More Beadies For Sale

So I am back from the British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) and busy making up orders. It was a really positive experience and learnt a hell of a lot from it. There are a few things that I would now do differently but all in all really good feedback was received.

This morning I decided to do a car boot sale to get rid of some unwanted items. Made a decent amount of money which unfortunately will be paying my credit card off :-(

I have ideas for some new ranges that require a little cash so some of my beads that dont make up my collections will be for sale. I still have a fair few beads that need to go to new homes and here are just a few.

Murano Glass Stars 13mm available in green, blue, dark gold. Each pair is £2.00 including postage

Murano Hearts also available

A 23" strand of various semi precious stones including Cherry Quartz, Tigers Eye, Goldstone, Jade, Black Agate hearts, Rhodonite, Jade Hearts and Jasper - £4.50 including postage

15.off 10mm Swarovski Crystal hearts in Bermuda. £4.50 including postage

17.off 20mm Jade hearts £4.00 including postage

15.off 15mm Black Agate Hearts £3.00 including postage

16" strand of 10mm Goldstone beads £2.50 including postage.

This is all for now bit still a few bits to go. If you are interested please dont hesitate to get in touch via: mail@zazu-jewellery.co.uk or leave a message on the blog

Please help with my addiction!

So, I've been a bad blogger.  No posts for a week.  I have been really busy.  Not making jewellery, listing it and selling it.  Just buying beads.

Not beads, but shells.  Still part of the addiction though!

By now, I must be officially an addict.  Practically my waking thought is 'another day, I could look for some beads'!  It's always been a bit of a problem, but it's got worse recently.

Gemstone chips?  Still beads, really

Partly, I blame the OH who did mention that after April we'll be a bit worse off, so I should 'stock up a bit'.  Then there are the customers.  Every time I have a sale that just encourages me to buy more to make more things.  Also, as it got towards the end of the financial year, and it looked like I'd do slightly less badly than I predicted in last year's tax return.  So, it's all a vicious circle.


So what's the problem?  Well, for one thing, we live in a really small house. Instead of being confined to my beading table, gemstones and findings have spread throughout the living area, and some stray ones were recently even found in the bathroom!  Plus, now I seem to have too much choice.  Just can't decide if I've got the right combination of my vast stash to commit to making something.  And there the normal guilt of spending money, of course.

Even small animals get caught up in the bead obsession!

I've compensated a bit by making and selling more items for charity which is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.  And I know I'm lucky to have the money to indulge my passion - I can still remember the time when we were fishing for pennies down the back of the sofa to scrape together enough for a tin of beans - so it still seems a bit of a wonder that I can afford a hobby at all.





So, what to do?  Any suggestions welcome.  As well as anyone wanting to help form a support group ;-)

Please help with my addiction!

So, I've been a bad blogger.  No posts for a week.  I have been really busy.  Not making jewellery, listing it and selling it.  Just buying beads.

Not beads, but shells.  Still part of the addiction though!

By now, I must be officially an addict.  Practically my waking thought is 'another day, I could look for some beads'!  It's always been a bit of a problem, but it's got worse recently.

Gemstone chips?  Still beads, really

Partly, I blame the OH who did mention that after April we'll be a bit worse off, so I should 'stock up a bit'.  Then there are the customers.  Every time I have a sale that just encourages me to buy more to make more things.  Also, as it got towards the end of the financial year, and it looked like I'd do slightly less badly than I predicted in last year's tax return.  So, it's all a vicious circle.


So what's the problem?  Well, for one thing, we live in a really small house. Instead of being confined to my beading table, gemstones and findings have spread throughout the living area, and some stray ones were recently even found in the bathroom!  Plus, now I seem to have too much choice.  Just can't decide if I've got the right combination of my vast stash to commit to making something.  And there the normal guilt of spending money, of course.

Even small animals get caught up in the bead obsession!

I've compensated a bit by making and selling more items for charity which is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.  And I know I'm lucky to have the money to indulge my passion - I can still remember the time when we were fishing for pennies down the back of the sofa to scrape together enough for a tin of beans - so it still seems a bit of a wonder that I can afford a hobby at all.





So, what to do?  Any suggestions welcome.  As well as anyone wanting to help form a support group ;-)

Wordless Wednesday: Red Nose Day earrings

Carnelian beads and sterling silver earwires.  Only £5 on Folksy, with a donation of £3 to Comic Relief for every pair sold.

Wordless Wednesday: Red Nose Day earrings

Carnelian beads and sterling silver earwires.  Only £5 on Folksy, with a donation of £3 to Comic Relief for every pair sold.

Having a little de stash!

Now that I have finally decided on ranges I will be selling beads that I wont be needing anymore. If there is anything you like the look of just leave a message or email me on mail@zazu-jewellery.co.uk

This is for dyed freshwater pearls in grey, 3 different pinks, 3 different yelows, 2 different blues, purple, burgandy and an orangy/gold. This is £6.00 including postage

*SOLD*

I also have semi precious stone chips.

These are 32" strands, there are 9 strands of small Rock Crystal chips. £1.80 a strand including delivery

There are also 2 strands of Fluourite chips, strands of Rose Quartz, 1 strand of Pink Opal, 1 strand of Hematite, 3 strands of Larbradorite and a 22" strand of Lapis Lazuli chips with 4 Black Agate heart beads 15mm.

All these are just £1.80 each

I have 3 puffy hearts which are drilled across the top. They measure approx 30mm tall and wide.

I have a Green Aventurine (as pictured), Blue Sandstone and Amethyst. £1.50 incl postage

2 15" strands of blister pearls. £2.00 incl postage

Square glass beads 20mm x 6mm thick. There are 6 grey, 12 purple, 4 blue, 6 gold & 4 green. £4.00 incl postage

silver coloured tiara base £1.80 incl postage

8 Blue lace agate roses with double holes at the back. They measure approx 15mm. £2.00 incl postage

22.off , 6mm Swarovski AB bicones. These are the drop ones with the hole at the top of the bead. £5.00 incl postage

There is a lot more to come including Murano Glass hearts and stars, Jade hearts, Rose Quartz hearts, mixed strands, Glass pendants, Silver bangle blanks and memory wire rings.

If anything takes your fancy just give me a shout.





Double knotting a necklace

If you want to knot a beaded necklace with semi precious stones, but the holes in the stones are quite large, what's the solution?

I'd got these lovely S-shaped 'slab' beads in dyed turquoise agate (that's an agate dyed a turquoise colour, not huge turquoise beads, BTW!) and was keen to use them.  My favourite thing to make is always a knotted necklace. However, a single knot in the beading thread would just disappear into the rather large bead hole. Thicker beading cord might have been an option, but I wanted to use 6mm howlite beads with a smaller drill hole in between the large slabs - any larger round beads and the slabs might spin or pivot when worn and that's always annoying - so I was a bit stuck.


 I have some pearls which are double knotted, but the knots lie side by side, adding to the length of the necklace.  It looks great with those organic freeform pearls, but wouldn't have been right for this more structured design.

My solution was double knotting.  First, doing a normal single knot close to the bead.  I always use knotting tweezers, as this gets the knot exactly where I want it...



Next, I knotted over the knot I'd just made.  It took a little practice to get the result neat.  The best way seems to be to position the tweezers so that they are at the cross over point in the first knot, and very gently roll the second knot into place, not pulling as tightly as you would for a normal single knot.  Then the second knot was more inclined to sit neatly with a little overlap ...





 I liked the results.  There is still some movement between the bead hole and the double knot around the dyed turquoise agate stones, which adds to the fluidity of the necklace.  A big necklace that it too rigid can be uncomfortable to wear, in my humble opinion.  Also, there is very little pivoting of the larger stone, as the little howlite bead is very securely in place.  And because the knots look like little spacer beads, there's another shade of blue in the design. 

What do you think?

The finished design is in my Etsy shop.

Double knotting a necklace

If you want to knot a beaded necklace with semi precious stones, but the holes in the stones are quite large, what's the solution?

I'd got these lovely S-shaped 'slab' beads in dyed turquoise agate (that's an agate dyed a turquoise colour, not huge turquoise beads, BTW!) and was keen to use them.  My favourite thing to make is always a knotted necklace. However, a single knot in the beading thread would just disappear into the rather large bead hole. Thicker beading cord might have been an option, but I wanted to use 6mm howlite beads with a smaller drill hole in between the large slabs - any larger round beads and the slabs might spin or pivot when worn and that's always annoying - so I was a bit stuck.


 I have some pearls which are double knotted, but the knots lie side by side, adding to the length of the necklace.  It looks great with those organic freeform pearls, but wouldn't have been right for this more structured design.

My solution was double knotting.  First, doing a normal single knot close to the bead.  I always use knotting tweezers, as this gets the knot exactly where I want it...



Next, I knotted over the knot I'd just made.  It took a little practice to get the result neat.  The best way seems to be to position the tweezers so that they are at the cross over point in the first knot, and very gently roll the second knot into place, not pulling as tightly as you would for a normal single knot.  Then the second knot was more inclined to sit neatly with a little overlap ...





 I liked the results.  There is still some movement between the bead hole and the double knot around the dyed turquoise agate stones, which adds to the fluidity of the necklace.  A big necklace that it too rigid can be uncomfortable to wear, in my humble opinion.  Also, there is very little pivoting of the larger stone, as the little howlite bead is very securely in place.  And because the knots look like little spacer beads, there's another shade of blue in the design. 

What do you think?

The finished design is in my Etsy shop.

Saturday Night

Isn't that a creative title? I couldn't think of anything else :P Sorry I was gone for a couple of days - went all melty brained (migraine) again! But I'm backkkkk. And here is where I'm at:

What's For Sale

Garden Earrings

Aren't these cute? It may not be the right time of the year to be out in your garden (unless you're in the southern hemisphere!) but that doesn't mean it's not a great time to buy these earrings! Wouldn't they make a great Christmas present? Click on the link above to go check 'em out in my store! 

Groovy Nights

Aren't these great to wear to a party? Or even just to add a little jazz to your every day life? I sure think so! Click on the link! 

Daily Crafty ADD

Well - being knocked out with a bad migraine makes for no crafting :( BUT I did go shopping! 

Aren't they cute? It was hard to take a good picture - but that's red and green folks! I'm going to play with them soon, but I have a couple of other things I need to work on first. I'll show you what I mean tomorrow :D

On Fire For Handmade Feature Artist: ArtiZen Beads

 

This Weeks Featured Artisan is ArtiZen Beads

Truly Unique Creations! You must visit here shop to see for yourself!

You can find ArtiZen Beads at:

Shop URL:

http://ArtiZenBeads.etsy.com



2nd Shop URL:

http://makingit.etsy.com



Website URL:

http://www.LauraRSilverman.com



Twitter Page:

http://tiwtter.com/goodsis1



Facebook :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/laura.r.silverman



Blog:

http://www.laurarsilverman.blogspot.com



 

Pirates Swag!!!

Look at all the swag I got today! And at 50% off or more! Woohoo!

Todays Makes from Old Bead Stash

yI have decided that before I purchase any new beads I am going to clear out the ones I already have.
I bought loads in the past and when I received them had no idea what I would make with them but they are ALL going to be used now.

These are todays makes so far. I made two memory wire bracelets which I really dont enjoy making but thats the last of the wire now YAY!

I also made a necklace from Strawberry Quartz, Pearls and Peridot with a rose shaped Shell pendant.

What do you think?

I'm going to use the money Ive saved on buying beads to go towards some new flyers to promote my jewellery parties.

Bead Soup Rides Again!

I'm so excited! Bead Soup is coming back! There are already 55 people signed up - and I can hardly wait to see what we all come up with :) The last one was soooo much fun!! If you want to sign up go to this post on Lori Anderson's blog :)

Got the blues - earrings

These are todays make.
They are sterling silver earrings with a faceted Iolite bead at the bottom and a cluster of tiny white freshwater pearls.

These are lovely earrings and can be dressed up or down.

I am also working on a range that isnt jewellery! It features beads but isnt made from them!

Comment with your ideas of what it is and if you are correct you will win the mystery item!

Heart of Glass

I have a jewellery party coming up next week and have been asked if I can have a wide range of prices.

I dont really have any jewellery under £10 so thought these pendants would be perfect! They are made from glass, really chunky and hang from a beaded necklace.

Hope they go down well!

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Chloe
XX

Charm of the Week: Brown Glass Bead and Gold Accent Eyeglass Leash or Holder

Delicate brown and translucent gold beads are used for this eyeglass leash. Gold holders are used. The leash measures 25 1/2 inches. Very lightweight as it shimmers and shines.  http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40932592

Will ship international, please contact me.

See more jewelry at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/findingcharm

Charm of the Week: Fun Rainbow Dangle Anklet

I love bright, lively colored jewelry pieces. Especially when the outfit allows it to pop! This anklet is to make sure to make your pedicure do the same.  A mixture of frosted glass beads and bright rainbow e beads are used. And I love the starburst spacers I found.  I think they really add a lot of sparkle to the anklet. The rings dance around your ankle.  I hope you enjoy!

Fun Rainbow Dangle Anklet

Make a day - Bracelet

Well this isnt like my regular stuff! I had these beads but didnt know what to do with them - hope you like

It is made from lampwork glass beads and tiny dyed pink Jade beads finished with a sterling silver toggle clasp.

New Beads!

I made a comment on Plurk that I had gone bead shopping - and everyone wanted to see! So here's my stash - I have plans in mind for... well...most of it? LOL I went shopping because I have a custom order and then just some pendants that I wanted better supplies to use with. So most of it actually does have a very specific purpose. some of it was just for fun though :) Because hey, I can't resist the beads!

I Cleaned!

Ok - before I forget! Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a great day and have lots of fun! We're hoping to go hang out with my evil twin tonight if I'm feeling good enough!

So last night I got ambitious and decided to clean! Now if I was smart I would have taken a "before" picture. But I wasn't smart. I wasn't thinking about blogging when I started cleaning. Just about cleaning!

My work space is a table that I share with my hubby for our computers, and then a card table next to it with all my beady stuff. I do try to put things away when I'm done with them, I really do, but I'm, um, very distractable. Especially when I have new ideas! (which is most of the time) So things tend to pile up and every once in awhile I'm forced to make myself clean so that I can keep working without completely losing my mind (which is mostly gone to begin with).

Part of the problem with my work space was that I had stuff that I do need to have around, and I do use, but there was really no place to put it. So it was just piled up on the table, and I tried to work around it. Well, I realized that I do have drawers I cold put them into, I just had to get rid of the junk that was in the drawers!

Did I mention I'm also a compulsive hoarder? I'm getting better since I've moved so many times in the last year, but it's still hard to get rid of anything that I could possibly find a use for. And since I'm such a creative person, I can think of ideas for just about anything! But last night I cleaned out a couple of drawers and reorganized so I could the mess in them. Ok, so honestly, some of it got shuffled to a box to that went in the closet, but I DID get rid of some stuff!

Next I cleaned off my workspace. I started that project last night, but ran out of energy so I finished it this morning. That meant putting things in the drawers I cleaned out last night, and putting away the detritus from many recent projects! Especially cleaning off my planning board.

My planning board is actually what started all of this. I have a custom order that I can't do with out laying it out - and my board was covered in the remains of old projects and pieces I want to use in upcoming projects! That's all taken care of now. Not only is my planning board clean (completely for once), but I can also see my desk! I even took a Lisol wipe to the top of it to clean off the dust and spare beads :)

Want to see my beady collection? I just have a few... 18 boxes of beads and 3 of findings and pendants...

Can you believe I'd love to have MORE??? I'm addicted...

And because this post wouldn't be complete with out showing off my lap top (his name is Jack)! See the blue in front of it? That's a bead mat. Yes, I generally bead in front of my laptop. It gets shifted around so I can work, but most of it takes place right here folks!