What I have been Doing!  

I have been busy working with my new enamels and preparing to open my Etsy Shop.  Here is what I have been working on.  It is so fun to have new colors to play with!  I am working on some new techniques that the wonderful Barbara Lewis has taught me.   I hope you like them.  It seems it is taking forever to get my jewelry done, photographed and listed.   I need a clone! 

The FIRST Reveal has arrived!  Click on Lori Anderson's link below to view the participants creations! 

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/

Have fun! There are some beautiful designs to see! 

Bead Soup Ingredients

Who doesn't love soup? 

You can add so many different ingredients to soup to make it tasty.  Add some spices to make a zesty flavor.  Add salt for a soup that is bland.

 You can load it with heavy ingredients to

  make a full meal, or have it on the side to compliment your sandwich.

This is what is so fun about Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party!  Each participant will take the soup ingredients sent to them and create their very own soup (jewelry piece ) to compliment the flavor of the artist in themselves.

The challenge has little requirements.  The participant must use the focal bead and the clasp sent to them.  The challenge must be completed by the reveal date assigned.  The artist can add their own beads, make several small pieces   of jewelry or maybe 1 exquisite necklace with zesty colors! Add a bead here, some findings there, how about some spicy color right about...here, oh yeah, this is looking fantastic!   

The artist doesn't have to stick with jewelry either.  

Now for anyone who knows me well, this is my kind of cooking!

I will have a link for all the artists/blogs participating in this event. 

It is really fun to see what everyone has created with these bead soups, even if you don't make jewelry. This Bead Soup Blog Party has over 300 artists!

Our reveal date is August 25th.

Thank you Lori Anderson for creating this amazing event! 

Here are my ingredients for my delicious soup!

And below are the ingredients for my partner in the Beading Kitchen, Linda.

                                     Beads from my partner Linda, this is what I will work with.

                                                             Soup for Linda~ Blue

Soup for Linda~ Green 

Bead Soup Blog Party

Today and tomorrow I am preparing my soup ingredients for the Blog Party. I am very excited to finally participate in this event!  

Meet Linda Younkman, my partner.  She is like me, a mother of 3. 

 . 

She is sweet as can be, and pretty too!  Hi Linda!  

 She also makes wonderful jewelry! The designs that caught my attention are the intricate woven and beaded bracelets with leather and buttons.  I always wanted to do those.  However, I really do not have the patience for it.  She also does a lot with seed beads. 

 I admire anyone who does that, for the same reason. 

Linda loves semi-precious stones and she is learning to enamel the Barbara Lewis way.  She is just starting to pick this up, so I can help her with this! YAY! 

Check out Lindy's Designs here on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LindysDesigns?page=1

Pictures of Linda's Jewelry 

These are awesome earrings!!!

Going to get my ingredients together.  I am going to need a very HOT burner!

Vacation NEWS

Hi Everyone from sunny Florida.  

Well, Debby stormed out of here in a huff.  I began to pout when she didn't leave after I got angry.  

Finally she got the hint!  She took the wind in her sails and got out of dodge.  Well, good riddance! 

That was last Tuesday evening.  Since then it has been wonderful weather.  Wednesday, the ocean was still very choppy and brown, but by Thursday it began to calm down and the beautiful green sea was back.
Ah, yes, this is why we came.

Well, what have we been doing, you ask? We celebrated Andrew's birthday at the pool and on the beach.  He is not the beach bum that his brother is.  More of a pool kid. He had his party in Atlanta, so a mellow day.  Here he is, officially 8...

I will tell you about my time with Barbara and PWF here in a minute.  Next to her shop is Taco Bus featured on Diners, Drive ins, and Dives.  Kevin noticed it right away.  He nabbed some lunch and while eating the tacos he said, "This has the same ingredients as the tacos I make at home!"  Then later, he said, " Wait a minute, that is where I got the recipe, form the show DDD!"  LOL

 Kevin at Taco Bus

The Taco Bus Slogan...Love it!

Okay, now my workshop with Barbara...FUN FUN FUN!

I was jealous of the workers.  I want to get a job there.  I have been teasing Barbara for a long time about hiring me!  Right Barbara?  Anyway, her shop and work studio is just beautiful!  The paint colors she chose, the layout of the store and studio where the torches are, all work out so nice.  It is inviting. and comfortable.  When you walk in, you instantly want to find out what Painting With Fire is all about!  The buzz is starting to build about her place and she already has a full class ready and waiting.    Really, her place is wonderful.  I had a great time visiting, I enjoy Barbara's friendship so much.  I loved picking out new colors of enamel, and I purchased sari silk, and copper to enamel.  We worked on plans for my business as well. I am very excited about what is coming for Blue Antiquities!

Here are some pictures I took of her fabulous shop.  

                                                  Fourth Of July Window Display~  Fabulous!      

                                                        Detail~ 4th of July Window display

                                                  Absolutely stunning necklace in the front window

                                                    some of the finished enamel components
                                                               available for sale at PWF
                                                        all done with the immersion technique

                                               lovely banner by the front check out counter

I loved this!

So, we have had some fun. Yesterday we took the dogs to a dog beach at Fort Desoto Park.

It was a beautiful area and park with natural landscape and gorgeous yachts and sailboats with docks and very upscale homes.  The beach had been washed with ugly Debby!  That lady sure is an angry one.  She left a mess. A nice lady we talked to told us normally this beach is gorgeous.  It was not yesterday. The water was brown and there was yellow blobs of gushy stuff from the ocean laying everywhere.  We managed to have a great time anyway.  Bella ran free and in the ocean but didnt go out and swim.  Breyers, well we couldn't let him run free because all he wanted to do...is ride piggy back on the girl dogs!  So, he remained on the leash.  Here is Bella, I didn't get a good shot of Breyers. Bella has lots of sand on her nose.  There were lots of other dogs there.

My 15 year son is becoming a beach bum!  He was supposed to do the sailing camp with the kids with Aspergers.  It didnt work out with the storm. The camp was not offered this week.  But we ended up buying him a new skim board.  He has been skim boarding since he was 5, on the same board.  So, he got a bigger one.  We found a camp for this week. YAY!  This morning he found shark teeth!  He has learned some tricks, (spinning) and they have done paddle boarding.

Shark teeth, Bradley found today

Thats a wrap for today.  I hope everyone stays cool today for the 4th Of July week. Please check back to my blog when you can.  I will be posting soon about my partner for the Bead soup Blog party. I like my partner already!!!  Hugs to all, Laura