BSBP8 Afterparty - Part 1

 Today I'm working on my unfinished projects ... and I've finally finished one more piece using the beads I've received in the bead soup from my partner Lori Anderson.

  Do you remember my bracelet with lampwork beads (for more pictures click on the link):

  Well, I had left two of the smaller lampwork beads that were perfect for a pair of earrings. I've made the herringbone rope a looong time ago, but had to make several attempts to stitch all the components together.

  The bracelet rope is tubular herringbone with 6 beads in a row, for the earrings I preferred to make a thinner rope and I used 4 beads in a row:

  As you can see, I'm still having fun with my bead soup :-)

Be happy,

Alenka 

Bead Soup Blog Party 8 - Reveal!

  Welcome to my blog - It's time for the reveal of the biggest blog party in the bead commuity!!!

  My partner this year was the hostess herself, Lori Anderson. Let's look at what she sent to me (you can see more details about hte bead soups we've sent to each other here and here):

 

  A beautiful, but very challenging bead soup for me - I've never worked with most of the beads I've received. I'm coming from the polymer clay world, so ...  

  I have changed my design many times and when started to work on one piece finished it in a totally different way as I thought first. It doesn't happen often to me, but it was happening all the time with this soup. Funny!!!

  My first piece is a bracelet. 

 I've wirewrapped the gold-tone pewter beads, put some rings between them and the coordinated pewter toggle clasp - all from the bead soup Lori sent to me. Then I've added some color - some "Renaissance" glass beads in three colors and two sizes.

  

 

    And also my second piece is a bracelet! 

   I've used the lampwork beads (made by www.nanettemarie.com) in different sizes, crystal and czech glass from Lori's soup and black and purple seed beads from my stash. I wanted to combine beadweaving with those beautidul lampwork beads from the first time I've seen them, but had no idea how. after several different attempts this idea of a beaded rope that winds between the beads came to my mind. I've used a herringbone rope, but maybe it would look even better with a CRAW or some other "flexible" stitch. 

 

This is how it looks on my wrist:

 

 
Today when I was taking the pictures another idea came to my mind - I was wondering how it would look as a necklace:

  I would say even better!!! Maybe I'll remake it as a necklace ... 

  That's it for me today. I was working on more pieces, but are still not finished or I'm not satisfied with. It's not a bad thing - that means I'll enjoy the bead soup Lori sent to me for some more time ...Thank you, Lori, for being my partner in this party!

  And now - let's go to see what my partner Lori created with the bead soup I've sent to her,

and HERE is the list of all the other participants.

Be happy,

Alenka

  

Bead Soup Blog Party Postponed

  Due to some health issues of our hostess and my partner Lori Andreson the reval of the Bead soup Blog Party is postponed for one week ... to May, 10.

Be happy,

Alenka

What have I sent to Lori ...

  When I found out that my partner in this year's Bead Soup Blog Party is Lori Anderson, I was absolutely happy and honoured. However, when I started to put together the bead soup for her I was stumped at first.  Lori is so versatile and experienced in jewelry making and I wanted to send her a challenging bead soup. That's the purpose of the party, right? To give our partner the possibility to work outside her comfort zone. Believe me, with Lori that was not easy at all to accomplish as she has already used almost any material/style/component.   
  Ko sem izvedela, da je moja partnerica v letošnjem Bead Soup Blog Partiju Lori Anderson, sem bila vesela in počaščena. Ko pa je bilo treba spraviti skupaj "župco" iz perl zadnjo, sem bila najprej popolnoma brez idej. Lori je tako vsestranska in izkušena, ko gre za izdelavo nakita, jaz pa sem ji hotela pripraviti izziv. Saj to je namen tega partija, kajne? Svojemu partneru dati možnost, da se sooči s takimi sestavnimi deli za nakit, ki jih običajno sam ne bi izbral. Lahko mi verjamete, da je pri Lori to vse prej kot lahko, saj je pri svojem ustvarjanju nakita uporabila že skoraj vse mogoče materiale/stile/sestavne dele.      


  Keeping in mind her usual style and colors I decided to go for a yellow-light green pallete and a more textured, matte finish. By the way, these are exactly the colors I see looking from my window right now. The second part of the soup is more orange-red. Here's the whole bed soup:
  Odločila sem se za rumene do svetlo zelene odtenke in bolj grobo, mat obdelavo. Mimogrede, to so ravno barve, ki jih trenutno vidim skozi okno. Drugi del komponent pa je bolj oranžno-rdeč. Tukaj je "župca" v celoti:   

  The yellow-light green part includes:
- light green polaris beads,
- yellow-orange polymer clay pendant,
- three polymer clay connectors (two circles and one weavy),
- polymer clay amphora-like clasp.
The polymer clay pieces are handmade by me, they are my own interpretation of a combination of techniques from Helen Breil's book Shapes and Iris Mishly and Hila Bushari Cosmic Ceramic Tutorial.
  Rumeno-zeleni del obsega:
- svetlo zelene polaris perle,
- rumeno-oranžen obesek iz polimerne gline,
- trije vezni členi iz polimerne gline (dva obroča in eden bolj valovit),
- amfori podobna zaponka iz polimerne gline.
Vse kose iz poligline sem izdelala sama po postopku, ki je moja lastna interpretacija kombinacije tehnik iz knjige Shapes Helen Breil in Cosmic Ceramic tutoriala od Iris Mishly in Hile Bushari.  
 

  The polymer clay heart pendant and coordinated beads were also handmade by me. You can recognize them from one of my latest posts.
I've included a key charm, it was just calling to be included.
  Srčast obesek iz polimerne gline in usklajeni perli so tudi moje delo. Obesek lahko prepoznate iz ene mojih zadnjih objav.
Dodala sem še obesek v obliki ključa, ki je kar klical po tem, da ga vključim. 

  And the last part:
- two spools of leather like cord - one in green and one in red - coordinated with the two bead soup color palletes,
- orange rainbow 4,5 mm beads,
- hollow glass beads in two sizes,
- red coral cube beads and 
- a pair of faux stone beads.
  Še zadnji del "župce":
- dva navitka usnju podobne vrvice - v zeleni in rdeči barvi, ki sta barvno usklajeni z ostalimi sestavinami,
- mavrične oranžne 4,5 mm perlice,
- votle steklene perle v dveh velikostih,
- rdeče koralne kocke in
- par perl iz umetnega kamna.

  That's it! I really hope Lori enjoys the soup and can't wait to see what she will create with these ingredients. 
  To je to! Iskreno upam, da bo Lori uživala pri kuhanju z mojimi sestavinami in res komaj čakam, da vidim, kakšni bodo njeni končni izdelki.

  Be happy,

Bodite veseli,

Alenka 

My Bead Soup is Here!!!

  Welcome to my second post about the 8th Bead Soup Blog Party! If you are not familiar with this event and want to know more, just visit the BSBP blog.
  Dobrodošli na moji drugi objavi o 8. Bead Soup Blog Party-ju! Če ne veste, za kaj gre in bi radi izvedeli več o tem dogodku, lahko obiščete uradni blog.

  My bead soup from my partner and our wonderful hostess Lori Anderson has arrived!!!
  Prispela je moja "župca" iz perl, ki mi jo je poslala moja partnerica v izmenjavi in hkrati naša gostiteljica Lori Anderson!!!   

  It was packed in this cute crocheted bag - made by Lori - with a vintage button. I'm sure I'll find another use for it! :-)
  Zapakirana je bila v luštno kvačkano torbico z vintage gumbom, ki jo je izdelala Lori. Prepričana sem, da bo torbica dobila še kakšno drugo vlogo! :-)

  When I've opened the bag I've found many small boxes with treasures hidden inside. Well, I was so impatient to open them that I've forgot to take the pictures ... :-$ 
  V torbici se je skrivalo kup majhnih škatlic s skrivnostno vsebino. Seveda sem bila tako neučakana, da nisem uspela poslikati škatlic in sem se kar zapodila v odpiranje ... :-$

  I'm pretty sure you are just as curious as me, so I'll show you what I've got from Lori:
  Ker ste verjetno tudi vi radovedni vsaj tako kot jaz, bom takoj pokazala, kaj sem dobila od Lori:

   - a gorgeous set of handmade lampwork beads (the bigger one could be a pendant),
   - cultured stick pearls,
   - jade and matching czech glass,
   - gold-tone pewter beads,
   - crystal and czeck glass for dessert.

   - čudovit set ročno izdelanih steklenih perl (največja lahko služi tudi kot obesek),
   - vzgajani palčkasti biseri, 
   - žad in ujemajoče se češko steklo,
   - zlato obarvane kositrne perle,
   - kristali in češko steklo za desert. 

   And more!!!
   In to še ni vse!!!

    - a beautiful recycled Lia Sophia pendant,
    - a gold-tone pewter clasp,
    - glass pearls,
    - a silver-tone pewter clasp,
    - gold-tone and silver-tone pewter and brass rings.

   - čudovit recikliran Lia Sophia obesek,
   - zlato obarvana kositrna zaponka,
   - stekleni biseri,
   - srebrno obarvana kositrna zaponka,
   - zlato in srebrno obarvani kositrni "vmesniki" in medeninasti obročki. 


  Woo-hoo, a lot of goodies to work with!!! And a really challenging soup for me!!! I've never worked with lampwork beads, cultured stick pearls or pewter beads (they are heavy!) ... I'm more polymer clay and seed beads, remember? So I loooove the soup Lori sent and I will absolutely enjoy this challenge!!! At the moment I'm just admiring the soup and trying to taste all the ingredients ... 
  Hura, veliko dobrot za ustvarjanje!!! Ta "župca" bo zame pravi izziv!!! Nikoli še nisem ustvarjala nakita iz ročno izelanih steklenih perl, niti iz biserov niti iz kositrnih perl (te so res težke!) ... Bolj izkušena sem s polimerno glino in malimi perlicami. Zato mi je zeloooo všeč župca, ki mi jo je poslala Lori, in sem prepričana, da bo ta izziv zame pravi užitek!!! Trenutno pa si samo ogledujem sestavine in jih okušam z očmi ...

  Come back soon to see what I've sent to Lori and come back on May 3rd to see what I will cook out of these tasty ingredients.  
   Če boste spremljali moj blog, boste kmalu videli, kaj sem jaz poslala Lori, vsekakor pa vas pričakujem 3. maja, ko boste lahko videli, kaj bom ustvarila iz teh sestavin.

Be happy,

Bodite veseli,

Alenka

  

8th Bead Soup Blog Party - My Partner and a Teaser

  I'm finally back blogging! It was a tough period at my day job, but hopefully it's over and I'll have more time to create and to blog.

  Let's go back to a much more pleasant theme - the Bead Soup Blog Party. I still haven't presented my partner. Can you guess who she is? Well, nobody else but the hostess herself!!! Yes, my partner this year is Lori Anderson!!! I was supposed to have another partner, but she had to step out at the last minute and Lori was so kind to step in. Thank you, Lori, it's a real honour to be your partner :-)

  I'm quite a newbie in this world of jewelry making and you probably know Lori more than I do. I just can say it's my third time participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party and Lori and her parties opened a whole new world to me and I'm so grateful to her for this. 

  I'm amazed by Lori's sense of combining colors, textures and materials and her generosity in the beading world. 
  Just look at these (the pictures are borrowed from Lori's blog), aren't they gorgeous??!!!

by Lori Anderson

by Lori Anderson

by Lori Anderson

 

by Lori Anderson

  

by Lori Anderson

  My soup for her is on its way over the Ocean and hopefully it will be soon in her hands. It is extremly difficult to challenge Lori with a bead soup, but I tried to make some beads that she usually don't use. I'm sooo curious to know what she thinks of my soup (hope she likes it) and what she will create with it!!!! 

  Do you want a teaser??? A sneak peek?? Hmmmm, here you have! Lori said she's a little tired of earth tones, so I've chosen some bright, summery ingredients.

 

  
   I wish Lori to feel better soon and to enjoy preparing and cooking this soup.

Be happy,

Alenka

BSBP7 - Bead Soup for Me

  Monday it was Christmas in March for me!!! All was freezing outside and I received two long expected packages ... [*happydance*]
  The first was from my friend Amy with the kit for the 2nd Annual Spring fling Kit Challenge - with my focal (more about this at a later date).
 
  And the second was from my BSBP partner Birgit from GitesBeads (if you want to know more about BSBP you can have all the information here). The package from Gite was really heavy and I was wondering what kind of beads do weight so much ...

  But let's the pictures speak for me - here are the beauties Gite sent to me:

She said that the bead soup for me started with the clasp by Pajego Art House:

Then she started to beadweave using the beads in the colours of the clasp - light yellow crocheted Cellinis, Mini & Midi beaded beads, ruffled rings and beaded links:

The lampwork pieces were made by German lampworkers and Gite added also some other glass beads and faceted rondelles:

 
The pendant is an embroidery piece - she used tiny tiny beads to make it, they are so tiny I can barely see them and can't imagine to stitch them without a magnifier ... Isn't it gorgeous??!!!

And for the end some tibetan silver spacers, beads, links and a clasp:

However, this is only the bead soup part - she spoiled me with a lot of extras. Well, me and my boys, because she sent:

- two chocolate bunnies and a popping magic dust for the bath for my kids,

- Lindt pralines and bubble bath coins for me.

No need to tell that all the sweeties disappeared in less than 2 minutes ... so I can show you only an empty box ;-D 

 Gite, thank you very much!!! This will be a great challenge for me to make some nice pieces, it's all so different from my usual style, but I love it!!! Quite a lot of ideas are flowing in my mind right now, but I'll let them "cook" and mature a little bit.

Our reveal is on April 13 - so you'll be more than welcome to come back then and see the results of my "cooking strategies and recipes".

Be happy,

Alenka

BSBP7 - My Bead Soup for Gite

  If you are looking for the Challenge of Music blog hop Reveal, please go here.


  I've just remembered that I still haven't posted the bead soup I've sent to my swap partner Gite for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party (hostessed by Lori Andersen). Well, it's more a teaser, just to let you guess which are the colours of the components, mostly made by me from polymer clay.
  Spomnila sem se, da še nisem objavila slike "župce iz perl", ki sem jo poslala moji partnerici v izmenjavi Gite (7. Bead Soup Blog Party). Pravzaprav gre bolj za namig, katero barvno paleto sem izbrala - od tega sem večino kosov izdelala sama iz polimerne gline.

  As you can see, this is not really my usual colour pallete - I wanted to change this time a little bit. However, I absolutely had to add some components in yellow-orange-red tones ;-D  

  Kot lahko vidite, to niso ravno moje običajne barve, namenoma sem izbrala drugačno paleto. No, nekaj malega pa je vseeno moralo biti v rumeno-oranžno-rdeči kombinaciji ;-D

  Be happy!

  Bodite veseli!

  Alenka