Saturday, April 8, 2017

Bead Peeps Swap 'n' Hop 2017 Reveal

The day has finally arrived! This year for the Swap 'n' Hop I was paired with the extremely talented Renetha Stanziano of Lamplight Crafts. She sent me lots of goodies that were varied and also BIG. I like a challenge and large focals tend to challenge me because I don't know what to do with them. I mainly do embroidery on shibori silk ribbon, so, unless it has a flat back, I'm lost. I really liked what she sent though and had a hard time picking what to use first. Ultimately I went with a bead that had some of my color loves in it - teals and maroons. I thought I would try to make some small shibori embroidered side components to set with the focal in the middle. I ended up with the necklace below. I think the straps look a little off and awkward in this picture, but are maybe not that bad when it is on.

I also had some leftovers from what I sent Renetha that I wanted to work with. It was a challenge for me because the oranges and reds aren't colors I typically work with. I love the way it turned out though and how it reminds me of fall and the colors of the changing leaves in autumn - though right now I'm looking forward to spring! Though I love it, I put it in my Etsy shop here. I just have too many necklaces to wear them all!


Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to play with any of the other pieces Renetha sent me. I just ran out of time. This winter has been never ending - hopefully our last batch of snow for the season was last weekend when we got 14 inches. The long, dark season has really dragged me down this year and I found that I would stay away from my beads for weeks at a time - unusual for me. Next week promises warmer weather, so I'm hoping for a lot of snow melt in the yard and some inspiration to get my beading groove back. 

Take a look at what the other swappers did by following the links below. 

Linda Anderson (Hostess) http://instagram.com/cherryontopdes...
Hope Smitherman http://CraftyHope.com/