Thursday 26 March 2009

Baubles, Bangles and Beads

A few weeks ago I was the very lucky winner of a giveaway on Silver Pebble's blog and I received this beautiful old tin full of wonderful beads and jewellery making supplies.

Every day when I've gone into my workroom the beautiful tin has sat there taunting me and every day I've thought maybe tomorrow I'll have time....

Finally today, in between writing an essay I've found some time to play and let me tell you it's not as easy as you might think! I've been confused by the terminology of crimps, clusters and headpins, by the difference between round nose pliers (I never even knew pliers had noses!) and snipe nose pliers and frustrated by snapping wires and dropping beads into a black hole in my kitchen floor. But I persevered and with Emma's excellent instructions I made a ring!


Bolstered by my success I went on to make a bracelet, and although the joins and attachments might not pass muster under close scrutiny I'm really pleased with the result.


It's a little bit too long and I would like to add some more beads but I can't do that until I've got some more headpins (see, I'm speaking the jargon already) which of course meant I had to do some shopping. And while I was shopping for headpins I just happened to pop a few extra items in my shopping basket... quite by accident!

... I almost forgot to show you the matching earrings!


Thank you for such a lovely giveaway Emma. Back to my essay now....

19 comments:

  1. Hahaha -- Emma has you hooked! I've done just a teeny bit of beading and it's the joins that I can't handle either. I sure wish Emma were here for instruction!

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  2. they are lovely especially the bracelet - i love bracelets!
    makes me want to give it a go but am trying to restrain myself from starting anything else!!
    xx

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  3. .... And yet another thing I must have a go at sometime. I don't know when this 'sometime' will ever appear - not in the near future, that's for sure!

    Your beaded jewellery is really beautiful. How's the essay going?

    x

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  4. What a fab giveaway Gina. Lovely bracelet you have made too x

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  5. Gina, I'm gobsmacked, Those are stunning! What a fabulous ring!Wonderful that you've fitted it in as a bit of 'you' time amongst all your many many activities. It IS addictive though! Emma x

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  6. Gorgeous! you lucky devil! x

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  7. Oooh, get you! Of course this means I now can't make jewels to give you as presents anymore. Botheration ;-)

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  8. It's a great feeling when you meet a new challenge. Lovely Gina.

    I thought about you yesterday, I managed to make the time to bake a Viccy sponge cake. It was golden yellow with my girlies eggs. I thought to myself as I was downing an enormeous slice 'Gina would be proud of me' ... making it of course!

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  9. Wow! That's some fab jewellery considering you were saying at the beginning of the post that you were confused!

    Lucy x

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  10. What a super giveaway. Love the jewellery you have made - if that's what a beginner can do, just think what you'll be making by the time you're an expert! Good luck with the essay.

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  11. Well done you! The ring is lovely, well, it's all lovely. So now you'll be joining jewellery makers anonymous ;o) lol

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  12. Wow, what fun...and what lovely goodies you've made. Are you sure you haven't done this before?

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  13. Gina, this is lovely. What a lucky lady you are to have received such a great give away - Emma is very good at the give away thing. I especially like the ring you've made - definitely my kind of thing!

    Monda
    x

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  14. Gosh there's a lot been going on in your life then!
    Love your venture into beadwork- very summery.
    Your students obviously like Lutrador. They seem to have had a lot more success with it than I have. Their work is inspiring.
    And you have been murdering flowers as well, what's next?
    Nice mothers' day card by the way.

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  15. Thats a very creative giveaway and very generous of SP to teach you how to make jewellery. You did a great job.

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  16. wow!! an accomplished jeweller too. Your talent has no limits. The ring especially is just gorgeous.

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  17. You are so inspiring Gina. Lovely work and something you can use yourself.

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  18. wow - well done! I can't quite getthe hang of that jewellery making at all...

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