Bead Peeps Swap N Hop, Part 2: Meet Lori Alainn Blanchard

I too am participating in the Bead Peeps Swap N Hop!  My lovely partner, Lori Alainn Blanchard, lives in Ohio.  Lori & I are paired up in the Seed Bead category of the Hop.  Here are a few of Lori's beadiful, beautiful creations! 

Sugar Skull bracelet, design by FunPatternDesigns, beaded by Lori

I thought this was an appropriate design to share since it is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Time!  Lori used the pattern and added some of her own touches when she beaded it.

Alainn Jewelry on Facebook

I was very taken with these Pop Culture bracelets designed and beaded by Lori.  Aren't they fabulous?! (You can also find Lori on Etsy: My Alainn Jewelry ).

Lori and I had quite the conversation about our "fur kids".  She has dogs and cats (with one troublemaker in the group).  Here are the photos she shared with me.

Not sure which one is the culprit, but they look like they would be fun to live with!  Lori also shared with me that she is the baby of her family, she is 29 (gosh I felt so OLD!), and has been with her husband for 7 years.  We share a love and passion for seeds and all the new shaped seed beads.  We also enjoy beading objects and bead embroidery is a favorite. 

I have quite the stash of goodies pulled for Lori, and can NOT wait to see what she has for me!

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop partner Introduction, part 1

Hi there dear readers!  Part time blogger Chris here, getting ready to introduce to you my partner for the 1st Annual Bead Peeps Swap N Hop!  This is my second hop that I have been involved in.  I  participated in Lori Anderson's final Bead Soup Blog Hop last year.

That was then, this is now.  This year my partner is Stephanie Stamper, from down in the Sunshine State.  She has an orange tree at her house!  Living in Nebraska, growing citrus is a rather strange idea!

 She has been making jewelry for about 10 years now. 

The last few of years or so have been a bit crazed and/or blessed for her as she is a full-time mommy of three little boys, age 4 and younger.  Being the middle one of five boys myself, I can only imagine life from the other side. She does not have as much time to play with her beads as she would like, but it has not stopped her from adding to her stash.  Stephanie and I have been chatting back and forth, learning about each other and exchanging ideas. 

As I type this, part of Stephanie's goodies are sitting in an old peanut butter jar at my elbow, while the rest are cooling in the kiln.  Gee, the deadline for shipping her stash is over three weeks away and I nearly have everything ready, except for the packaging.  How in the world did that happen?

I have been looking forward to this Swap.  I expect to learn some new things while I learn a new technique or two.  Bring it on.