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!