Finally!

The broadband "improvements" in the area have finally finished, so I finally have my internet connection back! So, this is going to be the first of quite a few posts catching up on everything I've got to show you!

This was the inspiration for the Art Bead Scene challenge this month. I have to say that I thought I'd be sitting it out again as the pinky brown colours in the painting aren't usually ones that I use on their own, but then a beautiful lampwork bead by Isabelle Anderson caught my eye - the advantage of keeping a dish of beads on my desk! The ivory stringer and fine silver encased in the bead reminded me of the hedgehog, and as I'd just made some more oak leaf toggle clasps one of those got added to the mix too together with a length of brown silk ribbon and my favourite stone, smoky quartz. I did try to keep to just the colour palette, but it just didn't work. In the end I decided that the important thing was to use the picture for a starting point and see where it led me - and so aquamarine and amazonite joined the mix! So, this is what I ended up with!

I started cutting out some copper oak leaves this afternoon with a new clasp design and a giveaway in mind. I'll let you know more soon!

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!

Bubbles

Okay, the AGM yesterday......

Every year there's a Secretary's Challenge and guild members are challenged to produce a piece of work on a particular theme. As the guild members include workworkers, spinners, embroiders, potters and many more the entries are varied. This year the theme was 'Holes and Cavities' - maybe Sue (our Secretary) had been to the dentist? - and I was determined to enter something this year as I hadn't done before. As I've mentioned just a few times before I've been practicing my soldering and I've had an idea for a double chain with large round hammered links floating round in my head, so I decided to give it a go.

And 'Bubbles' (below) won!

What do you think? The chain and the clasp were hand fabricated, soldered and lightly hammered, and I decided that some beautiful lampwork by Izzy Anderson was perfect for the theme as the beads contain 'bubbles' of fine silver. It's a long necklace - 25.5" with 1" extender chain (about 69cm in all). I've cut the rings for a matching bracelet and for a finer version of the chain too, so I'll be soldering again this week!

I've also soldered frames for a butterfly and a daisy shaped woven wire pendant. I've made a butterfly before without soldering the frame and I'm expecting that a soldered frame will make life easier when it comes to wrapping the finer wire around! The butterfly below was pictured in the second issue of Beads and Beyond magazine. I put it in one of the galleries that displays my work and some lucky girl was bought it for Christmas!

I haven't decided what stones to use in my new butterfly - unless I have any requests/suggestions I guess I'll see what takes my fancy tomorrow!

Friday at last!

Usually my weeks fly by. When I was still teaching at school I (and most of my fellow teachers!) would count down the weeks until the next holiday, especially during the winter months, desperate for some time 'off' to catch up with some marking. Now I'm amazed that the school holidays seem to come round so quickly! This week has seemed long, though, probably because it's been so different than my usual weeks.

B's alot better today. No more sickness thankfully so the washing machine has been able to have a bit of a break! He's been rather tired and wanting lots more cuddles than usual, and hasn't wanted much to eat at all, but I guess most of us are like that after a tummy bug. Hopefully he'll be back to his usual cute cheeky self tomorrow!

Anyway, I promised you some photos so here they are. The first is a pendant I made over a week ago now using a beautiful bead by Izzy Anderson. I love this bead so the pendant is definitely staying with me! The bead has had lots of compliments so I'm hoping that Izzy might be tempted to make a set of them (this one was a one off). Hint hint Izzy!



The second is a rose quartz donut decorated with more rose quartz, sterling silver and purple jade. I've strung it on lovely brown soft leather, and made the necklace longer than I do usually, the leather is about 20" long and the pendant about 3".

T has promised me some work time this weekend (i.e. he'll look after Ben for most of Sunday) so hopefully I'll have some more jewellery to show you soon!