Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

I made a set of beads like this one last night and am very chuffed with them. They are called Pretty Woman as they remind me of the dress worn by Julia Robert's at the polo match in the film of the same name!
I made another set as well which will shortly be up on my website for sale

TTFN x

Flower focal

Flower focal
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

When you look around at what spring and summer fashion trends are there seem to be quite a few flowers! I like making raised flower beads but have not made any for absolute ages so I decided to make some and the picture above is one of my beads! I ummed and ahhed about making leaves and stems etc but decided on abstract single flowers with different colour petals and am quite pleased how they turned out! I am thinking that some smaller round beads will compliment this long focal very well so I am hoping to get some torch time in this week and make some! I am also wondering about etching!

TTFN x

FHFteam spotlight - Trudi of Glittering Prize

Striking Eye
Originally uploaded by Glittering Prize - Trudi

This is the totally stunning "Striking Eye" bead from Trudi of Glittering Prize which can be found here and she is the focus of the current FHFteam spotlight!

TTFN x

FHFteam spotlight - Les (Flame Born Beads)

The next spotlight is on a lovely lady called Les her beautiful work can be found here. The photo above is directly from Les's online website and is one of the gorgeous sets of beads she has on offer as well as some more whimisical and unusual beads. Please go and have a look and you never know what goodies you may find.

TTFN xx

Light emerald frosties

Light emerald frosties
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

I thought frosted beads were appropriate for the current weather conditions across the UK. I have to say things have massively improved in Margate today there is very little evidence of snow and at the moment it is actually raining. I do know that things were quite bad yesterday in Sandwich, Deal and Folkestone, Dover way but here in Margate nothing, de nada, zilch.
Part of me is pleased cos I can send the girls to school tomorrow as they will reopen but I am quite sad not to have had the opportunity to go out and play in it with the girls. I have got some photos of them playing in it which I will upload later hopefully but I did not get the chance to go out in it with them properly!
These beads will be listed on my website later today as well as some more jewellery on my Etsy site sneak previews can be found on my Flickr album here
Stay warm, keep safe
TTFN xx

Fritty swirls

fritty swirls
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

Some of todays goodies for your delectation. I love making these beads they are simple but look stunning. The colour combinations are endless. I have ordered more frit and will be making more along this theme.

I hope you are all ok where you are, we are currently waiting for the arrival of the forecast snow but I have a feeling that is going to move right past us on this little corner of East Kent, typical!!!! Mind you I kinda hope so cos I need to work and if it snows the schools will shut and life will grind to a halt for a while!!!

Right best be off see you soon
TTFN xx

Hollow beads

goldstone hollow a
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

I first made hollow beads about 18 months ago but simply could not get their shape right. I thought I would have another go and if you follow my blog you will know that I have made a few that I am happy with and have sold! This is last nights bead, amethyst with goldstone stringer and I love it! Do I say that a lot ?... sorry but I am very happy with the way this bead turned out! It is going up on my Etsy shop shortly and there are more views of it there for you to gaze upon ;o)

TTFN xx

The Big Bead Show and some interesting observations!

Saturday is fast approaching and I am on the final countdown to getting ready for the Big Bead Show. I am really looking forward to it not least cos I will be catching up with old friends and hopefully meeting lots of new ones. I have also had a chance to reflect a little on the past year as it was The Big Bead show last year where I basically debuted myself!!!

What have I achieved this year, well I can now encase beads, my dot placement has come on in leaps and bounds I have got my head around using presses. I have fallen in love with silvered ivory stringer and use it in practically every darn bead ATM ;o)

I have established a business that I continue to promote and since the summer I have been doing this as my full time job. I am having a ball. I feel like my beads have definitely started to grow up a bit and finally I don't feel like a complete newbie. I know I have been torching since July 2007 but I only got some 6 - 8 hours a week if I was lucky. This week so far I have done some 12 hours and it is only Wednesday. I still have so much to learn and some many more skills to master but you know what there is no rush! Yes my beads are simple but you know what I am finally comfortable with that. Many other lampwork artists strive to make complex and beautiful beads with infinite detail and don't get me wrong I want that but people still need simple beads for their pieces of jewellery and right now these people are my market!

My aim for the next 12 months; firstly to get my Art clay / PMC certification and secondly I really want to go on some glass courses to help me to develop these skills more!

Enough of that I have a few beads to show you. The first picture is a sample of the goodies I will be taking with me to the show on saturday. The second picture needs a little more explaination but I will let you look first.

The large pink and white bead is my first attempt at a focal bead with stripes! Much refining needed but a style I like! The 2 dotty beads are an example of what happens when you use incompatible glasses. The base is Bullseye violet striker with clear encasing and then what I thought was Bullseye white dotted around but when I took them out the kiln and cleaned them I realised the glass was cracking around the dots and therefore I had probabaly picked up some Effeter white and not Bullseye! I am normally very good about keeping my different glasses separated but obviously failed here but an interesting thing for you all to see.
The 2 bottom beads are Bullseye French Vanilla with Silvered French Vanilla round them. They were both on the same mandrel and were made with the same rod of French Vanilla and the same stringer so what happened to get 2 very different beads I am unsure! Any suggestions gratefully received.

Right enough blabbering I have beads to price up and earrings to make so must dash! Don't forget to come and say hi to me if you are at Sandown on Saturday I would love to meet you.

Oh and one final thing...the first 10 people to spend over £30 with me you will get a handmade (by me!) mini tote bag with a pair of earrings and a scrummy chocolate in free!! Here is a little preview!

TTFN xx

Eye Candy

Or at least I hope so!!! I am still getting ready for the Big Bead Show on 17th October. and have been busy on the torch making things of wonder for you to gaze upon and hopefully buy ;o)

There are more to view on my Flickr album here. a couple of them will be up for sale later on through my Etsy shop but things are a little quiet until after the show.

TTFN x

The quest continues.....

.....for something that may even be near a "signature" bead for me!!! Have I spoken of this before I ramble about so many things!!!

There is this thing within the glass community to have a "signature" bead. That is not to say everyone HAS to have one but it is a thing that is held in high regard I think. To have a bead style, a design that is instantly recognisable as one of yours is like the Holy Grail! I am still searching.

Precision work or organic, dots or randomness what do I like. I actually like both. There are days when I will sit down and think today I am dotty (yes I hear you that is most every day!!! but we are not discussing my state of mind here LOL) and other days where I just play with the glass and get the organic thing! Mmm.....should I be striving for a signature bead, maybe my signature is that you just don't know what you are going to get with me. Well that is not strictly true one thing is for certain my beads are still fairly simplistic, simple but beautiful I hope! Have a sneak peek of some of this weeks work.


TTFNxx

Sneak peek!

A little glimpse of some of the goodies I will be listing on my website tomorrow!!!

TTFN xx

Mini Mo Inspiration

I have the whole day today to make beads. I am a bit gutted that the stuff I listed last week has not sold and I am still struggling to work out why this might be. Is my stuff not good? not nice? is it cos it is summer and everyone is on holiday? Am I pricing it wrong and people are laughing? Am I expecting to much???????

Anyway after a bluesy couple of days and a busy weekend I finally get some torch time today. I got my August Mini Mo club stuff from Jolene of KitzBitz glass and it is turquoise!!! OMG I adore turquoise at the moment. The picture above is one of my very simple beads but shows beautifully the reaction between turquoise and ivory. The fingerprint jewellery is one of my things as well in case you are wondering!!!

So I have some silver infused turquoise shards, some turquoise murrini and some turquoise twisties. Pictures tomorrow hopefully!

I am also on a bit of a spacer bead splurge trying to get ready for The Big Bead Show in October so I make at least 2 or 3 sets of spacer beads and mini spacer beads each sitting at the torch.

Right best be off gotta get Savannah to her childminder, her last week this week as I can no longer justify it and afford it with me no longer working at the Uni. Will be sad on Friday to say goodbye to Sam and Lee for the last time although they may be able to help with school runs once Savannah starts school. Savannah has been there since she was 7 months old. Long time to be with someone and I am sure she will be a bit sad as well :o(

TTFNxx

OMG I have been soooo bad :o(

So we are going camping next weekend, have not been since I was a kid and have lots of memories of Devon and the New Forest and other places we went but it is all over shadowed with eating frosties with powdered milk bleurgh........

Anyhoo times they have a changed and we now can get electric hook up yay!!! So off we are going next weekend with some friends. They go quite a lot and have been trying to persuade us for years. So I think I have blogged already that we did a practise run with our tent, bought it 5 years ago and never used it. So we pitched it, quite quick and all seemed fine except I don't like it. There is nothing wrong with it at all I just don't like it! Fussy cow that I am eh! So we bought a new one today. I mean how out of order is that. I am about to lose my wage from the old day job and the beads are taking time (which I knew) to earn me enough to draw some kind of wage so we are supposed to be being careful and we spend money on a tent! Doh!!!

But it is a nice tent and that makes all the difference. I can quite happily rationalise it to myself and therefore no-one else can fault my rationale I am after all correct in my appraisal and we needed to buy a new tent!!!! Can you hear me trying to convince myself? Anyway done is done and we have a new tent. So...does anyone want to buy a 6 berth tent, pitched once 2 weeks ago for half an hour, other than that it has never been used. Bought it for £150 will take £80 for it.

The winner of my July prize draw was Melissa of oneearedpig
Watch this space for the August prize draw to be announced next week.

TTFN xx

Meet my new friend aurae

Not really a brilliant picture I need to work on taking photos of this absolutely gorgeous glass! The base is effetre crystal clear (mmm.....nice clear glass) and then stringer of aurae wrapped round and swirled. The beads have then been handshaped into nuggets! The aurae has fumed the clear to give the gold effect and there are pearlescent effects round the glass which change colour in the sunlight. It is a classy looking glass which appears to make beautiful beads. It is easy to reduce and just generally a lovely glass!

Expect much more aurae. Mmmm.....Double Helix have just launched their new colour Ekho should I treat myself???

TTFN xx

Finally a picture of the prize for this months draw!

Hoorah Finally I have got my act together! The picture above is this months prize for my monthly prize draw! I know you have all been waiting with baited breathe for so long and I honestly hope it does not disappoint. Classic black and white complimented with sterling silver findings makes these a lovely set to wear for special occasions as well as everyday!

All you have to do is go to my Etsy page here register (it is free see my post from a couple of days ago!) and favourite my shop. All those people listed in my favourites on the 31st July 2009 will be entered into the draw.

Next month there will be a diferent task for you to do to be in with a chance of a prize and every 6 months or so I will do a big draw to include everyone on all my mailing lists etc! In the words of a famous weekly prize draw "you gotta be in it to win it" not millions I am afraid but a little something to show my appreciation for you all.

Other news: I have uploaded new stock today in both my Etsy shop (see link above) and my website here

The moody blues set that you can see and the Rolling stones ones are definitely sets that you will see more of in other colours! I am still struggling to find a signature bead and think that maybe that will come in its own good time meanwhile I enjoy swinging between the precision of dots and lines and the freedom granted by organic beads and the Moody blues set are a particular favourite at the moment

TTFN xx

Inspiration

So where do I get my inspiration from? I actually find inspiration from loads of places but I am still developing my skills to be able to use them in designs but I seem to definitely have a penchant for symmetrical things. Tony, Savannah and I have been to Tenterden today to have a wander around and we went into Waitrose to buy lunch and the uniforms have these patterns on them.
I really like these 2 designs. Maybe I can use them in some beads of my own although there are a few artists who make designs not entirely dissimilar to these so I need to put a Sam twist on them. I am thinking a lot about a "signature" bead that people can look at and think oh wow that is a bead by Sam and to be honest I am not sure I am quite there yet I am still fiddling with bead designs and using presses etc to concentrate on making one particular design my signature. That said I am thinking dots may figure in them cos I do like dots. I know they are not everyone's idea of a nice bead so it would have to be a design that appeals to all.

I am on a mission now. My intention is to make beads my business. Tony and I have talked long and hard about this all weekend. He has decided to sell all of his woodworking stuff and let me have his shed which is humungous. I will be able to have a torch station, a soldering station, photography corner and a jewellery making station all in one place, releasing tons of clutter from my house. At some point I will be offering tuition again but I need to get a second torch and oxycon before I can do this seriously. I will be treating each day as a work day so making beads on a daily basis. I will hopefully be able to have some evenings and most weekends with my family and obviously be home to collect my youngest from school when she starts school in September and to be at home when my eldest wanders home at the end of the school day.

MY CV now reads, bead designer / artist / maker and jewellery designer.

So if you have any requests for beads or jewellery you know where to come. Come to Aurorabeadz :o)

In the words of someone famous (the exact person eludes me right now but....)
"I am on a journey...."

TTFNxx

Mmmm.....options

Well unfortunately I did not get the job I applied for. I say unfortunately but I am not sure that is accurate. All the platitudes in the world did not help me yesterday it was not fate, there is nothing just around the bloody corner I was incredibly angry.

Today I have perspective. I am a fatalist, what will be will be, whether there is a "higher being" that influences what happens to us or whether our future is pre ordained etc who knows but bottom line I did not get the job, get over it and move on!!!

My totally awesome husband (who is materialistically driven and incredibly stressed by the potential money problems I am about to cause) is being so completely supportive and unselfish I completely adore him! we spent ages last night talking about options some of which I had already discussed with my extremely sensible and pragmatic sister and I have some options open to me, some less savoury than others but all have to be considered. I refuse to make a knee jerk reaction to my blinkered perception of what may be a crap situation and see it for what it is still an opportunity to grasp my life with both hands and enjoy it! Yes money is an issue but so is quality of life and I will make the right decision at the right time.

I have put things in place over the last 24 hours...contingency plans if you like. I have emailed the CAB and am awaiting their advice on potential benefits I may be able to claim, not holding out much hope as this is a self inflicted situation! But you never know! I am going to a meeting next Tuesday with my local Business Link to develop and plan to boost my sales and identify potential sources of money to help me move my business forward. Making beads and jewellery full time or a lot more hours than I currently do is definitely an option and my gorgeous husband keeps talking about giving me his huuugeee shed to convert it to my workspace and set up a second station so I can offer tuition on a more permenant basis!

I have been to the bank manager and I MAY (MAY) be able to claim on my payment protection plan for my loan to help us out a bit. I say may but it is unlikely as I have had depression before and I should have 2 clear years before making a claim and you know what banks are like if there is a loophole they will exploit it!!! But again there is something I can explore to make our life a little easier for the moment!

I MAY be able to take a mortgage break or swap to interest only for a while again to help out. All things that are good to have in my armoury.

Options, options, options!!! All need careful consideration!

Right best go photograph my beads and bags whilst there is some sun and update my Etsy and website very soon and Imogen is off school today as it is student review day and I have an appointment for noon to see how her first year at senior school has gone!!!

TTFN xxx

Bags and beads and job interview!

I have made a bag!! Actually I have made loads but this is the final finished version! I am quite chuffed with it and think that over the next few days / weeks I will be making these to sell!!! I have not had much beading time these last few days so when I have finished writing this I am off up the studio, the kiln is warming up as we speak and a few ideas are bubbling! Don't think it is going to be a spectacular day but it will be nice to sit up there and make beads.

I have challenged Tony to come up with a system for me to hold 2 mandrels together so I can make glass buttons for my bags. There is a system available but only in the US so I thought I could challenge him to rig me something up! Watch this space!

One final piece of news totally unrelated to beads or bags! I have an interview for a new job on 30th June. Got to do a 10 minute presentation so got loads of stuff about that floating around my head as well now!!!

Right best be off kiln time is a wasting...... and I gotta make more goodies for you guys to drool over and buy ;o) (please!)

Have a lovely day
TTFN x

His and hers and the kids.....

Tony and I have our own sheds in the garden. His is a huge shed where he does his woodwork and I don't have shed envy honest ;o).

Mine is a 7 ft square summer house where I make all my glass beads and do my small amount of silver smithing and now Savannah has a shed of her own.



Tony was doing some work at a house the other week and got friendly with the guy next door who has this up in a tree. He asked Tony if he wanted it for Savannah so it now lives in our garden. He has made a new door for it and repaired the window and Savannah wanted it purple so this is a picture of them both painting it this morning. Imogen is a little put out cos she wants a shed to make her cards in! But I really do think the garden is full now with 3 shed like buildings a 15" trampoline, a 2 storey rabbit hutch and a washing line! Thank goodness for a 60" garden!!!!! Mind you I am about to start to try to persuade Tony to do the bottom patio and incorporate a new workspace for me mwah mwah mwah!

Imogen is on a promise for a revamp in her bedroom, it is so cluttered and poorly set out and she is such a litterbug (wonder where she gets that from ;o) ) that it is in dire need of a rethink so she is happy and......if the thing I am hoping for works out to plan then money should become a little less of a worry! More about that as and when!!!

Imogen's sleepover is going well, they all went shopping yesterday afternoon and were brilliantly behaved last night although there was not much sleep before about 2 0r 3 am this morning!!! At the moment they are swimming at the local pool and then home for some lunch and then it is all over! I can't get over the fact that my little baby is 12 this week OMG!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI I love you tons!!!

Right sunshine is a wasting. BTW making beads tonight! got a couple of ideas!!!
TTFN xx

New listings on Etsy and my website

Getting my act together a bit with my beads! I got loads sitting around and feel like getting them up for sale! 2 pendants on Etsy here and I am about to go to my website here and upload some bargain basement goodies and a very colourful set of beads!!!

thank you
TTFNxx