What a challenge can do ............

The last couple of months have been amazing....... I received an email  on the 15th February saying my Purple Passion bracelet had been short listed in the Beads and Beyond Jewellery Maker of the Year Competition. I was so surprised as this was the first time I had entered a large competition.
I rushed off to buy the magazine and wooo hoooo there it was in full print my bracelet!
  Voting began and on the 6th April, I found out I was in the top 5 !!! Mad panic then having  to send the bracelet in for the final vote.................now  just waiting.

I needed to expand on what I was making and the 36 strander came to mind............
 Now the challenge  began again..............
I hadn't a clue as to what or how I was going to do it, it just sort of involved, the Czech crystals and size 11 seed beads were added and this is the finished piece.

Having made one I had to make another.........

Then at the end of March off I went to London to the Big Bead Show at Sandown taking my bracelets with me. There a met with the editor of Bead Magazine Chloe, so watch this place for further news ......
So the last two weeks have been spent doing two commissions

This red and cream  one,


and

this black and silver one, both made with Czech crystals and 11seedies .
(thank  goodness the c-lon wont go through 15's) !!!  still reckon 15's are dust pretending to be beads.


I never thought that a challenge  set down by my lovely friend Dee Wingrove- Smith (www.facebook.com/wingsmithsbeadedcreations )  would take my work to this level.
So thank you Dee for making me realise that seed beads  (if only 11's ) are a wonder to work with and combined with the crystals I have started making these  beautiful cuffs.

The Start of a New Year...........

The New Year has started slowly for making. Think it must be the cold weather, the thought of going out to The Den to make has not really provided me with inspiration. 
I did make a trip  to Crewe to meet up with Catherine a beadbuddie. Yes and what happened  she took me off to a bead shop.... Beads A Plenty based in Nantwich  http://www.beadsaplenty.co.uk/ . The lovely  Michelle Jackson  runs this little shop and online business. 
And yes of course I had to buy (would of been rude not too! ) Some matt and gloss  black Czech  crystals also two shades of a jade green.


So Black Passion was made..........................

I really enjoyed making this one, totally made up as I went along.

I think I might even send this into a magazine and see if they will publish it.

The End of a Year

Its that time of year  again....... seems to come round faster each year but 2012 is on the horizon.
For the last few weeks I have been playing with seed beads and mirco macrame, here are a few more..........

This one being made with dark green thread with 4mm 6mm pearls some small crystals and size 11 seed beads. I so love the centre  slider bead and bought it in a few different  colours.

This is a twist of an Annita DeGroot design. 

The next one was from a book called Beaded Macrame Jewellery by Sherri Haab.

I was really pleased with this make  far from prefect but  it just feels so nice on , I think I will make this again but using a different colour way.

This was certainly a challenge but I really did enjoy making this.

I am now thinking of a new colour theme for the New Year. I wonder what it will be.................................

Yes ... seed beads !

Dont know if the broken foot has put a strain on my brain  but I have ordered , received and made some more beaded bracelets using   yes ..... wait for it ..... size 11 seed beads.
I know after all I have said about the 'bits of dust' with  holes in but its happened.

The c-lon cord arrived and my first attempt was a 9 stranded with glass pearls and crystals.........

 I had to try  a design by Annika deGoot  and her Victorian Bracelet was my next attempted so that's when the order for seed beads happened.
I was interested to see how this bracelet was worked ........ starting with a loop and beading a section, then leaving a gap , doing this 3times creating the first layer. Adding a button then turning my work round and working back along weaving sections  into the gaps .

I was really pleased with  this bracelet and sold it as soon as I had finished it. I will certainly make another.
 I found some amazing slider beads from www.bead-workshop.co.uk so the  next bracelet had to be 'Secret Garden'

So I think I have well and truly been bitten by  the Micro Macrame Bug and dare I say  SEED BEADS !!!!

The Beaded Cuff

The beaded cuff challenge has finally been finished. I am really pleased with how its worked out far from prefect but I now can see how one of these bracelets make up.

The finishing off on the slide toggle was the most difficult and I will certainly have to find a better method of finishing.
So here it  is ................... Drum Roll ..................................

Having finished this I wanted to try  something similar so off I went in search of a  book and came across Annika deGroot  http://www.annikadegroot.com/
Not wanting to copy exactly one of her designs I saw away of making a bracelet without a clasp just using a button and loop. I have used this method before but in a different way, Annika starts from the centre of the threads and works down one side then the other creating an arc the size needed for the button.

Using flat knots I then joined the two sides together. The Superlon cord works really well and seems to thread easily through beads without a needle. I worked this on a cushion so I could pin my work to keep it in place.
I finished off with an antique silver button.

I used crystal  and glass beads in tones of purple with a grey cord. I am really pleased with  this and I now have another design in my head and waiting  for a delivery of cord from  http://www.absolutebeads.co.uk 

Links from my Welsh Trip

Hadn't realised I could link my friends on my blog.... So for the lovely Lynda Harrison-Twells and her lovely husband John for opening there B&B for us.............http://www.wyndgarth.co.uk

The talented seedbeader Dee Wingrove-Smith who took me onto "The Dark Side"...............
http://www.wingsmithsbeadedcreations.co.uk

The lovely Gloria Simpson  for showing me how to make wonder canes and beads from fimo.........
http://www.etsy.com/shop/flagrantdesigns

If you have enjoyed reading my blog please take some time to visit these girls on the Web you wont be disappointed !

November !

Wow ! what a month.................
Having gone to The Big Bead Fair at Sandown in October and finding the thread I needed for my beaded cuff and re-started it things got busy !
Had to leave that to one side and prepare for a Charity Lunch in aid of The Wirral and Chester RDA.
This was a ticketed event in an old manor house ... such a lovely setting problem being the lighting was awful. But I was happy with my table and my sales!
The next day was spent driving down to Gower in South Wales for a couple of days beading and learning new techniques from follow beadbuddies.
Staying at a beautiful B&B run by a avid seed beader it was time to learn new things............

Yes! that me  playing with seed beads ......."Welcome to the Dark Side" ..............

My first and lets say only ! flat spiral bracelet .........................
The lovely Dee being my teacher not only did she show me how to do this but also beads made from seed beads.... a beaded bead ! hehehehehe
Also had fun playing with fimo. Gloria showing me how to make canes and then using this to make beads

I had the most amazing 3 days in the company of Lynda (owner of B&B) , Dee, Gloria and Karen. Lets hope we can repeat this next year.

The beaded cuff was started again using the new thread. This time the thread is working well, but still slow and on going.............

Liking this now  think it will just grow and be fluid !