Collective Creative Canape

So this year... looking to expand my jewellery making skills and to gain new inspiration, I joined the Bead Soup Cafe group founded by Lori Anderson of http://www.prettythingsblog.com. The group is made of jewellery makers of all sorts from all over the world. Everyone in the group is certainly very talented and inspiring. Many of them make jewellery for a living and I'm very humbled that they would accept someone much younger and only a small-time hobbyist as part of their group.

Lori Anderson organises bead soup parties from time to time and by the time I found out about it, I had already missed the deadline to participate in her latest bead soup party. Later on, Keri Lee Sereika of http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com decided to host a smaller scale bead soup party called the Collective Creative Canape which I immediately took the chance to join. 

Basically a bead soup party involves you creating a soup of beads and swapping them with your partner. Using the beads your partner sent, you have to dig into your creative minds and hands to make something worthy of the gorgeous beads.

My partner is Cindy Wimmer Muse and she sent me a beautiful stash of glorious pink beads and a hand-knitted mini scarf which is such a thoughtful gift. Although at that time, Cindy didn't know that Malaysia is actually a tropical country and a scarf is little use to me while I'm here. We had our own funny conversation over that!! 

I'm actually not a big fan of pink so it certainly was a challenge and I must say I absolutely loved that Cindy sent me earring findings that I don't usually work with. So for this canape, I created my first ever chandelier earrings and I'm very happy with how it turned out. She also sent me a lace piece which I've not used yet because I haven't figured out how to attach chains or jump rings to such a delicate fabric. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

 Bead Soup from Cindy

 Triple-layered chain and pink bracelet

I'm not totally happy with this creation... so I might rework this one!

 

Nature-inspired pink necklace with gorgeous focal piece. I'm really not sure how Cindy know that I like dragonflies because we didn't discuss it at all but it's certainly a strange coincidence that I have a dragonfly tattoo and she decides to send  a focal piece with dragonflies on it!

My first ever handmade chandelier earrings!! My favourite creation out of all these. 

So now I'm gonna do my blog hop through all the other participants and you can too here:

Keri Lee Sereika www.pinklemonade.typepad.com

Beth Emery www.storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com

Niki Meiners www.nikimeiners.wordpress.com

Karan Parker www.karanskrafts.blogspot.com

Liz DeLuca www.creativeartyfacts.blogspot.com

Lynne Bowland www.islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.com

Judy Turner www.silver-rains.blogspot.com

Erin Grant www.Erinsjewelrycreations.blogspot.com

Bryna Lumb www.brynasbeadbox.blogspot.com

Rochelle Brisson www.acreativechelle.blogspot.com

Linda Youkman www.lindysdesigns.blogspot.com

Cheryl Foiles www.getyourbeadon.com

Kelli Jacobson www.CreativeMoonJewelryAndThings.com

Elena Gianni www.ilmondodipucci.blogspot.com

Tania Hagen www.pelimadesign.blogspot.co.nz

Cindy Muse www.cindyshandworkcrafts.blogspot.com

Stephanie Woods www.skwds.blogspot.com

Lisa Lodge www.pineridgetreasures.blogspot.com

 

Would like to extend special thanks to Keri Lee for organising this with great finesse and my friendly partner Cindy for the beautiful bead soup.