Here is a video of my project for the Bead Soup Blog Party. I was paired with Christine Damm and she sent me a challenging two-strand clasp and a focal adorned with her signature layered patterns. The color palette of the focal and clasp was black with red, white, gold and green accents. If you have been around me lately you know that I have a bright red streak in my black hair, so this palette is obviously one of my favorites! The accent beads Christine sent were mostly in the black-and-white family, although she popped a few green jade pieces and some patinaed brass, too. I used a lot of what she sent me but my big additions were the German hand-dyed rayon cording and the brass ball chain. I love the dots of brass with the dotted-and-striped patterns Christine had on her focal and the red, well, that was a perfect fit.
The parts for this necklace have been sitting on my studio table since Christine sent them to me. I can be very indecisive with beads sometimes. I would put down accent pieces and remove them, over and over, until I came up with the final design. The design you see is not the 'final' design I thought I would end up with! I had actually paired the focal and clasp with this rayon cording and these ceramic Elaine Ray beads but in the end it didn't seem like the best design. The flower printed rayon took the pendant from Africa to South East Asia and the whole design was much more feminine and floral. It was very pretty, but it was too summery and with fall approaching I wanted to make something that seemed perfect for cooler weather.
While I worked, I mixed metals throughout this design; brass ball chain, silver machine ends, brass jump rings, silver jump rings, steel clasp and steel beads, brass head pins. The mix of colors in the focal seemed to demand a mix of metals.
I constructed the necklace by cutting the cording strands and gluing the cording and ball chain into the machine ends on one side only. Then I fed beads onto each cording strand and knotted below the bead so that they wouldn't all fall to the center when the necklace was worn. After I positioned the beads along the cording I attached the other machine ends. For this project I used the Beacon 527 glue, which is a great glue that has just enough viscosity to really get inside that cording and around that ball chain. I have made several pieces using this glue and these machine ends and the results are always sturdy.
After I attached the pendant to the cording using jump rings I began adding the ball chain tassel. Watch the video to see the way I attached the ball chain pieces to the back of the pendant with those clip-in chain ends. I also used the same ends to attach the dangles at the end of the chain pieces. I have to say, those clip-in ends make things easy for an indecisive person like me! I moved several of the charms around on the tassel until I liked the effect.
I worked on this design both on my studio desk and, in the end, on a mannequin at the store. I like working on a mannequin for larger-scale, drapey designs so that I can step back and see what is lying where.
Working on this project was a fun challenge and interesting for me. I usually only design with items from Ornamentea and I select most of them so I am rarely pushed to work with an item I didn't pick out in one way or another. There were several other interesting items in the box and I'll post projects using them in future blog entries over the coming months. The first item up on my list is a twisted, coiled bit of steel wire from Christine's husband. It has an excavated, urban look to it that is very interesting to me. I couldn't make it work in this necklace but I have a bracelet idea for it that I'm pretty excited about.
Here is a listing of all the BSBP participants...settle in and visit as many as you can! I'll blog about some of them over the following month.
The Hostess, Lori Anderson and her partner, Manuela Wutschke
1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York
2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson
3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino
4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner
6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins
7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor
8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen
9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller
10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare
11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman
12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps
13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka
14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson
15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy
16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price
17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland
18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John
19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel
19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel
20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou
21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase
22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb
23. Barbara Blaszczyk and DaviniaDesign
24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall
25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll
26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley
27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala
28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman
29. Beth and Evie McCord and Erin Prais-Hintz
30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle
31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen
32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards
33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson
34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier
35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander
36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye
37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock
38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone
39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf
40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi
41. Cherrie Fick and Cathie Carroll
41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick
42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg
43. Chris White and Norma Turvey
44. Christa Murphy and Kathy Alderfer
45. Christie Murrow and Dana James
46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins
47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford
48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis
49. Christine Hendrickson and Debbie Goering
51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes
52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher
53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya
54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk
56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent
57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj
58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman
59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald
61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner
62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert
63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez
64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris
65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith
66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday
67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman
68. Erin Fickert-Rowland and Geanina Grigore
69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones
70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz
71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim
72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable
73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag
74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post
75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton
76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter
77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride
78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller
79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley
80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson
81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor
82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen
83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman
84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy
85. Jennifer VanBenschoten and Kim Hora
86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg
87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann
88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay
89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh
90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski
91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan
92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean
93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis
94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt
95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski
96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio
97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts
98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker
99. Kari Carrigan and Laura Twiford
100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck
101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto
102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark
103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika
104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen
105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec
106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson
107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long
108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson
109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney
110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson
111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger
112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy
113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw
114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher
115. Lesley Weir and Liz DeLuca
116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser
117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse
118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington
119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton
119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter
120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson
121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir
122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank
123. Lori Bowring Michaud and Marci Brooks
124. Lupe Meter and Norma Agron
125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe
126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon
127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore
128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller
129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke
130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson
131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum
132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr
133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp
134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara
135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James
136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz
137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi
138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman
139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper
140. Mary McGraw and Laurel Steven
141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner
142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners
143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy
144. Missy Rappaport and Mags Sarri
145. Molly Alexander and Poranna
146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell
147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry
148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson
149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna
150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers
151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari
152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan
153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag
154. Pat Haight and Mary Shannon Hicks
155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka
156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe
157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain
158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins
159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub
160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya
161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs
162. Rochelle Brisson and Teri Baskett
163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell
164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams
165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin
166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small
167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner
168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk
169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley
170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley
171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman
172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin
173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor
174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa
175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton
176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin
177. Sweet Freedom Designs and Tammy Jones
178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser
179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk
180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager
181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad
that amounts to 362 people making jewelry and finding inspiration in each other's stashes! wow! Thanks to Lori for organizing and coordinating this swap and thanks to Christine for the fab box of goodies I got!
Now I'm off to read some blog posts...
Oh, this necklace will be on my other blog, 365necklaces, maybe today!
Cynthia, you have really done my little focal proud! Such fabulosity!! I never thought of the dangles-- super idea and one I will plan for when making these in the future. I adore the German cord-- is that Tentakulum?? I bought some and didn't know what to do with it-- now I do!The video is inspired and it's my first time on YouTube so thanks! Can't wait to see what you do with Douglas' piece of twisted wire. So glad you were my partner!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty! Makes me want to make tassels, I love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic necklace-very cool! The clasp is awesome. You created a really great piece for the Fall season!
ReplyDeleteThat turned out so cute. I love what you did with your soup.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love blog hoping. There are so much fine artists with wonderful art work - like yours! This is a wonderful necklace, I would immediatly wear!
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Michi
Outrageous! Great!
ReplyDeleteVery nice necklace with a cool focal! Viscose gimp is one of my latest "crushes" so of cause I like seeing this design with its abundance of cording. It goes very nice with the ball chain too.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Really love how you explained all of the pieces in the video and showed the details of the pendant and other ingredients that we may have otherwise missed. Very beautiful soup and necklace!
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunner! The way you textured the multi-strands and tassel are so lovely, and fit the scale of the focal so well.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a gorgeous necklace. I just love the focal, clasp and the way you've pulled it together into a spectacular piece of wearable art.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. Quite tribal, all that extra design time while you were deciding paid off.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome design! Love the polymer clay focal pendant! The red fibers really add to this design...awesome job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful creation! Love the mixture of color and design.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the cord and ball chain you added. The layers of beads on the cord are sumptuous.
ReplyDeletewhat an ingenious way to present your finished design. I see a lot of love went into this and the end result is a unique and bold piece.
ReplyDeleteUtterly amazing. Christine is a true artist and so are you! I LOVE all the details. LOVE. It's so tribal and that red is fierce! I would wear that -- yes indeedy.
ReplyDeleteThank you SO MUCH for partying with me!
I hope you'll join me next time! The badge and dates will be posted tomorrow, the 19th!
Love, Lori
I love what you made! Everything about it is a work of art. Nice :)
ReplyDeletestunning creation...wow
ReplyDeleteWonderful! You have created a terrific piece of wearable art. I love your use of color and texture for this necklace. Thank you for sharing your artistic process with us. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteLori
How nice to post a video instead of photos.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a statement piece. It is gorgeous.
Really bold design Great absolutly
ReplyDeleteBe Blessed to be a blessing
Wow, what a gorgeous piece! You had great soup, and you cooked it up to perfection. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like it was way fun to make. The clasp is very cool and having the extra loop on the back of the focal piece certainly gave it so much more interest with how you used it. I love that the red has variegated tones, that just ads more dimension. Nice.
ReplyDeleteVery creative and interesting necklace. LIke your use of the double strand clasp.
ReplyDeleteP>S. The video showed up very dark on my computer, and I wished for brighter closer photos.
Great details - Beautiful necklace!
ReplyDeleteThe focal and clasp are stunners...I Love the whole tribal look you created..especially the fringed tassel from the focal. Am Loving the red!
ReplyDeletejenni
First off, love the vid of the necklace. Just like I was in the shop (which I'd love to be!) Totally adore the German cording. My absolute favorite on this necklace is the brass chain dangles. I haven't seen that before, and it's very striking. Awesome design!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! What a great combination of materials and textures!
ReplyDeleteVideo. How come I didn't think of that? I like the textural detail on the focal, and the red cording ROCKS! I lust for red.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to do a video, gives a much better feeling for the 'drapability' and the scale of the work as you handle it. Since I love Christine's work I was biased before I started looking, but your piece is dramatic and wonderfully stately. Terrific. You did a great job with the clasp - would have been a real challenge for me...
ReplyDeleteWish I could have seen a picture of your finished piece! From your description, it sounds interesting, but my iPad won't let me view the video :(
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! this piece is fabulous! Great colors, great style, great feel!
ReplyDeleteLOVE it! What a unique use of ball chain!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! The cording is so awesome - I love how substantial this piece is with out being at all obnoxious. (well that sounded horrible but I promise it is only meant to be a compliment). It is just such a gorgeous piece. That focal with the strands coming out of it - just AWESOME! Now you need to take a photo of you (or someone else) wearing it so we can see how it lays/wears.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bold and unique piece! Love the different mediums you used.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful, beautiful necklace - the tassel is perfect, and the red perfectly compliments the components - love it! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a really fabulous necklace. I love all the details you put into it.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! Well done soup ;)
ReplyDeleteWow! That's great. Love all the fibers. So pretty and it's got great movement.
ReplyDeleteThe necklace is fabulous. I adore the dangles! Great idea using video to describe your work :)
ReplyDeletelove what you did with your soup
ReplyDeleteThe items your soup partner sent you were so fun for you to play with. You really did an amazing job with the necklace. The video was really nice too. Loving the tassels with our jewelry..! Soup-er job!
ReplyDeleteA piece of art! I love it! I wish I could have seen a still photograph of the whole piece, but I did enjoy being able to see you turn over the focal and highlight some of the special features of your design! Amazing work!
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic! Quite the dream job you have there too from the looks of it ;)
ReplyDeleteHow refreshing to watch a video, my tired eyes say thank you!! Your necklace has a wonderful tribal feel to it. Love the red and the polymer clasp and focal. I think you created an amazing bold piece.
ReplyDeleteToo cool! Love this necklace and love that clasp!
ReplyDeleteI love that red cording! It pulls everything together beautifully :)
ReplyDeleteIts modern tribal! Eclectic and gorgeous. Ball chain? WHo knew? Loved the video, thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a rich look. Great work.
ReplyDeleteWow, that tassel dangle is amazing behind the focal... and so neatly attached. I love the focal and clasp in your bead soup - you did a great job of creating the necklace around them.
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting to read the whole creative project. The necklace came out wonderful, I like it!
ReplyDeleteAmbra