Time to get cooking

My bead soup ingredients have arrived ! My partner is the lovely Niky of Silver Nik Nats and she has sent me a fab range of goodies to play with.

This is what came out of the envelope, and Niky made it herself, but, not only that it co-ordinates with the contents !! And you know I love things that are matched, and it doesnt end there - 

See, she even matched the tissue paper to the turquoise beads !! I have to confess to squeals of excitement at this point ! And it gets better !! 

Niky made the pendant herself and that along with the clasp are the piece that I have to use as part of the bead soup challenge, not that it will be a problem, nor will using everything else she sent either let me tell you !! Im totally in love with the piece of titanium by Holly Gage that Niky sent, the colours are mesmerising and I have lots of ideas of things I would like to do with it. And there's more....

Totally spoling me, Niky sent Laura Sparling lampwork beads too !! (Am I not the luckiest swap partner ever ? It certainly feels that way !) Along with Turquoise, blue goldstone, and crystal beads too ! And still there is more...

Now isnt he just so cute !! I think something really fun and quirky is called for here ! 

I was very curious when Niky said she had included something I might not have used before and was therefore delighted to find this - 

I have been watching the new Polymer Clay thread on Frit Happens with great interest so I cant wait to get some basic tools and have a go with this. 

A HUGE and most GIGANTIC thank you to Niky for such a wonderful parcel and for taking such care  and attention to detail with the packaging. I feel very pampered and very very inspired, Thank you Niky !! 

If you would like to check out what other people have been sending and receiving there is a flickr group you can check out. I'm going to go now and take my over excitement and multiple !! away and find some dinner before I get any more hyper !

They're done.. drum roll ..

Yep, its time, I promised I would show you and I think Im ready ...

Im pleased to share with you my new framed dragonfly pieces.

These particular ones are no longer "work in progress", although as a concept the range is still in the early days and very much at the new and experimental stage. These particular lovelies are done and I am quite pleased with how they have come out. I have been wanting for a while to make sculptural pieces but the pieces I love making have a tendency to be very delicate and therefore not very practical to transport about. Then I thought about framed work. So these are my first tentative steps in that direction. I would love to know what you think ?

I dont know about you but I do find with new work I like to live with it for a while, so frequently I have a piece in the studio for a couple of weeks or so while I decide what I like, what I dont, what needs to be improved. These are a change to that as they ended up being rather last minute so I have kept one of the initial 4 (two of which are above) to sit in the studio and do just that. Im very excited about where this journey is going. So much so I have bought a mahoosive frame for a really, really big piece ... watch this space....

Bead Soup Blog Party & new earrings

Yey, the partners for the bead soup blog party have been announced, I am super excited about taking part in this, I have missed the deadline to sign up on the previous occasions but loved watching the proceedings and seeing all the lovely things people made. I have already started to put together some bits and bobs but wanted to wait until I found out who my partner was before I decided for certain so Im going to have lots of fun putting the final bits and bobs together in the next few days !

I spent the last couple of days of last week trying to unearth our office (there is actually carpet in there !! and 2 desks!! ) and it is amazing the things you find. As it meant that I didnt spend any time at the torch I made sure to do some glueing and finishing of a few pieces including a new pair of earrings for me.

These hoops I made following the fab tutorial that Diana posted on her blog. They were fun to make so Im raring to make some more now although with only 1 mandrel in this size it might be a little while before I have many ! 

My other work in progress is still not completely ready to share but I can give you a teaser ...

I will have more to show you soon...

eeek where is January going ?

Two minutes ago it was new year ! It seems 2011 is racing along already, maybe it's because I have so many ideas at the moment that I want to try out, and due to having to sort accounts and other paprerwork-y things out I seem to have little time actually at my torch ? either that or the kiln fairies have become time goblins ?!?

I have made some new cabochons, more of the nebula style ones in reactive soft glass some of which have turned out very "flashy" and Im really pleased with, and one in particular is talking to me asking to be made into something (it didn't specify what unfortunately) and it would be the one that despite doing the exact same process again I cannot get close to the effect of.

My other current project needs a few little adjustments and then I will be very excited to share that with you too, I will give you a clue, it will mean more changes to my website ...in the way of a new category being added ! Very exciting for me as it involves a different set of skills but dont worry, Im not going to stop making beads or cabochons. In fact I have some ideas for both that I cant wait to try out next week when I am back at the torch again. 

Happy New Year

How is 2011 treating you so far ?

Im thinking the year is off to a very exciting start, my first new beads and cabochons of the year have been made and the cabochons particularly I was really pleased with.

Im full of ideas for lots of new pieces I want to make and raring to get back into the studio. To further add to my excitement the voting has opened for the 2011 Craft and Design Selected Awards and I am included in the makers featured. The website is full of pictures of amazing work from a wide range of makers across a variety of media including Glass, Metal, Wood, Ceramics and Textiles. The winners are chosen from the finalists selected by the public vote, so please if you like my work visit my page and vote for me, and while you are there why not take a minute to look around at some of the other talented artists represented.