Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop - 2018 Reveal!

Well, here it is... the reveal for this year's Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop! Hurray!

It's always fun signing up for these sorts of swaps, where partners exchange beads and then make something with them... I enjoy the opportunity to work with new color schemes and beads that I might not have put together myself. 

For this swap, here are the beads that my lovely partner Karin King sent to me:

Beautiful things! Lampwork beads that she made, vintage German glass, Swarovski crystal--yay! I love the combination of the bright fire-colors with the dash of dark blue. Overall, I made three pieces with these beads.

...And, without further ado, here they are!

Necklace 1

This necklace was a lot of fun to make. It incorporates the majority of Karin's lampwork glass, paired with the copper spacers and the blue/purple vintage glass. 

  
I also used bumpy copper chain and bumpy copper beadcaps from my stash--chosen because  they echo the delightful "bumpiness" of the focal bead. I even used extra links from the chain to make the matching pair of earrings.

Oh, and speaking of that focal bead, it took me quite some time to figure out exactly how I wanted to use it. While I knew that I wanted to use it as the central part of the necklace, it took quite a few different iterations to land on a design. Ultimately, I'm very pleased how this turned out... And, imagine, it doesn't even incorporate a tassel! ;)

Necklace 2

This was actually the first of the necklaces that I designed--although the last I actually assembled. When I first looked at the beads from Karin, this is what popped out at me... and making it was my reward for completing the other two necklaces.

When I did make it, everything just fell into place. Isn't it wonderful when that happens?

It incorporates more of the beautiful lampwork beads that I was sent--the focal, some of the lovely headpins, and the luminous rondelles. It also uses the copper spacers and the Swarovski crystals. I even had enough elements leftover to make the matching earrings.

I love the fiery, summery look of this set... a much needed splash of color, considering how much it's been raining here recently! (And snowing, too, but I'm not dwelling on that part. Hah!)

Necklace 3

Ahhh, here it is. My most ambitious of the projects. I knew exactly what I wanted to make when I saw that focal bead--I knew that I wanted to pair it with that clasp, and that chain, and those beads (Czech glass and faceted matte glass, for those curious).

It just took some time to finish it.

That's because, in order to get there, I had to teach myself some wire-weaving first. Hah! What can I say, I like challenges. :)

And, honestly, this necklace was a challenge for me...

It's asymmetrical. 

It involves wire-weaving (something that I had never done before). 

It mixes metals in a way that I don't usually do (dark copper, shiny copper, gold--partially chosen because I wanted to add a bit of depth to the design, but mainly chosen due to the materials I had on hand).

...And it didn't actually turn out like I pictured it in my head (the connection between the clasp and the pendant didn't quite go the way that I wanted, and so on).

All of those things aside, though, I'm insanely proud of this necklace. Because I did it. I decided to do something different, and I stuck with it. And more than that, it's actually quite lovely, even if it's not quite what I pictured. 

So, here's to pushing myself--and seeing lovely results!

Bonus! 

Necklace 4

...You know how I mentioned that, in order to make the previous necklace, I needed to teach myself wire-weaving? Well, here is my very very first attempt--made with another of Karin's lampwork beads. My wraps are sloppy, but I love it. Hurray for learning new things! :)

So, there you go! Those are the pieces that I created for this blog hop. Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I made... And thank you to the organizer of this hop, and to my partner for all the beautiful beads!

As a reminder, here are the beads that I sent to my partner... I'm excited to see what she ended up making!

And now, for links! Here are the participants!

Beaders
Linda Anderson http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com (Hostess)
Inge von Roos https://ingetraud.wordpress.com

Karin King http://www.maverickbeads.blogspot.ca (yay, my partner!)
Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com (you are here!)

Kari Asbury https://kariasbury.com/blogs/design-challenges
Nadine Edris http://instagram.com/moondancemaine

Kathy Lindemer https://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Hope Smitherman http://CraftyHope.com

Marde Lowe http://fancimardesigns.blogspot.com
Christina Hickman https://www.instagram.com/laughingsalmon/

Terry Jeanette Carter https://tappingflamingo.blogspot.com
Lisa Johnson https://spudandmrsbutters.blogspot.com/

Catherine La Vite http://drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/
Joanne Bell https://joannetinks.wordpress.com

Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.bg/
Bonnie Robbins https://www.instagram.com/brobbins_wireandwonder/

Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com/
Robin Reed http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com

Erika Price https://www.instagram.com/erikapricejewellery/
Sarah Reid http://www.instagram.com/sarahreiddesigns

Divya N http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com

Robin Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Nicole Rennell https://www.instagram.com/nicolerennelldesigns/

Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com
Shai Williams http://www.shaihasramblings.com/

Andrea Frank https://instagram.com/andreazeef
Cheri Reed http://creativedesignsbycheri.wordpress.com

Seed Beaders
Deborah Apodaca https://deborahapodacadesigns.blogspot.com/
Palak Udeshi http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/

Penny Houghton http://www.forgottentrack.com.au/blog
Paulina Russell Http://www.instagram.com/thewildbead

Heather Canepa http://www.instagram.com/canepaheather
Tina Hemr http://instagram.com/mariecaroldesigns

Naomi Knafla https://www.instagram.com/naomiknafla/
Michelle Marson https://www.instagram.com/ellecountry/

Rebecca White https://morganafeycreations.com/blog/
Laura Bosch https://www.instagram.com/lauraboschmultibeadia

Kathleen Breeding https://www.instagram.com/99bobotw.kb/
Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/

...If you've made it all the way to the end of this very long entry, here is another thank you for being awesome. I hope you have a truly lovely day! :)