Bead Soup Bead Reveal and more

After a quick trip to the craft stores yesterday, I returned home happy with my purchases and with a project in mind. However, that plan QUICKLY changed course when I checked my mail.

It had come (early at that). . .the package from Patty for the Bead Soup Blog Party

I had to remind myself to stay calm and not tear into the package like a wild gorilla.Instead, I grabbed my camera and went about things in as orderly fashion as possible.

First I oohed and aah-ed over the TAPE she had on the outside of the box. . .fancy!

Carefully, I opened the box to find a rather large, but beautifully stamped, envelope blocking my view

Flipped over, I got an eyeful of the envelope's gorgeous stamped front and the other treasures awaiting below.

Since I had decided to behave, I opened the envelope first to find this simply amazing card.

Look at the details; the soldered pendant, they key, the beads, and the button. It's many of the things that make me happiest in life. I was salivating! Patty, how did you know? I could have stopped right there happy as a clam. But, I delved further into the box . . .

to find this lovely array of coordinating packaging and eye candy.

A decision had to be made. Starting with the blue-green box, I slipped off the delicate ribbon and lifted the lid to find...a bunch of little packages! TWO layers of them!

I opened each of the SIX mini treasures like they were the most delicate items ever. I examined each item, rolling them around in my hands, savoring the gift.

Once they were all opened, I got an eyeful of them all together.

A ceramic focal and matching hearts, a copper toggle clasp, copper rings and dragonflies, agate beads, wood beads, and nut beads. . . oh my!!

Yet, there was still MORE in the big box. How could that be?

I next went to a long, cylindrical package

As I opened it, an ooooohhhh escaped my lips.

Before my eyes was some of the coolest copper chain I've ever seen, tied up with another ribbon.

And, there was still MORE to be opened.
I reached back into the box, and lifted this heavy-ish block with Patty's card tied on

Peeking at me from under the ribbon was another tiny, lovely key (starting to feel a little spoiled here)

Inside was a bar of fancy soap. Not sure what she's implying, but I will admit that I do like fancy soaps!

Again, I peeked in the box to find yet another package tied up with string (one of my favorite things ;) )

Inside was some beautiful jasper with a matte finish.

Let me admit (I've already told Patty) that I had bought these SAME beads on the shopping trip from which I had just returned. As such, the sight of these beads in the package seriously made my give out my loudest chuckle.

Finally, I had come to the last package in the box. (I was starting to wonder if this was Mary Poppins' no-bottom bag.) 

Upon opening this piece, I let out an audible GASP. You would too if you were given this beauty.

And so ended the production that was my opening the box from my first ever Bead Soup Blog Party partner.
For reference (and for my picture on the Bead Soup Blog Party Flickr page), here's most everything together (minus the soap and the card).

And a few closer looks!

As I've already stated, I can't believe how much Patty spoiled me.
There was SO MUCH in this package to love down to the string, ribbon, and book pages she used to wrap each and every item! Of course, you can bet that the scavenger that I am is saving all these beautiful bits to work into other pieces!

Patty even sent me TWO focals. Of course, that means I have to make a decision about which one to use for the party. However, YOU'll just have to wait for the reveal day (Feb 26) to see what I decide to do with these goodies. 

I'll share this ONE picture with you of what I sent Patty.

Weirdly similar huh?
Lori, our Party host at Pretty Things, tried to pair each of us up with someone distinctly different from us. Patty and I have laughed at how similar our packages are. We were both attempting to send each other a more "natural and earthy palette" from what we thought the others' typical style was. Well, great minds think alike!

Patty is sharing even more pictures of the bead soup I sent her on her blog, My Life Under the Bus. 

As recommended before, you should totally check out Patty's blog and shop,The Junquerie. She makes some of the most beautiful things.

Before I hurry into to the craft room to play with the goodies Patty sent, let me share the new earrings in MY shop.

Music to My Earrings

Lastly, since it is Feel Good Friday and I'm already giddy about my prezzies I'll share some fun with you.

• This printable free compliments page is very cute and could make your or someone else's day.
• Cute video alert!!                                         

Here's hoping you have a fabulous weekend ahead!

Combining Wednesday and Thursday Posts

I've been a whirlwind of activity the past few days. I spent two nights celebrating my mom's birthday with her and the rest of the family. Yet, mostly, I've been trying to get the house in some semblance of order. However, Tuesday afternoon pulled me into the craft room with the lure of polymer clay. It's been a while since I played with the clay and I needed some new beads in my stash, so I got to work. The polymer clay action bled all the way into Wednesday.

In all, it was a simple process to up my stash of polymer clay beads. I just grabbed some already-conditioned clay from the last time the nieces played with it. I simply rolled out a variety of beads and also used some mokume gane to cover scrap clay. The non-mokume gane beads were textured and coated with some PearlEx Powder. As well, I made a few flat pieces and stamped them. (I'll share pictures of those once I'm happy with their paint jobs.) I snapped pictures with my phone during the process and even used Instagram to capture the images that I used for Bead Table Wednesday on Flickr. {I'm sharing those pics plus a few additional here today}

I just love to use PearlEx powder to make polymer clay all shiny!

A new pair of earrings wound up in the shop the other day.

Got a Little Swing Earrings

That covers what needed to be posted on Wednesday.
For Thursday, let me just share some links.

~*Crafty Links*~
topic: clothes (which means sewing. . .and most of these are a reuse/recycle project too)

• Patchwork belt 
• Turn t-shirts into a ruffled skirt 
• Make a nightie out of a pillowcase 
• Babydoll dress from men's dress shirts 
• Pajama pants from bedsheets 

Since most of those projects were thrifty, I'm not going to share anything additional for Thrifty Thursday today. I want to get back into the craft room and get some more work done instead!

Exploring our Local Area (plus Menu and MMSM)

Pat finally figured out our internet issues early Sunday afternoon. Which meant that we had all of a few hours left of daylight in the weekend to enjoy ourselves contented with the fact that we would have access to the entirety of the world wide web again.

We chose to take a hike/stroll/walk/meander through some of the Weeks Bay estuary area. It was just lovely to enjoy the swampy, boggy area without the threat of mosquitoes. However, we are intent on visiting the trails again once there's a bit more greenery (everything but the biggest trees seemed to be hibernating.) In the meantime, we enjoyed re-learning the names of our local trees and taking in a few beautiful views of the bay.

 

We even were able to locate and log one of the geocaches in the area! 

Now that I've got the internet back at my disposal, let me share the newest necklace in my shop. I'm seriously in love with this one, AND it's still available!!

Vintage Beauty Necklace

Remember, there are still a few items in the ON SALE section that will be expiring in the next few days! As well, I should be adding at least one more item to the shop this evening.

I haven't had much time today for creative endeavors, as I'm trying to get myself back on track on the domestic front. Good news though, I did get my meal plan made for the week. There are lots other menu ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for today's Menu Plan Monday. Here's mine for your mouthwatering pleasure!

MONDAY
B: Cereal
L: Leftovers
D: Rotisserie chicken, peas, easy scalloped potatoes

TUESDAY
B: Bagels and cream cheese, fruit
L: Bean burritos
D: Spaghetti, salad

WEDNESDAY
B: Nutella on toast, fruit
L: Chicken salad sandwiches
D: Pork chops with creamy mushrooms and dill, corn, long grain and wild rice

THURSDAY
B: Cereal
L: Homemade hot pockets (no recipe, I'm just going to wing it with some crescent rolls, I'll let you know how it turns out)
D: Grilled chicken or fish, cauliflower, yellow rice

FRIDAY
B: Bagels and cream cheese
L: Homemade chicken noodle soup (using this recipe as a jumping off point)
D: Margarita Friday - OUT

SATURDAY
B: Eggs, bacon, toast
L: PB&J
D: Ham steaks, mac-n-cheese, green beans

SUNDAY
B: Muffins
L: Tuna noodles
D: Slow Cooker curried coconut chicken (with Jasmine rice)

Since it is "Made Me Smile Monday" also, let me share these funnies with you for a quick Monday pick me up!

• Fun Cold Beer sign that is reminiscent of the old spice guy.
• Safest day in the history of the United States
• Superhero bathroom 

Internet Panic and Giveaway Winner

I've come to realize, technology rules my life.
I woke up this morning anxious to get to drawing the name for the giveaway. First though, I thought I'd check if there were any more entries. I came to the slow realization that there was something terribly wrong. The majority of the pages I tried to visit just wouldn't load. I tried restarting my computer, using another browser, signing in to Pat's MacBook, restarting the router and modem, using my phone, clearing my cookie cache, anything and everything I could think to do. To no avail. There's simply something wrong with our internet provider today. Since I was unable to visit the sites I usually do each morning as part of my routine, I feel just a bit OFF today. You know, like I left the oven on. I just feel like something has been forgotten.
Eventually, I was able to navigate to the page I needed and finally put down the last few names for the drawing. Sorry for the delay. But, I wanted to pour out my web woes AA style first. . . Hi, my name's Hope and I'm addicted to the internet. There, I said it. Now, we can move on.

So, I completed the list of those who wanted to be included in the drawing.

Cut the names into little strips and put them in a bowl.

Pat pulled out a name and it's. . .

JENNIFER ROBERTS. . .for her entry on my Facebook Page.
Congrats Jennifer, e-mail me: craftyhope at gmail dot com
and let me know how you want me to get the jewelry holder and earrings to you.

To the rest of you; thanks so much for entering the giveaway! Keep your eyes peeled because there may be more in the future!



Before I head out (to pour my internet panic into some Margarita Friday happiness), let me tell you about one more Giveaway over at Lori Anderson's Blog: Pretty Things.
She's giving away this awesome set of metal stamps.

Head over to Lori's blog to see how you can enter.


I also listed a beautiful necklace last night that I would share with you, but Etsy seems to be one of the problem pages. As such, I'll share more about it when MediaCom gets its act together.

Bead Table Wednesday On the Go

Bead Table Wednesday On the Go
Originally uploaded by CraftyHope

Today was a long one. I helped out my sister-in-law again by taking her to a string of doctor appointments.
As usual, I over packed my bag of things to do while I waited as I ended up only using the beading supplies and my iPad.
The picture is of the clipboard I had precariously balanced in my lap. I'm working on another JUNK necklace (or two) and simply spread out all the bits and pieces on a bead mat. So while it isn't technically my "bead table", it is what I was working on this particular Wednesday! As such, it's my Bead Table Wednesday submission.

I also listed a new pair of earrings yesterday

Flight of Fancy Earrings

Please don't forget about the Giveaway.

What's Going on in My Beady World

Over the weekend Lori at Pretty Things sent me an e-mail letting me know she had paired me up with Patty at My Life Under the Bus for the Bead Soup Blog Party. Since then, I've been consumed with thinking about what to send to Patty. I sent out her package this morning and that definitely frees up my mind some. You should totally check out Patty's blog (as noted above), her Etsy Shop (The Junquerie), and LIKE her on Facebook. So far, she's been a ton of fun to e-mail. I just hope she likes and can work with the goodies I sent her.

I put up a couple of new things in the shop, and one of them sold just about as soon as it was listed. It was one of my favorites and something I was holding on to because I wasn't sure I wanted to let it go. (And GO it did!) Even though it should be in it's new loving home by now, I still want to share some pictures of one of my newest ventures. . .JUNK necklaces. The sold one was named "One Woman's Junk" and was made of bits of old jewelry, some beads, a bell, a tiny jar of glitter, shells, and other bits and pieces that seemed to just come together.

I've got another junk necklace mostly made. Hopefully it will take less time for me to list it than the last one did!

Also, I've listed this necklace

Off Balance Necklace

In addition, a few more items were moved into the ON SALE section of the shop.

Pushing My Buttons Bracelet

Isn't It Grape Necklace

Lastly, here's a reminder to enter the GIVEAWAY for the earring holder and earrings. Remember to get your entries in before Friday!

Bead Table Wednesday (on Friday)

I know this should have been done two days ago, but . . .well. . .Life gets in the way sometimes.

The fabulous Heather Powers of Humblebeads was inspired to create a Flickr group that she's calling Bead Table Wednesday. Each Wednesday, members will snap a photo of what's on their bead table(s) to share with the group (or anyone else who just wants to get an eye-full of the beady goodness that's going down over there.) Many are also sharing these photos on their blogs.

Since I was a little manic on Wednesday, I didn't get my Bead Table Wednesday picture taken until Thursday morning, but I promise nothing had been touched from the previous day. It's nothing spectacular for my first submission to the group, but it is what it is.

You can see my bag of goodies from SueBeads in in the upper right corner. Across the bottom is a work in progress. It's a conglomeration of beads and other bits. I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not.

So that's it. You can check out Heather's original post about Bead Table Wednesday on the Humblebeads Blog.

And don't forget to enter my Earring Holder Display Giveaway!