Bead Soup-32 Projects

I recently received Lori Anderson's new book Bead Soup-32 Projects Show What Happens when 26 Beaders Swap Their Stash, from Kalmbach books. It's a great book. Lori started with the Bead Soup Blog Party basically by accident back in about December 2010.  She decided to see if people would want to swap bead stashes and create, preferably with things they hadn't or wouldn't have chosen to use to challenge themselves and then blog about it.  Since then it's grown to over 400 participants this last summer.  I have gotten to participate in 2 of those Bead Soup Bog Parties. They are fantastic and cause you to really challenge yourself to create something you might not have otherwise.  This book is written like a Bead Soup Party.  There were 26 designers involved, asked to swap beads and design.  I love the way the soup is written on 'recipe' cards in keeping with the soup theme.  Then the directions are described as 'recipes'.  What's fantastic about this book, is that although you can follow the directions exactly if you wish, it also teaches or encourages you to work with your own stash and see how you can create these projects or something very similar with what you already have.  This is great, since it gets us to go through our stash and see things in a different light.  The first chapter focuses on the Leftover method, where you use beads left over from other projects. It moves on to the Focal method which focuses on the focal of our piece.  It finishes up with the Color Palette method and the Random Purchase method.  Each project is named, gives us the 'utensils' (tools) to use and then encourages us to stretch our imagination.  She gives us little tips and substitutions to try.  She's very thorough in the way she approaches each project and then describes it. The photos are great.  In the back she introduces us to all the designers and contributors of the projects and gives us a shopping list, if we just have to have the same 'ingredients' used in a particular project.  In accord with the release of this book, Kalmbach books asked Bead stores from across the country to send in Soup mixes and then asked people if they'd like to sign up to participate in another Bead Soup party to celebrate the release of this great book.  I am thrilled to say, I was chosen and sent a fantastic soup from a Bead Store from my own great state of Texas, Wired Up Beads!  They're in Southlake, Tx.  Stay tuned in the next day or two for the reveal of my pieces.  In the meantime, run right out (or get online) and order this book. You won't regret it.  It will help you stretch your wings in your beading creativity.
And if you're looking for some of my Wire-wrapped, Beaded jewelry or Stained Glass, Mosaics or Fused Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz.  I'll be glad to help you any way I can.

Don't forget, check back for my Kalmbach Bead Soup reveal from Wired UP Beads.