So, I have several things to share with you today, along with a stack of new jewellery designs. I’d got a bit behind with putting jewellery on Etsy, so I had a concerted listing session earlier this week. However, subsequently, I took a number of pieces down because I had to take some stock to a new stockist. My jewellery will now be available at Boho in Bath. They have a smaller store in Frome (where I live) and they sell some really beautiful clothes, so if you happen to be in Bath - or Frome, I’d recommend a visit. Here’s just a couple of the new pieces that will be available there:

(ceramic links and discs - Scorched Earth, lampwork disc - Helen Chalmers)

(ceramic scottie pendant - Bo Hulley)

In some respects, it’s been a rotten week with me. I’m not one to be sharing such things on a blog, but suffice it to say that making jewellery has been a really, very, very welcome distraction from things. Another bright point came with being featured in an interview on Art Bead Scene. It was suggested and compiled by the lovely Rebecca Anderson of Songbead, who also posted the piece on her blog (including an extra bit about great UK supply shops). If you’re not interested in reading an interview with me, you may still be interested to hear that it featured some discount codes. Use the code SONGBEADBLOG in either of my shops and you can get 20% off jewellery and 10% off beads. I did stock up the bead shop a week or so ago; quite a few pieces have gone but there are still some new pieces to be had, such as these:

I made several pairs of the patinated vintage cages because I was rather keen to use some myself.

(polymer birds - Happy Fish, patina cages - Something to do Beads)

These are available in the Etsy shop (with, potentially - I hasten to remind you - 20% off!). I seem to have had a bit of a birdy spree of late.

(ceramic birds - Blueberribeads)

(polymer bird - Something to do Beads, ceramic spike and charms - Scorched Earth)

Not the greatest photo, that one. My camera has been having a few wobbly moments this week too. My other wee bit of news is that I’ve passed both 200 sales in the bead shop and 200 likes (always sounds such an odd term) on Facebook. Which really calls for some sort of giveaway. I’m still giving some thought to what sort of giveaway it should be, but it’ll be happening soon. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the rest of the new designs. Some can be found on Etsy, and some have gone to Boho, including this House at the end of the world necklace. I ordered this strand of rough lapis a while ago. When it arrived I found the pieces were considerably larger than anticipated, but I’m quite pleased with this design. Just need to find a use for the other dozen great rocks…

(ceramic house - Elukka, ceramic cog - Captured Moments)

(bunny bead - Jo Lucksted)

I have to show you this second image - look at the fabulous czech glass, two-hole ‘piggy’ beads. They look like armadillo armour! I’ll be having more of those, I reckon!

(lampwork bead - Moogin)

(fibre beads - Carolyn Saxby, lampwork oil drums - Helen Chalmers, rusty iron charm and patina seahorse - Something to do Beads)

(ceramic spikes - Scorched Earth)

(kitty bandit connector - Amanda Davie, lampwork beads - Danielsbeads, beaded bead - Malin de Koning)

That one isn’t actually available anywhere. I started off making it and was so liking the combination of beads that I decided it would have to be mine - hence the diminutive, scrawny-wrists proportions. And these were never going to be anybody’s but mine…

(lampwork oil drums - Helen Chalmers, rusted vintage rings - Something to do Beads)

There have to be some treats. Ta-ra for now.

When I started my blog, one of the things I was particularly looking forward to was participating in blog hops. Well, this is my first blog hop and I’m starting with one of the biggies - The Bead Soup Blog Party. For those who don’t know about it, the Bead Soup Blog Party is a huge, international blog hop, now in its seventh year. There are over 500 beaders from all over the globe who have been paired up by the marvellous organiser, Lori Anderson. The partners swap ‘soups’ - bead mixes, including a focal and a clasp. Then everyone reveals what they have made on set dates - there are now three reveal dates, owing to the large number of participants. I went for the third reveal date, a choice I’m very glad I made now, as I haven’t started making any jewellery yet and I received the soup from my partner some weeks ago…

So, my partner: Kathrin Lembke, of Alles Perle is a lampworker based near Hamburg, where she sells her jewellery and her lovely beads.

I just love lampwork beads but I can’t always afford them, so I was very chuffed to find I’d been paired with a lampworker. I was rubbing my paws in anticipation, looking forward to receiving some glassy goodies. I wasn’t disappointed.

I do like this mix of colours. I’ve had a bit of a thing for purple and orange recently, so I was very pleased to open this selection. There’s a number of potential focals in there. Along with these, there was a generous mix of antique brass beads and findings, including a dinky toggle clasp. I also received a pretty combination of pearls, floral ceramic rounds and mother-of-pearl drops.

There are some unusual (to me, at least!) pieces in the brass mix. I particularly like the linked hoops and the large saucers. I’m not sure what I’ll make yet but I have one or two ideas in mind. Here’s the soup in full - Thanks again, Kathrin!

So what did I send? Well, I started by looking for a focal on Etsy. When it turned up I was really quite tempted to keep it myself and search out a different one. But, I resisted - just… It’s a gorgeous porcelain and glass pod, made by Lisa Stevens of Seapods. I was a bit stuck on what clasp to send but then I remembered this vintage casein button, which sits rather nicely with the focal, being quite pod-like too. So I sent that along with a black metal hook.

I wanted to include some of my own beads, so I improvised a bit and came up with a pod set in red and white. As regular readers will know, I’ve made quite a lot of pod sets since then. I added a mix of vintage glass, freshwater pearls and a scattering of seed beads, and I had my soup.

I have been a bit bothered thinking that I should have sent more. Still, there’s nothing I can do about that now. I just have to wait until 13th April to see what Kathrin makes with it!