Crafty thoughts from Crafts forum Members

I was sent a handful of cabochons by a very cornish lady called Tania Grey, with a great deal of trepidation, and even more fear, I ‘had a go’………………I must have a natural affinity with bits of glass, or I was a window in a previous life, but the first two seemed to have worked - and the third one, which is either destined to either become a masterpiece or be thrown in the bin, is coming along ok. They will all be on my website as they’re finished http://www.beadsage.co.uk/

Here’s the first two……….oh, and Tan’s website is http://www.tanofcourse.co.uk/

I’ve been battling down the hatches and starting the work up to christmas and my open house etc.  Last year I had several sell outs so promissed myself that I’d get my act together this year and have plenty of stock in.

This is a watch I created last night using my favourite swarovski crystal in Ab finish.  I’ve teamed them up with Czech seed beads and bali daisies in an intertwining strap.

Remember that little ditty said for weddings

“something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”

This is a piece of jewellery I have created for my sister who got married at the weekend.  I made it a couple of weeks ago, but kept it under wraps until the night before the wedding.

This necklace is called “something old, something new”

Both  our grandma’s couldn’t be there. My gran passed away 8 years ago and my other grandma is 93 and in a home.  The wedding was in sheffield so it was too far to take her.  I knew Philippa would have wanted them there if they could have been so her necklace contained  a clasp from my gran’s jewellery and  beads and an earring that I formed into a drop from my Grandmas jewellery.

I have offered this service for sometime and have incorporated brooches into tiaras.  It can be quite an emotional task!

Rainbow disks are a publishers of craft books on CD. covering wide range of subjects from beading and card making to quilting and stained glass.

Disk include:

• Tiaras and Bridal Jewellery
  Projects using beads and wire
• Bead Net
  New Ideas for Netted Beadwork
• Beaded Jewellery
  Over 50 gorgeous designs and projects

Rainbow Disks was started in 2006 by Barbara Case (Thornton) and Vivienne Wells, who between them have extensive experience of writing and publishing practical books.

Barbara Case is an internationally successful author of books on bead jewellery including:

A World of Beads/Making Bead Jewellery (1995)

It’s all about the beads! (2006)

Making Jewellery with Gemstone Beads (2007)

To find out more please check out rainbowdisks.com

For other craft workshops and courses try http://www.ukcraftwebsites.co.uk/workshops.php

Well, I’ve spent the last couple of days making watchbands out of lots of swarovski crystals. It would have been fine had it just been a design for one of our ladies on the forum, but then came the request from the US……………..I now have to keep making them until I hit on the right styles, colours, and watchfaces for what is looking like Christmas present time! Here’s a few - the one with all the hematite donuts is sold.

I am currently in the middle of putting together all sorts of wedding items for my sister and other clients.  I’ve got very, very sore fingers from all the wire work.

It seems that burgundy tones are very much the in colour for bridesmaids so much of my latest work has been with this in mind.

These are three bridesmaid tiaras created with swarovski ruby and Swarovski crystal AB.

The next two photo’s are smaple tiaras.  they are half worked from the centre to the back.  the finishing hasn’t been done.  The client views them and then they can be altered or tweaked as required.

 More to come in the next few days! (fingers allowing!)

I hate to sound precocious, but seed beading is an art………..and a craft………….and very, very, very, time consuming. I have no idea why this style of beading got me hooked, I am well known for having the attention span of a fly, but it is such a beautiful way to construct a piece of jewellery that once it gets you it won’t let go! The time it takes to make a piece obviously depends on the intricacy and volume, but can be anything from 5 hours to 45 hours. Seedbeaders rarely charge highly enough for their work - my ‘54″ Lariat’ necklace took over 15 hours, and it’s on my website for £90…………………work the sums out for yourself! We seed bead because it is a skill, it is a craft, and it is Art. When you own a piece that has been made for you by a seedbeader, you own the only one! Beading of all styles is taking off in the UK, you will find nearly all the beaders you see are self taught - that’s because we had nobody to teach us! More money has been spent on books from around the globe than has been spent on beads! A ‘normal’ industry would be recouping this outlay in the price of their work, if we tried this we would never sell anything, when you buy a beaded piece of jewellery you are getting one of the very few genuine bargains left in this world - enjoy it!  My work can be seen at http://www.beadsage.co.uk

And so this tale of creativity starts

Contact one of us if your looking for parts

We have Jellybelly Jellybrain

For all hand sewn bunting with added name

Butterbeandesigns for colourful letters

The likes of which Id say nobody betters

Tip tops unique cards are very distinctive

For all happy occasions she’ll have a card you’d like to receive

Candles by Lisa makes fantastic works of wax

Easily contactable, though currently not by fax

Crystal Velvet make tiaras and hat pins

Watches, charms and adjustable rings

Apple Tree Craft , a seamstress extraordinaire

RaspberryBloom is a jewellery designer with magical flare

Beadsage is wise and a master at bead weaving

Approach him cautiously if its forum advice you are needing

Funkyhand is modern with her scrapbooking cd’s

Indri with her quilling(can we have an update please?)

KandM Creations with her maillework and beadweaving

Once you visit her site theres no way you’ll be leaving

EM Evans and NattyNetty supply

Craft bits and pieces for all of you to buy

Sommerwood sells beautiful hand painted clocks

Or treat your (untidy) child to a storage box

The silver zebra makes her pieces of decorative glass

Not only that she has a fantastic………range of other products

To one and all and anyone Ive forgotten

Im Poisoned Apple Jewellery so lets face it, Im rotton.

SRAJD is a term that is becoming increasingly known among jewellery designers.

It stands for Self Representing Artist Jewellery designers and is a mark of approval among jewellery creators. 

Members of the free to join registration sell their own designs and creations.  Therefore where you see the logo you can be sure that you are buying non mass produced work.                                

There are currently nearing 1000 members worldwide. Every member has a registration number so they can be checked out.

http://www.hathorrising.com/SRAJD/Roster.htm

On the crafts forum we currently have two registered members:

Peter Farrington: www.beadsage.co.uk member no 0659

Karen Clark  www.crystalvelvet.co.uk member number 0956

(if I’ve missed you out let me know  and I’ll add you!)

Over the past couple of months I have been pulling my hair out and gnashing my teeth (not a pretty sight).  The cause of all this anguish?   Mr site! 

Having previously set up my bead store on a templated system,  (through EKM) and been very pleased with it, I thought I can do this myself.  The Mr site pack came from amazon for about £16.00 and arrived quickly.  Once I started to do it I began to get doubts.  Perhaps if I’d read all the instructions or looked at the online help! (I hate being told what or how to do something!)

Anyway, several weeks down the line, much tweaking later, I am proud to launch www.crystalvelvet.co.uk .  This is the complete experience in online andcrafted accessories with ranges of Jewellery, bags, tiaras, hats, watches and more!

I’ve started out by putting a few things on in each catagory and now I’m adding more and more!

This is the bag that inspired the name Crystal Velvet!