It’s  time once again for the Bead Soup Blog Party 8!!  As always, BSBP is led by our lovely internet host Lori Anderson.  This year my partner is seed beader extraordinaire Enikö Fabian from Austria and this is the soup she sent me (not all of it since i’d already used a lot of those little floral beads to make the necklace before remembering to take this picture, OOPS!): Now, if you’re familiar with my work then you know pastels and tiny printed florals are not at all themes that i work in but of course, the whole purpose of the BSBP is to push us out of our comfort zones.  I considered making a big peach and green glass floral heart to work as a focal but again, my personal goal is always to work primarily with what i’m sent. Soooo…tiny round peach and white flowers it is!  I tried to work in the big bronze butterfly but i just wasn’t feeling it – esp. when i saw what else Enikö sent – some of her awesome beadwork (see it there under the butterfly?)!  This beaded focal was meant as a gift for me and strung simply on a black rubber cord but i couldn’t resist immediately taking it off the cord and working it into my bead soup design. I mean the butterfly is cute and all but handmade is always best!After playing around a bit, this is what i made and i’m pretty happy with it.  Just to clarify – all that precise beadweaving is by Enikö.  Those ivory seed beads piled in the centre of the woven star? That’s me.  I lack the skills (and the patience) to work with tiny beads plus i find the contrast of the loose vs. the tight design quite appealing.I I also added some tiny metal spacers as accents to go with the bronze chain she sent, a couple vintage faux carnelian olives and some pale yellow serpentine and dark peachy-toned aventurine spears to break up the roundness of the design.  I wasn’t too keen about the tiny lobster clasp on the chain so took that off and MacGyvered this toggle clasp from the four bronze beads in the soup.This year’s BSBP is running about a week behind schedule due to health issues with our host Lori and folks being out of town for the Mother’s Day weekend.  Enikö hasn’t posted what she made with my soup yet, but in the meantime, you can look at her other work here:  http://www.perleni.blogspot.ca/.  Here’s a sneak peak at the soup i sent her – it’s one of my glass focals with coordinating ribbed spacers, freshwater pearls, gemstones, laser-cut coconut shell discs and a gunmetal chain and toggle clasps.

If you’d like to view the other BSBP8 creations click the pic below and scroll down to the list on Lori’s site.  Enjoy!