Published and lost

This will be long and boring, but I had patience enough and deserve to steam off a little.
Let me start by saying how deeply I respect the work of anybody and that I am always extremely polite when addressing people, no matter what. I know what it means to work in customers care, and I would never be a nasty, angry, rude customer.

Last June I was contacted by a magazine to publish my Red Lady necklace in an article related to the amazing Bead Soup.

I was so happy! Couldn't believe it!
I didn't want to part from my necklace, but I was going to leave in a couple of days and didn't have time to take proper pictures as they wanted. So I sent it.
I didn't receive any news from them for almost 2 months, as they went on vacation in august. I was kind of resigned that my necklace was lost, but nope: it had arrived safely!
The magazine was due on 5th october and I couldn't wait to receive my copy.
I was sent an e-mail that I had actually been published (yeah!!!) and I was going to receive a copy and my necklace in my hands within a couple of weeks.

Weeks passed by and no sign of any package behind my door.
I wrote to the magazine and was answered, after 6 days, that the necklace had been sent to my address...I look at it and it says n.16 instead of 14...
What? SERIOUSLY??!?!?

Rules are you need to write down your address almost everywhere, on the box, envelope, on a card tied to the piece of jewelry. No way I could have written 16 in any of these places.

Also, it was too late to go nextdoor (that's where n.16 was) and ask to people if they could pay attention to any mail they would receive with my name on. It was already lost or going back to the magazine.
Well, after one more month I can say it never went back to the magazine.

The nasty thing is, the mail wasn't trackable since day one, when it still was in the USA. Tracking number didn't work - I don't know why, they didn't know why.
They left me with promises of sorting things out for me, but they obviously didn't.

How should I feel now???
Devastated. Especially because the raw materials were a precious gift from what has become a dear friend.
So I only have 2 pics of the magazine, my BF took them yesterday night with his phone so you need quite a lot of imagination....

Looks gorgeous and can't wait to have in my hands.
It's a bittersweet triumph for me.
I am thankful for being published but I am so sad now. And I miss my beads so much.

Spikey punk bracelet

These amazing orange Delica beads have an AB finish the pic doesn't catch

and I think they make the perfect contrast with the matte color of the spikes.

I just love the punk feeling it gives, mixed with this neon touch.

Farfalle bangles

Yesterday morning I was waiting for a small pack of beads to arrive from the Czech Republic (which arrived THIS morning) and instead I found an amazing surprise from Preciosa Ornela: 2 packs of Farfalle beads in neon color!
It took me 2 minutes to know what I wanted to make with them and to actually make it:

All you need is some memory wire and silver charms. Some of them come from different countries (like the hidden cow-bell from Austria and a silver camel from Tunisia) or just remind me of them.
The picture doesn't do justice to these amazing colors and the texture of these gorgeous beads!

Meanwhile other purchased goodies arrived

and I am too anxious for the run to play with them now!
Seed beads are from Preciosa Ornela and it's the first time I use them, I already love the finish they have - so silky. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some rest for my legs and bead a little.

BSBP 1st item: Red Lady Necklace

If you are still hopping on the BSBP second reveal, here is the link . I'm showing my BSBP pieces one by one all over the week, here is the first one.

When I first opened the box from Dorota, my Bead Soup partner, the first item I saw (and the biggest) was this amazing embroidered focal.

I fell in love with it instantly and I decided I needed something big to celebrate this gift and my partner's ability.
So i decided to give a serious chance to bead embroidery.
I had bought some bead backing almost 2 years ago from Nicole Campanella, and was eager to use it.
I had some old orange cabochons, looking like rivolis, I started bezelling them using the beads Dorota provided me with (gorgeous, and a lot of them). She also sent those little red pearls she had used on the focal.

I started with some round, floral motif using the orange freshwater pearls on the first rounds and some old golden pearls I had bought 5 years ago on the second.
And then, I got blocked.
I didn't know how to go on. After 10 days working on other pieces, I decided to connect what I had made with the focal using the little yellow seed beads.
Then I thought about going on with the same motif without the rivoli. How to do so? I tried some beaded donut and made 2 with the same beads from the 2nd floral motif. Then I made 2 more donuts, only very small to have a fading effect. I decided for a simple magnetic toggle because I have a sensitive neck and just used 2 red agate beads to embellish it.

How do I look?

Bead Soup Party 2nd reveal: here I am!

I'm so thrilled this day has come!
This is my first Bead Soup Blog Party and I was lucky to have a European partner, so soups arrived within a week! I had a lot of time to think about each of these creations, but you know: best ideas come at the very last moment!
My partner is Dorota Żerańska from Poland and she was hugely generous with her soup:

My whole production is dedicated to Spring!
I tried to use as much as I could adding just indispensable things. And I committed to working with techniques I had never used before. Like bead embroidery.
So here is the first one, which I call Red Lady necklace:

I had never made a piece like this.When you have such an amazing, bold focal, you can either keep it the most simple you can, or you need to go even bolder. So I created embroidered matching pieces (Dorota had sent some of the beads she had used to bezel the focal cabochon) adding only some golden beads and orange rivolis. I started with bigger, richer pieces and made a dwindling effect with some RAW rings up to the small toggle.

Second piece, the Leaf necklace, also featuring something I never used before: sari silk ribbons and knotting with waxed thread.

I used this gorgeous leaf focal here and also one of the two toggles. Look at the amazing variety of green stones in here...I made some beaded beads with the crystals in the soup and the seed beads I had used in the Red lady necklace, which are orange with a lime green lining, to break all this green nuances. I also made a matching bracelet adding a beaded bead:

and using the same knotting technique, mixing some lilac for a change.
Made another one with these other gorgeous lentil beads

Third necklace, I made some more beaded donuts like the smallest of the first necklace.
I only used beads from the soup and just added some chain maille beads...yes! I tried chain maille for the first time! I know it's nothing special, but jump rings are my sworn enemies, so it's a big deal for me.
What I made is a Cherry Blossom Necklace:

...and looks like in the end a couple of blossoms actually produced some fruit!

Forth necklace, the MultisPring necklace made with some of the remaining beads from the first one:

I used another focal here, put it on one side and on the other there's a ceramic connector from ScorchedEarth, which was the perfect color. The news here is the leather cord I've had in my stash forever and never used before.

Last but not least, the main clasp!
Too beautiful to put it on the back of a necklace, too simple on a multistring bracelet, I changed my mind a thousand times on how to use it; finally I decided for something to complete it, some embroidered leaves

But then I found this old ceramic green flower which looked similar and decided, in the end, to put the toggle in the back. The beautiful freshwater pearls and green crystal from the soup complete the piece and match both the flowers.

This is all for now! I still have plenty of soup left, so I'll produce more until it's finished!
I'll blog about every piece in a more detailed way, one each day, so stay tuned if you'd like to know more about the creative process.
Thank you so much Dorota for being so generous and open to communication, and...for sending chocolate! LOL that is why I love swapping. You get to know some really amazing people!
And BIG thanks to Lori Anderson, our amazing hostess!
Now go see what my partner made and take a nice blog hopping on all the other partecipants, you'll find the list here!!!

My soup arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning I received my soup from Poland!!!
I almost hugged the postman. He had some sort of big baby in his arms!

I was beyond excited and was jumping up and down in my kitchen!
When I opened it, a lot of chocolate jumped out of the huge envelope....

There was a beautiful floreal box too, with a lot of goodies inside...basically, I received 3 soups!
Colors are gorgeous, the first is orange (my favorite)

Then brown and yellow

and finally green:

How can a person be so generous?!!! I'm in shock!
And look at the amazing cabochon Dorota made, embroidered with amazing skill. I'm speachless.
Thank you so much my friend!
Take a look at Dorota's blog to see what I sent her and her beautiful works.

Spring Pantone swap: first item

Here's what I made with some of Lori's gorgeous beads:

The picture colors are not quite right, but I can assure you it's really bold!
I love the contrast between the felted beads and the glass ones, which really remind me of this candy my dad used to bring me when I was a little girl!

via Pinterest

I mixed some of the other beads and added some from my stash to make a lariat with the same colors, since I never had one

Meanwhile, couples are beeing arranged for the Autumn Pantone swap!

Earrings!

Lately I made a lot of earrings. I think it's because the temperature is rising and I can't help but imagining myself on a beach, with a colorful bikini and a pair of even more colorful (possibly matching) earrings.
Started with the tab earrings



and couldn't resist to make some stars in the same colors



and then tried a purple color combo


but this metallic violet is impossible to catch with the camera.


I tried and tried, but the picture is very far from the sparkly metallic finish they have in person.

I have so many half-finished works that I feel ashamed every time I open my bead boxes and look at them...first of all there are other 2 beaded stars which are waiting to become SOMETHING.
We'll see...

Spring swap - my surprise

I'm late, I know, but I spent these last days in total chaos and travelling.
So it's really time to show what I received for the EBW Spring Swap...I don't like posting pics of myself, but I think I owe it to my swap partner!



Thanks a lot Sue!!!
Please visit her shop Crystal Wonders on etsy, her pieces are amazing!



I'm really enjoying this gift, especially since my latest favourite eye shadow is a bold orange.



I'm also very proud that my "swap-receiver" Ruthie was happy with the necklace I made for her, jump to her supercute blog to see pics - and maybe stop for one of her many giveaways!