The seeds are planted!

WHOOOPAH! I recieved my bead soup today, and it is in a word, MAGNIFICENT!!! Fen Li of Bead Flora Designs sent me a great stash, and I can't wait to get my creativity flowing! Fen made the amazing floral pendant, and I adore it! Enough chatter, here are the goods:

Back again!

Well, it's been a short while since my last post, and I'm back to say that I'm participating in the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party! Many thanks to the wonderful Lori Anderson of pretty things for putting this together. She is amazing and dedicated, and I'm so grateful to be a part of this unique and inspiring experience! My partner for this soup party is the very talented Fen Li, of Bead flora See her work here: Here are some awesome links for you to enjoy! The link for the 6th bead soup blog party here. The lovely Lori Anderson's blog Stay tuned to see the soup that I sent, and what I recieve in the next few days!! I've got some other projects in the works too, so I'll post some eye candy soon :)

Bead Soup Reveal!!

Hello everyone!! The magical day has come! You get to peek behind the green curtain and see what I've been cooking up over the past month :)

Straight off the bat, many apologies for not getting this out on time! We had terrible thunderstorms here last night along with tornadoes, so I was unfortunately delayed in my posting.

Many thanks to my partner, Brandy Thomason McNair who selected the amazing beads that I used for this piece! Her wionderful work can be found here: Bellavitajewelry.net and here: bellabitajewelry.blogspot.com.

I hope you enjoy this piece! Happy Bead Soup Reveal Day! Don't forget to check out all of the other participants' work on the previous post. They are amazing artists and have some phenomenal work!

Bead Soup Blog Hop!!!

Hello Everyone!! Here is a list of the magnificent participants of the Bead Soup Blog Hop, hosted by the lovely Ms. Lori Andrerson. Take some time to click on the links below to see the amazing creations of these artists, and perhaps you will find inspiration!

Don't forget to come back this Saturday 3-3-12 for the reveal!!

Hostess, Lori Anderson


Special Book Sneak Peeks, Cindy Wimmer

1.  Adlinah Kamsir (Singapore) and Hajer Waheed (Kingdom of Bahrain)

2. Adrienn Lukacs (Hungary) and Agata Grygiel (Poland)

3.  Agi Kiss (Hungary) and Carolien Muller-Genger (the Netherlands)

4.  Agnes Asztalos (Hungary) and B.R. Kuhlman

5.  Alesha Conklin and Becki Mendivil

6.  Alice Peterson and Carol Dillman

7.  Alicia Marinache (Canada) and Dita Basu

8.  Amanda Dittloff and Brandy Thomason McNair

9.  Amanda Tibbetts and Andrea Trank

10.  Amy Freeland and Kay Mallery 

11.  Andra Weber and Christine Murrow

12.  Ann Sherwood and Diane Welte

13.  Barbara Bechtel and Kerry Bogert

14.  Barbara Lewis and Cat Pruitt

15.  Bonnie Coursolle (Canada) and Fay Wolfenden (Canada)

16.  Carmel McGinley (Australia) and Tracy Stillman (Australia)

17.  Cassie Donlen and Deryn Mentock

18.  Cathie Carroll and Janel Dudley

19.  Cece Cormier and Morwyn Mullins

20.  Charlene Jacka and Christina Hickman

21.  Cheryl Brown (Canada) and Diana Ptaszynski

22.  Christina Stofmeel (the Netherlands) and Eva Kovacs (Hungary)

23.  Christine Damm and Deb Brooks

24.  Cilla Watkins (Canada) and Elaine Robitaille (Canada)

25.  Sabrina Straub (Switzerland) and Kathy Combs

26.  Cindy Cima Edwards and Eleanor Burian-Mohr

27.  Cory Celaya and Rhea Freitieg

28.  Courtney Breul and Dana Hickey

29.  Cynthia Abner and Jennifer Boreck

30.  Cynthia Tucker and Jean Peter

31.  Debbie Goering and Heidi Post

32.  Dee Elgie (UK) and Joanne Lockwood (UK)

33.  Dian Hierschel (Germany) and Eniko Fabian (Austria)

34.  Diane Cook and Lyn Foley

35.  Donna Bohler and Lisa Lodge

36.  Donna Millard and Kiersten Giles

37.  Doris Stumpf (Germany) and Eszter Czibulyas (Hungary)

38.  Elisabeth Auld and Eva Sherman

39.  Elke Leonhardt-Rath (Germany) and Marjolein Trewavas (UK)

40.  Ema Kilroy and Laurie Keefe-Cecere

41.  Erika Nooteboom (the Netherlands) and Giorgia Rossini (Italy)

42.  Erin Grant and Jean Wells

43.  Evelyn Duberry (Canada) and Gaea Cannaday

44.  Genea Crivello-Knable and Heather Powers

45.  Ginger Bishop (military, Okinawa) and Martina Nagele (Germany)

46.  Heidi Kingman and Lori Greenberg

47.  Helen Kemp and Lisa Wangeman

48.  Helene Goldberg (Australia) and Karen Vincent

49.  Jamie Hogsett and Jeannie Dukic

50.  Jeanette Ryan and Jelveh Jaferian

51.  Jennifer Cameron and Tania Spivey

52.  Jennifer Justman and Kari Carrigan

53.  Jennifer Tough and Lorelei Eurto

54.  Joanna Matuszczyk (Poland) and Julianna Kis (Hungary)

55.  Joanne Tinley (UK) and Michaela Pabeschitz (Austria)

56.  Julie Anne Leggett and Kelley Fogle

57.  Karen Hess and Linda Landig

58.  Karyn Bonfiglio and Kathleen Lange Klik

59.  Kashmira Patel and Kat White

60.  Kat Barron Miller and Kelly Morgan

61.  Kathy Lindemer and Rose Binoya

62.  Krafty Max and Sandra Miller

63.  Kristen Latimer and Pam Ferrari

64.  Kristie Roeder and Lea Avroch

65.  Kristina Johansson (Sweden) and Penny Neville (Canada)

66.  Krisztina Erlaki-Toth (Hungary) and Nicole Keller (Germany)

67.  Lara Lutrick and Lisa Suver

68.  Laura DeMoya and Lisa Hanna

69.  Libby Leuchtman and Melanie Brooks

70.  Linda Koch and Rosemarie Cowit

71.  Lisa Chapman and Menka Gupta

 72.  Lisa Liddy and Marion Simmons

73.  Lori Anderson and Marcie Abney

74.  Lori Bowring-Michaud and Mary Govaars

75.  Lori Dorrington and Maria Rosa Sharrow

76.  Lori Finney (Canada) and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp (Canada)

77.  Lynn Bennett and Mandi Ainsworth

78.  Marta Kaczerowska (Poland) and Milla Starchik (Canada)

79.  Mary Harding and Shannon LeVart

80.  Mary Jane Dodd and Stacey Curry

81.  Melinda Orr and Molly Alexander

82.  Melissa Meman and Michelle Escano-Caballaro

83.  Michelle Jensen and Sandra Young (Canada)

84.  Nan Emmett and Nicole Valentine-Rimmer (Canada)

85.  Nancy Boylan and Suzette Bentley

86.  Natasha Lutes and Patti Vanderbloemen

87.  Pam Hurst and Rebekah Payne

88.  Patty Miller and Sara Rhoades

89.  Rebecca Anderson (UK) and Lori Anderson

90.  Rebecca Sirevaag and Sharon Driscoll

91.  Rochelle Brisson and Shannon Chomanczuk

92.  Rosa Maria Cuevas (Mexico) and Tejae Floyde

93.  Sabine Dittrich (Germany) and Sally Russick

94.  Sandi Volpe and Sarah/Saturday Sequins

95.  Shanti Johnson and Tracy Mok (Canada)

96.  Skylar Brez and Theresa Buchle

97.  Sonya Stille and Traci Zeller (Canada)

98.  Stefanie Teufel (Germany) and Tania Hagen (New Zealand)

99.  Stephanie LaRosa and Vonna Maslanka

100.  Terri Wlaschin and Wendy Blum

Teaser..

So, the bead soup blog party blog hop (what a mouthful!) (http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/)    is just days away, and I thought I'd post a little teaser on my progress and project. It has come together quite well, and I must say I'm very excited for the reveal. It's a slight deviation from my normal projects. I'm sticking to a few colors, rather than the full spectrum, and am trying to limit the intricacies within my project to move faster and complete on time :)

I've gone with a somewhat Southwestern theme, as inspired by the beautiful focal bead that my partner sent  me. I'm also exploring different shapes and combinations. It's turning out to be a very geometric piece.

I can't wait to see what the other participants have cooked up, and I hope you will come back and blog hop with me to witness firsthand the amazingness!

BEAD SWAG!!!! They're HERE!

YIPEE!!! I recently recieved my beads from my bead soup blog party partner, Brandy Thomason McNair of Bella Vita Jewelry and they are gorgeous! (see her amazing work here: bellavitajewelry.net and bellavitajewelry.blogspot.com)

I'm very inspired by the color scheme she chose and the amazing focals that she included. I've got plenty of ideas brewing in my mind, and I can't wait to share with you all the finished piece!

The whole idea of the bead soup blog party is to get you out of your comfort zone and working with colors, beads or materials that you may not be used to, prompting you to think outside of your normal parameters. I'm so glad that I am a part of this project because I was instantly inspired and found what I think is the perfect composition for my beads. I'm also challenging myself by sticking to a few colors and maintaing the scheme that my partner sent me. It's definitely a new way of working for me, but so far, I love the results! Now, if I can only get Brian (my boyfriend) to let me bead rather than rubbing his feet, i'll be in great shape!

And now, without further ado....the SWAG!!

The Bling!

It occurred to me that since this is supposed to be a blog primarily featuring my creations, that I should put some on here! Unfortunately, I don't document my creations as well as I should, so at present, this is a very limited representation. I hope to scrounge up some more photos, and post them on here. In the meantime....here is some eye candy!

 

my little friend

Anyone who knows me understands that I am a huge horror film aficionado. this underlying love was a main factor in the decision for me to purchase my new friend. Here he is!....He makes me smile everytime I look at him. Also, He is a great stress reliever. Whenever a disgruntled person calls and tries to sap me of my happy, I imagine my friend eating their brains. Simple, yet effective :)

As a continuation of this topic, here are some of my top Horror film reccomendations.

Trilogy: The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness
House and House 2
Trailer Park of Terror
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Teeth
Phantasm and all subsequent Phantasm numbers (2,3,4 etc)
Black Sheep
any Troma film (Troma is the maker / distributer)
An American werewolf in London
The Thing
The Stand
Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead (George Romero and new versions)

There are plenty more...these were just off the top of my head. If you want more reccomendations, drop me a line and I'll give you a full list!

YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!

HOORAY! I've been invited to participate in Lori Anderson's bead soup blog party! (http://www.prettythingsblog.com/) I'm so excited! Lori was the inspiration and motivation for me starting this blog, and now I have a creation assignment to look forward to! Once completed, it will be showcased right here, exclusively for you, on my fabulous blog! This project is perfect for me, because due to class and applicaitons, I've been somewhat lax in making any jewelry. Now, I have an assignment and I'm hoping it will be the catalyst to get my ass in gear and use some of the gorgeous beads i've been hoarding. Plus, it will get me focused on creating and away from checking on my applications every 15 seconds.

speaking of hoarding...Brian (my handsome honey) is incredibly supportive. However, he does not fully understand my need for beads. Anytime there is a bead store where we are or are going, I desperately want to visit it. I want to peruse and purchase. It's an addiciton that I like to call "my need for creation." I think that sounds better than "bead addiciton." I'm curious if other beaders / jewelry makers have the same affliction...so I pose this question to you....are you a bead / supplies /materials hoarder? do you suffer from this creation contagion? If you have a chance, comment and let me know.

Well, I suppose I should get back to my other duties and obligations....Have a great day!

the waiting game

I'm not a fan of the waiting game. I'm an instant-gratification kind of girl and I get distracted by shiny objects very easily. So, projects that take a while are extra challenging to me. Luckily, I've begun to adapt and accept waiting. What helped catalize this transformation? bead embroidery. I had seen designs for many years using bead embroidery, and wanted to know the techniques so badly, but could never find out what they were. It wasn't until Sherri Serafini and Heidi Kummli's book "The Art of Bead Embroidery" came out that my epiphany happened. I was transformed. I dove right in and began creating. I was in love. This technique was so involved and tedious but so rewarding, that I could not back down from the challenge. Bead embroidery truly pushed me as an artist to forsee challenges, plan effectively and find connections between objects that I could not see outright. Even through periods of frustration, my facination with the medium kept me going. Bead embroidery is truly a medium that requires adaptation and resolve-but the rewards are well worth the work. As an artistic appetizer, I present to you, one of my pieces. Enjoy!

My first post

Oh, how exciting! my first post!!! I never would have started a blog, were it not for Lori at pretty things. (prettythingsblog.com) You see, she organizes a bead soup blog party, and to enter, you must have a blog. I've wanted to be a part of the bead party, so I finally got my act together and started a blog. I now present to you....PASSION SMASHIN! I had a long list of awesome blog names, but they were all taken. one brain fart and a little word play and passion smashin was born.

I;m not really sure what will end up on here, but I do know it will be fun, hilarious and hopefully- inspirational.