Crafty thoughts from Crafts forum Members

Using a glass cabochon from http://www.tanofcourse.co.uk/ and surrounding it with a leafy framework of glass beads, this is the latest work by Beadsage in his new collection of cabochon necklaces. They can be seen at http://www.beadsage.co.uk

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/

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 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.

Finished the gothic cross - picture attached, and can now concentrate on this spiral. It was only when I had been doing it for a week that I discovered the normal time for making one of these is an hour an inch! Oh goody - should be finished by christmas then.

That’s it. I finished the peyote diamond bracelet with only 2 mistakes (unnoticable)! I have this thing about doing three projects at once, it came from painting oil canvasses and having to wait until one was dry……………………..life’s too short to watch paint dry! So, I had the diamond bracelet, a cellini spiral necklace, and a gothic cross necklace all going at the same time. What actually happened was, the cellini spiral got put in a box for later, the gothic cross is languishing on top of my scanner, and the diamond bracelet got finished. I shall now toss a coin to see which one gets done next. On it’s own.

After spending the last six months learning beadweaving stitches and techniques, I have now gone solo by mistake. I am in the process of making a quite complicated bracelet, and followed the instructions to the letter - for about an inch. Clever clogs thought it would be a good idea to embellish the pattern a bit - a bit? Ha! - I have designed my first bracelet! If only I had thought to put it down on paper…………………….