Thank you, Malin! - a wee earring challenge / blog hop

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Claire

Wow - I hadn’t realised it had been so long. I’ve just discovered that I haven’t yet posted in 2015. So, happy new year and all that. I’ve just had to pay for my slackness by having to delete the 1100+ spam comments that had built up in my absence. I can only delete 20 comments at a time so it’s a laborious process. Anyway, on with the point of this post…

Several weeks ago, that lovely and talented woman, Malin de Koning, contacted me and a few other beaders to see if we’d be interested in participating in a little earring challenge type thing. Malin had sorted out a little bundle of beads and suggested that she send the same assortment of beads to each of us, and proposed that we each come up with some earring designs which we’d share on our blogs today. Malin was particularly interested in stacked earring designs, but it was agreed that we needn’t limit ourselves to such designs alone. The only other ‘rule’ was that each earring pair should include at least three of the beads that Malin sent. There’s something so Malin about this selection!:

One of the reasons why I’ve neglected my blog so far this year is that I haven’t made much jewellery yet. In fact, the only pieces that I’ve made have been for magazines (excluding some earrings for an ABS tute). So doing this challenge was something quite different to what I had been doing and it was a nice change. It was also surprisingly liberating. Having a small pool of beads to start with lead me to reach for things in my stash that I may have overlooked another day. I’m afraid my stash is so ridiculously gigantic that I sometimes find it a bit overwhelming (especially when it’s all been tied up as it is at the moment). I was also glad of the opportunity to have a bit of a think about earring designs. I’m aware that lately I’ve fallen into certain habits when it comes to earrings (and bracelets too). One of my challenges this year is to try and break from some of these. Stacked earrings are a bit of a habit for me so, while I’ve made some stacked pairs, I’ve also tried out some other things. I’m not wholly happy with all the earrings I made and some may well get the chop or be re-worked, but I enjoyed sitting down one empty afternoon and just focusing on this little challenge. Indeed, I enjoyed it so much I ended up with 8 pairs of earrings! Here they are:These are perhaps my favourites; they may be keepers. The three beads at the top were from Malin. I love those green wheels: they’ve got a real vintage feel - not sure if they are or not. The tubes are from Jon Burgess’s recently(-ish) opened shop. (Go look! - but don’t buy the things I have my eye on….) This next pair turned out better than I hoped.

All the beads here are from Malin with the exception of the faceted drops. I love using waxed linen in earrings but I find they’re hard to store if I do. Tips, anyone? Here’s a couple of kooks:

Again, most of these beads are from Malin. The double ended copper twisty bobs are from Tracy Smith - wish the nearest one wasn’t sticking out at that distracting angle. This next pair is (a) a bit of a cheat and (b) the kind of earrings I’m totally in the habit of making.

Only the pearls and the ribbed wheels are from Malin. I didn’t mean to cheat; I was going to include some little metal rounds but the hole was blocked in one and I made these on the hoof so it couldn’t be helped. More John Burgess beads, btw. And - of course! - Scorched Earth. Ditto:

Here I’ve used the silver cylinders and gold wooden nuggets from Malin’s pack. Again, these are very me-y earrings. The next are less so. Amongst the beads that Malin sent were a couple of lots of donut-shaped beads with largish holes. These are particularly useful in stacked designs because you can sit a smaller bead above it, in the hole, and get a smooth tapered outline. However, I didn’t end up using them like that.

Along with the wooden discs, the striped seeds are from Malin. I’ve done a similar thing with these, using linen instead of wire.

The white beads and the wooden tubes are from Malin’s pack. I’ve teamed them with some copper drop connectors from Joanne Tinley. Finally, these nearly didn’t get made:

But I couldn’t resist sitting those little enamel flowers in the large lucite ones. The metal spacers and the golden yellow wheels are also from Malin.

And that’s the lot. Big thanks again to Malin for organising all this! If, by any chance, you’re interested in owning any of these, please get in touch. I’m really intrigued to see what the others have made. Here’s the links to their blogs:

Malin de Koning - BeadingByMalindeKoning - www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.se

Rebecca Anderson - SongBead - www.songbeads.blogspot.com

Leah Curtis - BeadyEyedBunny - www.beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.com

Heidi Post - ExPostFacto - www.expostfactojewelry.blogspot.com

What’s been going on…

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Claire

Oh dear! It’s been quite a while since I last posted. It’s been a hectic few weeks, full of the typical December jewellery-world business, including craft fairs and post office queues and all the rest of it. On top of all this predictable activity, I also had a crazy big update in the bead shop. I should have blogged about it long since. A good number have sold (thank you, dear shoppers!). Still, I felt I couldn’t post now and not include some images of these latest beads - for the record if nothing else. Plus, some of them are still available in the bead shop.

Dec Update Collage

And while I’m here I thought I’d share a few new pieces of jewellery too.

(porcelain birds - Blueberribeads; wooden barrels - Pymatuning Crafts)

(polymer fox - Tree Wings Studio)

(lampwork beads - Magdalena Ruiz; bronze charms - Lesley Watt)

(lampwork polar bear - Madeline Bunyan)

(lampwork rounds - Cheeky Cherub; patina hoops - Grubbi)

(ceramic spikes - Scorched Earth)

A few of these have sold, but the rest are available on Etsy.

Whilst I’ve had all this stuff to do, a large pile of beady and glaze-y post has accumulated. I told myself I wasn’t allowed to open it until I got all my chores and responsibilities out of the way. I also told myself that I had to get my work surface tidy before opening them too.

Well, that looks pretty tidy - to me at least! I’ll be back in a day or so to share some properly envy-inducing pics!!

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Discount Codes / new jewellery

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Claire

So, it’s Black Friday - Cyber Monday weekend, which means it’s time to offer some discounts. I’m keeping it simple and offering 20% off all jewellery and all beads. The coupon code you need to enter when you check out is: BLACKCYBER20. !! And it’s active right now !! - through till the end of Monday, 1st December. This will be the last sale I have before Christmas, so if you’ve had your eye on something, now would be a good time to go shopping. The bead shop isn’t as full as I’d like but there’s still a couple of pages of items up for grabs. There are lots of pieces in the jewellery shop. They’ll soon be joined by this lot. I’ve been busy making winter-y pieces, partly in preparation for the Christmas market in Frome. If you’d like any of these pieces listing now so you can take advantage of the code when paying, do let me know, via Etsy or Facebook.

When it gets to this time of year I just want everything white.

(ceramic spikes - Scorched Earth; porcelain spines - Something to do Beads)

It would be nice if the background of my photos was white but the winter light won’t allow it. The spike craze lasts through every season… I’m a bit taken with this next bracelet; If it doesn’t sell I won’t be too upset.

(ceramic spikes - Scorched Earth)

(lampwork polar bears - Madeline Bunyan)

(porcelain birds - Blueberribeads)

(porcelain bird - Blueberribeads)

This last bracelet is super simple and not terribly innovative (not that I claim that anything I make is at all innovative), but it’s just so pretty, and pretty darn gift-able too, I reckon. Again:

(polymer fawn - Tree Wings Studio)

I’ve made quite a few bracelets in the last day or so. I thought this button was a fox; turns out it’s a wolf.

(pewter wolf button - Green Girl Studios)

And here’s a definite departure from all that white.

(lampwork lentil - Moogin; lampwork disc - Rachel Cohen)

(lampwork bead - Puffafish; enamel flower - Gardanne; beaded beads - Rebecca Anderson)

I’m kinda taken with the next bracelet too… There’s some vintage beauties in it which the supplier doesn’t have in stock anymore.

(lampwork bead - Hanni Heibloem)

Surprise, surprise - another one of these! -

(ceramic hare bead - Jo Lucksted)

I’ll leave you with a trio of earrings.

(lampwork beads - Mayahoney)

I can’t decide whether I like the pink wheels on these tip earrings. Opinions would be appreciated:

(ceramic tips - Scorched Earth)

And that’s the lot. As I said, I’m happy to list any of these if you want to use the discount code - BLACKCYBER20 - to get 20% off. And here’s a link to the bead shop and the jewellery shop so you can have a little browse, see if there’s anything you fancy…

Before I go: Happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating out there!

Holidays are coming…

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Claire

I’ve been a bit torn lately, between wanting to make lots of beads to get the kiln nice and full and wanting to make jewellery in preparation for Christmas. I’ve been a bit flakey this year and didn’t bother to hunt out lots of Christmas fairs. So, on that front, I just have the one in Frome, the Independent, but it’s usually a busy one (fingers crossed that remains the case this year!). I also want to get a good stock of new giftable pieces onto Etsy too. Over the last few days I’ve made a number of pieces that I’ll be adding to the shop over the next couple of days. In fact, I’ve already listed some this evening - a couple of necklaces and a couple of pairs of earrings:

(ceramic spikes and connector - Scorched Earth; ceramic bird - Something to do Beads)

(ceramic heart - Scorched Earth)

(torch-fired plates - 4 ophelia)

(ceramic spikes - Scorched Earth)

I hadn’t planned to wrap all that wire on but the spikes, the loop of which sit inside the large hole beads above, kept wiggling around and sticking out at odd angles. All the rest of the new pieces are bracelets. As you may know, if you read this blog regularly-ish, I’ve been selling quite a few of these recently.

In fact, various bracelets with Jo Lucksted‘s critter beads sold well at the market last Christmas, so I’ve been stocking up.

Finally, here’s three more new bracelets -

(polymer heart - Jetta Bug Jewelry, ceramic round - Golem Studios)

(ceramic house - Elukka)

(ceramic bracelet bar - Bo Hulley)

All of these should be on Etsy within the next few days but if there’s anything that particularly catches your eye that you’d like to order now, please do let me know via Etsy or Facebook. I’ll leave you with this wee bracelet that I made for me.

(polymer tube - Swoondimples)

Art Bead Scene - team members’ challenge blog hop (November 2014)

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Claire

Hello from a very soggy Somerset, UK. Looking out of the window, it’s a far cry from the scene below. Well, the sky is a similar colour, I guess.

‘Cattelya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds’, Martin Johnson Heade (1871)

Once again, the editorial team at Art Bead Scene decided to accept the monthly challenge themselves and run a blog hop to show off the results. My take on Heade’s painting is quite a literal translation:

I’ve used one of co-editor Mary‘s birds and mixed it with czech glass and a vintage flower dropper. I’ve also used a Missficklemedia (I think!) toggle clasp. It’s a simple piece but I like it well enough. I’m sure the rest of the team will have come up with some more elaborate designs. To check them out follow these links:

Rebecca Anderson – Songbeads

Mary Harding – Mary Harding Jewelry

Heather Powers – Humblebeads Blog

Tari Sasser - Creative Impressions in Clay

Claire Lockwood - Something to Do with Your Hands (you are here)

A little time out…

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Claire

So, I was supposed to be getting back to you last week with details of new beads and a bead shop update. Well, that’s been kinda delayed after what has been a somewhat hectic and, at times, stressful week. Sometimes I just have to tell myself to slow down. I get to thinking that everything has to be done yesterday, and I have to have a word with myself. Anyway, there will be new beads in the shop this next week. Here’s a little taster:

You might recognise some of these. With this batch of beads, I tried to make up more of the designs that were popular in the first lot of ceramic beads that I listed, but there are some new pieces, like that blue framed pendant. There’ll be a lot of completely new designs in the following lot which are currently waiting to be fired. Speaking of which, it’s here!

Perhaps I should point out that this is, in fact, a kiln, not a portaloo. It’s done its initial drying out firing and I’ve been busy bat-washing the shelves today. So, hopefully, I’ll also get my first bisque firing done in the next few days.

Having had a little word with myself, I decided to do some relaxing earring making. It’s the market this weekend and I felt that I could do to have some simpler earrings available. And some shorter pairs too. These Petra drops really don’t need much adding to them anyway. So, I managed to make just the one pair of shortish earrings. However, I did make a couple more simple pairs.

With Scorched Earth spikes, of course.

These bracelets are still selling so…

(fox bead - Jo Lucksted)

And here’s a last couple of new pieces that will be on the stall tomorrow.

(raku beads - Elements Pottery; ceramic round - Something to do Beads)

(ceramic stitched pendant and platinum wheels - Scorched Earth; ceramic discs - Something to do Beads; raku beads - Elements Pottery)

And finally, a little something for me…..

(ceramic droppers - Scorched Earth)

The market starts at 10am tomorrow and runs until 3pm. I’ll be stationed outside Fat Face, facing the music stage, in Frome town centre.

In the meantime…

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Claire

I’m struggling to believe it is actually happening, but look what’s showing up here tomorrow!!!

rohde_ecotop

I’m almost a little nervous! I’ve been working on a heap of greenware so I have something to stick in it. I also have a heap of completed beads that I need to get in the shop. I was hoping to do an update this week but I’ve decided to postpone it till next week because there’s too much other stuff going on in the next few days and I’m away at the weekend. Plus, I wimped out of taking photos today because of hurricane what’s-his-name. I have found time to make some new jewellery here and there, and miraculously I’ve got it all listed too. It’s ridiculous: sometimes I almost find myself put off making jewellery simply by the prospect of all that photo-taking and photo-shopping and listing. I think it would be easier if I had a permanent photo set-up but there’s no room for that… Anyway, there are lots of new bracelets in the shop.

(ceramic rectangle - Golem Studio; ceramic rondelle - Happy Fallout)

(ceramic book - Jubilee)

(ceramic discs - Scorched Earth)

(ceramic connector - Slate Studio)

(ceramic oval - Jubilee)

(ceramic hare bead - Jo Lucksted)

(polymer rose - Elise Canning)

I also made a couple of new necklaces. There’s a tutorial for this one over on Art Bead Scene today.

(ceramic spike - Scorched Earth, ceramic dropper - Something to do Beads)

(polymer flower - Elise Canning)

Finally, I challenged myself to make some earrings that departed from some of the earring habits I’ve fallen into recently.

(ceramic drops - Scorched Earth)

(ceramic tips - Scorched Earth)

That’s the lot. As, I said, it’s all been listed. All being well, next time I’ll be back with bead images and details for the shop update.

Art Bead Scene - team members’ challenge blog hop (October 2014)

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Claire

I really love this month’s ABS challenge image, Milton Avery’s Autumn.

If you read this blog regularly you’ll know I’ve been busy making stacks of autumnal pieces, but none of them have included the unusual touches of purple-pink and deep blue found in Avery’s painting. So this felt like a whole new brief and I’m really glad I found the time to make something. When Heather suggested this ABS team members’, challenge I hadn’t been certain that I’d have the opportunity to make anything. But, anyway, I did and here it is.

Just adding the blue and the purple-pink really creates a departure from the more typical autumn shades. I included one of my beads: the little blue owl. I’d kept hold of him because the glaze on him isn’t as even as it could be and he has that slight blotch around the eye. I rather like him, imperfections and all, and I think he looks quite at home here. In Brandi’s palette post, she picks out a pale grey blue as well as a deeper blue and that wee owl introduces the former. Brandi also picked out an even deeper, almost black blue. I’ve added this tone with the inclusion of a patinated hoop from Grubbi. To get that vivid purple-pink, I reached for a strand of pink crazy lace agate that I’ve had for an age.

You can see both the pink and the blue in the final art bead I used in this piece, a glittering raku round from Elements Pottery. It’s been a bit of a colour eye-opener for me, this challenge, and I’m always really grateful when I get one of those! I have some doubts about the orange flower at the front and have been wondering if it’s a bit too sudden. But, I figured Avery’s painting has plenty of sudden colour so it’s staying put! This bracelet is available here in my Etsy shop.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the team have come up with - I’m expecting quite a range of different takes on the challenge image. To see what everyone else has made just follow these links.

Humblebeads :: Heather Powers

Tari Sasser:: Creative Impressions in Clay

Mary Harding Jewelry

Tesori Trovati :: Erin Prais-Hintz

Something to Do with Your Hands :: Claire Lockwood (you are here)

New jewellery round-up

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Claire

My jewellery making has been curtailed recently, what with all the bead making. However, I have found time, here and there, to make a few new pieces. My resolution not to make stacks of autumnal designs didn’t stand for very long.

(enamel leaf - C-Koop)

(ceramic tubes - Golem Studios)

(ceramic hearts and button - Bo Hulley)

I guess this last couple aren’t too autumnal. Can’t say the same about these…

I’ve also been working in some of my new beads, which has been particularly satisfying.

(ceramic bird - Something to do Beads)

You can tell that the season has turned just by looking at some of these photos, particularly the ones I took of this necklace.

(ceramic bird - Slate Studio, ceramic coins - Blueberribeads)

I had to photoshop the bejesus out of them just to get them looking this respectable, which isn’t very respectable. I should take them again really…. we’ll see… Lots of birds in all these pieces, aren’t there? Here’s another one of these:

(ceramic stag bead - Jo Lucksted)

Something less autumnal here:

(ceramic cubes - Grubbi; raku cube - Jubilee; button clasp - Amanda Davie)

And matching earrings. Although the bracelet has sold, so I guess they’re just earrings.

(ceramic cubes - Grubbi)

And I think that’s the lot. As I indicated, some of these have sold but the majority that haven’t gone are available on Etsy. There’s a couple still to list which should be up some time tomorrow. Do let me know if there’s something you’d like which you can’t see in the shop.

The rest of the new things…

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Claire

… or the rest of the new jewellery, at least. That is, all the rest of the stuff I couldn’t face uploading on Saturday when I last posted. So, what’s left? Well, there’s several bracelets. I haven’t listed this one yet.

But the next three are all available on Etsy.

(hand-painted beads - Graceful Willow)

(lampwork beads - Helen Chalmers, Outwest; ceramic coin - Jubilee; ceramic heart - Scorched Earth)

I did call this one ‘Pop Life’, then I realised that I already had one bracelet called that in the shop. So, it’s called ‘Eveline’. There’s no good reason for either name. Lord, I hate naming jewellery. I’ve recently recieved back a number of pieces that were in magazines. These earrings were part of a project I did for Beads and Beyond.

Again, these are available on Etsy. As are all of these pieces which were published in the current issue of Stringing.

(polymer cardinals - Jetta Bug Jewelry)

(ceramic pendant - Round Rabbit)

(ceramic drops - Scorched Earth)

There were a few other pieces that featured in the magazine but they managed to find their way into my ears and onto my wrist. Ooops. I haven’t had chance to make anything to submit this time around. I’m hoping I might get something together in the next few days but I’m not at all sure what. Here’s a bit more autumn-age.

(ceramic pendant and drops - Scorched Earth)

And finally, a last little lot of earrings.

(polymer beads - Graceful Willow)

(ceramic birds - Something to do Beads; lampwork drops - Gardanne)

Yep, those birds are some I made. I’ll be back in the next day or so to share some pics of the new beads. There are a couple of pairs of wee earring-sized birds left in the shop, along with some other ceramic goodies. If there’s any jewellery in this post which has caught your eye but you can’t find in the Etsy shop, do drop me a line.

something to do with your hands

handmade jewellery, handmade beads

Category Archives: jewellery

Thank you, Malin! - a wee earring challenge / blog hop

What’s been going on…

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Discount Codes / new jewellery

Holidays are coming…

Art Bead Scene - team members’ challenge blog hop (November 2014)

A little time out…

In the meantime…

Art Bead Scene - team members’ challenge blog hop (October 2014)

New jewellery round-up

The rest of the new things…