MangoBeads

Mangobeads Bead Liner

2011-05-21T18:15:00.001+01:00

As some of you will have seen from Sue’s (Blue Box Studios) post earlier yesterday MangoBeads are up and running with their coring station prototype.

Yes it has taken a long time and we have been talking about it for what seems like an age!

I think that what we have come up with demonstrates our commitment to our press and the finished product it is capable of producing.

We have utilized our combined experience and knowledge both in lining beads and engineering to design a press system that will enable you to line beads beautifully.

Our finishing dies are unique to us they have been designed to give a professional finish to the edges of the silver significantly reducing the chipping factor on your beautiful beads!

Because of this unique design of the dies ‘problem’ (large, long, tall, bumpy.sharp) beads can also be lined.

As with any tool it is important that it is used in the correct way to minimize risks and eliminate problems.

Although our system is virtually fool proof we still (of course) recommend one of our Silver Coring Tuition Day.

The days course will not only cover all the necessary details and give you access to more tools and experience (including direct links to all suppliers of tubing, correct sizes for mandrels etc.) but you will be able to purchase the press and take it away at a reduced price and ……… wait for it

Attending the course will give you access to Full Technical Support and After Sales back up from David!!!!

Our Flaring dies are being manufactured as we speak and we are awaiting delivery of the Arbor Press (the top section) a commercially available tool, which has been held up due to the problems in the Far East.

Once these issues are cleared up we will be ready to go J

The press will come initially with dies to line 4/5mm beads. We are developing dies to line 6mm, 9mm and eventually 12mm beads, these will be available to purchase separately at a later date.

We are hoping to retail the press at around the £220 mark (£185 if purchased whilst attending a course)

We think we will be the first press to be available within the UK and hope that this and the design of the press will be of benefit to all :)

The Mango Bead Liner

The first stage placing a bead for the initial flare .

Core Big Beads

Plenty of space for beads of all shapes and sizes.

Our Unique Dies

Designed to cope well with those bumpy beads.

Comes complete with wooden base to place on your worktop, even with a little space for your beads !

So thats it ! Hope you like !

Mangolo Beads

2011-05-10T20:49:00.000+01:00

Mangobeads have recently developed our own range of mandrels. Designed to make making Big Hole Beads so much easier.

The beauty of these mandrels is that the arm of the mandrel remains 3mm while the bit at the end is 5,6,9 or 12mm.

Centering glass on these really is so much easier than on a mandrel that is 6,9 or 12mm down its entire length.

Mangolos were the result of me being lucky enough to have so many 9mm mandrels to hand!

I wanted something that I could make, clean and post for sale without lining with silver.

As with anything the first ones just rolled off the production line with seemingly little problem. But then as with everything I seem to do the designs become more complicated and the beads took longer to produce J

The beauty of the mangolos is in the width of the bead. I try to keep them very slim so they hang beautifully. Doughnut shapes are a no no!

This has caused me enormous problems, keeping the beads slim but ending up with them round has been hugely frustrating. Some days I just can’t do it L

But I hope things are on the up and consequently I shall be rethinking my pricing structure!

So just what are you supposed to do with them.

Well anything goes with Mangolos.

Where them on anything.

I have some simple imitation suede necklets that can be purchased in one of two lengths with or without a clasp so you can wear a couple of lengths together if you prefer. They look great on any chain, and leather too.

Hang them the traditional way or wear them stacked as in the pictures. Mix them; wear them on their own. Let me know how you wear yours!

Find them on my website and on Etsy too.

Rings 'n' things

2011-04-30T21:54:00.004+01:00

Venturing away from the conventional bead has been an enormous challenge for me after 6 years of making beads with holes!

The push to move forward I have to say came from my partner David who having come through a degree in Glass Blowing has a very different approach to my work than me who came to glass bead making 6 years ago after a career in childcare and bringing up babies!! …. No forward planning push or drive other than to just melt glass.

Nothing wrong with that at all, but I have really enjoyed pushing myself beyond the bead and having for the first time to work out a technique for myself.

Challenging is most definitely what it has been. ‘Take the Harlequin Beads that step further, I know you can do it ‘! ‘Yeah right “

But I did it and it worked!

The failure rate for someone that likes a full kiln of beautiful successful beads at the end of the day has been massive. The despondency, lack of motivation, and infuriation the failures have provoked has on occasions been hard to take J

The process started on the end of a 2mm mandrel. This worked just fine but inevitably meant a lot of glass needed to be ground away before the cab could be set.

First Cabs ...

So we developed our first cab mandrel, at the moment in just one size, but it has made the process easier. Each one still comes out differently shape wise, and David still grinds away a lot of the design to achieve the correct shape for setting. but the process is easier than working on the end of a mandrel.

Finding colors that work together and that can take the heat of having the clear glass pulled down over the top of the design, keeping their definition and neat clean lines (which of course I have to have J) has and is an ongoing source of despair. That’s why there’s a lot of purple as it works brilliantly for impact.

The last stage is the most crucial and it’s this stage that can put half an hour’s work effortlessly into the water jar L. Pulling the clear glass over the design without any of it bleeding through the surface is the hardest part and the point at which I shed a few tears!

Once a successful cab comes to fruition David grinds it to achieve the perfect shape for setting.

From this ...

To this ...

So now the fun begins, under Georges expert eye David had a crash course in ring design! Having never worked with silver (other than the silver coring) he has amazed me with the results. His attention to detail and his strive for extreme perfectionism (at times infuriating) has really paid off. The rings are a real credit to him and a perfect unison of work from us both.

So ‘come on then’ I hear you say, ‘you keep showing pictures are you actually going to sell them, or keep them all for yourself J’ and ‘will you be selling the cabs on their own?’

We have taken along time over it, and that’s partly because we have had annoying time constraints but ultimately we really wanted to get it right.

We have decided after many hours of discussion that the cabs initially for the first few weeks will be available through the web site as rings only, and then in a few weeks time we will offer the cabs on their own or as a ring depending on what is required.

The cabs and rings are now available on my website

Competition announcement ...

2010-06-06T20:31:00.008+01:00

To celebrate The Contemporary Craft Fair I have put together plans for a little competition !!
The prize is this little collection of MangoBeads on a beautiful Omega Chain the length of your choice . The retail value of these beads alone is £147 .

So what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning !!
Answer not much really just help me out by coming up with a name for the collection which I will then go on to use to advertise similar beads in an array of colours an designs .
I have Victoriana, The Fairy Tale Collection , Hippotastic and now I need something for these.
So all you wordy creative bright sunny people come on help me out here !
To enter visit my Facebook Page once you 'Like' me you can find The Contemporary Craft Fair Competition thread and leave your spectacular name in the Comments Box.
Now thats so easy isn't it !! I will be getting someone independant to judge the competition which closes on June 30th 10pm. Winner will be announced on July 1st at 8pm.
So come on everyones in with a chance here . The competition is open to all .
Good Luck every one and please if you visit The Contemporary Craft Fair Bovey Tracy the beads will be available to see in real life !

Countdown to The Contemporary Craft Fair

2010-06-01T17:53:00.006+01:00

I cannot believe that this time next week we will be packing once again for our trip a tiny bit further down South to Bovey Tracy for The Contemporary Craft Fair.

To say I am organised would be a little untrue but we are getting there !

The event is a fantastic showcase of 165 of some of the best designer makers in the country. Its a wonderful opportunity to be able to exhibit there and a great experience too .

From Friday 11th of June through to the 13th .thats NEXT WEEK !!!!!!!!!!!!!

They have attracted a massive 800 fans this year on their Facebook page which is always a constant source of the 'WOW' factor !!!!!

There are always a number of fabulous workshops that can be attended , and the food is always fantastic! The children are very well catered for on the entertainment front too , there really is something for everyone .

I am a little nervous but then thats a good thing I think . I have with me the largest selection of Silver Core beads I have ever had so for those of you that can make it you really will see the best ..... heres a little taste

These are just a few examples of beads I will have with me ..... a few more fresh from the kiln and still in production so a little dirty still but you will get the idea!

So don't froget you can catch all the latest on MangoBead Fan Pages too and I might even get a few more updates there before next week .

In the meantime thanks for stopping by don't forget the MangoBeads website for those of you that can't make the show . Once I'm back home there will be lots of activity there.

... and finally the workshop preparations are well under way we took the premises over 4 weeks ago . Booking for lampworking workshops can be made via the web site from late June.

... and even more finally dont forget the OFFICIAL WORSHOP OPENING on 11th / 12th September this year .....

Thats it folks Byeeeeeee

New Beads

2010-02-14T16:39:00.008Z

Can I believe we are middle of February already , no for sure I can't. I am having a complete lack of creativity at the moment.

Today I was indulging myself with a play day in the shed and 3 hours later zilsh , nada in the kiln. What a waste of valuable time . Panic is starting to set in as its now half term which greatly reduces torch time anyway. Absolutely no point in crying over spilt milk I shall eat chocolate instead . but none the less here are the pictures of the beads just loaded onto the site.

Plans for the new workshop are coming along nicely and we hope to be in on 29th March , running courses by July with an Official Opening 11th September so get that in your diary , an exiting few days of glassy goodness is promised for the occasion. I am in the process of booking exiting people to come do workshops something we have not had the luxury of in this part of the country before.

I am pondering over which glass to stock at the workshop - this glass will be available for sale by the rod which I hope will benefit newbies to the world of lamp work. Not planning to sell over the web site as there are lots of webbie glass suppliers but wanting more to be a local resource for people don here and those that come for lessons.

But should I stock CIM or Effetre? My dear friend Julie suggested Plowden and Thompson Glass which is UK made but I am quite keen to stick with COE 104 which they don't do ( unless anyone can tell me different )

Please vote so I can stock the best for everyone...

I have bought a fabulous Disc Cutter which I am very much looking forward to trying as we want to do capped beads with silver cores as part of the workshop. There seems so much to do at the moment which is probably effecting the Bead Mojo , I guess I am maybe trying too hard.

Happy Valentines to everyone, eat chocolate and be happy ........ xx

First Draft

2010-02-11T15:55:00.001Z

First Draft - what do you think ?

DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal

2010-01-16T19:41:00.005Z

CLICK TO VIEW AUCTION

Thanks to everyone we raised £150 for the bead and a lovely customer donated £60 on top for the appeal .

I am having a Ebay Auction for the DEC Haiti Earthquake appeal. We all struggle at times like this to know what we can do to help the victims of such an unimaginable disaster on this scale. I hope my Victoriana Focal will have you all reaching deep into your pockets . If it does then 100% proceeds will go directly to the appeal and you will win the most beautiful Victoriana Focal bead. So whats stopping you go take a peak, the Auction goes live at 9.15 tonight !

Happy Birthday Benjy

2010-01-11T18:30:00.004Z

We have a Birthday Boy in our house today the big terrible 2 and don't we know it !

Hes had a happy day as Bunny Days go. Not many pressies but loads of Happy Birthdays on his Facebook Page ( Benjamin Nibbles ) . Hes a star and we love him to bits.

Special Edition Beads

2010-01-10T22:07:00.002Z

At last catching up with 2009 ! September and October now available on EBay November and December will follow before too long.

In case you are wondering what I am on about , I produced one bead a month for 2009 with special engraving on the side making them very special little beads . Most of them show the development of my Victoriana bead through the year . You can view my EBay Shop here

2009

2009-12-27T20:42:00.008Z

I always think its nice to stop at the end of a year and think about how far you have come and where it is you would like to be at the end of next year.

2009 for MangoBeads has been very exiting. I took the decision to concentrate on a few bigger shows and not do so many of the little ones meaning there would be more time for the web site in between .

It meant completely revamping the stand and generally sharpening up the MangoBeads image.

On the whole it has worked really well . I was lucky enough to get a place at The Contemporary Craft Fait at Bovey Tracey in June albeit a cancellation I was thrilled. It was a wonderful opportunity and a challenge. We met some wonderful people and had a very successful show.

I moved on from there to Exeter Cathedral Green for a two day event a few days later and can honestly say that with the combination of absolutely horendous weather during Bovey ( which we were camping in ) and the camping experience on Cathedral Green the following week exhaustion set in.

The summer was a quieter time and we managed a camping trip again in the rain to South Devon. The summer saw the start of enormous web site problems which were all very unfortunate but probably unavoidable. The web site has now just been rebuilt and works around a different E Commerse solution which will be able to cope with the stock control issues Iwas experiencing with the old site.

November was a busy month with a second big fair in Brighton MADE 2009 this was another huge success and one I hope to repeat in 2010.

I am very happy with the sucess of MangoBeads at the end of 2009 its been a tough year with lots of hurdles to overcome. I have met some wonderful people and have some wonderful customers old and new, quite a few have become friends and all the support I recieve from you all is invaluable.

So onwards to 2010 with mangobeads SALE and a web site that works yipeee ! New tools have arrived and there are lots of exiting things planned for 2010 .

Time to post this I meant to do it before the end of 2009 but just didnt make it , but hey better late than never!

We have had a fab Snow day today and are bracing ourselves for more tomorrow !

Update

2009-12-15T20:20:00.007Z

....again no good news but I hope its getting nearer , the resolving of Web Site issues that is .
For those of you not sure whats been happening its all down to stock control issues.
Zen Cart the shopping cart that I had simply couldn't cope with two or three of you lovely people trying to buy the same bead at the same time . It repeatedly sold more than there were in stock despite setting the limitations. The problem was solvable we thought when a Zen Cart expert in the States wrote new coding to kick the shopping cart into gear but alas it threw it into even more of a head spin, consequently I had to take it off line as Stock levels were increasing as you bought the beads !
So with one thing and another just don't mention Zen Cart its an Evil word in my house, the site is being rebuilt around Joomla with a Virtuemart shopping cart.
Its nearly there just a few glitches and it will be ready to roll ! I shall be doing a cosmetic once over in the New Year but just to have a Web Site will be oh so good !
So in the meantime I have stocked the Etsy Shop with beads and hope that maybe there will be a few more beads on the new site in time for last posting day which for me is Friday.
So Christmas at Gloster Road has been put on standby shopping will commence tomorrow, I hope to even order a turkey !
But all in all I just wanted to bring you up to speed on whats been going on - 2009 for the web site has not been a year I wish to repeat !
But today I had some really good news . I have been accepted into The Contemporary Craft Fair for the second year , but this time I am really chuffed as I was excepted from selection panel. This year 2009 I was there as I was offered a cancellation and three years previous I applied to no avail . So I am well chuffed.
Here are a few new beads that have gone on Etsy ... ENJOY

HQ MangoBeads

2009-11-30T13:49:00.010Z

Japan have taken over my kitchen ! To say we are working under extreme circumstances would be a little under measured . 9 am this morning excitement levels were high 5pm this afternoon tempers were frayed and verging on topping exasperation! It might be time for a bigger workshop ! Recycling packaging is all well and good until the kitchen floor resembles crazy paving and the kettle cannot be distinguished under biodegradable chips and sticky brown parcel tape . The fragile sticky tape is now across my brow and we are relaxing over a nice cup of tea!

Japan have been contacted for reinforcements which will soon be on their way.

The post office counter and que needless to say didn't give us a reputes welcome, but it was actually quite nice to be the one causing the que for a change .

Web site maintenance

2009-11-25T21:13:00.007Z

Wow what a day ! Managed to get some new beads up on the site in between pricing a huge box of tools that arrived from Japan . I'm not the best with numbers and dealing with Yen has been lets say challenging ! lucky me to have a wonderful mum to help me out!

But what lovely tools if I decide not to keep them all ( very difficult decision ! ) they will be available on the site tomorrow along possibly with a few beads perhaps on Etsy - we'll see !

I have had such lovely emails from people I met at Brighton, customers and other Lampworkers , it always so lovely to meet people face to face I love that part and would never only sell through the web site i would miss the contact with all you lovely people !

I have another Fair this weekend at RHS Gardens Rosemoor ( Torrington ) Friday and Saturday 10am - 4pm , so there is no rest for the wicked !

I have decided for those of you that know Benjamin that he needs to diet, just how to rabbits get fat ? he legs it round the house up two flights of stairs numerous times a day , lives on a veggie diet of carrots and bunny nibbles but is definitely over weight , surely all the cardboard he consumes can't be fat inducing ?.. and hes starting to sneeze again so another round of antibunnionics is on the horizon! but oh I love him so much .

So a few bead pictures and off to bed -still haven't quite recovered after the weekend yet it was such a great show , we will certainly be back if Brighton will have us !

MADE 09 BRIGHTON

2009-11-20T09:05:00.004Z

We are here MADE 09 in Brighton, its difficult to remain horizontal in the gail force winds but other than that Brighton (which i have never seen before ) is good . We are in a little B & B right by the pier . We will get to the end of it by the end of our few days here I hope. Our little walk round planned for this morning has been postponed due to the horrid weather .
The show opened last night with the Private View lots of talking looking and some buying which was good . I got to meet up with Amanda Glanville of The Earring Cafe ( who is here selling ) and Judith Johnson who dropped in to visit us. We dipped into a rather natty noodle bar just over the road from The Corn Exchange for a bite to eat and a good chat after the PV , it was lovely to see you Judith !
I managed a few photos very quickly yesterday of the stand but there will be more to follow , when hopefully there will be time to draw breath at some stage .
As usual there are some lovely people here lots to see and do, so if you find yourself in Brighton come visit MADE 09 open today 11- 7.30, tomorrow 10 – 6 and Sunday 10 – 5pm .

MADE 09 BRIGHTON

2009-11-17T19:15:00.003Z

MADE 09 BRIGHTON

Thats where I will be Friday 20th through till Sunday 22nd so if you are Brighton way drop in, it promises to be a fantastic show of craft with talented makers from all over the UK .I will try and post some pictures while we are there if I can get some coverage on my dongle wongle ! So watch this space .......... and read the MADE 09 BLOG

Exciting News

2009-11-15T11:00:00.007Z

Mangobeads are pleased to announce that we will be supplying Japanese Lampworking tools in time for Christmas - the tools are on their way as I type and include TONBO-DAMA Books and DVD's. These tools have not been available in the UK until now ! I am very exited about the arrival and will endeavour to get the tools on the web site as soon as I can !!!!!!

Did you ever ...... see anything as beautiful

2009-11-09T19:55:00.001Z

A busy time

2009-11-08T19:43:00.003Z

Having returned from Nottingham and visiting Lustre Contemporary Fair my feet don't have much time on the ground before our local Art Bazaar event this coming Friday 13th. Then Made 09 the following week in Brighton. So I dont have much to do really ! its all good fun and I love the fairs so much. Selling over the internet is wonderful of course but its always lovely to meet the lovely people the beads go to and of course recieve all the valuable feedback really only possible meeting everyone in person.

I have new beads on my web site this evening and then a few on Etsy later in the week , these are the ones you will see on there so keep an eye out !

New Banner for my website

2009-10-28T21:45:00.001Z

Making some changes to my web site and hopefully ironing out all the glitches I have had this year and giving it a bit of a face lift. Would love to hear what you think of my idea for a new banner?

New Etsy Listings ..

2009-10-26T18:25:00.009Z

For the first time I am listing some of my BIG focals on Etsy - kicking off with these two ...

These are BIG beads and will look fantastic worn on their own on any simple chain or piece of leather , to give an idea of size here is a picture of them with my chain ....

You can find them here .... http://www.mangobeads.etsy.com/

New Beads this evening

2009-10-25T18:45:00.003Z

Including this little lovely , Gypsy a gorgeous Focal, so delicate and very pretty.Take a peak later this evening for lots more eye candy!

I have spent the whole day sorting out RSS feeds and linking everything together, to say my head is spinning is an understatement ! I absolutely love computers and working stuff out, but it doesn't come easily and I need a quiet house to do it in , not always possible !

The V&A

2009-10-23T14:57:00.009+01:00

We visited the V & A at the weekend but have only just got round to looking at the pictures we took not many but a few things that we really enjoyed. We only looked round the new Ceramics Gallery and the Glass Gallery.

The Donkey Child in the Ceramics Gallery we particularly liked - depicting the heavy burden society these days inflicts on our children . My daughter says it actually symbolises Tom when hes ill but I'm not sure he would agree with that !

.... and the very old BC Beads in the glass gallery the only beads on display, but oh how familiar they look ,and what alot we have to thanks these guys for, all the skills we apply today in our lampworking evident and discovered so many years ago.

I was particularly shocked that they were the only beads on display, with so many talented Lampwork Artists in the world today, a display of beads since then would be of significant interest to many -

Something to be investigated perhaps ?

2009-10-23T10:19:00.001+01:00

cool

2009-10-22T08:00:00.001+01:00

puzzled over why when she tweets somethings with links they appear twice on her blog ??????

2009-10-21T18:43:00.001+01:00

New Blog Post http://ow.ly/vJM0

Frustrations

2009-10-21T18:19:00.013+01:00

One of those days when the bead mojo just won't do what its supposed to, usually I stubbornly fight against it and end up with a load of rubbish for the kiln fairies but today I was good and concentrated on some other stuff . So the web site got some TLC and had some new stuff added which was complicated as its all stuff that needs pricing separately to the main product so it got a bit technical but I think I have it under way.

Mum and I had a play with photography as we are both disappointed with how all her hard work really does not shine through on the web site, we feel all the editing that has to be done to get a white background just kills the beads so we have made a few decisions to change the way we do it but that will mean a few web site changes first so it might take a bit of time .

Here's a comparison of photos so you can see what you think .......
This one is without editing straight from the camera with a little twiddling but nothing major .

...and this one has had all the levels etc adjusted to get a white back ground . I think you will agree the top one is best but I would be very interested to hear what you think ,so if you have a minute please drop me a comment below.

2009-10-21T08:30:00.001+01:00

kiln fairy was lovely to me this morning..... is another wish to much to expect she wonders ...

2009-10-20T19:11:00.001+01:00

5 row bead rack available now http://ow.ly/vv3S

2009-10-20T19:10:00.001+01:00

One of my award winning Victoriana Focals on my web site now ! http://ow.ly/vv35

2009-10-20T16:24:00.001+01:00

New Blog Post ...... http://ow.ly/vsiM

2009-10-20T15:42:00.006+01:00

A wonderful Weekend.

We arrived home yesterday after a really great weekend, although its all past in a bit of a blur! We left home on Friday heading for London but inevitably got delayed by the closure of the M5 which was extremely annoying prolonging our journey to London so we consequently didn't arrive until much later than we had expected but never mind.

We spent Friday evening wandering around like country bumpkins in awe of all the thousands of people seemingly on the streets knowing exactly where they were heading and for what purpose !

We successfully found some food and headed for an early night exhausted already.

Saturday we were up bright and early and headed for Waterloo to catch the train to Esher for The Big Bead Show at Sandown park. We had intended it to be a reconnaissance mission to suss the show for potential bead rack sales next year but a surprise invite the week before to attend the British Bead Awards ceremony gave the visit added exitement and purpose!

I was thrilled to come second at the awards in the Lampwork Beads category, I entered one of my Victoriana focals .

We had a good look round and chatted to friends bought a gorgeous bead made by Rowanberry which I am thrilled with ! It was lovely to meet Jean Power from Bead Magazine and the crew Elizabeth and Maria they work so hard at putting such a fabulous magazine together for us all .

So time to head back to London and visit Origin which was also total inspiration overload, and then Covent Garden a lovely meal and collapse exhausted into bed .

Sunday was much quieter a visit to the V&A and the new Ceramics bit and of course the must look at Glass Hall !

Then a lovely meal with brother Alex and Hayley and a fabulous DimSum restaurant Ping Pong somewhere in Soho ? don't ask me where I was so very disorientated !

Then Monday saw the drive home and back to reality today ....... but a kiln full of beads to look forward to in the morning !

2009-10-16T07:13:00.001+01:00

Off to the capital city for 3 nights - very exited , bead fairs,craft fairs and a lovely man what more can a girl ask for ................

2009-10-15T14:38:00.001+01:00

New beads available from me .............. http://ow.ly/uyAm

2009-10-14T13:21:00.001+01:00

looking forward to Origin and The Big Bead Show this weekend http://ow.ly/ukrm http://ow.ly/ukrA

2009-10-14T08:13:00.001+01:00

Bad head not a good day to make beads ........... but a girl just has to dosn't she ?

2009-10-13T17:41:00.001+01:00

Is thrillled with her new collection for Carol Anne Jewellers.... http://ow.ly/i/3fG http://ow.ly/ubjk

2009-10-13T14:02:00.001+01:00

Booking a stand at Flame Off 2010 for our lovely bead racks !!!!!!!!!!!!! http://ow.ly/i/3cP

2009-10-13T12:06:00.001+01:00

oh my one update updates my facebook and blog how cool is that , getting to like this .....

2009-10-13T12:00:00.001+01:00

discovering RSS how the hell to I link it to my web site .... aghhhhhhh

... they are here

2009-06-15T14:17:00.006+01:00

Bead racks for the collector ! perfect for the dressing or bedside table a must for all bead addicts ! Below are pictures of the racks I had for mey craft display but there are two designs available and both are available to order through the web site. I have included some pics too of my Bovey Display which nearly finished us off to get together but was well worth the effort !

Life after Bovey ....

2009-06-09T12:19:00.002+01:00

To have got through the last week and to have survived I am truly happy about . It has been an amazing experience and I have met some truly lovely people customers old and new and had some wonderful remarks made thank you all for all the amazing support you really are the best .
We survived the horrendous weather under canvas despite accidently pitching our tent in the middle of a football pitch ! ( we pitched late and were exhausted - good excuse huh ! )
Mum took some truly fantastic pics of the stand and they will be on here by tomorrow - shes temporarily gone AWOL with the card from the camera !
But theres no rest for the wicked I will be on Exeter Catherdal green this coming Friday and Saturday so its a quick turnaround and stand redesign and we are off again !
To have achieved the standard of display we did without the wonderful support of my family and David would not have happened and I am truly grateful to them all -

So please do check back in the next day or so for pics and some exiting new Bead Racks for those collectors !

New Buddies available soon ...

2009-03-28T20:53:00.005Z

Gosh its been such along time - Stourbridge was last August whoops where has the time gone . No excuse just been very busy and as you all know there are times when its just too much to keep up with everything and the Blog just slipped. Anyhow time to rectify that . Heres a sneak preview of my new EBAY auction going live tomorrow night.

New EBAY Auction tomorrow .....

2009-03-28T20:38:00.007Z

2008-08-24T19:31:00.006+01:00

Sarah and her gorgeous beads

The gang

Stourbridge

If you hadn't already heard Stourbridge Festival and Masterclass Events have been on all over this week and weekend . Although I missed the festival I was lucky enough to get to Sarah Horniks Masterclass and meet Sarah and a whole bunch of lovely people we had a real BLAST !!!!

I only had my phone for pics so nabbed a few of Sarahs from Flickr but do look at her collection and you will see what a great time we had .

I have truly met some wonderful new friends Emma from The Little Bead Shop ,Kinga from Germany, Joanne , Sarah and Carole, we made loads of fab beads thanks to Sarahs wonderful tuition and consumed our fair share of chocolate and lentils ( yes you are reading correctly ).

I met up with Becky who was doing another Masterclass and loads of other people.

So back down to earth and I have new beads in the kiln mainly focals for EBay and a few Silver tummied Buddies all will be available later this week so please watch this space......

Bye for now xx

EBAY AUCTION

2008-08-16T22:17:00.003+01:00

I have a small set of beads on EBay so please take a look -

something a bit different

2008-08-15T19:02:00.005+01:00

.... I love these , these are the result of a week of sheer freedom . My mind has been uncluttered and it has been so nice to concentrate on something other than my usual !

I have a smaller set in the kiln and they will be on ebay tomorrow night - ofcourse they are so much better IRL and big beads too !

I see my son has been at my Blogger account and added his Blog - its very funny I have to admit , hard to believe he's 21 and really grown up enough to make this journey !

I am off on Monday for my few days with Sarah Hornik in Stourbridge I am so looking forward to it and can't quite believe that in fact I have another week or so to myself its been like a real holiday a few weeks of pure self indulgence , heaven !

My youngest will be home on Sunday after a week away with his Dad on the Isle of Man - rubbish weather I fear but I am sure he will have had a good time but it will be lovely to have him home .

Benjy had his little op' today hes survived it well but the aneasthetic has left him very stiff so we have now 2 lots of daily medicine to administer. Very relieved thats behind us now and I am sure he will be feeling brighter in the morning !

We had a lovely time...

2008-07-29T17:32:00.007+01:00

My faith in camping has been well and truly restored after two years of exceptional experiences we have had a wonderful time. Door to door sunshine with a short spell of torrential rain on the last night and while dimantling the camp !!! So yes everything is very wet .
We went to South Devon and stayed at Woodlands just outside Totnes amazing value and wonderful faciliites in an unbeatable location .
We had our share of bad luck when we discovered the day before we left that RATS had got into the trailor - undeterred we set about washing everything and arrived at our site in great spirit only to discover huge holes in all 3 air beds and not just little nibbles but tears which would indicate that the rats had been at starvation level for some considerable time !
We attempted puncture repair but after two tubes of glue and extreme exhaustion we gave up and bought new beds !
We discovered Blackpool Sands the most heavenly beach I have seen in a long time and explored the local towns and villages - it was lovely and we feel we have had a holiday which is even better .
Our holiday treat was a new swingball set and competition status in the house is running high with Sophie showing true aggression in her flamboyant swings - Tom has yet to get near the ball and so I think its very likely the stakes will intensify.
As Tom approaches his 21st birthday this Friday we are winding up for a weekend of fun ! orat least he is - since being away we have noticed the appearance of a drinks bar in his bedroom surely in readiness for a good time mmmmm!!
Benjy has been a good boy while we have been away with mum bunny sitting - he was due to have his marbles seen too this week but as he is still snotty we will have to postpone that for a week or so!
I have some pictures to post of ourtrip away and will get some up later on after the new beads go up so catch you later.

New Beads next week

2008-07-22T15:00:00.007+01:00

Bit of a delay on this weeks beads as we have decided to take advantage of the DRY weather and go camping for a few days .

So here is a sneak preview of whats to come. New Silver charm beads are now available and I have some lovely charm chains on the way - lovely lengths of trace chain with a collection of charms to hang with your beads .

A huge apologie to those of you viewing or trying to view on an Apple and with AOL there seems to be an issue which I am working on to resolve and will update you as and when there is some good news .

Ooooops where have I been !

2008-07-13T21:36:00.004+01:00

Thanks Ali !!! You know what for - I was just checking out my blog and feeling so guilty for having been so neglectful when I discovered that Ali has award me 'The Sweet Home Blogger Award ' thanks Ali that made my day you are very kind .

Well whats new ? nothing really just been very busy and that's not new either I guess . As a few of you know I am making a limited collection of beads for our local jeweller Carol Anne and as there are 3 shops I have been kept very busy with repeats for this collection which is great !

But oh yes I have slipped up on the Blog front I know and I am so sorry !
I hope you are all enjoying the new web site its certainly making things much easier for me at my end and hopefully making the 'shopping experience ' for all of you a great deal smoother too . You can always email me if you feel the need it just cuts out all the unnecessary emails that I am sure we can all do with out !
Well summer holidays are nearly here and of course the rain too - whats new then - well, at least we have a summer to look forward to in our new house without the builders or the stress that moving house brings with it ( last years memories are hard to forget ! ) - we have been here a year already I find that difficult to believe but am very happy that we have the year behind us .
No holiday this year but we are hoping to plan some day trips round and about - we had a lovely day today at Withypool on Exmoor today ( yes we had sun ! ) The children swam in the river, fished and did a spot of sailing it really was a lovely day we even had an ice cream .
Benjy the Bun is still snotty and on antibiotics , I tell you I am a medicine administering expert now 4 months down the line ( so lucky we won the Bunny raffle at out local Hopper evening and got £50 towards vets fees ! )
But he is a delight and continues to romp around the house and now the garden too as we have managed to get him vaccinated .

The bad news is that all our clothes now have holes in as hes a bit of a secret nibbler .
I ironed my jeans today and noticed 20 little razor holes around the bottoms of the legs ! and all my shirts have holes in the collar . I tell you its just as well we love him or he'd be in the oven by now ! He has incidentally been in the washing machine !

Well that has updated you all a little ..... thanks for stopping by and thanks again Ali for the award .

Whats been happening -

2008-06-20T13:01:00.005+01:00

Well I am sure you must be wondering whats been going on as the web site has been and gone so many times !
Well its nearly there just last minute tweaking on the shopping cart side and we will have made it .
When it actually goes live,' proper like 'on Monday there will be the Buddies you see available to buy and perhaps a few accessories BUT over the next few weeks as Mum and I get all the pics done all my stock will be uploaded and there for you to see. Then of course the normal weekly Buddie service will resume !
I shall keep on with my existing mailing list for 6 weeks to give everyone who is interested a chance to switch to the new site - you will need to create an account and subscribe to the newsletter to keep getting the updates beyond that time ( its very quick to do a bit of a pain but the zen cart programme requires that you do it ) .
I am currently on Art Trek at a venue near Lynton - The Beggars Roost Hotel I shall be here until Sunday so if you are in the area do pop over theres lots for you to see including Ethical Jewellery by April Doubleday and Chain Maille from Margo Benson plus Photography from Dave Green , Pantings from Tim Saunders, Musical Instruments from Tony Benson, gorgeous hats from Jilly Collins and more painting from Pete Ward ( materials he uses are all sourced from the local estuaries - basically its the different muds, clay etc dried which in powdered pigment form is paint ! )
We are all here 11am 'till 4pm both through until Sunday . You can find out more from the North Devon Festival website

Ducks....................

2008-05-25T21:43:00.004+01:00

Cannot quite believe that we are Duck sitting for Sophies boyfriend ! Flower arrived this morning at 8.30 and things have been pretty noisy ever since . She whistles all day and gets even louder when she is left on her own . Sophie has become mummy duck and has been digging up worms !

Mad or what - shes very sweet but think i prefer Bunnies !!!! But I tell you she can leg it when she wants to , really very funny . She is all tucked up now for the night in a box in front of the stove shes still whistling but its getting quieter so we think shes getting tired - do hope so .

Benjy still has is two runs a day in the house , he still has a snotty nose and has to go for a nose swab on Tuesday that will be interesting.

I had a super video sent to me from two lovely people I gave a lesson too and if I can figure out how to post a video I will pop it on here - it did make me laugh .

Hope you are enjoying your bank holiday have a great Monday !

So Busy

2008-05-14T19:40:00.004+01:00

Once again so sorry for the long gap between posting just been so busy - Busy with beads and bunnies !

On the bead front there will be new buddies this evening for you to see . I know you have been waiting on the new web site but believe me when I say it is coming ! Its slowly falling into place and looking rather good too so I think it will be worth the wait I hope you do too !

Bunnies mmm well Benjy is now officially a Kevin he's hit his teens big time and has drastic mood swings which are very entertaining !

The hot weather has meant he has spent allot of his time in the house and would you believe that he uses his litter tray all the time hes such a star .

We are gradually getting to know his likes and dislikes Carrots feature high on his list of yummies , Cabbage not so good and Asparagus well that's yuckie . Parsnips get a small thumbs up and Broccoli well that's a bit good too .

He is still on Antibionics can't quite believe that for 6 weeks now I have been administering oral medicine to a bunny every day , its quite a skill I can tell you . He gets sooo very cross , poor little chap .

He's a very welcome addition to our little household we all spend at least an hour each day sitting on the floor with him while he practices for his Olympics - his skill level is increasing every day and those Binkies are to die for !

Enough about him ! I have posted some pics of this weeks Buddies for you to see and will try and get back for another posting real soon !

Also added a picture of our weekend trip to the beach !

Preview

2008-04-22T21:25:00.002+01:00

Sadly Blogger will not let me post any pics at the moment I will keep trying as I have a few beads for a sneak preview .....

2008-04-21T18:59:00.003+01:00

Its been a while had a slightly mad couple of weeks with holidays and all that so thats why its been a bit quiet here ! But back now with so much to do RHS Gardens Rosemoor Craft Fair is bank holiday weekend so its all go for that and the web site is coming along too hopefully it wont be too long now . We have spent the day taking family snapshots for the site and thought you might like to see the pics of the newest member ! He's a bit on the delicious side and such a character he has been named official time waster and trouser nibbler his contribution to the bead industry is zilch but he adds a 'B' to the household obsession list its now officially 'bunnies and beads'

I had a great weekend I went to the UK's first ( I hope ) Flame Off in Towcester my friend Julie HB drove Josephine Wadman and I all the way there and back in a day I was exhausted so she must have been totally zonked . But we had an amazing day and I met so many people that I have been in contact with but never met it was a real buzz and I at last got to meet my friend Laura Sparling who was demonstrating at the event and she did an amazing job its been 3 years since we were first in touch so that was a real treat !

New Buddies On Sunday !

2008-04-03T17:03:00.003+01:00

... change of plan ! Tom is taking me out tonight ( can't turn down an offer like that can I ! ) we are going to see Agatha Christie at the Queens in Barnstaple - apparently it has little Mo's nasty Trevor from Eastenders in it , and as Little Mo left the square to supposedly move to Barnstaple to live above a coffee shop I expect she'll be there too !!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT !

I am sure Trevor did it tho' as he's such a baddie - I will let you know .

So sorry to mess you around on the Buddies but Sunday will be the day and here is a little sneak preview !!

Easter Bunny gets sick !

2008-03-28T20:47:00.005Z

Well within 24 hours of his arrival he's on 'antibunnionics ' would you believe , little man has a snotty nose bought on no doubt by the stress of leaving his mum travelling the length of the country and moving in with us !

Still he's doing well and coping with endless cuddles ! He has central heating in the shed for the time being until he gets his new coat and moves into his new house ! Clever chap uses his litter tray all the time - except for when he has the occasional accident bought on I think by the antibiotics - he tends to hold his wee and explode at rather inapproriate moments - Tom got hit big time and was none too pleased .

My new website is coming along its just getting to that exiting stage as it starts to come together so watch this space for updates hopefully it won't be too long now .

New Buddies going in the shop in a min ,a slightly more organic lot unlike the last few weeks but I hope you like them , I did slip in a little Chocolate Orange set for those of you that like the bright ones .

Clocks just chimed 9pm so off to upload them now .

Easter Bunny came early ...

2008-03-21T19:42:00.007Z

Well our plans to hide a rabbit till Sunday were foiled,so to cut a long story short we had our easter egg hunt today . The Easter Bunny visited us big time and left us this lovely baby bunny !

The pics show the magical moment when Jamie found this treasure in his back garden and then realised that he was going to be Daddy to this wonderful bundle of fluff. It was a gorgeous minute in time a face of delight that we will never forget !

Hiding eggs in such a small garden was a challenge for Sophie but with Toms help the eggs were concealed in most inconspicuous places !!

Jilly ( dog ) took great delight in finding her fair share while minds were on other things !

We had a lovely day...

Whoops its been so long !

2008-03-20T12:10:00.005Z

Hello again , I am so sorry any update has taken such a long time , I have been a wee bit busy and I've gone down with my yearly cold which has knocked me for 6 ! Anyway Mum landed safely last night after 3 weeks in India so things will get back to normal now ! Tom has photographed this weeks beads as with Easter I was keen to get them up this evening another very bright lot with lots of hearts again - I know valentines day was a while back but the bug has only just bitten here !Anyway I am sure you would like a sneak preview of what going on tonight so I shall get that done and leave it at that for now.I hope the easter bunny is making his way to you - he's on his way here and rumour has it he's leaving a baby - of course Jamie has no idea ! hope he dosn't read this ... watch this space !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-29T14:35:00.002Z

Well mum touched down in Delhi this morning and the photos of todays Buddies are rubbish ! I have a bit of learning in that dept to do so please excuse them for this week there is NO comparison but I just ran out of time !
Waiting for that phone call to say Jamies Cross Country is off as that will mess up all the plans for this afternoons upload ! The weather is vicious and I will be very surprised if they do run but we will see.
Took my pictures to the web site designer today so things for the new site will be well under way very soon I cant wait - I hope it will make the shopping experience better for you all as there will be a shopping cart .It will make it easier my end and hopefully lead to less confusion thats the idea anyhow !
Got the whole family home this weekend so expecting quite a busy one but it will be lovely -
While I remember I am attending Instow School Craft Fair on 15th March 10am till 4pm - Parish Hall , Quay Lane, Instow
Should be good so hope to see you there !

Mothers Day

2008-02-28T19:45:00.002Z

New Buddies specially for Mothers Day well you know what I mean all Buddies are special but these are more special coz they will cost less !
Its to say thank you for all the support over the last year - you have enabled me to do a job that I love which in turn means I can be at home with the children and that means sooooo very much .
So as Mothers , Daughters , either ,or, or both and to the few Hubbies and chaps that might be buying for that special lady thankyou !
Enjoy and Good Luck - If you are on the mailing list you should have recieved an email .

New Beads on the way .....

2008-02-24T21:46:00.003Z

New Buddies are on the way just running a bit late this week with being away - I will send out an email when I am ready to go !

Our second day

2008-02-21T16:25:00.004Z

These pictures need little explanation , another busy day .Billy Elliot was just amazing for both of us definately the highlight of the trip .

Jamie is exhausted so we are back at the hotel having a rest!

Supper tonight I think is Planet Hollywood and then Hamleys tomorrow before home and yes I did get to the bead shop and was dissapointed ! Never as good as you think its going to be is it !

Jamies own photos ...

2008-02-20T16:17:00.004Z

Jamie's pictures of our day in London - firstly a very smart car for sale in Harrods £79,300!

The Biggest Easter Egg £130

A small selection of the sweets available !

Some of the fish in the food hall -

Jamie and his Knickerbocker Glory in HARRODS - yummy or what !

The Dodos at the Natural History Museum

We have had a lovely day and come back to the Hotel for a break Jamie is exhausted and we have the theatre tonight so we are taking a well earned rest .

Harrods was amazing we loved the food halls, bought Tom his expresso coffee in a special tin and had a delicious ice cream then rolled onto the big bus for the hotel .

Wagamamas tonight to sample their noodles which have been recommended and then Billy Elliot.

Its still bloomin freezing and if anyone who has anything to do with Hyde Park is reading this could you please signpost Peter Pans Statue so the likes of us from Barnstaple can find it !

hello from London !

2008-02-19T19:29:00.002Z

Well here we are don't you love the cheesy grin its been there all afternoon - but oh my gosh has it been cold - you try the open top bus in february on what has to be the coldest day this winter .

We obviously don't get it bad at home it was freezing !!

But we had a great time but on returning to Marble Arch with big ideas of finding a nice noodle bar or something we rolled into the nearest Pizza Hut coz we could take the cold no more and then we braved our fear of the tube to get back to the hotel as quickly as pos' no walk across Hyde Park for us tonight .

So now we are in the comfort of our hotel room with the bloomin football as entertainment - great huh !

So I reckoned if that was what the evening had in store for me I could justify £20 squid on Internet access for the duration of our stay ! It will keep me sane anyhow.

So Natural History Museum here we come tomorrow and Harrods and Billy Elliot yeah !

ooops sorry its been a mad week !

2008-02-17T18:51:00.007Z

Good heavens a week since I last posted - its been a busy one and with being away over last weekend the time has just gone sweeping by .
Half term this next week and Jamie and I are off to London for a few well earned days away , his main aim is to have his picture taken outside 10 Downing street reading his Beano !
But we have an action packed few days ahead and Billy Elliot to look forward to on wednesday .
We have just spent a lovely afternoon at Hartland Abbey where the recent BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was filmed we lolled in the sun outside Barton Cottage the home of the Dashwood girls and their mother do you recognise it from the photo - the front door is missing !
It was quite beautiful and lifted all our spirits .
Jamie is 11 tomorrow my little boy - he traded in his Nintendo DS for a PSP today so is a very happy bunny !
New Buddies on the way tonight , no preview this week I am afraid just ran out of time . Hope you like them they are small ones this week but quite yummy together or on their own , and there is one little set too .
If we have time Jamie and I intend to post our stories from London ! so watch this space for some pics of the big city !

Valentines Specials

2008-02-07T20:36:00.000Z

I have some very special beads ready to go !

I have to go away this weekend so new buddies will be up on Monday an email has gone to all those on the mailing list .

Thankyou for voting it looks as though the Black has won and it will look very smart withthe new web site which is on its way hopefully all being well in a month or so .

Have a great weekend everyone and I will see you then .

New Ebay Auction

2008-02-04T20:29:00.000Z

Thank you all for the votes it looks as though the black is winning at the moment but there is still time .

Last nights Buddies certainly didn't hang around thank you for that !

I have listed a new auction on Ebay

There may be some a little earlier this week as I have to go away at the weekend so watch this space for further updates .

The Kiln is heaving I had a very good session today the beadie mojo was well and truly with me or at least it certainly did feel that way tomorrow will tell.

I had a delivery from Rocio of some glass I havn't tried before and I love it, hope you do too!

Please can you take a vote to help me out ?

2008-01-31T20:06:00.000Z

As you may or may not know I am havinga new website designed ( scary stuff ! )

The photography is a very big part of this beadie game and something that my mum spends alot of time on . We have three backgrounds that we are considering for all the new pictures and would love to know which works best for you on your screen everyones PC is different and what works for me might not work for you, so would just love your imput coz you guys are what its all about and it has to be just right !

I have included 3 pictures of the same bead on the 3 backgrounds - white - Black - and Glass - and just to the right is the poll so please place your vote and help me out !

Then there is a sneak preview of this weeks Buddies which will go up over the weekend I think - but you will get that all important email if you are on the mailing list .

Thankyou to everyone who emailed and left messages after our rather traumatic Sunday . Its very strange here we have had animals for the last 15 years or so and as we lost out lab a year ago now too, so to have nothing seems very strange . We do still have mums dog Jilly who is our angel in disguise- she however does not miss Charlie one little bit, that was one Hate relationship that went on there I can tell you . But even she may have quietly shed a tear who knows !

oooh and my new torch arrived today so I now have the wonderful task of setting it up a bit scary as its a real big girls one !

.....a sad evening

2008-01-27T21:48:00.000Z

I have an apology to make there were two beads that showed in the photo that never made it to sale as they showed cracks that were terminal - I never got round to explaining as half an hour after putting up the new buddies our dear cat Charlie had a stroke he was very distressed and we had top rush him to the vets and have him put to sleep - just the worst part of having pets dont you think .This evening has been quite traumatic and I am sorry if things over the sale of the Buddies got a bit muddled - I usually sit on the PC for an hour updating and replying as emails come in but this evening that just was not possible .I think everyone has heard from me that needs to for tonight so until tomorrow I will say cheerio .

One of those weeks......

2008-01-24T20:41:00.000Z

..... when I thought I had been wasting my time and had better look for a new career ! So today I took some time out to go over all I had made in the last week or so and sort it out and decide what what was what , and you know I was quite pleased with what I found .
So firstly I have a new set of Florals on EBay - all Michelanglo beads which has driven me bananas as every darn flower even if reduced and treated exactly the same comes out different so there were alot of beads that I decided to group together and auction off , so do please take a look !
Secondly a few heart focals ( no you are right I did for get to upload these ! ) I made, not quite sure what I will do with these you might see them on my site in the next week or so or you might not. I just love the colours its one of the Terra Odd lots for those of you in the know but please don't ask me which one coz I aint got a clue !

Thirdly a sneak of this weeks Buddies which I think will probably go up on Sunday but you will be notified when by email if you are on the mailing list so don't worry - I wont sneak them in when your not looking !
I am really pleased with this bunch and they all look yummy together - I love the terracotta colour it's so very rich and unusual .

So there you have it a few pictures for you to see and a quick update - thanks for stopping by and taking a peak !

...and a whole day in the shed tomorrow so we'll see what that brings

2008-01-20T18:40:00.000Z

This was my favourite one this week - I made this with Michelangelo a silver glass from Rocio its an amazing glass and the same I used for the flower beads in the last post . It can be quite a challenge to get the right colour from this glass I wasted 4 beads to get this 1!

I have spent some time today making tiny little glass nuggets for my friend April to use in her new designs for this year she is going to incorporate my glass into her wonderful silver bangles which you can see at her site April Doubleday .

She in return is designing something for me which will give me a new dimension to play with - quite exiting swapping skills with someone !

I have quite a bit to do for her so that wil occupy me this week ! but I hope to get a set ready for eBay and ofcourse ther will be new buddies too ,so do please keep checking back .

My new torch is on its way and should all being well be here by the 29th - I can't wait for that !

We watched Nanny Mcphee today ( I so love that film ) what else can you do in this weather - Jamie has had some kind of nasty flu thing so we have been housebound so we had a super roast dinner followed by Apple Crumble and a DVD - a yummy Sunday !

Thanks for stopping by !

....what a day

2008-01-17T20:01:00.000Z

The door on my shed has been gradually swelling and it has been taking me longer each morning to get it and this morning the inevitable happened I couldn't get in ! not a surprise really . Well what do you do ? I spent a good 10 minutes throwing myself at it and bruised my backside and my foot I was nearly in tears . Anyway there just happened to be a carpenter working two doors up and he came forced it open and planed it moved the handle and repainted the damage ! what a star and all within the hour .

I was so exited about getting to the kiln as my second attempt at a tree bead was waiting for me ! I was thrilled and made it into a pendant straight away ! But you know what the bloomin thing has developed a hairline fracture just like its predecessor - can't believe it and I kept it so hot , but it was made with a new glass that there have been some issues with so I think my third attempt will be of a different nature !

I have posted a picture anyhow for you to see and a few more of other bits I have been playing with this week oooh and a sneak preview of this weeks Buddies !

I am blown away by the response to my auction quite literally not what I expected at all - there is still time to take a peak it ends tomorrow ( link in post below )

We had that kind of freak weather to day - a sudden increase in wind speed intense hail , thunder and lightening ! Sophie was walking home in it she described it as if someone was standing in front of her throwing buckets of ice at her - it was so bad people were pulling victims off the street she was hauled into an old peoples home ! Very bizarre we seem to have had alot of thunder lately . Strange considering the time of year Ha !

....a few beads on ebay

2008-01-16T18:41:00.000Z

Decided this week to have a clear out I seem to have so many beads that I probably shan't use for anything myself and its dreadful to see them go to waste with so many talented jewellery designers out there,so I have an ebay auction or 2 running .
I have been overwhelmed by the response and very touched that so many people seem to want them , the auction ends on Friday for the 26 focals so there is still time to take a look .

I have a few other interesting focals which I have pictured above not sure what I think of them really but I am sure someone can once again create something wonderful with them .

Here's the link to my EBay anyhow see what you think .

Been busy getting new Buddies ready for this week a few Duos amongst others .There are some hearts on the horizon with that all important Valentines day approaching so keep watch for those too.

2008-01-12T18:33:00.000Z

...had that kinda strange positive feeling today , the weather this morning was just gorgeous which has raised every ones spirits ! My eldest even took Jamie to the park and they had a crazy time taking photos of each other the resulting picture above is just one .

I spent the morning at a meeting to organise Instow school craft fair which is taking place in March and should be a great little event .

Then Mum and I took a trip to town for a little retail therapy which was great 'till it started to pour with rain .

Then its been one of those Saturday evenings that one could describe as a little mad . Tom has been preparing for his works do Christmas Bash since Wednesday , madly ironing and cleaning shoes in readiness for his Pheasant Casserole at High Bullen Hotel , the pressure was on when we arrived home to be ready for 6.30 - Sophie was preparing for first date with 'new boyfriend' and that had its usual anxieties attached to it , the phone didn't stop ringing and in the middle of it all Jilly ( mums lab ) decided to have a choking fit and we had to administer pressure under her rib cage from behind to loosen the offending article ! It was I hasten to add successful and she has recovered - but it gave us quite a scare !

So now all is quiet everyone is out including Jamie who got a last minute invite out to tea so mum and I are enjoying an unexpected evening of quiet . Jilly is enjoying the extra attention her choking has created and thoroughly enjoying the lashings of fresh milk being administered to sooth her sore throat !

So just a normal day perhaps the positive feeling I started the day with means I should go buy a lottery ticket , think I might do just that .

Bye for now !

Would you believe I was a minute too late for that bloomin ticket - positive vibes huh !

... a sneaky preview !

2008-01-11T18:30:00.000Z

This has to be my all time fav bead so far - simple raku twistie encased just yummy . There are a few like this tonight , mum and I have changed the way we photograph to go with my new web site (coming soon ! ) , hope you like them as much as we do . The addition of the silver chain just adds that little bit extra and we are also quite please with the background. The results also mean a lot less editing which means you get to see a more accurate picture depending on your monitor settings . It basically means we don't have to adjust the levels anymore , this had a tendancy to drain the beads of life and we don't want that do we !

Just added a few more pics now they are up !

What do you think?

2008-01-09T20:14:00.001Z

... about these ? Well I am just not sure so I will be putting them for sale sometime tomorrow on my web site , if you decide you would like them or one I would love to see what is done with them , so please send me pics !

Mum and I have just finished photographing this weeks 'Buddies' which will be available on Friday as I am off out tomorrow ( very rare occurence!)

Tomorrow I have to have my second go at making a Pavlova in my new stove (to take out with me ) . The first attempt was turned into a crumbly mess as it stuck to the baking sheet . I have a Redfyre a bit like a baby Aga and it has been a whole new cooking experience I love it we all do and the food tastes so different its yummy and it keeps us warm and toasty all the time but baking has meant learning to cook again ! getting there slowly , you can fry a fab egg on the simmering plate with no fat its quite delicious !

So thats tomorrows plan and then its off to the shed to start on a few bits for a friend who does the most fantastic silver jewellery you can check her out at April Doubleday, we have a few plans to do a few bits together all quite exiting !Incidently the pavlova is for her too ! and another friend who only eats sardines but thats another story ! he'll be eating pavlova by the end of tomorrow night !

One of those ...

2008-01-07T19:05:00.001Z

...days when I should have come in from he shed when it all started to go wrong but that's something I just cant do so I end up carrying on disaster after disaster , the result a kiln full of frugglies and carnage in the surrounding area , I just will not learn.

Oh well perhaps there will be a little surprise in the morning sometimes when you least expect it something amazing comes from frugglies - we'll see -

Tomorrow I have a man coming about a Web Site exiting or what ! My lovely site is getting a bit hard to manage and as I did it myself its not really done proper like and adding things like new buttons takes me an age coz as with everything I went the long way about creating it and its only done with Tables which isn't the grown up way to do it so I am told !
As the gentleman coming creates Surfing DVDS it could be interesting the Buddies always wanted to ride the waves without being wiped out ! Seriously though he produces some fantastic stuff so I am really quite exited .

Then its onto coring this weeks beads with a little photo shoot at the end of the day , purply blues and zany raku stripes are on offer this week .
I love Raku its still my all time favourite glass even over the Silver Glass' that are so popular at the moment , there are some beauties this week some I will be sad to see go ( I'll let you into a little secret those I really really love I stroke and covert for a few weeks before they appear for sale !!!! )
So that's about it for today - hoping to hear back about my new torch soon ( once America wake up from the New Year - hint hint , nudge nudge -) I have decided to go for a GTT Lynx its a real big girls torch and one that I shall probably still need to grow into but I cant wait .

Bye for now and thanks for reading !

The Aftermath

2008-01-03T19:06:00.000Z

' This was the Random Giveaway '

Isn't this the worst part of Christmas the clearing up and the food shop when the supermarket looks as though its been raided and so do all the High street shops I hate it .
To cap it all its bloomin freezing and we once again have no snow -
Still at least that meant the tree has gone and the dec's are down and there is some food in the fridge we did really well this year and had very little left over seemed to judge it just right for once .

My project this year is PMC I would just love to combine it with my beads in some way or another not sure how yet but hopefully time will tell - this time last year the beads were being smashed left right and center in my quest to silver core so hopefully this venture will not be quite so distructive !

I had that Random Giveaway I was talking about well done Amanda for winning that and being on the ball ! The prize was the little darlings pictured above .

But dont think thats it when you least expect it I will pop in another so watch this space !

New Buddies later this evening and now I am off to watch the hour long Eastenders we seem to have had a good dose of it this week .

Bye for now

Normal Service Resumes.

2008-01-02T20:31:00.000Z

Well that's it then Christmas is behind us and life gets back to normal .
So much on my list of to do's for the new year - a new website and a new torch being top of the list !
Had my first session of the New Year in my shed last night and it was heaven !
Mum and I had a photo session this afternoon ahead of tomorrows release ; just before Christmas I had a break in thought nothing of it at the time as all that seemed to be missing was a set of Dr Who toys which I had bought for Jamie but as is always the way you don't miss things till you need them and we discovered today that the tripod had been pinched. Thought I had got off lightly so needless to say we are very angry about that so we struggled with the photos today and will have to go and buy a new one - maddening -
So its new buddies tomorrow and a winner of January's prize draw today , check those in boxes .
Happy New Year everyone !

Its nearly time .

2007-12-23T17:02:00.000Z

''Ready for Action !''

What a strange thing to be doing at this time of year!

2007-12-21T18:38:00.001Z

Can't quite believe I am doing this now December 21st - I have so many other things I should be doing like wrapping a few pressies !

This is a whole new experience for me I tried Face Book and found it too confusing ! ( It dosn't take much ! ) So I will give this a try instead .

Here you will find more in depth waffle about the extremely exiting life of a full time Bead maker , doubt less it will be a huge learning curve but hopefully one I shall enjoy and that you will too .

Well for now thats it I am off to brave Tesco run out of loo paper would you believe !

I had some good news this morning and I am very chuffed - I applied for The Contemporary Craft Fair at Bovey Tracy that runs in June 2008 -its not easy to get into and the standard of work is very high so I was thinking that it might not happen , especially as all the Jewellery places are very over subscribed but I have been put on the reserve list and if someone drops out I will be in !! I am really pleased to say the least better start saving !