BTW

Bead Table Wednesday - I will try to keep this up now that I've started!!

Happy crafting!

Sparkly Things!

Hello there you lovely lot. I know I owe you all a proper update but I'm dashing around trying to get organised for  Mother's Day making pretty things, and making something lovely for my blog giveaway. I'm on post #91 now, so I will promise you that by #100 I will have gotten my butt in gear and sorted one of you out with a special trinket.

I think this bracelet will be a Mother's Day gift, hopefully it will be received well. I just love the colours of it - I will get a better photo in day light for you. I was pleased with how quickly it worked up, and it's so slinky. I've already got more ideas for this kind of bracelet a-brewing...

I don't know if any of you scuba dive, but I had a day out with my dad yesterday at LIDS (London International Dive Show) which was great. I've got my heart set on diving Wakatobi now, so perhaps in ten years time I'll be showing you snaps from under the water there! I can hope.

Still not found my MOO cards - looks like I'll be ordering a new batch, what a shame hehehe. However, we are now on a strict budget so that we can save the maximum amount every month to get onto the housing ladder by January 2012, boo! Better get making some jewellery to try and sell, no?

Testing iPhone blogging

Just ignore this post I'm just testing out the blog features from my iPhone so I can blog on the move!

In case you are reading, here's another snap of my recent necklace (as you can tell, I'm pretty pleased with it!)

Happy crafting x

FOLLOWERS!

Ohh you've gone and snuck up on me faster than I expected - I've just hit the 50 followers so watch this space for details of my giveaway... I've got to come up with something lovely for you now!

Supporting Japan

I'm sure you're all well aware of what's going on in Japan, and thankfully there are people who are trying to help out in any way they can. One of those people is Laura Sparling over at Beads by Laura who has made a select few batches of beads to sell in aid of the British Red Cross Tsunami Appeal. 100% of the proceeds are being donated, and we all get the chance to buy gorgeous beads with the added bonus of helping out! I missed the first two, so was determined to get involved on the third round, and here's my latest purchase:

Isn't it the cutest thing? A delicious lemon meringue cupcake :) Watch this space, once I hit 50 followers, this may become part of my giveaway - we'll see what I come up with!

EDIT: Through the 3 sales and other donations, Laura and everyone involved have raised £150!

On another note, I've now completed my necklace and am back onto the cuff project!

As you can see, I'm loving the fun of playing on the iPhone, the above are photos from my Instagram! Love it.

Ooh! More exciting news! Me and my buddy Tracy are doing a day course in Norwich in September with Laura McCabe, making an embroidered cuff - I cannot wait! Watch this space... In September... ;o)

Long weekend

Ooh back to work tomorrow, have had a lovely long weekend. I've made a bit of progress on the latest project, and have had so much fun playing on my new iPhone! There's a fab photo journal app Instagram, which is great fun to use. If you have an iPhone, download it (it's free!) and add me - littletreats.

I had so much fun doing the Stylish Blogger award, and look forward to following the chain so I can find lots more of your marvellous blogs to follow. On that note, I'm almost at 50 followers and I am planning a giveaway once I hit 50! Spread the word, and I'll get planning on how to do it and what to give away to you lovely people. You'll have to excuse me, I'm still new to this, so I'll do my best. 

I caught up with an old friend today as well, it's been so nice to just have some time out of work and in two weeks time I get to do it again! I could get used to this. Anyway, must crack on and get some more of this necklace done - stay tuned!

Chillout time

Oh yeah, chilling out a bit too much now. Hair is cut, eyebrows looking lush, car is gleaming and I've been playing on my new iPhone for too long. I'm supposed to have washed up by now but I've been a little waylaid... Unfortunately o2 weren't budging on their deals so I am going to be with 3. Pretty good as well, they have put a 30 day suspense period so I won't get charged until April when my other phone contract runs out. Have still got the iPhone to play with in the meantime! Fun times. Off to pick up hubby now and go shopping x

All warm and fuzzy :)

I've had a rather good few days in the grand old scheme of things, work's been busy as always but I've now got Friday and Monday off, and then the same again in a fortnight - nice! So why has it been a good couple of days? I know you're dying to find out.

:1: As a new birthday tradition, I bought myself and Jim a lottery scratchcard for his birthday, and then won back the £2 I spent on them (unfortunately, Jim chose the wrong one and got nothing...) I'm still deciding whether to take the money or just get another couple - what do you think?
:2: I was pleasantly surprised when I came on to browse through everyone's blogs last night to find that Nicola over at Smitten Kitten had nominated me for a Stylish Blogger Award! Thanks Nic, I'll be trying to keep up the posting a bit more regularly than I have been. More on this as you read on.
:3: I was also pleasantly surprised to get a message on BeadersOnline to say that I'd won the draw for the Bi-Monthly challenge, which considering I don't normally win anything is amazingly cool. I had entered this piece, you may remember it :)

Now, onto my blog award! Firstly, if you head over to Nicola's blog, you'll find 14 other fabulous blogs to have a browse through, but before you do - I've got to follow the rules of the award:

Step 1 - Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award!
Step 2 - Share 7 random things about yourself 
Step 3 – Award 15 recently discovered bloggers with this award 
Step 4 – Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won the award

So, 7 random things...
:1: I am a geek for things looking 'just so' particularly when on a computer, spreadsheets, emails, my blog... I can spend hours tweaking the most minor of elements to make things look right (that's why I keep my blog minimalist so I don't have too much to tweak!)
:2: I first rode a horse when I was just two years old and loved it, but I haven't been for almost 2 years now and would really quite like to go again in the summer
:3: I got married in June 2010 to my husband Jim who I met at a sweaty rock festival in 2007 - whoever said romance was dead??
:4: I hate shopping. Unless it's online, but then I get annoyed when things don't look like they do in the photos!  I can't stand walking around town because people are so rude/slow/indecisive and especially those people who just stop dead right in front of you ...
:5: It was an accident that I started making jewellery, my mother in law had bought Make Jewellery so I had a browse, started classes in beadweaving, met two crazy ladies who I love to pieces and couldn't now be without, and have never looked back.
:6: I'm actually quite excited about getting my iPhone this weekend - more to come on that!
:7: I find it hard to switch off from work and really need to do it more - fingers crossed this weekend I can let it go for a few days and absolutely NOT log on remotely. I do feel at the moment that I live to work and not the other way around.

BLOGROLL!!!! (Half an hour to do this before I have to move the car from the free parking zone!)
:1: http://abeadaday.blogspot.com/ Lisa Crone, you never fail to find me a beautiful beady piece of inspiration, and there's so much variety in your blogging - I always look forward to finding out what kind of sparkly/whimsy/glitzy/bright and fantastic item you'll be showing today.
:2: http://cinnamonjewellery.blogspot.com/ One of the first blogs I ever started following, I'd love to give wirework a go, and if anyone could inspire me to do it, it would be this lady here!
:3: http://humblebeads.blogspot.com/ I've not long been following Heather, but the beads she shares are utterly gorgeous and you'd be mad to miss out on this beady porn! Tune in for bead table wednesday with Heather too, lush.
:4: http://justsomethingimade.com/ A huge variety of crafty goodness, you never know what you'll find!
:5: http://kelliechristie.blogspot.com/ Buttons! I love Kellie's jewellery, and her blog is full of pretty pieces, resin designs and all things jewellery
:6: http://labellajoya.blogspot.com/ I love Marcie's blog, it's full of beadwoven beauties that I would love to own. If you've not visited before, it's one for the watch list!
:7: http://lucidmoonstudio.blogspot.com/ I started following Lisa recently when I was browsing the participants of the bead soup blog party, come here for all things crafty, not just jewellery.
:8: http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/ My favourite find of 2010/2011, Kristen's witty insights and bloggings never fail to make me smile, her tagline is "creating a bracelet for every shirt" and she's on her way to doing it!
:9: http://www.quernuscrafts.co.uk/ Cute polymer clay - anything you want, you can have it seems! I was pulled in by the wee horses over a year ago now, and it never ceases to amaze me what has been made since.
:10: http://songbeads.blogspot.com/ The life and times of a singing beader - lovely jewellery and lots of inspiration
:11: http://www.sweetbeadstudio.com/ wirework, jewellery, pretty things and lots to look at
:12: http://www.beadinggem.com/ fantastic variety, all walks of life are looked at, all kinds of jewellery, techniques and ideas - worth settling down with a cup of tea for!
:13: http://allthosethingsandtheotherstoo.blogspot.com/ Beadies, bracelets, polymer clay - I loved the bead soup reveal Hazel posted, take a peek
:14: http://beadingbipolar.blogspot.com/ stunning bead embroidered projects, and much inspiration to be had
:15: http://beezinthebelfry.blogspot.com/ a more zentangle-based blog, which I found whilst researching ideas before I took the plunge, I wish I had a spare wall to doodle on!

Phew, just in time - got to dash now to move the car but I'll be coming round to send all the lovely comments later on today :) Thanks again Nicola, it's been fun!