Friday 9 May 2014

BSBP8 Reveal!

The long awaited reveal has finally arrived. Are you excited? I am! 

My partner this year was Caroline Dewison from BlueberriBeads. I consider myself very lucky! Caroline is a wonderful ceramic bead artist in the UK. I have always been fond of her adorable birds and urchin beads, but I didn't tell Caroline that. That's exactly what she sent me! Well, birds, urchins, one of her new house beads, more ceramics, and a whole bowl full of extra beads.

Here's a little reminder of the oh-so Springy purple and green soup I received.




The bronze clasp is by another talented UK artist, Lesley from Thea Elements. I've never used one of Lesley's clasps before, but they are definitely one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of designing with.

So, knowing I had to use the clasp, I excitedly moved on to my first piece. How could I resist doing yet another sea themed bracelet? 

 
 

In the bracelet, I used the clasp Caroline sent me, her ceramic urchin bead, chunky fluorite and citrine gemstones, a sand dollar charm, and agate and citrine as charms between the chunkier beads. All of the extra beads were from my stash, I'm glad to say!




I wire wrapped all the beads in solid brass and torch fired my own ball ended headpins to use wtih the faceted agate beads I added.

Here's another picture of that sweet urchin bead Caroline made.

 


My second piece ended up being in a very different colour palette. I just love the zesty little chartreuse Czech glass drops Caroline added to her soup. And what goes better with green than purple? I stacked them on copper wire and added a pair of beautiful lampwork 'butterfly wings' by Earthshine Beads. Decorative copper earwires, et voila, Spring earrings!


I'm not usually a pastel-loving kind of person, but for Caroline's birds I made an exception. The soft lavender tones of her bird bead really won me over. I ended up using a mix of cream and pastel purple and green for this bracelet with just a hint of blue.




It's a variation on a series of bird bracelets I've done recently. Caroline's bird sits above a nest of agate eggs and Czech glass blossoms. I used the Golem lentil she sent me and some more beads from my own stash. The speckled, egg-like creamy ceramic beads are by Thea Elements. The ceramic daisy clasp and purple rounds are by Tan Grey.




And now for the finale...I chose to use Caroline's large, purple bird as my focal bead. The purple beads Caroline included in her soup were just perfect for each other. I immediately made the bird into a "stacked" pendant with its own nest (purple eggs included!) and one of those adorable butterflies dangling below. I added the leaf for an extra woodland-feel.






I had a bit of trouble deciding what to string the pendant on. I wanted something simple but different at the same time. I played around with silks and copper chains, but decided on using some recycled leather and wooden beads from my stash.

I used the leather to weave the wooden circles together for a collar style at the front of the necklace. I thought the necklace looked great sitting just below the neck, so I kept the overall length fairly short.

I wire wrapped Caroline's dimpled ceramic beads at each end of the wooden beads to frame the focal area. To finish it off, I made a brass clasp and wire wrapped it those teeny-tiny purple Czech glass beads.




And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed seeing what I created. I have to thank Caroline for being such a great swap partner and for sending me this fantastic soup to work with. Of course, a huge thank you to Lori Anderson for pairing us and for hosting this wonderful blog hop!

You can check out what the rest of the participants made at this link.

62 comments:

  1. I don't even know where to start on this one. You received some gorgeous beads and then you just ran with them, didn't you? The little wire nests absolutely melt me!

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  2. Wow - gorgeous soup you created!!! So very pretty. And I love the chartreuse paired with that lovely violet. Beautiful!

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  3. Beautiful designs Leah, I love every one of them, especially the bracelets... the one with the nest is stunning! Really glad you enjoyed your soup, I've had great fun with mine, thank you for a fantastic swap! x

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  4. Hi Leah, that is such a yummy soup you lucky girl, my favourite colours. I love what you've made especially the leather necklace and those earrings made with my butterfly wing beads are gorgeous. I used some of them in my makes too. Linda x

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  5. Gorgeous designs Leah - I'm always a sucker for a beachy bracelet and I love what you did with the leather and wooden beads on you necklace - very original!

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  6. Oh my goodness you received the most beautiful soup there, and you made such beautiful pieces from it too :-)

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  7. I really love the earrings, they look like brightly coloured dragonflies.

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  8. Love love love what you made!

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  9. Stunning like usual, I love the zesty little chartreuse and purple earring, not to mention this beautiful recycled leather and wooden necklace. You received such wonderful soup :)

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  10. Now that is one stunning soup and you have really done it proud! I love your creations, they are just beautiful. If I had to choose a favourite? Well, I don't think I could!

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  11. What a great soup. you made some beautiful pieces Leah.
    I love each piece but the sea themed bracelet is gorgeously scrummie.

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  12. Great job with that blue set! I love Lesley's work always and that clasp give a hint of sunlight on the "watery" beads. gosh, that sea urchin bead is awesome! Leather and wood? Great pairing!

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  13. These are all fab, Leah! I think my favourites are the two bracelets - very nice.

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  14. You are on such a roll with your jewelry designs. You had me at the ocean themed bracelet and I wouldn't have thought I could love anything more than it, but... the bird bracelet is sooooo sweet and the necklace is uber creative. Well thought out and executed pieces. Love them all!

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  15. Leah, you created some gorgeous soup with the lovely ingredients your received! Your photography is wonderful! Do you have tutorials? :-)

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  16. They are all lovely! I really like your beaded clasp!

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  17. All your pieces are beautiful, I love the combination of wood and leather, the colors in the beach bracelet, everything!

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  18. Such a beautiful soup to work with. Love those darling bracelets and my fave is the leather wrapped necklace, the rich brown works so well with those lilac colours.

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  19. Stunning pieces. Love the color combinations.

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  20. As usual, I love everything you made! You got lucky with the soup, and combining that with your talent and eye for color made for awesomeness!

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  21. Wow Leah those pieces are amazing!! Love the necklace with the woven wooden beads and leather. Just stunning pieces. Lx

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  22. I love the bird sitting on the nest. The seaside bracelet was inspired!

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  23. Wow Leah, you have outdone yourself! Love the Seaside bracelet and the necklace blew me away!

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  24. Wowzers!!!! Gorgeous pieces you have gone there - love what you created with the goodies you received. I am in serious love with your last piece - love the leather and that clasp! Beautiful pieces!

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  25. Gorgeous! I love purple and green palettes and yours are just beautiful!

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  26. so many projevts, so many different styles, I love it! Bracelet with eggs is my fav!!! super!

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  27. Soft pastels are a difficult palette for me, but I greatly admire those who have the talent to make something special with those lovely colors—you did just that! The softness of colors is perfectly paired up with the whimsy of your designs—so beautiful!

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  28. Wonderful. I can tell you've had great fun with your soup. Beautiful pieces!!!!!

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  29. I love the birds in the nests and that lovely beaded clasp hook. Brilliant!

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  30. Great job using your soup Leah. Your aqua bracelet is right up my alley with it's color and simplicity. I really like the last necklace. It is very unique and creative. The wood and leather fit the woodland theme well. I really like the clasp that you made for that necklace. It fits the rest of the necklace perfectly.

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  31. What a beautiful work, Leah! The leather necklace is an eyecatch, great idea how you used the components - I love it!

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  32. OH MY!!!! How wonderful - your soup was amazing and what you made is amazing too!

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  33. Very beautiful, I love every detail!

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  34. Stunning work, I love them all so much, very creative. Very nice idea to put the side clasp on that leather necklace :)

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  35. Fantastic work Leah! I just adore that first bracelet, the palette makes me think of quite an upscale white sand beach.....ah sigh, I need a vacation! It's all lovely, the leather and wood is a perfect home for that sweet bird

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  36. You received a lovely soup and made gorgeous ♥jewellery with it! And not to forget your pictures, great!!! Stunning details and stunning use of colours in your designs...

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  37. I love all the pieces you created, but I am an ocean girl so that first bracelet really speaks to me. Love, love, love it!

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  38. Beautiful pieces. I especially like how you mixed the fluorite with the soup pieces in the first bracelet. And the beaded hook clasp with the leather makes that last piece SO unique!

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  39. Your pieces are always special, but the last leather necklace is just so original and awesome, from color choices to the gorgoeus toggle you used - and your birdies are so beautiful!

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  40. Gorgeous pieces. Especially I love the beach bracelet, thats a wonderful combination. I love these little urchin bead Caroline made and Lesleys clasp too. All the other pieces are so nice too.

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  41. Love the bead soup you received. And your designs are always stunning Leah. Love all the pieces. And the way you combined the leather with the discs, so clever. Gorgeous work.

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  42. Leah!!! Oh my word, I love these designs! Had a fainting moment over that cool clasp you created for the leather and bird necklace. I think it totally tied the design together, and I love the leather woven section. I really need some of those circle beads.
    The purple and green earrings are just a happy dance on your ears, what a great combo!
    Love both bracelets, but oh, that purple one is divine!!

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  43. Really really pretty!

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  44. Very very nice! I like your work normally, but this was extra special.

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  45. Each piece is lovely. I especially like the green bracelet - i.t reminds me of the ocean

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  46. WOW! That necklace is STUNNING! The rest of the pieces are really terrific as well, but I swooned over the necklace.

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  47. Such lovely work well done!

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  48. Wow! Wow! Wow! All so lovely, but the lilac bird and nest bracelet is my favorite! I love nature elements and you hit the jackpot! Great job!

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  49. Oh, Lea! OMG! This is phenomenal! You created amazing pieces, as you always do, but even so, managed to take it to an even better level. I learn so much from you. I'm just breath-taken here! Gotta gather my thoughts: firstly, your ceramic urchin bead, chunky fluorite and citrine gemstones, a sand dollar charm bracelet is gorgeous, sublime, ethereal. Your butterfly wing & chartreuse bead earrings are adorable & brilliant. Yes, beautiful colorway. Your newest bird bracelet variation is fresh, nurturing, inspiring. The birds nest is exquisite -- delicate & fine, so very very pretty. And your grand finale is superb! Impressive and detailed with glowing brilliance - the sweet bird's nest, butterfly charm, leather & chain, amazing clasp! WOW! A magnificent reveal, one I will revisit as one revisits & reveres art treasures in a gallery. Gracias for your work! Happy Hopping! ♥ Rita

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  50. Both bracelets are to die for! Gorgeous! Love the necklace, too!

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  51. What great soup creations! My favorite is the blue flower bracelet with bird nest. Wonderful job!

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  52. Beautiful designs. The lavender bracelet is my favorite. I can't explain why. I'm just very drawn to the colors and pattern.

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  53. Each and every one of your pieces is so gorgeous. I love the soothing tones of that first bracelet and the bright pops of color for the earrings. The second bracelet is also lovely. You did great with those colors. And, the way you made that chain with the leather and wood beads is SO COOL! Fab job with your soup.

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  54. Great soup, and I particularly like the leather necklace - what a great idea!

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  55. Great assortment of pieces Lea! Each is stunning, but I think my favorite is the ocean themed bracelet (the ocean is my favorite place)! Extremely creative use of the leather weaving to connect the wooden circles!

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  56. what a gorgeous soup you had to play with!!!
    I love all pieces you made but the first bracelet is actually my favorite, such a wonderful color combo!

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  57. OMG I love love love every piece, they are all just works of art. The way you showcased the bird beads and the bird nests is incredible. Absolutely amazing work!

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  58. All your designs are gorgeous! The combination of colors, shapes and materials for each piece is unique! The adorned nest in the bracelet, the collar of the last necklace and its clasp are just some of the things that impressed me a lot!

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  59. I love everything you made, Leah! The beads you received were awesome but you really knocked the ball out of the park with your designs! Sorry this is so late but better late then never, eh?

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