Shameless Plug...Or Beg

Friends - Many of you know that due to some unforeseen circumstances, I ended up moving home last summer rather hastily.  I'm DESPERATE to get my things back to me...including my car, hospital style bed, camera, other jewelry supplies, clothing, shoes... everything.  If YOU feel led to Help A Sistah Out, would you?  ANY donation will help!  THANK YOU! 

http://www.gofundme.com/2hw19k

BEAD SOUP! Nom Nom!

BEAD SOUP REVEAL!!!

Ok some of you are like...uh...what?!

Several months ago, I joined a little group known as Bead Soup Cafe and what we do there is several times a year, a very SWEET and ORGANIZED woman opens up the opportunity to exchange "Bead Soup" with a partner, who has a style quite different from your own.  You are given a few weeks to put together a BANGING piece of jewelry from what is sent to you.  It is requested that you send REALLY nice beads and must have a clasp as well as a 'focal' piece.  Over 500!! People signed up and you can see them all right here: http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/03/7th-bead-soup-blog-party-first-reveal.html

My partner was a very kind and adorable lady named Jackie and her blog is: http://jaacquelinesjewels.blogspot.com/ - please take a moment to visit!  She's from the great Commonwealth of Kentucky! (I don't think KY is a state? - anyway)  She sent me a beautiful mixture of beads that she made and thought would go together swimingly. =)  

If I'm being honest, it was a challenge for me (and it should have been).  I'm much more of a bright, chunky, silvery kinda gal and was presented with a mixture totally out of my comfort zone.  If I'm being more honest - i LOVED it!  I LOVED being stretched to look at things I wouldn't typically gravitate towards and making it kinda fit my style.  SO - without further adieu I give you what was sent to me.  

 

And THIS is what I made!!!   I LOVE IT!! =)  OH and she MADE the STUNNER of a pendant and the matching beads - she MADE THEM!!

Day 6 - Use a different metal

Today's challenge is to try a different metal - here I come copper....

Typically, I'm a silver girl.  I don't know why - I just like it.  Today's challenge was to use a different metal, so I went with copper.  I found these GORGEOUS earring pieces and purchased these stunning vintage, czech glass beads and found out how beautiful they look together!  Proud of this one. =)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/125688978/vintage-copper-and-green-earrings

Day 5 - Use some leftovers

YAY!  Use some leftovers!! 

These beads are awe-some!  When I first started beading, I purchased these little tubes of glass beads.  They were a nice variety for a good price and at that point, I was still a beginner and didn't need anything fancy (do I NEED fancy now?  NO!).  I've come to LOVE these beads because I can make ADORABLE pieces for a decent price and still good quality.  These beads are some of my oldest and some of my favoritest!  OH - and I made a new product too - medical id bracelets. =)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/125580554/multicolor-medical-id-bracelet

Day 4 - Try a New Beading Weave....um...

So - today is "Try a New Beading Weave" day - I don't bead weave.  Instead, I decided to do 'Finish a project' day...so that's what I did. 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I will be having a piece of my jewelry in BeadStyle Magazine (the largest in the World), in July!  I made this piece in the same style as the piece that will be in the magazine.  I made it a little more formal/bridal - just because I could. =)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/125571526/pearl-crystal-silver-bib-style-necklace

Day 3 - A piece for a friend

A few weeks ago, a girlfriend asked me to create a badge holder for her, for her newly minted badge!  I have been working on a few different options for her and am awaiting her decision on which she likes best =)

YAY!  I also made another badge that could be purchased by anyone, but is simply beautiful, if I do say so myself. =)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125572285/badgelanyard-holder-silver-and-clear

Day 2: A simple strung necklace

A simple strung necklace - I chose to re-do a necklace I had that hadn't sold.  Here's the new...


Here is day 2:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/100672149/pink-cream-and-silver-necklace

And the old:

Giving it a Whirl!

In my last post, I talked about not being in my bead room, enough.  SO!  I have decided to do a 30 day beading challenge.  An online supplier has issued a challenge and offered a calendar of 30 days of beading fun and I'm going to give it a whirl!

Day 1:
A pair of earrings
https://www.etsy.com/listing/125259832/light-blue-springy-wire-earrings

Ugh

I realized tonight that it's been a looong time since I spent some "quality time" in my beading room.  Just haven't felt inspired lately.  I dunno why.  Perhaps because I've been discouraged with some things that are happening behind the screen, but more I think because I just have been feeling kind of..... un-important.

I'm not saying I'm depressed, but just frustrated that people who SHOULD care for us - continue to refuse care to me.  It hurts my feelings, but more than that, it makes me sad that the reason I feel this way is because I feel unwanted and unworthy.  Now, many might think "oh gee - she's feeling bad because she's single".... no.... I'm feeling bad because DOCTORS are treating me this way.  (BTW - don't we PAY them to care about us?)  Why is that acceptable?  I didn't ASK for the issues I have, I didn't PICK them, I didn't CHOOSE them.... so why is it ok for someone to tell me that they don't want me?  *I* didn't have that choice.  Do these people REALIZE the message that they sending?  The message is "you're not worth my time" - then they wonder why depression is so rampant.  Really?!

Craft Night!

Here it is - or was - Valentines Day and I find myself single - again.  In years past, I've often had parties to celebrate singleness, done Mystery Dinners, and all kinds of other fun evenings with lots of friends and great memories.  This year, I was feeling kinda down not knowing what I was going to do, because I'm still new here and still feel pretty dis-connected.  I don't feel like I have a flowing group of friends that I can call at the drop of a hat to hang out for the evening, go do something crazy or just hang out.  (For the record, I've been here since August and I've not had one friend (non-family member) come to my home or frankly, even know where it is)

Since I've been here, I've done my best to attend a weekly Bible study with some ladies.  I've struggled to feel like I fit in and feeling like I'm not liked.  More importantly, I feel like it doesn't matter if I'm there or not - which makes it even harder for someone who has struggled with social anxiety, since becoming chronically ill, to feel like they "belong".

Well, on Tuesday, after our study - I was talking with 2 other girls and discussing what we were going to do tonight, after dinner.  I offered to bring supplies to make bracelets.  I just kinda threw the idea out and it seemed to be well received.  So, as I started to plan for this (mind you, 48 hours ago) I realized that if I was going to do this - I wanted to bring out the 'good stuff'.  We, as single women, are often discounted as not valuable because we're not married.  The truth is - we're the 'good stuff' in God's eyes!  SO, knowing that I'd want to bring Swarovski, Preciosa and other high quality beads I realized that I didn't have enough for a group of  up-to 10.  I needed a plan change - and quick.  I came up with the idea to make pendants.

I brought some glass tiles, some 'glossy accents' and scrapbook papers and we went to work.  We had so much fun cutting things out, being creative and laughing!  I also told the ladies about my angst of not having enough of the 'good stuffs' to bring for the class, so I brought small little Swarovskis and put one on each of the girls bails (the little metal piece which makes a little piece of something into a pendant), before they glued them on. *OOOH I love me some phone photos - still sad my camera is holed up in my storage unit in Virginia =(*

It turned out to be a great night - full of home cooked food, hand crafted pendants and remembering that WE are God's Swarovski - Shining like the sun, for HIM!