7th Bead Soup Blog Party -- FIRST REVEAL!

Welcome to the First Reveal of the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party®!

Below is a list of those participating 

in the First Reveal, March 30th

(there are two more reveals coming!)

Feel free to start at the beginning, 

at the bottom,

the middle,

or dance around the list!

Alicia Marinache	All The Pretty Things
Amber Dawn Goldish	Inventive Soul
Barb Solem	Vivi Magoo Presents
Bev Breisinger	Country Frog Creations
Birgitta Lejonklou	Create With Spirit
Breana Fry	Vault 31
Brenda Sue Lansdowne	B'Sue Boutiques
Carol Dee Myers	Carol DeeZigns
Carolyn Chenault	Carolyn Chenault
Cassi Paslick	Beads:  Rolling Downhill
Cece Cormier	The Beading Yogini
Cheryl McCloud	One Thing Leads to Another
Cindy Wilson	It's My Sea of Dreams
Crystal Thain	Here Bead Dragons
Cynthia Riggs	Cynth's Blog
Dana Hickey	Wind Dancer Studios
Dana James	Dana's Jewelry Designs
Darlene Fortier	Delicious Rejuvenations
Deanna Cox	Agape Creations
Deb Brooks	From the Heart Creations
Denielle Hagerman	Some Beads and Other Things I Like
Denise McCabe	Cabewoman
Diana Frey	Tattered Adornments
Diana Welte	Lilyweeds
Dini Bruinsma	Angaza by Changes
DiYana Alcalde	Agape Creations
Dolores Raml	CraftyD's Creations
Donna Millard	Donna Millard Art Glass
Dot Lewallwn	Speedie Beadie
Duane Clark	dc'z bizzy bead adventures
Dyanne Cantrell	Dee-Liteful Jewelry Creations
Eleanor Burian-Mohr	The Charmed Life
Elisabeth Auld	Beads for Busy Gals
Elizabeth Owens Dwy	1996 Shabby Lane
Emily Greer	Gaia Copia
Enikö Fabian	Perl-eni
Erin Grant	Erin's Jewelry Creations
Eva Kovacs	Ewa Gyongyos Vilaga
Eva Sherman	Eva Sherman Designs
Gina Hockett	Freestyle Elements
Grace Rotenberg	Rivka's Mom
Gretchen Nation	Art Food Lodging
Hannah Rosner	Good River Gallery
Heather Davis	Blissful Garden Beads
Heather Marston	CSW Designs
Heather Powers	Humblebeads
Ingrid McCue	Wrapped in Silver
Jacqueline Marchant	FiddleDeeDee Jewelry
Jan Petek	Pepper Tree Designs
Janeen Sorensen	Wild Vanilla Designs
Jane-Michael Stallings	Craft Vacuum
Jasvanti Patel	Jewelry by Jasvanti
Jayashree Paramesh	Nchantme
Jayne Capps	Mama's Gotta Doodle
Jean Yates	Snap out of it Jean, There's beading to do!
Jennifer Cameron	Glass Addictions | by Jen Cameron
Jennifer LaVite	Dry Gulch Beads & Jewelry
Joan Williams	lilruby jewelry
Jodie Marshall	Jodie Marshall
Judy Riggs	Rigglettes
Julie Anne Leggett	The Peaceful Bead
Kat Barron Miller	Midnight Kat Productions
Kathy Lindemer	Bay Moon Design
Kim Hora	KimmyKats
Kim Houston	The Pink Martini Boutique
Krafty Max	Krafty Max Originals
Kris Lanae Binsfeld	Cherish Designs
Kristen Stevens	My Bead Journey
Kristi Harrison	It's a New Day
Kumi Fisher	Malie Kai Designs
Laren Dee Barton	Laren Dee Designs
Laura Bracken	Laura Bracken Designs
Laura Demoya	The Bead Therapist
Laurie Hanna	Laurie's Jewelry Box
Laurie Keefe-Cecere	Tree of Life
Lea Avroch	lajewelrydesigns
Leanne Loftus	First Impression Design
Lee Anne Messerschmidt	Adventures in Jewelry
Leslie Schenkel	Twisted Chicken
Linda Anderson	From the Bead Board
Linda Djokic	Lutka and Co.
Linda Sadler	Ida Louise Jewelry
Lisa Liddy	Metal Me This
Lisa Suver	Fanceethat
Liz DeLuca	Creative Arty Facts
Liz Engriser	Bead Contagion
Lola Surwillo	Bead Lola Bead
Loretta Carstensen	Designs by Loretta
Lori Anderson	Pretty Things
Lori Bergmann	Lori Bergmann Design
Lori Bowring Michaud	Artfully Ornamental
Lori Poppe	Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean
Lori Schneider	Bead Addict
Lyn Foley	Lyn Foley
Maddison Langford	Maddy's Stitching Corner
Magdalena Sikora	Poranna Gazeta
Mallory Hoffman	For the Love of Beads
Marcella Austenfeld	Good to Go Jewelry
Marcy Lamberson	Studio Marcy
Maria Clark	Sweet Willow Designs
Maria Rosa Sharrow	Willow Street Shops
Marianna Boylan	Star Girl Shop
Marti Conrad	Marti's Clay Blog
Mary Ellen Merrigan	Mary Ellen Beads
Mary Harding	Mary Harding Jewelry Bead Blog
Molly Alexander	Beautifully Broken Me
Nan Emmett	Spirit Rattles :: Spirited Earth
Niky Sayers	Silver Nik Nats
Pam Chesbro	A Fortunate Soul
Pam Farren	Re-maker
Pam Sandy	Pam's Eclectic Stuff
Pam Traub	Klassy Joolz
Pamela Gangler	She Always Loved Pink
Patricia Buchanan	Bracelets Too
Patricia Johnson	Patricia L. Johnson Glass Art
Paula Hisel	Simply Stated
Peggy Gabrielson	Georgia Mountain Arts
Rachel Baron	R. Baron Designs
Rachel Stanley	Catching Hummingbirds
Rain Hannah	Honey & Ollie
Rana Wilson	Rana Lea Designs
Renetha Stanziano	Lamplight Crafts
Robin Reed	Artistry HCBD
Rochelle Brisson	A Creative Chelle
Rose Rushbrooke	The Art of Rose Rushbrooke
Ruth Szapa	New Things
Sally Russick	The Studio Sublime
Sandi Volpe	Sandi Volpe
Sandra Pendragon	Pendragon Jewelry
Sandy Richardson	Sandy's Coloring Box
Sarah Small	blog by salla
Shannon Hicks	falling into the sky
Shari Replogle	Plays With Paper
Sheila Daniels	Cheeky Magpie
Sheila Davis	Stone Designs
Shiraz Biggie	Secret Song Designs
Shirley Moore	Beads and Bread
Skylar Bre'z	Brising Beads
Staci Smith	Staci Louise Originals
Stacy Pomerleau	Craft En Ville
Stephanie Weiss	Uniquely Me - Beads, Wire, and Desire
Sumi Rani	Hundred Colors
Susan Sheehan	Susan Sheehan, Strands of Thought
Suzette Bentley	Ellie's Bijoux
Tamera Norris	Beads and Things
Tracy Choy	BumbleBeads Designs
Tracy Stillman	Tracy Stillman Designs
Valerie Norton	Hot Art
Vicki Holliday	Flop Cat Design

 

What to do on Party Day!

Hello everyone!  Can you believe the first reveal is almost here?????

Come back tomorrow to see the full list of 1st reveal people. You can either cut and paste the entire long list into your blog post, or you can link to:

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/03/7th-bead-soup-blog-party-first-reveal.html

As I hop the party, I will be relinking each person so your actual party post is listed in perpetuity on my blog.


Don't forget to list your partner's blog when you do your post, and show what you received, and then what you made with it.

1.  Visit your partner first.  Please.  Pretty please.

2.  Please don't everyone start at the top of the list!  Skip around, start in the middle, start with whoever commented on your blog first -- but move around a bit so the people at the end of the list aren't left stranded all day.

** A way to keep track?  

Copy and paste the link list into a Word document, 

and delete people as you visit.**

3.  It would be lovely if you could visit everyone, but no one can do it all.  Seriously.  I'm the hostess and I have NEVER had every person comment on my blog!  Do your best, but remember, this is supposed to be fun.  It's also why I'll have permanent links to everyone's reveal page listed.

4.  Don't forget to post your creations to the Pinterest boards!  

The general pin board is

http://pinterest.com/limamike/7th-bead-soup-blog-party-participants-only/

and if you would like to be in the running for the contest,

post on this board:

http://pinterest.com/limamike/contest-entries-for-bead-soup-blog-party-7/

To learn more about the contest, click here.

Oh, and bring pie.

Lots of pie.

Party hats optional,

but wearing a tiara never hurt anyone. 

Coming up...

**  Expect the list of the first reveal partners in a day or two, with links.  You don't have to post the entire link on your site, but can have it link back to mine (I'll have a permalink for you soon).


** PLEASE consider taking your blog Captcha comments OFF, at least for a few days of the party.  You will get SO many more comments that way.  Especially for people hopping via phone and tablet, it's a HUGE help.

Thank you to Laura Bracken for showing us how right here:

http://laurabrackenblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/setting-up-your-preferences-for-blogger.html

** My husband and I are planning on spending a few hours tonight on pinning the map, like we usually do -- stay tuned.


**  I'm adding Pinterest invites as quickly as I can.  I am doing most of my work from bed these days, so if you are in the Bead Soup Cafe, (and I hope you are!) please @Lisa Liddy or @Tania Spivey if you need your pin to be added and I'm not getting it as fast as normal.  Don't worry -- you can pin for the contest all the way up to April 19th!


**  These last few days between the reveal are always hectic, so please bear with me! 

ONE MORE WEEK until the first reveal!

ONE MORE WEEK until the first reveal of the Bead Soup Blog Party®! 


I'm sure I'm not alone in that I have plans but haven't made my piece yet.  Don't let things get too far behind, though, especially if you rely on natural light for taking photos!


Below are the beads I'll be working with from my first partner, Sally Russick.  I hope I can translate my sketches!

Want to win for your Bead Soup design?

I've decided to add a new element of fun to the Bead Soup Blog Party® -- no, not pie, but PRIZES!

First, you do NOT have to participate in the contest, but to participate in the contest, you must already be in this year's Bead Soup Blog Party®.  In order to be considered for the judging, you will have to pin your piece to a special Pinterest board.  I will again be adding names, but you have to pin your own piece in order to be considered for the judging.

 
I've never been a fan of entering contests where you win by vote as the deck is often stacked against those without large social networks.  So to make this extra special and extra fun and as fair as possible, I am assembling a panel of judges from a variety of bead suppliers.  So far Nina Designs, Lima Beads, Fusion Beads, PJ Tool and Jewelry, Beaducation, and Kalmbach Publishing will be judging.

ribbons made by Haley Sheldon

There is a chance for ANYBODY to win, no matter your skill level or your soup's flavor.  

:: Grand Prize ::

(the piece chosen by all judges as the Best in Show)

:: Judge's Choice ::
(favorite of each judge)

:: Best Use of Seed Beads:

:: Best Wire Work ::

 :: Best Use of Fiber ::

:: Best Use of Color ::

 

and then some more unusual ones....

:: The Out of the Box Award ::

(most creative use of bead soup)

:: Zack's Choice ::

(my son Zack picks his favorite)

:: Out of the Hat Winner ::

(I draw a name out of a hat)

I hope this will interest some of you!  Remember, it is NOT mandatory.... you must pin your piece (AFTER your reveal date).

Judging will take place April 20th for the entire party,
so it doesn't matter when your reveal date is.

 

http://pinterest.com/limamike/contest-entries-for-bead-soup-blog-party-7/   

I will be adding your name to the pin board, but if you haven't received an invitation in about a week, please let me know.


Stay tuned for the full panel of judges.


Enjoy!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack.  Visit her shops by clicking here.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party®   and author of the book Bead Soup.

Choose your words carefully -- don't be rude.

Part of the fun of the Bead Soup Blog Party® is you have NO idea what you are going to get. But that can also be a source of disappointment in some cases.  I would be lying if I said everyone is going to love what they get.  That's a complete impossibility. 

Here is how I'd like you to try to manage any disappointment.

First, don't be rude in public.  If you want to vent to me or your friends in private, that's what friends are for.  But when you write your blog post or make comments on someone else's soup, please be careful how you word things.  Words like "ugly" should never even come out of your keyboard for the public to see.


Second, you are all artists.  YES, you are!  And I am positive that you can make something beautiful or unique out of whatever you received.  It might be more difficult than usual, but you can do it!  If you're stumped, send me a photo.  We can brain storm.  There is rarely anything that can't be made beautiful and interesting.

Approach designing with the open-minded abandonment of a child.

Reminder - you only have to use the focal and the clasp, and not even in the same piece, if you want to make more than one piece.  You also have your own stash to pull things together as well!   And you can also make something that isn't jewelry.  I've seen purses, journals, clip boards, key chains, fan pulls, mixed media art for the walls -- there are so many things you can do, if you put your mind to it.


Lastly, when you write about your soup, there's nothing wrong with talking about how you were challenged.  Just be tactful.  Some examples of what you can say:

"I normally don't work in earth tones...."

"I've never worked with beads this size before..."

"I usually work in a vintage style...."

But please don't say:

"I didn't like the beads I got...."

"The colors were garish...."

"I don't like to work with cheap beads...."

Of course, this doesn't mean you can't send me a photo of what you got and say, "Is this right?", because sometimes things happen and people don't read the rules, or forgot to send a clasp (I did that once!), or you just really didn't hit it off.   Just please keep in mind:

Your idea of beautiful 

and your partner's idea of beautiful

can vary widely.

Your partner's stash and funds 

can be completely different from yours.

I know it's not fun to be disappointed, and there's a lot of "Soup Envy" going on when we see what other people got.  I totally get that.  But embrace this challenge for what it is -- a chance to work outside your box.  

As always, please email me if you have questions.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack.  Visit her shops by clicking here.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party®   and author of the book Bead Soup.

Add to the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party ® Pinterest Board

If you are a participant in the 7th BSBP and would like to pin your beads and creations to the official pin board, first click here and see if you can pin.  Sometimes the invitation to pin hangs out on your main pin page in the upper left, so check there.  If you are unable to pin, please let me know.

ANYONE can follow the board (please do!) but only participants can pin.  

A Gentle Reminder :: What the Bead Soup Blog Party is all about.

This is the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party® and I am so thrilled to experience the excitement this event brings.  It's always a thrill to wonder what will show up in your mail box to create with.


That being said, every now and then I like to stop and make sure we're all on the same page.  It's been a while since I've done that so I thought I would talk about some things and make sure I'm still presenting the BSBP as it was intended to be.

Earrings I made in BSBP6 with lampworked head pins I was sent.

First, please know that I have no control over what your partner chooses to send.  I lay out the rules and photo examples in many places -- here, in the Bead Soup Cafe, in the "here is your partner email", and of course, at sign up.   When I pair people, there are many things I take into consideration first:

1. Where the person lives
2. Where the person wants to swap (overseas, etc)
3. What reveal a person wants
4. If the person is a seed beader, if they want to swap with a seed beader
5. If the person makes beads, I try not to pair them with someone who makes the same thing.
6. I try not to match anyone with someone they've had before, not just in the BSBP, but in other swaps I've hosted.

From BSBP5 -- I chose just one bead from the Bead Soup I received and used beads and chain from my own stash to create the rest of the necklace.  From this soup, I made many pieces.

Something I've learned in life is never, ever to judge a book by its cover.  While some people start their blogs just to do the party, others are long-time bloggers.  That doesn't mean that one or the other is a "better" swapper.  A person may have an enormous stash or make exquisite beads but not send  what you might think they would.  On the other hand, a person who is just starting out beading may send the most amazing Bead Soup you've ever seen.


There is flat out no way of knowing what you will get.  And that is something you have to be prepared for.  

From BSBP6.  I do not normally work with earthtones.  I chose a piece of copper to back up the gemstone pendant (don't forget about layering, adding extra beads, and the like as ways to enhance a focal).  In the bottom picture, I used polymer clay beads from my own stash to complete the look.  The ceramic diamond cubes and the Czech glass was part of the soup I received.

If you receive beads and don't know what to do with them, try to look at them in an entirely different way.  If you work in, say, vintage and are given wildly colorful, funky lampwork beads, embrace the challenge.  Don't be upset you didn't get a vintage soup!  I tell people to make up their soups before they get their partners for a reason -- I WANT you to work outside your comfort zone.  This is when you can really pull out your "I'm an ARTIST!" name tag and show you can work with anything.

From BSBP6.  I created a pendant with the wrapping paper my soup came in. 

If you are stumped, by all means, email me with a photo.  I have yet to meet a soup I couldn't figure out something.  Remember:

• You MUST use the focal and the clasp. 
• However, you do not have to use them in the same piece (you can make one piece or thirty -- it's up to you).
• Dig into your own stash to add your own flavor to the soup you got.  Add salt and pepper, so to speak.   
• You don't have to make jewelry!  In the past, people have made fan pulls, purses, and other pieces of art.

From BSBP6.  I made a keychain with a focal.  My soup also included the glass teardrops and the cording.

Let this blog hop help you grow in some way, be it in design, color theory, photography, or blogging.   Don't forget to get to know your partner a bit along the way, and that there is a Facebook group you can join -- it's a great place to share and learn!



And finally, you are allowed to do what you wish with your piece -- keep it, sell it, donate it, or present it to a magazine for a tutorial.


As always, let me know if I can help.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack.  Visit her shops by clicking here.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party®   and author of the book Bead Soup.

Now that you have your partner -- things to blog about!

YAY!  You all have your Bead Soup Blog Party®  partners!  But don't forget, it's not just about the Bead Soup, but the Blog, too!  How about some blogging ideas along the way?

:: Introduce your partner on your blog ::

Interview them, introduce their blog and shop, show some of their creations.  Get to know each other!

Me and Sally Russick (my 1st Reveal partner!) two years ago at artBLISS.

:: Show a "Mystery Photo" of the soup you're sending::

Use Pixlr or PicMonkey and play with various effects, and don't show what you sent your partner until your partner posts first!

by Jennifer Tough

by Karen Mitchell

My hope is you'll get more than one thing out of this blog hop.  

:: To trade beads

:: To design outside your comfort zone

:: To get to know someone new (or better!)

:: To show your work to the world via your blog

and finally, 

: To kick start, revitalize, or continue blogging as a way of self-expression.

Need some blog prompts and ideas?  I wrote an eBook full of prompts, ideas, and photos.  Many of the photos were taken by Bead Soup Blog Party participants.  You can buy "Follow the Path" at www.BeadSoupKits.com -- and right now, it's on sale!

Have fun!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack.  Visit her shops by clicking here.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party®   and author of the book Bead Soup.