Thinking Summer!

A local shop has asked to see some colourful summery sets - so I've been sat here wearing a vest, T-shirt, sweatshirt, thick cardigan, ski socks and my thickest trousers with the halogen heater about three inches away from me, looking out at the snow and trying to think of warm, summer days. Boy, it was hard!!

Here's the results:

These are mainly shell with glass spacers. I do like the beads with the holes - it's a challenge to find something that fits exactly.

These wiggly beads are an old favourite - and give a more delicate look. The coloured beads are shell.


More shell here with some Mother of Pearl.

And lastly a real zinger! The small beads are shell and the large nuggets are dyed agate. I got them at the Chepstow show last Sunday.

These next two use beads that I bought at the NEC on Monday - and aren't part of the summer range!

This one uses Spider Web Agate which I love. The black beads are Onyx and I've used lots of Sterling Silver which sets up a good contrast.

The name is from Lake Tawakoni State Park in Texas where a communal spiders' web measured 200 yards (180 m) across. Entomologists believe it may be the result of social cobweb spiders or of spiders building webs to spread out from one another.

I, for one, definitely won't be visiting there any time soon!

And this one features one of my all-time favourite stones - Picasso Jasper. These flat cylinders are my new favourite shape - so you'll be seeing more of those in various stones.

This last one belongs to a friend who asked me to repair it. Have a guess how old it is?


Well, it has been in her family for over 100 years having been bought back from Africa. It's so modern looking isn't it?

We did pretty well at Clerical Medical on Wednesday and it was great to get back into selling-mode. We have, today, secured another office selling venue - and this is a BIG one in Bristol. We're really chuffed.

Martha got her snow days - no school yesterday or today. Tom was also off. We didn't get too much snow and what we had mostly melted away quickly. We are kept just that little bit warmer by the Bristol Channel. It's always a degree or two higher here than even a couple of miles inland.

Not sure what we're up to this weekend - I think the forecast is for it to be very cold, so maybe we'll just stay in and snuggle up on the sofa. Sounds like a plan to me.

Hope you haven't been too badly affected by the snow.

Have a great weekend and keep warm.

Much love.
xx

Two whole weeks have flown by! I really don't know where the time goes to.

So, what's new? The workspace doesn't look a lot different to the photo in the last entry, except that the walls have dried out and we've filled the holes etc that needed attention on the other walls. Oh, and we've taken up the tiles from the floor. Next is sanding down the filler and then - maybe - we'll get to the emulsion! Everything always takes so much longer than you think doesn't it?

Mum came to stay the week before last, which was lovely. We made a whole heap of jewellery together and she went off with some to finish off which I should get back on Wednesday. We work well together and, thankfully, have similar taste.

Here's a few bits from the heap!

Firstly, this exciting set:


The focal is Murano glass from the island of Murano just off Venice. I went to Venice for the first time a couple of years ago and just adored it. Would love to go again. Anyway, in the set, I have echoed the colours in the focal with black onyx, gold vermeil and sterling/gold vermeil tubes. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

This one features Spiderweb Agate - isn't it just fab?! There's also some black onyx in there too. This had hardly been finished before my mate, Kathy saw it and put her name on it. I was rather hoping to keep it for myself! Hey ho!

This one features a gorgeous bead by another mate, Julie Fountain of Lush Lampwork. I know Julie is a big fan of Smoky Quartz and so that came to mind when I was thinking about what to do with this one. I think it goes really well with the turquoise coloured lampwork, don't you?

This is a really fun necklace - one that Mum helped to string. I've called it 'What Colourful Teeth You Have, Grandma' because the beads reminded me of teeth and from there my mind went straight to Little Red Riding Hood. Sometimes I worry about the wiring in my brain...

And, with an eye on the calendar, I've started to make a few festive items. This shaggy loop bracelet with its gold jumprings and red and green beads just makes me want to sing a few carols and put up some tinsel.

Mind you, I might be best advised to do it now as I know that I'm going to be mega-busy in the run-up to Christmas and might not have the time for festive singing and tinsel decorating when it gets nearer the time!

This last week seems to have been mainly taken up with admin. Hardly any jewellery made at all. I have been putting together an application to take part in North Somerset Arts Week. This meant deciding on a venue, getting together photographs for the brochure, writing blurbs and directions, and it all seemed to take ages. BUT, it has gone off in the post this morning, so fingers crossed we'll get in. Here's the photograph that has been sent off to respresent mine and Sarah's jewellery... must admit to being rather proud of it.


We've got a busy week coming up: a ladies' evening at Nailsea Rugby Club on Wednesday, back to Axa on Friday and Churchill Craft Fair on Saturday. Should be good. Good job Mum and I got such a lot done!

I hope you are managing to get out and enjoy this fabulous Indian summer we're having. A couple of good friends dropped in for lunch today on their way to Cornwall and it was so lovely to be able to eat outside. We seemed to wait all summer for a chance to enjoy our new garden furniture, so I'm really pleased that we got to use it before it gets too cold.

Right, take care all and I'll try and catch you up with happenings next weekend.

Much love to all. xx

What I did during the FA Cup Final!

I don't like to just sit and watch the TV and be idle, so here's what I made during Saturday's FA Cup Final. As Portsmouth won, I'm calling it Pompey Pink! It's a double shaggy loop (four bead bearing rings, per base ring) with pink magatama beads. I love what it's done to Pinky (you've seen his brother Perky in other pictures!) - he looks like he's wearing a wig - or turning into a King Charles Spaniel. LOL!
The next one I've made with antique copper rings and Chartreuse magatamas - single shaggy loops this time - and I rather like the combination.

This next bracelet features nuggets and button beads in Moonstone. The tubes in between are Thai Hill Tribe Silver.
And here's Pinky again! This time with a set made with shell nuggets and button beads teamed with freshwater pearls and Sterling Silver. I really like the earrings on this set - I might have to make some for myself.
And lastly in this bunch, a set made with dyed turquoise nuggets in four different colours with Sterling Silver tubes. I really like these oversized kidney earwires - I think they make a very striking pair of earrings.
Tom is still feeling OK about the GCSEs he's done so far. It was English Lit and ICT today. Do you know they're allowed to take the books into Eng Lit these days? No learning pages of quotes like when I was at school, back in the dark ages!

Thought I'd update you about WW too. I've been on a roll since we got back from holiday and I've lost 6.5 lbs. I'm really proud of myself. I'm trying to lose a stone by my birthday, but with less than four weeks to go, I'm not sure I'll make it... but I'll give it a damn good try. Watch this space!!

It's less than three weeks until our first big show - Bowood House Dog Show and Country Fair, so Sarah and I are madly trying to get our stock levels as high as possible. We're excited... and terrified... in equal measure!

Talking of terrified... the Weston College prospectus comes out tomorrow... with my photo in it. Eeeeeeeeeeeeek! I'll let you know what I think.

Shell I show you?

Here are some of the shell necklace and earrings sets that I've been making. I love using shell - it comes in such wonderful colours.
The larger round beads in the set above are really unusual. They are tiny shards of shell which have been set into resin and formed into beads. They're very effective, aren't they? I got some in turquoise and some in pink.... think I might have to get some more!


Tom had his Spanish Oral today - which he'd been quite nervous about as he had to give quite a long presentation and then answer questions on it. But, apparently, it went really well. And then RF (RE) which he said was fine... he 'waffled on'!

They say that this spell of fabulous weather is going to break tomorrow. It's been so lovely to have the sunshine as we didn't really have a proper summer last year with all the rain. Even though we only planted up our pots and hanging baskets last week, they've already grown masses and there are flowers opening! As we were having all the work done on the kitchen last year we didn't bother with doing the garden, so it's doubly pleasing to have it all looking pretty and tidy again... rather than it being full of rubble, planks, cement, builders, cardboard, bricks, toilets..... We've already sat outside more often than we did for the whole of last year!!!

Let's keep our fingers crossed that this is just a taster for a long, sunny summer.