Due to the fact that Chris and I are both participating in the BSBP, this post is a bit long! Stephanie's post is the first half and Chris's is the second half. Don't know if we are the first husband and wife team to participate, but it sure was fun!
Stephanie's Reveal
"Bravery"
I have had the word bravery on my mind since Lori Anderson shared a Sara Bareilles' Brave video on Facebook the other day. Have you seen it? I hadn't. I listen to so many audio books while I work and bead, that I have rather lost touch with the current music. If you have not heard it, here is the link:
Sara Bareilles - Brave
After watching the video, it got me thinking about the past year of my life. I lost a friend to suicide and my Dad to cancer. So I have been thinking about what BRAVE is in my life. Brave is to keep getting out of bed each morning (even if it is hard). Brave is asking for help with my depression, whether it is from Chris, Mina, friends, or my doctor. Brave is reaching out to try new things, even if they make you uncomfortable. This is why my title is "Brave". My partner,
Staci Louise Smith, sent me beads and color palettes I do not normally design with.
Here is what she sent me:
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| miscellaneous stones, polymer focals created by Staci, Genea Bead clasp, Bronze clay charms created by Staci |
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| actual sea glass beads drilled by Staci, wooly wire, focal from Staci (small donut), Marsha Neal Studios (large donut), handmade artist headpins, and a clasp Staci made. |
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So, as you can see, these are not my "normal" rainbow bright colors! No sparkles! Goodness, talk about BRAVE, I must admit I was rather intimidated. So I started with a focal. For my first piece, Marsha's seafoam green swirl donut spoke to me. It said "ocean". So here is my creation!
I chose a fiber blend from Kumihimo Go, and pulled the colors from that for my design. I used a hank of Czech glass seed beads I purchased in Tucson for the tassel and the chain I designed from messing around with my beads! I added some of the Czech glass fire polish beads Staci included in my mix into the tassel, and some Chinese crystals with antique brass pearls into the chain. I did a modified mix of right angle weave, reinforced stringing (in a loop) and then did a twist in the middle of each link which was then stitched to hold it in place. The bail was made from Jean Powers' Shaped Beadwork design, using a blend of colors of Delica beads. I added two strands of strung beads from the bottom of the front to the bottom of the back of the bail to connect it. I had to do a bit of adjustment to get the right amount of space for the cords to slide through smoothly. I embellished with a couple Crystalet buttons to give a tiny bit of sparkle. I originally thought I would weave the ribbons through my stitched chain, but thought it hid too much of my beadwork. I connected my chain ends together with the Genea Beads clasp Staci sent. I originally wanted to add some antique brass sea charms but couldn't make them work with the design. So I made this with them instead!
I used starfish and a seashell charm, a Swarovski crystal starfish, a Beach Shack made by
Pips (a wonderful polymer artist from Wiltshire, United Kingdom), Czech glass bead dangles, the sea glass beads Staci made for me, and the clasp Staci made for me (which looked like an "S" so I made it a charm). The bracelet clasp is just a regular lobster clasp. The "set" wouldn't be complete without earrings, so here they are.
Czech glass beads with double sided seahorse charms.
Now with all the beady goodness left over, I had to keep designing! I wanted to pay homage to Staci's funky, rustic designs and incorporate her focals. This is the necklace I designed.
I used some wide, flat copper colored aluminum wire I purchased at Michaels to join the donut and the charm dangle (which to me looks like a butterfly wing). By using this for my connection, I imitated Staci's metal folding designs. I added some larger copper/gunmetal colored chain and some smaller rolo chain in a corresponding color. I added a matte finish extra large lobster clasp. With bead dangles from my soup mix, the necklace was pretty heavy and slightly distorted the way the chain lay. Wanting to add the wooly wire to the design, I wrapped a couple bands above the bead dangles to connect the chains together for support. I tried to add some to the pendant, but I couldn't come up with a non-fussy way to incorporate it, so I didn't.
I wanted to make a bracelet with one of the focals Staci sent so I went with a simple Boho style, using waxed linen cord and some of the wooly wire to attach things together. I really love the matte finish large Czech glass lentilee beads which rather look like a butterfly. I added a few seed bead drops for a tiny bit of movement and several other beads from my "Staci" mix.
Rounding out my designs is another pair of earrings using Staci's Bronze clay charms.
With such cool pieces to design with, I didn't need to add much! I used a pair of Jelly Pins, stacked a few Czech glass beads for a dangle. I want to thank Staci for being such an amazing partner and for all the work Lori Anderson does in putting together these amazing bead challenges! Hope you feel better soon! This was what I sent to Staci, so I can't wait to see what she designed!!
Chris's Reveal
"Explore"
I guess that is a good word to describe my journey into the world of the Bead Soup Blog Party. Stephanie, my wife, has participated in several prior Blog Hops. As a result of her participation, I have made lampwork beads for most of my wife's partners, each time a focal of some sort and a few coordinating beads. I was almost as excited as she was getting her soup together to send. The anticipation and waiting for the arrival of the soup from the partner was just about as hard on me as it was for her. And finally the work and wait for the reveal. She did the work and I offered opinions when she asked. My final job was to photograph stuff for her. So you see, I was participating in the Bead Soup vicariously through her. This time around, I finally took the plunge and joined up on my own, with a push or two from her.
So first things first. Here is what I sent to my partner. I wonder what she will do with it?
My partner,
Charlie Jacka, sent me a soup made up of two parts. Part one is components handmade by her. There is a ceramic ---- flower pendant, a brass link, a mixed metal clasp, and a brass and copper clay plaque. The brass and copper piece has the text "explore" worked into the design, hence the title of this piece.
Part two is miscellaneous supporting beads consisting of brass heshi, dyed Howlite, fuchsia jade, agate rounds, turquoise, and beach glass heshi.
Charlie told me she had two soup mixes put together, one a bit more masculine and one a bit more feminine. I said I could work with either. I think I got the more feminine one. So here it goes.
My first piece uses the flower pendant as the focal as well as the mixed metal toggle clasp. I incorporated my love of chainmaile into this piece with a bit of box weave connecting the flower to the clasp and a bit up one side. One side of the necklace is made up of wire wrapped segments and the other side is traditionally strung on beading wire. The sides join to a piece of antique copper chain that I wove hand dyed cording through. The cord is a leftover bit I had from what I sent to Charlie. The cording softens the feel of the chain on the back of the neck and compliments the colors of the metals through out. I added the pink and purple Czech beads to add to spread those colors out and because I like Czech glass.
My next piece uses the handmade connector/ link thingie that Charlie made. I initially tried to work it into a charm bracelet with lots of dangles but I did not like where that was going. So I went simple instead. This is my version of something that my wife designs that I like to call a "Do-dangler". I used the link with some of the brass heshi, sea glass heshi, and some of the Czech glass beads I used in the first necklace along with a nice brass chain.
I found the vintage brass dangles a while back and thought that they would make good earrings. The Bead Soup challenge was just the vehicle to make me follow through. I used a couple of brass heshi with a sea glass piece together with the brass bits to make a pair of simple yet elegant earrings.
My final piece is a departure from what I have usually seen in the Bead Soup. Charlie sent me an ingredient that she made special for me, to commemorate the first time I actually participated in Bead Soup and to inspire me for the challenge. It is a plaque made from copper metal clay with rivet finished holes on each end with the word "explore" formed by an inlay of brass metal clay. A very pretty and thoughtful item to include in my soup, don't you think?
My initial thought was to make something for myself. But what? I toyed with the idea of a chainmaile bracelet but I was not happy with how it would come together without serious modification of the plaque on my part. I thought about drilling out the existing rivets and mounting it on leather to make a bracelet that way. I went so far as to get an assortment of rivets and rivet setting tools before nixing that idea because I could not find a leather base I liked. Scrounging around in my part of our studio, I found some little painting panels I had picked up a year or two ago for a project I thought up but never followed through with.
Eureka! I would explore the project I thought up using the plaque from Charlie and some of my own work. So with paint, patterned paper, a custom made matte, glue, and some time at the torch, I set to work. I painted my box, white on the outside and pale green on the inside. I spent time torching, making some tiny flower pots, some leaves, and a couple flowers out of glass. I cut and glued paper to simulate a landscape, installed the matte that was designed to look like a kitchen window, assembled my plants, planted said plants in the tiny pots, glued the pots to the windowsill, and finally attached the plaque to the frame with tiny brass nails. My first foray into mixed media art!
What do you think?
I had a great time participating in the Bead Soup Blog Hop. I stepped out of my comfort zone, color wise. I used different metals than I have ever used before. I tried some things that were definitely new to me while sticking with some more familiar things too. I had successes and failures. But in the end, I am happy with what I created. Thank you Charlie for being my partner and for the great soup mix. Thank you Lori for setting this whole thing up and for putting off the reveal by a week to give me time to follow my muse. I hope you get to feeling better! And last but not least, thank you Stephanie for pushing me to step up and step out, for the moral support, for being a sounding board for my ideas and so much more! I love you Pookums!
To hop to the next post, click the artist links below!
Chris Haussler http://pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com
Maire Dodd
http://mairedodd.blogspot.com/
