Feeling bleurgh...

I think a dreaded cold may be on it's way!!! I am feeling a bit under the weather and I have the hugest blister on my lip. A leetle run down I fink.....

Anyway I am having a quiet indoors day today, bit of housework to do and I am waiting for a package to arrive. So time to get you all up to speed on my life.

I have some lovely photos of the Big Bead show to show you

This first one is me and Keiara behine our stand before the show opened. I look completely gormless he he. Aren't those stands fab? Keiara's husband made them and they were absolutely perfect I can tell you

This second one is a shot of one of the times our stand looked quite busy.

Keaira and I had a fab day and I have booked again for next year I will give you more details once dates are set etc! I am going to hopefully do more shows tho again watch this space and I will let you know!

Other news: I took one of my jewellery ideas down to the Ingoldsby Gallery in Margate on Sunday to show them as they have asked me to put together a range of jewellery that will be exclusive to them. It went down well so I am now busy making these pieces to have on show for the beginning of November. I am also doing a 3 day Christmas Market in Margate Old Town in December which I am quite excited about.

Savannah's primary school is having a Christmas fair on 28th November and I am having a fingerprint stand there so I busy getting the pre order letters ready to send out to all the mum's and dad's and I am hopeful that this will be well received. I am also donating a prize to the school prize draw but I am not quite sure what that will be yet!

All in all things are looking very good, I just hope this darned cold does not develop.

Anyway must dash, ooh one quick reminder I loaded up loads of new beads onto my website and my Etsy shop last night so please take a look!

TTFN xx

God I sound like an ungrateful cow...

...why I hear you ask!!

Wellllll.....yesterday was the Big Bead Show and I had a fantastic day. I sold some stuff, I met old friends and I made some new friends but I was slightly disappointed not to have sold a bit more! Thats why I sound ungrateful. I kinda got the impression I was not alone with these feelings...don't get me wrong I will do it again my name is already down for next year because it is not just about the sales on the day it is about getting known and promoting myself and I did sell a fair amount of stuff.

Maybe it is more about me setting goals and making them realistic, maybe I worry to much but I do have bills to pay and 2 children to raise. Maybe I have to high expectations.

You know what I thought about scrapping this post so I did not appear ungrateful and what you don't know is how long this post took me to write cos it made me think loads. I made the decision to quit my job as a lecturer and chose to be a full time lampworker and jewellery designer. Until 2 months ago this was merely a hobby that made me a bit of pin money to keep me in glass and now it is more serious but these things take time and expecting to be rolling in money after 2 months is incredibly unrealistic.

I said it before and I will say it again I am on a journey and so far I am loving it.
TTFN xx

PS Those of you who told me how much better I looked yesterday compared to last year thank you for noticing and for telling me, It makes me realise how much better I actually am and how far I have come. Thank you xxx

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

Teaching

I spent last Monday with Gill teaching her how to make glass beads and we had a ball. 6 hours of teaching is quite tiring for me and for the student but we covered a fair amount and the picture above are the beads that Gill made and I have sent to her. I do hope she liked them.
I love teaching and if you would like to come along and have a go please feel free to contact me for further information. I do taster sessions and full day teaching so there is soemthing for everyone. What a fab Christmas pressie for someone!
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

Our little helper

For those of you who follow me on Facebook you will be aware that I have had some problems with my neighbours. I live in a mid terrace and whilst the walls are pretty good and noise is minimal there is obviously some noise that can be heard.

I have some really attractive paper in my hallway (not) and my hubby decided at the beginning of the week that he could no longer bear to look at it so he is wallpaper stripping must to the disgust of my neighbour who, at 8.30 in the evening was rapping on the wall complaining about the noise and waking my youngest daughter up. The "noise" of the wallpaper stripping had not bothered her at all!!!

Anyway my youngest has delighted in helping her dad out and is often to be found wielding a wallpaper stripper but today found her forte in hoovering!!!


She had us both in stitches mimicking her dad who can often be found hoovering on his hands and knees. This is apparently essential as the nasty woodchip wallpaper gets everywhere and is a tricky little sucker to clean up! I am just pleased to be shot of the nasty flower wallpaper and the purple gloss woodchip above it, bare plaster walls is way more preferable. Now to persuade him that sage green and lemon is scrummy for a hallway!!! Oh and the pink carpet is going as well I feel a nice sage green carpet also!

What is happening for the rest of the week? Well tomorrow I am teaching a new student for the day which I am really looking forward to, she found me as a result of the Art and Craft exhibition so that makes it all worthwhile in my book! Tuesday I am doing a sessional lecture for my friend in my old job and from Wednesday onwards it is all hands to the pump getting stuff made for the Big Bead Show on 17th October. Busy busy busy!!!

Right must be off roast pork for dinner and the spuds need sorting see you soon
TTFN xx

Oops how time flies...

....I am so sorry it has been over a week since I last posted but I have been soooo busy!

A quick recap since I last blogged...

Last Saturday I went down to Margate Old Town and met some fantastic people who are busy developing Margate's Art Quarter. They had a 2 day market going on and offered me a stall for the Sunday. This was too good an opportunity to miss so on Sunday I did my first market! I had a fab time, met some gorgeous people and am most definitely doing it again. In fact I am doing it in December I will find the link for you later and post a bit more about it!

I met a lady called Janet who is one of the people who runs the Ingoldsby Gallery in Lombard Street in Margate and yesterday I went to meet her to discuss my showing some jewellery there. The outcome of that meeting was that I am going to design some jewellery that will be exclusively available through the Gallery. This will be on show from the end of November onwards.

Wednesday I met up with Keiara and we went over how we are going to put our display together for the Big Bead Show. Eeekkk.....it is only 2 weeks away and I have not got nearly enough stock!
Keiara's husband has come up trumps for us and made some gorgeous display stands and our display is going to look absolutely awesome. The picture above is just a little taster of what I am taking with me!

Next Monday I am doing some tuition which I am really looking forward to, I have a tutorial to finish for Beads and Beyond Magazine as well as the Readers Challenge which I have been asked to do again! So all in all things are verrrryyyyy busy. I am totally loving it thank you everyone for supporting me for buying my beads and just thank you.....

TTFN x