my latest blog hop

http://bsueboutiques.typepad.com/bsue_boutiques_jewelry_su/2011/08/sari-ribbon-party-blog-hopyoure-invited.html

Want to try something new??
Join me in another blog hop!!

It is sure to be fun...
I have wanted to try this ribbon for awhile and here is my "excuse" Hope to see you there........

Also, If I have not visited your Blog Soup yet, do not be alarmed or offended, I am taking my time and working thru them, I am about to 80 so far. I have met some very talented artists and some that have taught me a lot.

Happy beading or Happy surfing which ever the case may be

Alice

~ WELCOME TO THE PARTY~

First I would like to say a huge thanks to Lori Anderson for all of her hard work to make our party a huge success. Next I would like to thank my partner Sandra Richardson for the bead soup she sent me to work with. If you click on the button of the Bead soup Blog you can check out all of us. Here is Sandra's link, be sure to check out what I sent her and what she did with it. http://www.sandyscoloringbox.blogspot.com/
The challenge I was faced with is that I hardly ever use gold toned in my work I use silver or silver colored metal. I know that may seem miner but it was hard for me to do it. Also I could not seem to fit my focal and toggle in the same piece to give them both the justice they deserved. I love the toggle and did not want to hide it in the back of a piece. I added a nugget of goldstone to bring out the beautiful colors and sparkle in the toggle.
Also I thought the butterfly by itself looked older fashioned and I wanted to make it have a younger feel to the piece.I hope you like what I have done with my soup.

I still have lots of beads left to make more pieces. I especially can't wait to use the monkey lampwork bead. I am still not sure if I am going to use it for a ID badge holder or a bracelet.

Alice

toggle and focal piece

I just wanted to share with you before the BIG reveal- The focal and toggle that my wonderful partner is Sandra Richardson sent me.

With no further ado, here they are:
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the big Party!!!

Bead Soup Time Again

Summer is winding down, I have been busy trying to get the kids ready to go back to school. My youngest will be a freshman this year and so his band class is now marching band. I can already see this will be taking up a lot of my time. As the season is changing we have started another bead soup blog party. They are so much fun. I wish I had more time to concentrate on it.
My new partner is Sandy Richardson, Here is here blog site: http://www.sandyscoloringbox.blogspot.com/
She does some wonderful work.
I am super excited about having her for a partner because I think I could learn a lot about color from her.

I got my package of goodies in the mail the other day. We are to post pics of the stuff that we got and then make something using the clasp and main piece. I have so much to choose from.
The goal is to push yourself to do something different or a new style.
I rarely use gold toned findings and that is what she sent so that in itself will be different for me, also I have to try to figure out how to use my clasp so it can be seen and use the butterfly as well. Adding that to a piece will be something I have never done before. I mostly do seed bead work.
So without further adoo~ here is the soup!!
BE SURE TO COME BACK SEPT. 17th to see what I made out of my soup
and to follow all of us click on the following link:
http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/

ALICE'S BEADS AND BAUBLES

~new creations~

I know I have not posted in awhile but never fear I still have been hard at work on new creations. I wanted to show you a couple that are done and one I am working on.
These are my original designs. I did not use a pattern. I am trying to create some things on my own. For awhile I was following patterns and I still do sometimes. I want to branch out and start selling my work on line but I want to respect copyright laws and not offend anyone so I am working on learning to make some of my own patterns. Now that I know quite a few stitches it is easier to do what I have in mind. I must confess however that my creations kind of evolve as I go. I am working on a piece that I started making a bracelet out of chevron circles- I added a few twists of my own and next thing you know it is turning into a beautifl necklace if I do say so myself. Above you will find the chevron circles I was making to learn the stitch. I still need to finish my vertical freeform netting. That started as a bracelet and is now almost done as a necklace and it is awesome. Let me know what you think......

Pay it forward~ Join the fun

Pay It Forward - Leave A Comment, Get A Goodie!
I'm taking part in a great idea in blog world called Pay It Forward 2011. I read about it on Bobbie's blog, http://www.beadsong.blogspot.com/, and now I'm lucky enough to get to continue the fun here.

So here's the idea: be one of the first five people to leave a comment on this post, and I'll send you something made by my own busy hands. Fun!

Then you share the idea of Pay It Forward on your blog, and promise to send the first five people who make a comment on your post a handmade goodie that you've created. More fun!

You don't have to send something the very next day, but to play fair, you do need to send something as soon as you can. It's not the size of the item that's important -- it's that it comes from you and carries a bit of your creative spirit on to five people somewhere across the world.

It's the spirit of sharing a good thing by paying it forward. And seriously, who couldn't use a little extra joy and beauty brightening their world?

One act of random creativity can have a great ripple effect.
Think of it as a pebble in the ocean. The more you reach out and touch the more you in turn are touched.

~News and Updates~

First and foremost, I am still checking out blogs from the Bead soup blog party.
I wanted to take my time and read them and with working full time and being pretty involved with my church and having 2 teens (who hog the computer) I have not had alot of free time. I have made some new friends. I also have discovered that I want to study more about color. I used to think "I know what goes together" But there is so much more to it than that. I want to kick it up a notch and know more about color. For instance- Sue at Stony Creek Beads and Gallery in Ypsilanti, MI- (the owner's Mother, and worker) told me that you can add the following colors to just about anything: Blue,green,yellow. Ok I said to myself Blue I get- we all wear blue jeans with anything, Green- well that is my favorite color so of course I have chosen it for lots of things, but yellow??? Really??? Are you sure??
Yellow scares me! Yikes- I like bright but yellow is like....really BRIGHT- How can I mix it with anything?? Well Sue says "think of the Sun- it is out every day and goes with everything" Well ok, we live in Michigan so it really is NOT out every day, but you get the drift. She says you can add little bits to just about any project to perk it up and the same goes for blue- again she says- "think of the sky".
So my next challenge to myself is make something yellow> I promise. Keep posted so that you can see what I make and hold me to it- and encourage me.


Also I wanted to share with you a passion of mine: SEED BEADS.
I love them in all colors. You can use them to do bead embroidery, off-loom bead weaving, and use them in stringing as spacers. They are very reasonable in price. They come in hundreds if not thousands of sizes and colors. When you do not have alot of money or money is tight, but you want to keep beading and have not tried beadweaving, I encourage you to give it a try. Start with one stitch- My kids started with square stitch. If my son could do it at about 6 or 7, I know you can do it too!

TO KICK OFF THE IDEA, CHECK OUT A CHANCE TO WIN FREE SEED BEAD SOUP

http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/2011/03/seed-bead-giveaway-from-aunties-beads.html

HAVE FUN and again thanks to Lori Anderson for a chance to win some neat bead soup!
Alice

Here is the link to the party list

http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-to-bead-soup-blog-party.html


Also A few words about my designs.
The first with the chain and the pearls was an upcycle as I like to call it as I took apart a new un-used piece of jewelry -that I bought with that purpose in mind and used that to make a new piece.
I love the links that connect the chain to the pearls. The chinese crystals make a nice touch as do the lace looking bead caps. This is the piece that taught me that I should not under estimate some of the lower end components and use my creativity to make something very pretty with whatever I find. This piece would be nice for a Summer evening with a frilly dress.

The second set was made with Polymer clay pieces from my bead partner Dana Jones. I added the triangle and multi colored polymer pieces from my stash. I purchased them from a local artist. I used wire wrap for the loops. They turned out nice but my hands hurt for days- thus the second lesson- Since I have already had surgery on both my hands- leave the wire wrapping for someone else.
This was a fun piece to make and I love how the earrings do not "match" and the brick work around the focal.
I did not use my beloved box clasp as I could not seem to fit it in either piece but it is a much cherished finding that I will use for something special.
Thanks to Dana for the wonderful beads and the chance to meet you.
Maybe in the future we can hook up online and you can teach me to do plymer as I secretly desire to learn that very much!
alice

~Welcome to the party~

Today is the big day~ Enjoy the eye candy

I had alot of fun with this funky piece!!!

Follow the hop.. Keep track of 3 blogs you visited and leave Lori a message tomorrow for your chance to win her soup .....Good luck

I tried to attach the list of fellow party mates but could not get it to work but if you go to Lori Anderson Bead Soup Blog Party you will find the list-

The pic of my Hubby Mike and our dog Harley is just for

kicks!

Alice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALMOST PARTY DAY~

Just a tease......
I am about finished with my project. It is more than one piece.
I have had many great compliments from those I have showed them to.
I have learned alot from this project. One is how to take a few large pearls add them to a few other inexpensive items and make something
beautiful for not alot of money. Alot of us are trying to cut corners in these harder times and I believe I have learned a valuable lesson. Do not over look the cheaper items you may not have thought of- use your imagination to turn them into something wonderful and the profit will be all the greater.
I also did an upcycle if you will- took something apart, to make something new.
Also I finally decided to use my silver wire, I have never used before, on the second piece and learned another lesson. I will NEVER be a wire artist. My hands hurt for days......But the end product is WOW
Can't wait to show you.
I have not used the clasp yet as I did not feel that it "fit" either piece and it is SO special. I may do another project this week with it.
Hope everyone else is having fun and learning with their projects too!

Thinking and Pondering

One thing is for sure. You will be suprised by my creation as it will not be what you might imagine. Remember- for those who know me- I am an attention grabber. It will not be your grandma's pearl necklace for sure. I have some perfect accent beads I have managed to snag.

On the home front. It is very cold here. Below zero with the wind. I have 2 teen boys. They keep me pretty busy. My son Jesse has a girlfriend that lives next door. Nice girl. They got a puppy yesterday. How exciting. She is very cute. She is a mix : Pit, Rat Terrier, and one of those wrinkle dogs.

To those of you going through rough times~ Alot of people are~

God has a reason to guide us through the easy times and the hard times. I want to extend a hand of Courage, Understanding and Love. I pray healing to all of you who are hurting. Some physically and some emotionally. We need to lift each other up.

** last but not least I would like to remind you all to SMILE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Da Clasp

Here is the clasp. It is a double box

clasp. Isn't it pretty.

What will I make with my soup?

Will I dress it up?? Or down??

Check back on reveal day to see..

Da Soup

Here is the Bead soup. The pearls are really a very light pink. Some lacy bead caps, some large hole silver beads, hot pink polymer clay beads and a rectangle polymer focal piece.
The polymer clay is hand made by my none other than my Bead Soup Partner! I wish I knew how to make PMC beads.

SOUPS ON..........

YUM YUM..................

The soup has been brewing on the back burner for quite a few days now and it is finally finished.
I can smell it and it sure smells good. I hope Dana over at
www.danasjewelryetc.artfire.com likes it as much as I do. I will be mailing it out to her on Monday. You will have to keep watching to see what she thinks, and how she uses it.
If you have not joined the party I can not even begin to tell you how much fun it is.
I am very much looking forward to getting my "soup" from Dana as well.
It should prove to be a fun week. I hope we both can try new things and perhaps learn a new technique as well.

Best wishs to my fellow partiers.
Alice

Latest work ~

Ok so I have to get better at taking pics but I thought I would show you a shot of my latest piece. I used herringbone and peyote stitches and a lampwork disc for the button. It was fun to watch it come together. I never know what the piece is going to look like done when I start out..It sort of has a life of it's own and takes shape as I go. That is the fun of it. It is like a mini mystery in every piece.

Bead Soup Blog Party Is Back

http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html

Check the site out and join us for some fun.

This is the best beading experience I have ever had!!

The element of surprise that you don't know what you will recieve in your package........
Then the fun of working it out to make a beautiful piece of art out of what you have
gotten. Then the joy of sharing it with others and getting feedback.
Who could ask for more?????