Thursday 28 April 2011

All The Right Circles



This pretty bag/phone charm was really quick and easy to make.
These were odds and ends  from my bead stash
but the colours went together so nicely it seemed a shame not to
make them into something!  


Most people in the U.K are looking forward to a day off work to celebrate 
the Royal Wedding tomorrow!
I'm very excited to see 'The Dress' and just generally watch the ceremony.


I'm sure I'm not the only Brit that wishes HRH Prince William and Kate 
a wonderful wedding day and a long life full of happiness together. 

Bead Radar - Beads Direct Discount Code

Beads Direct are offering 20% off your order using the code:

282BM 

Offer expires on 31/12/11

Yes, that's the 31st December this year! 

One offer per customer 
Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Bead Radar - Beads Direct Writing Competition

" Calling all Bloggers.
3 people will win a bumper bead bag containing £30 worth of beads. " 

The lovely Beads Direct would like you to write a blog post or article involving your favourite colour, for the chance to win one of their goodie bags.

Follow the link for further details: 


Happy blogging :-) 


Sunday 24 April 2011

Inspire Me - Easter


Thought I would share this lovely card with you for a little Easter inspiration.

Colour blocking/ colour clashing is really fashionable at the moment and this card just ties in with that nicely!


We recieved another lovely card from my brother and his fiancee. 

They had put in one of those little yellow fluffy Easter chicks you get from the newsagents.

He was a bit squashed after his long postal journey with the Royal Mail. 

I tried to revive him and fluff his feathers up,
but alas, in doing so I broke his leg off!
OOPS,

Poor little chap....


Happy Easter everyone.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Daisy Necklace

  



  

You wouldn't want to be a Beader's Cat.....




Ah haa, now I know what to do with that over size bracelet...!
Miss Kitty has never looked so bling! 

* No cats were harmed during the modelling of this bracelet. 
 Disturbed from their nap yes, annoyed possibly,  but harmed no.




Wednesday 13 April 2011

Pretty Disaster





 Well it looks pretty enough I hear you say -  where's the disaster? 


The disaster struck when I tried it on!


I have never made a spiral of any kind before and it was all looking so good. 
I made it just the right length - what I thought would be just the right length anyway. 

Having never done this before and not really knowing how to stitch a clasp
I decided to improvise and glue the end circle of beads into metal ends to finish it off. 

I think they look great BUT what I didn't account for is how much length they would add to the bracelet and it is now far too large for my wrist!  


I was so excited about this piece. 
I was making it for myself and I loved picking out the colours, working with the crystals,   I knew exactly what I was going to wear it with.....

I feel so disheartened! 
I know that I can cut one end off and unpick it and finish it again to make it my size
but after all that hard work 
I just can't bring myself to hack into it with the scissors!

What a disaster! 

Then again I suppose mistakes are all part of the learning process. 

They say that the best way to learn to ride a bike is to fall off it a few times. 


So maybe the best way to learn to bead is by your mistakes... !? 


Sunday 10 April 2011

The Sick Rose Bracelet




I have been thinking back to my school days recently and of the poem 'The Sick Rose' by William Blake which my friend and I used to love.  

We didn't study it in class - which is probably why we actually liked it !

I think we loved the poem because of the way that we found it.

It sounds rather poetic in itself, but, one Saturday afternoon shopping trip we randomly found ourselves in an antique book sellers. 

We rummaged around until we came across a rather dusty old  book shelf right at the back of the shop.

Resting on the shelves were some of the most amazing old books. 

The sort that are bound thickly in leather with gold writing and gilt edging to the pages. 

We took one off the shelf and flicked its pages tentatively.  





The Sick Rose by William Blake was the poem that we read in that book shop, that Saturday afternoon, all that time ago.

In typical teenage fashion we left to go to Macdonalds (!) and poured over the meaning of the words we had just read. 

Over a strawberry milk shake of course! 

We thought it was a very dark and almost gothic  poem being set in a howling storm and talking of a 'dark secret love'.  

Even though the illustration is quite colourful, I wanted to make something that has a bit of a darker feel to it, because that is the feeling we took from the poem. 








Time has moved us on, and we live far, far, apart from each other now but

the great thing is we are still friends all these years later. 

I think I will send her this bracelet, as a suprise, through the post.