I am so incredibly excited... it is officially time for the Bead Soup Reveal! Yay!
As a refresher, my partner was the lovely and generous Veralynne Malone... and she sent me so many things. So many, in fact, it was impossible to get it all in one picture. Here was my one attempt to do just that--and even it doesn't show everything:
If you want to see close-ups of the entire soup, I recommend going here. This is going to be a picture-heavy post as it is, so I thought it might be wise to try to cut down on the overall photo count. I did try to take pictures of the different elements as I was using them--but for some of them, I was so excited I forgot. So! Yes. If you want to see the whole soup, follow that link or scroll down to my earlier entries. *grin*
Why is this going to be a picture-heavy post, you ask? Because I made nine necklaces. Nine! Woohoo!
So, without further ado, here you go!
Group 1: The Ceramics
Necklace #1
For this necklace, I used almost entirely elements from my bead soup. In fact, I only added the chain and a few findings. The ceramic focals, the clasp, the faceted glass--even the beadcaps--were all from the soup.
So, with this very first necklace, I filled all the requirements of the challenge... which means that the next eight were just me creating for the joy of creating.
Oh, and as an amusing sidenote, I do monthly challenges here on this blog--just where I push myself to do things a bit out of my comfort zone. This necklace actually encapsulates my last three challenges: it uses a heart (February's challenge), it's asymmetrical (March's challenge), and it's pastel (this month's challenge). And, all in all, I really like how it turned out!
Necklace #2
After making the first necklace, I had four large round ceramic beads left from my soup. I decided that I wanted to pair them with a viking knit chain... So, I got to work with some 26 gauge gold wire, and after several nights of work, this is the final result:
I had originally planned to use one of the clasps that Veralynne sent me for this necklace as well, but I found that it was just a bit too large--it threw off the balance. So I used one from my stash that balanced better, and I get to keep hers for another time. I call that a win-win!
Necklace #3
After those two necklaces, I wasn't quite done playing around with the ceramic components that Veralynne sent me. I saw this sweet little bee connector, and decided to pair it with the faceted glass from the soup, along with brass and African turquoise from my stash. I once again played around with asymmetry, and am thrilled with how it turned out.
Group 2: Bright and Beautiful and... Striped
And now for something completely different!
In addition to the pastel ceramics, I was also sent a collection of seed bead jars and three bright striped beads. (They might be resin? Or lucite? Or modern acrylic? Honestly not sure; they are pretty light.)
So, after playing around with the ceramics, I turned my attention to brighter possibilities. That leads us to the next two necklaces.
Necklace #4
For this necklace, I decided to combine the above elements. In fact, as soon as I saw them, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I then scoured my stash to get some matching beads, and the ultimate result is this necklace:
I love how cheerful and vibrant this necklace is... as well as how unlikely it is that I would have put those colors together on my own. It's fun and happy, and perfect for summer.
Necklace #5
...and I couldn't help myself. I also used one of the striped beads to make one of my signature beaded tassels. For those who have been following my blog for any amount of time, I'm sure you're not surprised!
The only element from my soup to show up in this necklace is the focal bead--but I think that's enough for this necklace to be counted! After all, it was the inspiration for the entire design. Additional materials include glass, agate, and wood.
I love it. It make me think of the planet Jupiter.
Group 3: The Challenge Bag... Buttons!
And now for one more change of pace!
Along with my soup, Veralynne sent me a bag labeled "challenge mix," which included buttons.
...What can I say? I had a lot of fun with these buttons. Here are the last pieces that I made--all with buttons as their focals.
Necklace #6
To make this necklace, I wire-wrapped the button to make a pendant, and then paired it with Swarovski crystals and chain from my stash.
Necklace #7 and #8
Again, to make these two necklaces, I wire-wrapped the buttons and paired them with elements from my stash. Oh, except for that tassel--that tassel was also from my soup.
I included these two necklaces together because they are both in the same color scheme--and can actually be worn as a set. I suppose the only other thing I should add is the long necklace is made with 1960s acrylic rounds, while the shorter one is made with glass (and some stringing!).
Necklace #9... with bonus!
And now, for the final necklace--and the matching earrings that I made to go with it!
I have always wanted to play around with finding settings for buttons, and was happy when I found these filigree with holes big enough to fit the button shanks. Once the buttons were glued in place, I paired them with more 1960s acrylic rounds and some Czech glass teardrops.
I am simply thrilled with how this set came together!
Phew! There you go! Those are all the pieces that I made for this year's Bead Soup Swap and Create!
The full list of participants can be found here... please go visit it, and see what all my fellow designers created for this blog hop. :)
Thank you so much to Lori Anderson for organizing and hosting this swap, thank you so much to Veralynne for being so generous, and thank you all for stopping by today to see what I made!
Have a lovely day, everyone! Happy hopping!
