Merry Christmas!

Hello at last! We have all been busy, and I have managed to ignore my own blog for over a month! I have been participating in fairs, meeting lovely people - this is my favourite thing about going to fairs. I went to Moscow and saw my family. I have been making beads and selling them on e-bay - this is something completely new for me, and I have been really excited about it. The thing is, I have been so pernickety and I did not think my beads are good enough. So hurray, people buy and they are happy! Thank you to all my lovely customers! I went to Scarborough. I went to London. Now I've got a minute and I would like to say:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAVE A GREAT 2010 and may all your wishes come true!

Till next time... xxx

Wirework

I am getting better and better at it! Look at the pics - pay special attention to all those wonderful loops and wraps that I've managed to achieve, I am very proud of that. I think, the main thing is not to be afraid, so I just keep saying to myself: "Do it, go for it, it's going to be great!".

Not much bead making though. Selling bits on ebay. I am so happy that people like what I make. And hopefully tomorrow it will be sunny!

And this is some of Marlene's work:

You can see more on:

glassygear.etsy.com

glassygear@yahoo.com

I'm sure you'll like what you see!

The Winning Bracelet

The Big Bead Awards was a success for Ellie, who has won the 2nd Prize in the Under 16' category with this "Night and Day" bracelet featuring my glass beads! The idea was Kit's, and she had to show Ellie how to attach clasps etc, but the result is great! Well done, girls!!!

We had a lovely time: we saw and had a chat with Jean Power, editor of Bead Magazine, then we had the Presentations, then we had to go for lunch, after which we came back and had more chatting with my friend Marlene, who is a talented and very knowledgeable beader, bead maker and jewellery designer, and you can see more of her work on glassygear.etsy.com. We also had a chat with Sarah Downton, and we bought two lovely beads from her, Kit loves her blue fish, she's already put it on a string. This was not all: we bought some cabochons (a rip off - I spent £100 and the man charged me for the bails on top of that as well!), but never mind. But never again.

So it was a great day out, of course, we bought some gold leaf from Tuffnell, and I already managed to make some horrible beads with it (the photo is NOT attached!).

I've just discovered that I need to make a different post in order to put some more pix!

The Big Bead Show

Yesterday we went to the Big Bead Show. It was great: Ellie's bracelet won a 2nd prize in the under 16s' category - well done! We saw lots of familiar faces and had chats with all our glass/bead friends, the photos are to follow shortly! It's a bliss to have my computer back after all the de-bugging!

Staffordshire Hoard

If you have not been to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery yet - you've got to go! Well done, Mr Herbert! The beauty of the pieces exhibited is unsurpassed, you won't be disappointed. It was a shame that those beautiful gold pieces weren't washed, as I came to look at the motifs, they remind me of so many things, this could be a book! And we only queued for 1&1/2 hours, the wait was worth it! I do hope it all will be left somewhere local, we made a little donation towards that. Now I am waiting for a proper book with photos, alas, this would take a couple of years, I guess. And we must come back to see the amazing trompe l'oeil of Patrick Hughes too.
No time to make beads!

The tablecloth is ready!

I actually went out this morning (not counting the boring 1/2hr drive to King's Lynn, because our local fabrics shop was closed - Wednesday, remember old days??!!) and bought a lovely new piece of amazingly lovely fabric. I had to do the end bits on the sewing machine - how nice that my Mum can't see them, she would definitely tell me off for those kinds of stitches! Anyway, you can see it for yourselves: these are just some shots of the sexy tablecloth that I am going to have on Saturday in Northamptonshire - it's GBUK AGM, after all, and I've got a stall. So you can come by and say hi!

I have bought some gorgeous beads from Beverley Hicklin, check her website out - www.beverleyhicklin.co.uk. Actually, when you think about it, it was probably these amazing beads that made me order this lentil press! It's been busy, I've been going mad with this press (I don't know how it has not yet disintegrated!) - alas, the poor poor beads have not been coming out perfect to be sold! Never mind, I need more practice, but one day I'll be fine!

Of course, I need to get ready for the Saturday AGM of GBUK as I have a stall there. I have planned to "revamp" my tablecloth, so lots of sewing is coming into my life. Sorry but no photos today - I ought to take one of the new lentils but it is raining so possibly 2mrw!

What's This?

This is what I thought looking out of the kitchen's window. I never planted any flowers near that brick garage wall, so what is it? I had to go out and inspect that tiny bright pink patch - it must have been a little seed that came in with the wind from somewhere, and I did not notice it and did not pick it out with weeds simply because I have been away for such a long time! And who said that flowers do not grow near walls, look at this one, it has never even been watered by me!

By the way, on the left is our Fat Cat. I think he is really proud to have been included into this special picture.

But yes, I am back at last. Some exciting things have happened, and I received this morning some new presses from the States. I am off to try them out!

Hi!

I have been making lots of beads and lots of other stuff, but no photos today - too busy! I am going away soon, so talk to you when i come back - probably, in August now! Have a good summer, and may the sun shine on you every day! xxx N

I just bought some goldstone - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I do not know why I have not used it before - it is not that expensive, I have just been worried that I am not good enough (typical!) to use it. Anyway, this is the result! I am pleased with it, not too bad for the very first bead with aventurine! Difficult to photograph, but hey, when is it easy to photograph beads?

New Tonbodama "Ying and Yang"

Hello, you have probably been wondering what I've been up to: I've been making some new tonbodama recently together with putting more stuff on e-bay. This is my take on Ying and Yang - you see these little sparkly dots which kind of contribute to the outlining of a circle? Well, that's my taste for you: sparkles, sparkles forever!

Oh dear, I have kind of forgotten to check my e-bay shop, and guess what, my beads have been sold for five quid! Never mind, I would have to be clever next time. The problem is, it all takes up so much time, all the checking and re-checking, and registering and etc. Every time i come up to the computer - half an hour has gone! when am i going to make beads!

It's been hectic: I have listed some of my beads on e-bay: check it out, my user name is n4princessbead - do not ask why! The e-bay auction is for my "White Flowers", but the "Russalka" ones are currently on Etsy.com, and that's under Beadmonamour. So yes, I've been very very busy!

It's been a hectic couple of days. Actually, more than a week. I have not been making any beads, but I've got photos of the ones I made about 2 weeks ago. Here they are. I hope you'll like them!

Shades of Pink

Just wanted to upload some of the pix I took yesterday, hope you'll enjoy them!

It was hard at the Dulwich Glass Fair. We ended up just sitting around, watching the visitors, drinking lots and lots of coffee - from which I became hyper and had to go to the loo almost every 15 mins! It was good though as on my way I had to pass by the beautiful beads of Beverley Hicklin! As I was too shy to come up to her every time I passed I turned my eyes in a strange and funny way towards her stall just to get a glimpse of her amazing beads, I hope she did not notice this! But then I did come up, and we had a great chat about glass, and beads, and beadmaking. I also met Jo of GlassTales, she had a great stall, I just loved her tiered displays. And the beads! I wish I could buy some, but as I did not make any money I had to postpone this pleasure till future events, only in the hope that one day I would get to be again in the company of such immensely talented people.

Then I have been experimenting with Luna (D.Helix), and this has not been going very well. Does anybody know anybody who gives lessons on all this reduction, striking etc?

Daffodils!

Isn't it a lovely day today! I can see all these daffodils moving in the wind - it is actually just a light breeze really - so I thought I'd make some just like the ones in the garden. I think they came out quite well!

Eyes

Hey, I've made some beads today and now everybody's said they look like eyes. How disgusting is this! especially that they are not supposed to look like eyes! I must photograph them, but I'm quite upset now!

Anyway, there was one bead that everybody was happy with, and this is gonna be part of a new bracelet! it's gonna be called "Night and Day".

No Music!?!

Can you believe this, in the section of "Industry" there is no music!!! How come? So I'll have to make do with "Arts".

Not bad for a beginner, I thought. Unfortunately, the photo of the bead appeared in my profile, not in the text on the right, but never mind, I'll get there. This bead is not the one I was making today. This one is just a floral, and this particular photo is good because you can just see the lovely layers inside, which are numerous! It is really very pretty.

Hi! It is a lovely sunny day today in Norfolk, temperaturewise - a bit chilly, for this time of year, anyway, only +3 C! I am off to make some beads in a mo, so... talk to you later!