Be Thankful Blog Hop

Marybeth Rich of Forest of Jewels is hosting the Be Thankful Blog Hop today. Thank you, Marybeth, for such a wonderful opportunity. Since Thanksgiving is next week, this is the perfect time to think about all the things that I am so very thankful. 

I am so thankful to be alive, to enjoy the smell of fresh air, love from my family, and the use of my hands. And I am thankful for the opportunity to make jewelry and components I love, and participate in events like this today. Thank you, Marybeth!!

Marybeth sent each of the participants a package of beads, one of which was a beautiful Czech lampwork tube bead,

The component highlighted in each design is a handmade copper clasp by guest artist Cova Cobalt. She has a Facebook page, Cobalt & Copper. Cova makes some beautiful designs!!

Marybeth also sent a variety of small and large Czech glass beads, rounds small and large,  rondelles, leaves, and ovals in beautiful golds, taupe, greens, reds, and browns. I didn't get a separate picture of those gorgeous beads, but I used most of them in my design. The only thing that was required was the use of the clasp.

I really love the look of stacked bracelets, so decided to incorporate the look of stacked in a one-bracelet design. I love this bracelet, love the clasp, and have already had two offers to buy it, right off of my wrist!!! But this one is mine, all mine!!

I used some lampwork beadsfrom Star Girl Jewelry. Check out her Facebook page. The colors of her beads were perfect for the colors of the Czech beads. The rest of the beads were the czech glass that Marybeth sent in her package, with copper chain and jump rings, some with twisted wire. I only had a few Czech beads left over!

Thank you Marybeth, and thank you for stopping by. I can't wait to see what everyone else made!! Check out the following participants:

Featured Artist:  Cova Cobalt of Cobalt and Copper
Your Hostess:  Marybeth Rich of Forest of Jewels

Participants:  

Gina Hockett of Freestyle Elements
Carolyn Lawson of Carolyn's Creations 
Shaiha Williams of Shaiha's Ramblings
Lisa Knappenberger of LiRaysa Designs
Bianca Medina of Medibeads
Lee Koopman of Strega Jewellry's Blog
Mowse Doyle of Mowse Made This
Linda Anderson of From the Bead Board

Anchors Aweigh Design Challenge and Blog Hop

Rita of Toltec Jewels, an extremely talented jewelry design artist and maker, blogger and writer, is a huge supporter of the Handcrafted Art Bead community. Hosting blog hops that feature Bead Artists that make the most amazing components for Jewelry Artists to use in their jewelry designs is only one way that Rita supports the Handcrafted Art Bead community. She often buys these beads herself and gives them to bloggers who use them in an original design.  Thank you, Rita, for your amazing talents, support, and hostessing of these fantastic blog hops!!

Today, the featured bead artist is Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio. She made the beautiful Anchor Porcelain Beads that everyone used in their designs. There were two colors--

Sapphire or

Here is the necklace I made from the Sapphire color anchor beads. I wanted to represent the water, the wind, the beach, the treasures--as summer's journey ends, so does another begin. The blue beads under the seagull flying over the water represent the water, and the anchors are under the water--usually invisible, but deciding how those anchors weigh in our journey's decisions affect how the journey goes. The treasures are memories and keepsakes of the summer journey, the coral is the substance on which we build.

Featured is a Polymer Clay seagull flying over the water bead by Rebekah Payne. Also included are blue striped glass beads, blue and white ceramic beads by an "artist whose name cannot be known", brass jelly fish, copper sand dollar, etched copper round by Lisa Liddy, blue coral cubes, copper spacers, lampwork glass discs and lampwork glass shells, whose maker's name I cannot remember, light and dark blue chalcedony drops, silk ribbon, and a brass clasp with the featured Sapphire blue anchor porcelain beads by Diana Ptaszynski.

Thank you so much, Rita, for the opportunity to participate in the Anchors Aweigh Blog Hop!!

Take a look at the following blogs to see what everyone made using the awesome Anchor beads:

Anchors Aweigh!! Design Challenge & Blog Hop 

Participating Artists

Featured & Honored Artist:        Diana Ptaszynski

Diana's Shop:                           Suburban Girl Beads

Diana's Blogs:                          Suburban Girl Studio

                                                 Art Jewelry Elements

Hostess: TJ                               Jewel School Friends

Bobbie Rafferty                         Beadsong Jewelry

Chris Eisenberg                         Wanderware

Heather Richter                         Desert Jewelry Designs

Michelle McCarthy                    Firefly Design Studio

Kathy Lindemer                         Bay Moon Design

Dini Bruinsma                            Angaza by Changes

Cynthia Machata                       Antiquity Travelers

Kathleen Breeding                     99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Linda Younkman                       Lindy's Designs

Robin Reed                                  Artistry HCBD

Marla Gibson                              Spice Box Designs

Gina Hockett                               Freestyle Elements--you are here!

Renetha Stanziano                      Lamplight Crafts

Marianne Baxter                          Simply Seablime Jewelry        

Christina Miles                             Wings N Scales

Marybeth Rich                            A Few Words from Within the Pines

Shai Williams                              Shaiha's Ramblings

Cheri Reed                                  Creative Designs by Cheri

Monique Urquhart                      A Half-Baked Notion

Jennifer Reno                             Musings of a Crafty Jenny

Shirley Moore                             Beads and Bread

Tammy Adams                           Paisley Lizard

Melissa Trudinger                       Bead Recipes

Jill Bradley                                  JillyBeads

8th Bead Soup Blog Party

It's that time of year again for the Eighth Annual Bead Soup Blog Party hosted annually by Lori Anderson. This year there are almost 500 participants. This is my second year to participate, and I am so happy that my partner is Heather Marston. Heather is a very talented artist! Check out her Etsy Shop where she sells unique supplies for jewelry making. Her designs are showcased on her Facebook Page. Heather also does Torch Enameling, and she is going to be featured in a book authored by Barbara Lewis! Congratulations, Heather!! I loved the soup that she sent, she included a lot of her enameled components. She packaged them up very nicely! Love the fleur de lis!

Everything out of the package!

There are enameled head pins, discs, two focals, two big beads, silk ribbon, and copper teardrops. I loved the 4mm Lapis rounds, green pearls, green enameled beads, brass beads, and some Wooly Wire. I felt special to receive some lampwork beads by Lea Avroch, an enameled hand forged copper clasp, and a few other enameled bits and brass hoops. Wow!!! Do you see the color combo? Blue, yellow, and green to represent the loss of winter and the beginning of spring!

I was able to use almost all of my soup in the following creations:

I started on this one right away. Heather's enameled focal, the enameled big round, the green enameled rounds, enameled headpin and flower on the focal, sari ribbon, a bead from Janel Goolsby, and Heather's clasp that I used some Ranger patina and Gilder's wax on and put in a visible place.

Close up of focal.

The second necklace used an enameled flower by Lea Avroch, as well as some tiny enameled headpins by Lea. I used Heather's enameled headpins to add an accent to the chain connection on each side. The full view:

I also used the Lapis, enameled round bead and a brass lantern bead from Heather's soup, as well as an enameled bead cap and bead from Lea Avroch.

I used Heather's enameled focal, big bead, small round bead, disc drop, and Wooly Wire on this necklace. Two beads by Blu Mudd also made an appearance.

Bracelet with Lampwork by Lea Avroch, Heather's signature enameled fleur de lis, green pearl, and Sari Silk from bead soup.

Earrings using lampwork beads and Enameled Headpins by Heather.

Brass beads, pearls, and Lapis from bead soup.

Mismatched earrings:  Lampwork by Lea Avroch, blue fish beads from soup.

Lapis, green enameled discs, Lapis rounds, brass hoops from bead soup.

Copper teardrops from soup, Ranger products for patina, and brass eyelets.

Use the link list below to hop if you so desire! Can't wait to see what everyone made! The link list failed to load on this page, but you can find the list at:

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