8TH Annual Bead Soup Blog Hop

Welcome to the 8TH annual bead Soup Blog Hop ! This is my second round of making “soup” from bead ingredients sent to me by a randomly selected partner. We were paired up by master “Chef” Lori Anderson. Each person participating gathered an assortment of beads, a focal and a unique clasp. This year participants were encouraged to send a clasp that could be used as a focal in a necklace or bracelet. My partner for BSP this year is Suzann Sladcik Wilson. I sent her an assortment of Dragon’s Blood Coral, Dragon’s Blood Jasper, pink Jasper, green shell pearls, hand carved Agate tube beads, African wood/bone beads, a Tagua nut circle, green Jasper bear, copper birds, hand made copper beads and a clasp from a metal smith local to the West Metro region of Atlanta, Lee Anne Messerschmidt.

If you would like to see what Suzann made with the beads I sent her, please visit her at Beadphoria.

Now, onto my soup…

This year’s ingredients were an interesting mix of beads. There was a strand on beautiful champagne-colourd crystals and some faux pearls ( which unfortunately, were damaged in transit and could not be used), some resin beads that resemble watermelon seeds, onyx beads, some round beads that look like burnt peanut candy (they’re seed pods but I do not know what type), some cream lamp work style beads, 3 silver toggle clasps and a rectangular focal with a time collage embossed on the front.

I started with the onyx beads, deciding early to keep it pretty simple. I added some purple crystal drops. Purple being… well have you seen my hair? Ha !

I then made several sweet pairs of earrings. I always enjoy trying to decide if I want to make something classic and refined, cute and fun, bold and a little off-beat or daringly funky. Here are some of the earrings I created for this challenge. Can you guess my favorites ???

The next item I made was a necklace using the lamp work-style beads. I used a focal from my own collection and added in some wooden beads and the champagne coloured crystals. I intended to use some of the seed pods but the necklace went together so easily that I didn’t want to make a change.

Now the best (my favorite) piece uses the focal and one of the clasps. I altered the focal by added an infinity charm to continue the time theme. I then started adding other pieces from my collection. I used handcuff charms to attach the charms. At the bottom I added a crow (my Spirit Animal) a fertility Goddess and a hamas. At the top I wired a winged skull. The necklace was beginning to take shape in a way that I like. I had some trouble deciding what to do with the necklace part. I wanted to string some of the beads from the soup, but they didn’t seem bold enough for this “new” pendant. Luckily I found some funky chain that made it all work. I attached one of the clasps I was sent and as always, I added my signature CROW charm. This piece appeals to my funky not-always-so-inner rebel.

That’s it for this year’s soup. If you would like to purchase any of thesepieces, visit my shop, CROWS CREATION’S on Zibbet.

Please visit the other chefs this year. You can find them here.

Happy Beading.
Peace and Love,

Susan