Zig-zag bangle

For my birthday my Best Bud bought me a beautiful silver bangle with a message engraved on each side.  I've worn it a lot since and it inspired me to make some beaded bangles.

This one combines peyote stitch and herringbone stitch (which creates the 'zig zag).  It's a ridiculously  simple pattern but took a fair few attempts to get right because the base rows have a nasty habit of twisting without you realising.

This piece allowed me to play with my favourite colours of the Summer.

Hope you enjoy!...

Temari balls

Recently I've been working on some Temari balls using Delica and seed beads of various sizes.

Temari balls were originally silk embroidered spheres made in Japan (a Google search for them threw up some stunning examples!) and given to children to play with.  Over time the spheres became recognised as an art form in themselves.

My Temari balls are made from individually stitched triangles joined together to make pentagons or hexagons and then linked to make 3D shapes.  The smallest is about 2cm in diametre, the biggest 5cm.  I've been experimenting with ways of stiffening them using a clingfilm stuffing or keeping the bead hollow and dipping in yacht varnish.

I think I might me getting addicted to them...they're beautiful!!
Hope you enjoy...

Kite earrings

My kite earrings in a stunning shade of iridescent purple-grey with haematite crystals in the centre...

Christmas present to me!

In the last few days before Christmas I managed to make myself a new item after months of creating pieces for other people.
It takes the form of a flat, double sided triangular pendant which has two different designs making it reversible.  One side has a Celtic-inspired design in Gunmetal and galvanized silver as I love Celtic art.  The other side features a tiny blue daisy pattern. The triangle has tiny 'threading' holes - two on each edge so the piece can be strung as in the photo or by a point.
Happy New Year and back to the commissions....!

Hope you like...

Another commission

Commissions are coming thick and fast now!

I've just delivered a birthday commission to a friend; a bigger version of 'Starburst' using Gunmetal (DB 1) and Galvanised silver (DB 35).  The central star measures 6cm in diametre so the whole thing took me a while to complete!

Counting down now until the 30th November: St Pauls Church, Carlton, Nottingham - 'possibly the best craft fair in Carlton!'

Hope you like...

Starburst necklace

I've had quite a few comments about my black and white 'Starburst' necklace!
About a month ago my friend asked me to make a similar necklace in shades of green.
I adapted my original design by incorporating jump rings into the body of each star to increase the durability.

Similar work and some new designs will be available to buy on 30th November at St Pauls Church, Carlton, Nottingham - 'possibly the best craft fair in Carlton!'
Hope you like...

Triangular Prisms

Straying from my usually green/blue palette, I recently made a series of triangular prisms linked together with a beaded rope in citrus shades.  This necklace would also look stunning in black and white!
Hope you like...

Starburst!

I've been getting some lovely comments about my monochrome 'Starburst' necklace!
My work will be available to buy at (possibly) the best craft fair in Carlton, Nottingham!:St Paul's Church, Carlton (op.Tesco) on 30th November 2013.
Hope you like...

Crystal flowers

Some beaded flowers (to be made into brooches) made with a stunning Swarovski rivoli centre!

hope you like...

Peacock Links

I'm really busy at the moment building up my stock.  Thanks for all the lovely comments I've been receiving from friends and followers!
My latest addition is a necklace of five interlocking pentagons in peacock shades - my favourite colours at the moment!
Hope you like...

Inspiration

Yesterday I spent a lovely day at a sculpture exhibition at Normanton, Notts.

I took lots of pictures to inspire me in the cold and dark months to come!
Some very talented and clever people out there - stunning work!
What do you think?

Hope you enjoy...

Two-sided triangle thingies!

Still on my geometric phase, I recently completed a necklace featuring a chain of nine two-sided triangles (I'm sure there's a mathematical name for that but it eludes me!).  I've always liked featuring black in my designs particularly as a background colour as it seems to make the colours more intense.
The necklace is one complete piece of beading - no joins - just increasing and decreasing at regular intervals. To add some interest I off set each new triangle making them sit at an angle to each other.
Hope you like...

Geometrics

I'm really busy at the moment replenishing my stock.
I'm drawn to geometry so I'm loving playing around with triangles, pentagons and hexagons either interlocking or independent.
I recently bought some 'citrusy' colours (limes and yellows) as an alternative to blues and purples.  I'm never sure what colour combinations people like so I'd love some comments from you as to what your favourites are!

Hope you like...

Memory Star

Recently my best friend's dad passed away.
I wanted to make her a piece of jewellery as a keepsake.
Her Dad was a born entertainer and a real star so I thought it only too fitting to make this 3D star pendant.
When I make these stars I usually stuff them with clingfilm to give it stability.  This time, however, I wrote, on a tiny piece of paper, his name and date of birth and death and sewed it inside the pendant.
I was really touched that my friend wore it to his funeral.

Hope you like....

RIP 'Number One' x

Marshmallow Daisies

Marshmallow Daisies

I have been doing virtually no beading for the last two weeks as I damaged a tendon in my ‘beading’ hand!  This made any plans that I had for making Christmas presents or cards impossible (that’s my excuse, anyway!).

 I’ve used polymer clay before, many years ago but, seeing that it is still a popular medium at craft fairs and in gift shops, I thought I would experiment with some new designs.  Continuing my ‘daisy’ theme I have just finished an earring design using polymer clay (The first attempt was ruined when I confused centigrade for Fahrenheit and ended up with what looked like Pontefract cakes and a kitchen full of fumes!). 

I think these daisies look really cute so I am planning to make my ‘marshmallow daisies’ complete with threading holes so that they can be strung together. 

Hope you like...

Daisy Chain bracelet

As the days get shorter, my beading output decreases – beading by artificial light is impossible!  Consequently my latest design has taken me two weeks to complete.  I seem to have had a bit of an obsession with making daisies at the moment.  I’ve even made a polymer clay version – a kind of Magic Roundabout type of daisy (although I did confuse centigrade with Fahrenheit on the first attempt...resulting in an alarming miasma in the kitchen!).

The base uses a new stitch to me: Pebble stitch.  I used some lime size 10 beads which were misshapen – no good for bead weaving but perfect for this stitch as it takes on an uneven appearance.  This stitch also grows quickly which is always a bonus!

The daisies are made of tiny pearl Delicas with gold bead centres stitched onto the base at irregular intervals.

Hope you like...

'Hollyhock' necklace

As my crafting friends reliably inform me,  they have been busy for the last couple of months making gifts and cards ready for Christmas (in fact I suspect some have already finished! You know who you are!).  So I decided this week to make a start on my gifts.  I’m not the most organised of people – I confess to being quite fickle with the concentration span of a goldfish: when it comes to ‘sparkles’ I get very distracted!

But this year it’ll be different! This week I’ve been working on a real statement piece of a necklace.  I’m using a pattern that I’ve had for a while but never felt that I had the patience to complete it.  I’ve tried making the flowers before but without much success.  But I like a challenge and have persevered.  This time it’s been much easier (probably due to experience). 

At the moment I’m about two thirds of the way through the band (which is more like a flattened rope in appearance).  Even though it uses herringbone weave, it seems to be taking an age so I keep stopping to make the flowers which I think look like Hollyhocks.

Now that I’m on the home straight, I’m already making plans for scaled down versions and maybe corsages.  Anyway, I’ve made a start...Christmas: bring it on!

Hope you like...x

Little Geisha

Some time ago I made a mini kimono using Japanese beads.  Although these beads are slightly more expensive than regular beads they are perfect for weaving with as they have flat edges, sit square on to each other and create no gaps.

The kimono stands about 5cm high and has a cherry blossom design (can’t quite remember but cherry blossom is significant in Japanese culture).

This week I varied this design by producing a one-dimensional kimono; tiny blue flowers on a black background.  I often use black as a background as it seems to have more of an impact on the other colours.  I intended to make it into a necklace but, after struggling to decide how to attach a cord, I added a face.

Now that it’s finished I’m thinking it would look better as a brooch; either backed in leather or on a large brooch back.  Either way I’m pleased with the design and it makes quite a cute piece.  The fact that my Geisha is made from Japanese beads seems very apt!

Hope you like...

'Summer' ring

I’ve been working hard this week building a new website to show off some of my bead work.

I’ve also started selling a few items through the online craft site ‘Folksy’.  At the moment there are only three of four items for sale but there’ll be more very soon!

One of the items I’m selling is my beautiful ‘Summer’ ring.  I’m not really a great wearer of jewellery – I prefer to make for others, but this piece is gorgeous (modest? Me?).  It’s quite a chunky ring embellished with crystals, pearls and glass on a red/green/blue theme (a theme which I tend to gravitate to quite a lot).  It earns lots of comments when worn!

What I love about making rings like this is that, when I start, I never quite know where I’m going with it or how the colours will work together.  I just follow my instincts. 

If you have time, check out my shop on Folksy and tell your friends!

Hope you like...

Right Angle and Ribbon Cuff

I’ve spent lots of time this week trying to get to grips with my ever-expanding work box!  The problem with beading is that many projects require only a few beads of a certain shade for which, however hard you try to find existing beads from your stash, you never quite have the right shade/size so end up buying new tubes of beads.  Consequently, I have many opened tubes of beads languishing in my work box.  There are projects which use mixtures of (usually) left over beads, known in the beading world as a  ‘bead soup’.  My ‘Ribbon cuff’ is such a piece.  I started with a right angle weave base (dead easy ‘cos this stitch is mainly space!) using shades of blue, green and yellow, then wove thin ribbon along its length.  A recycled button and cube bead to secure the ribbon and ‘Bob’s your proverbial’!  May even make another one, seeing as my work box is on a diet!

Hope you like..