Thought I'd try something new

Here are some of the promised photos of recent work......been having a bit of a play with things that are new to me.

The bracelet above - 'Flutterby' bracelet - is made from little butterfly shaped pearls strung between the tiniest little rice pearls only about 3mm long - they're so cute! - and such a pain to string - I need to wear glasses when I'm using them (trying to work the whole 'sexy secretary' thing, apparently look more like Velma from Scoobie Doo). The butterfly pearls are real pearls - they are grown in a particular way to create this shape - love them!

I made a necklace to match the bracelet - with the same butterfly pearls, tiny rice pearls - and I mixed in some fatter rice pearls too.

I tried a new type of pendant for my 'Cubist' necklace - which attaches directly to the necklace (instead of being attached with links or anything), and is made from Swarovski crystal. I've strung it onto these gorgeous platinum coloured rice pearls which are almost irridescent.

I also had some really solid, glossy, agate tubes, so had a little bash creating a collar-style necklace. I've sneaked in some little goldy-coloured pearls inbetween - they look really delicate between the bold agates. This necklace is a bit different for me - much bolder and chunkier - looks so different from the uber-girly 'Flutterby' necklace!

I'll have the next lot of images on soon, so you can take a look at more of the new pieces.....keep you in suspense! :)

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!!

Inspired by Autumn (or O.P.I....or Dulux!!)

I made a few new pieces last night - a couple of pearl bracelets and necklaces, with the colours of Autum and Winter in mind.

Autumn is a time of year when the colours of the landscape are very earthy, and if we've been lucky enough to have dry weather, the leaves and fields have an almost burnished look. I've stolen the colours from nature to make my 'Fall Festival' necklace - beautiful earthy colours with little gold glass beads studded between the pearls. (above)

I also love the pale, silvery, cold looking skies we get at this time of year, so using that palette I've made my 'Mercury' necklace from tiny little white rice pearls and slightly bigger, fatter mercury coloured pearls. It looks like chilly white skies and rain clouds, which although aren't nice to be outdoors in - the colours translate really well into jewellery -very chic and classic!

The other bracelet I made is a gorgeous magenta pink and buff gold colour. I've used button pearls for a change and they are just so cute! I used tiny little goldy coloured ones in between the rich magenta colour, which again are a little fatter. I love the contrast of size and colour, although I must admit, it wasn't our Autumnal landscape that inspired these colours!

I always think that Winter in terms of colour and texture is a time of richness, opulance and vibrancy - of berries, and ribbons, Christmas lights and party dresses. With the idea of luxury in my mind, I was flicking through the O.P.I colour chart in the beauty salon while I was waiting on a manicure and saw an aticle about their new season colours, inspired by Russian luxury - and a little lightbulb went on inside me. The gold and magenta bracelet is called 'Tsarina' in a nod to my nail varnish inspiration! - Really you can take inspiration from anywhere!

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.

It can't be Autumn already!!

I have lived in flip flops and short sleeves for the last six months, I've not had the heating on in the house since March, and I've been able to dry my washing out on the line. Horror of horrors today - I've had to put on shoes!! No bare tootsies for me now - I thought I'b be able to string out that summer feelin' until October, but alas no. Although I put on shoes today, I came to work without a jacket (yes, 'you who shall not be named' I know you're shaking your head and muttering about that) and my arms are all goose bumps and are the colour of corned beef!

I love Autumn, when it puts in a proper appearance. Not all rainy and miserable, but when you get those sunny, chilly days when the leaves fall from the trees, and the fields and foliage are colourful. I was thinking of these colours when I put together this little bracelet - 'Autumn Gold' - using Carnelian tyre shaped beads, and handmade glass beads. It' a lovely rusty colour that just made me think of Autumn.
I'm off to Egypt in a couple of weeks for my holidays (I am just showing off telling you that), and I thought of all the lovely golds and bronzes of Egypt. Seems I have timed my trip there just right, as by the time I get back, Autumn will be in full swing here, and I'll be able to apply all the beautiful Egyptian colour palette to the nippy Scottish Autumn (and I'll be able to squeeze another week out my flip flops before they are retired for the winter).

A couple of new ones

I have been looking to new places for new inspiration recently - normally I find inspiration in our lovely local countryside, or dreams of holidays, but at this point, I've not been on been on holiday for ages and the local countryside is a bit grey just now. So while trying to get inspired, I came across a Dulux colour chart - one of the massive trade ones with all the colous on little sticks. Seems this is a great source of inspiration! Gave me lots of ideas for new colour combinations - matching and complimenting colours, or clashing them entirely ('Barely Sage + 'In The Pink' = gorgeous, 'Naval Grey + 'Egg Yolk Yellow' = revolting!). Anyway, it got me working on a few new things, using new textures and colours.

Have a couple of new ones on here today, and lots of new pieces on the way (just waiting on lots of new colourful pearls and stones!).
This coral and pearl necklace and bracelet uses two different types of coral. Pretty peachy-pink, polished little rounds of coral, with a high shine finish, and big rugged rounds of natural coral, not polished, leaving the porus surface visable. They are so different but are the same material - I love this sort of variation in a natural product. I''ve teamed them up with creamy white pearls, so it's a 'classic with a twist' necklace.

This pearl necklace with cut-crystal quartz pendant is a bit like the old style thirties glamour necklaces - my gran used to have jewellery a bit like this. I'm sure she was a glamour-puss in her day!
I've also made these cute little earrings, using fossil jasper and Swarovski crystals. They are beautiful quality stones, and have been polished to an almost glass like finish. I love the fossile patterns captured inside them too.
I will return to the Dulux chart and hope for more inspiration this evening (or hope for better weather so our landscape looks less like a mudbath!).

All of these items are available at Artery Gallery in St Andrews, Fife.

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.