Seventh Bead Peeps Swap n Hop

After a hiatus of 3 years, thanks to Covid, Linda Anderson again hosted a bead swap. Linda matched jewelry designers with partners. We sent each other beads to create jewelry. I was very happy to be able to participate again. Lately I have made lampwork beads, done seed beading with cabachons, and made pendants out of lampwork beads (mine and others). I have not made jewelry for a while and was happy for the inspiration of this bead swap to do so again.

This year my partner was Michelle Curran. Michelle lives in New Hampshire and owns a gift and embroidery shop in Plaistow called Michelle’s Creative Expressions. She is also a glass beadmaker and sells her beads in the Facebook Groups All About Beads and No Junk in Our Trunk. Michelle also teaches art classes and craft classes to children and adults.

Michelle sent me a large assortment of beads out of stone, glass, and metal including some of her lampwork beads. It was a very interesting and varied group. An awesome bead soup!

The first necklace I made was a birthday present for my sister. I had bought the focal bead over a year ago for her. It was made out of ceramic by Tamara Michalina of Tamajesyroar. For the rest of the necklace I used many beads from Michelle and a few of my lampwork beads and beads from my stash.

I liked my sister’s necklace so much that I made one for myself. I ordered the focal bead from Tamara and used beads from Michelle. I also made lampwork beads to match.

For my third necklace I used the beautiful stone heart focal bead and the square stone beads from Michelle along with my lampwork beads.

My fourth necklace used a focal bead made by Jade Scott.
All the off-white beads and the green furnace glass beads were from Michelle. I made the green lampwork beads.

My last project was earrings from the lampwork leaf beads Michelle had sent.

I’m happy with all my pieces. The beads Michelle sent were very inspiring. There are a few left and I am still planning projects. The oval metal beads will likely end up in a bracelet and I keep thinking about the black stone heart beads.

Thank you very much Linda for hosting this bead exchange. Thank you Michelle for the great beads.

Swap N Hop ‘23

I am participating in the Bead Peeps Swap N Hop bead exchange. This year Michelle Curran is my partner. We have received beads from each other. I have made several pieces of jewelry and have scheduled a blog post for April 17 telling all about the beads and jewelry as well as information about my partner.

The thing I love about bead exchanges is how it stimulates creativity. After making jewelry using beads from Michelle I was inspired to use my lampwork beads to make more.

The focal bead was given to me by Maria Del Carmen Rodriguez Martinez of Majoyoal when I visited her at her studio near Bilbao, Spain a few years ago. She makes beautiful ceramic beads. I made the lampwork beads.

For this necklace I used lampwork beads and Czech beads.

I made a a pendant from one of my lampwork beads using a wonderful Hill Tribe head pin I bought recently in Thailand.

Bead Soup Swap and Create

Lori McDaniel Anderson organized the bead swap. Lori matched jewelry designers with partners. We sent each other beads in order to create jewelry. Lots of fun!

My partner is Monica Dockery. Monica lives in Lexington, Kentucky and has been making jewelry for over 10 years. She loves using beads that sparkle. Monica also teaches beading and gives beading parties. She has video tutorials on her YouTube channel.

Monica sent me a wonderful assortment of beads. There were beads made of clay, metal, stone, and glass. The glass beads included lampworked and Czech beads. There was a plethora of different cool clasps and some interesting keys. She made a pretty, sparkly heart pendant. A super fun bead soup!

I made four necklaces. I used a combination of Monica’s beads and my beads in each.

For the first necklace I made a focal out of a carved stone bead from Monica and a lampwork bead I had made. I love the colors she chose.

I used a lovely pink quartz focal bead from Monica for the second necklace. I love the Czech flower and heart beads she had sent me. Notice the cute owl clasp and copper beads from Monica.

Monica made a sweet, sparkly pendant using sprinkles and glitter. On the back of the pendant it says “You are the sparkle in my sprinkles”. I decided to make lampwork beads with dichroic glass for maximum sparkle to match the pendant. I also used some Swarovski crystal beads. The lampwork hearts with sparkly goldstone and the ceramic beads were from Monica. I wirewrapped the beads with silver.

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I loved the two carved turquoise beads Monica sent me. I finally thought of a necklace design using them. I used lampwork beads I had made and dyed shell beads. The cool peacock clasp is from Monica.

I love how all my pieces turned out. What fun! Be sure to go to Monica’s site and YouTube channel to see what she made with the beads I sent her.

Thank you so much Lori for hosting this swap. Thank you Monica for the wonderful beads you sent me!

Sixth Bead Peeps Swap n Hop

Welcome to the sixth Bead Peeps Swap n Hop! Linda Anderson organized it. Again Linda matched jewelry designers with partners. We sent each other beads in order to create jewelry. What fun!

This year my partner was Michelle Marson. Michelle lives in Bradford, New Hampshire and makes jewelry created from vintage and repurposed materials celebrating nature. She often uses vintage and antique flatware in her jewelry. Michelle sells her jewelry on Etsy and Instagram.

Michelle sent me a most interesting assortment of beads. There were beads made of many things including metal, stone, shell, and glass. An eclectic and very cool bead soup!

 

I made 3 necklaces.

For my first necklace I used the two long turquoise beads and the clasp from Michelle along with lampwork beads I made to match and paper beads from my stash.

For my second necklace I used pearl beads and shell beads from Michelle. I also used some of my lampwork beads.

The third necklace is my favorite. I used the feather focal and a variety of stone and glass beads. Most of the beads are from Michelle. There are some wonderfully colorful glass beads that I believe came from the Czech Republic, other glass beads, stone nuggets, and round turquoise beads. I added just a few lampwork beads and some turquoise nuggets.

I am happy with how all the pieces turned out!

Thank you so much Linda for hosting this blog hop for the sixth time. Thank you Michelle for the wonderful beads.

New Beading Work

I spend most of my time making lampwork beads, necklaces, and pendants. Lately though, I have been doing a bit of seed beading using cabochons. I like to do this while watching TV with my husband.

Here are some pieces I made in the past few months:

The eye cabochon is painted glass made by Chaotic Mind Studio.

The face cabochon is by Paula Radke. I made the fused dichroic glass cabochon.

This cabochon is raku ceramic by Jeremy Diller.

This is my current work in progress. I don’t remember where I got the cute sugar skull cabochon. I made the 2 fused dichroic glass cabochons.

Art Inspired Necklace

I am a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB). Last November ISGB had the following challenge that I entered:

The challenge is “ART INSPIRED” Chose a work of art. It can be a painting, sculpture or any other work of fine art. Design a focal bead or bead set that are inspired by the work of art you have chosen.  Write a short artist statement that includes your reasons for your choice of work of art and an explanation of how you approached the challenge. Send your statement, along with an image of the work of art and an image of your bead or beads. 

I chose a painting by Friedensreich Hundertwasser as the inspiration for my bead. Hundertwasser has long been my favorite artist.  His paintings and prints are characterized by undulating curves, organic shapes and bright colors.

 The painting I chose is “Lucifer’s Tongue 1”. I love the bold, bright colors. Rich hues are layered one upon the other.

 

It took me many trials to come up with a bead I liked. I did many cane experiments. I made the bead by layering many stringers from many different cane rods that I had made. I had the most difficulty with red, yellow, and orange. At first they were too muddy. I finally got what I wanted when I put a layer of white down and then the red, orange, and yellow. 

I first made the bead into a simple pendant.

I then decided it should be a necklace instead. I used Czech beads, little red lampwork beads that I had made, and some spacer beads.

I love my necklace. I enjoy challenges very much. They inspire me to try new things.

Torch Fired Enamel Necklace

In September, 2018 I took a torch fired enameling class with Anne Havel at Terry Henry’s studio in Atascadero, California. My sister took it with me and we had great fun. We learned several techniques. My favorite was sgraffito-a form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting color.

Here is what I made. My favorite is the bottom right:

This is what my sister made:

I finally made my favorite pendant piece into a necklace. I used mostly small lampwork beads that I had made along with a few fire polished beads. I wirewrapped them in copper.

 I have enjoyed wearing it as it is light and the perfect length.

Fifth Bead Peeps Blog n Hop

Welcome to the fifth Bead Peeps Swap n Hop! Linda Anderson organized it. Just as in prior years, Linda matched a group of jewelry designers with partners. We sent each other beads in order to create jewelry.

This year my partner is Lois Sherwood. Lois live in Austin, Texas and makes lampwork beads as well as jewelry. Lois sent me a wonderful assortment of beads she had made in cool colors. She also sent a handmade clasp, wire, a neck piece, and complementary glass beads. A fantastic bead soup!

I made 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings.

For my first necklace I used most of the colorful lampwork  beads, the black coin-shaped beads, and the handmade clasp from Lois. I added only 2 of my own lampwork beads. I love this necklace and plan to wear it often.

For my second necklace I made a pendant with the focal lampwork bead from Lois. It is perfect on the neck piece. A variety of glass beads, wire, and a lampwork bead from Lois completed the necklace. I also added a charm that I had made out of copper clay. The necklace is light and easy to wear.

The earrings match the second necklace.

I love how all my pieces turned out. What fun!

Thank you so much Linda for hosting this blog hop. Thank you Lois for the beautiful beads you sent me!

 

 

Fourth Bead Peeps Blog n Hop

Welcome to the fourth Bead Peeps Swap n Hop! My partner, Linda Anderson, organized it. Linda matched a group of jewelry designers with partners. We sent each other beads in order to create jewelry.

Linda sent me a wonderful bead soup (assortment of beads) including a ceramic focal bead by Michelle McCarthy. She also sent Czech beads, semiprecious stone beads, silver components, some sari silk, and glass pearls. The colors of the beads is fantastic. I love the turquoise with brown and gold.

I made two necklaces, two pairs of earrings, and a bracelet. I used everything except the sari silk and silver components.

Before starting I made lampwork beads in the same and coordinating colors. For many of the beads I used techniques I had learned in a recent class by Lisa Fletcher. I ended up making a lot of beads. I used a few of them in my first necklace. I strung a combination of my lampwork beads and beads from Linda, adding a copper clasp and handmade copper chain. The owl is by Michelle McCarthy.

 

I used many of my lampwork beads in the second necklace. A variety of Czech beads and glass pearls from Linda completed the necklace.

For the bracelet I used all the faceted beads and a semiprecious stone bead from Linda along with a few of my lampwork beads. The silver clasp is from Linda.

The earrings were also made using a combination of my lampwork beads and Czech beads and glass pearls.

I love how all my pieces turned out.

Thank you so much Linda for hosting this blog hop and for the beautiful beads you sent me!

Please visit the other Swap n Hop participant’s creations by clicking on Linda Anderson’s site and to see what she made with the beads I sent her.

Fourth Annual Swap n Hop-My Beads Have Arrived

After a delay, thanks to the landslide on our road being fixed, I finally received a wonderful package from Linda Anderson.

This is the fourth annual Bead Peeps Swap n Hop. My partner, Linda Anderson, organized it. Linda matched the participants with partners. We sent each other beads to create jewelry.

Linda sent me a very pretty variety of beads and other items for making jewelry. She included some beautiful silk, pearls, Czech beads, tiger eye, and some square crystals. The focal piece is ceramic, made by Michelle McCarthy.

I love the colors of turquoise, brown, gold, and a little silver. I see a bracelet for my cousin in my future. She loves bling and bracelets. The square crystals are perfect for this. The ceramic owl will be a great focal of a necklace. There are plenty of beads for earrings for my sisters. I am not sure what to do with the silk. The reveal will be on March 26. I need to get busy!