Art Food Lodging: BEAD SOUP FOR ME ~

Check out my Bead Soup Partner's blog! She posted her pics of what I sent her :)

Art Food Lodging: BEAD SOUP FOR ME ~: Lori Anderson of Pretty Beads is once again having her wonderful Bead Soup Party . I joined this amazing group of beaders and my sou...

A Mother of Pearl Buckle as Focal

I think this buckle might have come in Heather's first Box o' Vintage Goodies. The chain, which I believe is sterling, and is definitely old, came from her second box. The rhinestone button dangle was my grandmother's. Of course a piece of sari fabric ribbon had to be included, and a pewter hook clasp finishes it off. I like it, but I think it's a bit too unusual for the salon. It's going to have to go on etsy.

 

Oh, and the painting in the background was something I painted in college. I gave it to a dear friend for her birthday and I've missed it ever since. Last year, she decided it was time to downsize her life and keep only what she needed to live. It was a total surprise when I received it in the mail. I'm so glad to have her back! Though I have to say I totally envy my friend's minimalism!

More Soup and a Unicorn if You Can Handle It!

Since my partner, Gretchen Nation, received her soup - I'll show you what I sent her. She said she intends to blog about it by tomorrow, I think? Since her style is definitely vintage and on the delicate side, I decided to send her a rustic / organic / nature themed soup.

I can't wait to see what she'll do with it! The leaf is by my friend Jessi who's made some other beautiful pendants I've used.

Now, here's some stuff I made over the weekend -- some of which derived from Heather's Big Box o' Vintage Goodness.

I bought that Sterling Unicorn head from Beadaholique some time ago, and I was just waiting for the right piece to come together. That drilled river rock has a purple tint to it that's hard to discern from the photo. I'll have to reshoot it if I put it on etsy.

The gold plated Aspen leaf, as well as the Mexican coins & some of the various beads and chain used throughout are from Heather's box. Now, I want to finish another piece I started the other night, and then I can start playing with my soup!

My Soup Arrived!

Yesterday, my soup arrived - but it was storming and I wasn't able to get good light for photos until today. Meet my partner Gretchen Nation and have a look at her etsy shop. She makes wonderful jewelry with vintage parts, especially broken antique German dolls:





















So I was very excited to see what she'd send me. The soup was plentiful enough in itself, but then she sent some extra goodies too! I didn't photograph that, but there was a soap, some various ribbon, some cute vintage plastic circles, and a few little broken dolls! I love it -- I can't wait to play with them.

But now onto the soup. Click to enlarge.

 

I can't wait to play with it and see what I come up with. So many ingredients to choose from!

Golem Birthday Set & Fun Old Stuff

I didn't really get much made this week -- my massage therapist banned me from jewelry making for a week, but when I told her I just had to make one thing for a birthday present, she relented on that. Thursday was my hair stylist's birthday, and since she's been so good to sell my jewelry at her shop, I wanted to make her something really special. She loves cats and bright colors, so I was pretty sure she'd be happy with the necklace and earrings I made her, but I was just a little bit nervous that she might not be as wild about it as I'd hoped. Well, turns out she absolutely LOVED it, and couldn't stop saying great things about it. Stupid me, I should have whipped out my phone and snapped a picture of her wearing it! But at least I had the foresight to take pics beforehand. Here it is:

I used MissFickleMedia saffron rings, as well as the adorable Golem Design Studio cat pendant and flower beads! Also included: sari ribbon, faceted Amazonite, Czech glass, shell beads, carnelian, copper, and dyed jade and aqua metal discs.

 

I love that I had just the PERFECT piece of Sari Ribbon for the piece! So serendipitous.

So onto the fun old stuff. My friend Heather sent me another Big Box o' Vintage Jewelry Parts. And WOW! This might be the best box yet. There were more than a few incredible items included. I photographed most of the best, but there's plenty more waiting to be harvested for beads or rhinestone rondelles, etc.

As usual, click to enlarge any photos.

So many wonderful things here!

What would you do with those MOP buckles? The narrow one has sharp prongs. I'm not really interested in making belts. But I'm scared that if I try to remove them, I'll break the buckles. Any ideas?

Love this little charm! The Figurettes? Who were they?

Not sure what this was or what to do with it - it's puffy, and there's a bar in the back, plus some sort of hanger looking thing. It's cool looking though.

Also love this green face.

 These might be my favorites!

I wish there wasn't any missing enamel. It's so pretty, but I don't know what to do with it. 

What would you do with these things? I'd love to hear your ideas!