Soup's on! 8th Bead Soup!

And if I do say so myself, it's FABULOUS! :)

First off, I want to say thank you to the awesomest Lori Anderson, our fearless leader, and her crew of helpers--you guys rock!!!!  Not only did Lori organize this HUGE bash, she did it while battling some serious health stuff.  But from what I understand, she's on the mend, so yay!  I so want her to feel better!

I also want to say an ENORMOUS thank you to my partner, Rachel Stewart of Blue Finch Jewelry blog for the beautiful soup she sent me!  Seriously, it was fabulous.  I know, I keep using that word, but really, you'll see!!!

First, a reminder of what I sent Rachel:

It's a garden! :) 

And what Rachel sent me:

Another garden! Great minds! :) 

So, that fabulous soup she sent me actually caused me a bit of a problem--such gorgeousness!  What to do!  I had this whole big elaborate plan...   yeah, it didn't work out.  I was so not happy with where it was heading...   That was about 2 weeks ago... (yeah, I was cutting it close...) but you know what? I am SO GLAD the elaborate plan didn't work out!  Because once I took everything apart and starting looking at the pieces again, inspiration struck (and so did exam week at school!  ick!  But it all came together.  slowly..... lol!)  So finally, here's the main dish, the real reason you're here, the pretties!  

I made 4 pieces, using one of the focals and both clasps, as well as a myriad of beads, both from Rachel and others that I added.  My goal this time was to use at least one piece of everything she sent, and I'm pretty sure I succeeded!  So here they are!!!

I made a pair of earrings, a necklace, and 2 bracelets.  Here they all are:

Soup's on! 

And now for some close-ups:

Mismatched Earrings, using the fun and very light-weight enameled beads Rachel sent.

The bracelets, using both clasps Rachel included in my soup.

The flower focal I chose to work with.  I still have the other drop focal, and will be making something with it soon. :)

And the finished necklace, using both soup beads and added beads.  Love this piece! 

There you have it!  Can't wait to see what Rachel made!  In fact, why don't you go see what everyone made!  :) You can find the list here!

Thanks for stopping by!