For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also. ~ Matthew 6:21

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Refuge ~ created for the 8th annual bead soup blog party


Welcome to wanderware and to the . . . 

8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party

Such a beautiful event celebrating worldwide creativity, individuality and imagination.  On top of all of that, we celebrate the tenacity and determination of all the artists and in particular that of our incredible leader and hostess, Lori Anderson.  May every element in our collective creations be a symbol of appreciation for her monumental efforts and hope for ever brighter tomorrows.

My life has truly been enhanced with the new friendship I have found with my partner for this event . . . the amazing Catherine King. I fell instantly in love with Catherine upon reading her blog site profile and perusing her Pinterest boards.  I knew that I had met an inspiring and kindred spirit who will continue to be a precious part of my life long after the party is over! 

For Catherine's creative motivation I sent the following soup . . .   


 I particularly loved the Kokopelli focal piece that I had been saving for a special personal project but was moved to share it with Catherine after seeing her incredible artistry.  When you see what she has created with all these assorted goodies, you will understand how I felt.  Just go to http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com) and prepare to be inspired!

Catherine's gifts to me for this endeavor were bounteous and beautiful.  The pieces in the bowl are what I selected to use in my creations including a gorgeous copper toggle clasp by Kathryn Bowman but minus the incredible Firefly Design focal which I started working on before taking pictures  


Along with all these amazing ingredients, Catherine shared four small plastic boxes she uses to transport her projects.  Thanks so much for these, Catherine!!!  They have helped keep me organized as well as protect my work while I am on the go (which is pretty much always!)

My inspiration for this challenge came from a most precious treasure in my life, my daughter, Alex, and a book she had loaned me entitled Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams.  To truly do justice to the impact that Alex and this book have had on my life and how they inspired this project, I am writing a separate blog post dedicated to that story. Until then I leave you with these pictures and a few quotes from the book.  Enjoy!

~ Refuge ~
"My refuge exists in my capacity to love."


"Perhaps, I am telling this story in an attempt to heal myself, to confront what I do not know, to create a path for myself with the idea that 'memory is the only way home'."


"We are no more and no less than the life that surrounds us.  My fears surface in my isolation.  My serenity surfaces in my solitude."


"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination."


"I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward.  I pray to them because I believe in their existence, the way their songs begin and end each day - the invocations and benedictions of Earth.  I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear.  And at the end of my prayers, they teach me to listen."

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and comment on my work.  
Please find more quiet time over the next days and weeks to visit the blogs of almost 500 artists from all over the world who have contributed their heart and their art to this event.  You can find them at:





46 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I am in love with the Tree of Life!

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  2. So detailed. You created a beautiful piece.

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  3. Your beadwork is beautiful! You did all the beautiful beads justice!

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  4. so nice to meet a beader:))) you are perfect with superduo, necklace is really great!Good job!

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  5. Chris your jewelry set is amazing. The necklace took my breath away when I saw it. It is simply stunning. So are the other pieces.

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  6. Chris, your beading work is absolutely beautiful!!! In fact, you inspired me to try my hand at a more detailed piece. I will be posting on that in June with pictures. However, I just love your work! Absolutely fabulous!!!

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  7. till today i think seed beading is a really scary method of bringing beads together. so I'm in total awe of your creations. such elaborate and eye-catchingly beautiful pieces.

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  8. Your beading is beautiful, the pieces are awesome!
    I really need to try my hand with duos ...
    Alenka

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  9. Beautiful beading and wonderful designs. I love the colours too.

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  10. All of the pieces are gorgeous!

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  11. Ok, I am speechless! Those are stunning pieces! And I love the quotes, may have to get the book. Truly, though, those are beautiful and must have been a LOT of work! Kudos to you! Thanks for joining and posting!

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  12. My first reaction was "Wow!"... You do wonderful work!

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  13. That is some fabulous beadweaving! I really love the frame around the focal - very gorgeous.

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  14. Beautiful beadwork, and a beautiful story.

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  15. Wow, wonderful work, Chris! The colors harmonize so beautiful together, the necklace is a treasure!

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  16. Oh, such beautiful weaving! I love how you used the double beads (tilla?!). The design of the set is elegant and delicate, and very feminine, while organic - I just kept thinking 'Mother Earth' and 'Life'. Inspiring quotes too!

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  17. I love brown and finally I found someone using this color into beautiful design =)

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  18. beautiful soup, love the quotes you attached to each design :-)

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  19. So beautiful, great colours and beautiful designs with the 'birdies' , a sun and the Tree of Life. Love your text / ♥thoughts too...

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  20. Your pieces evoke a kind of quiet excitement - spectacular. I love the tree!!

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  21. What an inspiring post! You got lovely soup and made a wonderful set of jewelry!

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  22. Oh my! What a stunning group of pieces. Your work is beautiful!

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  23. any friend of rivolis is a friend of mine =) I LOVE the rivoli piece and the colors you chose to go along with that bright one. Beautiful!

    Linda A.
    http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
    http://cherryOnTopDesign.co

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  24. Amazing pieces! And i love the way you have been quoting that book to show us your work. Very inspiring.

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  25. Stunning bead work. The set is gorgeous.

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  26. What beautiful pieces - there's a sort of dragon-scale thing going on there, very mythical. Great job!

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  27. All three of your pieces are really beautiful. I love the colors and the bead work is just magnificent. Really impressive and fun to see and read about!

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  28. We used a similar quote about birds in each of our posts ! Proves that it's a goodie, obviously. I love how the beads you used in the first two pieces look so much like dragon scales - at least in my vivid imagination, they do :)

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  29. OMG, that set is amazing. It is almost royal looking. I also really like how you tied it all into that book, it went perfectly!! I would be proud to wear any and/or all of that set!! :) ~KM

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  30. Perfection is the first word that came to mind! Love love this exquisite set! Soup-perb!

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  31. Wow, fabulous beadwork - lovely pieces!

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  32. WOW! gorgeous beadwork...I am truly in on awe!

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  33. Incredibly beautiful set, stunning bead work. I love love love the set, such a great design.

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  34. What a beautiful set and such inspiring reflections, Chris... thank you for sharing with us :)

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  35. What a fantastic set! I just love your talents in bead weaving and thank you for sharing the quotes with us.

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  36. Your pieces are really spectacular! That necklace in particular is soothing and stimulating at the same time. Wonderful, wonderful!

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  37. Wow! Your craftsmanship is amazing! This is one of the best soups this challenge! The colors are so fiery and the designs are elegant and beautiful. Spectacular work.

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  38. What beautiful beadwork, the tree necklace is just stunning I love it and your use of colour is great!
    Jackie

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  39. What a stunning ensemble! Your bead work is amazing! Gorgeous work!!

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  40. The colors and the make are amazing! Sparkling, dressy, earthy and both vintage and modern!

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  41. The set is nothing short of gorgeous. Beautiful soup and beautiful thoughts.

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  42. Holy cow, but that Necklace!!!! So want. Stunning. I mean...wow!

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