Goodbye 2008.... Hello 2009!

So, it's the end of another year. The older I get the quicker they pass by!

While I was busily making jewellery today I was thinking about all that has happened in 2008. Here are a few of my 2008 glassy highlights;

• My fabulous trip to Venice and Murano in May where I saw the glass masters at work.
• Having my first project accepted by Bead Magazine. (To be published on 21st Jan 2009)
• Developing my "Fossil Series" of beads.
• Learning new techniques, including implosions.
• Being featured as Artist of the Month on Frit Happens.
• Visiting Ray Skene's fabulous studio at The Model House.
• Learning to encase beads. (Thank you Lorna!)
• Mastering Jens Pind Linkage! (Thank you George)
• Creating my first pieces of silver.
• Raising £3200 for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust by auctioning eight pieces of jewellery. (Next auction taking place in January 2009!)
• Being part of the very first UK Flame Off at Towcester in April.
• Attending my first Art in Action event in July.
• The International Glass Festival in Stourbridge in August.
• Being included in the Frit Happens 2009 Calendar as Miss January!
• Creating a piece of jewellery for Samantha Janus, and receiving a personal thank you.
• Being featured in the Spotlight slot at Dichroicglass.co.uk
• Having my work accepted in the Gallery of the Jinney Ring Craft Centre.
• Meeting lots of fellow glassheads and making some good friends.

Wow, that was quite a year!

On the non-glassy front the best thing that has happened for me is getting a brand new job, just 15 minutes up the road, which I start on January 5th!

So that's that then, 2008 is almost over. Soon we'll have a brand new year to make our mark on. I hope it's a good one for all of us. Happy New Year!

Vintage Keys - with Beads!

When my Grandad died, all of us Grandchildren were invited to choose something that would remind us of him. Various items were chosen, including his infamous cap and his glasses. I chose the chain that he always had buttoned to his trousers, and which he kept his keys on.

A little while ago I was tidying my dressing table drawers and found the chain. It had his old door key on it, and straightaway I knew what I needed to do with it! I made a little bead on it, and I'm going to make it into a lovely piece of jewellery for myself, using my Grandad's originial chain to hang it from.

Anyway, I then found my old back door key, and made a bead on that too, and I'm now using that one for a keyring. It's great!

I have also discovered that although some keys appear to me made from iron, they are in fact made from a softer alloy. Holding one such key in the flame of my torch rapidly turned a key into a little puddle of molton metal on my work surface!

I have now decided to make beaded keys available to my customers to use in their own jewellery/craft projects, and I have just listed the first few in my Folksy shop.

Here are just a few of them;





Let me know what you think!