Bead Soup Blog Party...

Another blog party, more pretty, pretty beads! I happily signed up for this "party" with the basic guidelines being that each participant is paired with another, we swap beads (including focal and clasp) and then make a bracelet to be revealed at a later date. During that process, we blog hop to check out the other participants, discover new blogs - you know all the fun stuff. Please take a moment and click on the button on my side bar over there ---------------->
for more information

My partner for this fun event is Marcie also known as La Bella Joya. I have admired her bead embroidered creations for quite some time but had never "met" her. Even though her Etsy shop is one of my "favorites" and I subscribe to her blog, I don't believe I ever even left a comment. Now... here we are partners. Funny how these things work out!

Here are the beautiful beads and findings I received from Marcie.



A wonderful focal cab from Chinook Jewelry and a selection of beads and findings from her personal stash



Some seed beads (thankfully we are both BIG fans of seed beads). And one more photo of her great selection - oh so pretty!



How is this for coincidence - we sent each other similar colors in our bead soup. And here are a couple of photos of what I sent to Marcie



It includes a focal from Lisa Peters Art, Swarovski crystals in pink and green, daggers, 2 different types of vintage nail heads, fresh water pearls, a gold tone toggle clasp and some seed beads.



I just finished my bracelet last night and will reveal it here on my blog on February 26 - the official reveal date.

In other news - there is still time to sign up for the One World One Heart event. A really fun worldwide blogging event that not only allows you the opportunity to discover new blogs all over the world, but each one of those blogs are offering door prizes just for visiting. There are over 800 blogs already, I think I've only made my way through half of them so far, but am having a blast doing it!

Last but not least I was chosen to be a participant in the Best Little Bead Box project which is currently on it's second tour to the homes/studios of 12 beaders. All for a great cause - Beads of Courage. Please take a moment and check out these blogs to learn more about this wonderful event and maybe even bid on one of the awesome lots offered up on Ebay.

2011 One World One Heart... it's time!

***Update*** We have winners - 5 in all, and each have been contacted.

The winners and their prizes as follows:

Winner #1 - Susan of Living the dream - pearl earrings
Winner #2 - Anne of Gaal Creative - white givre brooch
Winner #3 - Angelika of Toscania-art-life - pink zipper pull/key fob
Winner #4 - Peggy of Peggy apl SEEDS - red paua earrings
Winner #5 - Diane of My Art Journal - sunny flower face brooch

Congratulations to all the winners!

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It is time for the fifth and final One World One Heart event. A fun filled WORLD wide event connecting bloggers and others everywhere!

You can blog hop and visit various countries a long the way, maybe meet your new best friend. Added bonus... GIVEAWAYS of all types!

A little about me - I am a mother, a grand mother and a beader. I am a transplant, originally from Southern California, now living in Northeastern Indiana. I have come to discover that I really do not like winter in this part of the country, but I do like a whole lot about this place I now call home. I am geographically close to my family, that is most important - I am happy to weather the cold for that privilege, because I love being near them and being able to spend lots of time with them. But, oh how I long for a warm breeze, mountains and an ocean within driving distance! Especially this time of year.

The One World One Heart event comes at the perfect time for me. It brightens my spirit to have so many visitors that share their thoughts and a little glimpse into their world by way of a comment. And it is always fun to give away my beaded treasures.

This is my fourth year participating and I thought it would be nice to honor each of the 5 years of the event with an item for each year.

The requirements to win are pretty easy - you MUST be an active blogger and you have to leave a comment on this post with a link back to your blog. That is it. Easy, right?

I will notify the winners via email or by way of a comment on your blog in the event your email address is not obvious to me.

As I stated earlier I am a beader, and as such - my items are bead related. I find stress relief and a certain sense of peace when I bead.

Here are the items up for grabs -

Pearl earrings accented with Swarovski crystals for lots of sparkle



A fob, a zipper pull, a dangly thing - whatever you want to call it. It is real flowers encased in resin, embellished with glass beads. More info and photos of this can be found in the blog post just prior to this one - so just scroll down to find it.



Red Paua shell earrings are next up. They are embellished with various glass beads and a Swarovski bead accent in each earring.



The paua shell cab measures 18mm before the beads were added.



They are backed with soft black Ultrasuede.



Next I have a brooch that started with an 18mm vintage, rare white givre crystal cabochon with a white cloud of color swirled inside. The sparkly beauty of the cab is so much prettier in person. I could not capture it accurately with a camera.



It is surrounded with glass beads and Swarovski crystals - for even more sparkle! The beautiful cab was provided by Betcey from Beyond Beadery. Her online store carries these in white and blue.



It is backed with white Ultrasuede.



Last, but certainly not least is a fun pendant/brooch, in beautiful shades of Spring colors. It started with a flower face cab by Jen Martin of GraphixOutpost. I embellished it with glass seed beads, Czech pressed glass leaf beads and Swarovski crystals.



It is backed with bright yellow Ultrasuede.



The winners will be announced on February 17, so I will take comments up until midnight Eastern Time on February 16. Good luck!

After you are done here, don't forget to click the banner up top for all the rest of the links of the blogs participating in the 2011 One World One Heart event. Oh... and HAVE FUN on your journey!

Catching up...

This cute little piece was purchased several years ago as a kit from Beads East. I bought it before I really knew how to bead or much of anything about beads. As a beginner, I found it very appealing since everything I needed to complete it came in a nice tidy kit.

I was in the beginning stages of transitioning from cross stitching to beading. I started out slowly in 2004 with small ornaments and brooches that were a combination of cross stitching and beads, the kits were made by Mill Hill. I loved incorporating beads into my handiwork. I bought more kits (more than I would ever get around to completing). But it was the beads - those beautiful, sparkly beads that quickly grabbed my attention, I have not picked up cross stitching since.

Then, I discovered bead embroidery with small dolls as my focus. I soon lost interest in the kits. Recently I found myself going through some boxes and came across a couple of kits and this one jumped out at me. It is a sweet little kit, and I wanted to bead, but didn't want to start a big project - this was perfect!

The pattern is printed on card stock, I am accustomed to using stiffened felt as my base for beading, it hurt to bead on this card stuff (needle through thumb many times when trying to pierce the card). I found it a little harder to line up beads on it as well. I love the end result though. Here is an in progress photo (click the photo for a larger view).



It measures 4 inches tall by 2 3/4 inches wide and is backed with felt.



It now sits at my bead station. I am not sure yet if I am going to keep it or gift it to someone.



I also finished a pretty pink bracelet for a childhood friend - she LOVES pink.



This is a simple bracelet using a ladder stitch as the base (completed with Delicas) and size 15/0 beads in loops of alternating colors.



Last, but certainly not least - did you notice the new button on my side bar? The one over there ------------------------------> that says "One World One Heart"?

Please click on it and take a few minutes to learn about this wonderful event. It starts on January 30, lasts a couple of weeks. During that time, the links will take you to blogs around the world. If you have a blog and are so inclined - please think about participating, you might just meet your new best friend!