Echo Creative Club

I have the pleasure of being a guest blogger for Jeannie Dukic's Echo Creative Club. Jeannie not only sent me some of her Fractured Beads, she also sent a beautiful pendant by Marie Voyeur-Cramp of Skye Jewels. 

Jeannie wanted me to use her beads with the pendant. No prob. Got this in the bag. Hmmm....well, my first challenge was how I was going to hang the pendant. Oh, I'll bezel it. I've been bezeling everying in sight. Except...it didn't want to be bezeled. It was a horrible failure. Not a prob. I'll hang it from the hole....that is not centered with the butterfly. I'm just the tiniest bit ocd on stuff like that. The hubs to the rescue, drilled a hole on the other side so my butterfly would hang straight up and down.

I thought I would use a RAW rope that I've made a couple of times recently, and include the beads into it.

Hmm, nope, they didn't like that. Tried putting them at the beginning of the rope, just before the pendant. Nope.

Getting just a bit anxious here, cause Jeannie asked me to put them all together. But, well, those pretty beads wanted to be the center of attention all by themselves. So of course I listened!

I've recently learned kumihimo, and absolutely love it.

I love the echo of the dark brown that shows through the fracture of Jeannie's beads. I didn't have that exact color, so I picked it up in the golden seed beads, and also in the raku beads that have the brown, and blue hues. I also used a dark brown and golden tan cording for it.

See how happy it is? This is a new favorite in my wardrobe!

Next up is Marie's pendant...

Isn't she pretty? A beautiful garden of colors for my butterfly!

A flowery beaded button for the clasp. 

 See, all nice and straight! :)

My last piece is a new look for me. I really love where these beads took me.

A CRAW bracelet! For my non-seed beader friends, that would be Cubic Right Angle Weave. And it is a very special one, because the awesome Heather Collin wrote the tutorial for this after I asked her a question! You won't really be able to see the swirl pattern, since I used such soft colors, but it is there, I promise.

I love the contrast of structure and swirl in this bracelet. The Fractured Bead stands out proudly, surrounded by support and love. 

Thanks for having me guest Jeannie!

Here are the regular participants.

Cindy Cima Edwards http://www.cindycima.com/

Dagi http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/

Jeannie K Dukic http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog

Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/

Lola Surwillo http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com/

Shannon Chomanczuk http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

Blessings, Shirley

Bread and Soup....Bead Soup!!!

Hi all! Well, you know the title of my blog is Beads and Bread, right? But I have been sadly lacking in the 'Bread' department lately. It's been a busy summer, and I confess to being a total slacker. But I've made two different breads in the last two days, so I had to show you. And we have another Bead Soup reveal this Saturday, hence the title!!
I made some awesome lasagna yesterday, and what would lasagna be without bread, right? I happen to have a recipe for Roasted Garlic and Oregano Braided loaves that is mouth watering. Wanna see? Okey dokey....

See the flour bag in the back? Yep, this is NOT a healthy, whole wheat bread like I usually make!

The recipe make 3 ginormous loaves. And you'll be shocked at how fast they disappear!

If you'd like the recipe, just let me know.

The boys have a friend over, so I whipped them up some muffins this morning. Nothing fancy, but they sure do taste good. It's so super easy, just a can of pumpkin, and a box of cake mix. Easy peasy.

All my kids adore peanut butter, so I made a quick peanut butter frosting to top them off.

Have to say, that frosting is the bomb!!

And don't forget, Saturday is the next Hop for the Bead Soup Blog Party, hosted by the awesome Lori Anderson!!

Blessings, Shirley

Giveaway Winner

Hi everyone! I have drawn the winner from my Bead Soup necklace. I used the highest technology available...

and here is my trusty assistant..

and the winner is....

Tanya Ozanne!!!

Congratulations, and a special thank you to all who participated! This was a lot of fun. Look for more of these in the future. Blessings, Shirley

Echo Creative Club Guest Spot

Hi everyone! It's been a whirlwind last few days, between the Bead Soup Blog Party, Summer Lovin' Blog Hop, and now I'm excited to announce I have won a guest spot on the Echo Creative Club!
This group was formed by the wonderful Jeannie Dukic. She has a team of designers create pieces each month, using her signature polymer clay beads. Myself and several others won guest spots, and the month I received was August. Here is the package Jeannie sent:

Three of Jeannie's fractured art beads, and a pendant from Marie Cramp@ Skye Jewels. I've got a great idea simmering, so come back on August 25th for the reveal.

Blessings, Shirley

Summer Lovin' Blog Hop

Today is the reveal day for the Summer Lovin' Blog Hop. And....I'm late to the party! Note to self: Don't book 2 reveals in the same week!  My sweet friend Amy put together an awesome kit, and sent it out to the participants.


I knew I wanted to bezel that focal, cause I've been all excited since I learned to bezel. I really wanted to use a rope technique from Sonoku's book, Japanese Beadwork. I didn't have the right size pearls, so it didn't work out quite right. I still like it, but I need your help. I couldn't decide what type of clasp to use for it, so any suggestions are welcome.

I finished the ends off with a loop, so I can add any type clasp.

I added two loops on the back of the pendant for the rope to slide through.

The pendant with the chain. I love the tree idea, and emphasized it with a few leaves dropping from the bottom of it. They were made from  the English Rose pattern of Kerrie Slades'. (Look for a review in the next couple of weeks)

A close up of the leaves. Let me tell ya, I don't do a ton of brick stitch, so this was a serious learning curve! I absolutely love how they look, and the rest of the English Rose pattern is just as lovely.

Close up of the focal. I love those lavender lined amber 15's.

I really  had so much fun with this project, and it sparked so many ideas in my head! There were several beads I didn't get to use, and I just ran out of time. I tried my best to use the peachy gold pearls, but they didn't want to play!

Here is the list of the rest of the players,

Renetha LampLightCrafts

Lori B.

Kepi A little of this, a little of that...

Shannon Falling Into the Sky

Maryanne Zingala's Workshop

Shirley Beads and Bread  You are here!!!

Dawn Designs by Dawn Marie

Therese Therese's Treasures

Vimala The Bead Diaries

Ginger lilmummy likes...

Linda Lindy's Designs

Kristen My Bead Journey

Lois ¿Que Onda Q'town?
Lucy K.
Debbie Beechy Beetique
Tanya A Work in Progress
Audrey Dreams of Absolution
Sandra Stories from the City of Brass
Mary MLH Jewelry Designs

Blessings, Shirley

6th Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal and a Giveaway

Welcome! Welcome! I'm thrilled to be a part of Lori Anderson's 6th Bead Soup Blog Party! This is my 3rd time participating, and I'm happy to say I've learned something new each time. About myself, about beading in general, and about the awesomeness of the beading community.
Here's a reminder of the outstanding bead soup I received from my partner, Stephanie Haussler, of Pixybug Designs.

My jaw dropped when I opened the package and saw all the beady goodness she sent. I'm a seed bead girl, so that was totally my comfort zone. I adore lampwork beads, though I have very few, and the colors in these were soo yummy! And then my extra surprise...a lampwork button! Buttons just make me happy, you know?

I don't think I've ever been this inspired by a challenge. My mind was flying with ideas, and for the first time, I wrote them down! :)

I recently saw a fantastic post by Lesley Watts, of the Gossiping Goddess, for a unique bracelet.

So I knew when I got my soup that it was what I wanted to do with the button.

 I used those cute lampwork spacers, and finished it off with the button. The beads between the jumprings are from the soup, and I made the jumprings.

 Those spacers look awesome, don't they?

Next up is the main focal bead. Stephanie really spoiled me, sending 3 of them. This was the largest, and I also had an immediate answer for it. There was a rope pattern in Laura McCabe's Embellished Beadweaving that I had been wanting to try, so that was what I chose for the focal.

I loved the colors in the focal, and worked in that color palette for this necklace.

Here's a closeup of the focal. I made a diamond shape in peyote, from Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork, and folded it on the diagonal to make a bail. Fringe in the same color palette finished this nicely.

 A closeup of the clasp. A simple loop, accented with the black pearls Stephanie sent, and one of the faceted crystals on the flower closure.

Next up was something else new for me. The whole color palette made me think of the sea, and I love the seed bead mixes Stephanie sent me. I have done netting from a pattern before, but never on my own. So, yes, there are a few...oddities, but overall, I'm very pleased with the result. I wanted to make something that looked like a fisherman's net, with different items caught up in it.

 See how I didn't center the closure beads? Good thing it's just going on my wrist, huh? :)

 I do like how it looks on, and it feels wonderful.

I'm telling you, Stephanie's soup kept inspiring ideas! I saw a ring on Pinterest, and wanted to create something similar, so I used some of those adorable orange rondelles.

I used 3 different colors of delicas for the band, ranging from a deep beigy orange, to a rainbow AB that the rondelles are centered in. The color between those two is an ivory lined gold.

(I asked my son to model this for me, his fingers are cuter  younger  than mine!) And bigger, as you can see!

Last, but certainly not least, a very cool necklace with one of the extra focals.

This necklace wasn't really that easy to put together, but it is an easy piece for lots of different styles. It can go jeans and tshirt, or dress casual. I framed one of the other focals with a peyote rectangle, again from Diane's book.

 I used some more of those sweet pearls to attach the pendant to the rope.

 Close up of the focal.

 The gorgeous clasp Stephanie chose for me.

I still have beads left over, and still have ideas, so keep in touch for more pieces!

Now, for the giveaway!

Here is the link for the rest of the participants in this reveal.

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2012/06/participants-of-6th-bead-soup-blog.html

I have two of these focals, so I thought a giveaway of this necklace would be nice. If you would like your name in the pot , please tell me in your comment.  I'll draw the winner next Saturday.

Book Review: 21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series

I'm so excited to bring you my first book review. I am most honored to review this book that is so outside my realm of jewelry knowledge. So how can I give it a decent review? Of course I worried about that question. I decided that my perspective would be the same as a lot of you...beginning to explore  the exciting world of jewelry, design, color and concept. I don't have a lot of technical insight to give you, only the way I felt as I journeyed through the book. My children sat with me, each choosing their favorite objects. I think that was what made such a huge impact on me too. This is not just some 'coffee table' book. It is an exploration, a discovery, of new ways to think and create.
 Truly, this is a unique book, and one that is chock full of inspiration.  It is a compilation of the finest pieces from all of the 500 series. 80 jewelers were given free rein to chose their favorites. It is worth purchasing the book just to read their forewords. This book is a jewel for your library, in every sense of the word.

I am blown away by many of the pieces featured in this book. Some, I have to study and ponder....

Some, just make me drool...

Some, spark my creative process...

If you've been wondering how to move to the next level in your jewelry journey, here's your answer. Without a doubt, 21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series, is a must have for your jewelry library.
Have a blessed day, Shirley

Disclaimer: This book has been provided by Lark Books for review. All opinions are strictly my own.