Friday, May 9, 2014

Bead Soup Blog Party - Blog Hop Reveal!!

8th Bead Soup Blog Party List of Participants' Blogs

Finally, the day we all have been waiting for - the big reveal!  I'm writing this on Friday, and have it set up to post at midnight eastern time tonight/Saturday morning - hopefully it will work.

First, I would like to say thank you to the party administrator Lori Anderson.  She is so amazing - throughout all of this huge thing, and with everything she has been going through in her life.  I would never have been able to handle something like this, so kudos and hugs to her!

Now, as many people might have already guessed, this is my first time participating in what has become a very popular event.  I'm first and foremost a glass beadmaker - I rarely make jewelry, and I almost always use lampwork in any that I do make.  So this was a huge challenge for me, not knowing what I would get and having a deadline to create something out of unfamiliar components.

I have to say, it was really fun!  I am proud of myself for actually being able to come up with something that I think looks nice and used every single thing I was sent.

My partner in this party is Kat BarronMiller of Midnight Kat Productions.She sent me this gorgeous selection of beads - you can see the blog post about them here

The soup was beautiful, and it took me a few weeks of pondering to finally decide how to use it.  I knew from the beginning that I wanted to add pops of color to bring out the lovely autumn tones in these stones and in the brass findings.  I wanted to enhance the red and complement it, so I added some scarlet glass pearls and some amethyst gemstone beads.  I also added tiny metallic purple glass pearls and some deep chocolate brown pearls - some shiny and some with a matte finish for visual interest.


Stringing the necklace was pretty simple, so I started with that - adding two strands so the wearer could twist them if they liked. The brass wire really worked nicely - easy to wrap into connectors. I really love the look of the brass chain with the pearls, too.


The tricky part was coming up with a pendant that would incorporate all of the larger pieces - the dragonfly and flower, and also the agate focal.  I know we were't required to use everything, but I loved all three, so I couldn't leave any of them out.

I've never used anything this large in my jewelry, so it took me awhile to figure out what to do.  At first I thought I might glue the dragonfly to the stone, but I really wasn't sure I wouldn't make a huge mess of that, and I doubted it would come off if I messed it up.  So I decided to just make a sort of wire bail with the chocolate pearls, and then hang the dragonfly in front of the stone with some chain links.  The effect is somewhat cumbersome when handling the necklace, but once it's on, it hangs well.


I connected the flower element above the pendant using the flat connectors and some chain.  It's a little odd-looking, but I like it.


Lastly, I attached the pretty clasp.  The pearl strands are strung on Soft Flex wire and crimped, so the whole thing feels pretty substantial and strong.


I had tiny dragonfly charms left, along with vintaj drops, connectors, and balls, so I made some earrings to go with the necklace. I love these teeny litle dragonflies!  The whole ensemble reminds me of fall, which is just my thing.

Now, strangely, I don't wear a lot of jewelry, and don't have pierced ears anymore, so I will likely give this to someone I love as a present.  :)

My muse had a great time with this challenge - thanks to all for reading!

Now, go forth and visit all the other fantastic artists!
8th Bead Soup Blog Party List of Participants' Blogs

79 comments:

  1. Great statement piece Kandice, really beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These pieces look good enough to eat. Gorgeous work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love what you've done with this soup, great pieces and inspired colour choices.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the addition of the purple to the earthy soup palatte! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a beautiful set! I love the rich colours you have going there :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fantastic and great! Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love what you made with your soup. Some really gorgeous pieces :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful and totally unique! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've been trying to party at blogs that I'm not familiar with today but couldn't resist yours. So glad I didn't. Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, Kandice, that is such a gorgeous necklace! I love your use of color--you have such a good eye for knowing what will make pieces really spectacular! Hope you enjoyed your first Bead Soup party!! <3

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great necklace! Isn't it fun being stretched and challenged? The skies the limit!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a beautiful necklace! I love how you've worked the focal - stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  13. you prepared perfect dragonfly necklace, so elegant !!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great job Kandice. I have long admired your lampwork beads. Glad to see you joined in the fun of the BSBP this year.

    ReplyDelete
  15. WOW!!!! The purple really makes that piece pop. What a dramatic statement Love!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow that is beautiful. I love what you did with the pieces. :) Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  17. U did a wonderful job I'm very proud of u for going outside your comfort zone

    ReplyDelete
  18. I really like how you took those colors and made them come alive with the addition of the purple...that was just a beautiful choice. It's a stunning necklace.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Loving the colour combo of your pieces. The pop of red and purple in the necklace is exactly what was needed - the necklace is stunningly beautifully btw. And I love the earrings too. So very feminine and pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great idea adding reds and purple, thats a beautiful combination of colors. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This necklace realy rocks, love it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love those rich colours! Stunning designs!

    ReplyDelete
  23. The colour combination is stunning! great work.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful work with the focal..nice combination of the colors of your soup.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Stunning, very beautiful set. Such unique creation of focal!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Colours chosen were beautiful. What a unique design for the focal! Great work.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow! You nailed it! The purples and reds really highlight the copper and chocolate of your soup. The necklace and earrings are fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love the addition of the plum and the deep read, they really made the vintaj pop. I think they way you hung the pendant is ingenious!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love dragonflies and what you did with the necklace is amazing. I love the colors. Beautiful job.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Now that's exactly what I expected for a characteristic Kandice design ;0) See a color, search for a complementing one and make something beautiful well balanced with them! Lovely work, Kandice! I like the way you mounted the focal bead to your necklace!

    ReplyDelete
  31. The brass and the stones really set each other off. Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  32. You made a beautiful necklace and earrings. Whoever get the earrings will love them.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Just gorgeous! Love the hints of red and purple and th eoverlapping focal, you mixed colors and shapes just amazingly!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Now this is the most interesting way to hang a dragonfly I have seen! Beautiful necklace!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Lovely soup creations Candice! I especially love the necklace.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Oh my god, that necklace is BREATHTAKING ! I don't think matching brown and purple would have occured to me, but wow does it just pops ! And the way you placed the dragonfly.. im in awe !

    ReplyDelete
  37. I cannot believe what you made--it is gorgeous and completely fantastic! I joined your blog followers!

    :) best wishes, jean

    loved reading your thought process and studying how you added colors! thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  38. The purple pearls are simply wonderful!! And because I like dragonflies I already like it, but the way that you hung it is PERFECT!! I would love to own and wear your creations!! ~KM

    ReplyDelete
  39. The colors are gorgeous together, and the necklace looks rich and luxurious. You did a really great job of finding a way to use all the components of your soup in a successful, harmonious way!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Absolutely stunning pieces! I would proudly wear those! GREAT work!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love the creations and would totally wear all of them. Great color combos.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Great stuf and I love your purple beads between your work! Hugs, Doris

    ReplyDelete
  43. Wow, I just love the way you brought those colors into the metal! Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I love the colors of your soup, and how you accented with the colorful pearls. I'm sure who ever gets the earrings (or the whole set) as a gift will love it.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Absolutely gorgeous! Couldn't pick a favorite, love them all!

    ReplyDelete
  46. How brilliant to add the purple! I LOVE that combo and it would *never* have crossed my mind to add both matte and shiny pearls to the piece. Great job!

    Linda A.
    http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
    http://cherryOnTopDesign.co

    ReplyDelete
  47. Wow! You did a spectacular job incorporating so many soup components into that necklace. The design is very elaborate once you start really looking at all the elements and how they're combined. But the first thing you notice is just "wow, what a lovely necklace." The earrings are the perfect complement.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Squeeee! Kandice, I adore what you did with your soup! I think adding the scarlet and purple tones was a brilliant ploy, and the whole piece give me a kind of rich Art Nouveau feel. I think your idea of suspending the dragonfly over the stone was clever! I get the sense that your dragonfly is just lightly resting on the stone, just as real dragonflies perch on my garden fence before flitting away. This was *definitely* the year of the dragonfly for the BSBP, wasn't it?!???

    ReplyDelete
  49. What a beautiful soup - with all of the Vintaj pieces. You did a beautiful job with colour combinations - I love all of the purple! Very pretty :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. The colors you used to bring out the beauty of the soup you had were perfect. The way you got the dragonfly added was genius. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Such a unique necklace. The design totally complements the focal.

    ReplyDelete
  52. What a great necklace. Love all the color in it. And those earrings are great. I love long dangly earrings. Very unique way to add the dragonfly with the stone pendant to your necklace. Pretty designs.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Love the necklace. Such a clever design with the focal. Beautiful colors.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Truly inspiring design. Great color combo too. I love the set! Really Soup-er!

    ReplyDelete
  55. I really like the connections you did to pull the amazing color combination together - very earthy

    ReplyDelete
  56. Kandice I have admired your beads for a while now. Just looking at this necklace I would not have known that you don't usually design jewelry you did a wonderful job designing this necklace. Kudos to you for figuring out how to connect and use the whole soup. Great focal.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Wow, that necklace is gorgeous! And the earrings with teeny dragonflies are the perfect accompaniment.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Lovely statement piece and the earrings are really sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Oh my goodness Kandice... GORGEOUS!! You did such a good job!! XOXO

    ReplyDelete
  60. How interesting that someone who specializes in color would get a nearly monochromatic soup. And what you did with it really makes my heart sing. I love, love the purple with the copper. I used sort of similar tones in mine, so that may be why it feels so "right" to me. I'm suddenly drawn to copper. But you really created a great look here. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Love your design! Adding the purple really warmed up the browns and made it wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Love your designs! Adding the purple really warmed up the browns and made it rich and colorful.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Your necklace is very lush. You did a great job with your first soup!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Kandice, I can't believe you weren't totally at ease with these types of components! You completely rocked this challenge with your wonderful design :)

    ReplyDelete
  65. What a very pretty necklace and earrings you made I love how you used the dragonfly!
    Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  66. Incredible! I can't believe that you don't work with gemmies more. This is beautiful set that has a natural, vintage, steampunkish feel that I really love. And it never hurts that it has dragonflies.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Stunning, lovely, beautiful, great, wonderful and so on...! I love the ♥designs, the ♥colours and the details♥.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Elegant bead soup, the Autumn tones are lovely. The purple pearls look stunning in contrast. Beautiful designs and color choices.

    ReplyDelete
  69. These colors and size and design are just my thing!!! Absolutely LOVE it! You did and Amazing job!!! Have a Blessed day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  70. Great job using up all of your soup. I would have definitely have had a hard time with that monochromatic color palette, but your addition of the purple worked so well!! It was inspired for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  71. What a gorgeous necklace and the bail is a fantastic construction! How inventive! The color combo is so subtle and at the same time each color is visible! You did it with the earrings, too - no ordinary design :)

    ReplyDelete
  72. I love this! The purple and red are perfect and the dragonfly is just sweet! You can definitely tell how much you enjoyed making this necklace! Great soup!

    ReplyDelete