And the winner is...

It's time! I promised I would draw the winner of my wire wrapped pendant, and here she is. But first, a reminder photo...

Brass wire wrapped pendant with lampwpork by Laney Mead

And now, the winner...drum roll, please...

Shaiha!

Shaiha, you should have an email now about your prize. Congrats!

Thank you all for entering and commenting!

New beads and jewelry and a sale!

This week has turned out to be very productive on the creative side of things. Maybe it's all this awful weather keeping us cooped up...

Whatever it is, I'm glad it's kicked my beading mojo into gear! I've made a handful of new bracelets using gemstones, art beads, and a few of my other favorites. Want to see? (Pssst...info on my sale at the end!)

First up is one of my favorite bracelets: Treasure in the Rockpool. I love sea themes, and the gorgeous lampwork beads by Meital Plotnik were perfect for the job. I added rustic Czech glass, crystals, brass charms, and gemstones.

Next, in striking contrast, is Long Lost Love. This, of course, was made with Valentine's Day in mind. I used lampwork beads by UK artists, Keeley Kenyon and Brinkbeads. More Czech glass and vintage glass flower charms add to the mix. And check out those little textured heart charms I made. Aren't they cute?

Last but not least of the bracelets, another turquoise and brown combo. I love, love this bracelet. It's called My Home in the Meadow and has handmade beads by Elukka (the house), Ciel Creations, and Earthshine Beads (those yummy caramel lampwork). I made the wire wrapped nest with aquamarine gems to play off the colors on that sweet little blue bird and wrapped Czech glass flowers and leaves into it. Like the other bracelets, this one has a mix of little charms and gemstones dangling from between the larger beads.

 Now, let's talk beads. I've been a bit busy with custom orders on the bead front recently, but I did manage to squeeze in some time for new listings in my shop. More Rustic Roses, including a new bud shape, painted faceted beads, and more...

 

And this deliciously rustic set - faux bone/ivory nugget wheels. The smooth, chunky shapes feel great in the hand.

 

And they're all on SALE! Everything in my Etsy shop is on sale this weekend. The sale ends Sunday night, so be sure to have a peek. There are lots more photos and more items I didn't show you here. Enjoy!

Colours make me happy...

Or at least that's what Barney the dinosaur told me as a kid, but let's not talk about him. :)

I've been playing with colour in my beads recently. Well, today, actually. I have a love/fear relationship with colour. Is it too much? Gosh, that looks crazy. Ooh, rainbows! I love colour, but sometimes I shy away from going over the top. I usually decide on a nice mix of colour with a rustic influence. Not too much; not too little.

But every now and then you just have to go for it! So I did. Here are my recent vibrant beads and a few of my favourite colourful jewelry pieces from my shop. Hopefully they'll brighten up the day a bit from this dull weather we're having!

And there you have it. A nice dose of colour. I'm working on a bracelet that will be made from lampwork art beads and guess what? It'll be a rainbow! And, in contrast, I have a Gothic styled bracelet and a couple earthy designs to share with you soon. I just can't make my mind up!

Giveaway!

Wouldn't you love a bit of Spring? I felt like making a wirework piece, so I dug through my stash and made a little practice pendant. And it could be yours!

I used a beautiful little cabochon by Laney Mead and wrapped it in swirls of pure brass wire. The cab has a warm, burgundy background with lime leaves and a pretty little blue and yellow blossom. There's a sweet little bubble at the center of the flower that sparkles just right in the sunshine.

And I'm giving it away! all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post.

International entries welcomed!

You can enter until January 31st.

There's no need to share this on your blog, Facebook, etc., but if you want to spread the word and a little bit of Spring, then thank you!

Tribal Steampunk ~ Cold Connections

I was reading the Love My Art Jewelry blog and found their post on "cold connections". That sparked my interest because I hadn't heard the term before. Lo and behold it's something I do almost all the time!

Cold connections, so I read, are a number of different techniques varying from using rivets, to screws, wire wrapping, and prongs/tabs. The idea is that you don't have to use heat, torches, etc. to secure your metalwork.

I immediately started to look for something I've made that fit Love My Art Jewelry's challenge.

Tribal Steampunk is a mixed media necklace I made. It has a bit of a "cyber" feel with the electric blue lampwork, and an enchanting vintage feel. The focal piece is what made me choose it for this challenge.




The focal is a tiny copper book that I made with copper sheet and bound by sewing the pieces together with copper wire. I drilled a hole into a vintage Irish coin and used wire to attach a vintage Swarovski crystal and a tiny LED light to the front. The coin is secured in place by fastening it with the same wire to the cover of the book.

The book is also sewn to a scrap of vintage velvet and more copper wire work in the background.

The cold connection techniques I used all revolved around wire wrapping. I used simple wire wrapping, weaving or sewing to bind the book, and wire to secure the layers of metal to the coin.

You can check out the Love My Art Jewelry blog for links to the Flickr group with photos of what other artists have created.

Christmas Sale!

Hello there! Christmas is almost here, and I've decided to have a special sale. It'll be the last one of the year and expires on December 26th.

You can use the coupon code SALE25 to get 25% off in my Etsy shop from now until December 26th. There's no minimum purchase on orders either! 

International orders (outside the UK) might not arrive before Christmas, but it's a great chance to stock up. Enjoy!

Christmas Special: The Beading Glass

I'm very happy to announce the latest issue of The Beading Glass. It's an extra special Christmas edition for December, and it's packed! If you enjoy the usual issues, you'll love the extra interviews with artists and the extended Bead and Jewelry Galleries filled with Winter and Christmas inspiration.

You can view The Beading Glass on the embed below, or in your browser.

Enjoy!

Click to view The Beading Glass on GLOSSI.COM