My BSBP7 Partner and 100th post!!!

I'm so relieved I finally got my beads and focal out to Lennis Carrier at Windbent. You can catch up with her  work on Twitter, Flickr, Etsy, and Facebook. Her pictures on her facebook fan page and flicker are awesome, don't miss out!

This is what I sent:

I made a focal!! Actually, I made several, but broke the one I'd intended to send. It was made of the homemade porcelain recipe (the baking soda and cornstarch recipe on Pinterest) and sealed with resin, from which I'd made my 2012 Christmas ornaments; but alas, I'd not painted the backside with the resin before dropping it, and since it's made of baking soda, it shattered accordingly :(

These are (sort of) what they look like unfinished, they don't look it, but they're very, very fragile.

Dropping the only floral shaped focal I'd made was a  good reason to finish and send her this :)

I'd been working on it for a while, not quite sure if it'd work...

...then I had one of those light bulb moments, and I realized I could brick stitch a loop on the back so that she could feed a wire or cord...or anything she liked...to wear as a necklace focal. However!! The center bead is a large hole Czech glass bead and the thread I use is very fine, so she can also string through the center bead too, if she's inclined!!!

These are the beads I ended up with from Kokomo Opalescent Glass Co. I live within walking distance, one of these days I'll work up the courage to take a lesson or two. I'd hoped for more, but there weren't many that matched or would coordinate that were ready to send, so I went with the one's I could get. I love the beads they make, but since it's opalescent glass, it gets rather expensive :(

This is what I'd decided on...then decided it just wasn't complete.

I'd taught myself to do viking knit, and I LOVE it!!! So, I added an unfinished bracelet length piece to her soup, along with a couple cord crimp ends. And, since Lennis told me she was just getting into wire wrapping, I decided I needed to add a spool of my favorite 20 gauge wire. I'd already noticed that she was rather an expert at resin domes so instead of picking out two focal pieces like I'd done with Karla Morgan's soup from last year, I added two clasps, a floral hook and eye, and a bezel box clasp...yes, I still grab every box clasp I come across, in fact, I also have one just like the one I sent, and the last oval one they had too, lol.

And this is what she sent me!!!

Isn't that the coolest polymer focal? Lennis made it herself.

Because it's been so cloudy the last few days, I didn't get the best photo, but there are two more brass loops on the top.

And this is the BACK!! Wow!

The lamp work Lennis sent me was done by Hannah Rosner of Good River Gallery.

 I would use these as hair pins if I hadn't cut off all my hair, lol.

...and this awesome handmade clasp is from Cheryl Foiles of Get Your Bead On

Hannah and Cheryl are also participants in the the BSBP7 too, busy ladies.

And these are leftover feathers my niece insisted I get her last year...kismet

I already have most of it planned out, but we all know the way of plans, lol...and that's what so fun about this swap and blog hop.

Check out all the other participants

What Znetshows selected to show at Tucson

So these are the two earrings Znetshows.com chose from my collection to show at their booth in Tucson's Gem show. I wasn't among the 'winners', the pieces they chose to be voted on at the show for another gift certificate to their website...but I feel like a winner anyway :).

They gave me a gift certificate to spend on free beads...as a reward for making jewelry out of free beads they gave me in the first place...doesn't get any better than that!!! I got to keep the other pieces and the left over beads, too.

I decided that there were a few of the pieces that I had to keep for myself, I just couldn't part with them. These 'windchime' earrings because I love the sound they make.














And I kept the two below for a couple of reasons, first, I love lariats. And also, I didn't think this one all the way through. The portion with the 'bottle ring' glass bead and the large pieces of sea glass is a bit heavier than the other end of the lariat. So, the chain has to wrapped twice to anchor it. It's pretty and I like it, but it twists and tangles and is, in general, a pain in the tuckus, I just can't sell it to someone knowing that it will get tugged on all the time...and then eventually put away and never worn again :(

In other news, the next (7th) edition of the BSBP (bead soup blog party) is about to begin and I've been very busy getting my soup together. I'm excited to reveal what I'm going to send...but I will wait patiently till the appointed time (i.e. when the recipient receives it)...come on Lori! Lol, Seriously...I'm a patient person, really. ;)

Stay tuned, because the first group has already been assigned, and I signed up for the April 4th reveal. (insert Gieko piggy squee!)