Everyone is born with creativity. But those people who appear to be super creative have a secret. They know that creativity has to be developed and exercised to come easily. I am on a quest to immerse myself in creativity of all kinds. I hope you will join me!

 You have seen this bead soup project and this one that I have done while participating in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Hops. Well, that smart girl, Lori has written a book about her bead soup blog parties. The publisher is Kalmbach. To celebrate the release of the book, Kalmbach has sponsored a blog hop of their own.

They asked bead stores around the country to donate the bead soup, and asked Lori's blog hop participants who wanted to play.  Natch, I said, "pick me!" They did.

I received a nice collection of beads from Christine Ballas at Wicks & Stones in Wyandotte, MI.  She sent me furnace beads, pressed glass beads, some black faceted beads, a couple short lengths of chain, and a big triangle toggle clasp. I had a lot with which to work.


 I started with a jacket I bought for $3.96 at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store. Never discount Salvation Army. You never know what you might find there. I like a man's jacket at this time of the year. It is the perfect weight, not too heavy , but warm enough for cool fall days. I roll up the sleeves and wear it with jeans and a solid color top.


 Using a beading needle and beading thread, I stitched on the furnace glass beads and some black faceted beads in a curvy line. This became the base for my design.
Then, I stitched the rest of the beads around it. I added some gold bugle beads and some copper triangle beads to add texture. If you click on the photo, you will be able to see the beads closer. 

My fav part of the design, is the added movement. I stitched on the triangle part of the clasp, by the loop so it hangs freely. Then I added a few bead dangles to it. They swing! You can also see the short length of chain I added at the bottom. The chain is attached only by the ends. Three small dangles of black faceted beads hang from it.

I had fun doing it, not worrying about design, just adding beads as I worked. I had forgotten about the lengths of chain in my soup. I thought I was finished and was cleaning up my work table when I found them. And it turns out the addition of one bit of chain is one of my fav parts of the design.

Thank you Lori, Kalmbach, and Wicks & Stones for all of the work that made this possible. Hope the book sells like hotcakes!

It is great to use your Vitamin C in a challenge! 

 It's Bead Soup Blog Hop time! This is my third time to play. It is always a treat to get beads in the mail, open up the package and look to see what I received with which to work. THis time, my partner is Laurie Hanna of Laurie's Jewelbox. She has a nice, organic, earthy style. Check her out and see what I sent her.


This is what she sent me. She made the lampwork focal. I never know what I am going to get when the package comes in the mail. I always hope it is something out of my normal color palette. Purples are not a palette I ever choose for myself, and I have received this palette more than once. Are my partners discussing this??


 So, I took one look at these purples and knew I had to use them all. It really is a nice palette, and one I don't normally work in. So, that adds to the challenge and the fun.

 I put Laurie's focal in the center and worked outward using all of the purples.


 The round purples are stone, so the bracelet has some weight. I love that!

 I kept the purple pearls to do a second a bracelet. The clasp Laurie sent is pretty and delicate. It didn't really fit with my first design. Which is OK. It allowed me to make two pieces. 


My normal style is usually bolder than this, so it was fun to make something quiet...more subtle...but with a little sparkle. The clasp is perfect.


Grab a cup of tea, curl up on the porch swing, and visit the rest of the participants! I know I can't wait......


Soak up a little Vitamin C!

 I did not get into the current bead soup party over at Lori Anderson's Pretty Things blog. So, I threw it out there that I would love to exchange beads with someone, unofficially. That is how I met my new friend Doris. She is a lampworker who lives in Germany. Check out her blog, she makes great beads. I definitely got the best part of this deal. She blogged about our exchange in German and in English. Impressive!


I received a selection of beads from her. She had asked me what my fav colors are and I declined to tell, because I wanted her not to have limitations. Even so, she sent me my favorite colors! 


 I made two bracelets from the beads she sent. I used the fabulous donut bead as a focal piece for the first bracelet. I used an asymmetrical design.


 Here is the donut focal and the cute charm Doris sent.


 On one side, I used her big hole beads (that remind me of Cheerios, I love them), as sliders. They move back and forth over a section of seed beads.


 And on the other side, I used the cheerios in a different way. I also added a bead dangle at the clasp to balance out the weight of the focal when worn.


 It is very sparkly! 
And, a bonus! Doris sent me this cute birdie charm!


What a cool bead exchange we had. Interesting that we sent the same color palette and a bird to each other. Guess we were thinking spring. On her blog, you can see what I sent her and the beautiful piece she made from them.


Thank you Doris!


Put yourself out there and use your Vitamin C, you never know what great people and things will come your way.

 As with all groups doing bead soup, selecting beads is the most fun part of the project.




 Stringing and crimping.


 The final jewelry.  Notice the bracelets all include heart charms?

for everything you do flows from it.

 I have this old three drawer dresser in my bedroom. It was handmade and I am the third generation to use it. When I got it, it was painted a color not naturally found on earth. I repainted yellow and white crackle. And of course, it needed beads.

 I replaced the pulls with some very inexpensive metal ones. Then I pulled out bead soup (my bead stash of leftovers and donations). First, beads got strung on a wire. Then the wire was wrapped around the drawer pull.  So easy, a preschooler could do it.


To add dangles, I cut a 10-inch length of wire, used pliers to made some bendies at the bottom, strung on some beads and wrapped a simple loop at the top. I cut another 8-inch wire, wrapped a simple loop at one end and wrapped the rest of the wire around the pull support.  I connected the loops and voila.

No two drawer pulls are alike.

It is absolutely atrocious technique for a beader, but I was interested in fast, cheap, and easy. The beading adds some fun additional visual interest, and that was my goal.

Not sure if Grandpa would be proud or cringe at his dresser.  I love it because it is a collaboration between us.

Take your Vitamin C and see what needs updating in your bedroom!

I have a giant pot of beads. Bead Soup. For the last couple years, I have used bead soup for some interesting ministry opportunities. It has been a fund raiser for mission trips. We take it sometimes to make bracelets at Girls Night In at Grace Centers of Hope. Last summer, we took 16 pounds of beads from the soup pot with us in our suit cases to Germany where we made bracelets with the women of the Air Force base.

Another use for the bead soup ministry was presented a couple weeks ago.  We committed to make 200 beaded bracelets for a ministry called My Sister Song.  My Sister Song ministers to women in the sex industry in the Detroit area. They go into strip clubs and brothels to visit with the girls who work there.  They take goodie bags for the girls, help them with resources they might need to change their lives, and offer them a link to the outside world should they choose to accept it.

It is a faith based ministry. Their vision is for women to understand their great worth and realize that God has a purpose for the life of each woman and every woman has a story that matters. 


So, we asked if we could pitch in 200 bracelets for the goodie bags.



We sorted beads, strung them, attached charms and got 106 bracelets finished tonight.

It has become important to me to use the skills and resources that God has afforded me to serve others. I know many artists that look for avenues to do that same thing. I have read stories about random acts of art, where artists leave notes and small bits of art in public places for others to find, hoping it will be meaningful and brighten someone's day.

That is a fun activity, but I wonder if an artist is going to that much trouble, wouldn't it be more gratifying to use art to serve someone else whom you know for sure will benefit?  I love encouraging artists to do just that. It is more gratifying that you can imagine.

Gather a group of women who crochet, sit together, and make scarves and mittens for homeless folks who need them. Have an art sale, give the proceeds to a rescue mission. Teach simple crafts to women in the battered women's shelter.

I think every artist can think of ways to make a difference in someone else's life.

Think about it. It will bless you.
And take a double dose of Vitamin C!