First, none of this would be possible without the amazing Lori Anderson. Not only does she put on this party for 500 but she makes three pieces of jewelry for the hop. I barely got one done. Thanks Lori.
And, I also want to thank my fantastic partner, K. Hutchison of Jumbled Hutch, who sent me the soup that inspired this adventure, and what an adventure it has been! Here is what she sent me,
and the few crumbs left over -- K. sent just what I needed.
I hope she found the soup I sent her similarly inspiring. I know she has made something great, looking forward to the reveal.
From the get go this piece had a mind of its own. Plan A was a bit of bead embroidery to frame the focal and a kumi braid with the sari silk but ... sorting thru my stash I found this pretty little raku face and could just see it peaking out of the leaves suggested by the focal. So it was on to plan B, and C . . . I think I've been thru the alphabet twice.
The choker was the hardest thing to get right. I added more silk from my stash and used C-Lon to knot it, macrame-ish, letting the fabric bunch up and create a base with lots of nooks and crannies for beads. I used Shiva Paint Sticks in forest green, turquoise and copper to get the color I wanted it.
In the end, I think it was more than worth effort, how about you?
Be sure and hop on over to all the other participating blogs:
Holy smokes, Kat! You did an amazing job! This piece is a knock out! WOWZERS the details and textures are amazing! I love it! So dang creative!
ReplyDeleteIs that true? It is really amazing, a great colour mix!
ReplyDeletedang! you reinvented the alphabet with this one! Awesome work
ReplyDeleteBoah - how long did it take to get such a stunning piece of jewelry. A really awesome work, wonderful colours and a great compositon, Kat!
ReplyDeleteThis must've taken you forever to bead this piece! Amazing! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteAmazing piece! Love all the details especially the face peeking through!
ReplyDeleteWOW.....that is a labor of love for sure! You rocked that soup! Kristin Oppold
ReplyDeleteI am always mesmerized by the amount of work, detail and beauty in your pieces. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteSTUNNING!!! I am at a loss for words ..an amazing creation!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust watching this piece makes my fingers hurt. What are your plan for the adorable bird focal ? :)
ReplyDeleteI would say something if I could get some breath!!! <3
ReplyDeleteThat necklace is truely a wearable work of art. You could frame it and display it on the wall!!
ReplyDeletekathy
Oh my gosh - that is incredible. Amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteWow! Kat, your necklace is extraordinary! Absolutely fantastic job. <3
ReplyDeleteI have no words for how beautiful this is. It's like one of those pieces on the back of a Fire Mountain catalog. Your work is amazing. Do you have an idea of how many hours you have in it?
ReplyDeleteOMG, im so, so impressed!its not only necklace-its ART! congrats!
ReplyDeleteStunning work!!
ReplyDeleteO_O That is amazing beyond words! I can't imagine the amount of work, the details are incredible
ReplyDeleteI just gasp at that and I'm sure you would have heard me in the UK. I can't get my head around the incredible amount of work that must have take, it's mind blowing. Truly great art.
ReplyDeleteAs another Bead Embroiderer, I love the focal and bezeling. Very eclectic technique on the choker and it blends perfectly with the focal. Well done and admired.
ReplyDelete~you have left me speechless with the unbelievably beautiful piece you have created...a brilliant mind you behold...much love light and blessings~
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous. Great flow, it has a real presence. The focal alone is stunning but then when you consider the choker in combination WOWZA!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous colors and love the mix of bead shapes and sizes and surface finishes. And yet you've achieved such a cohesive design. Pure artistry! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThank-you all, knowing the quality of work you all do, it is high praise indeed.
ReplyDeleteAmazing work. Simply gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteOMG! stunning!
ReplyDeletewow, what a piece of art, I can't even imagine all the work and time and patience... I really can't do anything like this!
ReplyDeleteyou are very talented, many compliments.
I'm on the 3rd reveal, what fun BSBP!
ciao dall'Italia
WOW. wow I just love the forest you created in that chocker - i mean it is so incredible and most definately worth a few runs through the alphabet. I love Shiva sticks (I'm working on painting a pair of runners for my little one at the moment)- I love how you've used them here to simply nail the colour and detail in the focal. I'm so happy you shared the picture of the almost empty bowl that made me smile :)
ReplyDeleteI love it when your blog began to load and that little beaded face was staring at me. I knew it was going to be good. I love this necklace. I would love to be able to hold something like this in my hands and study it up close. Absolutely amazing what you beadweavers can you. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! What an incredible bead work! So stunning!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is amazing!! I am in complete awe of your bead work!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see your necklace modeled with a duochrome green/plum moire satin strapless gown. I can't imagine anything less formal could do it justice!
ReplyDeleteWow!! That is beautiful bead work!!
ReplyDeleteWOW!! Your necklace is top shelf gorgeous. I love bead embroidery. I stayed away from it in this challenge so it was more of a challenge to me.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous piece!
ReplyDeleteMy gosh, this piece is a jaw-dropper! I love that you were able to use almost every single bead in your soup -- and it always makes me happy to see a seed beader in the hop!
ReplyDeleteHoly! Incredible piece...hard to come up words to describe it. Beatiful!
ReplyDeleteOH HOLY COW! You created a statement piece to be sure. I'm not even sure I would feel comfortable wearing that necklace. I'd be afraid of hurting it's perfection. It's totally frameworthy though. You absolutely took some soup and made a masterpiece!
ReplyDeleteOh it was more then worth the effort! You have created not just a piece of jewelry but a piece of art.
ReplyDeleteLove it, great beadwork and use of colours... I want to look al the necklace more than once, it's fascinating in a way...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning! I've always had the highest regard for bead weavers and seed-beaders and having seen your lush, intricate, breath-taking creation, my estimation of beadweavers has skyrocketed! All that effort was DEFINITELY worth it!
ReplyDelete