7th Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal!!!

It's that time...time to reveal the jewelry I created with the wonderful soup my partner Cheryl sent me!!

Here's the scrumptious soup!

Here are my creations:

I had so much fun playing with the chain, and the leaves, and the pendant and all the amazing goodies!

The Russian serpentine pendant was simply and elegantly bezel-set, so I wanted to incorporate it into a simple design in a way that would do justice to the pendant's beauty without distracting from it. So I decided to use mainly chain for this necklace. I also used some of the agate beads Cheryl sent me, along with metal accents and a leafy toggle clasp from my stash.

I enjoyed creating this piece, especially because a) I don't usually work with chain, b) I tend towards symmetrical designs, and c) I don't usually mix metal tones. So I was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. :) I asked my husband what he thought, and his response was, "It looks like an amulet of power."  Umm...ok, I'll take that as a good thing. ;)

I love the angel clasp Cheryl sent me, and I wanted to do something special with it, so I decided to design a bracelet around it. 

I  love the Czech leaves Cheryl sent! I call this bracelet "Earth Angel." One strand is composed of eyepin links, and the other is beaded on tigertail. 

I made a pair of earrings to match the necklace, but silly me, I left them at a friend's house. Sigh. The only picture I have of them is a selfie. (You might notice that I wear clip earrings--this is because my ears are allergic to just about every metal on the planet.)

And that's it! This was my first BSBP, and I loved it! Thanks so much to Lori Anderson for putting it on, and  Cheryl for being an awesome partner!

To check out what Cheryl made with the soup I sent her, visit http://www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com/2013/04/7th-bead-swap-blog-party-reveal.html

Bead Soup!

It's Here!

I was out of town yesterday but came home tonight to find a wonderful surprise in the mailbox-- a beautiful bead soup from my amazing partner, Cheryl Dunham!

Cheryl let me know that her soup has arrived, too, so now I get to show off both of them! :D

The Soup I Sent

Ingredients: Sunset Agate pendant and copper-colored pewter figural flower clasp, with peach aventurine carved flower, lampwork glass rondelled, crystal cube beads, various pewter spacers, bronzite rounds, tiger iron nuggets, and freshwater pearls.

I hope Cheryl has a blast with these!

The Soup I Received

I opened the package to find everything neatly stapled together!

 Check out this gorgeous Russian serpentine pendant, and the darling angel clasp! Plus Czech glass and various gemstones.

As you can probably tell from the soup I sent, I delight in warm tones, but these cool and refreshing soup colors are inspiring! I also love the chain selections. I don't work with chain that often, so I am looking forward to playing around with it and seeing what I can come up with!  

Beading Busyness

Yay for the Bead Soup Blog Party! I have been combing through my bead hoard in search of that perfect focal/clasp/accent beads combo, and I'm getting really close now. :) I will post pics as soon as my partner has received them. I can't wait to see what she sends me as well!

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Today was a momentous day for Bead Box Bargains' facebook manifestation-- our page reached the 1,000 fan milestone! Woohoo! We'll be offering up a variety of specials and a coupon code just for the FB audience tomorrow. Feel free to check out the Customer Appreciation Event and the Giveaway going on as well!

1,000 fans! My little baby is all grown up...

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Saturday was the Love is in the Air Vendor Show at Northgate Mall. I didn't hear about it in time to get together a Bead Box Bargains booth, but just for fun, I threw together a quick jewelry display. I love designing with crystal & bead caps, and my recent acquisition of closeout coral beads was perfect for the Valentine's theme. :)

A coral & crystal piece with a vintage feel. :)

I ended up selling about double the booth fee and making some great business connections with other jewelry designers, so all in all it was a success! 

My little jewelry display--thrown together at the last minute

There's something magical about making jewelry. Mixing gems and crystals with just the right combination of color and texture results in a whole somehow greater than the sum of its parts--it's almost mesmerizing. 

Hello, World!

Hey there!

I'm Lauren. I'm a hopeless beadaholic.

 It started innocently enough, when I just a young and naive teenager. One of my friends gave me a bracelet kit for my birthday.

The first one's always free.

After exhausting that kit, I went to the craft store to replenish my supply. I came for a few tubes of seed beads. I left $50 lighter with the beginnings of a new obsession.

Now, about ten years later, I not only make jewelry, I contract with bead factories to receive shipments of their overstock and closeout beads. I get about 50 kilos of beads delivered to my office in an average month, but they aren't just for me anymore. I'm a supplier now. I've moved up the chain and now ship bargain beads and jewelry supplies all over the world!

Beads are my passion and my full-time job, and I am truly grateful to be doing what I love. My store is www.BeadBoxBargains.com, but this blog doesn't exist to advertise. I'm excited to document my creations and also be a part of awesome bead soup events and generally get to know other beaders out there!

So welcome! I'm glad you stopped by. I promise to try to be interesting and funny and all that other stuff good little bloggers do. I'm excited to meet you and invite you to share in my beading adventures!

~Lauren :)