A little late for BTW but finished on time for ABS

Don't you just love acrynoms.
  (!#$%#@&*^+_) I  DON"T!!

Really they can mean a million different things to millions of different people.

It can be so confusing.  

If you follow regularly you may know that BTW on my page is not "By the Way" 

but Bead Table Wednesday and I missed it this week.
(But you can go get inspired by the other jewelers)  

ABS is not the abbrieviation for those (troublesome sagging) six packs I used to have 

but the Art Bead Scene Blog Challenge. 

So now that we have all that sorted out. 

Here is my entry for the Art Bead Scene August Challenge inspired by Frederick Ramsdell. 

An Art Deco Poster for American Crescent Cycles. 

I love the poster, the girl's long flowing hair and blowing dress have such nice movement. 

I wove hand dyed silk ribbon in an auburn shade 

through some really unique antique brass chain I have that reminds me of bicycle chain.  

I was picturing in my mind a pendant that was a bicycle wheel on one side 

and had a portrait of the girl inlaid in the other 

so I got out my polymer clay and started mixing colors to match the palette.  

(Unfortunately my green turned more blue in the oven) 

My eye was drawn to the wheel with the silver spokes, pink rim and white washed tire.  

This inspired the pendant which I made first and then baked.  

Next I added the bezel on the front and the handles 

which if you look closely resemble the handles on the bicycle in the poster. 

I spent a lot of time sketching to create a line drawing portrait 

to insert in my bezel with the girl's profile and flowing hair.

When I finally had a successful result I minimized it in Adobe Photoshop 

and printed a whole page of her.

You may see her again in other jewelry. 

One of the last additions to my necklace is my favorite part- 

the three graduated loops of antique brass chain hanging from the pendant. 

I knew I was finished when I added that. 

It balanced out the whole design.

I also am in love with this leaf chain that is dangling from the knot of silk. I have been adding it to everything I make- it is sooooooo nice.
I inserted the white lily, which you see many of in the poster, just for the photos,
I never found a place for it in the necklace.
I made that a long time ago and it is still looking for a home.
I am really puzzled by how this all came together.  

No sketch, except the portrait, just intuitive combining of ingredients and well, 

sometimes that's when I do my best work. 

Let go and let it happen.
Click here to see some more wonderful creations!!

Bead Soup for Beth Bricker

Okay, this is the teaser. 

Beth's Bead Soup is in on it's way to her. 

Meet my Bead Soup Partner caught at a Bead Show.
Beth is on the Right- with the great smile.
Do you think Beads make her happy?  I do.I had fun with Adobe Elements and disguised the pictures I took of her ingredients. I don't think you will recognize anything in this but that is the point. Surprise!!  

Bead Soup a la Jurassic Park for Beth
andI love this one, came out really abstract after about 8 filter effects.

Bead Soup el Cognito

I sent her a really nice clasp, handmade by a favorite etsy artist I will divulge later.

I made the focal pendant and all of the polymer clay beads 

and then poured in a lot of spicy beads to warm it up. 

I am anxiously waiting my ingredients for the Party too! 

(Saturday) 

Okay, that was yesterday, the teaser above, 
(Now you know one of my little secrets, I started to prepare this post yesterday for today)
my husband brought in the mail and 
Guess What?!!@%$&*
My Bead Soup arrived from Beth!! 
(Today- Sunday)
I had to wait until this morning to photograph it all.
Beth was so generous!!
and there are beads I have never ever seen before in the mix! 
This is so exciting.
 I need to take you through 
the visual experience of opening this package of goodies

The mysterious package- I think she discovered that I sew too!  

A kind and encouraging note and more fabric related wrapping- love it!!  

Oh my, very organized, all labeled and carefully packaged!
This is a lesson for me.  I am learning from this.

This is unbelievable!! So many truly unique beads!
I am so wowed by how many I have never seen before.
You need to see some of these close up:

We have mountain sheep here in Nevada but I have never seen
Horn, Antler or Deer Bone beads
in any of all the bead stores here in town
and I have been in them all.
 I love them!  
I think that deliciously nubby big bead is the antler bead,
it is really amazing- wish you could see it from all angles! Can't make a truly tasty broth for the soup without some Bone can we.
Also I have never seen undyed howlite or seeds quite like these. 

There are some really different czech beads too.  I love all the earthy tones.
They are making me yearn for a vacation in the Montana Mountains,
where I could wear a plaid flannel shirt with my jeans like this cloth
and not sweat to death like I do here in the Desert. 

I think she may have figured out some of my favorite colors
with the Mardi Gras beads and the Turquoise.
The Black Tourmaline is so unusual- love the chunky randomness of the facets,
I couldn't quite capture it's true beauty because
I over slept this morning and the sun was already too bright. I love copper and will probably be adding even more to the mix

The Earthy Howlite Focal and a gorgeous Copper Clasp. 
(sorry about the tint, the sun was not cooperating outside
so I moved indoors for the rest of the photos)

Last and most precious,
an alternate Focal; a Rusty Key.  
I found all these ingredients really inspiring and can't wait to get to work. 
Thank you so much Beth for your amazing package of goodies!!
I am going to get started with some wire wrapping,
right now,  with Copper of course!! 
Be sure to come back on September 17th for the Blog Hop Reveal.