Bead Soup Blog Party Postponed

If you are looking for the Bead Soup Blog Party reveal post, it has been postponed by one week to Saturday, May 10th 
Sending, our hostess  Lori Anderson of Pretty Things lots of positive energy and healing vibes. 

To be honest I'm actually sighing with a little relief here, I could use the extra time to get my projects and pictures finished.  I was finally successful in carving out a work space.  So, now I just hope I can do justice to my partner,Regina's mix she sent me.  If you'd like to see the soup I sent her you can check it out here.

Stay tuned!  

Life Happens and Sometimes it's Messy, Messy, Messy

I'm in full panic mode tonight.  There's been a series of "life happens" events that have kept me hopping for the last couple of months. Up until today I had been feeling pretty good about my 'soup' so far.   I absolutely loved the process of deciding upon and making my partner Regina's soup.
I learned so, so much from that side of the exercise and had lots of fun in the process.  I was pleasantly surprised at the lessons and the process surrounding this side of the soup mixing.

Then my soup arrived and I was loving it and ideas were bouncing all over the place!  I seem to have a set of stages I go through before I actually sit down to create something.  Phase 1 is when I go through my ruminating stage where I just let ideas flow in and out as they will.  I don't try and direct it. I probably couldn't if I tried.  I just let it take it's course.  I told my husband it's like having Creative A.D.D.   Most people would probably call it brainstorming but because I don't actively try and direct it I call it A.D.D.    There's no real telling how long this stage will actually last.  It can range from a few hours to a few days, sometimes more.  I'll even dream about the possibilities.  Did I mention I might be a tad OCD?  Sometimes I have to rein it in and just sit and pick one to start.  I was finding this project challenging because I don't do much stringing and for some reason I got locked on the idea that was what I needed to do. So I sat down and concentrated on giving  my ideas a little more focus
I knew time was creeping by and didn't want to get caught at the last moment so I settled on a few design ideas and put a couple of them together to see how well they'd work without actually constructing them because of other pressing things that needed my attention.  The day before I left to go visit my Mom for her 89th birthday I had narrowed my ideas down to a couple of designs and got them ready to assemble when I got back.  I was still feeling fairly confident and enjoying the process thoroughly even though I knew I'd be gone 10 days.  The plan was to get down to brass tacks and put it all together once I got back.  The designs were fairly well set and all that was left was the mechanics. I was excited and looking forward to it. I got home today,  BUT...  this is what I came home to.

This is the main door to my Jewelry Room, all sealed shut to try and minimize the dust that's going to soon permeate what will feel like every corner of the house.

Door 2: A different kind of barrier but almost as effective.

We've been waiting for a while now to have this work done and unfortunately the contractor called at the last minute and wanted to start work the next day.  So Claude made an executive decision and piled everything from the first room where the work is starting into the jewelry room.  There weren't a lot of other choices.   Once the first room is done then we'll have to move everything from the jewelry room into the first room so they can finish my room too.  Phew, I get tired just thinking about it.

A curio cabinet, full length mirror, tall dresser, bookcase, and 3 wardrobes along with the normal     
                                               workroom furniture make it a tad cluttered.

Yes, my soup is buried in there somewhere.

                     
That's what has me worried.  I'm hoping things will look better in the light of a new day and that I'll find everything I need to get cooking tomorrow morning and find a way to carve out a small workspace somewhere. Wish me luck!



Oh.  One more, before I head to slumber land.  This is the progress on the other room.

Not one little bit of insulation in that wall!  No wonder heating is costing a small fortune.

Sweet dreams all.  Wish me luck for the morning.

The Soup Pot is Simmering

Everything is hush hush until my partner receives her soup. I can't wait to find out who my partner is so I can make the final decisions on what to include in her soup.  So many ideas dancing around in my head.

I can't show anything I've worked on for the BSBP, but I'm happy to say it's already helping me to grow and motivating me to expand my skill set.  I made a bunch of clasps tonight for the first time.  I quite like how most of them turned out, but plan on doing more so I have a good variety to choose from.  Tomorrow I plan on making some etched toggle clasps and torch painting copper hearts.  Lots of copper hearts.  I cut, sanded and textured them already and now they're ready to torch. I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

I read a blog last night from a past BSBP, that mentioned their blog partner was Szarka Carter and that sent me into a mini panic. What if I get Szarka?  She's like a goddess to me and owns the most wonderful online gem and mineral store. How could I possibly come up with a soup that might impress her...or challenge her for that matter? Ah well, I got over it quick enough and I think I'd welcome the challenge now.
Speaking of Szarka, she just got back from Tucson and has some beautiful new stock.  Too bad I'm so poor!
If you like beautiful stones and artisan jewelry, check her out .  That's where I'm headed now!

Szarka's store/ Magpie Gemstones