Experiments

It has been a very long time since I did a Blog Post.  I tend to just use Facebook these days for all my work.  However there are times, like this, when nothing but a blog post will do!

I decided to have a play today.  I have had some Fimo Liquid Gel kicking around in my supplies drawer for ages and have never used it.  It was one of those things that I saw in my favourite Polymer Clay Shop, Clayaround, and somehow it just ended up in my basket!  I am sure the same thing has happened to you!

Whilst flicking through FB yesterday I stumbled upon a free tutorial, by a Russian Lady, and it looked like a lot of fun.  A little bit of playing with Google Translate and I thought I had the gist of it.

Unfortunately there was one vital ingredient that I do not possess.  Resin.  I have always wanted to have a go with Resin, but the mixing, and the waiting for it to set, I know, would be my downfall - I never was the most patient of people, so I have never bought any.

Not to be deterred, I decided to try it anyway and would just give the beads a couple of coats of glaze instead.....!

Unfortunately this really was not a good idea.  It turns out that the Gel is very flexible when baked, which I am sure is brilliant for some applications, but for beads that will obviously have a fair bit of wear and tear - it was just not strong enough.

These are the first leaves I made.  I sort of followed the tutorial, but really just used it as a guideline.  The colours are gorgeous, but I wanted a clearer finish, so I sanded with about 6 different grits of sandpaper, but it seemed to make things worse.  The instructions on the Gel bottle said that you can wet sand, however I used my Micro Mesh - so maybe this is where I went wrong!

Autumnal Leaves

I then decided to add the glaze to see if that worked.  It really did clarify the translucence, however I then thought that it would be a good idea to add a second coat of glaze.  Did I mention that patience was not a strong point of mine?  Ah...yes..well, it seems as though the first coat may not have been completely dry.......!  So the finish became streaked with brush strokes.  Not my finest hour!

Not a good finish!

Lovely colours - but very streaky finish!

However, all is not lost I thought!  At least I know that if I am patient, a second coat of glaze will look great!  Before I spent another 4 hours making some more beads however, I had to try the ultimate test and see if I could mark the coatings in any way.  As you can see, my thumbnail indentation is very clear!  Oh well.  It was obviously not to be, at least not without a lovely finish of resin!

My Thumbnail Indent!

So lots of lessons learnt and lots of experimentation, which is always a good thing.  It has been ages since I just played for the sake of playing and I think it is something I should do more often.

I now have something else new in the oven, we shall see if this experiment turns out any better!!

And The Winner Is.........

Keeley from Tempting Little Charms!!

Check out her lovely FB Page here : Tempting Little Charms

I used Random Generator to pick the winner :

Congratulations Keeley - your beads will be in the post to you in the next few days!

Thank you to everyone to entered the Giveaway and shared and liked my page.

Now that Facebook have decided we are ok to do giveaways and promotions without using a third party App, then I will certainly be doing some more soon!!!

Hope you are having a great day.

Pippa x

A Millenium Moment calls for a GIVEAWAY!!!

No..not a thousand years but a THOUSAND Likes!!




I was so amazed that my little Facebook Page reached this amazing milestone last night.



So as a thank you to you all I am having a giveaway.


Clemetis Bud Connector





You would all like to win some beads I am sure. So one lucky person will win a selection of my newest beads.



Remember Flower Pendant



Little Luna Moth Fob Key Pendant - Green



Remember Leaves Pendant



Clemetis Seed Head Pendant



Little Luna Moth Fob Key Pendant - Blue





I haven’t even made the beads yet so I cannot show you pictures, but they will be like these, just not these exact ones – but of course they will be just as lovely!!



All you have to do to win is:



Go and Like my Facebook Page





or

Share this Giveaway on your own page



or





Share This Giveaway on your blog



When you have done that, come back here and leave me a comment so that I know what you have done. Please remember to leave a link to your facebook page or blog so that I can contact you if you win, and of course that way I get to like your page too!





If you do one of the above you will get one entry, if you do two, then you will get two entries and if you do all three…well I think you get the general idea!!





I will announce the Winner in one week’s time on Thursday 29th August here on the blog and will also announce it on my Facebook Page.





This is going to be fun!!





Thank you all again.





















UK Inspiration Challenge

Here is the reveal for the UK Inspiration Challenge on Artisan Whimsy.

My Region, as one of the Hosts, is Bath, the Historic City originally built by the Romans in AD60 on the site of natural springs, the Roman did like their Hot Baths!!!  It was known then by the name Aquae Sulis which means "The Waters of Sulis".  Later the city was very popular during the Georgian era which lead to a massive expansion resulting in some of the glorious Georgian architecture that we can still see today.

It was the Roman influence that interested me the most, the fact that many of the jewellery techniques that they used then, are still being used today, nearly 2000 years later.  I find that completely amazing!!!

Here are the pieces I created:



Roman Inspired Pendant and matching Earrings


The Romans loved their gold, so I used Gold Polymer Clay as the base for my pendant and incorporated it in the Leaf Cane that I made.  Knowing how fond the Romans were of Leaves and as everyone who knows me and my creations know, I too have a bit of a thing for leaves, I wanted to incorporated them into my design.  I was thinking broadly of the Roman Laurel Wreaths that Emperors are often depicted wearing, I created a Pendant and a pair of Earring, the earrings use a wire wrap technique that Roman Jewellers would have been familiar with.

I have so enjoyed this challenge and so, I think have lots of other people, judging by the number of entries that we had to the challenge.

Please take the time to visit their blogs and have a look at the amazing pieces they have created using the 6 regions of Britain as their inspiration

 All the links can be found here on the Artisan Whimsy Challenge Page.

 We will be picking the winners on Tuesday!!!!

Artisan Whimsy - Come and Join Us!!

I'm a member, are you?  If not, then please, come and join us!

Artisan Whimsy is a new website and learning centre for anyone who is interested in Handmade Jewellery and Beads and everything to do with them.  It is a fantastic place to meet like-minded enthusiasts from all over the world and make friends and basically indulge in our favourite topic!!

Today is the first blog post of the UK Blog Team and there are prizes to be won!  We introduce ourselves and tell you a little about our work and influences and there is a challenge for you all to take part in.

Each member of the Blog Team explains whereabouts in the UK we hail from and your challenge is to create a piece of jewellery or a component drawing inspiration from the region that we live in.

My nearest City is Bath, the beautiful Georgian city which has it's roots going back to Roman times, when they had a Spa there.  You can still visit the amazing Roman Baths today and imagine yourself back in time 2000 years ago.


The Roman Baths at Bath



Bath Abbey



Beautiful Pultney Bridge



The Incredible Royal Crescent

The Romans were very fond of their jewellery, so much in fact that there was a law passed, banning people from wearing too much gold - it was considered "tacky"!!!

If you look at this picture of some examples of Roman Jewellery you can see that many of the techniques they used are still in use today, 2000 years later!  I find that amazing!

Add caption

If you decide that you would like to choose Bath as your inspiration for this challenge then I am offering a set of my Petal Capped Beads in Teal and Black Cherry as a prize!

Petal Capped Bead Set

You can chose which region appeals to you the most out of the ones listed, and of course if you want you can do more than one region, although prizes are limited to one per person.

So, how do you join this fantastic new website and take part in all the fun?  Go here and just follow the instructions, it is really simple.  I do hope to see you there!

Pippa x

Are YOU One of the Three???

Ok, here is the thing....

The rules of the game say that I choose the first three comments on my blog post yesterday to be the lucky recipients of something gorgeous and handmade by me.

The First Three.......that is soooo hard!

When I put my comment on Cilla's Blog, I wasn't one of the Three....and yet she was so generous that she included a couple of extra comments as well, so in the end I was one of the Three...well one of the Five actually.

So, as this is a Pay It Forward theme, it felt only right that I should continue with Cilla's generous idea and choose more than three.

First lucky person then is Jennifer from Souls Fire Designs - (do check out her blog, she is amazing!)

Second is Julie from Made By Jules, one of my lovely and very talented fellow Craft Fairers!  Well Julie, this should get you blogging again!

Third would be Emma.....however Emma is my lovely neice from Canada, and not wanting to be accused of favouring family or anything, I am not going to count her, but will still send you something lovely Emma!

Fourth is Leigh, a lovely new friend I have "met" on an online beading group, so excited that you will be joining in Leigh!  Please go and check out her blog, Jewellrleigh

Fourth is Sky, happy to be sending something to you Sky!  Here is her blog for you all to check out Creative Chaos, what a great name!

Fifth is Elizabeth from Elizabeths Art, what a lovely blog you have Elizabeth!

and Lastly Sixth is Rebecca from the wonderful Songbeads.  Rebecca is an incredible Jewellery Designer who I am sure you have all heard of and have drooled over her gorgeous designs.

Dear Jody, who also commented by did not want to take part, I am so sorry that it didn't work out for you the last time that you did something like this, but thank you so much for commenting Jody.

So, over the next week or so, I will be contacting you all to find out what sort of things you like, colour preferences etc etc.  I will then make something for you, it might be a piece of jewellery or it might be some beads, if you have a preference, just let me know.  I want you to be happy!!! 

Of course, you will have no idea when I will send it to you.  Might be next week.  Might be over Christmas.  Might be in the depths of February to cheer you up on a dark and dismal day.  You will all have to wait and see.

Thank you all for taking part and playing along.  And Remember.........you all must Pay It Forward too.  Do a Blog Post and choose three (or more) people who comment and send them something gorgeous too!

Hope you are all having a lovely week so far

Pippa

Something to Brighten up a Monday - Pay It Forward

I discovered such a great game on the lovely Cilla of Tell Your Girlfriends blog (do check it out, it's fab!).

It goes like this:

I’ll send a surprise gift to the first three commenters on this blog post. The gift will be a handmade surprise by me and will be sent to you some time in the next 365 days (yep, mystery gift at a mystery time).

 

Here’s what you need to do, leave me a comment and make sure you include your email address (if your profile doesn’t include it). I’ll email you for your snail mail address and a ask a few questions (likes/dislikes, favourite colours, sizes general stuff like that).

 

To complete signing up you MUST play along too. To do this you must blog a similar post and pledge to make a surprise gift for the first three people who comment on it.

 

So, do you want to play?

Comment below and I’ll sent a thoughtful handmade gift to the first three people who do.

Just how much fun is this!!!   So, what are you waiting for - get commenting!!!

Autumnal Beads

Well Summer is over.  The children started school today and that always heralds the end of summer for me.  However it means that Autumn is coming, my favourite season of the year.

To celebrate this, I have created some new beads echoing my love of all things Autumnal.  Leaves, Berries, Nuts, Toadstool, the last of the Summer flowers, Pods and Birds.



Jenny Wrens



Woodland Acorn



Tiny Toadstools



Logan Berries

I do hope you like them as much as I have enjoyed making them.

They will be up in my Etsy Store tonight if you would like a closer look!

Hope you have all had a great Summer.

Oh yes....and stay tuned over the next couple of days for another Blog Post where we can play a great little game I discovered over on the lovely Cilla's Blog Tell Your Girlfriends, called "Play it Forward".  You won't want to miss this one!

With love

Pippa

And The Winner Is........

Thank you all so much for coming and leaving a comment!  It has been so much fun!

So without further ado The Winner Is....

No 48 who is Creations by Kari - congratulations!!!

Please contact me with an address and I can get those beads winging their way to you.

Thank you everyone for taking part and it won't be long before I do another giveaway I know.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Love Pippa

GIVEAWAY !!!

It feels like just the right time to have another giveaway!


Set of 4 Beach Hut Beads

This is a simple giveaway and is open to Everyone, including all my lovely International Friends! 

All you have to do is to leave a comment on this blog giving your name and contact details!

If you would like an extra chance to win, then pop over to my facebook page and like it, (if you "like" it with your personal profile, rather than your page, then my likes will go up, apparently FB doesn't count likes from pages!  Something I learnt this weekend!).

For yet another chance, share this giveaway on your own Blog or on Facebook! Then come back here and leave another comment to let me know you have shared!

So up to Three Chances to Win!

Important:  If you enter more than once, please be sure to leave an extra comment on here with the links to let me know!!

So, What Can You Win??

This Giveaway is for a set of 4 Beach Hut Beads as pictured above and also for this set of my new Bell Blossom Beads.

So you can win 4 Beach Hut Beads And 10 Bell Blossom Beads!  What are you waiting for????


Bell Blossom Beads In Cranberry and Pale Pink

 I am so excited!  I love doing giveaways!

Good Luck everyone - I will be doing the draw next Monday 16th July 2012.

Love Pippa x

Some New Work

Well, it's about time!  I have some new beads up in my Etsy Shop for you!

Bell Blossom Beads

Love these!

They are called Bell Blossoms, because, well it's pretty obvious why!  I have a few more sets in the oven as I type this in some different colour ways and they will be listed hopefully later today.  I do hope you like them!


Casablanca Beads



Faceted Nuggets from the Off-Cuts of the Casablanca Beads



I have also been working hard this week on some Casablanca Beads from the wonderful tutorial by Desiree, here is the link.  I have had fun with all the left over cuts and made some bracelet tiles, faceted nuggets and some hearts too!



Double Drilled Bracelet Tiles



Heart Pendants - Love all the different colour-ways I got from just the Off-Cuts!





It has been hard getting back into a strong work ethic after everything that has happened.  I have been struggling with getting things into perspective and finding it difficult to just settle down and actually spend time at the clay table.  This has been a good week, but I am trying to allow myself understanding that things will not always go according to plan.  I need to take things at their own pace and not push too hard to be doing everything that I think I should.  Not easy!  But I am getting there.



My Weeks Work!



Hope you have all had a good week too!

With love

Pippa

*Sigh*

It comes to us all I suppose, and my Optician said that I had done very well to get to 48 without needing glasses before!

Now I can see how messy my desk actually is!

So, Varifocals were picked up yesterday and now I have "Nodding Dog Syndrome" as I try to find the correct focal points.

"Point Your Nose, Don't Move Your Eyes" she said.  Easier said than done.  My neck aches, I have a headache and even my nose aches!

2 weeks apparently and I will be so used to them I will wonder how I ever did without them.  2 weeks seems like quite a long time this morning.  Mind you, at least I can see what I am doing now instead of "feeling" everything lol!!

Someone tell me that this gets easier! :)

Hope you all have a great and in focus weekend.

Love  Pippa

Baby Steps

After nearly two months I have finally made something.

No new designs, I think I need to take small baby steps at first, so I have revisited some old designs.

Butterfly Wing Beads - Cane instruction by Donna Kato
Beads - my own idea!

Slowly, I am starting to create again. 

So happy to be back here.  So happy to start interacting with you all again. 

Water Colour Beads - Technique by Maggie Maggio

Thank you all for all your support.

I've missed you all !

What I finally made with that Klimt Cane I posted on my Flickr Page!

I know I still have some outstanding orders and some enquiries to answer fully, will be making a start on those next week - I haven't forgotten!

Much love

Pippa xxx

Lovely Blogger Friends, 

This is such a hard post to write, so I will keep it very short, I know you will all understand.

My lovely Mum, who I have been looking after and caring for for the past 7 years, died last Monday.

She was 88 and had suffered from Dementia.  As any of you who have had to help a loved one with Dementia will know, it was a sad and difficult road for us all to travel.

The one bright lining to our particular cloud was that we managed to care for her at home, right up until the end, even though the last 3 weeks were very hard.  She died in her own bed, in her home and that was what she had wanted. 

Her funeral is on Wednesday and the forecast is for a beautiful sunny day, she would have liked that.

I will need a little more time to get myself together and then I will be back.

Thank you all so much for all your wonderful messages of love and support that you have sent me, they have meant so very much to me.

With much love

Pippa

A Leave of Absence

Lovely Blogger Friends, I need to take a leave of absence for a little while.

My lovely Mum is very ill at present and I am caring for her pretty much full time now.  So please bear with me.  I do not have the time at the moment to blog and did not all want you wondering what had happened, so hence this update.

I will be back as soon as I can and I hope you all will be able to join me again when time permits.

I will still be watching for all your beautiful creations that you post and checking out Facebook when I can.

Thank you all so much for understanding.

With much love

Pippa

10 Minute Warning!!!

Ok, maybe a little more than 10 minutes!

I am off to wonderful Cornwall in a couple of days, so just wanted to give you all a bit of warning that my Etsy Shop will be put into Vacation Mode on Wednesday Night for about a week.

So if you have had your eye on any of my beads, if you order tonight or early tomorrow (remember I am working on UK time here!!) then I will have time to make your beads and get them shipped to you!

And just to tickle your fancy....some new Disc Beads!

Disc Beads in Duck Egg, Bassalt and Savanna

I have been experimenting with making a Faux Ceramic Mix in a Duck Egg Blue and finally got the colour I wanted.

Now of course after all that effort I couldn't think of a thing to make with it!!!!  Why is that always the way?

So I decided the best thing to do was to make some Disc Beads in all three colours whilst I wait for Lady Muse to put in an appearance!  Actually, I was really pleased with these Discs - really versatile and lovely and aged looking!

They are available in my Etsy Shop now if you would like a closer look.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter.  I will miss you all whilst I am away, but will be back, renewed, refreshed and hopefully with lots of lovely Cornish Inspiration, not to mention a picture or 300 to share with you!

Pippa

Come and take a little walk with me!

As you all know, I live in the UK, in the South West of the Country in a County called Wiltshire.  I am not far from the historical Roman City of Bath.

My little village is called Holt and I thought it would be nice for you to be able to see what I see when I walk outside my back door.

I am very, very, lucky!

This is the brook at the end of my Garden Path!

The Little Bridge going over the brook!

Turn Left and this is the path....

...that takes you to the village pond!

under the Willow Tree is the Glove Factory Studios - I would dearly love to have one of these studios!!

turn around and this is the back of our house - the one at the end on the right!

Carry on walking back down the path and this is the road through the village.  The Old Manse is opposite our house and the church is just a little further up.

If you cross the road you come to Withy Walk - isn't it pretty!

At the entrance to Withy Walk is this amazing house called The Courts.  It has stunning gardens which are open to the public and it is owned by the National Trust.

The Courts

Turn around and this is the village hall, you can see the Willow Tree at the end of the road where we walked earlier!

Look to your left and there is our house, right at the end with the Red Front Door!

It was such a beautiful day - we had ice creams in the park!

Thank you for walking a little with me - it is always great to share things with a friend!

Hope your week is full of sunshine too!