Saturday, March 30, 2013

Bead Soup Blog Party 7 Reveal

Good morning. Thanks for joining me for the first reveal (of three) of Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party reveal! A huge thanks to Lori for once again taking all of the time and effort required to coordinate and host such a large event.

For this go-round Lori paired me with the very lovely Sumi Rani of Designs By Sumi and the blog HundredColors. Sumi is such a sweet and lovely young woman and I felt such a strong connection with her right from the start. She, her husband and young daughter moved here to the U.S. all the way from India. I am in awe of her strength and courage, I could never move so far away from what and who I know and love. Sumi is such a talented artist, on so many levels. She is incredibly giving and gracious. She has a degree in Electronics, a Master's in Computer Science and is an interior designer and very talented jewelry designer. Incredible. After absorbing our connection and enjoying our email conversations Sumi let me know that we had another connection - her daughter and my oldest child shared the same birthday, February 28. Kismet.

First, the soup Sumi sent to me:
How beautiful is that?! The Om pendant is so perfect. The vibration of "OM" symbolizes the manifestation of God in form ("sāguna brahman"). "OM" is the reflection of the absolute reality, it is said to be "Adi Anadi", without beginning or the end and embracing all that exists. Love it! The burgundy cloth that my soup is resting on came in a later package from Sumi. It was a gift within a gift. Sumi sent me a love necklace she created for me and it was wrapped in the fabric. This piece of fabric is very special and I'm so honored that she gifted it to me. I have a plan for it that includes the polymer piece from the picture above which I believe Sumi made (I forgot to ask her, I need to!). I had hoped to have both pieces completed, but as always, time gets away from me. Since moving  here, her idol of God has been draped in the fabric. Again, I am so honored Sumi shared this with  me.

Here is the necklace she created for me:
For my piece today I used the Om pendant, the clasp and a lot of the beads Sumi sent to me. I added some vintage brass corrugated rounds and small glass rounds from my favorite bead shop The Beadin' Path (Heather and Jan are closing their in the next month, I'm so sad. It has been the BEST bead store in Maine for about 20 years. I'm not in complete despair though, they're remaining a strong online presence.). It's a soothing palette. Without further ado:

The pendant is washed out in the photo and the beads aren't as bright as they are in real life. Some day my jewelry photo skills will improve, I hope. Here is a detail of the pendant:
Here's a tip for you, one that I know but chose to ignore, until I had to restring the necklace twice (and will a third time - I need to make it a couple of inches longer): the best crimps to use are sterling silver crimps from Soft Flex. Don't use anything else, truly. Cover the SS crimps with a crimp cover to match your metal or a large hole bead. Using anything else is a waste of time, unless you enjoy picking your beads up off the floor.....just sayin'. Thank you Sumi, for sending me such a lovely soup (I'll let you know when I finish the second piece).

Here is the soup I sent to Sumi. I was inspired to stamp "bloom" on the pendant as a result of one of the email conversations Sumi and I had where she said "bloom where you're planted" regarding her move to the U.S.:
Be sure to visit Sumi's blog to see what she's created from the soup I sent to her, and be sure to check out what the other participants of the first reveal have completed:


Alicia Marinache
Amber Dawn Goldish
Barb Solem
Bev Breisinger
Birgitta Lejonklou
Breana Fry

Brenda Sue Lansdowne
Bridget Torres
Carol Dee Myers
Carolyn Chenault
Cassi Paslick
Cece Cormier
Cheryl McCloud
Cindy Wilson
Crystal Thain

Cynthia Riggs
Dana Hickey
Dana James
Darlene Fortier
Deana Hager
Deanna Cox
Deb Brooks
Debra Behrends
Denielle Hagerman
Denise McCabe

Diana Frey
Diana Welte
Dini Bruinsma
DiYana Alcalde
Dolores Raml
Donna Millard
Dot Lewallwn
Duane Clark
Dyanne Cantrell

Eleanor Burian-Mohr
Elisabeth Auld
Elizabeth Owens Dwy
Emily Greer
Enikö Fabian
Erin Grant
Eva Kovacs
Eva Sherman

Gina Hockett
Grace Rotenberg
Gretchen Nation
Hannah Rosner
Heather Davis
Heather Marston
Heather Powers
Ingrid McCue

Jacqueline Marchant
Jan Petek
Janeen Sorensen
Jane-Michael Stallings
Jasvanti Patel
Jayashree Paramesh
Jayne Capps
Jean Yates
Jennifer Cameron
Jennifer LaVite

Joan Williams
Jodie Marshall
Judy Riggs
Julie Anne Leggett
Kat Barron Miller
Kathy Lindemer
Kim Hora

Kim Houston
Kim Sparks
Krafty Max
Kris Lanae Binsfeld
Krista French
Kristen Stevens
Kristi Harrison
Kumi Fisher

Laren Dee Barton
Laura Bracken
Laura Demoya
Laurie Hanna
Laurie Keefe-Cecere
Lea Avroch
Leanne Loftus

Lee Anne Messerschmidt
Leslie Schenkel
Linda Anderson
Linda Djokic
Linda Murphy
Linda Sadler
Lisa Liddy
Lisa Suver

Liz DeLuca
Liz Engriser
Lola Surwillo
Loretta Carstensen
Lori Anderson
Lori Bergmann
Lori Bowring Michaud
Lori Poppe
Lori Schneider

Lyn Foley
Maddison Langford
Magdalena Sikora
Mallory Hoffman
Marcella Austenfeld
Marcy Lamberson
Maria Clark
Maria Rosa Sharrow
Marianna Boylan

Marie Covert
Marti Conrad
Mary Ellen Merrigan
Mary Harding
Molly Alexander
Nan Emmett
Niky Sayers
Pam Chesbro

Pam Farren
Pam Sandy
Pam Traub
Pamela Gangler
Patricia Buchanan
Patricia Johnson
Patty Miller
Paula Hisel
Peggy Gabrielson

Perri Jackson
Rachel Baron
Rachel Stanley
Rain Hannah
Rana Wilson
Renetha Stanziano
Robin Reed
Rochelle Brisson
Rose Rushbrooke


Ruth Szapa
Sally Russick
Sandi Volpe
Sandra Pendragon
Sandy Richardson
Sarah Small
Shannon Hicks

Shari Replogle
Sheila Daniels
Sheila Davis
Shiraz Biggie
Shirley Moore
Skylar Bre'z
Staci Smith

Stacy Pomerleau
Stephanie Weiss
Sumi Rani
Susan Sheehan
Suzette Bentley
Tamera Norris
Tracy Choy
Tracy Stillman
Valerie Norton
Vicki Holliday