Missing in action

Hey everyone, just popping my head around the door to see what's going on. I've been so exhausted this week, work has been very busy, and I'm really just trying to chill out this weekend.

Here's a peep at my new project - quite excited about this one so stay tuned! The netted lariat is also coming on a few inches at a time.

Right guys, sorry for keeping it short and sweet but even though it's not even 5pm, I'm struggling to keep my eyes open and really need to get started on dinner!

Reincarnating the dragon

Hey everyone, I've had a busy beading weekend this week! Makes a change I know. It all started at the beading class on Saturday morning, when we did a new variation on a twisted chain - I immediately knew I wanted it to finish my dragon bracelet and make her into a necklace. It took a bit of trial and error to get it to fasten as I wanted it to, but I'm so pleased with it.

I had originally attached jump rings and a lobster clasp but it showed a little too much - now there's just a jump ring with a beaded toggle clasp and it all goes a lot better. Here's what it looks like together, this is before I put the toggle clasp on though sorry!

I've also been productive and managed to do a temporary repair of one of my sister's necklaces, will have to re-do it when I have some gunmetal/antique bronze wire for a better match.

Have any of you heard about the Little Book of Crafters (LBOC)? It's run by Mimi down in Cornwall, UK and she doesn't charge anything for it. All you need to do is head over to her facebook page for the details. All you have to do is send a few business cards and even a few small samples if you fancy it, and they get put into little packs that are handed out at the craft events that Mimi attends! She's a seriously lovely lady I think. If you want to take part, you need to get your cards/samples posted out to her by April 15th. Have fun!

Progress is slow

Oh man have the last two weeks been rotten. Amongst being spoken to like crap at work (not by my colleagues I would like to point out!) and being shouted at by people who think it's their 'right' to an engineer being on their doorstep within 30 seconds of them phoning a fault through, I'm just feeling a bit stressed out, a bit overwhelmed, and wishing I could have a couple of days off.

Just as well it's the weekend after tomorrow hey!

I've just made the decision also to cancel my contract with BT, having had a few problems and a few charges recently on my bill for stupid things, when the contract renewal letter came through my letterbox this week I decided that enough was enough. Just got to wait for confirmation from Virgin now as to when we can get it installed... And having said that, and looking around my lounge - when we are going to have to have a huge clean up so that the engineer doesn't think we live in a total dump! Just keep telling me that this time next year I will hopefully be looking to get a house of my very own, please.

Enough with the negatives, lovely people, sorry to bring you all down with that rubbish - it's nice to have a place to vent a bit though. Good news on the lariat, I am about a third of the way through now, so at some point over the weekend when it's a little longer I'll post an update - may even start embellishing the end then do some more of the chain afterwards, we shall see.

Is it sad that I got a little excited that I now have 34 followers on Twitter? Lol - not even sure why people follow me at the moment, I don't really have much interesting stuff to say (but then why do you guys follow me on here either??) :) It's just nice to be a part of something really.

Ooh I am a bit gutted though, I've just had my MOO cards printed and now I'm cancelling my BT contract the e-mail address will be wrong after the next couple of months :( sad times. Eek, I've blabbed on a wee bit much this evening, will let you all get on with important things whilst I procrastinate over doing some housework... Have you had a look at my 'library' page yet? I'm trying to get a bit more on here to make it a bit more interesting - do you think a gallery page would be good, or too much?

Back to beading

Well, it's probably just as well we had a couple of weeks away from the bead shop as I'm right back in there buying more beads following our Saturday morning sesh today! Having just bought Beaded Allure, I thought I should stock up a little on some size 15 seed beads so have got myself 3 new tubes - hopefully they'll keep me occupied for a while!

In the meantime, one of my Christmas stocking fillers that didn't get here in time has showed up - it's a mix of 100 4mm Swarovski bicones - BIG GRINS! I was so chuffed when Jim gave them to me, they're so pretty I'm sure I'll just stare at them for a while. I just wish I could do all of my work in Swaro's, if only I had the money to.

I don't know if any of you have Twitter - I've had it for a while but didn't really 'get' it to start with. Recently, I've been spending a bit more time on there, sharing my 'tweets' and starting to find crafty/beady type folk to follow - if you are on there, do come and find me, I'm @littletreats

So who wants to see what we made this morning at our Saturday morning session? Admittedly, unlike my friend Sandra, I didn't finish it in the two hours we were there because myself and two of my other friends were too busy not concentrating, talking, and just generally messing around. If you're interested to know though, it can be done in around 1 hour 45 minutes, possibly quicker once you get going! I have a few ideas for future renditions of this piece, but if you're after the pattern it's in The Beaders Handbook 2! Russian Eyelets is the name of the pattern. I can highly recommend the magazine/book, though it does have a few bead crochet patterns which are unlikely to ever be looked at by me!

Sorry for the dark bits, I keep playing with my new scanner and am using it to scan anything and everything! I'll master the perfect jewellery scan some day...

A good start, and presents!

Woohoo, Beaded Allure and Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork arrived today - well, yesterday but I wasn't here so had to collect them this morning. I love my collection of books, there's just so much pretty to look at.

As promised, I have started the netted chain for my lariat, here is my progress so far (slow going... darn size 11's!) The small end piece will be embellished though I haven't decided how yet - I'm sure it will come to me once I spend a few more hours finishing the chain though. What do you think to the colours? I really quite like how it's turned out so far.

I think I'm going to go through my blog roll this evening and weedle out those of you who don't post any more... Sad times I know but it's hard enough to keep up with you all as it is!

Whew, I just closed the tab and hadn't saved this but with some magical clicks managed to reopen it! Woohoo for technology nowadays... Well I think that about sums up for today, still can't show you my secret santa makes, will stop boring you with this update and just post the pictures when I can!

Off to browse new books for pretty things to make **once I have finished this lariat**...***hopefully***

Santa's coming out

Secret Santa that is. We're finally doing the reveal on Bead Buddies, and here's what I received:

A little treasure trove of goodies - I hope you're all a little bit jealous :)

I really really want to post pictures of what I made but seeing as the buddy I made for hasn't yet posted any or guessed at who made them, I can't! Fingers crossed I will be able to soon though. I'm finding it really hard to guess at who made mine, I'm rubbish at this kind of thing.

Well, intending with all good will to stick to my resolution of finishing my UFBO's, I have started a netted chain to make my beaded pendant (picture to follow) into a lariat necklace. Only problem is that I have elected to do it in size 11's and it's taking a wee while to build up - who'd have known? Ah well, as long as I have enough beads it will be worth it - sneak peek tomorrow if you're lucky.

How are your resolutions going in the early days of 2011?

craft&design Selected Awards - Sabine Little

A friend on Bead Buddies has been selected to take part in these awards, and I just wanted to share her work with you in the hope you might see how fabulous she is and hop over to vote for her :)

Copied from the competition profile:
"Sabine Little is a professional glass bead maker and lampwork artist, working from her studio north of Sheffield. Her designs are regularly featured in a number of magazines, and she is sought after as a tutor and writer. 

She is best known for her 'Alcazar' range of exchangeable jewellery, with rings and pendants where the tops unscrew and can be mixed and matched, allowing each person the flexibility to find a ring that fits and choose tops to suit. This also creates an affordable model for galleries and shops, where the ability to provide all styles in all sizes requires less stock.

She is inspired by words, lyrics and names, and the ideas, images and emotions these invoke."

(I was going to try and write my own piece until I realised I really do babble too much - perhaps something to look at in the new year...)

That's not all this lady can do though, head over to her website to see some of the beautiful jewellery, beads and find out more. What I would like to leave you with is a truly stunning piece of glass work - I can only imagine how long it must have taken to make this glass rose!

If you have a moment, please do pop across and vote here for Sabine!

My name is Laura

And I am a bead addict. I am also starting to pique an interest in doing some silver work, and to that end have been browsing Folksy randomly - just look at what I found!

"Laura" Necklace by AR Dreams

"Kenya" Ring by AR Dreams

Aren't they beautiful? I was taken by them as soon as I saw them, if only I could afford some new Sterling silver jewellery!

Also, I have been looking at ways of packaging items... Preparing for if I reach that moment this year that I really really feel ready to start selling properly, I am a bit of a control freak like that! I found a fab tutorial on making your very own personalised mailer bags that look a bit like this:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=264781.0

I am in a very excitable mood tonight, lets hope the new year continues in this manner.