Saturday, April 13, 2013

Soup's On!

I cannot express how much I enjoy participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party!  It's a chance to make new beady friends, work with a surprise mix of beads and findings, and possibly even work outside my comfort zone.  This year I was lucky enough to be partnered with Susan Nelson Bowie of Stones and Bones Jewelry Design.  Susan sent a wonderful "Organic Soup Mix" for me to work with - how creative!!



And to top it off?  She was even sweet enough to send DESSERT!


Some of the ingredients Susan sent I had never worked with before:  Bone, Horn, Shells, Petrified Wood, Nuts, & Seeds...with a sprinkling of vintage quartz, copper, & vintage black onyx.  She was so generous with her ingredients that I was able to complete quite a few pieces...I couldn't stop!  I will definitely be incorporating these new found friends in future pieces, and loved working with everything she sent.

Ready??  Here we go!

My first set used the fun Tagua Nut focal, some bone and horn, with a bit of Vintaj Arte Metal thrown in for good measure:




The second set featured the Cowrie shells, Afgani Date Seeds, bone, and lots of Vintaj Natural Brass:





My third piece was a bracelet using the beautiful copper beads, toggle, and vintage quartz:


I also started 3 different focals with some of the "leftovers":

LOVE the copper color with those!

I can see some of those vintage quartz beads dangling from the top of the leaf,
won't this be perfect in a piece with those gorgeous black onyx beads??

The copper flower was a gift from a special friend...
and now it's part of a piece from my new friend.

Still some embellishing to do on these 3 with dangles and bits of sparkle, and then of course incorporating them into pieces of their own.  I told you I couldn't stop!!  :)

I want to thank the incredible Lori Anderson for being the "Hostess with the Mostest".  This year there were over 500 people participating, and she had to coordinate 3 separate reveal dates to fit us all in.  I feel so blessed she introduced me to Susan, and feel I have definitely met a kindred spirit.  Susan, you totally rock and I couldn't have hoped for a better partner!  Please make sure to stop by Susan's blog to see the ingredients I sent her and what she came up with!

Click on the picture below for a list of the other hopping left to be done on our 2nd reveal...I guarantee you will see incredible designs by some very special people!


ENJOY YOUR SOUP!

37 comments:

  1. WOW !!!! Just WOW!!!! Mimi, you totally rocked it. I love what you made. I can't pick a favorite they are all so beautiful. I am in awe of you. Love and hugs..Partner <3

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    1. Couldn't have done it without you! ;-) Thank you for the wonderful soup you sent, my friend, and for making this so much fun.

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  2. A gorgeous soup, you really used it in an amazing way! Beautiful pieces!

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  3. Love what you made with all your soup! My favorite is the one with the Cowrie shells. That was a great way to use them. :)
    Lee Anne

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  4. Wowzers! Love all your designs Mimi!! I really like how you used the tagua nut focal with the arte metal. The necklace with the shell beads is stunning! The shells look wonderful with the Vintaj and the earrings are beautiful. Love the bracelet too with those scrummy copper beads and toggle clasp. Great bead soup!! :)

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  5. Your design sets are Bead-utiful
    I am a big fan of leftovers for lunch
    Yours look simply DELICIOUS
    Souper work !!!

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  6. ~ah...once more i am left swooning...each piece is unique and beautifully crafted but the second set...sigh...stunning...much love light and blessings~

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  7. I do love that necklace with the shells. Fabulous!!!! Kristin Oppold

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  8. Love the Bones and Stones theme! This would have been a challenge for me and you pulled it off beautifully!! Love the piece with the dangle flower and shells! Great idea too on designing some additional focals!! :)

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  9. So many lovely pieces ! I love bone and horn, but the second necklace stole my heart :)

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  10. Loving the bold tribal necklace and the earrings are fantastic. For me the shells and brass are a winning combo

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  11. I love these organic beads.. the bead soup is great! And I love all of your pieces.

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  12. I love the interesting materials your partner sent and the creative designs you came up with. Great job!
    kathy

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  13. Gorgeous pieces, especially love the earrings and the extra focals you made.

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  14. Lovely bead soup cooking, Mimi. The second necklace is georgeous, I like the way you combinated all those vintaj brass elements with organic beads. Well done!

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  15. I too would have been out of my element with that soup, but you made a lot of great pieces. I especially like the 1st and 3rd "leftover" focals.

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  16. I love the tassel focal on the second necklace! Such a bold piece :-) Great soup!

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  17. Love what you did with your soup! If I had to pick between your two necklaces, I'd be in a muck of trouble because they are both fantastic!

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  18. After seeing so many bright coloured soups, yours is very soothing and 'zen'. I love these natural hues, the necklace with cowrie shells is my favourite!

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  19. Wow, I'm smitten with the necklace with the owrie shells. So nice!

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  20. I really like the use of the Arte metal components, I like them and always seem to forget about them. All the pieces are lovely, you sure put your soup to work

    *edit to add* you may want to consider turning off the word verification :)

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    1. Thank you!! I didn't realize it was on, and no one had ever mentioned it before. I truly appreciate it! :)

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  21. I really love the second set. Gorgeous work.

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  22. What great designs! I will admit that I have always steered cleared of those ingredients as I couldn't picture how to use them but after seeing your designs I might have to dip my toes into the water.

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  23. I love the second set.
    I'm on the 3rd reveal, I'm partecipating for the 3rd time on BSBP, I love this funny party!
    ciao dall'Italia

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  24. You did a wonderful job using your soup. My favorite is the bracelet. The pendants a way cool too.

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  25. When I first worked with bone, I was a bit intimidated by it. Now it is one of my favorite materials. I love your first necklace with the tagua and bone beads. It's very nice. I also love the dog focal....it is so cute. Great job on everything!

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  26. i love what you did with your soup. i especially love the first necklace and the gorgeous focals that you created out of your soup.

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  27. Great designs, all of them, I am totally in love with the bird earrings, mind you everything you made is really nice.

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  28. You got so much made and I really like the feel of each of them. However, the one with the shells and all the Vintaj brass has got to be my favorite. It's so cool.

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  29. Wonderful job with your soup. I really like the first piece...great design!

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  30. Great designs! Love what you did with your soup.Organic and "vintagey" at the same time.

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  31. How fun! What a great mix of materials you got to work with - bone and horn and crystal? Good heavens! And it looks like you really had fun with it all. The earrings with the birds are darling!

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  32. Yeah, participation in events like Bead Soup Blog Party is really exciting, as you can communicate and share your experience with people who understand you! I love fist necklace and earrings with birds, they are awesome!

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