Saturday, March 3, 2012

A Birthday Wish…

   February is loaded with Birthdays! Family & friends share this month (my favorite) with my Birthday! The 12th is my best friend, Bill's Birthday, the 13th is Pam, Billy, & my Birthday, 14th is Wendy's, 19th is Keith's, & 27th is CJ's. February is my favorite month, and I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day (although I love the clearance items I can use all year - love me some pink and red!). It's like you're part of a special club if your Birthdays are in the same month! Anyway, there are no major holidays coming, February we can start to relax and enjoy the last bit of winter before Spring Break arrives, which means summer is on the way.
   This year, it's bittersweet. Carolyn and Mandy will graduate from High School (really? That's this year??) It will be a different kind of summer of preparing for the next step in Life, not all about school supply shopping. And to even contemplate Emma going into her last year of Elementary School... 6th grade. It all changes in Junior High!
   Ok, before I totally freak myself out, I still have lots of work to do before these Big Things come about. Getting healthier is the priority, of course, I have big goals for myself this year.
   I may not be the most organized, innovative, or most creative jewelry designer out there, but I love doing it and beading/beads/bead shopping/bead magazines make me happy, give me purpose. My Bead Friends, some days reading a post is all I can do and it can make my day. It's like when you finally find the place you 'fit in', where they 'get' you, you're peeps! Who knows if anyone reads this, what matters is, you never know whose life you will touch, whom you will help believe in themselves. Making jewelry and beaded things is about finally finding something I can do and love doing, finding that sense of accomplishment. Yea, the competition is fierce, but the community of Beaders is incredibly supportive and full of encouragement when you need it most. Even if you've never met! So, as I gain energy and strength to pick up pliers, I thank all the people I've "met" through Lori's BSBP, the 7,000 Bracelets for Hope, the numerous Blogs, and even websites like www.limabeads.com, www.firemountaingems.com, www.fusionbeads.com, and countless others for letting me know I Can do this, and learn to do it well, and they'll be there to help.
   I must thank Lori Anderson, especially. I read a post she wrote a long while back and I just sobbed. Like she was writing directly to me! We share similar struggles and, wow, the things I have learned from her! What an incredible spirit of determination! I had the opportunity to finally meet her at a Craftsman's Show at Dulles. I was in awe, still am, every time I see her. So, thank you, Lori, for being the mentor and constant inspiration not only in Beadworld, but my life in general.
   This was way longer than intended! Thanks for sticking around to read my ramblings!
   I'm off to Hop and check out all the wonderful talent and creativity of the BSBP!
   Remember, you never know what a difference you are making in someone's life, you never know what their challenges are.
   Thanks to everyone, you've made a positive impact on my life, and others', too, and you didn't even know it! Keep the happy!
Peace, Love, & Sunshine,
Kel :-)


Friday, March 2, 2012

My Soup is cooked!

  The Fifth Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal Day is finally here.  Inspiration hit at the last minute, but I like the results.  My Soup Partner Julie Anne Leggett sent me some wonderful beads to work with, and here's what happened:

The finished soup!

The focal is brown sea glass and I used the quartz teardrops to make an embellished bail.  The lampwork lentils took me straight to the beach, so the colors of the shell, pearls, wood, and agate beads reflected the blues, tans, and browns of the shore.

Detail of the focal.
Here's a close-up picture of the lentil and crystal, glass, and agate beads.  The small square glass beads I've had for some time. I just loved them, and here they remind me of the residual seafoam after the waves recede.

What wonderful
beach-y beads!

I enjoyed having Julia Anne as my partner! She sent a wonderful Bead Soup, and although our Soups are quite different, it's very interesting to me that we used similar colors. And we only live about 30 minutes apart.

I am very grateful to have been able to participate in my 2nd BSBP.  Much appreciation to Lori Anderson for making this such a great experience.

Peace, Love, and Sunshine,

Kel

PS: Please visit all the other Bead Soup Partiers!

Hostess, Lori Anderson
Special Book Sneak Peeks, Cindy Wimmer

1.  Adlinah Kamsir (Singapore) and Hajer Waheed (Kingdom of Bahrain)
2. Adrienn Lukacs (Hungary) and Agata Grygiel (Poland)
3.  Agi Kiss (Hungary) and Carolien Muller-Genger (the Netherlands)
4.  Agnes Asztalos (Hungary) and B.R. Kuhlman
7.  Alicia Marinache (Canada) and Dita Basu
15.  Bonnie Coursolle (Canada) and Fay Wolfenden (Canada)
16.  Carmel McGinley (Australia) and Tracy Stillman (Australia)
21.  Cheryl Brown (Canada) and Diana Ptaszynski
22.  Christina Stofmeel (the Netherlands) and Eva Kovacs (Hungary)
24.  Cilla Watkins (Canada) and Elaine Robitaille (Canada)
25.  Sabrina Straub (Switzerland) and Kathy Combs
32.  Dee Elgie (UK) and Joanne Lockwood (UK)
33.  Dian Hierschel (Germany) and Eniko Fabian (Austria)
34.  Diane Cook and Lyn Foley
37.  Doris Stumpf (Germany) and Eszter Czibulyas (Hungary)
39.  Elke Leonhardt-Rath (Germany) and Marjolein Trewavas (UK)
41.  Erika Nooteboom (the Netherlands) and Giorgia Rossini (Italy)
42.  Erin Grant and Jean Wells
43.  Evelyn Duberry (Canada) and Gaea Cannaday
45.  Ginger Bishop (military, Okinawa) and Martina Nagele (Germany)
48.  Helene Goldberg (Australia) and Karen Vincent
54.  Joanna Matuszczyk (Poland) and Julianna Kis (Hungary)
55.  Joanne Tinley (UK) and Michaela Pabeschitz (Austria)
65.  Kristina Johansson (Sweden) and Penny Neville (Canada)
66.  Krisztina Erlaki-Toth (Hungary) and Nicole Keller (Germany)
 72.  Lisa Liddy and Marion Simmons
76.  Lori Finney (Canada) and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp (Canada)
78.  Marta Kaczerowska (Poland) and Milla Starchik (Canada)
83.  Michelle Jensen and Sandra Young (Canada)
84.  Nan Emmett and Nicole Valentine-Rimmer (Canada)
92.  Rosa Maria Cuevas (Mexico) and Tejae Floyde
93.  Sabine Dittrich (Germany) and Sally Russick
95.  Shanti Johnson and Tracy Mok (Canada)
97.  Sonya Stille and Traci Zeller (Canada)
98.  Stefanie Teufel (Germany) and Tania Hagen (New Zealand)


7,000 Bracelets for Hope

Since there wasn't any natural light to be found at 2am this morning, I wanted to post a pic taken on the sunshine. :-)