NEW BRACELET!

This is my first post in a while not because I had nothing to post about but quite simply because I was ill yet again this time Lara bought home the virus! I seem to have spent the last few months ( since before Christmas ) sick with just a break between of three weeks. Well I am ploughing my way through this one and spending a lot of the night coughing I am really fed up with it and I am usually so healthy! Enough said this is not what I want to write about.

I have made all the pieces for the great reveal next week. Made before the virus kicked in.

But I wanted to make something with a few pretty lampwork beads I had collected, they are a tablet shape with little white flowers I decided on a bracelet, the lampwork looked really sweet with some of my white freshwater pearls but I felt it needed something else, I found some tiny silver beads worked very well. I thought I might make a simple S clasp from some Parawire I had bought ages ago, I fancied doing some hammering and Parawire hammers really well I discovered. I do love hammering there is nothing so satisfying, I think I would like to buy some small texturing hammers if there is such a thing, have to find out! I know this is not a great picture as the light was not good, the result you can see in the photo below it is for sale of course!

~Jackie~

BEAD SOUP PARTNER!

I have not posted recently as there have been some personal problems over the last few weeks which had to be sorted out but now I am back.

At last I have been able to contact my Bead Soup blog partner her name is Hannah Annear quirkyhannah.wordpress.com, she is primarily a quilter and I will be sending her soup out this week as soon as she sends me her address.

I will also be doing the drawing for the bracelet and earrings this week from the Grow Your Blog Hop!

~Jackie~

A HAND FLOWER

I have been enjoying making a new design at least it is new to me, it is a bracelet named a Hand Flower some call them slave bracelets but I think those are all chain whereas mine is made with freshwater pearls, crystals and components, so I am calling it a Hand Flower, it was fun to make and my daughter loved it. I actually used her wrist to get the dimensions right!
It's my daughters birthday on Sunday and I made her a necklace with some of the Bead Soup my partner sent me ( photo in my previous post ) she also has a quantity of books on drawing landscapes, she wanted a diploma art course but there are none available for coloured pencil which is her chosen medium to work in, she feels the background to her figures could do with more study and I have to agree with her. I am hoping the books will help her.
Anyway here is my Hand Flower.

  

MY BLOG SOUP REVEAL TODAY!

Today is the day I can show you all that I made with the soup I was sent by my partner Jó Giorgia Rossini who comes from Italy.
I decided to see how many pieces of jewellery I could make from this soup useing just a few bits from my own stash, I ended up with eight WOW I just kept seeing more things I could use to make pendants, earrings etc.

To start with I took the clasp Jó sent me which has a piece of picture Jasper in a bezel it was a three strand clasp which did not suit what I had intended to make, an asymetrical necklace, useing a strand of Crazy Lace Agate from my stash the colour went so well! I had to use strand reducers again from my stash and blackberry beads ( my name for them ) Jó had sent some light green open work ceramic beads which I felt went just right to add a splash of colour and a sweet little butterfly, the necklace reminds me of the sandy burrows near us which sweep down to the sea it is a nature reserve, full of orchids and other flora in season and many wild creatures live there.

The second thing I made was a bracelet, there were some interesting red beads which I picked out and other smaller beads in more neutral colours also a couple of large gold colour beads and a gold leaf, the lobster clasp I added so that was my bracelet!

A large greenish bead was next I took some silver colour wire and just went a bit loopy I embellished it with some little circles of green Mother of Pearl and a peach colour star, now its all ready for a chain or cord

The open copper heart was next! Among the things Jó sent were a pair of pretty brass hearts I added some chain and a copper freshwater pearl heart from my stash and ended up with this sweet Chained Hearts pendant

Next came a pair of earrings these glass beads reminded me of toffee whirls I used to get given as a child so I had to use them as earrings, I think they are fun!
                                                                     

Another necklace was a must from Jó's pretty green beads, I added the gold spacers and most of a strand of raspberry pearls and the clasp a rope wrapped S hook, the raspberry pearls match the little pink spots/flowers on the three long green beads, I think it turned out rather pretty!
                                                                 

Nearly there now only two more to go, the next thing I used was an unusual filigree Jó had sent me I call it Bambi, looking at the picture you will see why! So I got out my clay and voilá, I think it worked quite well.

                                                                        I thought I was finished until I spied this piece of stripy Agate? Well I had to use it, there was a red glass bead left with a flower on it and one red drop so I reached for the wire and made a little pendant, I think I will just hang it from some lovely silk sari cord doubled up and knotted.

If you like any of these items please get in touch as I will be selling them, there will also be a surprise giveaway or maybe more.  If you would like to follow my blog it will all be revealed on the 25th August....!!!

Please go here to visit all the other participans in the 11th August Blog Soup Reveal

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/participants-of-6th-bead-soup-blog.html

FIRST OF THREE GIVEAWAYS!!

I have three items I would like to give away over the next few weeks the first is a sari ribbon necklace/bracelet I made with the items I was sent by my partner for a bead soup I did with Lori Anderson. The leaf is ceramic and the beads are lampwork.
The drawing will be made on the May 12th.

To be entered in the draw with a chance to win, please leave a comment on my blog and you can either blog about it on your own blog or mention it on your Facebook and let me know you have done so for an extra go. Oh yes don't forget to let me know your email address or I won't be able to contact you if you win!
That's all you need to do. You can see a picture of the first give away above. 

Our wedding jewellery

We have decided recently to add a wedding gallery to our web site, The Silver Lodge. It all came about when we received an email in March from a young woman who was getting married in May this year. She had been browsing our web site and came across some polymer clay calla lilly focal beads I had made using the colours of real flowers I grow in my garden as these flowers come in beautiful shades, not just the usual white. She asked if I could design a bracelet and earrings for her in cream to match a tiara she had just bought. I sketched a design and made it up using sterling silver and some Swarovski pearls and crystals. It was really pretty and unique.

The young lady was pleased with the photos we emailed her and was thrilled when she received her set. It was a real joy to be able to make this unusual design and know it was for such a special occasion. That was when we decided it would be really nice to add a bridal gallery even though much of our jewellery is occasion jewellery. We have since made another but different bracelet as most of our jewellery is only one of a kind!

Jackie & Lara