What - No Tutorial?

Sorry! I know I promised to post a tutorial this week, but I just did not get round to it. Some strange things have been going on with my blog that I have been trying to work out.

Since Sunday I have had over 11,000 new visitors. Now, I think my blog is quite good, well in my humble opinion anyway, but not THAT good. The unusual number of visitors is about 3 or 4 a day, so something was definitely going on! Try though I might, I cannot find where all these people are coming from (although I am pretty sure it is Stumbleupon, but I cannot find the page). So, if you are one of the 11,000, then Welcome, nice to see you here and I hope you enjoy looking around and please leave a comment telling me how you found my blog, I would love to know!

I have managed to get some new work done as well, in spite of all the detective work. I got some wonderful Filigree Wraps from the brilliant http://www.dichro-findings.co.uk/. This has got to be my all time favourite site for wonderful settings, blanks and unusual findings. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Here's what I did with them.

I have also done a little Mokume Gane Technique in the clay and made these double drilled beads. Tricky to string, but worth the effort in the end!

A couple of other bits and pieces too!

So, hopefully, next week will be a little quieter, although the children are on Summer Holidays now so who knows how much I will get done, but I will try, honestly, to get that tutorial up.

We are hoping, crossing our fingers, toes, arms and legs, that the weather will improve soon - for our Holiday in Cornwall.

Keep your fingers crossed for us as well!

A Quick Update...

Thank you so much to the Wonderful Hannah of Spans-Stitchin' who found the Stumbleupon Page that was sending all the Traffic to here. Hannah makes the most beautiful crotchet and sewn items - have a look here at her blog! http://spans-stitchin.blogspot.com/. Now I can stop trawling the web trying to it and get back to claying!!! Many thanks Hannah - you are an absolute star!

Busy

I have had a busy week.

Lots and lots of beads made!

I am trying to increase my stock levels, so that when the children break up for the summer holidays next week, I am not spending all my time working at the clay table, but will actually have some time to spend playing with them - well, that is the general idea anyway!

Here is what I have been making:

A lovely blue Swirl Ring, a Tile Bracelet in shades of lilac with green leaves and a Leaf Pod Lariat. I have not made a Tile Bracelet for ages and it was fun to revisit this style. I love my Leaf Pod Lariats, but they do take a huge amount of time to make, so I don't do them as often as I should.

The Cascade Necklace is made from Skinner Blend Trumpet Beads from Pearl through to Red. I have made a bracelet also, but this is the first time I have made a necklace to match. I hope you like it.

I am hoping to post a tutorial on Mica Shift Technique next week. It is a favourite with me, I am just hoping that I can photograph the wonderful 3D effect with my not-so-wonderful photographic skills! Watch this space!

Here's what I did...

Sunflower
Originally uploaded by Pips Jewellery Creation

...with the sunflower cane!

A multi-coloured sunflower necklace. Fun, summery and will go with absolutely everything.

More to post next week on some new beads, but if you cannot wait, they are all on my flickr site.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Bloomin' Lovely!

Sunflower - yes I am proud of this one!
Originally uploaded by Pips Jewellery Creation

I am hopeless at making flower canes, usually!

My petals always get squished at the top and my packing is not very good and they always seem to come out slightly lobsided!!

But for some strange reason this one worked out far better than I had even hoped for!

I am so happy with it! It has already been used on some of my multi-coloured sunflower beads for a new necklace today (there is a photo on flickr of one I did ages ago!). They are always popular and I am happy to have loads more cane now to be able to make some more.

I might just have to have a go at some more flower canes now! Any suggestions? What sort of flowers would you like on beads? I would love to hear from you all with your thoughts!

New Beads!

Malta
Originally uploaded by Pips Jewellery Creation

I feel a little like I have been in the desert for the last few months.

But now I feel as though someone came and gave me a lovely long iced glass of water! That someone knows who she is! The water tastes great and has revived me!

Creativity is a funny thing, it comes along and everything is just buzzing. So many ideas, not enough hours in the day to make them all a reality, so many possibilities, the future is crammed full of things you want to make and want to make possible. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason - gone - all gone. It is the strangest and most disconcerting feeling. You find yourself questioning whether it is gone for good - that muse of yours, fickle thing she is!

Suddenly all is dry and grey and nothing is working. All the excitement, all the possibilities are as if they never were. Not a good place to be.

I hope that I have learnt patience from this episode, because that is what is needed. Patience to know that from somewhere, when you least expect it, and when you are not exactly looking for it, then things will change again.

So, at last....at long, long, last, (it seems like a very long time to me anyway!).....some new beads as promised.

I have lots of pendants, earrings and beads in this series, but only these photographed as yet. I am excited as to where these may take me - lots of ideas running around my head.

It is nice to be back somewhere green again!

Tease!!

There are some new designs coming - honest!!!

Pictures will be posted tomorrow (hopefully). I have been having fun, fun, fun! It has been so long since made a whole new series of beads and I am very Excited! Can you tell?

Thank you Lynda!

Devotion to Duty

Me!
Originally uploaded by Pips Jewellery Creation

Writing this blog post is definitely devotion to duty tonight! It is Sunday Evening - I have done two Craft Fairs, getting up at 5.30 a.m. on Saturday morning and getting home at 6.30 p.m. and then getting up at 7.30 this morning and getting home again at 6.30 p.m.

Wonderful husband had made tea for us all, and I then did 2 hours of ironing (well, I think the children would have been in danger of being squashed if the pile had fallen on them, it was that big!).

So, I am somewhat tired, but thought if I did not post even a little entry in this blog then you would all get pretty fed up of popping in and finding nothing new, yet again!

I have a couple of ideas floating around in my head for new styles of necklaces that I am hoping will get made this week and I will post some photos for you when they are done.

But for now....... a cup of coffee and then bed! Tomorrow is a whole new Clay Day!