Singing the Blues

Last November, Christie Murrow of Charis Designs Jewelry had a bead giveaway on her blog, and I was the lucky winner! The only two requirements were that the winner could not have participated in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party, and the winner needed to link back to her blog when  the beads were used. As you can see, it is now March, and this year's Bead Soup Blog Party is almost upon us! It is about time, wouldn't you say, that Christie got to see what I made with her beautiful beads, before the Bead Soup reveal? Thank you for being so patient Christie, I hope you like what you see.

The gorgeous beads that Christie sent just blew me away. Blue beads and I have an off-again, on again relationship, but Christie wanted to challenge me and let me have some fun at the same time. So, I was Singing the Blues for this challenge! Various hues of blue glass beads........

Along with some Delica seed beads, and Coral Cuppolini. she sent a glass pendant by Glassware by Susan in Frosted Blue, with other color highlights.

Also received were two gorgeous blue Venetian Glass beads from Italy, wow!!!, with a fun little lampwork fish, sorry, I do not know the maker, and some silver beads and a silver toggle.

Immediately, a light bulb went off as I looked at the Fish, and a design started to take shape. Little did I know that even though I worked on this design for almost three months off and on, that it would take that long to finally finish it. Oh, what is the design?? Here it is....

I wanted my little fishie to be happy, so I wire wrapped him in a big "wave" to represent water, along with the blue coral cuppolini. The seed bead string waves represent him happily swimming from place to place. Many shades of green, blue, and other deep sea colors are represented by beads that I added from my own stash----pearls--real and glass, paua shell beads, faux sea-glass, silver curlicues, blue and green jades, crystals, and more blue coral cuppolini, as well as those stunning blue Venetian Glass beauties.

My mother fell in love with this OOAK statement necklace, and since her birthday is March 19, she is a Pisces, so I am gifting her with her own OOAK Pisces necklace!!!
Another necklace and earrings were made with the pendant and clasp, and some of the other glass beads. I really did try to use all or most of the beads, but there are quite a few seed beads left. I did enamel some metal rings in a color that blended well with the pendant, and then wire wrapped the pandant before stringing.

I also patinated the bead caps for these earrings--representing water with a few bubbles added in for fun!

Thank you so very much, Christie, for the chance to play with some gorgeous beads. Singing the Blues was definitely an exercise in enrichment and a little fun....the Blues and I may be better friends in the future.