I’ve gone knotty!!

Certainly not nutty, I was born that way (damn it, now I have that silly Gaga song in my head).

I was in a bit of a funk this week trying to make myself a super long bright pink necklace.  I had the dyed pink Agate, the pearls, the clear glass beads… so what could go wrong with a simple repeating pattern? Everything. I tried too many times to no avail. Nothing was going to work. They are now sitting on my desk in a pile waiting. When they are ready to be made, they will call for me and I will then have my necklace.
I was wandering around the Chickenfeed (cheapy shop) looking for more canvases when I came across these gorgeous bright wooden beads.  I knew straight away what I could make.
Hence the start of my going knotty.

This is the product of yesterday. I’m very happy with the results.

Turquoise and wooden beads. 126cm length.

Knotted glass beads – 2 strands 63cm length

Mega long knotted wooden beads – 210cm length.

Ok, so this is not knotted, but wrapped loops and linked – ceramic beads with Swarovski crystals. Chain length can be adjusted.

This one – what can I say. Not happy.  Too chunky, too blah.  I was going to knot it, but don’t know what happened. Feedback is gratefully accepted – it will get pulled apart. How it is re made is another story…

And the beads that started it all.  I’m going to hunt out more and make a short multi strand knotted necklace.  This one will be finished with two strands in between the current lengths.  I just had to order more silver spacers to do it.

Saying ‘get knotted’ my not be appropriate, but I’m saying in the nicest possible way.
Jennifer 😀

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Bright and Beautiful: always makes me happy :D

The last 3 weeks I have been through a hard time and although my head has been overflowing with thoughts and inspirations, the motivation to actually do something was lacking somewhat.  I would start a job, only to do about 10 mins worth and then collapse in a heap…. but (fingers crossed) that time has passed and wont be returning in a hurry.
This week, given the good feelings, comes the energy to create.  And nothing makes me smile and feel happy than bright.   BRIGHT colours and lots of it.  Nothing like standing out among the abundance of muted tones to make you feel happy and want to smile 😀

(Like the funky top I have in white with bright retro patterns that I wear when I want to ‘fake it til I feel it’)

Polymer clay in brights – a graduated blue necklace, and a bright sunny yellow, rings in bright stacked colours, and donut necklaces hung simply on chain with sayings (wise words that are all the rage right now) stamped on them.
Some of them got a little overcooked, so I will make my own necklace to wear from those.

I’m hoping to make the rings and necklaces a regular collection as they can be made in just about any colour combination with any choice of words.

Keep smiling 🙂
Jennifer

Re-make and upcycle…

This week has been a write off craft wise. And blog wise.

I have finally got some time where I can get sewing again. 
After tidying my sewing things I found a few nice, ahem, daggy, but very retro clothes.  So for a few days I will be mixing it up and changing girl’s dresses and skirts into funky bags…

Classic black and white but with retro styling.

Then will be the adding and adding of many more strands for necklaces.  The week of the chunky multi strand is coming….

Keep smiling 🙂
Jennifer

Wraptures…

I’ve been a very busy bee this week working on my Wraptures ready for Sunday’s (today) market.

Some things have worked, some have been pulled apart, there is a pile of wire scraps on my desk, and swear words floating in the air… then there is a small pile many little piles of beads and focals ready to be made up.  I have some major motivation happening at the moment.  I just have to get the same for the general household duties now make sure I follow that to-do list I made up.

Here are the results of my recent makes:

simple glass pendant on a chain.

Red focal with two rows of chain for added depth of colour.
Red Delight.

Something a little brighter - lovely red.

Blue stripes with ribbon and floating beads.

ribbon with two strandds of seed beads - free form glass pie.

Warped Blue Flowers

love this one. Chain, flowers and the rats tail fibre.

And my favourite of them all. Three strands of beads and two lengths of chain… my Pink Paradise:

More beady delights will be coming this week.  I’m currently working on a necklace of Fluorite, Rose Quartz and Amazonite with a lovely clear pendant, plus another with a blue clay pendant that will have 3 strands of floating beads… can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Keep smiling 🙂
Jennifer

Another new start…. what? again?

I have been thinking again lately… yeah I know, it must hurt.  Although I love making lots of different kinds of jewellery in simple but different styles, I have thought about making my niche with something I haven’t sen much of before.  My Wraptures.  I love the glass work, and the clay is super cool. So many things to do with it.  My friend C who was just visiting recently, has done a little bit on enamelling… LOVE IT!!  I have not seen much of that either, so I am going to hunt out a class and give it a go.  It will suit my differing tastes in jewellery style and as a lot of people are right into the Dichroic Glass (all the same really) I want to use it but stand out from the crowd.

I will still be making the basic run-of-the-mill pieces I have always made, trying to incorporate more semi precious into them, to accommodate the everyday customer, while concentrating on my niche.  My little piece of the action! 
My bags will still be just whatever style and colours I like, I might get to creating a more niche style for them….  but then again, who knows.

The next few months will be an intersting journey, so stick around to make sure you catch all the goss..

Keep smiling 🙂
Jennifer