Improved photos of an old design

I re-made a couple of old designs the other night, and managed to take a better, more close-up photo of them, so you can actually see what they look like.
My 'Confetti' necklace and bracelet are made from rose quartz nuggets, amethyst, pink freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals. It's a very pretty, girly set, and I love the combination of pink and purple it's just really feminine.
Working on some new designs over the next xouple of days - got some very pretty, unsually cut stones, and some gorgeous handmade glass beads to have fun with. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Summer colours and themes

Summer has me in it's grip, and after spending some time at the beach, and a bit of time lazing around my garden like a cat in the sun I have produced some new work.

Inspired by summer (again!) I have chosen a few ideas and colours that I have been thinking about over the last two days.

You know when it' super hot sunshine - you seem to get two different skies. Where I live in Fife, when it's really sunny with a clear sky, you get that vivid, pure, deep blue sky, that seems to make all colours brighter and bolder. I used to stay in France a lot when I was little, on the South coast, and there when it grew very hot, the sky looked almost bleached. The blue seemed to fade into a white haze, and everything is washed in a bright white light. These two colour schemes gave me two ideas to work from in terms of summer colour - bold brights, and washed, pale pastels.

I've made little agate earrings in red, banded agate, with vivid orange crystals just to liven them up a bit. The bright orange crystals made me think of blazing sunsets at the end of long, hot days. I've also made a pair of natural turquoise nigget earrings with the same bright orange crystals. I love this colour combination, as it makes me think of turquoise blue seas and hot sun....bliss!

I made a variation on my 'Starfish' necklace - pale sandy pink heishi coral bead, with turquoise and a white and gold glass starfish. It looks like it's been washed in the sea and bleached by the sun. I could imagine finding it washed up on the beach, so I've called it 'Seychelles'. (see top left)

I love that golden wash of sun you get at the end of the summer, when you get a real Indian summer, and it's baking hot, until the last gasp of summer. I think as the sun is lower in the sky then, the sun seems to look golder, and not so bright - around six or seven in the evening is my favourite, when the heat tempers a little, but it still looks beautiful. This necklace 'pecky keen' is made from rice pearls in cream. shades of gold, and peach. This looks like that lovely sleepy colour of summer, when it's almost worn out. I really don't think the photo does justice to the gorgeous gold coloured pearls.

I found some seashells on the beach the other day - they were little pink clam shells, which had been washed to a powder pink - almost white, and the colour reminded me that I had some jasper discs in the house in really subtle, powdery pinks and pinky-greys, and some small ever-so-pale pink pearls. They are the colour of those pale, pinky, peachy, grey-ish wisps of clouds that you see at sunset.

Well, enough dreaminess of summer, as I have been writing this, it has sneakily changed from sunny to thundery. This concerns me slightly, as in my fit of summer fever this morning while I was getting ready for work, I put on a pair of flip-flops (also couldnt find anything to go with my outfit , and flip-flops go with anything). Bit of a mistake really, as they have both decided to snap, so I am now barefoot, and have to run for the bus in bare feet. I looked like a big enough wally before, but now that it's raining, I just look crazy.
Gotta love the British summertime, eh?

Busy bee, busy me

Well I have kept up the momentum since my last blog, and have been creating lots of new work, new styles, and re-working old themes. It has been quite unlike me to stay this productive for so long - usually I am distracted from work by the most ridiculous things - Eastenders is one of the worst culprits! I also usually favour cleaning as a form of procrastination, but as I have dedicated myself to making new jewellery, the cleaning has fallen by the wayside, and my house now looks like Stig of the dump lives in it (how can one person make so much mess?! I astonish myself!).

I have re-worked a couple of previous designs - my glass starfish necklace which has been so popular has had a re-vamp, and is now is fine, deep red coral branches, with chunkier pieces of turquoise. It looks like a much bolder piece this time round, and with the richer colour, it would be more of a night-time necklace I think. Some time ago I made a necklace from pale green new jade, which I have had another bash at, and given it a face lift. Again, I've enhanced the colour by going a bit richer, using freshwater pearls in a mint green to liven it up, along with green Swarovski crystal, and alternated the jade squares with green aventuring ovals. I've called it my 'dew-drop' necklace, as the colours look like the dew-drops on all the gorgeous, lush green plants and bushes at this time of year.

My new work is a bit of an eclectic collection - I have drawn inspiration from different places and ideas so there isn't a connective thread between all these things.....who says there has to be a theme?!

My 'Highlander' necklace is made from multi-coloured India jade and little green peridot chips. Last week I made a lariat called 'heather belle' and it got me thinking about the Highlands, and gorgeous they are at this time of year. I always used to go up to the Highlands for my summer holidays, and it looks so different in that part of Scotland, compared to the East coast where I live. I love the 'patchwork quilt' effect of the fields and hills there - all different earthy tones, patched together. These stones remind me of that - there are deep greens like the coniferous woods of the hills, plums and pinks, like the heather,and sandy, orangey stones, like the wind burned fields.

This necklace, called 'Nile' is made from pressed (sponge) coral, and turquoise. I love this combination of colour, it's so rich and vibrant, and makes me think of the gorgeous coloured neck-pieces and crowns of the ancient Egyptians. I love Egypt - I love the colour and history of it, and how everything seems so exotic there (even ordinary things like crisps - they had lime and chilli crisps there! that's exotic!).

I also made a set of earrings to go with some of my necklaces - they do look great as a set, wearing the necklace and earrings together, but I think they earrings look fab as a piece you can wear on their own too.

I have made a couple of pendants as after some thought, I realised it was something I didn't really offer people, so I thought I'd give it a bash.
I have made two in very different styles - 'San Francisco' and 'Abyss'.

'San Francisco' is a really youthfull, fun pendant, string onto linen cord. Its a gorgeous piece of turquoise (obviously my fave at the moment) enhanced by a little millifiori heart, glass beads, and Swarovski crystal. It's got lots of movement in it, and once I made it, I came up with the name as it made me think of flower power, and hippies, and that song about San Francisco and wearing flowers in your hair! I went through a bit of a stage of that in my teens, of wearing big floppy hats, and flower power shirts, and hippy flares. Maybe my fashion sense has grown up a bit, but in all honesty, I'd love to still dress like that.

The other pendant I made is totally different - really simple and hung on a fine silver chain. The pendant is a big chunk of polished and cut fluorite, but the stone did all the work for me here. It is a simply stunning stone - a deep, rich teal colour, with hints of bottle green, and a band of deep purple through it. This stone has great transparency, so it just looks amazing. I love the fact that fluorite develops these colours naturally, and it is not dyed to look like this. I think when nature can do that, it really shows that we just don't match up with things like that - man made never looks this good. The colour reminded me of the colours you see underwater on TV, hence 'Abyss'.

My 'Lily' necklace is just a pretty, delicate, girly number. It looks really feminine on, and really unique. It's made from crackled rock crystal chips, Swarovski crystals, and white rice pearls, with a beautiful, polished fluorite pendant. The fluorite is amazing, as it looks different in depending on how you move - it has blues, and greys through it. This necklace reminds me of the old-school crystal necklaces that my Grandma used to wear to church on sundays! I love alittle bit of girly glamour, and her generation knew how to do it just right!

On a sea-inspired train of thought, I also made a necklace called 'Rock Pool'. This one is just a bit of fun, and so cute for the summer. I used freshwater rice pearls, in a lovely sky-blue colour, and some glass seed neads in a pale blue, to space between the pearls. Then as a pendant, there is a baby-blue Swarovski crystal starfish. I think the little starfish pendant breaks up the string of pearls so it doesn't have such a traditional feel about it (as pearls so often can).

So you can see I have been a bit busy of late! No wonder my house is a tip, and my garden is a field! I think on my days off next week, I'm going to lay off the jewellery, and chill out with a bit of house-work....how sad is that?!!

A few new pieces to see

I have had a surge in productivity recently - which is rather inexplicable, because by my own admission, I am not always the most motivated of folks. Really built for comfort, rather than speed.
I have been dedicated enough to actually sit down every evening and make a few pieces of jewellery, and in doing this, it means that my days off now consist of lazing around in the sunshine, rather than fiddling about with beads.

I have made a few summery bracelets, which although are all quite different from each other, all look pretty good together too. If I had my way, I'd grow more arms so I could wear more jewellery - bracelets being my favourite.

I have also started to use a new pearl supplier who has provided me with some beautiful and unusual pearls, so I was really excited to get started with them.
The first piece out of my new pearls was this multi coloured pearl necklace. The pearls are beautiful rich colours - berry reds, golds, topaz, azure blue, and a gorgeous rose-gold colour. I have interspersed them with little gold glass beads, and they seem to tie it all together. The finished piece is called 'Bedouin', as it made me think of those beautiful colours of bedouin scarves and clothes, and spun gold and the richness of the colours of the desert. This is a great piece for the summer, as it just seems to capture the essence of hot evenings on a holiday somewhere exotic.

This lariat is a new one as well - when I made the 'Pretty in Pink' one last week, I really loved the colour scheme of it, so thought I'd work on it to get a different design in the same colours.
This 'Heather Belle' lariat has amethyst, glass, Swarovski crystal, rose quartz, amazonite, freshwater pearls, blister pearls and mother of pearl in it. It is a real treasure trove necklace. The lovely plums, pinks and blues look great together and made me think of up North when the heather is in bloom. My friend Heather is always called 'heather belle' by her hubby, and I just think it's so sweet, so here we go: romantic 'Heather Belle' lariat.

I think I will need to get my thinking cap on this weekend - I might have been motivated lately, but nobody told my brain. It seems to be struggling to keep up! I need to have a thought about some new ideas and designs to keep it fresh. Maybe a bit of sunbathing will inspire something.....or is that just wishful thinking?!

Lariats are the new 'It' necklace!

I have had a bit of a push to make some of my Lariat style necklaces, and managed to get all of two made last night!
They take a long time to make as they are so detailed, and have so many stones and beads on them - which is why I have been putting off making some for ages (naughty me). I have also discovered that making these little devils in the summer is a nightmare! Sweaty fingers + tiny beads = headache.
However - despite the fact that I was cursing every tiny crystal last night, I did remember why I love them after I had finished. I love the fact that they look like a little mix-bag of jewels and stones - just delicious!

I read in Make Jewellery magazine recently that they are the new 'It' piece of jewellery, so have been telling everyone this - blowing my trumpet that I'm obviously fashion-forward (which in all honesty, is not how I could be described). But it was great to see that this style of necklace is grabbing the attention of the general public now. I think people are always worried that they will fall off, but as they are being seen more frequently, people are putting their faith in them. When you wear them, just knot it around the neck like a scarf - the way the beads and stones are knotted on to them acts as a lock, and holds them on, so they are perfectly secure - and no fiddly clasps! Just don't leave them lying around if you have pets (my cat decorated himself and the living room floor with one recently - no tuna for him for a while!).

The one pictured above is called 'Indian Summer' and is made from turquoise, glass crystals, mother of pearl chips, and nuggets of shimmering shell. It's a nice weighty piece that just looks like hot, balmy evenings to me.

The lariat on the right is called 'Pretty in Pink', and is made from amazonite, mother of pearl chips, mother of pearl discs, Swarovski crystals, blister pearls, and potato pearls. It's a really flirty number and just made me think of that movie 'Pretty in Pink' as soon as I had completed it.

If you fancy being ahead of the fashion pack, you can get either of these lariat necklaces from Artery Gallery in St Andrews. Their number is 01334 478221, or find them online at www.arteryuk.com

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure.......

Pretty, girly, pastels or bold and bright and pushy? I love both, and can't decide!!

I've made some new jewellery along those lines - some of it is very delicate and feminine - spring flowers inspired this, and some chunky gemstones in bright colours - just a bit of fun really.

I've made this pastel coloured necklace - 'Crocus' necklace, and earrings - inspired by spring flowers and the little, new unfurled leaves on the bushes. It's made from cracked rock crystal, Swarovski crystals, nugget pearls, and a large fluorite pendant. The earrings to match are so cute! (even if i do say so myself!).

This chunky coloured jade necklace my 'Sweetshop' necklace - has been made from sweetie shaped jades and tiny olive serpentine rounds in-between. I think they look like sweets from an old fashioned tuck shop! This is a real statment piece, and quite different from anything else, so if you like to be noticed, this one is for you - just don't try to eat it!!

I'm not sure if most jewellery designers make such opposing pieces - it makes me look slightly crazy to have two such different styles, but I don't think it's necessary to stick to the rules when it comes to jewellery - or anything for that matter! Some people would call it eclectic, some would call it bohemian ( know someone who will be choking on his blackpudding roll laughing at this - he has said I've to remember the look is 'boho' not 'hobo' - quite a difference apparently) - anyway, whatever you want to call it, I'm not going to stick to the rules. That's about the only thing I can make my mind up on!!

I may have gotten a little carried away.....

Well, after yesterday's summer inspired post on here, I received an email from someone who is signed up to the instant update service - it read "Salad? Salad?! Only because you had hee-haw else in the fridge!!". The cheek of it!! Obviously I am eating salad because the first glimpse of a warm afternoon has reminded me that come summertime, I will be wearing flesh flashing summer dresses and skirts, and after a long cold winter of pie and mash, there is a danger that I may have to spend summer in trousers and over coats, unless I mend my ways!

So I am hoping that lots of summery, sunshine inspired jewellery will keep reminding me that sandals season is just around the corner.....

I have made a little summery set of jewellery - 'Sunshine' lariat, bracelet and earrings. They are designed so that each piece is a stand-alone piece, but they look great together as a set. I often think a matching set of jewellery can look a bit boring - it's great for formal wear, but can look a bit old fashioned the rest of the time. This set all goes together very well, but doesn't match exactly - it gives it a less rigid feel, and will look more like you just happen to have chosen some pieces that work well together.

The lariat necklace includes turquoise, blister pearls, mother of pearl chips, Indian glass beads

and glass seed beads. It's a really vibrant piece and looks just like a sunny day.

The earrings are little turquoise cubes with Swarovski crystal in a firey orange-red, and the bracelet is made from small rice pearls with vivid ocean blue, and orange Swarovski crystals.

I look at all this warm weather inspired jewellery today, and think maybe I have gotten a little carried away - it is after all only the first day of April, and it's a bit cold and grey outside.....nothing wrong with a bit of optimism though.... :)

These three items are all available at Gallery 1, 8 Whitburn Road, Bathgate, along with other items of my jewellery.

http://www.gallery1online.co.uk