Pearls! Pearls! Pearls! Blog Hop

Was especially interested in being in this blog hop as, I too, very much enjoy working with pearls! ...so the only problem for me was choosing which kind of pearls to work with...:)...and finding the time to write this post...especially with the revel date of tomorrow! :)
Found (at Michael's) some wonderful beaded beads done with freshwater seed pearls in lavender and peach. I paired them with Amethyst and light green crystals and frosted peach top drilled glass beads. The necklace and earrings came together pretty fast, once I decided what to work with!
I'm very pleased with how they came together and hope all that come to view them like them as well as I do!

close up of one section of necklace

loved the way the earrings came out!

the finished set

Thank you for coming and visiting my blog.  MiShel Designs hosted this blog hop.  Thank you Shel for being willing to do so, I sure have enjoyed being a part of it! :) Below is the list of other creative beaders that also love working with pearls. I can't wait to see what they have on their blogs!
Ev

Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! Blog Hop Participant List:

MiShel Designs - Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! Blog Host 

Sadafulee,…Always in Bloom 

Antiquity Travelers

Jewelry By Jasvanti

Bead Contagion

 Back Story Beads

Sharyl’s Jewelry and Reflections

Silver Niknats

Fresh Baked Designs

Lisa Yang Jewelry

Designed by Vera

Serena Trent

Amy Bright

Carefree Jewelry by Lisa

Agape Creations Jewelry

Klassy Joolz

Beautifully Broken Me

One Kiss Creations

Stories from the City of  Brass

Make Bracelets!

Carolyn’s Creations

Raindrop Creations Jewelry

Freestyle Elements

Staycation Blog Hop, sponsored by Tesori Trovati Jewelry

Hi there! Well have joined another blog hop and am enjoying each one immensely as I complete them! I learn something new about myself and what I'm capable of creating, as well as, get to see how others are stretched in their creativeness... what a wonderful bonus that is too! This new blog hop is all about travel, but not the kind you think of first. It is a 'stay'cation' type of travel...one where you 'stay' home for your vacation! Neat idea, huh? :) I thought so...and as you can see, the deadline for the revel is coming up this weekend...had to think long and hard about this one as I live in an area where there are many, many choices to choose from for it! :) 

   As I live in Olympia, Washington, I came to the conclusion that there are just too many different parts of this area to choose from, so decided to go with something that tends to dominant the skyline on clear days here where I live...depending on which way you are looking! :) Here are some pictures to give you a clue... ...and a sampling of some of the varied wildlife that lives there!
Mt Rainier at sunset
              Mountain chipmunk
                                                           fox
Blue grouse                   Marmot
                                        white tailed deer
black bear        Alta Vista sunrise  


 **Note: all pictures are courtesy of Dreamstime.com (found online)

A little historical information about Mt Rainier...from Wikipedia*.
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of 14,411 ft (4,392 m). 
Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. On clear days it dominates the southeastern horizon in most of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area to such an extent that locals sometimes refer to it simply as "the Mountain." On days of exceptional clarity, it can also be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon and Victoria, British Columbia. With 26 major glaciers and 36 sq mi (93 km²) of permanent snowfields and glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states. The Carbon, Puyallup, Mowich, Nisqually, and Cowlitz Rivers begin at eponymous glaciers of Mount Rainier. The sources of the White River are Winthrop, Emmons, and Fryingpan Glaciers. The White, Carbon, and Mowich join the Puyallup River, which discharges into Commencement Bay at Tacoma; the Nisqually empties into Puget Sound east of Lacey (one of the 'bedroom' communities in the Olympia area; and the Cowlitz joins the Columbia River between Kelso and Longview.
 At the time of European contact, the river valleys and other areas near the mountain were inhabited by many Pacific Northwest tribes who hunted and gathered berries in its forests and mountain meadows. These included the Nisqually, Cowlitz, Yakama, Puyallup, and Muckleshoot.
Citing the need to also protect scenery and provide for public enjoyment, railroads and local businesses urged the creation of a national park in hopes of increased tourism. On March 2, 1899, President William McKinley established Mount Rainier National Park as America's fifth national park. Congress dedicated the new park "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and "... for the preservation from injury or spoliation of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition." 
Hope you have enjoyed reading about and seeing some pictures of a very interesting part of our state of Washington! :)
...now, did you think I forgot!!!
Nope, didn't. :)
Here is what I envisioned  as I thought about the beauty that surrounds this majestic peak and the wildlife (and flowers...hum, didn't get much of that in pictures...maybe next time! ) that inhabits the area...and the materials that I used...
I found a piece of agate that reflected (I think) the shape of the mountain and some of the colors of late summer (like now!) and the fall. To go with it I chose an earth tone mix of seed beads, in pale pink, brown, gold, tan, green, dark blue and purple, as I didn't want to overshadow the pendant.

Above you can see how I used the antique gold cones with a simple gold clasp, to string the triple strand of seed beads...

Here is a close up of the pendant, which I wire wrapped so that it would not flop around! Although, when I threaded it through the strands of seed beads, I left it loose so that it is free to slide back and forth.  :)

I decided to leave part of the gold ring of the hoops showing...

The finished piece! Simple, but elegant...don't you think? :)

 If you click on each picture, they will enlarge and you will get a better, closer look at them. I do not have a camera that can take really good pictures, so have used my smart phone...and it doesn't take the best pictures!
Look forward to viewing each of your creations in turn come the 31st! :)
Ev

Pepita Blogoversay Blog Hop

Hi all!
Time for the reveal for Pepita's Blogoversay blog hop...:) Here is the piece that I created from the focal bead that Pepita sent to me. I think it turned out very nice! ...had some difficulties along the way, as the bead arrived in poor condition "I.E. broken" (the mail service was less than gentle in handling her package, even though she wrapped it in bubble wrap!) When I emailed her to tell her about this, she was gracious enough to send me, not one, but two to replace it! So here is what I did...

I only used one of the focal beads as I was running out of time to get my piece ready to put on my blog. I used lime green and antique copper seed beads and small goldstone nuggets (not moonstone!) to accent the colors in the focal bead. I think it looks pretty good...the picture isn't the best, as I used my phone to take it with. 

This second picture is a little clearer...:)  
 I had a hard time getting it in focus as you can see...none of the pictures I took did it justice...the goldstone is very sparkly and it can't be seen in the pictures at all...I found that if you click on the picture and look at it enlarged the pictures are better... I tried one last time and the below picture is much clearer than the others...Enjoy! :) Ev

My new grandbaby~

Well, several people have asked about the newest grandbaby that has entered my life...:) I have four now...and don't think that I will see anymore! :)
Below you will see a picture of Mason Andrew...who came into world at 38 weeks instead of 40...so he changed everyone's schedule right off the bat!! :)
He weighted in at 7# 9ozs and was 19" long. He joins a proud mom & dad and big sister (who is 6).

Here is the first piece I made...

 Bead Hoarders Blog Hop entry...
I would have put these on my blog sooner, but as my daughter is due to have the latest grandson any minute now, was otherwise occupied attending to a 'false alarm'! :) Sorry about that...hope some will come by to see these, or revisit me to catch them now....Ev
 This first piece is made with tigers eye that is a blue/black and yellow/brown mix...they are just some of the loveliest colors I've ever seen!

Please scroll down to see my black & white piece...sorry about the delay in getting it posted...been a crazy week for me! :) Thanks!

Bead Hoarders Unite! ....for the Bead Hoarders Blog Hop...

http://tinyurl.com/mkup7ea

I'm looking forward to the next several Sundays (as that is when I do most of my beading)...to looking through my stash to see what I can come up with for this blog hop! :)
There are 165 other beaders, besides me :) that 'hoard' their beads too! Wow!...and am sure that not everyone who wanted to participate was able to either...which is a bummer for them, but as Lori said, this will become an annual event...so will see what happens next year...and I think that is a wonderful idea! Thanks Lori! :)
Ev

Black & While Challenge, sponsored by

  

 The Challenge:

  Design a piece of jewelry that uses only black and white in the design. 

It can be elaborate or minimalist but only in black and white.

Exceptions To The Rules:

1.  wire, metal or chain in silver, copper, brass, bronze, white or black can be used

2.  crystal or crystal AB color beads can also be used to ACCENT the piece

Reveal Date:  Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

There are 35 participants, including Sally Rissick our hostess. 

I've included 3 close ups here so that you can see the features better...! :)

 

Here is my finished piece. I used silver accent seed beads and a silver toggle clasp to go with the black and white. I'm quite pleased with the results! :)
Thanks Sally, for allowing me to participate in such a fun enterprise... enjoyed the challenge a great deal!

Black & White Challenge

Am excited to be a part of a new challenge sponsored by






The challenge is to create a piece of jewelry using only black and white beads with a reveal date of July 10, 2013. Should be interesting...the mind is already whirling! :)



<a href=”http://wp.me/p25Fmq-Bq”><img src=”http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/8871810032_56a869fac2_m.jpg” width=”120″ height=”240″ alt=”BW Badge”></a>

7th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party

Thank you to all of you who have come to my blog and viewed, and commented so nicely, on my finished pieces! Appreciate it a lot...:)
Wanted anyone coming by to know that I will not be posting anything new for a few weeks after this weekend, as I am having surgery on Monday, the 22nd and the meds the docs give me make me sooo goofy and sleepy! :) See you again in, hopefully, a couple of weeks.
Ev

7th Annual Bead Soup Party, the 2nd Reveal!

Well, it's time for the second reveal; which was delayed {hope you are feeling better now Lori! :) http://createdtreasures.blogspot.com/} and here is what I made with the lovely beads that Cindy sent to me...:)
Cindy surely has an 'eye' for what to put in a 'bead soup' as the beads almost fell into place for me...LOL! Here is the link to Cindy's site so that you can view what she did with the beads that I sent to her.
http://createdtreasures.blogspot.com/
I first used the colorful mix of square glass beads with one of the two kinds of bone beads that she sent to me. I chose to use a copper leaf clasp and daisy spacers as the copper seemed to blend better with the bead mix; instead of the silver square toggle clasp that she gave me (she sent me TWO wonderfully different clasps!).

The finished piece!

Lovely little dangles.

Copper toggle leaf clasp...

The second piece turned out even better! I used tiny clear/gold AB coated seed beads in between the etched round bone beads and the rose quartz beads...also used the seed beads to 'define' the area above the bone butterfly focal.

I really like way the rose quartz and the etched bone beads went so well together...and the butterfly focal was a perfect fit with it...!

A close up of the wonderful bone swan (?) clasp...

Really enjoyed being a part of the Bead Soup Challenge and am already looking forward to next time...! Below you will find the link to the list of all who participated! Enjoy viewing the ones you can...seeing them all could take quite some time! :) LOL
Ev
http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/04/preview-of-2nd-reveal-blog-list-for-7th.html

Well, I'm getting pretty excited...as it is almost time for the first reveal in the7th Annual Bead Soup Party Blog Hop! :) which takes place on 3/30/13...even though I won't be participating until the 2nd reveal on 4/6/13, I can hardly wait to see some of the creations that are being designed by my fellow participants...!
I just LOVE a good challenge! ...and enjoyed working with the beautiful beads that my partner, Cindy, from Kentucky, sent to me...stay tuned to see what some of the 500 participants made with their beads!

The composer that I chose to listen to for the  
2nd Annual Challenge of Music Blog Hop is: Ralph Vaughan Williams. 
One of the pieces that he composed  was                
"A Pastoral Symphony (No. 3) Oboe Concerto; Molto moderato";
with The London Symphony Orchestra 
(Bryden Thomson, conductor) which was recorded in St. Jude's Church, London, 11 27th & 28th, 1987 and on 4-15, 1988. 
This is the one that I chose as my inspiration for the necklace and earrings that I designed. About 5 minutes into the CD the music changes quite dramatically and this is what I focused on...
I heard bold, bright notes and dark, irregular ones and that is why I chose to use black meteorite nuggets with the contrast of bright copper rolo chain; the MOP daggers, in teal and cream represent the abrupt changes from one section of the music to the next which seem to me, as I listened, to 'tear at the fabric' of notes.

Here is the finished piece.

After I purchased this CD, I and my beading friend both listened to it and I found it most interesting that we both 'saw' the music in such different ways! :) Be sure to take a look at Carolyn's Creations blog to see the difference...!
Here is the link to go to hear the music that inspired the creation for what I made. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT8Wwohbdqc

....and if you'd like to see other inspired creators finished pieces, here is a link that will point you in the right direction! :)  http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-challenge-of-music-reveal.html

I see by viewing Cindy's blog that she rec'd the list for the beads I sent her for the Bead Soup Party! Here is a picture of the beads that she sent me...am looking forward to seeing what I can do with them!

...and here is a picture of what I sent to her with the list of what I included in the package:

Here is the list:   1 large egg shaped focal, lavender & white ceramic bead
                           2 purple grape cluster lampwork beads
                           6 pressed glass green leaves
                           3 purple/green bumpy lampwork beads
                            green lentil freshwater pearls (didn't count them)
                           1 pewter grape leaf clasp
                           2 lavender seed beaded beads
                           2 lavender rhinestone beaded beads
                           2 pewter spacers
                           8 silver plated oval cut out spacers
                           3, 4, &10 green round press glass beads (3 sizes)

Bead Soup Challenge

Well, I've rec'd my package of beads in the mail from Cindy and couldn't even wait a whole day before opening it! Was thrilled with what I rec'd and bunches of ideas for using the wonderful beads I rec'd are a swirling in my head, trying to get out! :) Am eager to get started, but the day job will have to come first, as the rent will need to be paid...so will have to wait until the weekend...
Because this is my first time at participating in a bead soup type challenge, I didn't realize that I needed to send Cindy a list with the beads, so emailed that to her today. Cindy has participated several times before and knew to include it, so I received one from her with the beads that she sent to me.  Ev

Bead Soup Partner

Well, have had a chance to chat with my partner for the Bead Soup Blog Party, her name is Cindy, she's from Kentucky...a place I'd like to visit someday! :) Here is a link to her site...so that you can see some of the lovely pieces of jewelry she has made!  http://createdtreasures.blogspot.com/

Well, hopefully I've not 'bitten off more than I can chew', as I have signed up for another interesting...and yes, challenging blog hop! Am excited to be able to participate in the Challenge of Music blog party...:)

I am gathering up beads for the bead soup party...am excited to be able to participate!  Am looking forward to seeing what I may receive in return for what I send! :)

Sign Ups Are Open for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party®

It's here!
The sign ups for the

7th Bead Soup Blog Party®
take place now until Sunday, January 27th.

I am looking forward to being paired up with someone who will send beads to me and visa versa! :)