Bead Hoarders Blog Hop Reveal

Once again it is time to use some of the beads the I have in my hoard collection. Lori Anderson is once again hosting the Bead Hoarders Blog Hop, challenging artisans to create something wonderful with beads from our stash. I did this challenge last summer with four different sets of lampwork beads.

This year I decided to start with some beautiful urchin beads by Kathi Mohlman. I purchased them last summer from her etsy shop Earth and Elements Pottery. I used the turquoise & brown urchin beads with the Beaded Bead Sea Urchin I made from Marcia DeCoster's Bead Opulence book.

 I still had the beautiful blue set of urchin beads and decided to use them for this challenge.

I combined these beautiful blue beads with some matte black cultured sea glass barrel beads and some rondelles. Here is the finished necklace.

Keeping with the blue theme I found some blue and white beads that I have had for a number of years. I don't even remember where them came from.

 I added some clear blue & white opaque discs and silver tone bead caps. Here is the finished necklace.

Take some time to hop around and see what amazing creations other artisans have created. Here is the list of fellow partipants.

Thanks to Lori for hosting this hop!

Happy Beading!

Summer Beading

It is the first day fall here in Weston. So I am going to take a look a back at some of the beading I did this summer. Some I have blogged about and some I have not.

Summer started with those three great classes with Jean Power, zinnias, frames and stars. Following the class I finished the zinnia and not just one star but 4.

Finished Zinnia

Finished Stars

In July I was part of the Bead Hoarder's Blog Hop. Using some of the beautiful beads I had been saving I made four different sets of jewellry. Here is my favourite, using beads by Jennifer Tough that I have had stashed in a little metal Swarovski box.

Bead Hoarder's Set

I took a great class at beadfx with Pamela Kearns. The shooting star pendant is from the book Crystal Play by Anna Elizabeth Draeger. In class I did one with jet & red coral Swarovski crystals and silver seed beads. 

First Shooting Star Pendant

I did a secod one later in the summer with green seed beads, green and yellow Swarovski crystals. It is not quite the look I was hoping for. I likely remake it with some brown seed beads to look like a wooden trellis for the flower-like cluster of crystals.

In August I posted about the piece I created with the polymer clay component by Alenka of Pepita Handmade. It was a fun challenge that push me to make something very different then usual!

Pepita Handmade necklace

The last challenge of the summer was the Cabochon Challenge. I loved this reversal pendant project from the August issue of Bead & Button by Amy Kohn made with Lunasoft cabs. I have been wearing the Red/Grey pendant and love being able to flip the piece during the day.

After blogging about Peyote stitch on the Rypan Designs' blog I decided to make a few projects from Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork book. I love the Celtic Trefoil design. It was interesting to see this go from a long loose knot of 99 delicas to a beautiful Celtic Knot Trefoil pendant.

To finish my first one I used short lengths of chain and small Swarovski crystals.

The second one has just silver chain.

My third is accented with mauve Swarovski Pearls.

 I also started to play with the pointed ovals from Diane's book. I was looking to use them to create a flower brooch. I was inspired by this photo I found online a number of years ago.

 Here is one of the pointed ovals in progress.

Five ovals worked together in to a flower. I just need to figure a way to hold it together as a wearable brooch.

 
Here is the necklace that I made with the beads that my friend Maria got for me at Bead & Button show. The beautiful owl pendant is accent with ceramic, copper and wooden beads.

Owl necklace

 Back in July I purchased some amazing ceramic beads from Kathi Mohlman of Earth n Elements Pottery. The urchin beads I wanted to put them with the Sea Urchin beaded bead from Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opulence book. I added some fire-polished beads and pearls.

Sea Urchin Necklace

I finished a few other projects for fall challenge reveals. Stay tuned to see some other fun projects.

In the mail - Earth 'n' Elements Pottery

Here is the latest in my series about amazing things to arrive in my mailbox. Last week I told you about Pepita's Blogoversary.

This week I am sharing with you the amazing pottery beads from Kathi Mohlman.

Back in June is saw these amazing sea urchin beads on the Art Bead Scene Blog.

I love the demin blue colour and shape of them.

I decided to hop over to Kathi's Etsy shop, Earth 'n' Elements Pottery. And wow, she has some wonderful  pottery beads and home decor items. While looking at the many sea urchin beads I was inspired to see if I could find some of them that would work with my Sea Urchin beaded bead.

I saw these lovely little turquoise sea urchin beads.

I also found some bronze sea urchins beads as well.

So here is what arrived in my mailbox from Kathi's studio.

Four Turquoise beads

Two Bronze beads

The set of five blue beads

a lovely bonus cream bead

Sea Urchin beaded bead with Kathi's urchins on a simple chain

I am looking forward to making a more complete necklace with combining the beaded bead and Kathi's beads. I bought some pearls and fire polished beads to work with them.

Watch for the finished piece later in the summer.