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!

Ophelia earrings

I love creating earrings.  

They are a small enough project to provide almost instant gratification.

They give me the opportunity to test colourways, metals and materials on a small scale before commiting to a larger and more time-consuming project.

Oh, and I love wearing them too :-)

My 'Ophelia' earrings are one of my latest designs...

In shades of olive and sage, with antiqued brass findings and chain, they have a decidedly vintage look to them...just the look I was aiming for!

Ophelia was a character in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', and the subject of a number of paintings by John William Waterhouse...the name seemed just right for my romantic, vintage-look earrings...

There is a matching 'Ophelia' bracelet and necklace to come.  And the set will form part of a future collection that I have planned.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for looking, and be well!

Evergreen Unfurling

This necklace began with a tube of size 6 Czech seed beads. My lovely Mum picked the tube, drawn to the earthy hues which ranged from emerald green to milky cream to mottled amber. And I promised to make something for her with them.

Six months later, and they are finally at home in my 'Evergreen Unfurling'...

The size 6 seed beads were woven into a twisted tubular herringbone rope along with some green delicas. Using beads with such a size difference results in an obvious 'corkscrew':

The unfurling fronds were made with two-drop square stitch, and the golden flowers with two-drop ladder stitch and simple fringing:

And a flower bud yet to bloom, a Czech fire polished bead encased in seed beads:

Lately I've enjoyed combining bead-weaving with chain. The lazy part of me likes this form of instant gratification. This necklace, had it all been beadwoven, would have taken me three times as long to make. With my beading time so limited these days, I'm all for a shortcut here and there ;-)