Lots of links

Do you remember this picture? I thought it was about time that I showed you a couple of the pieces that I made with them. The first is a commission piece that I can show you now as it arrived safely with it's new owner this morning! It uses beautiful lampwork beads by Canadian designer Marie-Andree Marchand linked with lengths of by double interlinked chain. I love making this chain, so it's been great having commissions using it this Christmas.

This extra long necklace was one that I finished on Wednesday (during B's first Wednesday at his childminder - I've been able to get so much done with 2 work days this week!). Single chain this time. Each link measures about 1cm across, and I've used purple lampwork beads and smoky quartz faceted rondelles. I've been toying with using purple and brown together for a month or so since seeing more clothes using that colour scheme in the shops and magazines, but what really decided me was seeing a friend's photos of Scottish heather that she took on holiday last year. So I've called this piece Heather, and I've got another piece to show you to using similar colours too - just got to take the photos of it tomorrow!

By the way, if you're in the south of the UK and fancy learning how to make your own jewellery, then Heather is an example of one of the styles of jewellery that you can make during my new workshop - I've just finalised the details and they'll be on the website on Monday. If you would like to know them before everyone else then sign up for my newsletter - I'm sending one out tomorrow, and it'll have a special offer for workshop places on it too.

I haven't ventured out into the shed today, mainly as it's been a day of household chores (such fun!), but also as it's been soooo cold here today. It's barely got above freezing all day, which I know is nothing to some of you in the States, but it's big news here! We had a burst pipe earlier this week as it's never been so consistently cold down here before. The thick frost has made the garden look beautiful though. This is some of the jasmine that smells so gorgeous outside my shed while I'm working on summer evenings!

And the awards go to...

Oh I do love my shed! I've been able to get so much done today while B has been at his childminder, far more than if I'd been working in the house with the distraction of the computer nearby! I've given myself a rule - I can do work on the computer first thing in the morning on Thursdays, but by 10.30am latest I must be working in the shed.

Today I've done lots of 'housekeeping' jobs such as print new business cards, making a couple of hundred headpins, making jumprings etc, and also made some earrings including these smokey quartz and angelite ones. I love smokey quartz, so it's a good job that the colour for this week is brown! I made a bracelet using smokey quartz yesterday but forgot to photograph it before sending it off for hallmarking, so you'll have to wait until next week for that one, sorry!







Anyway, on Sunday (I think - the week has gone so quickly!) Michele very kindly gave me a 'Sweet Home Blogger' for sharing Beauty, Love and Joy. I blushed when I saw what she'd written on her blog! After very careful thought, I have decided to pass the award onto the following 5 people:

Nicky of Sparkly Treasures - Nicky is my beading partner-in-crime! We only met in real life a year ago, but it really does seem as though I've known her for a lot longer. She lives close by so we meet up with our children regularly, have late into the night jewellery making sessions and help each other out when we run out of wire etc!

Laura Sparling - Laura is another Hampshire lass, though not for much longer :(. She makes the most amazingly intricate beads, as you already know if you are a) a fellow lampwork addict or b) have read earlier posts in my blog! Her beads definitely add beauty to the world, and her blog is always a good read.

Fiona of Fede - Fiona started the colour challenge I'm enjoying at the moment. I only found her blog a few weeks ago, but so much of what she writes stricks a cord with me as she's another mum juggling children and a crafting career. Her cushions are gorgeous, and her children's tool shaped rattles such a cool idea!

Anne of Contrariwise - Anne definitely adds beauty to the world with her gorgeous jewellery, and also with the fantastic newspaper clippings and photos that she posts on her blog. She's also very generous with her tips on having an Etsy and jewellery making.

Hannah of Kutuu - another very talented jewellery designer. Hannah's work is so stylish and beautifully crafted. She's also been very generous with her help when I was having problems with my website.

Blue Monday!

Well, the Colour Challenge has started! It actually helped me get a couple of pieces finished in good time for delivery to Between Dreams this afternoon.

I sat and designed the necklaces and did the wirework yesterday evening and finished them off this afternoon while B was having his nap. I'd made the base of the butterfly earlier last week as I've decided to keep a couple of bases for each of my butterflies and daisies in stock, and decided to add turquoise to it to keep with the theme - oh, and also because turquoise jewellery usually sells really well in the shop! The first necklace is amazonite, smoky quartz and freshwater pearls by the way.

I'm in the middle of getting my stock ready for the Southampton City Art Gallery shop too. The exhibition they've got on when my jewellery first goes into the shop has a water theme so blue should fit in there nicely too! I've realised though that I'm going to have to break away from the colour theme at the weekends as I've got a couple of commissions to do. I don't think it'll go down too well if I put the pieces off until I get to that colour in the challenge!

It's been really hot working in the shed this afternoon as the afternoon sun streams in through the door. I am definitely not complaining though as the forecasters say it'll be much cooler by the weekend. I think it was too hot for B though - he didn't have such a good nap as usual. Unfortunately it is not too hot for mosquitoes. My face looks like I've got the mumps on the left hand side, or as if I've just had my wisdom teeth out. A lovely friendly mozzie decided that they liked my cheek this afternoon and as I'm allergic to them I've swelled up nicely despite lots of anti-histamines. Oh well! It could have been worse - it could have been a wasp!

I'm a happy girl today!

It's been a good day today! The sun is shining, and I've got a new outlet for my jewellery! I had an appointment with the woman who decides what the shop at the Southampton City Art Gallery will stock, and she liked my work. She's given me a rough list of what she'd like and they've got space available from the beginning of July. I know that seems like a while off, but it gives me time to get everything ready without neglecting other outlets and my website etc. Anyway, judging by the year so far the time will go very quickly!

I'm off to pick B up from his childminder's in a little while (we've swapped days as her little boy was ill last week and she's also got an appointment on Thursday, B's usual day with her), but there's just time to show you a couple of pictures. The first is the cuff that I made Mum at the silversmithing course - I can show you now as I've given it to Mum! The second is a set of 3 bangles that I finished last night. They're held together by bead 'charms' of freshwater pearl, blue fluorite and smokey quartz. I was trying it out last night and it's very tactile - I kept spinning the bangles around!

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!