2015 is just getting started, we are only one month in and already there is promise of new adventures and new friends. This year, there is a new blog hop, it is the

"Bead Peeps Swap N Hop" which will reveal on May2, 2015.  I have been excited about signing up for the event, which was on the 18-19 of January, and kept waiting for the day, so excited  that I nearly forgot the actual date... I was thinking it was in the future and wouldn't get here fast enough! but.... I got in, got my confirmation email, and the partners will be announced on February 19! Wooo hooo!
Once the partners are announced, the fun begins, you get to know the other person, email, you can physically mail them, or call if you are known to do so.. .I 'm not much on the telephone, so I don't call, but I do love to email. I like to friend my partner on Facebook as well, so I get to kind of know what they like...
The last Bead Soup Blog Party, which was the 8th Annual, by the way... was in 2014 sponsored by Lori Anderson, and I was paired with Skylar Bre'z. She was terribly generous with the beads that she sent. I was wowed! by them, and she sent along a skein of yarn that was oh so gorgeous!!
The bounty that Skylar provided was enough to make a number of necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I even made a couple of rings from the leftovers... I actually used some of the beads in this years Year of Jewelry Project. Wow! That's a lot of  beads!
I have to say, that isn't the norm... sometimes it isn't possible to send that many beads... and it is totally not expected! There isn't a monetary limit, but there is the focal and clasp that is a must... and you need to use those items in the project that you make... I used the clasp that I received in the 7th Annual BSBP from Shannon Hicks, but I used it as a focal... it was that beautiful!  Shannon had made the clasp from seeds, delicas and jasper seeds... it was beautiful! So... I used it as one of the focals in my piece and used a clasp that I had. I think that is ok. Just so long as you use the main pieces that are sent... Shannon had sent some lovely beads that I don't have access to in my little part of the world... She sent some jasper, picture jasper, and amber beads. She is predominantly a seed beader and knew just the right things to add into the bunch to make either seed or stringing projects.
I have to say, this year, I am hoping to get so
meone that is willing to make different types of jewelry, alternative jewelry is so much fun!
I like to work in polymer

fork bracelet

, acrylic resins, clay resin, seeds, paper, metal, stringing, embroidery, loomwork, off loomwork... I love to try everything! I don't think that I can pinpoint what I do exactly! I am so happy with everything.. I guess I am easy to please? Who ever I get to be partnered with is going to be great!

Watchband made from metal, polymer, jasper, bone, pearl glass and acrylic

New Blog HopsSpace

There are enough blog hops now that they need their own space... and this is it!  Possibly it will undergo some changes over the next few weeks, while I'm getting ready for the new Swap'n'Hop, but it will stay here, barring all disasters!
If you are not familiar with blog hops, a short explanation is in order.  I participate in several of them, this one will deal with jewelry hopping... A blog of course is what you are reading, now a Hop is something that entails you "hopping" from one blog to another... in this case, it is to see the jewelry and read the stories behind the making of the jewelry.  Mostly it is from a challenge of sorts or better yet, from a swap... The organizer asks for
submissions of interested parties, pairs the participants together, you swap components, you make a piece or pieces of jewelry from those components sent, you write a blog about it, and display your pictures of the jewelry... you then go to your partner's blog, and to other participant blogs. Thus the hopping.

It is a lot of fun, you get to know people that you would never meet otherwise, and you have a chance to see work that you might miss, since there are thousands if not millions of blogs, jewelry kind of get lost in the shuffle. So... here is my dedicated blog for blog hops.. jewelry blog hops that is. I will keep my 31 days and my year of jewelry pages, since they are totally different...

Purple People Eater from 8th Annual BSBP