My creative space...

...is turquoise and orange...

...however, I think I may have a problem, because...

...I can't stop making things...

...in these colours...

...h...e...l...p...!

More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo.

My creative space...

I love it when a new design comes together with ease.  

It doesn't happen often, I usually produce many prototypes before a good design is realised.

So imagine my delight the other night, when this romantic, vintage-inspired pendant came together in just over an hour...

Despite it's size (the pendant is almost 4cm x 4cm), it is amazingly lightweight thanks to the dainty Vintaj brass filigree component in the centre...

This design is yet to be named...I'd love to hear your suggestions!


And while you're in a commenting mood, I'd love to hear what you think of my photos!  (*click on the photos for an enlarged image*)  I have been playing around with props, and trying to inject a mood into my photos.  


The props in these photos are a vintage beaded purse from my Mum, and a scrap of vintage beaded fabric that my 88 year old Grandpa gave me.  He isn't sure of the origin exactly, but thinks it may have come from a very, very old wedding dress.  Nan had it sitting in her stash of fabric for years, and Grandpa only rediscovered it a few months ago and thought I should have it.  It is a beautifully delicate treasure, and I think it tells a wonderful story!


See what other creative people are up to at Kirsty's blog.


Thanks for looking, and be well!

Victoriana Pendant

It has been some time since I have played with wire...

Having been inspired by the likes of Iza Malczyk, Magdalena Borejko and Emily Gray, (who are all creators of the most exquisite wire jewellery you will ever see!) I decided to get back to wire this week and learn some new techniques.

I want my jewellery to (one day!) be a successful fusion of beadwork and wirework...

...I have so many ideas for combining the two mediums but, alas, my wirework skills still leave much to be desired.  So more learning is required!

I have mentioned previously that I don't like tutorials...but this week I bought two!  One from Iza and one from Emi Kaz on the Jewelry Lessons website.  Emi's tutorial was for a 3-D Layer Vine Ring, but I set out to create a pendant instead.  I really just wanted to learn how to create those gorgeous, swirling, organic-looking vines that I so admire in the work of the aforementioned artists.

Not wanting to dig into my stash of sterling silver wire, I opted for copper to practice with.  A few hours later, and my 'Victoriana' pendant was born...

It's far from perfect, and I need to practice, practice, practice a LOT more...but I learnt so much from creating this pendant.  I used Emi's tute for the central wire-wrapped briolette, and the rest of the pendant was made up as I went along.  As always!



The pendant measures 62mm x 26mm...

Everyone else has gone to bed, so I am off to do some beading (my fingers are sore from all that wirework!)


Thanks for looking, and be well!

Sea glass pendant

It has been a long, long three months without my precious beads. How happy my hands were to rediscover beadweaving after such an arduous absence! Life is once again returning to a steady, familiar rhythm, and so I am able to bead. Joy!

My latest humble offering is pendant of sea glass hanging from a simple twisted tubular herringbone necklace.

Have you ever wandered along a beach and collected a piece of tumbled glass which has been washed upon the shore? It has been a favourite ritual of mine since I was a child. There is something enchanting about these remnants of times and places unknown, offered up by the sea and carved by Mother Nature. Not knowing where they have come from, nor how long they have been tumbled by the ocean, is an enticing mystery.

This particular piece of green sea glass had a story to tell and so I had to give her a fitting home in which to tell it.

I added a simple fringe, reminiscent of coral or seaweed.

I purposefully left the back of the pendant open. When backlit, the glass gives off a beautiful green glow.

A simple toggle with three square-stitched rings makes the length of the necklace adjustable.

I encased the sea glass with right angle weave and peyote stitch. The openness of the RAW lets the glass receive light from all angles.

My sea glass necklace is making it's way to a lovely lady who has been a family friend since I was a child. She is one of the most vibrant and generous people I have ever known, and her heart is as big as her smile :) She spent countless hours making a gorgeous cot quilt for my daughter and so I wanted to repay her with a small token of my gratitude. This particular piece of sea glass was found on the beach very near to her home, and so I feel it needs to be with her. I hope she likes it :)

Ivory & Lemon Pendant

Wearing jewellery is somewhat of a luxury for me these days.

My 15 month old daughter believes it's her duty to liberate me of any adornments. She has the strength of The Incredible Hulk, so my poor jewellery doesn't stand a chance. It's easier to just not wear jewellery anymore than try to grapple with her to pry my precious pieces from her powerful paws.

Being as I'm so adornment-deprived, I'll take any excuse to dress up and wear jewellery!

Our third wedding anniversary last month was the perfect excuse to wear one of my original creations as we were baby-free for a few hours. I'd started this pendant eons ago, and never got around to finishing it. Story of my beady-life, really. I had a particular outfit in mind when I chose this colourway, and it just so happened that I was wearing said outfit to dinner. Bingo, time to finish a UFO! (That is Unfinished Object, not alien spaceship, btw).

It is a bead-embroidered pendant, with a sprinkling of assorted beads and polymer clay roses created by my supremely talented Mum :) I had planned on hanging the pendant from a matching spiral rope, but time got the better of me (doesn't it always?), so I hung it from a simple strand of glass pearls which I'd had lying around collecting dust since my days of working in an office.

The waitress in the restaurant kept staring at my chest whenever she walked past our table. Either she really liked my pendant, or she really liked my cleavage. We'll never know.