The Beads of Peace and Harmony Meet the Lampwork and Clay Blog Hop

The lovely Lisa Lodge has launched another blog hop, with bead packs of lampwork and clay.  I needed a challenge.

I got it.  I received these beautiful beads... with REALLY big holes for my usual bag of tricks.  And they were so beautiful that they needed to be set off in interesting ways.

I paged through books of designs looking for guidance.

I tried new techniques with laughable results.

Finally I turned to my stash.

Yes.  I have too many beads.

And a story started to emerge, and from the story, three new pieces: asymmetrical earrings, a necklace, and a pendant.

~~~~~~

Once upon a time there was a box of beads and they could not get along.

"We come from the sea, so we are better than you," said the beach glass.

"We lived deep in the earth, alongside the Morlocks," said the gemstone beads.  "Clearly we are superior."

"We're nuts!" said the nut beads.  "We don't care."

"We're recycled glass.  We're morally superior," said the recycled glass beads.

And so it went, with all the beads arguing and rolling on the ground.

Finally a bead of lampwork glass spoke up.  "Can't we all just get along?" she asked.

This sounded vaguely familiar to the beads, so they stopped rolling for a moment to listen.

"It is true we come from all the corners of the earth," she continued.

"The earth doesn't have corners," muttered the polymer clay beads.

But the lampwork glass bead pressed on.  "And from the seven seas... and lots of oceans, too."

"Hath not a bead holes?" she asked.  "Hath not a bead edges, drill marks, mandrel scratches, finishes... blasted in the same kilns, tossed by the same waters, dug out from the same earth?"

"If you drop us, do we not roll away?  If you string us, do we not make harmony with the beads beside us?  If you wrap us too tightly, do we not crack?"

"If you discard us, do we not trip the family dog?  If you string us, are we not strung?  If you wire us, are we not wired?  If you wrap us, are we not... um... wrapped?"

The beads murmured and rolled amongst themselves.  They considered the words of the lampwork bead.  "She has a point!" said the pearls.

"No, that's just a flaw," said the lampworks.  "Happens to the best of us."

"She could be right," said the pressed glass beads.

"I don't know.  I'm nuts!  said the nut beads.

But as they looked at each other (through beady little eyes) they had to agree that, no matter what their origins, they had a lot in common.

And so, without further ado, they rolled together, joined holes, and decided to bead all that they could bead.

And they all lived in pieces of harmony until the next time they had the same discussion.   In fact, they are all up for auction to provide aid for the Phillipines.  Check out the auction on my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/Cornerstoregoddess.  100% of the proceeds from the sale of the asymmetrical earrings, the necklace, and the pendant will go to International Relief Teams, who rate in the top 1% of all charities in terms of  financial performance, accountability and transparency.

Now go see what the other beads are up to.  Here's the hop list.  And remember: bead all that you can bead.

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Annette Rivers, MamaOwl's Mess

Karin King, The Sparkle Things Blog

Shaiha Williams,   Shaiha's Ramblings

Mimi Gardner, Baubles, Beads and Other Curiosities

Dee Alcalde, Agape Creations Jewelry

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Sharyl's Jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Linda Aspenson Bergstrom, TBD

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Judy Turner, Silver Rains

Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs

Kathleen Douglas, Washoe Kat's

Connie Tipton, TBD

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations

Michele Dotson, Star Jewels

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Jennifer Clifford, TBD

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

Loretta, Loretta's Boutique

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyns Creations

Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

Bonnie Coursolle, Jasper's Gems

Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

Bead Soup!

I'm taking part in the 5th Bead Soup Blog Hop Party.   There are 200 participants who are partnered up.  Each participant sends a selection of beads, a focal, and an intriguing clasp to his or her partner, and then the partner makes something out of it.

My partner is Cindy Cima Edwards and you can see her beautiful designs here:

www.zimaj.com

www.zimaj.etsy.com
www.cindycima.com

This is what she sent me.

Quite a beady bag of goodies.  The teardrop shape is a cat's eye glass pendant.  It's always hard to photograph cat's eye and get all its wonderfulness.  This close-up shot helps a little.

There's a strand of mahogany obsidian and a strand of crazy horse stone.  Obsidian is a stone that's associated with Pluto ~ the Greek god of the underworld and keeper of hidden treasure.

It's said to be a grounding stone that can impart the strength needed to stand on your own convictions against any enemy (hidden or otherwise).  Mahogany obsidian is said to have a gentle energy that grounds and protects its owner. It can be used for strength in times of need, for removing energy blocks, and giving new life to purposes and goals. (You knew I'd go straight for the woo-woo, didn't you??)

There's a legend about the crazy horse stone, which, of course, I must share.  Crazy Horse received a black stone from a medicine man named Horn Chips to protect his horse, a black-and-white "paint horse" which he named Inyan (rock or stone). He placed the stone behind the horse's ear, so that the medicine from his vision quest and Horn Chips would combine; he and his horse would be one in battle.

This is not the stone that Inyan wore into battle.  It's actually a form of limestone that's been coated with resin.  I'm guessing it's called crazy horse stone after Crazy's Horse "paint" horse. 

Cindy added some Vintaj brass chain, which I'm showing here with the crazy horse stone.  Cool, huh?

She also enclosed a Vintaj brass filigree flower... or perhaps something that grew where the Lakota went to battle?  Those are Czech faceted bronze beads below it, next to the cat's eye.

There's the cat's eye teardrop again, and me struggling to catch its luster.

Here's a cool toggle clasp.  It's Vintaj brass, and it's resting comfortably beside some Swarovski crystals and fresh water potato pearls.

Here are the pearls and crystals together.  Quite a luxurious color.

And there are my faceted beads and the medallion.

And finally, the mahogany obsidian, the crazy horse stone, and the chain.

I have some wonderful colors and textures to play with here.  Now the question is... what to make?  I'm open to suggestions.

The Return of the Gingerbread People and Their Sad Demise

The True Story of the Gingerbread Persons and Their Sad Demise

Once upon a time, a little old woman and a little old man lived in a cottage, which they held onto through a loan modification. One day the little old woman made some gingerbread people to keep her company.  Her husband was quite deaf and she needed someone to talk to. She gave them currants for eyes and cherries for buttons. Then she popped them in the oven to bake.

The little old woman and little old man were very hungry and wanted to eat the gingerbread men and women.  She brewed a pot of coffee and they waited for the oven timer to DING. As soon the timer went off, the little old woman opened the oven door.  But the gingerbread people, who clearly were made from more than flour, butter, and molasses, leapt off the cookie sheet and ran out of the open window shouting, "Don't eat us!"

The little old woman and little old man ran after the gingerbread people."Stop! Stop!" they shouted.  But the gingerbread people didn't even look back. They ran on, and started to chant:
'Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!'  (The gingerbread girls chanted "Run, run as fast as you can. Gingerbread girls outrun any man!")

Down the lane they sped until they saw a pig.  The pig said, "Snort, stop!   I would like to eat you!"

"First you'd have to get out of the mud," answered the gingerbread crew as they raced down the road.  They started up their chants again.  "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me,
I'm the gingerbread man"  and "Run, run as fast as you can. Gingerbread girls outrun any man!"

A little further on they met a cow. "Stop! Stop! " mooed the hungry cow.  "You look good enough to eat!"

But the gingerbread people were too fast.  They sped on down the road, shouting, "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man"  and "Run, run as fast as you can.  Gingerbread girls outrun any man!"

The cow began to chase the gingerbread crew along with the pig, and the little old woman. (The little old man had gone back to the cottage to drink all the coffee.) But the gingerbread people were too fast for them.

It was not long before the gingerbread troops came to a horse. "Stop! Stop!" shouted the horse. "I want to eat you all!"

And did they stop?  Nooooo.  Instead they ran on, shouting "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man"  and "Run, run as fast as you can. Gingerbread girls outrun any man!"

The horse joined in the chase. The gingerbread people laughed and laughed, until they came to a river. "Uh-oh!" they moaned.  "How will we cross the river?"

That's when the sly fox appeared.  "I can help you cross the river," said the fox. "Just jump on to my tail and I will swim across."

"But won't you eat us?" asked the gingerbread folk.

"Of course not," said the fox. "I just want to help."

Having crumbs for brains, the gingerbread people climbed onto the fox's tail. Soon they began to get wet.  Very wet.

"Climb onto my back," said the fox. So they did.  (Did I mention they had crumbs for brains?)

As he swam the fox said, "You are very heavy and I am getting very tired.  Please jump onto my nose." The Gingerbreads did as they were told.

No sooner had they reached the other side, than the fox tossed the gingerbread people up in the air. He opened his mouth and 'Snap!' that was the end of the gingerbread people.  Except on this bracelet, where they are safe.


They're pretty safe on the earrings, too.

The End

(until it's baking time again)

Gingerbread for all right here.