Last minute help!

Please take the time to read this post!

First, a gentle reminder about hurting feelings....

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/02/choose-your-words-carefully-dont-be-rude.html

As I hop the party, I will be re-linking 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.

If you've participated before, why not link all your reveal pages, too?

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 board!

  http://www.pinterest.com/limamike/8th-bead-soup-blog-party/

I'm still working on the participant link list, but the permalink for MY post (if you don't want to copy and paste that huuuuuuge list on your own page) should be:

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com//2014/04/welcome-to-8th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

PLEASE be aware that this will NOT work until the party starts, and I will be up right after midnight on Friday/barely Saturday to make sure it's working -- so if it DOESN'T work for you, COME BACK HERE and relink.  Sometimes Blogger hates me.

To set up Blogger to automatically post for you:

https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/41456?hl=en

To set up WordPress to automatically post for you:

http://oompimpa.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/schedule-a-post/

BE AWARE -- sometimes Blogger hates not just me but everyone and won't post.  

Make sure the clock settings are correct in your Settings/Language and Formatting.

I post on my time, Eastern Standard Time, one minute past midnight on Friday. use:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

And believe it or not, people start hopping early!

See you this Saturday!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops by clicking on the right side bar of this blog (please and thank you!). She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party® and author of the book "Bead Soup" via Kalmbach Publishing.

postponing reveal by one week

As I sit in the hospital waiting for more tests, I have to admit thorough disgust and disappointment in having to postpone reveal date by one week, to Saturday, May 10th.  I have tried with herculean effort to fight through some things that I am quite sure you're tired of hearing about but I swear there is nothing I can do other than postpone a week and beg understanding.

If you told me you were unable to make the original date but now can, let me know.  If you are going to be out of town, I hope you will be able to schedule your blog to auto post (there are directions further in this blog, or post on WWW.beadsoupcafe.com for help.

Once I'm done here at the hospital I'll send a mass email, too.

Trust me, you couldn't be more disgusted with me than I already am.

Dont Be Afraid of the Do-Over

Having a tough time with your Bead Soup design?

Don't be afraid to start over, either now or after the party.  Click here to see my own do-over.  You'll also see the dilemma I faced when the beads were so amazing they could have stood alone on their own merit without me touching them.

Enjoy!

Some helpful hints to get you ready for Bead Soup Blog Hop day

**  I will have a list of participants, with links, very soon.  You don't have to post the entire list on your site, but can have it link back to mine.  The permalink is

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com//2014/04/welcome-to-8th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

Of course, this will not be active until the day of the hop, but some people don't like to have almost 500 links on their page!  Also, at the last minute there are invariably people who have to bow out and my list will be the most up to date.


** 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

** Are you like me and are just getting started making your pieces?  Never fear, you're in good company!  Hopefully these ideas might help get your creative juices flowing.

** Are you having a hard time incorporating your clasp into your design?  Consider using it as a pendant bail.

Ceramic beads by Earthernwood Studio, clasp and chain by Miss Fickle Media

**  Create a pendant bail for a large bead with micro-macrame.

Bead by Lori Greenberg for Beads of Courage

** Try layering a focal with metal or other materials for a new look.

** When you write about your piece, feel free to talk about your process, any lessons learned, and any challenges you encountered.  However, be careful how you write this. Please never use words like "ugly" or anything disparaging.  That will only cause bad feelings.

Here I described the beginning steps of what ended up being a totally blinged-out necklace.  

**  And finally, a word about Soup Envy.  I seriously doubt there's a one among us who hasn't seen someone else's soup and gone, "OH MAN I wish I had that!", even if your soup is the bee's knees.  That's OK!  But try to focus on your artistic ability to work with ANYTHING.  You are all great designers, whether you've been doing this for a month or ten years.  I know you can do it, and if you need help, please message me.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  I'm still more off the computer than on but will do my level best to be available.  Also feel free to post questions at www.BeadSoupCafe.com -- lots of Bead Soup veterans there!

Have fun!  One more weekend and then we're there!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops by clicking on the right side bar of this blog (please and thank you!). She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party® and author of the book "Bead Soup" via Kalmbach Publishing.

How to use a button as a clasp

Hi guys!  I quick tutorial for you on how I used a lampwork button in a non-traditional way to make a clasp.  I'm lousy at making a seed beaded loop, so I came up with another way.


Click here to go to the article!  In the article, you can see how I used the beads from this Bead Soup in a necklace, but tore it apart and made something new that I wear all the time.  Never be afraid of the do-over!

Lampwork beads by Manuela's Glass Art

Fringed chain from AD/Adornments

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops by clicking on the right side bar of this blog (please and thank you!). She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party® and author of the book "Bead Soup" via Kalmbach Publishing.

Pinterest boards for the Bead Soup Blog Party AND for the Bead Soup Cafe

Just sent this email out to all the BSBP8 participants, but it also applies to anyone who belongs to the Bead Soup Cafe, www.BeadSoupCafe.com, a Facebook group.  Currently, the Facebook group is set to Private, which means you click and it sends me a note that you want in.  I then check to make sure the person doesn't look like a spammer (we've been hit with a few who were promptly banned).  It takes me a day or so sometimes, but you can also message me at my personal page telling me about yourself so I know.

Here's the content of the email I sent:

Ghislaine Kruse van Erp gave me the splendid idea to create a button the pinterest board, and she ALSO graciously made it and pinned it. If you want to join the 8BSBP boad AND/OR the entire group's board (I'll put a button there soon), just click the large pink "ADD ME" button on the board, and when I see it/an coherent, I'll add you, delete your name, and all should be well.

Go to the 8BSBP board here: http://www.pinterest.com/limamike/8th-bead-soup-blog-party/

and comment on the ADD ME pin and I'll get to it as soon as I can. You can do likewise for the general group board

http://www.pinterest.com/limamike/bead-soup-cafe-facebook-group/

Thanks!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops by clicking on the right side bar of this blog (please and thank you!). She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party® and author of the book "Bead Soup" via Kalmbach Publishing.

Please join Bead Soup Cafe while during the party...

I know some of you don't do Facebook, but if you do, PLEASE join www.beadsoupcafe.com so you don't miss things.  (You'll need to be approved so we keep out the rash of spammers, so please be patient).


Right now I'm adding people to the 8th Bead Soup Blog Party Pinterest board, and if for some reason you haven't followed me or I haven't followed you on Pinterest, we have to jointly follow so I can add you.  If you're in the Facebook group, I can @ your name and you get alerted.


Otherwise, stay tuned, and when I'm done with the ten pages of names, I'll put a list out here of who is NOT connected, and you can THEN tell me what your Pinterest info is.  Please don't post it here, as I still have four more pages to go through.  I'll be back.

original art by Barbara Bechtel

she may have some for sale if you ask her!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops by clicking on the right side bar of this blog (please and thank you!). She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party® and author of the book "Bead Soup" via Kalmbach Publishing.

Bead Soup Update

Hi guys.  Quick post while I can.  I haven't been able to do email so if there is an issue, please private message me on Facebook.


I'm encouraged to see the Soup photos...it seems most people are quite happy and challenged in the right way.  If you get a soup that has you scratching your head for whatever reason, please send me a picture and I'll help.  Another set of eyes can sometimes help.


I know you're probably as sick of hearing "I'm sick" as I am of telling you, but I'm having an extra-difficult time right now and have been told to just lay low so I don't make things worse.  I'm horribly disappointed that I have to cancel my big spring show...$600 booth fee down the drain and thousands in revenue, but.....there's a reason behind everything, I guess, right?  But it's fair to say that with the weather, reduced pain meds, and new antibiotics and supplements recently, I'm a bit worse than I've been in a while.  Yet this is a good thing!  It means Lyme toxins are being attacked, which is what we want.  It just hurts.


Anyway!


Some of you have already received Pinterest invites to the 8th BSBP pin board.  I am at www.Pinterest.com/limamike.  You can post photos of your soups, but no pictures of finished pieces until reveal day, please.  I'll continue to add people, hopefully this week.


When I'm able, I do read over the Cafe, and do not feel afraid to message me, Lisa Liddy, or my husband Rick (Richard on Facebook) if I don't answer quickly enough.


I'm so proud of this group.....things are brewing, people are helping each other, and excitement is palpable.


One last thing....I'll update the partner list soon as there have been some changes, and then will add the official blog list (your name and blog link, no partner) and that will be the list you can link people to on reveal day.  More on that later; just a heads up.


Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts.  Love to all, and a little funny bit so you know my sense of humor is still with me.  ;-)

The Final and Complete Partner List WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW

Hello everyone!  I am happy to say that tomorrow afternoon, I will be posting the COMPLETE and FINAL list of partners.

::  The list will be in first name alphabetical order, but will be changed to "when you signed up order" a few weeks after I post the list.  I want to make it easy for you to find your name.


::  IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to let me know if your blog link is not active or is linked incorrectly.  Sometimes blogger does this screwy thing where, depending upon how you enter a blog address, it throws extra characters in.  PLEASE DO THIS FOR ME.... eternally grateful, I'll be.


:: There are some very new bloggers here, and a decent amount of new-to-the-Soup folks.  Whenever possible, I paired them with a mentor, someone who has done the party before and I thought would be a kind, informative partner.  Please don't think that just because a blog is new or the person doesn't blog much that this is a bad partner.  One of my favorite lampwork bead artists is internationally renowned, sells jewelry in the hundreds to thousands of dollars, yet rarely blogs.


::  If there is a mistake, and there will be, there always are, please email me or message me on Facebook as quickly as possible.  Every change in the spreadsheet at this point creates a ripple effect.


I want to thank you all VERY much for the delay, but we are really right on target with our timeline.  I'll be posting hints, tips, ideas, and other things during the "making my stuff" time, so please come back to this page often!

one of my Bead Soup creations

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops by clicking on the right side bar of this blog (please and thank you!). She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party® and author of the book "Bead Soup" via Kalmbach Publishing.

Things to Remember When You Get Your Partner

I just sent another MailChimp mass email to everyone.  It can be viewed here as well.

If you are not getting the emails, please don't stress.  Look at the post before this and see how you can subscribe (or resubscribe) yourself to the list, but I will always post the emails here as well.

I'm working on pairing seed beaders right now.

Things to Remember as You Get Your Partners    First, please be sure to check www.BeadSoupBlogParty.com on a regular basis as I'll also be posting things there. Second, I asked on the Cafe last night what to do about the amount of time it takes to email all of you individually with your partner's name, blog, and email address.  The consensus is that for this party, I will be listing partners in batches, on www.BeadSoupBlogParty.com (as well as this email), name and blog only, and you will need to go to your partner's blog to make contact.  This means if you haven't already made it easy to reach you on your blog, you may want to check.  If you use Blogger, your About Me should include an email and not take someone to Google+.  If you absolutely do not want to have your email out on the internet, please, please check your inbox, look on Facebook, ask atwww.BeadSoupCafe.com.  Having a way for not only your partner but your blog readers to contact you privately via and email link or "About" button is a great way to gain new insights and interact with your readers.   Some quick notes. All US participants -- PLEASE use Delivery Confirmation.  It's inexpensive and valuable. Before you ship your soup, take a picture of it, but don't post it until your partner has. PLEASE keep up with your partner, particularly in the early days and the days before reveal date. ANYONE can send me a picture of their soup for an opinion. Stay tuned -- pairing is in progress!     www.PrettyThingsBlog.com www.BeadSoupBlogParty.com www.LoriAnderson.com www.BeadSoupKits.com

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