Saturday, December 6, 2014

Bead Hoarders Blog Hop!


It's here!  Reveal Day for the Bead Hoarders Blog Hop!

In looking through my um...collection of beads, I realize that my attachment to travel memories is largely why I hoard beads.  They help me recall funny things that happened on a trip or with whom I was traveling.  I am reminded of friendly bead shop owners who took the time to talk about their wares.  I think of friends I visited in their hometowns who recommended a particular shop.  Perhaps, in part, I keep beads to retain a tangible record of my journeys.  Maybe that reads as silly, but then I can be silly.  And sentimental.  Obviously.

Bits and pieces from my bead stash:

The flower pendants in the top photo came from all over the US.  The seven of the same design were bought in MA & MT  from bead shop owners who separately found vintage clay beads from the 70s.  The foil glass beads came from a lovely lady who ran a bead shop from a booth at an antiques shop in Florence, OR.  She was a hoot to talk with.  The lentils were handpicked at shops in Sedona, Arizona and West Yellowstone, MT.  I think the blue ceramic and glass came from a shop in Springdale, UT - Regalo Beads.
I once wore the super chunky magnesite strand as part of a Frida Kahlo costume.  Those gorgeous pendants came from a small bead shop in Pasadena (Farrin O'Connor) as did the jumble of ocean jasper.  The reds and oranges came largely from bead shows in MA and NY.  The Labradorite strands were found at a bead show and online at Fire Mt. Gems.
Vintage Belgian sequins found in Santa Fe; Czech glass (Easter eggs) bought in Christchurch, NZ at a shop that doesn't exist any more due to earthquake damage; pink glass purchased from an estate sale junkie at a flea market - she bought broken old pieces and sold the bits in baggies; sea green ceramic & glass from a bead shop in Eureka, CA (Talisman Beads); those fused glass pendants all came from a tiny store in Venice, Italy.
Borosilicate strands bought in Florence, OR; sheep, dog and kitties by Kaylee Lampwork (aka Vicky Kerr); three strands of large spacers from J. Karnos (Silver Sage Creations) ; on the red / white fabric are glass beads by beginners from bead stores in CA & CO; a small collection from lots of difference places; spacers, long chevron, focals and a spider body all made by Wesley Fleming, an amazing artist who makes glass insects you can read about at wesleyfleming.com (I took a class taught by him in 2009).

Here is what I made:
I designed a necklace with this color scheme, using some of these same beads, months ago.  There are so many color facets to the orange / green / blue stones that they could be paired with almost anything.  The hoarded beads are the stone squares, the amazonite rondelles, the orange seed beads and the small Czech glass rondelles - I've had some of these since the mid-2000s.
For me, there are lots of interesting beads in this memory wire bracelet.  The lampwork beads came from a bead shop in West Yellowstone, MT that closed its doors years ago.  I bought a baggie full of this particular bead - the purple swirls spoke to me!  The glass pearls came from a woman at a flea market - parts of a broken necklace that belonged to her mother.  The large matte purple seed beads were some of the first beads I ever bought back in the late 90s.  Same for the matte yellow tear drops (Saratoga Beads).  Other ingredients have been in my bead boxes for years and years as well.
I actually made this bracelet a few years ago with beads I found at a flea market.  The woman selling them told me they were from pieces she bought at estate sales that were damaged or broken.  She coordinated them by color, packaged them and sold them so they could be made into new jewelry.  This was in 2007.  I made this with the intent to sell it, but I think it might be too girly for many. 

So after work today, I came home and took more photos of this necklace.  These are a bit brighter than those in the original collage I posted this morning.  The enamel pendant is vintage from the 70s.  I found it at Garden of Beadin' in Missoula, MT at the end of a six-week road trip in 2008.  The other components I've collected over the years.  The tiny plastic flower above the pendant is from a 1960s necklace I found in tatters at a garage sale.  I ended up getting it for free.  Score!

 I had another necklace designed for this blog hop, but I didn't find time to actually put it together.  Another day....


Click here to get to host Lori Anderson's blog.  See what she made and find the list of links for all participants.  Have a great time looking at all of the creativity.  I will be taking lots of time to visit and leave comments.  Hope you will too.

48 comments:

  1. Your collection of beads from your travels is spectacular. And wow were you productive for this hop. Delightful designs.

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    1. Thanks Tammy. I may have been productive, but it was down to the wire!

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  2. I think you encompassed the entire rainbow with your color choices for these great pieces. My favorite is the top pair of earrings, though. Love those colors....

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    1. Somehow I hadn't noticed the variety of color until you wrote your comment. Duh on my part. I have been drawn to orange lately. Glad you like the earrings.

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  3. Wow ! I have to say the last necklace would be my favorite *u* So pretty !

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    1. Thanks Audrey. It evolved during the making from multi-strand to single strand, but I like it in the end. I've wanted to use that pendant for a long time now.

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  4. Beautiful and brilliant designs! Love the color palates too. Way to go de-stashing!

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    1. I appreciate your kind words, Terri. They are a bit brighter than I usually design, but a bit of color this time of year will always be welcome.

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  5. How do you remember where everything came from?!? I imagine your stash is quite a bit larger than mine and I've begun labeling things so I can remember. If you can do that for all of your beads that's quite impressive. Not to say that the beadwork isn't nice as well lol.

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    1. Nicole, I used to have a much better memory than I do now. (I blame it on living at the South Pole for two winters rather than admit I'm aging, by the way). Sometimes I attach tags to things with the name of the shop and city. Sometimes I just remember because something worth keeping in mind happened when I bought them. And sometimes I can't recall much more than which state I was in or how much they cost. I have better recall about things I've had a long time. Thanks for commenting.

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  6. So many beautiful designs! I love upcycling vintage pieces to give them new life.

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    1. Me too. I should do it more often, but vintage isn't always inexpensive. I tend to find the best treasures at garage sales - partly because I can often learn about who the jewelry or beads belonged to, where they bought them, etc. I like the story almost as much as the beads. Thanks for the positive words!

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  7. Not sure if my first attempt published, but these are beautiful beads and beautiful pieces.

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  8. Love the memory wire with the soft green & purple swirls. I love adding black.. gives the bracelet some drama!!

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    1. You know, I hadn't thought of it as adding drama, but you are spot on. I believe I'll find lots of opportunity to wear this bracelet. Memory wire is so sturdy and fun to work with. Thanks Fay.

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  9. So many beautiful pieces...you embraced the spirit of this blog hop, and I love what you made!

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    1. Thanks Donetta. Perhaps I should work through my hoarded stash more often!

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  10. I had such fun "strolling" through your beautiful collections. You have created such lovely pieces!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mimi. I had fun digging through my bead boxes and handling them to take photos. Good times and memories. And thanks for your kind comment.

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  11. Wow, Kelly, you have an encyclopedic memory of your beads and the stories associated with them... that is wonderful! So impressed with all you were able to design and make, everything is gorgeous!

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    1. Monique, sometimes I think I have a knack for finding people who like to talk about their beads and are excited to reveal things that make a memory for me. Certainly helps me catalog things somewhere in my brain....if only I could get rid of the lyrics to bad 80s songs to make room for more!! Thanks much for commenting - I find it encouraging.

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  12. Wonderful designs, beads and memories! I love that your collected beads tell a story of your travels. Thank you for taking on a walk down your beaded memory lane!

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    1. Well, thank you, Kari, for taking the time to read and comment. Some folks collect shot glasses or spoons or maps or textiles when they travel; I gather beads. It's fun to see what's out there and what's popular based on where I happen to be. Thanks again for stopping by.

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  13. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your work with us. I particularly love the travel remembrances. I do it too!

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    1. Hannah, I'm glad you have memories attached to beads too. Sometimes I think it's useless knowledge, and other times I am glad that I have the connection to what I use. Thanks for linking to this blog and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.

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  14. I loved looking at your bead stash, I too get sentimental about beads at times, but then its bad for one's wallet :)

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    1. It can be, surely. It might be why I've stayed away from the big bead shows in Tucson, Santa Fe, Philadelphia and New York. I'm afraid I'll lose any self-restraint I had in mind when I walked in!

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  15. You made some fun pieces. Well done!

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    1. Thanks Kathy. I think the use of so much color was fun.

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  16. Thanks for sharing the pics of your bead stash. How lovely to have all those memories attached to the beads and to use some of your very first beads in one of your designs.
    I love what you've made, particularly the 'girly' bracelet :-)

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    1. The older I get, the more I like pink. I never liked it as a kid or a teenager, but now I can't get enough of it. We even had a pink (muted, mind you) bathroom in our last house, a paint color we chose. Thanks for stopping by.

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  17. You have a much better memory than I do; I do the same thing, just not quite so well, associating beads to places and people. Love those bright earrings and the fact that they have so many colors. Your pieces are sensational. I hope you chalk up many more fond memories as you wear these pieces.

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    1. KJ, thank you so much for your comment. It's very nice to see the big-hearted warmth and support people put out there via comments when participating in a Lori Anderson blog hop. It's a good feeling at the end of the day, no doubt about it - to both read comments and post them.

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  18. All your pieces are exceptional and great designs but seriously those earrings are stunners!

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    1. Glad you like them. They were fun to make once I figured out where to cut on the woolywire! It was nice to use beads that have been around for an age. Thanks for kind-hearted comment.

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  19. I am envious of your stash. What great beads from all over the world and nice memories. I really like the earrings that you made.

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    1. I'm looking forward to wearing the earrings as they have a nice weight to them. I bet I would be envious of your stash too - especially since you make your own polymer beads. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!

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  20. Your pieces are beautiful. I loved seeing part of your stash!! I love how each bead and piece of jewelry has a history. Even your WIP necklace is gorgeous.

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    1. Wow, thanks Ann for such nice words and kindness! I was just thinking that the reason why some mean something to me has to do with taking the time to search them out. To spend time in a bead store or at a bead show, looking, perusing, finding inspiration, meeting the artists and vendors. That commitment to seek out the good stuff is part of what makes it meaningful and memorable. Thanks for stopping in.

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  21. All the pieces are wonderful! But the earrings are my favorite....gorgeous! Loved your head stash too. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment, Roxanne. I think the earrings are turning out to be my favorite too.

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  22. I love your bead stash! and the earrings are definitely my favorite. Beautiful.

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    1. Thanks Janine! I think I've fallen back into love with my beads too after the prep for this blog hop. I needed to reacquaint myself with them, I believe.

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  23. Hi Kelly, I don't think it is silly at all to uses your beads as visual memories of your travels. I think it is wonderful. Thanx for sharing pics of your stash. I enjoyed it. Your designs are beautiful. I like your earrings best even though they are colors that i don't normally use or wear much. I am glad that I found your blog. I put a link on my desktop and I will be back.

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    1. Well thanks Becky for all of the kind words and for understanding my memory attachment to beads. I'm glad you enjoyed viewing the stash and my designs. I don't know that I've ever worn anything orange in my life, but for some reason those squares begged to come home with me at a bead show. Please do visit again. I know I've been to your blog a few times now for other blog hops and enjoy it as well.

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  24. Oh My my...you have such beautiful 'hoarded' pieces...Love what you have done with them.

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  25. Your hoard is amazingly delicious. I love what you made, and looks like you have lots to play with this year!

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  26. Thanks Lori! I very much hope to find the time to play with my stash. But sometimes, to be honest, it's just nice to look at them and imagine how they could be used.

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