tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13521593600330328072024-02-07T05:06:29.045-08:00ruthies ramblingsruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-4809093791608830832014-12-17T22:08:00.001-08:002014-12-17T22:08:49.506-08:00Modern technology <p dir="ltr">My word it's been almost a year since I last blogged! I guess Ive not had a lot to say, the beads and I didn't speak for about 3 months either which doesn't help plus I never use my laptop anymore which makes sitting down and writing a blog a difficult. Out of curiosity, I checked to see if there was an app so I could do it on my phone and then hopefully be a bit more active and there was. So this is a test post written from my bed :-)</p>
<p dir="ltr">So I wonder how to add pictures? Hmmmmm there was a camera icon on the other screen, there may or may not be a picture here when I press post like I say it's a test post, if it all goes well I'll write a proper post soon. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7EiW_wc1UeF26aKhtYeCgHNg_0Wa1ugxk3Y-fb8gvuBP1RLz0HdIfOqlL8Jvi9BoVTPGYFYZolhFb2IpfLs-l3VUfnxR9oUeynt_fsG5UHhCiCxUykYmC9wfukBeJ8SEUoNHF8JkZivu/s1600/20141206_092411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7EiW_wc1UeF26aKhtYeCgHNg_0Wa1ugxk3Y-fb8gvuBP1RLz0HdIfOqlL8Jvi9BoVTPGYFYZolhFb2IpfLs-l3VUfnxR9oUeynt_fsG5UHhCiCxUykYmC9wfukBeJ8SEUoNHF8JkZivu/s640/20141206_092411.jpg"> </a> </div>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-28603070940726555182014-01-14T05:40:00.000-08:002014-01-14T05:40:24.935-08:00slow progressIn my last post i was talking about tidying the beadroom and using it a bit more, well a bit of progress has been made. 6 hours of sorting and tidying resulted in this:<br />
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You can see the floor!!!<br />
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the desk is also a lot clearer now so is in use. I am currently working on 2 projects one of Julia S Pretls beaded boxes, progress pics of that can be seen over on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pintail-Jewellery/180992761955181" target="_blank">facebook</a> page (i hope that works its been ages since i did clicky linky things in here)<br />
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The other project I'm working on is affectionately known as <a href="http://pamspoppy.com/#page_1/" target="_blank">pam's poppy</a> (that link will take you to the website, but there is also a facebook page). I'm really proud to be part of this project and will be visiting the completed wreath. I will blog a bit more in depth about this project when i have a bit more time, but here is the progress so far, this is my second poppy for the wreath.<br />
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that's all for now folks.ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-26219145457269670652014-01-05T05:11:00.003-08:002014-01-05T05:11:53.662-08:00hello 2014 and all you may throw at meRight then,<br />
its been a heck of a long time since i wrote anything in my blog and I'm really not sure if i can remember how this works so if things look wonky and pictures are in weird places....I'm sorry, I'll figure it out eventually.<br />
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I guess i should have reread everything i had written in past posts, but what the heck its been that long its history. So whats new?<br />
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I'm hoping to make a bigger commitment to Pintail Jewellery this year, but that's easier said than done, lack of confidence and a full time job are a couple of hurdles i have to overcome, but hey this time last year i was facing redundancy so i should be grateful i still have that income coming in and i am as i really enjoy my job (even if i do like to whinge about it).<br />
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First thing i need to do is get a grip of the "beadroom", its a box room at home that i have all my bead storage in and a desk etc so i can work up there.<br />
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as you can see....EEEK. it has become the proverbial dumping ground, as i no longer feel i can work up there when i want to. The reason being...<br />
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Lenny! He's our old boy and he struggles with the stairs and unfortunately has toilet issues, that i would prefer to keep limited to the downstairs. So I end up beading on the sofa, which is great until i need something, which is upstairs and then his lordship insists on trying to follow me up the stairs which makes me feel guilty. Needless to say as a result of this not much beading has been done the past few months.<br />
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But the plan is to get the room back in action, and use it in the evenings, when Rich my boyfriend is home and can keep Lenny out of mischief.<br />
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Well i think I've wittered on enough for you to be going on with, plus i need to leave some stuff to write about for the next instalment.<br />
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Ruthie<br />
xx<br />
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<br />ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-48542133233426073532012-06-16T14:23:00.000-07:002012-06-16T14:23:42.783-07:00catch upright then, as usual I've left quite a gap between posts, i wish i could do this at work as that's the only time i really spend at a big computer these days, its far much easier to sit on the sofa and do my browsing etc via the smartphone, but as a result the blog and folksy get neglected. on the plus side it does mean i may have a fair bit of stuff to share with you :-)<br />
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first things first, i can't remember if i told you who won the last giveaway (and if i go back to check I'll probably lose what i have written even if i press save lol) well it was June of charters creations. thanks to those of you who entered, keep your eyes peeled there may be another one soon.<br />
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so what has been going on in my world? well i haven't been made redundant yet so that's a good thing, its still a possibility but working in the railways everything takes forever, its not nice having an axe an axe hanging over your head for over a year but I'll keep taking the pay checks. talking about work we had a lovely steam train "Duchess of Sutherland" through the station today<br />
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urgh just had a major technical hiccup, since the last time i posted there have been huge changes in the world of blogger and it really didn't want to upload my pic, had to call the in house IT support, aka Rich my boyfriend to figure out how to fix it, turns out blogger and opera aren't speaking at the moment so i am reverting to Internet explorer.<br />
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so whats happened beady wise??? well not a lot and a lot at the same time. a group of us who know each other from various places on the Internet got together for a weekend of wine, cake (thanks to Donna for the gorgeous cupcakes nom nom nom) and beading, i had intended on taking loads of pictures and doing a big blog feature on the weekend but i was too busy beading, yeah OK and drinking wine. i confess i was a wee bit hungover on the Saturday, I'm such a lightweight these days.<br />
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I've been making quite a few peyote cuffs recently in the hope that i ca eventually start selling the patterns, once I've figured out how to make them look pretty (the pattern is the easy bit) i love doing straight forward flat peyote, just need to work on my use of colours and shapes so i can develop some more picture style ones as opposed to patterns, but i hope you like the ones I've done so far.<br />
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over on the OTTBS (operation tackle that bead stash) facebook page everyone went a bit freeform crazy for a few days, including me. and i confess freeform makes my head hurt, I'm not good at mixing my beads up let alone randomly putting them places, but this is what i came up with, which isn't too shabby for a first attempt<br />
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i also set myself the challenge of completing a pattern that had me cowering in the corner every time i saw it, its called the rams horn bead in the book the art of beaded beads. those of you who have seen the pattern will know exactly what i mean. over on OTTBS i asked if anyone had attempted it in a group with over 300 members the answer was no, well a couple of people started it but gave up. i made two of them, that weekend and somebody else took up the challenge and made one as well. strangely we both went wrong but ended up with a pretty close replica of the actual bead<br />
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so whats next? well i have a bead embroidery piece on the go which i am hoping will look pretty darn good once its finished (so far so good). and I'm also working on a necklace which is involving a lot of trial and error but is proving to be a lot of good fun. hope you enjoyed this very long winded instalment and that you join me for the next one. <br />
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PS happy birthday Dad, love you xx<br />
<br />ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-72714398122047063402012-03-21T08:03:00.006-07:002012-03-21T08:35:39.341-07:00erm i'm still here honestHello<br />I'm ever so sorry that I've been absent for such a long time. life just keeps on getting in the way as I'm sure many of you will understand. To make it up to you there will be a beady giveaway at the end of this blog.<br /><br />So what has been going on? Well i still work for the railway, although redundancy is a possibilty (we were first told of this over a year ago, and trying to stay positive and hopeful for so long is starting to take its toll if truth be told). I am still with my wonderfull boyfriend Richard (although I don't call him wonderful when he is tickling me!) Lenny the labrador is still with us (yet another cause of stress but we still love him despite everything) and we now have a marine fish tank, but alas yesterday one of the fish jumped out of the tank and committed suicide.<br /><br />I'm still trying to lose that blasted 2 stone in weight I want shifting, and its becoming a necessity as come summer not many of my clothes are going to fit. So i've changed gym to one closer to home which is a pay as you go basis and I'm trying to go 3 times a week, i actually should have been there today but I've been doing admin at home.<br /><br />and what beady stuff have i been doing since i last posted? well the main bit was Lynn Davy's warrior rings necklace that was published in Beadwork Magazine last autumn. I knew Lynn was publishing this design through following her work on various bits of the interweb and i just had to make it when it came out. Richard bought me the materials to make it as a birthday pressie (i told you he was wonderful), and this is how it turned out<br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpDaKIonPhxUals9XEn4ZT-94-VWoRCaPboWpLqGlslZtYOltJmI_OM5kBkaFvAHV6GfD6o45hIlOlYOdDoEkASveW40H3Bb9rYCfFR20FNeEN0SqFEFjQNZnrwE5gTUCTXKRoAl4VnLO/s1600/warrior-rings3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpDaKIonPhxUals9XEn4ZT-94-VWoRCaPboWpLqGlslZtYOltJmI_OM5kBkaFvAHV6GfD6o45hIlOlYOdDoEkASveW40H3Bb9rYCfFR20FNeEN0SqFEFjQNZnrwE5gTUCTXKRoAl4VnLO/s320/warrior-rings3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722369672013975874" /></a><br /></p><p>i've made a few other pieces as well but i can't be telling you everything all at once now can i?</p><p>over at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pintail-Jewellery/180992761955181?ref=tn_tnmn">pintail jewellery</a> we are nearly at 100 "likers" and I would love to reach it (and more) so to help here is the giveaway prize:</p><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJeHRvYew-afjEKc7WyrHCxjvYIgDfBncClPRvRwWL9vt_W10jfxiXti-RYoMUuSv1uBvsIRfCZ4BQnuC9BXy6sim6XP9f_Ac8gD0j8koURGZMf-17uMhadb6w4RjWdnFOGIfPLXRte5h/s1600/tupenny-daisy-sunflower.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJeHRvYew-afjEKc7WyrHCxjvYIgDfBncClPRvRwWL9vt_W10jfxiXti-RYoMUuSv1uBvsIRfCZ4BQnuC9BXy6sim6XP9f_Ac8gD0j8koURGZMf-17uMhadb6w4RjWdnFOGIfPLXRte5h/s320/tupenny-daisy-sunflower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722372387472668418" /></a></div><div align="left">As spring is finally trying to arrive (although I've not seen any lambs yet) i have made a tuppeny daisy in bright and vibrant sunflower colours which will go to one lucky person. All i ask you to do is leave a comment telling me your favourite flower. I shall draw the lucky persons name out of a hat on Wednesday March 28th at 6pm bst (apparently the clocks change this weekend, good job i checked or I'd be late for work on sunday).</div>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-5072311627448898982011-07-19T04:19:00.000-07:002011-07-19T04:42:04.945-07:00hello there!!! its me again. first things first, congratulations to nic for winning the cow print cuff that was up for offer in the last blog, that will be winging its way to GERMANY (whoo hoo look at me going all international, yeah all right nics an ex pat, does make me wonder if i have any other international followers though). it was going to be a highlty technical draw, well ok bits of paper with numbers on them, but the desk was a mess i couldn't find any paper, so i resorted to shouting downstairs and getting the other half to pick a number lol.<br /><br />so what have i been up to since the last blog. erm beading!! last week i seemed to have an influx of energy and was rustling up peyote cuffs left right and centre, downside is though i burnt myself out by wednesday, but these three little beauties are what i created whilst the mojo was flowing<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5953536849/" title="july-cuff-trio by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/5953536849_a99355e439.jpg" width="400" height="341" alt="july-cuff-trio"></a><br />they were all designed by me but i hadn't got round to making them, but i finally did it and they turned out really well in the end.<br />i also had a play with some fimo, i haven't got the patience for it, those that make amazing beads and things out of it are pretty much gods in my eyes, i would show pics of my creations but i forgot to take any, i guess i shall save them for a slow news week.<br />yesterday i had the urge to make but didn't want to bead, so i got the pliers out and some jump rings and did a bit of chainmaille, considering i just used cheap rings from hobbycraft and the aspect ratio was wrong cos of the gauge of wire used for them the end results are quite cool i think<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5953536931/" title="persian-lala-ducky by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/5953536931_315c17c56f.jpg" width="400" height="223" alt="persian-lala-ducky"></a><br />the ducky was made my helen over at <a href="http://www.lalalampworkbeads.co.uk/">lala lampwork</a> and is a keeper i love my duckies i do.<br />i also bought some lovely lampies from <a href="http://www.lampworkbeadsbyjo.co.uk/">joanne</a> and teamed them up with some antique gold coloured findings, swarovski crystals and some random black beads that worked perfectly with what i had planned to create this<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5954095060/" title="lej-bracelet by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5954095060_fa2e2219b7.jpg" width="400" height="216" alt="lej-bracelet"></a><br />so what do you think guys? anything you'd like to see me attempt or want to know about me?ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-81500075839999695522011-07-05T03:18:00.000-07:002011-07-05T03:47:12.007-07:00learning curves and technical difficultieswell i was supposed to write a blog last week about a learning curve i've just been on but tecnical difficulties prevented me from doing it how i wanted so i didn't blog. but i can't leave you guys feeling neglected so i'm cobbling this one together but there will be a giveaway so bare with me.<br />well what was i doing?<br />i was making up a peyote cuff from one of my chart patterns so i could list it on the fan page and then in the folsky/etsy/whatever shop when i get round to sorting that out. i'd got the beads and the clasp, but as usual i just picked a clasp that i thought would be the right size, a five ringed slide clasp (i do like slide clasps) but as i started to make up the peyote band i figured that it was a bit too wide for the clasp, so i had a think. whilst i was thinking i was browsing the forums i frequent and spotted some cuffs that donna over at delicate sparkles had done they were peyote but mounted onto a cuff blank. well i had a couple of cuff blanks upstairs ready for some bead embroidery cuffs i've not got round to doing yet (i will do them one day) so decided this was going to be the best course of action.<br />of course nothing is that straight forward the cuff blank was slightly wider than the peyote piece i was a fair way through making, but i figured a row of brick stitch at the end would make it wide enough. of course all the way through this i'm taking pictures of my work mat so you guys can see the progress being made. <br />well when i'd finished the peyote i added the row of brick stitch and i was pretty pleased with how it was looking. so i proceeded to cover the cuff blank with the ultasuede. what a palaver!!!! i'm not sure if its becuse i was using an offcut which wasn't square or it was just me trying to run before i could walk and having no patience but at the end of it all i was rather stressed out but i had a nicely covered blank apart from one tiny little crease which i couldn't get rid of for love nor money.<br />so then it was time to attach the peyote to the covered blank. DOH!!!!! i forgot that adding the ultrasuede would make the blank thicker so my nicely fitting peyote strip was still slightly narrow! but no worries i just had to make sure i sewed it on nice and square so it didn't look wonky. no problem that went fine. unfortunately one end is closer to the end of the blank than the other only by a rows width though.<br />needless to say i've learnt a lot making this and hopefully the next time i make a rigid cuff i will remember them. unfortunately the pictures i had taken are on my phone and for some reason flickr won't allow me to upload them and i can't find my cable so i'm afraid there is no work in progress pictures or of me tearing my hair out surrounded by ultrasuede offcuts but there is a picture of the finished item<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5904657768/" title="moo-cuff by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/5904657768_9d83dee8b5.jpg" width="400" height="302" alt="moo-cuff"></a><br />which i think actually turned out really well all things considered.<br />so then who wants it? yes i am going to offer this cuff as a <span style="font-weight:bold;">giveaway</span> to anybody who posts a cow joke in the comments. the winner will be chosen at random at 5pm (roughly) 17th July 2011, so it doesn't matter if the joke is really cheesy its not the best joke that wins (in fact a cheesy one would win in that case cos they are my fave) and if nobody posts a comment i shall keep it for myself, but i hope people do play along<br />see you in the next post!!!ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-27111165634001899442011-06-17T07:57:00.001-07:002011-06-17T08:06:47.301-07:00i have news<div align="left"><br /></div><p>well its not very exciting in the grand scheme of things but i now have a page on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pintail-Jewellery/180992761955181">facebook</a> i spent yesterday getting it all sorted. its still very much a work in progress buts its a step in the right direction. </p><p>well what else has been going on? erm not a lot. although i got the coins out again recently and started making my coin flower brooches, which i always enjoy making, so much so i am in the middle of writing up the tutorial on how to make them so watch this space. </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xt4bGWlM-HXHd8PDJ3-BxtqJsfKxNKr-1nVJE5UQh4F7-eGUDSVjBCv6y_AYfZvlqwUldKm0N8TDs3RAS9pcxxdyVqzLVSFHxffYmPFLTToEl894zJpHU9E3zs4miv2IEnJxth9VoebD/s1600/flower-brooch-front.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xt4bGWlM-HXHd8PDJ3-BxtqJsfKxNKr-1nVJE5UQh4F7-eGUDSVjBCv6y_AYfZvlqwUldKm0N8TDs3RAS9pcxxdyVqzLVSFHxffYmPFLTToEl894zJpHU9E3zs4miv2IEnJxth9VoebD/s320/flower-brooch-front.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619204947051873378" /></a>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-81163033905186595302011-06-08T04:21:00.000-07:002011-06-08T04:31:39.115-07:00all systems.... stop<p>well its been a funny old time since i last posted, now that the blog ring has finished (until i join another one, because it was good fun) i guess i should blog about what i've been up to. well the week before last i had a right little production line going (i like working late shifts, gives me a bit of extra time to bead between customers, but don't tell the boss) and created several bracelets </p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5762460525/" title="IMAG0105 by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/5762460525_24c5f9f85c.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="IMAG0105" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5763006066/" title="IMAG0106 by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/5763006066_38aa7d5505.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="IMAG0106" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5762461991/" title="IMAG0107 by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2334/5762461991_ed35ecd9b7.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="IMAG0107" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5763018794/" title="IMAG0104 by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2502/5763018794_faba649702.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="IMAG0104" /></a></p><p>i also made a ring</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5772491321/" title="IMAG0112 by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/5772491321_fec8e202b0.jpg" width="299" height="500" alt="IMAG0112" /></a></p><p>which was fun, mainly because the instructions are in japanese</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskey9890/5772490093/" title="IMAG0111 by whiskey9890, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5772490093_bd0059b582.jpg" width="299" height="500" alt="IMAG0111" /></a></p><p>and since then i've not really done anything (well there are a couple of pieces but i need to photograph them, plus it gives me something to show you in the next blog)</p><p>i have decided though that i will start listing stuff for sale over on folksy i am just in the process of working out all the ins and outs and getting better pics etc, and along with that there will be a facebook page as well. so its a case of watch this space.</p><p><br /></p>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-74162764676200704492011-05-23T02:57:00.000-07:002011-05-23T03:28:21.713-07:00introducing.... blue fairy designs<p>well this is the last in the current series spotlighting fellow creative types i hope you enjoyed it, if you want to see more please let me know. but who have we got this time?</p><p>we have helen of <a href="http://www.bluefairydesigns.co.uk/#!__welcome">blue fairy designs</a> yet another talented lady, who does more than dabble with glass! visit her website to see some amazing glassy creations, including jewellery, coasters, bowls and wall art, for all you facebook people you can also find her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bluefairydesigns?sk=wall">here</a>. here are a few of my favourite pieces</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29817729@N04/2857170540/" title="coasteroverview by helenbluefairy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2857170540_bd52905715.jpg" width="348" height="500" alt="coasteroverview" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29817729@N04/5534834882/" title="Large art panels by helenbluefairy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5534834882_56da73cb5d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Large art panels" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29817729@N04/5476316613/" title="DSC00360 by helenbluefairy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5476316613_bcbe110fce.jpg" width="336" height="448" alt="DSC00360" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29817729@N04/3803639389/" title="Ivy League by helenbluefairy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/3803639389_f52baf3309.jpg" width="344" height="336" alt="Ivy League" /></a></p><p>i could spend hours posting pics of her work as i've not seen a bit i don't like. i hope you visit her website and the other artisits i've featured.</p><p>well i best go an do some beading so i have something to write about myself next time lol</p><p><br /></p>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-4304151837386118022011-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:002011-05-17T11:49:05.629-07:00introducing.... kitzbitz art glass<p>well this blog is a few days late, due to various reasons but here it is better late than never.</p><p>so who have we got today??? well its the boss lady, Jolene. Jolene organised this blog ring (so i better be nice, not that i could say a bad thing about her, she's lovely) over on the <a href="http://www.craftpimp.co.uk/index.php">craft pimp forum</a> which she also runs; how she finds the time is beyond me but i'm glad she does.</p><p align="left">so what does Jolene do? well predominantly she's a lampworker and sells her work on etsy as <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/kitzbitz">kitzbitz</a> where you can find a selection of her beads, and not just her amazing glassy creations but also her polymer clay beads which are equally stunning.</p><p align="left">these beads are polymer clay inspired by a babies blanket. and the design is clay as well not painted!!!</p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitzbitz/5500492151/" title="Tattoo beads by kitzbitz art glass by Jolene, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5500492151_cb17751cbe.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Tattoo beads" /></a></p><p align="left">these beads are "lampies", i love the colour in them, very warming, very me</p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitzbitz/4950990237/" title="dots by kitzbitz art glass by Jolene, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/4950990237_a7d480cf21.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="dots" /></a></p><p align="left">Jolene doesn't just sell the finished products either, she has a lampwork supply business over on etsy <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/fritnchips">fritnchips</a> selling various, frits, shards, twitsies and mojo boxes used to create the various effects you see on lampwork beads.</p><p align="left">here are a few of my other favourites of hers:</p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitzbitz/4941441138/" title="powder-detail-3 by kitzbitz art glass by Jolene, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4941441138_ff546b5c0c.jpg" width="430" height="430" alt="powder-detail-3" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitzbitz/4241539921/" title="G040-Purple by kitzbitz art glass by Jolene, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2769/4241539921_7f07ab9238.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="G040-Purple" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitzbitz/4043920938/" title="slytherine-rounds-3 by kitzbitz art glass by Jolene, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2795/4043920938_0cd5410365.jpg" width="500" height="437" alt="slytherine-rounds-3" /></a></p><p align="left">and last but not least...</p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitzbitz/4782353791/" title="Lady Garden Beads by kitzbitz art glass by Jolene, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4782353791_4161c73905.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="Lady Garden Beads" /></a></p><p align="center"><br /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">and for those with good eyesight, yes that is what they are</span><br /></p>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-82021787964787288642011-05-04T06:38:00.000-07:002011-05-04T07:24:39.761-07:00introducing...... hazel of hazelbhandweaver!!!<p>and she's not a beader, lampworker or nothing like that!!! its even more exciting, hazel is a weaver! i don't know anybody else that weaves so its been really interesting seeing her stuff on the craftpimp forum and boy oh boy is it amazing!!! </p><p>hazel started out as a spinner, but the weaving bug bit hard and she rarely does this now, although when you see the pics of the weaving she does, i'm sure you will agree it was worth sacrificing the spinning for. i'm just in awe of this womans work, and Richard (the boyfriend) if you are reading this, yes i would like one :-)</p><p>Hazel does her weaving in her home and studio in Wales on amazing looms, the big one:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazelb/5574762534/" title="Main loom by HazelB Handweaver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5574762534_a543390011.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Main loom" /></a> this beauty takes about 10 hours to set up!! talk about dedication, and is used for weaving damask</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazelb/5574181869/" title="16 shaft loom by HazelB Handweaver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5177/5574181869_ef9f33418f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="16 shaft loom" /></a> this one is for making more complex designs</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazelb/5574766012/" title="small loom by HazelB Handweaver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/5574766012_21ca634b35.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="small loom" /></a>and this is the baby loom used for making samples and scarves,</p><p>the mind boggles at how intricate the looms themselves are. i guess i should actually show you some of the items hazel makes but its so difficult trying to pick out some favourite pieces as they truely are all stunning but i'll give it my best shot</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazelb/5526516913/" title="Summer Garden by HazelB Handweaver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/5526516913_c91e7acd38.jpg" width="282" height="500" alt="Summer Garden" /></a> i love the colours in this one, so vibrant.</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazelb/5619417284/" title="Trio of scarves by HazelB Handweaver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5619417284_ab67172183.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Trio of scarves" /></a> a fine example of the different designs that can be achieved (don't ask me how, but its impressive isn't it)</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazelb/5534365940/" title="Violet nights by HazelB Handweaver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5534365940_0764ba5c40.jpg" width="309" height="500" alt="Violet nights" /></a> and last but not least this beauty, its hand dyed silk with merino fibre laid over it, and they are then felted together. WOW</p><p>hazel will be at the beaumauris festival from 27/05/11-30/05/11 if you want to see her work in person if you cant get there here is the link to her website so you can see (and hopefully buy, yes richard i'm talking to you again) more amazing wraps and scarves <a href="http://www.hazelbhandweaver.co.uk/index.html">hazelbhandweaver</a></p>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-20458547948303574592011-05-01T07:52:00.000-07:002011-05-01T08:16:17.120-07:00introducing.... silvergems designs<p>well folks its time yet again to point a spotlight at another talented member of the craftpimp forum, and this week i am pleased to introduce Gemma, of silvergems designs.</p><p>now i confess to only discovering Gemma's work since joining craft pimp, but by heck she has done some nice stuff! Gemma is a lampworker who also makes jewellery pieces and sells items over on etsy <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverGems89">http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverGems89</a></p><p>here are a few of my favourite piece that i've spotted on her flickr account:</p><p>i love this bracelet its just screams touch me!!!</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvergems89/5547768655/" title="Beaded shaggy loops bracelet by SilverGems89, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5547768655_1fcc5727ef.jpg" width="500" height="321" alt="Beaded shaggy loops bracelet" /></a></p><p>Gemma reckons this isn't perfect as its a first attempt, wonder if she'll send it to me for a closer inspection cos i think it looks perfect and could certainly use it in some bead embroidery</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvergems89/5223656167/" title="First ever Cabochon by SilverGems89, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5223656167_894ed462e4.jpg" width="500" height="439" alt="First ever Cabochon" /></a></p><p>and if you are a fan of big hole beads check out these beauties, don't the colours just scream summer at you</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvergems89/5157701977/" title="Big Hole Beads by SilverGems89, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/5157701977_056aa08474.jpg" width="500" height="480" alt="Big Hole Beads" /></a></p><p>well after looking at those i have an urge for a cocktail with an umbrella in it, wonder what i can find in the kitchen to make it happen. </p><p>for more info on Gemma's work why not pop over to her facebook page and keep track of whats happening over there <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SilverGemsDesigns?sk=wall#!/SilverGemsDesigns?sk=wall">http://www.facebook.com/SilverGemsDesigns?sk=wall#!/SilverGemsDesigns?sk=wall</a></p><p>speak soon!<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/"></a></p><p><br /></p>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-32925426726621655332011-04-11T03:18:00.000-07:002011-04-11T03:57:06.520-07:00introducing smittenkitten<p>I've not been around much lately, but I've not been sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Instead I've been networking and learning about other crafters. having recently discovered www.craftpimp.co.uk a new online forum showcasing the work of many UK crafters, i signed up for a blog ring to help promote the work of a few of these very talented people. so here is my first entry:</p><p>Nicola of smittenkitten is one of the worlds true crafters, who can turn her hand to anything and do a fantastic job of it. Her work is currently available for sale on dewanda http://de.dawanda.com/shop/missbond and she has her own website here http://www.smittenkitten.de/. Although Nicola is English she is currently based in Stuttgart, Germany, where she is living with her fiance and currently planning her wedding (personally i can't wait to see the pics).<br /></p><p>Nicola has a very clean and classic style to her products that would suit any occasion </p><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smitten-kitten-de/5499259864/" title="♥ Fiery Dragonfly ♥ Sterling Necklace ♥ by Nicola @ Smitten Kitten, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5499259864_a072137aa1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="♥ Fiery Dragonfly ♥ Sterling Necklace ♥" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smitten-kitten-de/5400096763/" title="♥ Angry Birds ♥ Earrings ♥ Yellow ♥ by Nicola @ Smitten Kitten, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5400096763_1a664fd05d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="♥ Angry Birds ♥ Earrings ♥ Yellow ♥ " /></a><br />and she's also nifty with a needle and thread, check out the kindle cover she made<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smitten-kitten-de/5428895452/" title="Operation Kindle - 12of12 by Nicola @ Smitten Kitten, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5428895452_eb74d3569a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Operation Kindle - 12of12" /></a><br />I could spend hours telling you about this talented ladies work but all this creativity has sparked my mojo so i best go and put it to good use.<br /><br />for all you face book junkies here's a link to Nicola's fan page<br />http://www.facebook.com/smittenkittenderuthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-87803525216929858562011-01-19T03:45:00.000-08:002011-01-19T03:57:13.049-08:00what am i going to do nowi'm at a loss. i've finished my big project i was working on and cant think of anything exciting to do, i've got a little project on the go but its hardly exciting, i need something new to get my teeth into!<br />some of you may be wondering what i've just finished, actually most of you wont be as most of you are friends on facebook and have seen the in progress photos oh well. but for those of you who don't do facebook, a few months ago (actually its approaching 9) i had the idea of converting a piece of ancient egyptian enamelled jewellery into a piece of beadwork, so that is what i have done. it hasn't taken 9 months to make (about 3 weeks) but it was the scarab i initially had problems with as i am not good at polymer clay, i then managed to get one made for me the very talented caroline (carrie) harvey, but i was too chicken to make a start on it, but in the lull between christmas and new year i took the plunge an this is the result<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOhwXXtUO978ULStHFjn4QuWcKn1R4h9LyAzkH9EPFHe8yD8sMEyvHJtgqi2866xFEE2qX8WjjJD6uFKzH541mwrTXH-cJIe_m8i1XPRqlM6MDjYaPx-wqjEDH90BEmeNI4QAF1ftzRgp/s1600/scarab.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOhwXXtUO978ULStHFjn4QuWcKn1R4h9LyAzkH9EPFHe8yD8sMEyvHJtgqi2866xFEE2qX8WjjJD6uFKzH541mwrTXH-cJIe_m8i1XPRqlM6MDjYaPx-wqjEDH90BEmeNI4QAF1ftzRgp/s320/scarab.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563863532274029266" /></a><br />it is hanging on a twisted tubular herringbone rope which took just as long to make as the pendant, if not longer. i have made the bails on the pendant long enough to slip over the ends of the rope allowing the rope to be worn seperately, as its not everyday you want to wear a pendant thats over 8cm wide.<br />so thats what i've been doing since the start of the year, i've entered it into the bead buddies quarterly challenge so we'll see how it does in a couple of months, but even if it doesn't do very well (there are some seriously good beaders out there) i'm really proud of my piece.<br />so come on guys what should i do next????ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-51941244904506558092011-01-04T03:57:00.000-08:002011-01-04T04:04:40.455-08:00happy new year!!!<div>well sorry its been awhile since the last post but we've been having a bit of a stressful time with the dog. poor chap has been diagnosed with diabetes, which is manageable but its meant a lot of trips to the vets each week leaving not a lot of free time for things like this. But i'm back!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>well the year ended on a high, i had entered a couple of small competitions and i came first in one and second in the other which i was obviously very chuffed with.</div><br /><div>here is the winner:</div><br /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWYKRYFKoPI7YRmh_6VH_gNiynrQG7lRW8oEQpInYiZbq3y_e-EhDF9RwrOuGxy8Dg73O9NvnataLu_gQWchEciBiQ3hY7mDUlJsM1NYlkQXJ0uFj6QOIH54C6RRfk7WfntHlw9syrKhu/s1600/victoria-bb.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 282px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558299389062606370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWYKRYFKoPI7YRmh_6VH_gNiynrQG7lRW8oEQpInYiZbq3y_e-EhDF9RwrOuGxy8Dg73O9NvnataLu_gQWchEciBiQ3hY7mDUlJsM1NYlkQXJ0uFj6QOIH54C6RRfk7WfntHlw9syrKhu/s320/victoria-bb.jpg" /></a><br />and here is the runner up<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXHgt-k7xy0KXJCfNy_WRQSXo1Y2K0n_eLZqcZgRia1ykeRsNo8NRE44OQecsJgW8QvOOD3OwOyFk6Ek1NcX7V7CqndRHwUPgiqOtT5eTIAisYG5K-QypMMEVVgipChb7soey1wec0QU1/s1600/snowglobe.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXHgt-k7xy0KXJCfNy_WRQSXo1Y2K0n_eLZqcZgRia1ykeRsNo8NRE44OQecsJgW8QvOOD3OwOyFk6Ek1NcX7V7CqndRHwUPgiqOtT5eTIAisYG5K-QypMMEVVgipChb7soey1wec0QU1/s320/snowglobe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558299699662409058" /></a><br />obviously they weren't first and second in the same competition (how cool would that be if they were lol).<br /><br />well this was just a quick post to show i was still alive, got to go get ready for the day job now. hope you all have a prosperous 2011!ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-66450334442475515042010-10-28T08:59:00.000-07:002010-10-28T09:14:23.769-07:00take one bag of beadshello again, i think I'm getting into the hang of this regular blogging malarkey.<br /><br /><br />well today was my monthly bead club meeting (its nice to enjoy a bit of a social side to a relatively solitary hobby) and it was the day our challenge pieces were judged. what happens is every now and then we get given a random selections of beads (everyone gets similar styles and amounts) and basically we have to create something with them over a couple of months, and someone who didn't partake or the lady from the local bead shop judges them and a little prize is given to 1st, 2nd and third<br />here are my efforts<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaF6YxDlYlJcnEWSK6r7XdBL_MbqVWnU5kQB3o4rdSytxeK_XBudtHjF9DEM1BI0IdInYk-dVbTQdjoXUHuEDEW7Eh6vxuOT-APptYkmE7tzB2xZfvhc1jdAUxEyuSj0x2pi3cYl-VLDPK/s1600/brown-beads.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 209px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533128714568651330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaF6YxDlYlJcnEWSK6r7XdBL_MbqVWnU5kQB3o4rdSytxeK_XBudtHjF9DEM1BI0IdInYk-dVbTQdjoXUHuEDEW7Eh6vxuOT-APptYkmE7tzB2xZfvhc1jdAUxEyuSj0x2pi3cYl-VLDPK/s320/brown-beads.jpg" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsTKpflk95O1q0alyCA9YY76l4hxarswEuB7YPCjGSNco95j66y5PI8YxC1Qvck4ekV4n7GM8tjQWJIRirjy59lMxG6M2b1C1Awr3CzFdLfM8rp2LIAsV32QQKO1S2ckI7ZUeN2d-8NZE/s1600/bling-ring.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 264px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533128702225825570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsTKpflk95O1q0alyCA9YY76l4hxarswEuB7YPCjGSNco95j66y5PI8YxC1Qvck4ekV4n7GM8tjQWJIRirjy59lMxG6M2b1C1Awr3CzFdLfM8rp2LIAsV32QQKO1S2ckI7ZUeN2d-8NZE/s320/bling-ring.jpg" /></a></p><br />as you can see the beads were a selection of Czech glass beads in autumnal shades. i didn't win but I'm not surprised after seeing some of the other entries. I'm more of a bead weaver but i really struggled to picture what to do with them in that respect, i should have thought about embellishment and using them to jazz something up. the winners did think of that, unfortunately i didn't take any pictures.<br />but it does make you think about how different people see different things, even colours can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of a piece, 3 ladies today were working on the same pattern but they were all using completely different colours and each piece as a result looked completely different, i think i shall be exploring the use of colour a bit more in the coming months to learn what works with what and why so bear with me if the blogs get a bit technicalruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-73148069908999443322010-10-27T02:22:00.000-07:002010-10-27T03:03:55.448-07:00pink!!!those of you who know me in real life will know that i am not a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">girly</span> girl, and that i really don't like the colour pink very much (yes i know i own a pink shirt but it looks good with my blue jeans <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">OK</span>), well a friend of mine was looking at pictures of things i have made on face book and asked me to make something for her daughter. sure i said what do you have in mind? a set in pink and silver, she really likes pink. at this point in time my brain starts to really struggle with the concept of pink, i don't even own any pink beads! so after a bit of a chat via email i learn that my friends daughter is really into dancing, of all styles, which makes me start thinking about something she could wear to her <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">competitions</span> etc. in fact it just gets me thinking full stop.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />there were lots of things to consider, the girl in question is only 8 so is she going to appreciate a piece of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">bead woven</span> jewellery, what size should i make the items do i need to make them adjustable so they can "grow" with her. (i know less about children than i do about pink).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />so after a while i decided to do a couple of things., <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">I'd</span> seen a pattern in a magazine that i was dying to have a go at which could also be modified to make it my own, which would be a piece that could be worn at the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">competitions</span>, but i also decided to step out of my comfort zone and do a set of more modern standard style jewellery (for want of a better description).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />both pieces turned out well but in the end i stuck to the pattern of the costume piece so couldn't really sell that (trying to play by the rules here, taking it all very seriously now, especially as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">I've</span> started designing my own stuff) and thankfully the mother really liked the set i made so we decided on that piece. so i guess <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">I've</span> just had another commission as its all been paid for and sent to its new home, and another friend saw the work in progress pictures and has asked for a similar set herself! i could get used to this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">lol</span>.<br /><br /><br /><br />pink ruffles: the one <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">I'm</span> keeping<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5R_SZNL5oYrvIr5K_-vrmX7HWKBRxQ5axPFr9vYKVlt5Qvvshc-rbFnxrAGrIrvmRn4Tyaaoa-ZiW40XnQCAx81Z-_9WRU8OeOD7w5zEd-6EtPRVyg-HJRt7mXCsBMXQncmXBDNq89sW/s1600/pink-ruffles-1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 272px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532663323265046194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5R_SZNL5oYrvIr5K_-vrmX7HWKBRxQ5axPFr9vYKVlt5Qvvshc-rbFnxrAGrIrvmRn4Tyaaoa-ZiW40XnQCAx81Z-_9WRU8OeOD7w5zEd-6EtPRVyg-HJRt7mXCsBMXQncmXBDNq89sW/s320/pink-ruffles-1.jpg" /></a></p><br /><p>and the set <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">I've</span> sent to its new home (i hope she likes it)</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqW34n19ZGzTpum6h8wV1-J8h08LEQqNKTsjb1yjq4Ba21XH_0eCQOxmV83-UnRuKlkuX-XQiHW4_hH7WhJgQbXt_e_ZyTCA6pk1MCl-IZ3CnKj_5vr7ujfQwuN2p-sgT1PSklQpcwLryE/s1600/sophies-set.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532663786165928450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqW34n19ZGzTpum6h8wV1-J8h08LEQqNKTsjb1yjq4Ba21XH_0eCQOxmV83-UnRuKlkuX-XQiHW4_hH7WhJgQbXt_e_ZyTCA6pk1MCl-IZ3CnKj_5vr7ujfQwuN2p-sgT1PSklQpcwLryE/s320/sophies-set.jpg" /></a></p><p>now does anybody have any ideas on what i can use 100g of pink seed beads for, i appear to have some left over!!<br /></p>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-58084938921773742962010-10-26T01:13:00.000-07:002010-10-26T01:29:47.257-07:00bit of a catch upHi folks,<br /><br /><br /><br />as usual its been a while since my last post, but that's been because I've been finishing pieces off so have had nothing to post.<br /><br /><br /><br />The first piece is from a kit i purchased at a show in September, as some of you may know I've been enjoying dabbling in bead embroidery but have never tried to do a bib or collar as I've been unsure of the sizing. well i treated myself to a kit By Alison Nash to get an idea of the sizing and also how long it would take. I can tell you it takes a long time!<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBd2lNtsWevDIvksrirQgDQUt7_CgO9ixbbpzEFdA0wVMdeNn1flFnAgZAK9GzB_Zy2f1aPvySS0sP-GWk2ELNEAJb3U8UI3WcJa0TTpYMG6Vf-duaI_628GSJePnmnOVd3hcS59qW_WWH/s1600/nash-collar-1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 302px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532266357715042146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBd2lNtsWevDIvksrirQgDQUt7_CgO9ixbbpzEFdA0wVMdeNn1flFnAgZAK9GzB_Zy2f1aPvySS0sP-GWk2ELNEAJb3U8UI3WcJa0TTpYMG6Vf-duaI_628GSJePnmnOVd3hcS59qW_WWH/s320/nash-collar-1.jpg" /></a></p>the black background itself took about 9 hours of solid beading, and that was just filling in the gaps so I'd say it took approximately 20 hours to complete from start to finish.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRu68sDvUi4lQ4cap4sFV4AybvtXNCK1xJ-KrsuCpc89NGD5iadHJkrlieLK-LpktJjzhdOtDH6sUeI2jVY-vtqi6KTmLPOvF_Ain0O9tRqwiWYwmHZcHxB-JInjFasxz4GXwWgliA1Ws/s1600/nash-collar-2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 223px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532266355145569010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRu68sDvUi4lQ4cap4sFV4AybvtXNCK1xJ-KrsuCpc89NGD5iadHJkrlieLK-LpktJjzhdOtDH6sUeI2jVY-vtqi6KTmLPOvF_Ain0O9tRqwiWYwmHZcHxB-JInjFasxz4GXwWgliA1Ws/s320/nash-collar-2.jpg" /></a></p>a slightly closer look at the beading. The beads used were primarily size 11 seed beads with a few size 15 to in the little gaps. I have to say it was a nice kit to complete even though i did have some issues with running out of various beads, but a quick email to Alison soon sorted that out for me. So will i be making any more piece similar to this?<br />Too right I will!! watch this space.<br /><br />I'll post some more tomorrow (hopefully)ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-79335845519162607932010-10-04T12:28:00.000-07:002010-10-04T12:46:25.035-07:00its been a whileHi folks,<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />its been a while since i posted anything, not because i've not been beading more a case of can't be bothered to go and sit upstairs at the computer in the bead room where there is no tv (i'm a tv junkie, and i wonder why i've been putting on weight) i've been doing my beading on a lap tray whilst sitting on the sofa watching diagnosis murder and the like. Well since my last post i did get paid for the commision i did and was even paid a bit extra because of the wait so i've put the money to one side to take to the bead fair up in Harrogate on the 24th (my birthday, the big 30) to buy some lovely beady goodies.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />as for beading i've been working on i did a piece from the current bead and button magazine as soon as it came out and i love the result:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn6yeqKklSqkVEZbt4tbq1NST7Wd0261NSzVcQbCJz_sb8sXcuwwTLBPuH40vsU651cirSXdvbTywvbo2eXP-COb5_G7XrKWi0wvO9ze5yjv7xMXdZIWxZOfG7sepx7b1W5aVlqLOc1RJ/s1600/black&gold.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524276547274365794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn6yeqKklSqkVEZbt4tbq1NST7Wd0261NSzVcQbCJz_sb8sXcuwwTLBPuH40vsU651cirSXdvbTywvbo2eXP-COb5_G7XrKWi0wvO9ze5yjv7xMXdZIWxZOfG7sepx7b1W5aVlqLOc1RJ/s320/black&gold.jpg" /></a></p><br /><br />this is the first flat peyote cuff i'd done for ages and it set me thinking. As some of you may know i've been entering a couple of competitions through forums, which has lead me to designing some small bits of peyote, so i figured i'd try and design a cuff, especially as the bead buddies forum was running a cuff challenge. Here is the result:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD7CZgeO2-dlZaUmH_ORDHSw-IsB6l9uqrzYqFM75Lyu7aaWNRYPcJL3_efgO1oe9AwPovo5GusevMYhJmj-xNDxjTmnuMgSA7nc0MgtABJDMuqWlSAnqsVqf2_25vv1B2t1n1C6Jm6n_/s1600/celtic-cuff.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524278305594265458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD7CZgeO2-dlZaUmH_ORDHSw-IsB6l9uqrzYqFM75Lyu7aaWNRYPcJL3_efgO1oe9AwPovo5GusevMYhJmj-xNDxjTmnuMgSA7nc0MgtABJDMuqWlSAnqsVqf2_25vv1B2t1n1C6Jm6n_/s320/celtic-cuff.jpg" /></a></p>Its a celtic knot pattern worked in delicas and i'm really chuffed with the results, the colours i used were picked at random out of my bead stash but they really work with this piece. i charted the pattern by hand when i was at work during a quiet shift using pen and paper, which was a bit frustrating and resulted in a lot of crossing out until i got the hang of the pattern. it didn't win the challenge but second place is not to be sneezed at.<br /><br />hope you've enjoyed the readruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-73844017801688355642010-08-30T02:19:00.001-07:002010-08-30T02:38:02.199-07:00another challenge piece<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnk0nCokuk8uLB53hxPLlNdSfWXKX8RGVns4uH_ijZAht4byFEtT5xtXjHLjmx1CgtPuXMzGx9cpWrn0iIqVkSKzFZbJarCRqGfKlB88fWXwnlg_kjMsjKc4qgS3DDiHC-Z6rmfivAmV1/s1600/cheshirecat1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 302px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511130333981054962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnk0nCokuk8uLB53hxPLlNdSfWXKX8RGVns4uH_ijZAht4byFEtT5xtXjHLjmx1CgtPuXMzGx9cpWrn0iIqVkSKzFZbJarCRqGfKlB88fWXwnlg_kjMsjKc4qgS3DDiHC-Z6rmfivAmV1/s320/cheshirecat1.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Have entered this piece for the bead buddies forum pass it forward challenge, the theme this time round was "alice in wonderland".</div><div> </div><div>I decided on the cheshire cat as he is an iconic character of the story. I have sticthed him using peyote stitch using a pattern i charted out myself, i'm still very new to charting my own peyote patterns but i'm happy with the result. some of the other beads i've used are to symbolise elements of the story too such as the large heart bead, represents the queen of hearts, the flowers are to represent the talking flowers in the garden where alice meets the catterpillar and there is also a rose bead to represent the roses that the cards were painting red. The other beads are just to make it look pretty and i think it does.</div><div>This was a great challenge as it had loads of possibilities and after researching on the internet i learnt an awful lot about the book and its author, i could ramble on but thats not what this blog is about, well actually reading the titile i guess it is, but i'm not in the mood to bore you today.</div><div> </div><div>I learnt a very good lesson the other day, although i do my beading as a hobby, i do like to sell the odd piece as well, and i thought i was onto a winner when one of my friends asked me to make her 3 necklaces, it was for a birthday present for another friend and it was a very tight deadline, so didn't have time to sort out a deposit or anything and i figured as it was for a friend i'd be ok WRONG!!! i'm still chasing up the payment a fortnight later, i know some of you may be saying you shouldn't have handed over the necklaces until payment had been received etc, but if i'd done that somebody wouldn't have got a birthday present (as it needed to be posted) and i would have felt really bad about that. And of course now that i am waiting for money i've had loads of bills come in such as car insurance and needing new brakes on the car and an interest hike on the credit card. So the lesson is even if its for a friend remember to get the money before handing over goods. but never mind, you learn from your mistakes.</div><div> </div><div>hopefully be back with another instalment very soon</div>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-77366960862695388852010-07-13T02:11:00.001-07:002010-07-13T02:25:44.385-07:00new house, new beginings<div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS4ezfiMAwzMZGfSwsRVS_sQLRg2czN4pCfBV3dj-kjlO6xwNAdwi9QO3881tIYaOHJbsr6MAnPFPMX6DvBkfOhmLWJWPy9ssdjUQFrXZ2DLbWsn8qCbpT1Bi3RCqc2FhP0FSR0I6V9Kf/s1600/savanah.jpg"></a>well as some of you may know, i've been busy over the past couple of weeks moving house, my other half Richard and i have just started renting our first home together, so we've been busy getting the new place sorted out. i love the new place it has a proper homely feel about it made even more so by Lenny, Richards black lab finally being able to join us.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>and the new home means more space, which means i have my very own room to bead in (its the box room so not much good for anything else lol) so i am trying to get my creative juices flowing in there but its a very slow dribble rather than a flow, mainly beacuse Lenny keeps coming in especially to fart, bless him. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTY_aG_IYIsolbfDE2WtaMSvWihmwp2iyidHrIq9hExA8DRYHu_OJ_myzNPlO0vdrQoOcJObvySCGeBgIhug5hQallEVzLOk1Nu8-pUBAbr7FOoaT8JFzEKY3axq7PeMauLhxi-zHP2Tb/s1600/savanah.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 227px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493318080322020594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTY_aG_IYIsolbfDE2WtaMSvWihmwp2iyidHrIq9hExA8DRYHu_OJ_myzNPlO0vdrQoOcJObvySCGeBgIhug5hQallEVzLOk1Nu8-pUBAbr7FOoaT8JFzEKY3axq7PeMauLhxi-zHP2Tb/s320/savanah.jpg" /></a><br /><div>i have finished one piece in the new room and i entered it into a challenge on the bead buddies forum the theme was africa and it won! so i now have to set the next challenge, i think i know what i'm going to have as my theme but i'm not sure how people will react to it, but i guess thats part of the challenge. but what do i offer as a prize?? for my prize i get to commision a piece of polymer clay (have asked the very nice lady if she will create the focal for my egyptian piece i mentioned a while back as my effort was pathetic), but we have some seriously talented beaders on that forum, why would they want a piece of my beading? hmmmm will have to give the prize some thought, suggestions greatly recieved.</div><div> </div><div>right i'd best get back to the beading, i'm attempting my first ever peyote beaded bead, its not gone so well so now i'm adding bits to make it look like a pom pom but its taking forever lol</div><div> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtuhSmIqg2coq84ocvWJjLQ9-Xxzm2Lpo3KqnXwT7x0AkUIRDWKykZkkeY3UHJ4k3fxhQBlMLFv3TVx5KuwX1YOBJUU8AW8-wALhNHP-Y6ZWjz1QHFeY14v3dvMyqn3DZ78x4gkdRqTWU/s1600/savanah.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-39931359191824797322010-06-09T02:16:00.000-07:002010-06-09T02:28:40.553-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3HCwvsuXSpJ3ySl73qCS2vczE7IDhu1Bg0Pn_M6L941aUA-5SZ95pj6b6G74slobtQuG8MZBoaOPYLn0PBvzZZnISFKe3dHvPofetA53xDyCcSWWFharCPM_luL2MrfZAIU3r-Uu9bbW/s1600/deco-sunburst.jpg"></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWRTyhlMskaXh3wh45T0lMeJ1YjGaxWFuPIehybOPD8KqK1w68T_ZjOUtwiynwrwiJ1lYMCYjXa556yef99kpEYf-DEgwIRz6yDNFYfL9LhrE3taTMboiBK7OZHidXR1NGAPpDnm0lb3t/s1600/deco-sunburst.jpg"></a>well i've not been posting or beading much recently as i am preparing to move house so have been ringing round trying to arrange the utilities etc and procrastinating about the packing up of the stuff in the flat but i did take a couple of bags of stuff to the charity shop and am plucking up the courage to take some more but i'm a bit sentimental about those bits.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>i joined another bead forum last week called bead buddies and its fantastic, its really friendly with some very accomplished beaders as members (lynn davy for one) and it always has challenges, competitions and swaps on the go so you can really develop your skills. i was asked by one of the members to test a pattern for her and the result is below:<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR65JR-AuTzA5gx3xtXujl_ttXMIvdoaQoBvh-UfmRmOA_rANspJ6cP8KzkKwpAVUZxmFiojYuEYehwuGoSZaVASdrcilb6mkhvPQHYTGsFOfhUitd1wofu6dQSmnZFzBw4CNyEqnSmbc/s1600/sooz-butterfly.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 190px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480700492822616738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR65JR-AuTzA5gx3xtXujl_ttXMIvdoaQoBvh-UfmRmOA_rANspJ6cP8KzkKwpAVUZxmFiojYuEYehwuGoSZaVASdrcilb6mkhvPQHYTGsFOfhUitd1wofu6dQSmnZFzBw4CNyEqnSmbc/s320/sooz-butterfly.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div>its made from peyote and brick stitch, i'm not sure what i'm going to do with it yet, possibly mount it on the flap of a satchel style bag, but in the mean time i shall keep it next to me looking pretty. so thanks to sooz for asking me to be a guinnea pig, i had fun.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>i have got some more to post but i can't get the pictures to go where i want them so i'm going to sign off for now before i throw the laptop out the window.<br /><div></div><br /><div></div>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-42610233023005959752010-04-29T01:55:00.001-07:002010-04-29T02:04:44.545-07:00beaders blocksorry i've not been around much, but i've not really had anything to say, well nothing bead related anyway. i've had a serious case of beaders block.<br /><br />but in other news....<br />Rich my other half started his new job this week, which is a great relief to both of us as he was made redundant in october, so he's now at my place pretty much permanently as its a closer commute for him (its very strange seeing blokes shirts in my wardrobe but i like it) and we are now looking for a place together.<br /><br />i got a lovely package of unwanted beads from a jewellery making friend the other day was surprised at how many actually and there will be a little something winging its way back to her made out of the said beads as a thank you, i'm dying to post a picture of it but i want it to be a surprise. so if anybody else has any unwanted seed beads feel free to send them in my direction lol.ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352159360033032807.post-67858004079160502972010-03-16T02:54:00.001-07:002010-03-16T03:01:44.656-07:00runner up!<div><br />
<br /><div>well i had a bit of good news yesterday, i found out i was runner up in the making jewellery magazine forum, february bracelet competion and am now the proud owner of a set of sharpie markers (well i will be when they arrive). this may not sound like a lot but its the first time i've ever entered a piece of my jewellery into a competition and to do well in it has given me such an ego boost.</div><br />
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<br /><div>this is the piece i entered<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 247px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449168679114795506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKCORRKxq61yOfPvvpLske6J7iKAF5qSZqeJH-y4khvkPjo4iRLDKZhw8pV8kS2Yk08DEHbAa-hgtCTRtcTih9PHb7FhRA0RyF8gfcGdWIefCdYAoZF9zSWVHEtLITYMhyzWBw_rtFxW2/s320/cuff6.jpg" /></div>i've always been more into bead weaving, but have discovered that with bead weaving i can create my own designs, unlike weaving where i seem to be doing other peoples or adapting them. for the moment i think i may be sticking with the embroidery and have a few ideas mulling around in my head waiting to be created<br />
<br /><div></div></div>ruthiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10215862037087419551noreply@blogger.com0