I'm back

Ok, I haven't posted for ages but then I haven't beaded for ages....for a variety of reasons. Ok, its been summer and I have had six weeks off in which I intended to catch up on a lot of crafty stuff but I never even raised my hand to a jump ring.

Last time I crafted was when I went to the wonderful Debs (CBC) house and she showed me how to silversmith! WOW! I made a lovely pendant but snapped around 8 of her saw blades!! Oops! :( It was a fab experience to learn from such a talented and lovely lady! Ta Debs! But that must have been about 7 weeks ago now!

So last night I decided to go crafty again. The launch of the CBC Big Bead Academy inspired me to.....knit!!! :) Hehe! No really, the bead academy launch which has been long awaited has inspired me to craft again, seeing people join up to do my recycle challenge and the work that has gone into the academy and even getting a commission through it has ispired me once more but I need to be practical too. Its nearing that dirty word again....Xm** and I need to consider that! So I started to knit K a scarf. Well I must have cast on 10 zillion times, kntited the first rows a million times....hurt my thumb and now I've given up. I enjoy knitting and find it threaputic and easy (Usually!) but this wool I have is really p*ssing me off!! It's a cashmire type mix and it keeps splitting...from 88 stitches I originally cast on with splits I ended up with 101 6 lines in....grrr. Anyway, it has gone to bed for tonight, mainly to let my thumb rest (ooch!) and tomorrow I will resume!

I also need to get my head into thinking about S's pearl necklace (CBC) she wants me to recycle! Oh, I am slightly nervous about this as it is valuable and sentimentally valuable to her but I have vowed that I will take great care and only use the best materials I can find! It should be nice as I usually do not use the best materials e.g. stirling silver plated rather than the real stuff so it should be a real luxurious treat....hmmm silver wire and swarovski's ahoy!!! :) :)

Recycle and reuse 2

Well I'm onto it again!

I have made tonight 2 more pieces out of the pearls and one piece out of the belly chain. It was horrendous!! £1.25 but the craftsmanship was HORRID!!! The loops were badly done and uneven and the darkness of it was just horrible, it made the beads look dull and cheap!! I haven't taken it all apart yet but have used some of the beads to make the charm bracelet with some added Swarovski 4mm pink bicones from my stash! I love it. The beads look much brighter and more contemporary!! I can also get the last bit of the pearl illustrations sent off too! Yey. I'm going to get onto my project with natural beads this weekend too as I have now got my bone beads.

Apologies for the blurry pics but the camera doesn't seem to like close ups!

Pearl After:

Belly chain before:

Belly chain after...a beautiful charm bracelet:

Recycle and reuse!

Since Katiemo (CBC) had a article published in Bead about recycling vintage beads I've really been into this!! I have been trawling the charity shops (and believe me for a small town we have MANY!) for the best and worst pieces of jewellery to destrory!!! Perversely enough taking apart other peoples beads nearly gives me as much pleasure as making my own!!!! Some pieces I have picked up have been AWFUL though and really need to be taken apart!! I love the fact that its helping charity, righting fashion wrongs and giving me a load of new booty for cheap prices!! Hehe! I have at the moment purchased:

*A belly chain with dark chain and LOADS of pink plastic beads with flower caps, leaves etc they are really nice - £1.25.

* A string of dull pearls - £1.75.

* A vintage glass string of around 90 faceted 8-10mm beads - £3.

* 2 x HORRENDOUSLY strung beads in some form of wired flower on a beadly beaded string (I wish I'd taken a photo!! They were bad beyond belief!) - £1 each.

* An old leather thong (yuck!!) with jade green and orange beads - £1.25.

I have already attacked my pearls ready to send to Bead to decorate my pearl article and for the CBC recycle challenge when we launch the new beady section.

Here are the piccies:

Before:

After:

I also intend tomorrow to make a pearl cluster ring like the one on craft club tv and a pair of swarovski and pearl wire work spiral earrings. These will also be sent to Bead for illustration purposes.

I am also working on my second recycle project with the belly chain. The piccies will be added to CBC for the recycle challenge and also on here once done. I started it on Sunday and just need to a 6 more beads. I'm making a charm braclet with silver chain instead of the dark chain it was on. It just brightens the whole thing up and makes it look more contemporary.

Worked on a bit of my natural bead article today too but need to finish that at some point this week!!! Still waiting on my beads to do my project...... :(

Lots of craft so little time! Highs and lows

Hi,

Gosh, I haven't blogged in a while but I have been doing lots of crafts!!! Its funny how you have some pieces that just go right and some that for the love of the almighty lord just wont go....!!

The lady from my friends pub has recieved her jewellery and loves it!! Yeye!

Here is a piccy of it at last:

I was away at a wedding last weekend and I was wearing black and white for the ceremony so I decied I would treat myself and make some jewellery to match my outfit! I don't usually wear or make jewellery specifically for me which sounds wierd but I usually make it for others or just because....!!! But this time I made an earring, necklace and braclet set using Swarovski crystal flowers and bicones. I will ad piccys later. I LOVE it. Its one of my fave pieces I've made! I love the way it sparkles in the light and it went perfectly with my white skirt with black flowers.

Since that, this week I have made 4 pieces. I have completed 2 comissions for 'Bead Magazine' writing about Czech glass beads and pearls and have done 2 projects to go with them! I obviously can not blog the pics for the magazine as it is their copy right but I have done a bracelet with glass beads and wire work figure of 8s to interlink and a wire work wiggle pearl necklace, similar to the one I did for CBC Swap. I need to send them to the editor to be photographed so I have been extra careful!! But they are now done and waiting to be posted on Monday. As 'Bead' is only once every 2 months I will have to wait until early next year to see my work in print but its very exciting!! You will have to wait until then to see the finished products!!

I have also completed my monthly challenge for CBC. I was set the challenge by Mel today to try something I have never done before. So, I had a root through my beady box and came across a set of cluster rings that hadn't been used and some glass chips. I have never made a beady ring and I have never used glass chips so I got two 'never dones...' in one!!! How clever!! :) I finished this off in around half an hour. I enjoyed this! Quite fiddly with the loops, especially as you get more and more on but I love the colours of the chips and love the dramatic look on the finger!! I may even nab this as my own too!

Ok...so I said I'd done 4 pieces...the other was a disaster!!! I was doing my chzec glass bead project for 'Bead'. I had a great project in mind, and in my mind it looked fab!!! I had purchased a 50mm glass bead from Jilly beads about two weeks ago in purple and it is adorable!! It looks like a big sweet!!! I thought fab!! I will wire wrap it, and add a chzec glass bead necklace!! Fine. Oh my lord.....SWEARING an SHOUTING and throwing ensued when it came to wire wrapping and even with the frienly advice from the CBC lot and my OH helping the result was terrible!! It looked like a 4 year old had done it!! So that has been put to one side and the new bracelet design it being sent and emailed!!!

Its meant to be a relaxing hobby but that certainly was not relaxing!!!! :) Well, at least I have it done now. I still need to do my next comission for 'Bead' about natural beads and a project form that...lets hope that works a bit better!!

CBC Swap photos and WOW!! 2

Ok as I am just starting out on this thing I have no idea how to put text with photos so....hence the next post!! Hope you bloggers out there like these! I have...fingers crossed....already sold the wiggly wire work necklace and earrings set......I am just waiting on a lady from CBC to get back to me! So potentially 2 SALES in ONE WEEKEND!!!! Yey!!! How chuffed and I!!??!! I couldn't retire yet but its not for the money I do it, I just get choked when people actually like my craft work!! Hehe! Anyway...fingers crossed! I am marking coursework today so not a lot of craft will be done but I am hoping I can start on my wedding jewellery today. I hate marking so this is what will stur me on!! Jxx

CBC Swap photos and WOW!!

1st blog!

Hi all,

Inspired by the girls and boys at CBC I have started my own crafty blog. Not sure how long I will keep it up or how regular I will post but it is a place to store all my crafty pictures at least!! :)

I have spent the day completing my 'beady swap and make' for CBC. My camera has died at the mo so I will post piccies later when the batteries have charged. I was sent some lovely bead by Prima flower (Sarah). They included some BEAUTIFUL lampwork beads in pink, green and blue, some swarovski 6mm bicones in blue and some white and green small round glass beads.

I admire Debs wire work on CBC and so have decided to take inspiration from her entry and have a go at some new wire work techniques. I therefore got my 'Bead' magazine down (Issue 4) and decided to use the wire wrap technique from there to make 2 pendants from 2 of the lampwork beads. I've never tried wire wrapping before so its not perfect but I am very happy with the results!! They look tarnished on the photos but they aren't they are dead sparkly!! I made a matching pair of earrings too from the left over lampwork blue beads to match the blue pendant.

I also used wire work wiggles to make a necklace and earring set from the white beads and the swarovski crystals. I LOVE SWAROVSKI...which reminds me I have to get on to making my necklace, braclet and earrings for a wedding I am going to next week. They are all going to be made out of black and clear swarovski bicones and flower beads, I will post a pic when I am done.

Last but not least I made a lovely linked braclet by adding the left over lampwork beads and some of the other glass beads to eye pins and then linking them together with jump rings. It is slightly too long I think so may have to have a fiddle with this but I love it its so summery!

Well....other than that I had some exciting news yesterday...I sold a Swarovski crystal teardrop pendant and earring set for £20! WOW!! It was through a friend of a friend! I am not a natural sales woman where my jewellery is concerned and felt a bit embarrassed at the price offered but I was well chuffed as she had seen a swarovski cross necklace that I had made my friend for her birthday and this is why she wanted one! Yey! High praise indeed!

As I said, I will add the pics tonight when my camera is charged.

Jo xx

Craft projects to do:
1) Order for the Swarovski crystal earrings
2) Necklace, earrings and braclet set for me to match the wedding outfit.
3) 3 x articles for a bead magazine!