Let's get this party started!

Ok ya'll, here we go! To see the complete list of the Bead Soup Party participants please visit our ringleader, Lori Anderson's, blog.

So, these are the beads that my wonderfully talented bead partner, Sue Kennedy, made and sent me. Gorgeous, aren't they? I stared at these beads for a loooong time wondering what to do with them. I really wanted the focus to be on the beads so I tried to come up with a way to showcase them.

And this is what I did. A little different, maybe even odd, I'm not sure yet. All I know is that I like it. :)

As you can see this piece is all about the massive pendant that I created from the beads that Sue sent me. I started by making a copper frame which I hammered for texture and then oxidized. I threaded a piece of sterling wire through one of the large focal beads and balled the ends. This is what the copper frame hangs from. Then I made four rows of beads that are wired on to the frame with sterling wire, creating an abacus effect (except you can't slide them around, I really packed them on there).

It was at this point that I realized that I hadn't included any of my own porcelain pieces. Not that I really needed to but I wanted there to be a little clay in this piece so I added one of my butterfly beads to hang at the bottom, complete with copper chain, another SueBead and an antique brass ball button.

I had a minor crisis over what to do with the rest of the necklace. I mean, I put all that energy into the pendant, how could I finish this off without getting really gaudy? After trying different chains and links I finally decided upon this excellent dusty purple leather cord that I found in London last September. I had been hoarding and protecting it but once I laid it next to the pendant and saw how well it matched I knew I had to use it. (And I still have a nice bunch of cord left to hoard away forever, tee-hee...)

I capped the ends of the cord with copper tubing that I hammered flat and drilled a hole to attach the sterling toggle that Sue had sent with the beads. The toggle was a little on the super shiny side so I oxidized it to bring it down a bit and I think it goes rather nicely with the overall piece.

And that's that! What a fun project this was. A big thank you to Lori Anderson for hosting such a great party! Be sure to head on over to her blog to see a complete list of the participants. And also be sure to check out my bead partner, Sue's, blog to see what she did with the beads I sent her. Have fun!

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