BEAD SWAP.
I have decided to start an International bead swap this week here on my blog and also on Facebook, if you are interested
in joining us please leave a comment on this post, here is the link to a
little form to fill in and email to me.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZPGCC2X.
You can send any beads including gem stones, glass, crystal, polymer,
ceramic, just about anything. But no chipped or broken beads and only
things you would be happy to use yourself that really goes without
saying and no plastic or acrylic, you can send SS findings or good
quality plated if you wish but do chat with your partner and find out
what they like, It is nice to be stretched a bit so you may have to think
out of your comfort zone. I was once sent a circle of wood for a focal
it was probably the most tricky thing I had worked with at the time, not
at all my usual style but I did design a necklace using it and I
actually enjoyed doing it.
Here are a few pictures of things I have made in other bead swaps.
My wood circle necklace.
Other things I made.
These are just a few of the items I have made from the bead swaps I have enjoyed, I do hope you will join me in making this swap really enjoyable and fun.
~Jackie~
Well I am back in the organic mood again, I have recently made another necklace for the Portland Gallery.
I found a wonderful carved wood bead and bought several of them as the website was closing down, that was the inspiration for this necklace as the carving had holes in it I thought what a good idea it would be to suspend some thin leather through them and add beads, well that took almost a full afternoonm they kept making their way out of the centre hole instead of the ones at the side ...!!! I did get them through the holes eventually as you will see in the picture below, although I was terribly tempted to give up!
I wanted to use some more of the lovely Labradorite as theses beads are quite heavy I use them spareingly. I added some coconut heishi and several of the fair trade hand made beads, all lightweight beads and to bring out the splash of colour in the lovely little cloisonné Ladybird I used one of my polymer beads. I used hand dyed silk and a hand made clasp to finish, I hope you like it!
I love to get your comments and always read them, thank you.
~Jackie~
I am still working my way slowly through the blogs on Grow Your Blog it may take me a while but I will get there in the end. Meanwhile I thought I would just show you what I have been doing with the jewellery.
I keep a box with a few pieces of jewellery mainly necklaces of course, that I have never been happy with but didn't have time to redo, I thought I would take a look to see if it would give me the inspiration. I needed to make a longish necklace for wearing with some high neck tees I have.
On opening the box some lovely ovals of Tree Agate caught my eye, I love Agate and Jasper! I retrieved the necklace and laid it out cut it apart and removed all the beads, not enough Agate! I had some more in a box which I got out and also my amber nuggets, I selected another two oval Agate beads with lovely patterns and some smaller round ones, then got to work on the layout. I wanted to use a silver dragonfly with the agate but what to use for a clasp?
For myself I tend to go for rather simple hooks or S clasps they lie nice and flat on the neck or can be used lower down, today I wanted something a bit different, out came the toggles I don't use them much and only keep a few but I found one that looked good with the rest of the necklace and balances out the opposite side. I added a few small silver spacer beads which work nicely.
The necklace is below and to me at least it makes me think of ancient times, prehistory when the world was younger when agate and amber was forming and dragonflies flitted among tree ferns and lakes with huge water lilies! Well that was what I was dreaming of anyway as it came together!
~Jackie~
