7th Bead Soup Blog Party - Soup's On!

If you make jewelry, you've probably heard of Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Parties, and if you haven't, you're missing out.  Lori explains it best, of course, but in a nutshell, a whole bunch of bead enthusiasts get paired up and send one another a "bead soup" consisting of at least a focal, a clasp and a few coordinating beads.  Then each person must make something using at a minimum the focal and the clasp.  I love to  see all the different soups - there really are endless possibilities.  Then seeing how those soups are transformed fascinates me.  

I have been partnered with the lovely and talented Juli Cannon.  This woman has some mad talent.  She makes lampwork beads AND does bead embroidery and bead weaving and jewelry design.  Her work is incredible.  Pop over to her blog, Studio Juls and take a look around.  You'll can thank me later.

So that gorgeous soup up there?  THAT'S what arrived in my mailbox the other day.  My eyes rolled completely back in my head, I swear.  Just look at that focal.  Juli made it to go with the dalmatian jasper beads - isn't that spiffy!?  She made the round lampwork beads with the swirls, too.  

And if all that wasn't enough?  She sent me another set just because!

I am so in love with this set there aren't words.  My very favorite colors all rolled in together.  I just want to carry them around petting them all day.

And, because obviously Juli is an all or nothing kind of gal, she put in some Czech glass buttons for me to take her package past "over the top" and right to "out of the park".  

I sent Juli a soup with a crazy lace agate with gray and yellows for the focal.  The porcelain owl bead is there just because I thought he was cute and matched the assorted glass seed beads and the mix of stone, recycle glass, Czech and Greek ceramic beads.  I put in a couple of different clasps - one metal and then one made of tagua nut.

This is the second time I've been able to participate , so if you're looking for something to do while you wait for this reveal, you can read about last year's here.  Be sure to come back on March 30th to see what I make with Juli's beads.  Oh, and if you want an endless supply of eye candy, check out the list of participants and their blogs on Lori's blog here.