New tricks

You wouldn’t think being a full time jewellery designer could be so tiring would you. After all, sitting at home stringing a few beads together is soooo relaxing – right? Wrong! It’s exhausting and I found I was ready to take a break for a few days. Working on a big bead embroidered project often leaves me feeling fulfilled creatively, but tired after looking at all those tiny seed beads. It’s gone off to a new home already which makes me even happier.

 

As I mentioned last week, I’m keen to improve and expand my jewellery making skills and last week the postman arrived with some very interesting parcels containing some new materials and equipment. A wire wrapping kit from Manchester Minerals will get me up to speed with some wireworking skills. I’ve some lovely gemstones that are just crying out for some artsy wire wrapping and maybe some leather cord.

Which brings me on to the subject of knots. So far the only knot I’ve used is a simple larks head one to suspend a gemstone donut. But there is so much more to do with cord and leather than that. For ages now I’ve hankered after a knotting board, but being hard to come by and rather expensive, I’ve not succumbed to the temptation. At last though one came up on ebay and the listing also included loads of micro macramé threads, waxed linen and leather thongs. The DVD that came with it is really good and I learned a lot from watching it. I have some fabulous big flat ceramic beads with large holes and I plan to create a fancy knotted cord out of some of the red leather thong that was part of my ebay job lot.

 

As this was meant to be my week off I decided to make something just for myself, which in common with many jewellery makers, is something I seldom seem to get round to doing. Also in my ebay job lot were two boxes of lovely beads and charms, I was drawn straight away to these square ones. They needed a bold approach I thought so I’ve threaded them with leather strips and plain silver beads.

 

When summer finally puts in a reappearance I shall wear them with jeans and a simple tee. Chic and stylish though I do say so myself – and husband likes them too so they must be OK!

Giving myself an annual review

I’ve never been much of a one for making new year resolutions in January, when it’s cold and miserable. As my birthday is in May I always like to give myself a kind of ‘Annual Review’ especially in terms of where my jewellery making skills are headed. I always regarded my Annual Review with some trepidation when I was working as a Graphic Designer. It always seemed to involve being given some very tough objectives to achieve in the year ahead. One year my lovely boss at the time gave me a very enjoyable objective, I was allowed to take an afternoon once a month for my own personal and creative development and head off to a gallery, museum or bookshop to browse! How I looked forward to those few brief hours…. and how much more willingly I tackled the more serious targets I was given as a result. A spoonful of sugar and all that.

I’ve taken the plunge and stepped out of the ‘rat race’ but I find that I still need targets and deadlines to fire me up and keep me on my toes. Creativity thrives on challenges! So with this in mind I’m having a good think about what new techniques I want to learn in the months ahead. There are two things I’m keen to try – micro macramé and wire wrapping. I feel that these will expand my possibilities and will sit well with my existing beadworking skills. I also need to use some of my beautiful glass cabochons using a technique that does not cover too much of them, as a woven beaded bezel is apt to do. So I have a stack of books and instructional DVDs at the ready so that I can expand my jewellery making repertoire.

My latest bead embroidered piece is heading towards completion. I have the cord to finish weaving then a button and loop closure to make before adding the bail. I’m really pleased with the way it has turned out. Purple seems to accentuate the pale jade, aventurine and fluorite beads well. Now that I look at it closely, it seems to me that I must have been influenced by all the macrame books I've been browsing through. This piece has become quite three dimensionsal and knotty looking, especially in the area where the central stone of pale jade sits.

 

Jade Princess Necklace

How does that song go now.....? Summertime and the living is easy. Hmm not so sure about that as the weeds sprout and the sunshine shows the dust and cobwebs up. Always something seems to need doing that takes me away from the beads. And I always say that I will find time to relax in the sunshine and catch up with some reading. It just never seems to happen somehow!

That said, I've had a creative week with 'Burnished Butterfly finished and sent to a new home already (photo below).

 

I've wanted to do an art nouveau pendant for some time now, it will be a real challenge to create but I usually find that a sketch helps me to work out roughly how I will approach it. I have some fabulous gemstones to use in this. Jade, aventurine and flourite will combine well I think. I started off by making some chunky beaded beads using some of the round aventurine beads and this has given me the colour scheme I will use.

 



My initial sketch. I do like a challenge!

 

Beaded bead using some of the aventurine beads that will feature in the pendant section

 

Watching waxwings

We saw three waxwings on our walk to the post office yesterday. They are quite an unusual sight, but quite unmistakeable due to the crest. We crept quietly up to within eight feet of them. They were so busy eating the cotoneaster berries that they did not seem at all bothered by us. By the time we walked back they had gone, so we felt extremely lucky to have seen them.

 



My butterfly necklace is at the strap making stage. I have decided to make it in the form of a flowery branch. I want it substantial, but at the same time I don't want it to look too heavy. There are lots of tiny size 15 seed beads in there to help with the delicate look.

The picture shows my butterfly necklace in progress. I find my metal mandrel is a really useful piece of equipment. I use tiny magnets to attach the work in progress every so often, as this allows me to check the fit, balance, shape and length. I'm making a real effort to be more adventurous in my use of colour and I'm very pleased with how well the teal and orange shades work here. I thought very carefully about bead finishes too, so the beads in the strap are slightly more matte and muted than those on the butterfly, which helps it to stand out. I'm quite excited about doing some more butterflies in lots more colour schemes over the summer months.

 

Butterfly update

We've been out in the garden all morning. The seating area outside the back door has now been licked into shape. What an invasive herb mint is - I had to dig deep and remove loads of woody roots before I could plant sweet peas, pansies and carnations. The mint will grow back quickly enough, a treat with butter on the new spuds and I do like it mixed in yoghurt and cucumber to make a homemade dip for kebabs or curries. Yum.

That's enough of the domestic. I managed to flit up to the beading desk and work on the butterfly for an hour or so. Here it is in progress. I decided to make the bottom wings more open than the top ones and use pretty litle drop beads to simulate the 'tail' bit on the wings.





My husband has treated me to 'The Hobbit' on DVD. Those who are familiar with what I make will not be surprised that I am into all the myth and fantasy films. He hates that sort of things so I will repair to my boudoir with a pot of earl grey and some choccy tomorrow afternoon whilst he curls up with his 'Sopranos' box set.

Hope you have a super weekend.