Swap 'n hop - Reveal day!

The main reason why I love to take part in bead swaps and blog hops is the challenge they provide. You may get material that you would not have bought yourself and it takes much more thought and effort to integrate them into the own design. That you make them "yours".

The Swap 'n Hop was organized by Linda. Thank you so very much! You can find links to all the participants at Linda's blog "from the bead board". Furthermore you could have a look at the facebook group "bead peeps" or the pinterest board for the Swap 'n Hop. Still, I would always advise to visit the blog to also get an idea about the person behind the creations and also what ideas and thoughts went into the finished pieces!

While I got a lot of different beads and styles from Kathy from Bay moon Design (my swap partner), I especially took her challenges to heart: Pink and the metall butterfly. I just posted the images just yesterday because my bead package for her is still on it's way... *sniff* So even if today should be the reveal day, stay tuned for what is still to come!

You mad recoginze the pink items I used... but I believe it may be a lot more difficult to find all the "butterfly pieces" ^^

So I will start with the pieces made for the "butterfly" challenge.

I took the butterfly apart with some metal figure scissors, punched it some or more holes and sanded it all down. I also roughened the surface because I like this worn look! All of them move beautifully!

And, can you find where the parts belonged to the butterfly? 

I also added some paint on some pieces to play more with colour while keeping the random and organic shapes.

Kathy: I used vintaj patinas! Just sanded them down afterwards a little bit again and then sealed them with two layers protective gloss. 

I also used a long piece for a necklace. Sadly I didn't manage to really get a great shot. I will try again but I have to think about how to take pictures from long necklaces, showing the overall design as well as the details. Here is even a little handmade lampwork bead included!

Now to the pieces for the "pink" challenge.

You may alredy get my preference for an organic and worn look. So I sanded down all metallic flower pieces! The black ones are wrapped with the beautiful pink silk and some tiny wee beads.

The pink soft leather pieces I also used for earrings.

I cut them in smaller pieces and made some tassels with wire. The beads I made with polymer clay. Can you see the tiny pink dots?

The bronze piece I curved to create a bracelet bar. With some czech glass beads (the light ones are real old ones and the bold english cut I got from Rebeccas Curious Bead Shop) as well as some indian pressed glass and the silk again, I think it looks lovely. And soooo girlish! ^^

I finally had the perfect opportunity to use the bead chain made with swrowski crystals I made some time ago (I showed them in my "chain ideas" log post). I also started to play with etching again since it starts to get warmer outside: I made a butterfly pendant. Combined with the silk and a lampwork head pin from Julie from uglibeads, it all came together quite easily.

The only difficult part is again: Take a fitting image! The lampwork is more prominent in real life, it sparkles more, shows more depth than I was able to capture in a photograph. *sighs*

And now for the piece I used my two favorite beads I got from Kathy. It also is my absolute favorite piece and I will keep it just for myself! Please bare with me, I know, there are already a lot of images but from this piece I just have to show you more than one... or two... or...

Okay, the first thing that comes to my mind describing it is: Mine! Mine! Mine! Now also imagine me with a big smile and not able to stop touching the beads!

Since the hole was relly big with the two green beads I glued bronze bead caps on both sides. I really like the shape the create together with me bead! The necklace is made with purple waxed linen (again from Rebeccas "The Curious Bead Shop") and finished with a small and recycled silver claps.

It just happened that I had so many beads at hand that all look like they just had to come together. You could make a "name the bead artist" challenge out of all of them. ^^ It is also special because there are the first art beads I ever bought included. The ones that made me addicted! 

Just to give you an idea: It was an orphan bad mix from Kimberly from Numinosity Beads! You may also find sea glass beads from Julie from uglibeads and really tiny lampwork beads from Michelle Bryant as well as cermaic bead from Karen from Starry Road Studio and from Teresa from Bu Hulley Beads and also some of my own polymer clay beads.

Comined with new czech glass beads, as well as recycled indian silver beads, african glass beads that are between 400 and 800 years old and last but not least some small roman glass beads that are maybe even two thousand years old.

What else can I say except: Mine! ;)

Here are the rest of the beads I still have to play with! I already prepared the other bronze flower piece to become a bracelet bar, some more painted butterfly pieces (two of them already with holes to be used as pendants), some wire ball pin attached to the humble bead (I just have to search for fitting beads) and I also painted two of the wodden beads with a chevron pattern. I think they look lovely but also still struggling with the design for them ;)

I didn't include the other metall pieces I still have, they are drying at the moment.

So... Kathy: Thank you very, very much! I loved your challenges and surprisingly, like it often is, your beads were my inspiration to create my most loved necklace!