From Then to Now- Bugs,Beads and Soup

The Bead Soup Party is ongoing this month, with 3 different reveal days since there was such an enormous response to Lori's 6th blog hop event..
This blog, Spirited Earth Studio is sort of a side blog where i catalog things i want to remember of just random things..
Cindy Wimmer wrote in her blog about the very first Bead Soup Party, Feb 2010, and how she was the winner of my cup of soup giveaway..this time she was selected to be my BSP#6 partner..lucky day for me.

Anyway...it got me to thinking back about how I came to be in this place..a bead maker..I really didn't see that coming...
This is really going to be embarrassing...but..
 I'm going to post a photo of my first ,not made in class , jewelry piece...it was for a challenge on Silver Parrots Blog,Nov 2009, we were to make pieces inspired by photos of certain bugs..

as you can see ..not one ceramic bead was on this bead woven bangle.

Then came Lori Anderson's brilliant  idea for a Bead Soup Party..there were 84 participants..gulp!
ohh, really bad photography,  my camera didn't have macro option.




And now....

I'm happy with my improvement over these last 2+ years..

I love the beading community and I'm thrilled to have turned from ceramic production (stress out) work to making beads..

399 !!!!!

399 ...that's the final number of participants in the 6th Bead Soup Party Blog Hop..
wow...now that's a party!!!!
Please go over to our hosts Lori's Blog to read more about this spectacular event

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2012/06/participants-of-6th-bead-soup-blog.html

A Year Already!

 This week it's been one full year since this fellow came wandering up..He's gone from a rumpled mange-sad dog to something a bit different.

Big dog then-9months old

                                            
                                         Big Dog now..in his lawn chair..

Oh, I should be doing a million other things right now..the list is a mile long..but what am I actually doing..taking photos of the dog..

Photography..My DownFall

 Yes..it's no surprise to anyone who has visited my Etsy shop..I take crappy photos..they do nothing for my pieces.. recently I discovered the pale background I had been using made the pieces appear too blue and flattened out..duh.
Currently I'm using an up-cycled table I put together from an old sewing machine base and topped with a very cool  rusted tray..it's a little better solution..sort of.

I recently came across this post on Sparrow Salvage's Blog, posted last summer,it's got wonderful info on how to achieve interesting but not distracting backgrounds..I soo love her work and her photos convey the soulful nature of her pieces.

Sparrow Salvage Etsy shop

Here is a link to the Blog post ..please check this out, it's very inspiring

http://sparrowsalvage.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-stage-with-sparrow-or-how-to-get_15.html

wire wrapped rings

Lytha Studios.com has a lovely free tutorial on wire wrapped rings..
this type project has been around for quite awhile, but I especially like this tutorial for the clear step by step photos..http://lythastudios.com/123bead/project-46.html
also Beth has a great post about wire wrapped rings on her blog..
Hintjewelry.blogspot.com
go over and read all about it.

SpiritedEarthStudio.com 
domain name is now mine..woohoo

 Since Picnik closed I've been looking for a new photo editing location,
this was suggested by Heather
http://ipiccy.com/editor