika
104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen
105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec
106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson
107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long
108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson
109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney
110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson
111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger
112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy
113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw
114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher
115. Lesley Weir and Liz DeLuca
116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser
117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse
118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington
119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton
119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter
120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson
121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir
122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank
123. Lori Bowring Michaud and Marci Brooks
124. Lupe Meter and Norma Agron
125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe
126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon
127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore
128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller
129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke
130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson
131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum
132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr
133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp
134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara
135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James
136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz
137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi
138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman
139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper
140. Mary Hicks and Laurel Steven
141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner
142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners
143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy
144. Missy Rappaport and Mags Sarri
145. Molly Alexander and Poranna
146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell
147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry
148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson
149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna
150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers
151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari
152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan
153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag
154. Pat Haight and MaryShannon Hicks
155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka
156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe
157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain
158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins
159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub
160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya
161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs
162. Rochelle Brisson and Teri Baskett
163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell
164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams
165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin
166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small
167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner
168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk
169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley
170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley
171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman
172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin
173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor
174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa
175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton
176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin
177. Sweet Freedom Designs and Tammy Jones
178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser
179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk
180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager
181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad
September 16th, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Oh, I’m jealous of your Jennifer bird! And you really did it justice – it’s wonderful, all rusty, earthy, ancient feeling, sort of.
September 16th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Thanks Pam…I was sweating how it would come out…started and stopped a couple times. Finally dug in last night about 8pm. 😉
September 17th, 2011 at 5:44 am
Yay!! It’s WONDERFUL Lisa! Bravo!! ox
September 17th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Thank you for all the great inspiration pieces.
September 17th, 2011 at 6:34 am
Stunning – just love it!
September 17th, 2011 at 8:52 am
Thanks, Leslie!
September 17th, 2011 at 7:03 am
Love that necklace. So funky fun.
September 17th, 2011 at 8:52 am
Thanks, Cece! I love funky jewelry too.
September 17th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Love that toggle… and the bird looks so cute sitting on his perch! I agree with CeCe funky and fun!
September 17th, 2011 at 8:51 am
Thank you, Lynne.
September 17th, 2011 at 7:53 am
Looks gorgeous Lisa!! You and Jen were both lucky – some beautiful goodies to play with. Oh, and you didnt make up the phrase – I teach my art students about asymetrical balance. 🙂
September 17th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Thanks Suz! I was pretty sure it wasn’t a unique phrase! LOL.
September 17th, 2011 at 10:46 am
Clean and simple design – really shows off Jennifer’s beads. Nice!
September 17th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Love how you used the bird and the bead to make him perch.
September 17th, 2011 at 4:27 pm
What a fun and funky combo. Very whimsical.
September 17th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
Balanced assymetry – love it! Such a gorgeous piece! Best wished for you and your mother.
September 17th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
What a beautiful soup you made my friend, your work is truly stunning!! Thanks for sharing & all I can say is yummmmmy!!!
September 17th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Lisa, how fun! You did a great job!
September 17th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
I love the way your designed focused around the beautifully whimsical bird!!
September 17th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Oh, it came out beautifully, and I think you were right to listen to your inner Tim Gunn. It’s very nicely balanced. Wonderful!
September 17th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Lisa i love the combination of chains you used. They really highlight the bird. Great use of mixed metals, I see your lovely bead caps in there. “Balanced asymmetry” made me giggle, but truly it does look like this is not side heavy as some of the asymmetrical necklaces can be.
Carrie T.
September 18th, 2011 at 4:46 am
Gorgeous! And thank you for the close-ups. I was trying to figure out what the clasp was. Glass? Metal? Couldn’t tell from the full shot. Have fun wearing it. I would!
September 18th, 2011 at 5:47 am
What fun beads to work with!
September 18th, 2011 at 6:16 am
the mixing of metals add such depth to the piece, I love it!
September 18th, 2011 at 9:20 am
How wonderful! Great work!
September 18th, 2011 at 10:21 am
Funny tag line on your blog! Loved the necklace, you used all the soup brilliantly.
September 18th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
This is such a fun necklace! I was grinning at the bird sitting on his “perch” I love the thought process behind it. I used the same copper circles chain in one of my pieces! I love that chain! You did a wonderful job on your soup!
September 18th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Wonderful! You have created a terrific piece of wearable art. I like your use of color and texture, and the handmade clasp is fabulous. Thank you for sharing your artistic process along the way. Cheers!
Lori
September 18th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
You and Jen are like a dream team! Have been fans of both of yours for a long time and was fortunate to take a class with Jen a couple years ago. Love what she sent and your necklace is outstanding! LOVE!
September 18th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
LOL — pie!
I LOVE this necklace! You nailed it! You’re such a great designer (which his why I buy jewelry from you) and I think this is a stunning piece. EXCELLENT.
I hope you’ll join me again next time — the blog button and dates are on my blog now!
Love, Lori
September 18th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
WOW! Fabulous.. Lisa, I am speechless… Love your work..
September 18th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
amazing piece. One of my favorites so far. Love how you used Jennifer’s bird.
September 19th, 2011 at 10:37 am
You have created a charming and well designed necklace! Together with the earrings, this is a beautiful set!
September 19th, 2011 at 11:06 am
Very pretty and unique!
September 19th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
What an awesome bird, and a gorgeous necklace design. Love it.
September 19th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
What a wonderful necklace! You took gorgeous components and added beautiful touches! Love the finished pieces! Love your metal work!
September 19th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Really nice, and I think I used balanced asymmetry when commenting about someone else’s creation. I think it’s a perfectly descriptive statement. Those beads are great and you showcased them perfectly.
September 19th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
An amazing piece! I love how all the elements came together so nicely (even if it took a bit of work).
September 20th, 2011 at 7:47 am
Awesome design! That bird on the branch is too cute! I love your necklace, and the earrings are beautiful! Love!
September 20th, 2011 at 8:42 am
I love that little bird and the way you attached him to the branch. He’s just flying through your necklace. The copper chain adds a nice touch, as well as the red lava bead. What a great necklace.
September 20th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Beautiful work Lisa! I knew you’d totally rock it! You’re work is always a treat to get to see, it’s gorgeous!
September 20th, 2011 at 10:53 am
I am so sorry for being so late my computer was resisting too labor intensive:^)Very nice designs. And there is still time to sign up for the give-away, Just go to SandysColoringBox.blogspot.com Sept.16th blog and leave a comment
Be blessed to be a blessing
P.S. write me and tell me how you get your copper rings to hold closed.
http://lookatthecolors@sbcglobal.net
September 20th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
That creative block certainly didn’t stop you! The necklace is stunning!
Ambra
September 20th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
I love every little bit of your design!
September 21st, 2011 at 3:39 am
Love that bird and his perch..and the copper rings and caps look wonderful ..totally fab design.
jenni
September 22nd, 2011 at 10:22 am
What a cute bird! You’ve showcased him beautifully 🙂
September 22nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
What a wonderful way to showcase such a showstopping bird! 🙂 I love it!
September 22nd, 2011 at 1:39 pm
AAAAHHhhhh!! I LOVE it! That bird is really amazing. way to go, showcasing it so well! Great piece, great soup 🙂
September 23rd, 2011 at 6:18 am
Gorgeous. Love everything,such an earthy organic feel. Great job!
September 23rd, 2011 at 6:23 am
Amazing necklace – so interesting & pretty!
September 23rd, 2011 at 7:05 am
Working my way up from the bottom of the list .. held off leaving a comment sooner. (fighting a cold.. rrr) I just adore this piece. Your partner sent you some fun beads to play with and your rocked them with your design. You are one talented lady! Soup- job!!
September 23rd, 2011 at 7:38 am
Jennifer’s beads are so amazing, you really had a challenge and came out with flying colors (so to speak). You perfectly showcased her wonderful bird, and balanced the entire necklace so well. Good earrings too. Just love what you did. Thank you for all the explaining, and the extra photographs. Much appreciated.
September 23rd, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Your necklace is so much fun! I really like that you mixed the metals in the piece so that it’s a bit more versatile. As well, I’m so glad you didn’t go overboard with details and really let that cool bird be the star. I especially like how he’s off to the side of the necklace instead of just dangling down in the front. Your clean and impeccable design is definitely an inspiration to me to edit what I create as well. Thank you, and well done!!
September 23rd, 2011 at 8:54 pm
In the words of Tim Gunn, you absolutely made it work! I understand the pressure you felt to make the best of the fabulous bird and other beads you got, but I think you did a great job in balancing it all out to a terrific end result.
September 24th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
this is the perfect balance of amount of beads & chains, & I love the mix of chains
September 24th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
I also had wonderful lampwork beads to work with. It way my first time and I had a hard time working with the vertical holes. You made a wonderful choice for using them the way you did! Cool!!
September 24th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Ooo what a fun piece! I just love everything about it 🙂
September 24th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Wow!!! I have to say I really love what you have made with your bead soup, I have three of the Jul’s Beads birds, and I really had no idea of how to use them , what you did with yours is wonderful!
September 26th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
That is quite an amazing soup you received…pretty certain I could not have done it justice the way you have. Challenging and wonderful components have been changed into a very unusual piece. Congratulations….
September 27th, 2011 at 11:36 am
what a beauty! love the circular chain and colors and textures. you had such a fun focal to showcase!
September 27th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
I have to say that I am jealous of that soup! Wow! You did an amazing job with it! I love everything you made- beautiful, beautiful!
September 28th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Cool necklace! I like the colours and design. And that big round chain goes so well together with the big beads. Great job!
September 29th, 2011 at 10:48 am
I think this would have been very difficult for me, I don’t work much with birds and would have been completely stumped. You did a great job with your soup!!! I love the color of those lava beads, delicious.
October 1st, 2011 at 6:44 am
What a great necklace, love love love how you strung the bird.
October 2nd, 2011 at 11:49 am
This is adorable. I love, love, love the birdie bead, and your work is perfect. The lava bead earrings are gorgeous as well!
October 11th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Fantastic pieces Lisa! Love that funky bird and your necklace really is very interesting- my eyes keep travelling around and around and spot something new each time I look at it. Wonderful job. The colors- scrumptious!!
October 16th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Great job! I love it