Choices for earrings

As usual Friday became making something that didn't take too much time. I was short of some earrings and thought that I should stock up on some pairs. I made some very basic earrings, I had already bought the main part of the earring and all I had to do was add the earring wires etc. Nice and simple but I think the finished result is very effective. Let me know what you think.
The first pair are called Triangles.

The next pair are Heart Dangles.

The final pair for today is Peace on Earth.

 

Flutterby's

As a child that is what I used to call Butterflies. I have always thought that they look amazing and I do find that lots of other people also think along the same lines. Therefore my make for Thursday started with a large metal butterfly with some glittery diamante stones placed around the body of the butterfly. I have hung the butterfly from a smooth rubbery style thong. It is very tactile. To finish the necklace off I added 2 jet black faceted beads and a clear crystal faceted bead from the thong to dangle over the front of the butterfly. I have called it Flutterby's.

Lets keep the kids busy

Easter holidays start here on Thursday and I for one know how difficult it is to keep the kids entertained over the holiday period. I have a 16 year old who will spend the whole 2 weeks on the xbox if he gets the chance. However my 10 year old is always moaning I'm bored. I am sure that Mum's all over the world have been there, done there and got the t-shirt. So with this in mind for this weeks Craft Juice Tuesday I decided to look through craft juice and see if there were any childrens packs or starter packs.  The first one that I found was a paper doll PDF fun kit and it has been put together by Rebeccaluffman and is for sale on etsy. I am sure that any little girl would enjoy many hours playing at dress up.

The second choice is for those children who like getting messy. It is paint them yourself easter eggs and has been made by AedanSeppe. It is for sale on etsy. Just think you might have the mess to tidy up but the finished result will last a lot longer than chocolate.

The final choice for this week is some sewing. Now I know that might mean spending some quality time with the little darlings but believe me you could have some fun as well and you never know you might just set the next Vivienne Westwood on the road.  It is Little Alien make-it-yourself kit and is made by LoveHector. It is for sale on folksy.

I hope that you have enjoyed my selection this week and if you act quick enugh you may also be able to purchase them in time for your son or daughter to spend some crafty time over the Easter holidays.

The Rocks

Wednesday's make main focal piece has been sitting in my stash since the January sales, couldn't make my mind up what to do with it and didn't want to just play safe with a simple cord necklace. Had a flash of inspiration on Wednesday and decided to add a bit of embellishment to the Red Agate triangle agogo and I am very happy with the finished result. When it is sitting on the neckline I think it looks amazing - if I do say so myself. The metal wire circle has some small Swarovski crystals attached to it and it has been threaded onto a red and black thong combo. I have called it Sandstone as the red agate reminds me of cliff faces.

As requested

If you look at an earlier post last week you will see that I made a necklace out of safety pins and orange coloured stripey beads. I asked for the reactions of my peers on Craftjuice  - which by the way has been upgraded and improved, why don't you pop on over and have a look, we are a friendly bunch and don't bite I promise - and got a favourable response. However one of the comments made was that as a redhead she couldn't really wear orange and I said I had blue beads and would try these out and let everyone see the finished result. So my finished make for Tuesday is here. I have called it Blue Skies safety pins.

Matching bracelet

Monday's make was a bracelet to match yesterday's necklace. The big difference being that all the beads are the same size this time as I had already used all of the large shiny pruple ones in the necklace. The plus side of this being that it doesn't need to be bought as part of a set if someone take a shine to it on it's own. It is called Purple Heart bracelet. (and yes I know there is no heart on it but I have just called it the same as the necklace so it can be identified as part of a set.)

Big time catch up

First of all an apology, I haven't managed to do any posts this week. I have been running around like a headless chicken, why are there never enough hours in the day. Maybe when the clocks go forward for British Summer time here in Britain, time will stand still and I can catch up. I am not greedy, a week will do. I just need some time to sort out my website, look at my stock again, make some new items and if I could throw in some me time for some pampering I would be ecstatic. Anyway the likliehood of that happening is pretty slim so I should stop moaning and just get on with it.
This is Sunday's make. I have had these purple acrylic wavy shaped beads for quite a while but only had 5 of the large ones and couldn't work out what to make with them. Then recently I managed to get some more of the slightly more matt and smaller beads. I have always looked at other people who make items that are not symetrical and envied them, I just didn't have the courage to try it. Well now I have, it is just a few tentative steps and I have kept all the other components the same to try and not scare people too much. If you look closely you will see a very light lilac bicone shaped bead inbetween each silver plated ring. Let me know what you think. I have called it Purple Heart necklace.

   

It's a Beary day

It's Tuesday again, time for a meander around Craftjuice, why don't you join up, post your latest pics and you never know I may just pick you for my feature next week. Today I decided I wanted to see what teddy bear items I could find.First up is this adorable card, any new parents would be happy to receive. It has been made by shesbatty and is for sale on etsy

Next up is this cute charm from jellybeads, I think that it would look lovely turned into a necklace, I am sure that plenty of little girls would be really happy to receive it as a gift. It is for sale on etsy .

Next up is a babygro made by prem2pram, she makes some lovely items of clothing for premature babies and I am sure that most mum's and dad's just love to be able to dress their babies in clothing that makes them look like all the other babies, even if they may be going through some other difficulties at the time. It is for sale on her website.

Next up is this lovely towel bale, just the thing for a new nursery. Don't know if I would want to use them, they are too pretty, could just look good on display. They are made by SilverBirchCrafts and are for sale on misi.

Finally from me I could not resist these gift tags. They remind me of paper scraps that I used to collect when I was a child. Every Saturday my Dad would buy me a new pack and there would be a mad dash to school on Monday morning to swap any spares, must have been the forerunner to football stickers. They are made by swirlyarts and are for sale on folksy

Hope that you like my choices this week and that you will come back again to have a look around at my choices another time.

Dissapointing Day

Nothing upsetting or anything like that just had high hopes to do lots of crafting today.  Wanted to do some polymer clay, some shrink plastic and try some more wire work. Woke at the ungodly hour of 6.30, tried to get to sleep again but it wasn't happening. Decided to get up at 7.00 and put the day to good use. Well it got put to good use alright, just not how I imagined it would be. Shopping, cleaning, and a mountain of ironing took the hole day over. Before I knew it, it was late afternoon and I had lost the opportunity to do my crafting thing. Looking forward to some time off work at Easter to spend lots of time trying out new things. Anyway the upshot was another simple make for me today. Must be on a citrus roll this week as the main focal point is a large green acrylic diamond shape. The photograph makes it look almost yellow, but it is green. Decided to use a full metre of black chain with more of my coloured cord, green this time. This is definitely a show stopper. Just wish it was the real thing then I would be be a millionnaire. I have called it hypnotize.

More Paua Shell

I am really enjoying using Paua Shell and I like looking out for different variations of this shell. Saturday's make is always going to be an easy make, I am so tired after a day at the stall that all I want to do is flop, have a glass of wine and veg in front of the tv. This pendant is Paua Shell that has been died purple and to be honest I didn't believe it needed much more than a chain to finish it off. Then I remembered that when I went to my local bead shop the other day I bought various different colours of cord, took the purple one out and it is a really good match. The finished result is called Purple Paua. Next up that glass of wine.

Catch Up time

Hi everyone, missed a few posts this week, so this is a catch up for me. I has been a hectic week, doing lots of extra hours in my 9 to 5 job, meant less time for crafting. Also I am participating in the Secret Easter Bunny we are holding at the Craft Forum, it like a Secret Santa but we are holding it at Easter, This is the first time I have taken part and wanted to try and make sure that the finished result would be enjoyed by the recipient. I can't show you yet what it looks like or tell you who it is for as the person cannot open it until Easter Sunday. Remember to look back then and I shall show you. Anyway because of all of this although I managed to make my jewellery I have been unable to update on the blog.
So first up is Wednesday's make and it is called Sunny Safety Pins and the title pretty much says it all, lovely orange stripey round beads, each one threaded onto safety pins and these have been joined by jump rings.

Next up is Thursday's make. I was obviously in a orange mood this week. I started off with a very large acrylic orange flower, now with this as the starting point I could have gone subtle but decided to go all out for it and make this necklace zing. I think you will either love it or hate it, there is no inbetween ground here. There are yelow flower beads, orange flower beads, pink/orange crackle beads and numerous colours of seed beads to tie it all together. Let me know what you think. I have called it Orange Bloom necklace.

 

Finally Friday's make was a bracelet to match the necklace that I made on Thursday. I used the same beads as I did on the necklace but obviously there was no flower this time. Again it is called Orange Bloom bracelet.

  

Matching necklace and earrings

Today I finished off the bracelet and earrings to match the necklace that I made yesterday. I had already made all the componant parts so it was just a case of finishing off and asembling. Hopefully someone will like the set enough to buy as a whole lot and and not leave me with one part of the set as is normally the case. They are called Cosmic Rings bracelet and earrings.

Craftjuice Tuesday 16th March

No real theme this week, just items that grabbed my attention. The first is Hot Cakes Stack it is a candle made by kickinskreations and is for sale on artfire. It looks good enough to eat, perfect for anybody on a diet.

Next up now that I am on the subject of food I have picked the cow recipe holder. I have been looking for something like this for a long time, a sale may be on the way. This is made by Sebastianshouse and it is for sale on etsy although this link will take you to fickr.

Now that I have created something delicious (I hope) from the recipe I need something to put my gravy in. I love this gravy boat, the colours are amazing and I would be proud to place this on my table for Sunday lunch. It is made by Jon Whitney and is for sale on etsy.

Finally along with my Sunday lunch I would probably have a bottle of wine and just in case I did not drink it all I would need to have this bottle stopper to keep the leftovers for another time. It is made by BlueBoxStudio and is for sale on their website.

I hope that you have enjoyed my choice of items currently being displayed on Craftjuice, it is free to join and vote for items that you like or maybe you could even post some of your own makes there. Actually I have just realised there is a theme, food, good times and relaxation.

Spinning Around

Today's make (Monday) is going to be one of those items that takes a while to make all of the componant parts, but when it is finally all finished it is very satisfying. The pendant was the starting point, depending on which way the light is shining on it you can see all sorts of colours in it. However the predominent colour I saw was green. I had recently bought a selection of various shades of green manmade pearls, in various sizes. All I needed was another item to bring it all together. The large rings were the finishing touch. I have spent a good couple of hours putting all the parts together and finally finished the necklace. Check back tomorrow for the bracelet. I have called it Cosmic Rings necklace.

Spring has sprung

If you had asked me within the last couple of weeks where is spring?  I would have told you I don't think it is happening this year. However today I had to deliver some mail and it was a beautiful day here in sunny Devon. So I think that spring has finally sprung and here is the picture to prove it.

Couldn't resist this one, it has the "aah" factor. However I do have some crocus in the back garden. Now I know the picture is not my flowers but those crocus means that spring is definitely here.

Obviously my inner physic was working on Sunday when I made this make. It is a silver plated stretchy charm bracelet with silver plated flowers and Lucite flowers in shades of pink and purple. I have called it Posy Bracelet.

Teardrops

Saturday's make has been running around in my head for a while, I just couldn't get the required components right, everthing that I tried just didn't seem to go. However the other day I came across a women selling off disks of ribbon at knock down prices, I bought one or two and this was all that was needed to finish off the necklace. The large teardrop pendant is a bright blue acrylic. The dangles that I made were just using up spare beads left over from previous makes. I hung these from silver plated figaro chain at different levels to create some length and movement around the pendant. Finally I threaded blue velvet ribbon and silver plated figaro chain through the attaching ring and fixed on a clasp. I really like this necklace, it is actually just the type of necklace I would wear myself to brighten up a plain jumper. I have called it Bluebird.

Have you heard of Black Lip Shell?

I originally picked up this pendant quite a while ago. I have never come across Black Lip shell before and this link will tell you quite a lot of information about it. All the pendant required for it to be the finished article was a bail and a chain. I can hear people now saying how can she claim that this is handmade and to some extent I agree. Normally I will add to the pendant with beads and embellish it even further. However time was running short, and to be honest I thought it looked beautiful enough on it's own. The other thought running through my head was it was Mothers Day on Sunday and maybe a more simple necklace might suit more people than a more elaborate necklace. The strange thing is that I was proved right as it was sold on Saturday. Maybe sometimes I should listen to the other person in my head (I was born in May and I am definately a gemini) and have some courage in my convictions and learn that sometimes less is more. I would love to hear what all the other crafters think about this subject. I have called it Black Lip shell pendant and it is strung on a sterling silver chain.

Smiley Happy People

Short and sweet post for Thursday's make. When I saw the purple coloured beads with the smiley faces they just made me smile. Thought they might do the same for you. I have discovered that my more in depth (complicated) or time consuming makes are more likely to happen in the beginning of the week than nearer the end of the week. The end of the week seems to be taken up with organising the sale for a Saturday, much as I think that I am organised something always seems to rear it's ugly head and takes me completely unaware. So  what I am saying is (I think) don't expect huge mammoth makes at the end of the week. Sorry to go off  topic there but I felt like I had to explain myself. Anyway here is my bracelet. I have called it Purple Smiles.

More Bookmarks

Made a couple more bookmarks today, just to make sure I had enough stock for Saturday. Slight variation this time, the pink one is made out of wooden beads and the green one I added a chain to the bookmark and then wire looped each bead to each individual link of the chain.

Anyway just a quick post tonight, life is taking over. Homework to help with, baths to run and all the other things that a Mum has to do.  

Och aye the noo

Yes, I m allowed to say that. I am a born and bred Scot and I am very proud of my heritage. I love to see a man in a kilt and the sound of bagpipes also bring a lump to my throat. In fact on my wedding day, everyone knew how much I loved kilts, so much so that about 90% of the men wore one. I have a lovely picture of me surrounded by all those men. Don't have that one to show you but thought you may appreciate this one anyway.

Anyway enough waffelling from me, all this is leading up to my make for today (Tuesday) and I made some kilt pins. One in red and one in blue. Which one do you prefer?

 

 

Craft Juice Tuesday 9th March

Today I thought that I would give you all a break from jewellery and highlight some sewing, knitting and crocheting makes instead. The first item is a Small Taggie Blanket and is for sale on  misi by SilverBirchCrafts. Oh how I wish someone had invented one of these when my children were young. We used to have to cut the tags off of items of clothing and sew them onto their favourite blankie or teddy bear.

My next item is a chrocheted scarf made by rainbow fizz. It is for sale on misi and I think it would look lovely both for dress and casual wear. I really love the colours and effect it gives.

Next I have picked a crocheted plant. If your Mum is allergic to flowers or not very green fingered this might give you a suitable alternative for Mothers Day. It is for sale on folksy and is made by sophiecat.

Next up is "Benson" the sock cat. He just made me smile. He is made by PussyGaloreSockCats and is for sale on folksy .

And finally for today I have picked this "I Love Sewing" pin cushion. It has been made by Dinkydaisy and is for sale on folksy. I would love to have one of these. I would never loose my pins then.

 

 Hope that you like them as much as I do.

More Mother's Day Gift Ideas

My make for today (Monday) was to try and make some items that I thought might sell for Mothers Day. I still had some phone charm attachments and I had been racking my brain trying to think of something to do that would not cost a lot to buy but could be something that people may wish to buy for Mothers Day. I decided to aim for pocket money prices, so knew that the beads I used could not be expensive but would still give an impressive finished article. This was playing on my mind all day and finally when I was making tea for my little angels, and they were shouting MUM, where is my leotard, MUM, where are my trainers, I am sure all Mum's get the picture I had a EUREKA moment. I had letter beads and I could thread the word Mum onto the phone charm with a charm attached to end. These are the final results. Let me know which one you prefer.