New Look!

I love my new logo! Hannah (Kutuu) recommended Jo Askey on etsy and she has done a fantastic job, and so quickly too! In fact, it has taken me longer to up date my website and blog than it took Jo to create my new logo.

I've had a busy week so far. As well as changing this blog and finally sorting out my website I've also set up shop on etsy. There are only 3 products at the moment but I will be uploading a couple more every few days so keep checking back. The pieces I will put on etsy will be from my limited edition range, so please do remember that if you see something that you like but you'd prefer a different stone (or someone else has got there before you!) then please do contact me.

Still here!

Yes, I am still here! I meant to post as soon as I came back from the silversmithing weekend at Flux'n'Flame but to be honest I was absolutely shattered!! I LOVED the course! Not everything I tried turned out how I planned (several things ended up in my scrap pot on the second day) but I learnt alot and that was the aim of it.

So.....this is what I made. The first thing I made was a bangle using oval wire and I love it so much that I have hardly taken it off since. It's so comfortable to wear. I really enjoy making bangles and have several ideas for them so as soon as my bracelet mandrel arrives you will be seeing some on my website! The afternoon of the first day I use the rolling mill to press a leave pattern into silver sheet and practiced my piercing skills to cut out a leaf shaped pendant. I plan to hang some semi-precious stones from the top, but I haven't had time yet!

The second day, as I said, resulted in lots of experiments, but the third day was definitely more productive! I finished 3 stacker rings (for me) and a bracelet for Mum - but you'll have to wait for that as she hasn't seen it yet!

I have finally ordered a shed to turn into a workroom as I can't work in my room in the house anymore - it's right next to B's room and the only time I get to work is when he's asleep. Can't exactly hammer then!

The other reason that I've been awol is that I've been sorting my website out - and I've finally done it! Once my webhosting bloke (aka Ben from BM-media) got me so far, I could use some code I found on the zen-cart help forum to sort the rest out. Ben was a star - he even helped me out the day before his wedding! Anyway, go and check my website out and let me know what you think about the new look! And maybe by the time you're back I'll have changed the look of my blog to match.

Turquoise

Well, I was going to write a quick post letting you know that there were 2 places left on the sterling silver pendant workshop next Saturday, but they've just been booked - sorry! I'm just sorting out dates for next term's workshops. I'll post here when details are ready, and of course by then my website WILL be sorted so details will be on there too. If you would like me to send you course details please email me and I'll add you to my mailing list - I won't fill your inbox up with emails, promise!Nicky (Sparkly Treasures) and I are off on our silversmithing course this weekend, so I doubt I'll be post anything over the weekend but I'll hopefully have lost to show you next week! For now, the pictures here are of a bracelet I've made using beautiful turquoise beads from Moogin beads and sterling silver links and clasp that I've forged myself. I've made a matching necklace too.Happy Easter!

Adventures in Glass

One of my favourite lampwork bead artists is Isabelle Anderson. Her beads are just beautiful and I like to think that they suit my style of jewellery well. She's just started her own blog at http://adventuresinglass.blogspot.com/ so go and have a look! I love the beads Izzy's used in the earrings she's posted.

Above are some earrings of my own. I don't often make jewellery just using Swarovski crystals as I like to mix materials, but these were a special commission for a friend to go with her costumes for a big dancing competition she's got coming up. It took a while to match up the crystals on her dresses with the right ones for her earrings, but the match is perfect. These were definitely an opportunity to practise my wrapped loops - there are just under 3 dozen crystals in each earrings, and they sparkle beautifully! As well as dancing, swimming, running and many other sports Marie-Claire is also a great Pilates instructor - her website is on my list - go and have a look!

Precious hearts

Just a quick post this evening - but then that's better than I did last week! I just wanted to show you some of the new earrings I've been working on. They are silver art clay stamped with the same spiral pattern I've used before, but this time I've soldered a loop of wire to the back to turn them into drop earrings. They will be part of the 'limited edition' section on my re-vamped website.

I'll hopefully get my new lampwork jewellery photographed for you to see tomorrow. We did have some perfect photography weather today, but we were having an Easter egg hunt in the garden with friends instead - 4 two year olds running round calling out in delight when they found brightly coloured eggs hiding amongst the flowers!

Yes, I'm still here!

I've been so bad about posting recently, sorry, but there is a good reason, honest! I've been spending every moment I can either making samples to show a couple of possible outlets (keep your fingers crossed for me!) or building my new site. The site is built, most of the products are uploaded, a new logo has been designed for me (it's fantastic! Can't wait to show you!), but uploading it has caused some glitches that my webhosting company are in the process of sorting out. At the moment when you go to my website it's the default zencart template and it just looks awful, but I've decided that there's no point in panicking as it's being sorted and I've just got to be patient. There have been quite a few moments in the last week when I have had to go and hammer some silver instead of hammering the computer though!Anyway, these are the hoops that I mentioned a couple of posts ago. The photos are better than the ones I took before, but I need to figure out a way to photograph them hanging up without using the stands I use for my craft stall. The stands look great on my table, but I don't like them so much in photos. The first pair uses black and smokey grey Swarovski crystals, the second smokey quartz and dusky pink Swarovski crystals and the third garnets that I've wire-wrapped onto the hoops. Earrings are my favourite thing to make at the moment, can you tell?I've got some more new pieces, including some using beautiful lampwork from Moogin Beads, to show you as soon as I can photograph them so I will be back soon - honest!

chocolate!

It poured with rain this afternoon so I didn't get my photos done after all - so we made Polish cake instead! I love making this recipe with B as he loves turning the biscuits to crumbs in the food mixer. He's getting better at mixing in the chocolate. More of the mixture is actually staying in the bowl! There are several different versions of the recipe on the internet, but this is the recipe we use. I've got some friends and their toddlers coming over tomorrow morning so we'll see how much is left by lunch time!

Happy Mothering Sunday!

I hope that all of you mothers had a lovely day today! I had a lie-in reading my new chick-lit book and then T and B brought me breakfast in bed, a box of malteasers and a card that B had made for me - bliss! While I was having my lie-in T was teaching B to say 'cheese' when he has his photo taken - above is one of the couple of dozen photos he took! We spent the morning at Longdown Activity Farm feeding the animals and stroking the rabbits and chicks. B loves it there and I've bought a season ticket again this year so we can go whenever we like.

B fell asleep in the car when we were about 5 minutes away from home and I managed to move him into his cot without him waking so I managed to get a couple of hours this afternoon to make up some of the ideas I've had floating around and to catch up with some photos. I made quite a few pairs of hoop earrings but I'm not happy with the photos of them yet, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for them!

I did manage to photograph some of the silver art clay work I made before I had that horrible cold, so that's what you can see here. The first pendant is my favourite. I did think about oxidising it at first, but I think that the pearls show up better without it. The second pendant and the earrings use the silver art clay pieces that I made on my course with Hilary Bowen. It took me a while to decide how to use them as the idea I had in mind at the course didn't look right when I got home.