Thursday, June 24, 2010

Come 'N Get It!

Bead Soup is ready! Whew! I thought this would never come to a boil, but it's finally time for me to do my reveal. And yes, for those who are wondering, this soup IS resin-free!

I posted a while back about the incredible set of beads that my fabulous swap partner, Julianna, sent me, but here's a refresher picture in case you missed it:






Do you ever watch that show "Top Chef?" It's one of my favorites and on that show, they talk a lot about "honoring the ingredients." You want to let the flavors of the main ingredients shine and not overwhelm them with too much other stuff. Yet, at the same time you have to create a recipe that is sophisticated and worthy of a "Top Chef."

As soon as I saw these beads, I knew that was going to be my challenge. All that gorgeous lampwork just had to be the star of the show. But how to put my own stamp on the design without over-complicating things?
Although my first thought was to put everything into one large necklace, all the beads are fairly sizeable and I was afraid it would be too heavy so I ended up making two pieces.

First off, I created something fairly simple to showcase that incredible focal bead, amazing silver bail and the matching silver swirl clasp:







This lovely dyed black silk ribbon happened to already be hanging out on my workstation from another project so I grabbed that and some sterling silver chain and ran them through the bail. Julianna had done a pretty silver wire spiral to string the focal on, but the shipping process was not kind to it and I also wanted to add a silver spacer at the top so I re-did the wire spiral, added my spacer and then wire-wrapped it onto the bail.







Here's a closeup on the detail of this stunning bead.









I added some of my own Bali silver beads and spacers to the faceted onyx and wine-colored pearls that Juls sent me and wire-wrapped 'em all into dangles which were then attached to the sides of the necklace with jump rings.






I've always seen pieces with ribbon, leather or other fibers attached with wire-wrapping, but have never actually used the technique before (I usually use cones or ribbon ends) so I thought I'd try it. I kind of like the contrast of the bright silver with the black silk ribbon. The lovely spiral clasp was part of the soup that Juls sent me.

Then it was time to see what I could do with the rest of the beads:





I named it "Merlot at Midnight." It's pretty much just the beads Juls sent with a few dashes of Bali silver from my stash thrown in.






A closeup on the lampwork. The Bali silver flower-shaped beadcaps in the center are from my stash.







This toggle is from my own stash - I like how the squiggly designs on it mimic the patterns in the lampwork beads. And, of course, I always finish off with a dangle on the clasp whenever possible. Actually, this was not how I originally intended to finish off this piece. I had this crazy idea that I would put a lobster clasp on each end so you could hang this from the spiral clasp on the first necklace and be able to wear them both together OR separately if you wanted to.

But then I decided I was just being crazy sooooo...toggle clasp it is!








I wish my photographic skills were up to getting better pictures of this necklace! The reactive glass really shimmers in the light and the camera just can't capture it very well.


Okay, so, I had to take ONE picture to see if my "wear it all at once" idea would have worked. I dunno...that's one FULL pot of soup!

Thanks again to Juls for such awesome ingredients to play with. I hope I did them justice! And thank you to Lori Anderson for hosting such a fun event. To keep on hopping through today's Soupers, you can click on her blog here.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who took the time to hop through all the Soup entries and leave comments. It's fun, but definitely takes some time and I appreciate that you stopped by. If you decided to stick around and become a follower - awesome! I've got some fun contests planned for later in the summer and, if you don't already know, every Friday is Bead Porn day around here with lots of eye candy to drool over so feel free to come back by and check it out!

KJ

47 comments:

Marcie Abney Carroll said...

Congrats! Consider the ingredients honored!

Barbara Bechtel said...

Love them both KJ! The second is my favorite. I think the beauty of intricate lampwork is that it doesn't need much to show it off and you really show that with the subtle bali silver.

Spirited Earth said...

wow i love that focal.
you did a wonderful job on both necklaces..the simplicity of the first really plays up the lampwork but it's fun that both can be worn together..smart

moonlitfantaseas said...

yummy!love the first necklace, and the second one is cool, I just like the simplicity of the first one more. beautiful ingredients! lovely soup!minticat

drachenei said...

Wow. Stunning.
Really great designs.

Pearl and Pebble said...

That is some gorgeous gorgeous glass you have there! I love how your designs came out. I like the wrapped cord ends too, you are right-that extra bit of black showing really sets off the clasp. I think you could wear these two pieces together depending on your outfit and mood. I see it with a blousy white cotton, blue jeans and a big fat chunky silver ring:)

Diana P. said...

Love what you did wih some very beautiful bead soup!

Juli Cannon said...

Ok wait. I need those beads back. In their current state. Right Now. I bet you think I'm kidding. Post Office. Hurry Up!

HOLYCOWWOMAN those are gorgeous pieces of jewelry. I love what you did with that focal and the danglage~ tis perfectyesitis!
I would totally wear them both together as well as individually.

Brilliant is what you are, parrot lady. <3 loveLoveLOVE your style.

Unknown said...

Such wonder and beauty your partner sent you! Really really nice! Your necklaces are 1st class. I esp love the 2nd one you have featured. A job so well done!!

Unknown said...

Nice work! They look amazing! You were so lucky to get Juls and I am sure you made her proud!

SummersStudio said...

Beautiful! That black silk ribbon is perfectly paired with the silver. Julianna makes beautiful beads. I think you spot on letting the beads speak for them selves.

elisabeth said...

Really incredible. I love the silk and chain together on the first necklace - might use that as inspriation :-)

Courtney Breul said...

I love your soup! Both necklaces are fantastic! Your ingredients were absolutely wonderful!

EmandaJ said...

WOW! Both pieces are gorgeous! Yumm-o!

Emanda

Kristen said...

You turned beautiful beads into beautiful works of art! Excellent job!!

Megilon said...

Both of the necklaces are beautiful! I love the simplicity of the first one to highlight that stunning focal. And I think with the right outfit you could wear both.

cindydolezaldesigns said...

Wow. I don't know which one I like best. I love the simplicity of the black and silver. If I had to choose one to wear I think that would be it. But Merlot at Night??? How could I refuse? Lovely, all.

steufel said...

Wow - both necklaces are awesome! Juls will love what you did with her soup!

Marie Cramp said...

I LOVE them!! I think they look amazing worn together! Great job!!

Carol B said...

Wow! That is an awesome soup you received. I love what you did with it.

Kella said...

Those are some awesome looking lampwork beads that's for sure and you ceratinly did well by them. I really like both pieces and think they would work well worn together.

The clasp you recieved is super cute.

TesoriTrovati said...

Oh wowza. That is some awesome soup! I really like the idea of "honoring the ingredients". I am always going over the top so I appreciate the restraint that takes. Nicely done. I would wear that first one in a heartbead..oops, I mean heartbeat! Enjoy the day! Erin

P.S. Be a follower of this blog! KJ is the funniest, sweetest person and her Bead Porn is not to be missed!

Cathryn said...

Both are compelling necklaces and both are equally stunning! I love how you took the first one and set off it's elegance with the simplicity in itself. I also love how the second necklace compliments the first one! Well Done!

Pretty Things said...

Holy smokes but that was some soup! And I love that... "honor the ingredients". What a perfect thing to say. I had some beads that needed to be "honored", too, because they had such perfectly gorgeous, muted detail.

I love your work! Thanks so much for participating!

Unknown said...

KJ,
You rock, girl!

These are incredible pieces and I think you did the beads justice.

I love the paragraph from Top Chef and see its correlation between cooking and beading clearly.

Paige said...

These are absolutely stunning! I love your soup, and think you honored the ingredients very nicely. I love the first necklace the most...it's so simple, and I love the look of ribbons and chains together. Wonderful job!

Do Be Do Bead Do said...

Really nice, KJ. Love that focal on the first piece. You could get lost in it.

Denise Yezbak Moore said...

I really like the necklaces layered together! What a great look. The design are both fab and your mix of beads was awesome...

Charlene said...

I love the Top Chef analogy and you definitely brought honor to your ingredients. Very nicely done.

Nicki said...

I like your soup, although I prefer both necklaces worn separately I think, but that's just me. Very well done. I like how they are so different from each other - you're very versatile.

Rebecca said...

Wow, stellar soup! You have done some excellent honouring here.

Evie's Tool Emporium said...

I love the simplicity of the pendant neck and the beaded neck is fabulous too! They play really well off each other! Lovely!

Loretta said...

Beautiful soup mix in both designs. I especially love the Merlot.

Laurel said...

I rather like them together, but then I'm a "more is more" kinda gal! Great job!

Regina said...

Love the first necklace showcasing that awesome focal bead. Nice how the spiral holding the focal matched the clasp. The second necklace with the bali beads and the lampwork beads, is to die for! love it. Great beads, great soup. Bravo!

one-eared pig said...

You did a wonderful job with the beautiful beads!

Christine said...

Tasty! I especially love the simple first necklace with the gorgeous focal bead. That's my favorite!

Karyn said...

Lucky you to get some of Juls beautiful beads. I love what you have created - well done.

Karyn

Debbie / Prairie Emporium said...

Great look, love it.

ViviBijoux said...

I personally found the first ribbon necklace stunning. Well done on trying the new technique. I was definitely worth it! My turn to try it now ;) smiles, Virginie

Jennifer Cameron said...

I love that you let the lampwork shine. It's definitely tempting to go crazy sometimes. Gorgeous beads you got to play with, and gorgeous designs for them.

diane hawkey said...

Very sophisticated, yet earthy! Very nice.

NEEDLEWINGS said...

Yummy! That's some soup!

Thanks for commenting on my blog, I finally got the red one done if you care to come back and see it!
OH my word verification is rediessi! Maybe that's what I should call it. LOL

Anonymous said...

I've looked at this a couple times so now I'm trying to remember if I've commented or not.

I love both pieces. I don't know if I've seen wire wrapping for cording at the end, but it's so simple and perfect that I'm totally stealing the idea. I really like how both pieces stand alone, but also go together so nicely. Great work!

Marieke said...

both unique and beautiful!

Jo said...

What beautiful beads you were sent! I love the necklaces you've made, the showcase the beads brilliantly.

Anna Lear said...

Both pieces are just gorgeous! I like the simplicity of the first piece; you added just enough to make the neckace special, but the lampwork focal really is the star of the show. And yeah, both pieces definitely work together. LOVE these.