Introducing My Bead Soup Blog Party Partner

Playing the Bead Soup Blog Party 

is a lot of fun. 

The premise is that players are paired up 

and send each other a surprise package of beads 

 which they then can make jewellery out of. 

Everybody posts pictures of what they make on their

blogs on the same day. 

(This year it's the third of May.) 

I have been paired with Andria Poole. 

Andria is a very talented polymer clay artist 

who also works with copper. 

As you can see from the pictures above 

her work is beautiful. 

I am very pleased with the lovely soup she has sent and 

can't wait to get going, or should that be 'cooking'

since we talk about it 

in terms of being bead 'soup'! 

You can see more of Andria's fabulous work over at her blog
and her website anjria.com.

Bead Soup 2014 - Sent And Received

Soup sent. 

Soup  received. 

All set to create! 

The Story Of The Cinderella Bead

Are you sitting comfortably? Well, then I'll begin.. 

Today I was tidying up my jewellery making cabinet 

when I came across a really old bag of

beads I had rather unlovingly thrown together. 

This is the bag of 'ugly' beads. 

Ones from mix packs that I didn't like

or that were imperfect or a bit deformed. 

The 'rubbish' ones from mix packs basically!

I thought about chucking the whole bag out. 

'Nothing pretty in here', I thought to myself. 

However, 

I am not one to just frivolously

 throw things away. 

So I sifted through the rejects 

and I found this 

long bead 

which 

apart from a rather sooty look to the clear glass

looked rather pretty. 

'Hmmm, maybe with the right accent beads I could do 

something with this one. '

So I decided to pretty it up with some pink and gold

seed beads,  AB glass rounds 

(they almost look like crystal balls) 

and a gorgeous gold plated flower clasp complete 

with diamante centre. 

From an unloved and overlooked item

 ready to hit the dustbin this bead 

is now looking beautiful and ready to wear. 

'Cinderella you shall go to the ball!'

Inspire Me: Spring Makeup By Dior

The Spring 2014 makeup collection by Dior 

is inspired by Marie Antoinette. 

With sweet pastel shades and cute feminine 

details - love the embossed bows in the eyeshadows-

this collection is seriously calling my name! 

Of course, in true Marie Antoinette style it's never enough to 

just look, we need to buy.

So lets say recession 'what recession' here is a 

selection of beads inspired by Dior's prettiest Spring offering. 

Or should I say 'to go perfectly with Dior's Spring offering'... 

*Resin roses from The Bead Shop Manchester. 
*Artisan flower beads 

hand made by Elise Canning. 
*Silver plated pewter  
bow bead from
 The Venetian bead shop 
*All makeup pics from dior.com