Bead Soup Blog Party...Revealing the Soup!

 Well, it's finally here...The big reveal!  I think this has been a fun, challenging, and rewarding experience as a designer.  Many thanks to my talented partner, Lara Lutrick, for the colorful soup including her beautiful lampwork, and to Lori Anderson for being a most gracious host. 

Please check out my partner Lara's blog to see what she's up to at  

http://www.lutrick.blogspot.com/ 

And you can shop in her etsy store for beautiful lampwork beads at

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lutrick

As a reminder...Here's my original soup from Lara...

First of all, I love the lampwork that Lara sent.  It's so pretty and the colors are like a fiesta to me!  That being said, I found my challenge was using the slider ring.  It was hands~down my favorite soup ingredient, but I had never worked with one before. 

 (Kind of like someone who'd never met garlic before...whoa...this stuff is great!) 

I messed around with all kinds of things and ideas before I came up with my seed bead bail idea that incorporated the lampwork bead that went with the focal.

I experimented with different beads and found myself with less and less space to work in...

Do any of you do that?  I'll clear my spot, and an hour later I'm working in three square inches of space...Aagghhhhh!!!!!!!!!

 I adore wire, so I felt compelled to add a little wire work in, since I just happened to have the right color...

 Well, my fellow bloggers... I ended up trying a new color combo, and a  new bead shape.  I got a new perspective on the blogging world.  The best thing is connecting with fellow artists, getting to know all of you, and sharing our creativity.

Thank you again to our gracious hostess, Lori, and to my BSBP partner Lara...May the beads be with you!

For links to all of the Bead Soup Blog Party participants, please visit Lori's blog at  http://www.prettythingsblog.com/

Recently I got turned on to a really cool site called http://foodgawker.com/

It sometimes help me answer the daily question "What's for dinner?...  There are beautiful pictures of all kinds of food and beverages. Today I came across this recipe for Basil Lime Cookies that I think sound delicious.  I'm going to give them a try.  I read that they taste like a Margarita, and there's nothing wrong with that!

 

 Basil Lime Cookies recipe from Big Fat Baker 

• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp very finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 7 ounces (1 3/4 cup) flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line the cookie sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer (or hand-held mixer) cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the egg, vanilla, zest, and basil. Mix together until fully combined.
4. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix into the butter mixture until combined.
5. Roll 1 tbsp of dough to make a little sphere. Repeat with remaining dough. Place about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.
6. Bake 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies/oven.
7. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes

What a little sun will do...

A couple weeks ago, this is what life on my street looked like.  This is before we lost power for two days (we were lucky, some people lost it for as much as two weeks).  This is also before the ice storm and before our governor declared Washington to be in a state of emergency.  Well, there's still a lot of clean up to be done, even in our own yard we have tons of branches down, and one is about 25 feet long!

Well today was a different story...It was beautiful and sunny!  I got out of the house and soaked it up.  'Went to a really good lunch with my Aunt Sheila and then did some bead shopping at Shipwreck.  We both found enough goodies to fill a little bag and went home inspired by our little treasures and the bright sunny day.  It can be so re-charging to get out and enjoy the first sunny days after a crazy winter storm.  It's supposed to be sunny again tomorrow, so my plan is to open the curtains, turn up the tunes and create!  The downed limbs can wait!!!

Bead Soup Blog Party

Today I received my bead soup from my blog party partner, Lara Lutrick, and I love them!  They are in a  happy color pallet...To me they look Springy/Southwest, and I think I will have fun creating a unique and beautiful piece with them.  Lara makes beautiful lampwork beads that anyone would be proud to work with.  You can visit her blog at http://www.lutrick.blogspot.com/, and her Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lutrick.  Here's a photo of the pretty beads I get to work with...

Bead Soup Blog Party

I'm so excited, I get to participate in Bead Soup Blog Party! I got paired with Lara Lutrick, a lampwork artist and fellow Washingtonian. We get to exchange beads, make a piece of jewelry with the beads (plus whatever we want to add to the beads) then post the finished piece on our blogs. Fun!

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2011/09/prepare-for-5th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

Bead Star 2011

I would like to say a big congratulations to my Aunt Sheila, who placed third in the glass category in the 2011 Bead Star contest!  She is a talented lampwork artist and jewelry designer, and her bracelet, "Batik Sarong"  definitely deserved the honor!  Here is a photo of her bracelet, and if you'd like to check out her other awesome beads and jewelry, go to  http://www.etsy.com/shop/stonedesignsbysheila.  Well, what are you waiting for? Go!

 I just found out about this cool Bead Soup Blog Party...It sounds really fun!  The participants are picked at random, and I hope I get picked!  It's a bead exchange, then you post what you make on your blog for everyone to see.  I want to play!