Oak leaf challenge...the big reveal!

So, here it is...the necklace I made with Jo Tinley's copper oak leaf clasp :o)

I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do with it when it first arrived - autumnal colours were a must and I already had this lovely hand dyed silk ribbon from Diane Turton of Sowzere Designs and a rich orange Carnelian bead in front of me. I then raided my stash of my own lampwork beads for orphans and found these ones in different shades of amber, brown and pink. Finally, I needed copper findings, having never worked with copper before. The two hammered copper rings were from another Diane - of Dilunah Glass Designs.

And finally, the oak leaf! It is far too pretty to hide away at the back of the necklace like a traditional clasp, so I made the necklace into a slightly asymmetrical design, with the clasp hooking on to one of the hammered rings.

So there it is. This was a challenge in the true sense of the word, as I've never used copper before and I've not done a great deal of wire wrapping, but... I love it! And yes, I will be keeping it for myself :o)

Want to see what the other challengees have done?

Jo Tinley                 Daisychain Designs

Melissa Meman       Art, Life, Love

Niky Sayers            SilverNikNats

Kimberley Roberts  Bahama Dawn

Rebecca Anderson  Songbeads

Stripes

I made one of these and loved it, so made another...now I'd normally sell something like this as a focal, but they were crying out to be a set of three...so I had to make a third one! Part of the joy of making beads is that sometimes they tell you what they want to be and you just have to go with the flow.

What do you mean, beads can't talk?! :o)

You will find them on Etsy now...

Feeling blue

The nights are drawing in and winter's nearly here...so I'm making blue beads to cheer myself up! In particular, using a lovely glass called Great Bluedini. I had some ages ago and for some reason decided I didn't like it, so I gave it away. A colour of the month challenge on Frit Happens forum inspired me to try again, thanks to the generosity of a lovely lady who sent me a couple of rods to play with!

As you can see, it is a lovely, rich, almost greeny blue and it loves to be layered with other colours.

The first one is now on Etsy and the other will be up shortly.

It's cold, isn't it?

I guess winter must be just around the corner now!

I've been busy adding lots more beads to my Etsy shop...

Oak leaf challenge

Right. You may have noticed a picture of some lovely copper oak leaves has appeared on the left hand side of this blog...this is because I am taking part in the oak leaf challenge. Jo from Daisychain Jewellery has made these gorgeous little copper oak leaf clasps and I am one of the lucky ones who gets to make something with one of them :) Mine arrived yesterday and I'm already coming up with ideas! On 30th November, I and the other 'challengees' will be posting the finished result on our blogs.

Copper is the new silver - we are seeing much more of it around, due to the huge rise in the price of silver. However, it is by no means inferior...it's a beautiful metal and its warm tones make it perfect for this time of year. I just hope I can do it justice!

Man beads

Because men like to wear beads too!

I've just listed some beads on Etsy and Ebay that would be perfect for the guys. Black, fine silver foil and silvered ivory combine to give a fantastic look that is both masculine and organic. And lets face it, black goes with everything, so you could even keep them for yourself!

Etsy...

My Etsy shop is finally OPEN! Only a couple of beads in there so far, but new ones will be added all the time, so keep checking back.

Ooh, I feel like I should be opening a bottle of Champagne!