Seasons Blog Hop

Welcome everyone! I love reading all the blog posts when Lisa Lodge hosts a challenge, so I was super excited to get to participate in this one! This one is to celebrate either a 'season' of the year; or a 'season' of your life. I live at the beach, so as soon as I saw my packet of beads, I knew what my 'season' would be...summer at the beach!!! Now, I did forget to take a pic before I got started, so the bead soup has some of my own mixed in as well.  Just look at this gorgeous pile o' beads!

I just fell in love with that rich mix of color. It reminds me so much of the sand at low tide, with bits of seashells scattered throughout the sand., and the foam of the ocean washing it smooth, tumbling the shells around.

My first piece is a Nancy Dale pattern, called Color Play. Nancy is an incredibly talented artist, and I knew her Color Play would work perfectly with this bead mix.

 Just look at that mix of color!

 Those beautiful lampwork beads are such stars in this necklace, and yet allow the other beads to shine as well.

 I love those blue lined triangle beads!

This is one of the techniques Nancy explains in her pattern.

 I had some yummy tigereye discs and Picasso pearls that were begging to be included!

 Here is one of the royal blue glass beads captured in a cage of size 11 seeds.

 This bracelet held several surprises for me. My original intent was to use the blue lined triangles with the royal blue glass beads, but they didn't want to play nice with each other.

So, instead I got to use some brand new beads, a lovely AB druk from The Beading Room.

The chevron chain is one I've been wanting to try for a while, so this was a great opportunity to see it perform.

 I love my little CRAW curved toggle, it works great with the gentle curves in the pattern.

There were several beads I didn't manage to use from the soup Lisa sent to me, but I was pretty happy with what I had made. I was wrapping up my post, and cleaning up my work space, and then.....those blue glass beads just started whispering to me.........ever have that happen?

Well, here is what they said! 

Quite a different take on the color scheme, huh?

Have you ever seen that flourescent seaweed? Really wild colors, just washing up in the surf. That was totally what I thought of when this piece was finished. Not my normal colors at all, but it is so very bright and happy!

This bracelet definitely makes me giggle, and I'm glad I listened to those beads!

Please check out the rest of the group, that's where I'm heading!

Thanks Lisa, for a wonderful challenge!    Blessings, Shirley

Your Hostess: Lisa Lodge, Grateful Artist

  
Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Cassi Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Stephanie Sanner Haussler, PixyBug Designs

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

Karin Slaton, BackStory Beads

Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution

Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Alicia Marinache,  All the Pretty Things

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Toltec Jewels, Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends

Lennis Carrier, Windbent

Erin Kenny, Beadifultherapy

Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress

Cilla Watkins, Tell Your Girlfriends

Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Sierra Barrett, Giraffe Can Has

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shirley Jones Moore, Beads and Bread

Dawn Horner, Northern Adornments

Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space

Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Miranda Ackerley, Daze and Days