Studio Room Update

The first coat of paint has gone on today - yay!

At last I feel as if the end is in sight. Unfortunately I have no pictures to show you as the camera is having a few technical issues (blurry photos), so you will just have to try to imagine crisply plastered wall where the stone and brick was. Fireplace completely gone. Yellow walls are now "Just Walnut" and the carpet has holes in it where the hearth was! New carpet coming in a few weeks time. I cannot wait!

Have been getting a few beautiful bits and pieces for when it is all ready, like a beautiful ceramic spaghetti jar for my scrap clay (you don't want to know what I was using before!), a wonderful Whale called Noah who is going to sit somewhere in the room and look beautiful and some really lovely curtain material which my friend Rachel is going to make into a Roman Blind for me. *sigh* I wish I could show you!

There is still a long way to go, and lots of hard work before we get there, but it will be so worth it in the end.

Hope you have been having a productive week.

Have a great weekend.

New Studio Room

This is the start of my studio room! (apologies for the blurry second photo).

I can hardly believe that after working for the past 5 years at my tiny Ikea desk to both clay, assemble and photograph my jewellery I am going to have a dedicated work space. The house looks and feels as though a bomb has hit it, but the excitement levels are running high. I will post more pictures as the work gets done so that you can see how the whole thing progresses.

In the meantime I am claying in the kitchen and assembling in my bedroom. Not a lot of fun, but it will all be so worth it!

I am still planning the whole studio/craft station/storage thing as I go along, and have no real idea of what I am doing! If you have any useful tips, brilliant storage ideas, amazing ideas on how a studio works best then I would really love to hear from you.

Most of all thought, this is going to be fun - hope you will enjoy seeing the room develop as much as I will.

ABS Amazing Giveaway

One of my favourite places to get some inspiration is Art Bead Scene. I must visit it at least a couple of times a week and love reading about other designer makers and seeing their work. Through this site I have been introduced to so many wonderful artists and had the chance to see a little of their work processes, had a stroll around their studios (one of my favourite things to do!) and generally enjoy myself and wish that I could meet them in real life!

If that is not enough incentive for you to visit then what if I were to tell you that they are having a huge giveaway this week as well!

Here is the link - enjoy! http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/

I am still here...

...I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. It's just that Easter Half Term came - two weeks of glorious not having to get up, not having to make packed lunches, not having to do anything much but spend time with the children and paint some chairs. Then we went to Cornwall for the Easter Weekend - and what a wonderful time we had with great weather, great food and the best friends in the world. Bodyboarding on Gwithians Towan for hours, had to be the hightlight of the weekend - sheer bliss.

Then a 3 day week before the big event...... My Birthday, Our Wedding Anniversary and of course the Royal Wedding all on the same day!

So - I am still here - just had some other things going on for a while!

See you next week when all should be back to normal again.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Something A Bit Different

Just how many different things can I make with the leaf canes that I made last week?

This little "Spring Bouquet" came about without any real input from myself. I just sat at my desk trying to think what to do and the next thing I knew I had this! How exactly did that happen?

A very different style for me - but I like it! Hope you do too!

Have a wonderful weekend - the weather is set to be gorgeous here in the UK!

Fresh New Look

Do you like the new layout for the Blog? I had some new graphics made for my Etsy Shop by Winchester Lambourne on Etsy :http://www.etsy.com/shop/WinchesterLambourne. I honestly think she must be a mind reader - she came up with a design that was exactly what I wanted, despite me giving her only the very slightest of ideas. It is colourful, fresh, contemporary and I love it. So I felt I had to update the blog as well. It feels like spring, both on my blog and Etsy shop as well as outside.

The rest of my week has been busy making lots of leaf canes in various colourways that I made up into various bits and pieces - I have obviously been needing a little injection of colour in my life after the long winter months.

This weekend is the second Module on Christine's Hollow Bead Course and I can't wait. I have been too busy making stock to practice and play, but am hoping for a bit more time to play next week.

Hope you all have a colourful weekend.

What A Week!

I have been having such a great time on Christine's course and am learning so much. It's funny, I thought I knew quite a bit about polymer clay, but honestly, the more I learn, the more there is to know it seems.

The other course members are a wonderful group of people. Loads of sharing, not just of our successes but our failures too, which helps everyone to learn and figure out how to do things better. Christine must be online 24 hours a day as far as I can tell, because she is always there to answer questions and offer advice.

I have made up all the beads I have made this week into necklaces or pendants and am happy with the pendants, but not sure still about the best way to string the necklaces. Something will come to me I am sure over the next few weeks.

The bangle was a last minute idea this afternoon. I needed a break from the course and to do something completely different for awhile. Cara ( see previous post) was wearing some beautiful bangles on the PPP weekend and they inspired me to have a go at making one. Really pleased with it and will definitely be making some more of these.

Hope you all have a great weekend.