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...

Christina Hickman http://www.vintagetreasuresjewelry.blogspot.com/...

Catherine LaVite http://drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/...

Barbara Price https://www.instagram.com/colorcopi...

Kathy Lindmer https://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/...

Linda Raggo http://www.instagram.com/linda_ragg...

Marianne Baxter http://simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com/...

Rachelle Walker http://www.chellerydesigns.net/blog

Gloria Allen http://wingsandbeads.blogspot.com/

Ally Asato https://instagram.com/purplemosspal

Robin Lynne Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/...

Naomi Knafla https://www.instagram.com/naomiknaf...

Maria Rosa Sharrow http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com/...

Dana Phillips http://www.neverwinterdesigns.blogspot.com/...

Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com/...

Beth Blanc https://www.instagram.com/beth.blan...

Hope Smitherman http://CraftyHope.com/

Kari Asbury https://www.instagram.com/kariasbur...

Shai Williams http://www.shaihasramblings.com/

Betony Maiden http://beadwenches.blogspot.com/

Inge van Roos http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/

Kelly Hosford Patterson https://www.instagram.com/pyxeestyx...

Kristina Peck http://tealeavesandtinyhats.blogspot.com/...

Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com/

Heather Canepa http://www.desertjewelrydesigns.com/...

Ginger Bishop http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/

Katy Heider http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com/...

Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/...

Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/...

Tina Pawass https://freebirdsinnovations.blogspot.com/...

Mowse Doyle http://www.midnight-leopard.com/

Tami Norris https://www.instagram.com/taminorri...

Minnette Miller https://www.instagram.com/minnettem...

Veralynne Malone http://www.veradesigns.blogspot.com/...

Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.bg/

Erika Price http://erikaprice.co.uk/

Claire Fabian http://saraccino.blogspot.de/

Rachel Mallis http://www.sharpthingsblog.com/

Deb Fortin http://mhotistudio.blogspot.ca/

Nicole Rennell http://nicolerennell.com/

Joanne Bell https://joannetinks.wordpress.com/

Johana Nunez http://www.artincendi.com/

Sam Waghorn http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk/...

Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com/

Robin Reed http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com/...

Faye Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com/

Karin King http://maverickbeads.blogspot.ca/

Divya http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com/

Rebecca White http://morganafeycreations.wordpress.com

Palak Udeshi http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/

Penny Houghton http://smellynelly.blogspot.com.au

Krafty Max http://www.kraftymax.net/blogposts/

Swap n Hop 2017 - The Goodies Arrive and Partner Reveal!

I recently signed up for round 3 of the Bead Peeps Swap n Hop. In a bead swap participants are paired up and send each other a little stash of beads to work with. Then, on a specific day, everyone posts on their blogs what they made with the stash they were sent and we all "hop" around to each others' blogs oohing and aahing over the results. It's loads of fun and a great way for a beadworker to force themselves out of what they typically work with, be it color or type of beads. This year I was paired up with Renetha Stanziano of Lamplight Crafts. She is extremely talented and it was fun to see that she has also done a Beadwork Magazine reader's challenge and participated in Jean Power's secret beadalong last summer. One of the cool twists this year with the Swap n Hop is that we can make something with the same supplies we sent out to see what each of us does with the same materials. I'm happy to have enough matching supplies to what I sent Renetha that I will be able to make something too that "matches" what she makes. In the past with bead swaps I have always felt jealous of my partner because by the time I'm ready to send out my package, I'm in love with what I'm sending and want it for myself. So, keeping some for myself to use is the best of both worlds!

I was excited to see what Renetha sent me in the mail and excited to see that there was just so much variety in her stash. It's almost all different focal beads, so the first thing I need to do is decide which to use first. My hubby really likes the big glass donut at the top of the picture, while I love the giant swirly focal in the bottom left. Of course, lately I've been tending to want to attach everything to some beading foundation and a piece of silk, so we shall see. The reveal date is April 8th, so check back then to see what I made; it's a secret until then!

Check out Renetha's work HERE.

See all the fun goodies Renetha sent me!!

This is the stash I sent to her. I have an near identical, slightly smaller clasp and duplicates of everything else. Orange and red are not my normal colors to work with, so it will be fun!

Cuffs

I really love making cuff bracelets. On the flip side...I never wear them myself. I have these little chicken wrists and the big ones are always just too big for me. So, I started making thinner cuffs like the chartreuse one on the right and someday, I'll make one just for me.

Stuck

The holiday season was really busy, so I didn't have time to do any beading. Now I have more time, but my inspiration is lacking. Finishing this will be my first goal for the year. I also have another book fan art design in mind and just ordered some silk tonight to use in it. That will get me motivated!!

Redo

I made this pendant over a year ago and really love the beetle look to it. At the time, I didn't know what to do for a chain, so I strung some large black fire-polished beads with turquoise 8/o seed beads and called it a day. The problem was, with all of those fire-polished beads (6mm-10mm in size) the necklace was just so heavy and I didn't like it. This fall, I decided a re-do was in order, so I made a spiral necklace with two-hole triangles and I like it much better. This re-do is now up in my etsy shop if you want to take a look. (Oh, and I think, if you flip the pendant upside down, it kind of looks like a muppet.) :)

Book Fan Art

So, I read a lot. A lot. Last year I read The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and fell in love with the world she created in the story. One night I saw a basic charm bracelet someone had made on Etsy that was fan jewelry for the book. That was all the inspiration I needed. I bought myself some similar charms and designed this necklace. The shape of the pendant pays homage to the onion top buildings on the cover of the book and within the story, and each of the charms represents a mythical creature the main character seeks to amplify her power. The main character is a Sun Summoner, represented by the yellow and the antagonist is called the Darkling, a man who summons darkness, hence all the black.

Teacher gifts

I think my kids' teachers may be spoiled. Why buy them an end of the year gift when you can make one yourself?