7th Bead Soup is nearly here!

The reveal for the 7th Bead Soup Exchange is nearly here and I'm embarrassed that I'm so behind in keeping you up to date on everything.  First of all, let me tell you about my exchange buddy, Karyn Lewis Bonfiglio from South Bend, Indiana.  Karyn has a BFA in fine art and is a freelance jewelry designer and illustrator.  She creates these fabulous earthy, organic polymer beads and has a blog called Plus Size Bangles


In addition to designing jewelry and beautiful beads, Karyn is an amazing illustrator!!  Here's one of her illustrations.....isn't this young lass just lovely?

Several weeks ago, Karyn sent me a carefully wrapped package filled with some of her creamy polymer beads and more!!  Check out the huge stash below - its simply gorgeous.  How did she know these are my favorite colors on earth to work with????  In addition to the polymer lovelies, silver caps and tulips, there are some green and blue glass beads and some pretty ceramic "donuts."  The clasp is a beautiful silver flower and the focal is a Trumpet flower with a fancy design etched around the edges.

I had a really tough time deciding whether to go with something ornate and floral-looking; or an ocean/beach theme or just embrace the beauty of the organic shapes and designs.  Unfortunately, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until next week to find out.......our magnificent hostess Lori Anderson took ill and had to postpone the reveal until next Saturday, April 13th.  We're all sending good juju to Lori wishing for a quick and full recovery.

So before I sign off, here's a photo of my humble bead offerings I sent to Karyn.  I'm excited to see what she makes with these little guys......the focal is a lampworked glass bi-cone bead that is annealed and etched along with another etched glass bead, and a bunch of "support" beads. 

Be sure to check back next week for the big reveal -- you can find it right here or on Karyn's blog, or the official Bead Soup blog.