Bead Peeps Swap & Hop: The Reveal

My lovely partner is Dita Basu. You can visit *her* blog by clicking here. She sent me an amazing batch of goodies which you can see right below, which I also blogged about here... :::

I have this incredible idea for a set using some of the freshwater pearls and the geode slice by mixing them with some beads from my stash- here's my idea:

The geode slice reminds me of one I got in Brazil! :) I had one a little rounder with a crystal in the center JUST LIKE this one. I wore it out I wore it so much. Now I have a new one thanks to Dita!

I will post what I made from that stash of beads in a minute- first I want to show what I made FIRST.

Here's a picture of it overall:

Dita sent me the amazing ceramic pendant and the round accent beads from an artist UNKNOWN. If that's YOU, please let me know so I can give you credit! Thanks! The other beads are a mixture of blue goldstone, ivory freshwater pearls, Czech glass, and vintage cathedral beads, (I think they're vintage anyway!), with simple square spacers with silvertone clasp and findings.

The pendant is a Kokopelli and this is what wikipedia has to say about it: "Kokopelli, also known as "the Hatchet Man" or "Hatchetman", is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head), who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture. He is also a trickster god and represents the spirit of music."

Here's the necklace and earring set I made using the purple bits above:

And here's a picture of it overall:

As you can see, I switched out the purple freshwater pearls to different purple freshwater pearls. :) I also completely forgot to add in the white diamond pearls. Woops! But I think it turned out pretty awesome the way it did, don't you think??? It uses purple crystals, (a lot of those!), and a lighter purple freshwater pearl, crystal encrusted rondelles, little round amethysts, and some larger faceted amethyst ovals, along with that gorgeous geode slice with that amethyst point electroformed in. Woo! (I'm already wearing it, I love it so much).

Next up is a pretty cool off-center necklace I made using the magnesite beads Dita sent me. I brainstormed with my pal, Kerri, on the beads to use for this necklace. Here are the basic beads I was planning on using:

Two different types of freshwater pearls, some electroplated hematite flowers (tiny!), the magnesite, and a magnesite butterfly...

This is what ending up happening:

It is an off-center butterfly necklace! Here is what it looks like, overall:

I love it! I am a *very* symmetrical person, so this really challenged my comfort zone! Here's another piece that challenged my comfort:

I received that stunning pendant in the Art Charm Exchange in 2014. You can read more about that here. :) The artist is Cate van Alphen- her blog is right here. The turquoise chips are from my partner, Dita. I paired them with vintage Czech cubes, freshwater pearls, gold beads and gold findings. Here's an overall view of the necklace and earring set:

This necklace strayed from my comfort zone because I would never have thought to pair orange with turquoise- but it really worked! :) Very, very happy with how this one turned out.

HOSTESS: Linda Anderson http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com/
Marcy Lamberson http://www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com
Kathy Lindemer http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
MY PARTNER: Dita Basu http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com
YOU ARE HERE: Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/
Kristina Peck http://tealeavesandtinyhats.blogspot.com/
Shai Williams http://www.shaihasramblings.com/
Catherine La Vite http://www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/
Christina Hickman http://vintagetreasuresjewelry.blogspot.com/
gloria allen http://wingsandbeads.blogspot.com
Teresa Schurter http://treezstreazurs.com/
Maria Rosa Sharrow http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com
Susan Kelly http://mimismilesdesigns.blogspot.com
Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/
Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Terry Jeanette Carter http://tappingflamingo.blogspot.com
Lee Koopman http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Laurie Vyselaar https://lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com
Marianne Baxter http://simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com
Divya N http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Kelly Hosford Patterson http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/
Johana Nunez http://www.artincendi.com
Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog
ROBIN REED http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com
Kristina Hahn Eleniak http://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com
Robin Lynne Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.com/
Claire Fabian http://saraccino.blogspot.de/
Inge von Roos https://ingetraud.wordpress.com
Rachel Mallis http://mintmonarch.com
Sam Waghron http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk
Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com
Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com
 
SEEDERS
Suse Stelljes http://pearlify.blogspot.de
Ginger Bishop http://www.lilmummylikes.blogspot.com
Nelly May http://www.smellynelly.blogspot.com
Rebecca White http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/
sheila Prosterman http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com
Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com
Palak (aka Pallavi Asher) http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/
Krafty Max http://kraftymax.net
Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
Katy Heider http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com/
Deborah Apodaca http://deborahapodacadesigns.blogspot.com/
Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Tami Norris https://tamisdesigns.wordpress.com
Brandy Scozzari http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com
Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com
Kathleen Breeding https://www.facebook.com/99BOBOTW/
Veralynne Malone http://veradesigns.blogspot.com
Bobbie Rafferty http://beadsong.blogspot.com
Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.wordpress.com

What I Sent to Dita!

I finally remembered to put up a photo of what I sent my partner, Dita, for the Bead Peep Swap 'n Hop. :)

Without further ado:

I sent along bumpy bubble beads, pink tigertail (acculon), hematite, an assortment of Swarovski crystals in pink, clear and white, lampwork glass by Nicole Weltch, vintage Czech glass, and in the middle- an amazing lampwork glass focal by Marcia Seever. (GORGEOUS).

I also sent along two bead soup mixes and a lovely sterling silver handmade clasp, (not pictured). :) I had a lot of fun putting together beads for Dita!!! (I'll see if she has any pictures of the other things I sent her!)...

Get To Know Me! A Primer. ;)

When or how did you get started making jewelry?
My story is actually pretty cool, (and I never tire of telling it, LOL!) I saw the MOST amazing jewelry in Brazil when I was an exchange student there back in 1998/1999. I wanted to be able to make that, too! :) I still haven't come anywhere close to replicating the gorgeous jewelry I saw in Brazil, but I am working on it!

What styles of jewelry do you like to make?
All sorts, but I make mostly beaded jewelry now. I do some wirework, loom work, peyote stitch, other bead stitchery... but still, mostly beaded. :)

What materials do you prefer to use, and which ones do you avoid?
I'm trying to not rule materials out. I think they ALL have their place in the jewelry world. Woo, beads! I consider myself a true bead lover!

What techniques do you prefer, and which ones do you avoid?
Simple wirework is cool, some simple metal stamping is also cool, (I'm not very good at that yet), beading for the win. Not really horribly fond of stitching, although I do it pretty well.

What colors do you use the most, and which ones do you run screaming from?
I can't really wear orange or yellow, so I tend to not work with those colors much as a result. I did just buy some pearls in those colors to break me out of my comfort zone. Really though- my favorite colors are purple and green, and RAINBOWS! ^_^ Yes, I consider RAINBOW a color. Hehehe.

My beads are even organized in a rainbow pattern. It's hard to tell here, though. :) These are some of them!

Long time, no see! New blog post!

So! Bead Peeps Swap 'n Hop is now up and running. My partner is Dita Basu. She is fabulous! :)

Here is the loot she sent me:

 At the top is a polymer clay pendant made by Dita herself! Clockwise from the PC pendant:

silver & gold tone bits and pieces (clasps, beads, pendant), handmade beads from Ghana, West Africa, bought from Soul of Somanya to help the peoples there, a handmade Kokopelli pendant with matching beads, (Dita couldn't remember the name of the artist- so if that's YOU, *please* send me a message for credit!), "turquoise" magnesite, *real* turquoise, some lovely purple briolettes and cubes, a geode slice with an amethyst point electroformed in, and a silver pewter clasp. Oh! And I can't forget the amazing freshwater pearl diamonds that Dita sent me. (They are in the middle-ish).

I LOVE IT ALL.

Thank you so much, Dita!!!

Watch this space (May 15th, 2016) to see what I create with the beads! ^_^ Next up is my little bio, (which was supposed to be done BEFORE we sent beads, but I am pokey!)

Swap 'n Hop Reveal 2015 - Partner: Rachel M

Swap 'n Hop Reveal!!! ^_^

(WARNING: PHOTO HEAVY!) 

 But first, a raffle! A winner will be chosen RANDOMLY using rafflecopter. Winner will be contacted via email. If you are an international participant you'll be responsible for the shipping costs. Please be aware of that before entering! If I don't hear back from the winner within a week of the raffle end date, a NEW winner will be chosen. Awesome prize: Choose Your Color(s) Waterfall Pendant.

Raffle runs from May 2nd, 2015 midnight to May 16th, 2015 midnight.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My lovely, talented partner- Rachel Mallis- sent me some AWESOME beads to play with... these are the sum of my labors...

 Now I think I mentioned in my blog post that the pendant was on the small side for me??? IT IS PERFECT on this three strand necklace!!! It has just the right amount of "oomph" without being overpowering. ^_^ Thank you for the challenge Rachel!!! It was a lot of fun to work outside of my comfort zone.

So, this necklace uses quite a few of the beads that Rachel sent me- most of them are on the green strand of the necklace. I used some Czech crystal in two shades of green and green aventurine from the horde of beads that Rachel sent. I also used green kyanite on the purple strand of the necklace.

Green strand (shortest): Czech glass, green aventurine in two shapes, green freshwater pearls, copper rondelles.

White Strand (medium length): White freshwater rice pearls and copper rondelles.

Purple and Green Strand (longest): Purple AB (aurora borealis) Swarovski crystal bicones, purple AB Swarovski cubes, faceted amethyst rondelles, purple freshwater rice pearls, green kyanite, and the awesome pendant that Rachel made.

^^^ for the curious as to what went into the necklace

 See how lovely and dainty it is? ^_^ Rachel wrapped it in copper, which is one of her new favorite metals to work with now. It's also one of my favorites, too!

Unfortunately for me, I didn't have any of those cool freshwater pearl discs/heishe... so I made do with some other styles of freshwater pearls. Rachel sent me lovely purple focals and green beads! So this three strand necklace is a combination of those colors.

 I really love these earrings! They bring out the best elements of the necklace, I think.

I also managed to use the awesome copper clasp that Rachel sent me. It has a wonderful "moon and stars" motif.

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I couldn't leave that rockin' focal by kumceramics by the wayside!

Matching that precise shade of purple proved to be tricky, but I think I did OK! I used some vintage faceted Japanese crystal I got from a friend's destash, MORE freshwater pearls, this time in a button shape, AND some gorgeous purple-y leaves/hearts which I got from The Beehive.

Here are the earrings... they used some more of those vintage Japanese crystals, some tiny little crystals I had about, and more of those hearts/leaves.

 Just for a change of pace, I used silver tone, nickle-free findings. ^_^

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Here are those incredible enameled sticks from Numinosity Beads... I used them in earrings! With three shades of complimentary rainbow fluorite, (which was picked up in a different friend's destash!)

Those little copper dangles were also picked up from The Beehive group on facebook.

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This one is one of my favorites that I've made so far! It's very unique!!! Rachel sent me some leathers- so I used both kinds in making of the big star and the little stars (which are adhered to the big one).

Here's an up-close view of the star... as you can see, I even punched out little holes for rivets! I also added a swanky dragon.

Here's a view of "the beast!" ;)

 Here's the complete view of the set. I used a TON of the beads Rachel sent me for this one, plus some of the leather. I was torn about adding some of the silk ribbon to this one. We'll see what I ultimately decide.

Rachel sent the antiqued silver links, the kyanite, the Czech crystals, the leathers, the ceramic beads, and the mosaic turquoise. I provided findings, rivets, the dragon, and the glue. ^_^

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Another fun pair of earrings:

 These use green aventurine drops wrapped in gold wire plus green and white faceted jade beads. The antiqued chandelier findings were given to me by my Swap 'n Hop partner, Rachel, as were the jade beads. (These won't be going up for sale, they went to a friend as a present!)

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This bracelet uses some of the Sari silk Rachel gave me, as well as the HUGE brass butterfly. :) The lampwork glass is by Valerie O'Neal, the little copper butterflies are from Bead Box Bargains, and the silver tone chain is something I had in my stash!

 

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 This piece uses the wonderful Trade Beads that Rachel sent me, plus red faux coral, freshwater pearls and red faceted crystals. I matched to the red in the Trade Beads. I thought it turned out OK- not my favorite out of the bunch- but neat, nonetheless. The wonderful tassel was a gift from a friend of mine. :)

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Here is the chronicle of events:

1) Infomercial

2) Get and Give

3) Introduction to Rachel

4) The Reveal!

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All of these cool pieces will be in my Etsy shop for sale when this post goes live, (at least, that's the plan!). If you want something specifically, please shoot me an email at zenithjade@yahoo.com . ^_^

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Bead Peeps Swap N Hop 2015  Partner List    Our Hostess: Linda Anderson from http//:fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com Linda Anderson http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com Marica Zammit http://www.beadlovelies.com Jessica Hocutt https://faithfamilyandadventure.wordpress.com Kristina Hahn Eleniak http://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com Debbie Jeffries http://wordpress/debrasdivinedesigns/blog.com Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.com/ Shalini Austin http://jewellerybyshalini.co.uk/my-blog/ Catherine La Vite http://drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com Annica Larsson http://zestyfrog.wordpress.com/ Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com/ Divya N http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com Mowse Doyle http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com Kathy Lindemer http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/ Claire Fabian http://saraccino.blogspot.de/ Janice Warden Bergeron http://thejewelryroom.blogspot.ca Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com Deb Fortin http://www.studiok24.blogspot.ca Inge von Roos http://ingetraud.wordpress.com Karen Mitchell http://overthemoon-design.com Robin Reed http://willowdragon.blogspot.com Marie Covert http://thistledown-and-swaddlings.blogspot.com/ Alicia Marinache http://www.allprettythings.ca Nan Smith http://www.wirednan.blogspot.ca Johana Nunez http://artincendi.com Kelly Hosford Patterson http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/ Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.WordPress.com Sue  Kennedy http://suebeads.blogspot.com Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.com Niky Sayers http://silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk Melissa Trudinger http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com Candida Castleberry http://www.spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com Erin Guest http://www.renlish.com Nicole Rennell http://nicolerennell.com/blog Ien Temaluru http://ienmaginationsjewelry.wordpress.com Robin Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/ Sam Waghorn http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk Marianne Baxter http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com Elsie Deliz-Fonseca http://ladelizchica.blogspot.com Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.com Lee Koopman http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com Jayne Capps http://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com Marti Conrad http://artisancomponentmarketplace.com/martisbuttonsandbeads/2015/03/20/bead-peeps-blog-hop/ Tina Bosh http://bookbug-somanybookssolittletime.blogspot.com/ Eleanor Thomas http://woolywireetc.blogspot.com Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com Gloria Allen http://www.wingsandbeads.blogspot.com Rachel Mallis http://www.mintmonarch.com/#!blog/c1jlz Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/ Stephanie Stamper http://skwds.blogspot.com Chris Haussler http://pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com Betony Maiden http://www.beadwenches.blogspot.com/ Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog/ Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/ Colleen Foley http://colleenfoleycreations.blogspot.com Marybeth Rich http://forestofjewels.blogspot.com/ Marcy Lamberson http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com Dyanne Everett-Cantrell http://www.deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com Ginny Lones http://www.Skippingintotheunknown.blogspot.com Maria Rosa Sharrow http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com Loretta Carstensen http://designsbyloretta.blogspot.com Dolores Raml http://craftydscreations.wordpress.com Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com Louise McCormick-Glazier http://jewelrytreasuresbylouise.blogspot.com/ Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com Tammy Adams http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog/ Shirley Moore http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com Seed Beaders Susanne Stelljes http://pearlify.blogspot.de Sheila Prosterman http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com Pallavi Asher http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/ Jami Shipp http://celebratinglifewithdamamashipp.blogspot.com Peggy Kosier http://www.kosydesigns.blogspot.ca/ Andra Weber http://andrasjoyfuljourney.blogspot.com Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com Krafty Max http://kraftymax.com Sierra Barrett http://giraffecanhas.wordpress.com Lois Sherwood http://thiznthat5454blog.wordpress.com Katy Heider http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com Rebecca Robertson   (White) http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/ Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com Brandy Collier http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com Stephanie Haussler http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.WordPress.com Kathleen Breeding http://99bobotw.blogspot.com Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/ Tami Norris https://jewelrybytami.wordpress.com/ Ginger Bishop http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/ Peggy Johnson http://charmbarn.blogspot.com

Bead Peeps Swap 'n Hop Delivery of Goodies, to & from

This is what I sent my partner, Rachel M:

First, I ordered some goodies from Donna Millard- she's a marvelous lampwork glass artist- you can see more of her work in her Etsy shop here! I specifically had these sent directly to Rachel as I wasn't sure I could have them shipped to me and then me ship to her on time! ^_^

Here is an up-close view of the focal with a few of the coordinating beads:

Donna also graciously let me use her pictures, as I never had these in my hands to photograph! Trust me on this though, (as I've bought from her in the past), these are EVEN MORE AWESOME in person!!!

Here's an overview photo of the bird sets Donna offers:

I chose the middle set. I wanted to send Rachel beads in a blue and purple palette, and those were a perfect blend of the two. JUST GORGEOUS.

So, with this set, I covered the two out of three bases- a focal (the birdie!) and coordinating beads. ^_^

I couldn't stop there, though!!!

I also sent a wealth of matching artisan beads and a copper clasp- handmade by Jami Shipp! It was tough to part with beads from my stash, but I thought that Rachel would appreciate the beads I could send to buff up her artisan beads collection! *grins*

These are galaxy wrapped glass cubes on handmade earwires made by Shelley Grahm Turner of Tori Sophia Designs.

A lovely handcrafted lampworked bead by Marcia Seever of Shazazz Glass.

Here's the whole lot of extra beads (and the copper clasp) I sent Rachel. :) I also sent two strands of freshwater pearls, (I ADORE pearls!), and a couple of rainbow calsilica beads, (that had purple in them). I do love art beads! And one of the joys in getting them is sharing them! ^_^

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And now on to the beads that Rachel sent me!!!

Ok, Rachel sent me a whole box of cool stuff. The leather here is HIDING some of those lovely little organza bags. I do not think I thought to put Rachel's goodies into cute little organza bags. :( My bad! That would have been really clever!

So, I think I said that I ADORE freshwater pearls... Rachel made me a lovely focal piece using freshwater pearls and sticks and a crystal + copper wire, (one of my fav materials to work with). ^_^ It is on the small side (for me) but still awesome. Wootz! But that is NOT ALL.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE LITTLE BAGGIES. Holy monkies!!! There are predominately green beads in there, (one of my favorite colors!). There are some mystery beads with white stripes, some African? trade beads, some ceramic beads sharing the same baggie as kyanite, magnesite beads, a little bag of mixed beads including faceted tigereye, aventurine beads in different shapes, yellow turquoise, (which is a blend of jaspers, I think), a bunch of really rad metal bits!, Czech glass, a bag of mixed freshwater pearls, and a really cool copper clasp. O.O

Also! She included some art beads, (I am thinking I might have to send Rachel some more beads)-
some enameled stick components by Numinosity Beads... here they are:

And a really lovely handmade focal component by kumceramics:

AND THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE. 

I love and adore all the neat new things I have to play with for the Bead Peeps Swap 'n Hop Challenge... Rachel, you totally spoiled me! Thank you so much!!!

*mad love from Wisconsin*

~Andrea

Bead Peeps Swap 'N Hop Informercial ;)

1. Why or how did you get started making jewelry?
2. What style(s) of jewelry do you like to make?
3. What materials do you prefer to use (and which ones do you avoid)?
4. What techniques do you prefer (and are there any you don't like)?
5. What colors do you use most, and which do you run screaming from?

1. I started making jewelry in 1999, sooner if you counted the macaroni and beaded necklaces I made for my Mom when I was a youngin'. I first began making jewelry because Brazil inspired me to do so- they have some of the most incredible wirework known to man down there. It is amazing. I was an exchange student back in 1998-1999. :) I didn't even wait to get back before trying some wirework of my own!!! LOL. INSPIRED.

2. I love to make classic beaded jewelry with lots of freshwater pearls! My favorite material to work with are FW pearls. And art beads! I LOVE ART BEADS! *drools*

3. I love everything, pretty much, except for cheaper plastics. :)

4. I *JUST* got into metal stamping, so that's probably out for now as a medium as I'm just too new. I don't enamel or do anything with a torch. I don't have a cat-free and safe place to play with fire! I also don't have a kiln. Boo! With all that being said, I do love beading and wirework, and some loom-work and stitching. (Although not too much of both the latter). I also work with polymer clay!

5. I like jewel-type colors the best, but will try anything. Really. Just don't send me something you wouldn't use yourself! I also collect: cat anything, Hello Kitty or peacock stuff. Love all of that.