Saturday, February 26, 2011

It's Party Time...

Ya Hoo!!!  It's finally time for the "Bead Soup Blog Party."  
Again, a big thank you to Lori Anderson of Pretty Things for hosting
this party.  You can Click Here to see the blog hop list..

My 'Bead Soup Blog Party' partner is Valerie Norton of Hot Fused Glass.  This is the
wonderful 'Soup' she sent me.



And now to end the suspense, this is what I created:



 








The pendant that Valerie sent me was so beautiful, that I didn't want to make the necklace too busy.  I wanted the pendant to really stand out.  The clasp and the bezel for the pendant were both 'hard anodized' copper and I wanted to stick with the very rustic, elemental feel of that.  So picking through my 'Soup,' I chose the Venetian glass beads and a few of the spacer beads.  From my stash, I chose a piece of black Greek leather and a length of chain that was similar to the finish of the clasp.

I used the leather to string the Venetian glass, spacer beads and the pendant.  I really wanted the
pendant to be showcased.  Separating the clasp, I linked the chain to one side of the clasp and then used the loop tied on one side of the leather to attach the other side of the clasp.

I think my necklace turned out fantastic and I can't wait to wear it.  It's one that I think is truly a statement piece. 

Thank you Valerie, for sending me such wonderful 'Soup' ingredients.
Please go out and follow the above link to see all of the other 'Bead Soup's.'

95 comments:

jamberry_song said...

Awesome focal! Love what you did here. :D The design is very cool and artsy. I like the disjointedness of the chain and wire elements. It kind of echoes what's going on in the swirls of the glass focal. I think this overall design is very solid and very beautifully sophisticated. :)

Unknown said...

I wouldn't be able to wait to wear it! That is awesome!

Marie Cramp said...

Lovely piece! Perfect for everyday wear! :) I can really picture it with jeans and a nice crisp white dress shirt!

Mags said...

You sent and got a lovely soup :-D
Charming necklace <3

LeeLu Creations said...

You had an awesome pendant to worth with. Great colors!

Unknown said...

Very nice. A rustic, earthy feel.

TesoriTrovati said...

Wowza! That focal is so beautiful! I think that I could stare at it and get lost for hours. Nicely done! Thank you for sharing in the fun.
Enjoy the day!
Erin

ViviBijoux said...

I've never really looked into fused glass pendants or beads til now, but maybe I should, you did a great job, lovely ^_^ Virginie ViviBijoux.com

Lorelei Eurto said...

Great use of leather at the front! Love the gold colors- really nice!

My Life Under the Bus said...

You did a great job - you highlighted the focal beautifully! Love the combo of metal and leather too!

My Life Under the Bus said...

I thought I left a comment but I think I erased it! Beautiful job highlighting the focal and I love the leather and metal combination!

Francy said...

so pretty.

Beadbug said...

Great design with the off set clasp. Love it.

Heidi Post said...

What a fun necklace :)

Valerie said...

Karen, you did a beautiful job with what I sent you! I really like the leather addition. Thanks for being my partner. It was lots of fun for me!

roseworksjewelry said...

Awesome focal - looks like you had a lot of fun!

Anonymous said...

This is truly a show stopper! Love the focus piece! You did a great job- I can see this going with some many outfits!

Unknown said...

#209 here...love the necklace great focal pendant...great job...

Wendy said...

Very pretty necklace! Great job! :)

Anonymous said...

I love how you kept your design so simple, but you've done a lovely job of mixing leather and chain. Because they have such different weights I always find it such a balancing act. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.

SummersStudio said...

I think you are absolutely right to go with the focal on this. You can way over think a design. Your use of the Greek leather is a perfect way to bring these elements together. Kudos!

Stacey said...

I love the black and the copper together - very fun piece

stacilouise said...

What nice bead soup you have:)
I really do like your necklace and that focal is wonderful!!

ewabeads said...

Beautiful job! I would wear this necklace every day if I had it! I LOVE the focal!!!

Unknown said...

I LOVE your necklace!! I bet you will be wearing it and catching many admirers!

Sig

Pretty Things said...

VERY cool -- a really unique piece! I'm so glad you had fun!

Jennifer Pride said...

That's gorgeous!

elisabeth said...

Wonderful piece!

Anonymous said...

Fabulous pendant! Beautiful piece!

Michael and Cherrie Fick said...

Gorgeous. Very elegant. Love the focal and the clasp.

Michael and Cherrie Fick said...

Gorgeous. Very elegant. Love the focal and the clasp.

Regina said...

What a spectacular necklace! I agree less is beautiful when it comes to highlighting that awesome focal. Great job!

Jenni said...

That focal pendant is such a beautiful piece, it works so well with the amber colored beads and the chain.
Just lovely
Jenni

moonlitfantaseas said...

what a gorgeous focal! I really love it! and I think yhe way you displayed it is great! it shows it off with out over powering it........great job!

Anonymous said...

Outstanding job keeping the focal as a focal. It is very beautiful. I love the venetian glass beads as well. Great Bead Soup!

BluMoon said...

Lovely necklace.
Jackie

Terri said...

Wow what a Hot soup mix...those warm colors are soothing to the eye! Love what you did with it.

Courtney Breul said...

Really nice! I love the colors, texture and flow. Beautiful.

somethingunique said...

Hi Karen, amazing focal,nice that u let it shine as it is the star of the design, i love the use of the leather as well u did a Great Job. I took a peek at your shop as weel very nice so i just had to <3 it.

Dee said...

beautiful focal bead to work with and all the color combinations are soo rich!! great job in showcasing all that's beautiful...wonderful design!!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful focal I can see why you did not want to have alot around it! Really earthy and can be worn all of the time. Great Soup!!

Shai Williams said...

Love the necklace! It would be right up my alley as far as wearing!

I LOVE color! said...

Awesome I really like your design The colors are so warm Be blessed

Raida said...

Beautiful piece, great warm colors! I love the focal and the freeform wire looks great.

Ron said...

Karen.
Your creativity with jewlery and everything you touch never ceases to amaze me. Beautiful piece..... Ron

Brenda Salzano said...

What cozy warm colors and the design is simple and elegant! Very Nice Work!!

Hazel Ward said...

Gorgeous piece - I love how you've placed the clasp. It's distinctive, without taking too much attention from that stunning focal :D

Kate said...

I love how you put the clasp on the side so you see both it and the focal. Awesome job!

m.e. said...

perfect design to showcase that FABULOUS FOCAL!
This would complement so many outfits! LOVE it !!!
m.e. :)

GraceBeading said...

WOW - that soup is amazing! I really like the colors and your creation is beautiful.

Sally Anderson said...

You did a great job with this! Congratulations!

ladynoble said...

I like how you used leather to hold the focal and the fact that the clasp is on the side and not in the back. Great piece, great soup ingredients!

Heather said...

Love those rich earthy colors. That amber just warms me to the bone!! Lovely design. Great soup!

rosebud101 said...

Wow! Great bead soup and awesome necklace! I love the pendant, too!

SueBeads said...

You did a great job making the pendant stand out! Really nice!

Cheryl K Roe said...

Beautiful necklace. Very unique.

Polymer Clay Shed/ Barn said...

I just love the colors, great necklace!

Shannon Chomanczuk said...

Great job! Love that focal!
Shannon C

N Valentine Studio said...

That's cool! Love the focal and you put it all together really stunning! Thanks for visiting my blog I've had a wonderful time reading everyone's comments and seeing what everyone made!

Judy said...

Gorgeous rich colors and I really like that you added leather. Nice job!

Unknown said...

Beautiful pendant! You did a great job with your soup!

Anonymous said...

Love the side clasp! The mix of metal, leather, and glass gives it a funky and edgy feel. Very Cool!

Wishing You Creativity,
Suzann Sladcik Wilson

Lutka And Co. said...

What a beautiful necklace! Gorgeous colors!
Linda

Helmitarha said...

The necklace is wonderful! Great job! ;)

steufel said...

Awesome. And copper is truly one of my alltime favs:-)

Cathryn said...

There are times when simple is best. For this focal, I believe you really made it shine by keeping the design of the necklace simple. I love brass and copper together and this is wonderful necklace of yours is very pretty and very feminine! Thank you and Congratulations!

balanced. said...

what a beautiful soup you got to work with!
love what you came up with! gorgeous!

Cyndi L said...

What a beautiful focal! I love how you've kept it simple so the pendant shines forth :-)

Loretta said...

You did a beautiful job of showcasing that wonderful pendant. I love it.

Lisa said...

What a beautiful design...has an old world look about it.

Charlene said...

It is just gorgeous!

Leigh said...

I adore these rich colors and the asymmetry you achieved with them. Fantastic job!

Sarabeth aka Sarita said...

absolutely amazing! i'm loving your soup and your creation is fab!

xo
sarabeth

Emma said...

Love how you incorporated the leather... gave it a somewhat ancient "Roman" feel. Fantastic piece and beautiful focal :0)

GraceC said...

Your piece is cool and very different from most I've seen. Way not to overwork it.

French Elegant Jewelry said...

love your necklace great soup.

Laurel said...

Very nice- quite a statement piece~!

Maneki said...

That's a very nice necklace. I like the rustic, modern feel it gets from the dark(ish) colours of the cord and metal and from the mix of materials.

Marian Hertzog said...

Your design is great! I love your wire work. Very pretty!

Marian Hertzog said...

Lost my comment somehow... I really like the design of your bead soup. The wire work sets off the focal bead very well. Pretty!

CraftyHope said...

It's amazing what you created. I don't think I could have been near as creative as you were with this soup. You really met the challenge!

Karyn said...

What an incredibly beautiful focal. I love what you have created - especially the little wire elements... well done!

Karyn
Australia

Lisa Godfrey said...

So pretty! I love how you've used the leather cord with the chain! Very nice work!

Nicki said...

I think it was a great choice to give the pendant some space and leave it stand out without making the rest of the necklace too busy. I like it very much. Great work.

Marcie Abney Carroll said...

That focal is awesome. It really has a presence on that piece. I think you did a great job putting everything together, it really shows off the focal but doesn't overwhelm it, nice!

Islandgirl said...

Love the simplicity of your design! Great piece!

Holly said...

Karen, I think it's quite awesome how you used the unexpected leather for that pendant! It really kicked it up a notch, no doubt about that! Gorgeous piece

Karen Williams said...

Slowly creeping my way through the Bead Soup tour.

I love your asymmetrical design and the way you used the clasp as a secondary focal.

EB Bead and Metal Works, LLC said...

Stunning necklace! I love the warm colors and the use of the chain and the cord to showcase the pendant. Great job!

Jennifer Cameron said...

Beautiful necklace! That focal is amazing and I love how you made it the star. Congrats!

Unknown said...

I love the way you mixed your medias, a great success

Patsy Evins said...

Love the eclectic components on the necklace! Wonderful design! Looks like fun to wear! Love the clasp!

Alice said...

nice touch to keep the beautiful clasp in eye view. I love the pendant too!
Alice's beads and baubles

Rebecca said...

Beautiful! I love it's elegant simplicity.

Jen Judd said...

Love it! I really admire your ability to keep it simple and leave the focus on the focal. I have issues with adding and adding and adding to the point of no return! haaaaaaa The balance with the leather texture, the focal and that big awesome clasp is just perfect. I think I may go try my hand at some fun clasps like that this afternoon. Looks so cool!
Jen