Back to Work Lazy Bones!!

Well, here I am again, after a somewhat lengthy absence from blogging. Christmas was such a busy period for me - both at work (real work) and with the jewellery (pretend work). Then of course came january, when I was quiet with both, but too lazy to do anything! :)

I have so many photos to put on here, of jewellery which I have made over the last couple of months....but I don't want to bore you with a million entries on each piece. Perhaps I'll just start with what I'm doing now, and sneak a few photos on in small batches over the coming days.

I have just had a huge delivery of pearls which arrived yesterday moring, and have frantically been making jewellery all last night (admittedly while watching America's next Top Model and EastEnders). It's so exciting getting new pearls and stones - it spurs me on to make jewellery - really motivating. I have put a couple of photos of 'pearl mountain' on here for you to see, and hopefully will try to include some photo's of the jewellery making process over the next couple of weeks (once I have tidied up my work-room and it doesn't look like a pick n mix of stones etc).

I have orders to do for two new outlets for me - one is in Amiens in France (I call myself international, but really the only nation that wants my stuff other than the UK is France...maybe bi-national is more appropriate...all the rest of the countries - 'nil points' to you too), and the other is a new online boutique for ladies. Will put a link on here once it's all up and running. So after battling with ideas, designs and pearls (over-stimulation of my creative, chaotic brain) I have started to get a comprehensive collection put together for each outlet, and top-ups done for everyone else.

It's that time of year when it's starting to get busy again - people want jewellery for St Valentine's day, and Mother's day, and those who are getting married are planning ahead and ordering their bridal jewellery for summer (always so organised - the bridal bunch). I am the only one not planning ahead- still stuck in the winter slump, with a large sugar, cake and cheese induced hangover still lingering from Christmas. Perhaps once the lighter nights are more apparent....perhaps once I get my spring 'madness', perhaps once I get a new desk perhaps....perhaps....who am I kidding?! I'll never be organised!!

It has been some time since my last blog....

I have abandoned my blogging - oops! I will make excuses for myself - it's been a really busy summer, I've been busy making new designs....Big Brother was on!
In all seriousness, it has been a very busy couple of months for me and my jewellery. I've had lots of orders, and unfortunatey by the time I've completed my orders, I've not even had time to photograph my work to get it on here!
I have designed a few new pieces, and when I make the next batch, I will make sure to put them on here to show them off. I've tackled some designs which have required new skills (hand-knotting pearls on silk) and which have required the patience of a saint (saint Debra), and have also made a few pieces which I've regretted once I started making them - handmade silk pom-poms (what was I thinking?!They take HOURS!!). All said and done, it has been a useful and productive time for me.
I'm keeping my first day back on blogging short and sweet, with just a photo of one piece which I was commissioned to make. My sister in law has a wedding to attend at the end of September, and needed something to go with her gorgeous black and pewter grey dress, so we settled on a chunky multi-strand pearl bracelet.
It's made from fat, round black pearls - really chunky ones, teeny-tiny peacock black nuggets, some top-drilled pewter pearls and some bright silver ones, with the odd silver ball thrown in. I must admit, what I thought would be an easy project took much longer than expected, and there may have been a little foreign languages used in the process!

I've added a close-up of the pearls so you can see the variations in them.

Pearl jewellery (with a twist)

I have found a new favourite supplier of pearls (a bit like when I've had a few sherries and I make New Best Friends, but better), and have gone a little 'pearl crazy' I think!

These pearls just inspired me as soon as I got them - I usually have to sit and have a bit of a think about what I'm going to make, but these are so stunning, I knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I picked them up.
The beautiful sunny gold colour of the Biwa (or 'stick') pearls made me think of places like Egypt - which then made me think of the beautiful fan style collars of Cleopatra, and so this design was born!
I've teamed the golden Biwa pearls with little peach rice pearls, and put tiny gold glass beads inbetween the gold Biwa pearls, so they lie in a fan shape. It looks great on tanned skin, and I can say for once I actually look like I've seen the sun, so I have been able to test this against my (very lightly) tanned skin.
I've also included a good close up of these so you can see the beautiful lustre they have. I think the Biwa pearls give a simple string of pearls a great twist.

I've also put together a string of my favourite colours of pearls - deep pastels - peaches, champagne, lavender, pink, cream and white. They look gorgeous together, and seem to flatter any skin tone (again I can vouch for this, as without baking in the sun, I am normally a corned-beef mottled pink, and the pearls even look nice against that!!). I've used potato pearls for a change - I usually use rice pearls, but loved the slightly off-round shape of these. I sneaked in a little clear, irridescent crystal every now and again to give a subtle sparkle.
I think at first glance this looks quite wedding-y, but I made myself a string (oops) and wear it all the time.

I think I need to learn some self control when it comes to buying pearls, I seem to be seriously lacking in it!!

Both of these necklaces are available at Artery Gallery, St Andrews - for £60 each.
http://www.arteryuk.com/artists/Scott,Elizabeth/