The Soup is ON - Bead Soup That Is

( click on the pictures to enlarge)

So back in February I joined in on the latest Bead Soup Blog Party run by the most awesome and amazing Lori Anderson.  I spent several days mixing and thinking and mixing some more to come up with a creative and colorful challenge for my bead Soup partner ... wait for it.... this is just too darn exciting....  Lamp Work Bead Artist Extraordinaire Ms. Juli Cannon!!!  I was agog and aghast that I had been paired up with one of my bead creating Goddesses!! I have purchased beads from Juli in the past having found her during the last bead Soup blog hop that I took part in.  But never did I dream that I would be lucky enough to have such an awesome partner !!!  So now the pressure was on WAY HIGH , cuz my Soup had to measure up for Ms Juls!!!!
Above you can see the Soup that made the final cut!  Ms Juls is a seed beader and adores her seed beads and I have recently become enthralled with all of the new shaped seed beads that are flooding the beady markets.  So that is what I sent her.  She got Rizo's, the top drilled rice shaped green ones and a metallic mix, and vintage metallic nail head beads, some vintage tube beads and some recycled glass beads in several colors that my brother purchased for me in Africa.( bottom)Alos tucked in there is some African turquoise and some wonderful little orange fringe or drop beads ( my fav seed beads as they wiggle and move !!) I found the focal at a bead show and was told that this particular kind of jasper is only found in one place and mined by one man near Perth Australia.  So at least I knew that this soup was exotic to say the least!!  Then i just went a bit nuts with color and texture cuz I love to share and I kept coming up with more things that worked together.  Why the Heck Not!!???!! RIGHT???? Right!!!!

So today my soup form Juli arrived.  Oh my goodness was I overwhelmed!! What a generous and amazing soup!!!!.  Soup is even too banal a word- how about Bouillabaisse or Bisque or some other uber elegant word ?? This is no mere soup- this is a Symphonic event!!!

 As Juli stated in her blog post we , she and I ,are seed beaders at heart but for this event we do some stringing.  So Juls sent me TWO,  yes 2, soups .  One for stringing, here in luscious blue green and turquoise ocean colors crafted by her very own hand( do you suppose she knows I love the sea?? Mais OUI!!!)  So this will become my strung bead piece of the sea that Juli lives near and has shared with me!!

Color Explosion #2 is for the seed beader in me and will be embroidered on suede and worn with total pride!! Just look at that focal cab!! I do believe that Juli has determined that I am a big bold color gal!! We go together like two peas, she and I!!  How awesomely fantabulous is that!!!!  Even the ultra suede is in a shade of my very favorite color- the woman reads minds, I tell you!!
 Juli has just started creating these amazing glass cabs and is selling them in her shop- so hustle on over and snag a few before they fly away!!!  She is real busy so it might be a while before she can restock!!!!

My mind is spinning !! I cannot wait to tuck in to this amazing collection of glorious artistry!!  And now to create!  Back in a bit with the reveal!!