Wednesday, July 18, 2012

My Bead Soup: Ingredients

Every good soup needs to start with a good base...


Then you add a bit of this...


 a little of that...


 a handful of those...


and a few of these.


  The finishing touches season it to perfection.



Mix them all together.  Doesn't that look yummy?


Thank you Fay, for such a delicious bead soup.  I'm going to love creating with it.  My partner and I will be revealing our designs on August 25th.  To see all the participants in the 6th Bead Soup Blog Hop, click here.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Adventure in Chain Mail

My first chain mail project is a work in progress. I'm flying by the seat of my pants with this one, deciding a course of action as I go along, using my own initiative & perceptions rather that a pre-determined plan.


I'm using 1/4" brass rings made for me by my favourite Chain Mail Guy.  The pattern for the base chain is a modified mobius.  My initial thought was to have various beads and pendants hanging from the dangling chains....like an asymmetrical, mish mash of colour & texture...a whimsical, mixed-media piece.


As I go along, however, I'm thinking that the minimalist approach may work better.  And it's already looking more symmetrical than asymmetrical, but we will see how it develops.  This is the early stage of the design process and anything can happen before it's completed.  *smile*

Clasp by Melinda Orr

The clasp was made my Melinda Orr.  The vines and leaves were oxidized to bring out the texture and a pewter heart was cold connected.   The finishing touch is a small brass hook.  The two cream flowers were a pair of earrings in a former life.  The large brass coloured flower pendant came from a necklace purchased at a thrift store.  For that matter, so were the earrings found at my local Value Village.

I have no idea what the final piece will look like.  I'm a little too distracted tonight to think about it though.  My Bead Soup package came in the mail today!    I'm going to open it up right now.  I'll post photos tomorrow.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Faery Fest: June, 2012

On a midsummer's weekend in June, we went to Riverside Park in Guelph, Ontario for Faery Fest.    A sparkling lineup of entertainment, vendors, and family activities filled the entire two days.





This juried event had dozens of unique shops full of exciting treasures for Faeries and Goblins of all ages.  And Jasper Moon was one of them!  Yes, that's right...I was there selling my wares.  We had a grand time, and made some very valuable connections.  I hope to be selected as a vendor again next year.

For more information on the region's most unique & fastest growing Fantasy Arts Festival, check out the website...

Monday, July 9, 2012

Challenging Ourselves

I'm always trying new techniques and using different materials in my creative exploration of jewelry making.  My experiment with asymmetrical design was a great learning experience, although the piece itself had some elements that I am not happy with.  Of course, we are always more critical of our own work and tend to see flaws where no one else does.


With the bead soup being sent to me by my partner, Fay, my challenge to myself this time is to create a mixed media piece that incorporates a number of different mediums and methods.  I've admired the free-form designs of other artists and have longed to emulate their work with my own personal flair.


Wanting to challenge my partner with her 'bead soup', I gathered together a mixture of beads and findings that are different than she typically uses.  Here are some teaser photos....




With everything boxed up, packaged in a bubble envelope and delivered to the local post office, I can hardly wait to see what she creates with them.



The best part of the Bead Soup Blog Hop, aside from creating a special piece with what you receive, is blog hopping to see what others have designed.  Their work is a great source of inspiration for me.  And there are SO many participants this time!  


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

6th Bead Soup Blog Hop

Please excuse my absence last month.  We had events EVERY week.  So, when I wasn't preparing for one, I was at one!  I'll tell you all about it later.

Right now, I wanted to talk about the 6th Bead Soup Blog Hop.  I wasn't at home, or even have access to a computer when the sign up days were and was not certain that I'd get in.  But via private e-mail with the organizer during a brief stay at home, I got myself in under the wire.  Thanks, Lori.




There are so many people participating this time (400 in total), that there are three separate reveal dates planned.  You have to admit that having 399 blogs to hop at one time would have been a bit much for any of us.


The luck of the draw partnered me with Fay Wolfenden, same as last time.  Rather than make things more difficult for Lori to sort out, we agreed that we are okay with being partners again.  We had fun together before, challenged each other and ourselves, so all is good.


I made my first asymmetrical piece and Fay created a design with a technique she doesn't often do, bead stringing.  Here's what we created last time....


Here is what Fay made with the bead soup I sent to her.


This what I made with the bead soup that Fay sent to me.


We will be sending our bead soups out to each other next week.  Our reveal date is August 25th, so we will have plenty of time to design and create with them.  See the link below for a list of all the participants with links to their blogs.