Monday 30 January 2012

Facebook Fan Giveaway!

*** To celebrate reaching 700 fans on facebook, I am having a little giveaway! ***


The prize is this pair of earrings, faceted sparkly coated Czech crystal beauties, presented in an organza bag and ready to send to the winner!



If you would like a chance to win, all you need to do is leave a comment here on my blog by 6pm Friday 3rd Feb and I will enter your name into the draw (which will take place on Friday evening). 


My hubbie will serve as the 'random number generator' by picking a name out of the hat! I will publish the result here and on facebook, so you will need to check back  so I can contact you to ask for your address. Simples!


Good luck everyone :)

Saturday 28 January 2012

Projects for today

Well, it's a glorious day here - the sun is shining and it's lovely and still.


Here's what I'm going to be up to later.


As usual, I have several things on the go at the moment, so I'd like to finish them. Two bracelets and some earrings which are nearly done, as you can see here: 


In the top right you can see my first ever experimentation with memory wire, which I'm quite pleased with so far. For some reason I had thought that it would be a lot trickier than it is, but unless finishing off the ends is really difficult, this hasn't proved to be the case. The beads thread on really easily, and it's actually quite fun to do!



Then I have some gorgeous new beads which arrived yesterday to put away. I placed the order mainly to have some more of the rhinestone hearts, as they make lovely pendants, but I couldn't resist popping a few 'extras' in my basket at the same time!


And not forgetting to admire these fabulous tulips. I bought them earlier in the week and they have lasted really well, but I can see they haven't got long to go now - they're at the stage where you know the petals will be dropping off soon, but still time to enjoy them!




So I'd best get started then!!

Friday 27 January 2012

Folksy Friday : January Blues

It's cold outside, it's grey, it's raining .... yes - it's January in good ole Britain. 

If you're anything like me, this time of the year can be the hardest: the festivities of the Christmas holidays are long gone, the days are still far too short, the garden looks sad and dreary, and you long for the spring, the sun, the bursting green shoots of renewal.

So yes, January is a time for the 'blues'.

This set me to wondering, though, why it is we associate the colour blue with sadness?  

Blue is quite a rare colour in nature: apart from the sky and the sea, which have the appearance of blue, there are not many natural blues. Blue flowers are prized by many gardeners precisely because they are rarer, and often harder to cultivate successfully (think of delphiniums, blue poppies, and the elusive search for a blue rose), while the blue stone lapis lazuli has always been highly valued as a rare naturally occurring instance of blue:




Yet blue is also credited with being cooling and calming; scientists have reported using blue light successfully to treat a number of pyschological problems; another theory states that people are more productive if they work in blue rooms; while for the poet John Ruskin, "blue colour is everlastingly appointed by the deity to be a source of delight"! 

Personally, I love blue, in all its shades. Here is a small selection of handmade blues to delight in and help banish yours :)
































Monday 23 January 2012

New earrings

These earrings I made a little while ago, but have only just got round to listing them on Etsy. I like the vintagey feel, with layers of little orange and peach flower beads and little bead caps.
The flower beads are Czech glass, which come in such a pretty range of colours and styles, I'm a bit addicted to them at the moment!





To view the earrings on Etsy, click here

Saturday 21 January 2012

New today

This necklace is new in my shop today. Pretty freshwater pearls with a soft coppery sheen and a cute fairy charm.



Go to Etsy

I also have these art nouveau style fairy earrings, also with pearls:




Go to Etsy


Yes, I admit it: I am a fairweather gardener!

Saturday - loads of possibilities ....... However, sadly, the garden isn't one of them today. Last week we had some glorious sunshine, and I made the most of it by doing this:


Today I did venture out, just briefly, tempted by this lovely sight of hellebores and honeysuckle doing their winter stuff :



I freely admit though, with no shame, that when it's grey, windy or raining, I mostly stay firmly indoors. The next sunny day will come along soon enough! In the meantime I have this little beauty to admire (and smell!) right in front of me :

And to bring a touch of much needed sunshine at this time of year, these yellow earrings:

Just look this way please ...

I have a dog. I take him for walks. I always have my phone with me, and very often I try to take pictures of him doing 'doggie' things.

As you can see, most of my efforts are unsuccessful.
My method is clearly to blame. I say his name to get his attention, and invariably he looks up. I have my phone ready on the camera setting, finger poised, click - and of course at that precise moment he turns his head away. Luckily no-one is usually around to witness as I repeat this sequence 2 or 3 times, before (usually) giving up.
So that's why my pictures are mostly blurry, or of his rear end :/

Just occasionally, though, he humours me with something like this :)

Phoebe dreams' photostream

long_turquoise_bead_handmade_necklacedark,elegant,women,jewellery,earrings,aladdins daughteryellow_earrings_dangle_handmadesilver_daisy_dangle_earrings_handmadeearrings_www.phoebedreams.etsy.comPeach_pink_golden_dangly_earrings_etsy
red_glass_bead_bracelet_jewellerybrass_charm_bracelet_flower_leaves_handmade

Friday 20 January 2012

Beautiful Etsy finds

As part of the On Fire for Handmade team on Etsy, we were given the challenge this week to create a treasury based on the on-trend colours for this spring.
You can see the colours here:  Pantone Colours Spring 2012

The colours are all lovely, and I chose to concentrate on a limited palette of soft browns and aqua blues. Here is my finished collection:

Driftwood, Starfish and Cockatoo Treasury


I do enjoy putting these collections together, even if it's quite time-consuming: you get to discover lots of lovely new things along the way.