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!

Compact and Bijoux!

Do you remember the old chestnut that Estate Agents would roll out in the 80's and 90's? "This lovely studio apartment....all mod. cons..... central location......compact and bijoux!" It would turn out to be a slightly over sized airing cupboard in central London that would cost almost as much monthly as a mortgage on a 5 bedroom property in the Cotswolds! (Lovely, leafy, desirable area in Gloucestershire, in the West of England for all international readers!).


Now the phrase is never used in that context, well not in the Estate Agent's particulars that I read anyway, but is popping up all over the place in connection with beads. In Bath, there is a lovely shop called Bijoux Beads, and I see the word in connection with beads all over the Internet. Of course it is a French word meaning small, compact, neat or little (if my French is incorrect here, please someone correct me!). It fits well in front on the word "bead".



It also fits well as a description of my working area!



A fellow member of the Craftsman's Market in Cirencester, recently saw a photo of my so called "studio area" and was astounded that I could get anything done in so small a space! "How on earth do you manage?" he asked.




Well, it is a matter of having to! I feel very lucky to have a dedicated area to work on - it used to be the dining room table! - at least I don't have to clear away half way through a project so that the children can have their tea! Ahhh happy memories (not!).

It maybe small, it may be bijoux, but to me it is a little slice of heaven, where I feel totally comfortable and have everything around me that I need!

Mind you, that is not to say that I would not like a studio down the garden! The plans for that are just awaiting the lottery win!!