In the back garden

Fern

Silver plated earrings with glass beads and silver dragonflies.


Broom

Glass bead necklace with magnetic clasp

Flowers in the back garden

Daisies

Yellow daisy child's necklace. Made with glass millifiori beads.

Geranium

Sterling silver earrings with lampwork glass beads.

Bumble-Bees collecting pollen. Back Garden July 2008

Beehive Brooch. Handstitched in felt with a glass bead bumble-bee.

Frogs in the Garden Pond, June & July 2008

Garden Pond Pincushion. Hand sewn in felt with a pewter frog and a button flower.

A hedgehog in the garden, 2nd July 2008.

Hedgehog brooch. Handstitched in felt with glass bead nose and eye.

Jewellery Making

The question I am asked most often with regards to jewellery making is what you need to get started. The answer, as with so many crafts is very little. There are just 3 tools that you need. All available from craft supply shops or DIY stores. Firstly a pair of wire cutters. You can buy small jeweller's ones from craft shops but they blunt and chip very quickly ( for example memory wire is very tough to cut through). I would buy a proper pair from a diy store in the tools section. Mine are Bahco, made in Sweden, with orange and black handles. I can't tell you how much they cost because I stole them from my husband's tool box! Next a pair of round nose pliers; these are for making loops, and a pair of flat, long nosed pliers; for squeezing loops shut and holding pins tight.

Now you have the tools to get started. As for materials - start by buying small quantities from craft shops until you know what you like, then you can buy in bulk from ebay etc. With some small glass beads, head pins, earwires and memory wire you will see how easy it is to make earrings and bracelets. To make the earrings thread your beads onto the headpin. Cut off the excess wire with your wire cutters, leaving enough to make a loop. Use your round nose pliers to bend the end of the pin into a loop. Hang the loop from the earwire and squeeze it closed with your long nosed pliers. The easiest way to work out how to make jewellery is to look at the finished product in shops, or visit one of the many HOW TO websites out there in cyberspace.
Louise x

Time for a Spring clearout?

With Spring finally trying to break through the gloom of Winter my thoughts turn to Spring Cleaning. I hate regular housework and cleaning but I actually rather enjoy a good Spring Clean. However, as I become more involved in crafting I find that I can no longer have a good clear out because everything has a use, or will do one day. Take that old shirt with the paint stain. No use for the charity shop in that state, but...
Cut off all the buttons for card embellishments and sewing projects (little buttons look lovely asthe centre of flowers).
Use the back panel of fabric as a bag lining
the sleeves can be turned into bag handles
front pocket can be used as a pocket on a bag or apron
the rest of the shirt can be ripped up and used as stuffing for draught excluders or door stops.
This is an obvious example, I know, but as I look round my work room I see a 1970's spice rack used to store seed beads; 35mm film cannisters full of sequins; shoe boxes covered in decoupage to make attractive storage boxes; bags and boxes full of little pieces of ribbon, string, wrapping paper, broken costume jewellery and more.
My green ways have even started to rub off on my children. When they open presents they carefully fold any tissue paper and give it to me before they look at the contents.
So, instead of a clear out this Spring I will be rearranging my supplies to make more room - because with all the money I have saved by recycling I deserve to go on a spending spree at my local craft shop.