Trade beads and more

My friend in France, Solange, sent me some amazing beads as a gift. I wasn't expecting them and was so excited when they arrived!

Solange sent me a number of African trade beads, handmade brass beads, and shells. I've started using some, so they're not all in the photo. 

My favorite has to be the trade beads. They're so colorful and charming. I love that they're handmade, and each one is different than the next. But also they're filled with history. 

 

Solange has more of these beautiful beads in her shop. She has also used some in her own designs. I love them! It's the perfect time of year to add some color to my jewelry, too. Watch this space! :)

Love and Light: in memory of Tanya

Today is a day to remember a friend. Tanya made beautiful jewelry and had a love for gemstones. That's how I met her. I wanted to buy some gemstones from her. Tanya was so caring and open. We started chatting and soon became friends.

We spoke off and on about gemstones, bunnies, cats, serious topics, but over this past summer we became very close. We chatted for hours almost every day. Tan encouraged me in my jewelry and always included extras in the packages she sent me. She gave me more than beads...it's all so tiny compared to the friendship she gave me.

Tanya has been one of the most 'real' people I've known. She shared her stories with me, her love, and friendship. I liked making her laugh, and she always told me how important it was to her. How she cherished our friendship. She was a compassionate person who loved her bunnies and spread kindness.


I never got to meet Tanya. We talked about meeting. We wanted to have tea together, chat in person...I wanted to give her the big hug she deserved. And I would have, but she was taken too soon.

Some of her friends have put together a blog hop for today. We are all celebrating her 'love and hugs' and the light she spread into our lives. I made this bracelet in her memory.

One of the things Tanya loved was rabbits. I made this purple, marbled rabbit out of polymer clay. The bunny is surrounded by some of the things I love, too. There are vintage beads in purple - one of Tan's favorite colors. There are also carved goldstone flowers.

Tan loved brass, and I will forever think of her when I use it. I used all the brass wire I bought from her ages ago in other projects, but I did have some chain left from Tanya to add to it.

The roses in the bracelet remind me of a poem I wrote as a little girl when I lost another beautiful person...

Life is but a rose
Quickly fading in its prime.
Beauty fades.
With every falling petal,
A memory is made.
Make the best of the time you are given;
The memories you have made.

I miss Tanya. She was filled with love and encouragement. She always told me not to wait too long to find out you're a good person. I once told her she would leave a bigger hole in my life than she filled...That was her. Tanya gave more than anyone I know. Thank you, Tanya! xx

Others who are sharing:

Alicia Marinache All Pretty Things
Solange Colling Ahowin Handcrafted Jewelry
Liss Silverwing http://lisssilverwing.blogspot.com/
Cherry Obsidia http://cherryobsidia.blogspot.co.uk/
Pookledo www.pookledo.blogspot.co.uk
Rana Lea http://ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com/
Leah Curtis http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/
Lori Anderson http://www.prettythingsblog.com/
Ingrid www.wrappedinsilver.com
Duffy Blevins http://bubbasjewels1.blogspot.com

BSBP7 has arrived!

Today I received my fantastic soup from Marcia. It's gorgeous! She was very generous, too, and included all kinds of beautiful beads. Marcia also sent the snow my way! There was a surprising inch of it outside when I went to collect my post. But this soup makes it a perfect day...

Before I show you the soup, have a look at the boxes it came in. One is of a beautiful pair of birds and the other a woman's portrait. I could learn a thing or two from Marcia's packaging!

And now, soup!

Marcia sent a variety of wonderful beads. There are gorgeous ceramics, faceted glass, flowers, and Czech glass. I love the sparkly rainbow glass on the right. There are also some vintage beads and enameled beauties.

There's not one, but three focals. The feather pendant is by The Crafty Bead. The owl (I love owls!) is by AngelWhisperer, and the mint/white bronzed connector is unmistakably by ScorchedEarthonEtsy.

Marcia made me two clasps. They're beautifully done in copper with little faceted beads and wire wrapping. The white one is really interesting with its shabby chic patina.

But that's not all. Marcia also made some button headpins for me. She sent some leather as well, and beautiful charms and connectors. The copper charms with the blue patina say 'Paris' on them.

The soup also includes some crusty lampwork beads by Numinosity. I'm not sure who made the bumpy lampwork beads, but they're beautiful, too. I was actually about to buy a pair like them on Etsy (Marcia stalked me well...).

Another thing I discovered recently was the nautilus shaped Czech glass. How did she know? Even spookier, the flower shaped shell connectors are nearly exactly like some I sent her.

And now that Marcia has received what I sent, you can see too.

This first soup has polymer clay beads and focal made by me, carved flower goldstone, hematite, tiger's eye, and a copper clasp I made.

This one has a faceted shell pendant, little shell charms, shell beads, vintage lucite, lampwork by Tan Grey, a bunny by me, and bits of 18th century pipes.

You'll have to wait until the weekend to hear what Marcia thinks of her soup. Keep an eye on her blog!

We have a winner!

Firstly, thank you all for commenting, liking, and taking part in my giveaway! I hope you've had as much fun as I have. And, without further delay...

The winner is.....

Kokopelli! Congrats! I've emailed you about the prize. Thanks again for playing!

Flaming toys and tools

Well, I finally got to use my new blowtorch. It's a little handheld affair, but I love it. It's so much better than the little pen torch I started with (actually, I took it from hubby!).

After massive drama filling the torch with gas, I had a play at making copper headpins. Want to see?

I love ball end headpins, and what could be better than rosy ball headpins? They add a great rustic touch. I'm experimenting with making ones large enough to use with lampwork beads. I've added two dozen of these to my shop.

There's also a new ring. Wire wrapped in warm brass with genuine turquoise...

Problematic soup and introducing my BSBP7 partner...

Have you ever had that? A soup that just won't play along? Well, my soup for Marcia Dunne of Amth13 and The Alternative foundry was like that. I started mixing my beads before I knew I was paired with Marcia for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party.

Much to my delight, Lori Anderson paired me with an artist I've been following, unwittingly, for a while now. I love her style and use of such varied supplies. It turns out we have a similar love for vintage beads, gemstones, and the rustic, tribal goodness of bohemian jewellery.

I can't go into detail until Marcia receives her soup, but I will share a couple teaser pics. Instead of scrapping my first soup, I split some of the ingredients and made another one. Oh yes, TWO! And why not? I love variety.

So, here's a snapshot of my two very different soups for Marcia.

 

And whilst looking for my shoe polish earlier, I thought of some interesting bits to add to soup 2. Oh, and they're totally unrelated to shoe polish...

Cute clay and something a bit different

I've been at the clay again. All but one of the bunnies I showed you yesterday sold out. So, today I made a couple more. This time we have an 'ivory' bun and a dark purple one.




I love this little ivory fellow. It's a fun effect, and somehow the white clay makes him even cuter.


 

What do you make when you're bored when you're bored with bunnies? Hedgehogs, of course! These little hedgies are perfect for earrings.

  

Besides these cute beads, I made some rustic inspired ones. But I can't show you those yet, as they're part of my soup for my BSBP partner! More on that later...

The last thing I have to show you is a polymer clay pendant. I had this great idea to make a hare jumping over the moon. Why? Who knows. It's hand sculpted and carved, then antiqued with white highlights. There's even a little sparkle on the moon.

All of these beads will be available in my shop soon.  But now, I'm going to finish up that bead soup. Have a hoppy weekend!

Bun, bun, bun!

Sorry, bad pun (bun!). Ok, I promise to stop...But I will show you my new polymer clay makes. I made a rabbit bead for a very special bracelet (will share with you soon) and decided to make a few more. I played around with some colors and 'white washed' all the rabbits.

This one is a dark turquoise color. He's a little bit different than the other beads, since I carved him more than sculpted.



The other rabbits were sculpted and look just as sweet. They're all hand finished and buffed to a shine. Just look at those little faces...



My favorite has to be the black. There's something very regal about him. He was quickly claimed and will soon be winging his way to a new home in Luxembourg.

The others have just been listed in my shop, though. There are more photos on the listings, so have a peek! 

Giveaway!

CLOSED! A winner has been chosen. Thanks for playing!

Are you excited? I love giveaways. This is my first giveaway as Beady Eyed Bunny, so let's have some fun!

I'm offering these solid brass earrings with handmade earwires, crystal glass beads, and emerald green glass drops. You won't get pinched with these on St. Patty's Day!

How to enter: Comment here letting me know which style of these earrings you prefer. Winner will receive the style they choose. Make sure to leave your email address in the comment or that it's on your profile.

Style 1: Faceted crystal beads wrapped onto brass 'stick' style earwires with emerald green glass drops.

Style 2: Faceted crystal beads in a chain style with emerald green glass drops and handmade earwires.

Additional entries can be gained by going to my Etsy and picking out your favorite item. Come back here and tell me what it is.

New purchases in my shop will also gain you entries.

New followers to my blog will be entered, too.

And finally, some love on my FB page is appreciated. But not mandatory! All new likes will be added to the giveaway pool.


This is open to international entries, so don't be shy. The giveaway runs for one week, and the winner will be announced here and onFacebook. Make sure I have a way to contact you!

Not an earring person? The winner can choose a pair of my clay birdies in a random Spring color instead.

You won't get us, but some of our friends!

New FB page!

Well, I made the plunge. I started a Facebook page for my jewelry and handmade supplies. You can check it out here. I'll be posting tutorials, sharing giveaways, and updates for my shop. I'd love it if you could stop by!

Oh, and you can find my newest pair of earrings there, too. Click the pic for more photos in my shop. They're called The Night Garden...

Thanks for visiting!

Heart link tutorial

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I'd share the love by revisiting this tute I posted on the UK Beaders forum blog last year. I made this long before I had my own blog. Looking back at it, I've learned a thing or two about editing photos!

In any case, I hope you find it useful. Here it is!

Supplies:

Wire - gauge and type is up to you. I've used 0.8mm silver plated copper here
Round nosed pliers
Wire cutters
File or fine sandpaper (optional)
Hammer (optional)

**Caution** A quick word of warning, if you have a pair of goggles around, put them on! Love isn't the only thing in the air - there are bits of flying metal, too.

Step 1:

Cut as many lengths of wire as you require. The length is up to you. I cut 2cm lengths for this project. File or sand the rough ends of the wire, if necessary.

Step 2:

Take a length of cut wire, and bend it in the middle with your round nosed pliers into a V shape.

Step 3:

Take your V shape and with your pliers curl one end (like you would for a loop). Bend the wire until you've made a half circle (roughly!).

 

Step 4:

Repeat Step 3 on the other end of your V, and you have a heart! You may need to tinker a bit with the shape to get it just right.

Optional:

This next step adds a great effect, especially if you want a rustic touch. You can gently hammer the links. Or, if you're using silver plated wire, squeeze the links between your pliers. Sometimes hammering is a bit rough on plated wire. If you're using solid metal, hammer away!

Now, you should have sweet little hearts to add to your projects. Link them together for chains or add beads to them for charm bracelets and earrings.