Bead Soup update

Received beads from my partner Amy - she sent me lots of shinies.

Going to have some fun with these.

When she receives hers she can post what I sent. 

Ta Ta for now ....

Bead Soup Party

The 6th Bead Soup Party ..  Bead Soup   ..  starts in July and goes thru August and Lori has asked us to provide some background as to how we started in jewelry design.  I graduated from high school in 1972 - yep 40 years ago when flower power/hippies were pretty much the order of the day.  I grew up near Olympia, WA and at that time Shipwreck Beads was a small store west of Olympia on Mud Bay Flats.  It was a wonderful place to go to on a rainy Saturday and Olympia has lots of rainy Saturdays.  I would go there, sort through grams and pounds of beads to pick out that one special bead or string of beads, then off to Mike Cook's Antiques in Olympia or Garden Gate Antiques in Yelm to find clasps.  Back in those days colored embroidery thread conditioned with beeswax was used to make the necklaces and bracelets.  I moved to Spokane, WA in 1981, stopped beading and started in ceramics.  Fast forward to 2005, I was preparing to retire from my job and knowing that my husband and I were going to travel, I wanted a hobby that didn't take up a lot of space (ha!).  So a couple of bead magazines later followed by discussions and help from a friend who works at Wonders of the World bead store I entered the 21st Century of Beading.  I create pieces for personal use, gifts to family members and friends and also as donations to women's transition programs.  I mostly do stringing or bead weaving.       

Lots going on in my world at this time so have been beading not as often.  

Did complete this for a friend.  

She supplied the focal and traded me three other focals for the work. 

Works well for me.

 

Norse Rune

Created a necklace a few years ago for the youngest son who is involved in Amtgard/SCA activities.  Short version - the rune was cracked/chipped by another person.  I had another rune created to replace it and finished the necklace recently.  So .....

and this was the old one -

Treewings Studio GiveawayS

What wonderful giveaways - yes plural.  The cowgirl in me loves the horses. The beader in me wants the fox and friends.   Such pretty things.

http://www.treewingsstudio.com/2012/03/giveaway.html?showComment=1331949222357#c5207341991327315461

Tis the Season - for gifting

Happy Mango Beads has a Mardi Gras giveaway also

http://blog.happymangobeads.com/2012/02/win-the-mardi-gras-beads/#comment-1331

Earrings Everday Giveaway

Earring giveaway  And there are some wonderful Heart earrings to win.  7 will be lucky, maybe 1 will be me.
Winners announced on Sunday February 19th.