Bumpy Beads - Artisan beads & Jewellery

Samburu

2011-08-28T13:29:00.003+01:00

Another blog - I know! No blogging for months and then two in one week. It's amazing how much more beady stuff you can get done when you have a week off work!

I made this Samburu bead set, and then etched it to a matt finish, which I think really suits this design. I love the colour reactions in these beads, and the fact that you can see the traces of silver that I burnished onto the bead to help the colour reactions along.
I made a couple of focals too. Well I made three actually, but one broke when I cleaned it. Urgh! It was the nicest as well, but that's the law of breakages! That'll teach me for not keeping the one end warm enough before I placed it in the kiln. Tsk!

This is a much paired combination of turquoise and silver;

... and another favourite combination of mine - turquoise and purple. This time I've made a spotty bead, just because I love how the turquoise saturates as it tries to move away from the purple glass.
Thank you for looking!

Bucket & Spade and Other Beads!

2011-08-21T18:19:00.005+01:00

I'd had this set of beach beads in my head for a while, and I finally got around to making them this weekend. I love making murrini, so these barnacles were a good excuse to pull some starburst cane. These beads remind me of beach holidays in Bournemouth, when my Grandad would buy me a new bucket and spade and a little packet of paper flags. Bliss!

So, here they are, Bucket & Spade;

This is another set I've been wanting to make. I've wrapped shards of glass around a base bead and then used some flame jiggery pokery to get a nice oil-slick effect of blues and purples. I've called this set 'Voyager' in honour of Voyager 2, which launched 34 years ago yesterday, in Silver Jubilee year, and is currently around 13 light hours from Earth. Yes, I know, I'm a geek...

Then I made some pebbles. Always nice.

I played with some silver glass twistie, getting a nice organic reaction with one of my favourite terracotta red glasses.

And because I like blue...
That's all for now. I'm off to enjoy the rest of the summer while it lasts!

Bluebells & Pebbles

2011-05-03T19:51:00.002+01:00

A few days ago I went for a walk in nearby woods, and there was a beautiful carpet of bluebells, as far as the eye could see. I also heard my first cuckoo of the year! I came home and just had to make a set of 'Bluebell' beads in bluebell colours.

I haven't made any of my pebble beads for ages, but they are one of my favourite sets to make, so I made 'Lyme'.

Finally 'Caribbean', a set of turquoise beads, some etched and some shiny.

I hope you like them!

My aim is to try and get more torch time than I've been managing. Time will tell whether I can make that a reality, but these extra bank holidays have been splendid!

In Full Bloom

2011-01-30T15:16:00.004Z

Now I don't know about you, but I'm missing a bit of colour in the garden. Those who know me will vouch for my impatience. My answer was to create my own spring colours and trap them inside glass!

This set is aptly called 'In Full Bloom' and I hope they put some colour into your day too.

Have a great week!

Maasai Necklace

2011-01-26T19:34:00.002Z

I wanted to show you this gorgeous necklace that Nia Clement has made using a set of my lampwork beads and lots of Bali sterling silver.

Of course, the last time I saw these beads they didn't look nearly this good! Nia has a way of designing jewellery that shows beads off to their very best. I think the name Nia has given this piece is perfect.

This necklace has reminded me that I should explore the techniques I used in these beads again. I'm buzzing with ideas at the moment, and am looking forward to getting an opportunity to light my torch.

I love to see how people use my beads, so if you want to share any of your creations with me I will show them off here for you!

You can see more of Nia's work at Gemwaith Nia Jewellery.

Stellar Beads

2011-01-22T16:27:00.005Z

I made my first beads of 2011! This set, in different shades of blue, is called Stellar, and quite possibly represents too many hours spent gazing up at the stars lately!

These may be my first beads for 2011, but definitely won't be my last. I hope you like them.

With Valentines Day just a few weeks away I felt compelled to make a heart. This one is hand-shaped and ideal for someone who likes to hint at romance without the addition of girly pink!

I have been fortunate to have been featured in a number of Etsy treasuries lately, and here are some of them. My beads are in excellent company, so I encourage you to click the pictures below to visit the treasuries for yourself.

See if you can spot my beads.

This treasury, 'For the Long Journey' was curate by Lynn Davy, who, as Nemeton, designs and makes the most incredible creations, using all kinds of beads, from weeny seed beads to lampwork beads. Lynn cleverly created this treasury by searching on one of the words in the title of the previous item. Ingenious!

'Pink Smoke' was curated by Alison of Ami Designs. This treasury features some gorgeous items in subtle pink tones.
The very talented George curated 'Dreaming of Caribbean Seas'. There are some fabulous blue-green tones and sea-themes going on here. Do pop along and have a mooch around George's fabulous range of handmade jewellery findings.

That's all for now. Enjoy the weekend!

Split peas and Lentils!

2010-11-28T20:01:00.002Z

All this icy weather has promted lots of soup-eating. I'm sure this culinary delight inspired at least one set of beads! In glorious split-pea and lentil colours, here is Daal;

I made this next set when there were still a few golden coloured leaves on the trees. Looking outside today, they've all since dropped. This is Turning Leaves;

Moving to warmer climes, these beads are called Cherokee;

Here is Rivulet;

And finally, night sky inspired Bootes;

Stay warm!

New Beads

2010-10-31T15:28:00.003Z

I think I picked up a bug this week, as I've been feeling a bit bleurgh. I did manage to make some simple beads sets though, and here they are;

I hope you're managing to keep one step ahead of the bugs that are doing the rounds at the moment.

Have a great week!

Reflecting on Glass

2010-09-26T18:29:00.004+01:00

So... glass...

Clever isn't it!

I mean, it's solid, watertight and strong and yet it can be completely transparent.

But not always.

It can be liquid, and bendy and fragile and opaque.

It can be ice-cold, or furnace hot.

It can be rounded and smooth, or razor sharp.

It can start off clear and end up red. Or yellow. Or orange. Or.... well, I think you get the picture.

It magnifies, and in doing so allows us to see into the far reaches of the solar system.

In short, it's pretty amazing stuff, and I just like to reflect (see what I did there?) on this now and again.

So anyway, I took some of this ice-cold hot liquid solid stuff, and made some beads! Here they are;

On Golden Pond;

Over the Rainbow;

Forgotten Garden;

Coral Blush;

A Touch of Magic;

Nevada;

I hope you like them!

Have a great week.

I made beads!

2010-07-11T21:06:00.003+01:00

And here are some of them........

I've also made myself a bracelet, using some of my orphan lentils and one of George Harper-East's fabulous toggle clasps.

That's all for now!

Have a great week.

Venice Revisited

2010-07-04T15:27:00.008+01:00

It's been a while since I blogged, but not because I've had nothing to say. I've just been too busy to say it! But this Sunday afternoon finds me with a kiln satisfyingly full of beads, made earlier today, an empty ironing basket, and 10 minutes on my hands.

Where to start?

In May we made a return visit to Venice. You know how sometimes, after the perfect holiday, you're almost afraid to go back in case you're disappointed? Well, I was feeling a little bit like that as we'd had a completely perfect time there two years ago. I shouldn't have worried, Venice was just as perfect as I'd remembered it. The weather was just as beautiful, Murano was just as inspiring, and the icecream was just as delicious.

We'd had a fairly frantic start to the holiday. Remember the weekend where the volcanic ash cloud made an unexpected reappearance? Well, that was the weekend we were due to fly to Venice! Our flight was delayed by one day, so we missed one night of our holiday, but at one point we thought we wouldn't get there at all! It was a real rollercoaster of a weekend! We'd heard stories of passengers reaching the runway and then being told their flight was cancelled, so until I saw the familiar sight of Venice from the aeroplane window I wasn't quite convinced we'd actually get there. But despite Eyjafjallajokull's best endeavours, we eventually made it. I'd rather hoped our return flight might be delayed and we'd have to spend longer in Venice than anticipated, but Eyjafjallajokull wasn't on our side that week, and sadly we departed right on time. Typical!

We spend a beautiful day island hopping, visiting Burano, famous for its lace, and of course Murano, glass capital of the world. We found this spectacular glass sculpture as we were strolling through Murano. Just gorgeous.

We also found the Effetre factory, where most of the glass I use in my beads is born. It's a real pity they don't have a retail shop there, as I'm sure it would do a roaring trade as Murano is a mecca for lampworkers worldwide. Effetre used to be called Moretti's, and you can still just about make out the old signage.

I loved these blown glass balloon animals.

and this fabulous glass paint and brushes art piece. The pretty blue hat you can see just in front was stunning too.

On Murano we visited Andrea Giubelli's studio again. Andrea makes fabulous hollow glass beads, which are blown. Despite the fact that I speak no italian at all, and Andrea speaks very little english, we managed to have an lengthy and in-depth conversation about glass beads. He pronounced my beads 'molto bella', which completely made my day!

I bought this enormous hollow lentil. It measures 6cm across and is about 2cm deep.

I like the neat clear sticky labels that Andrea uses to sign his beads.

So, would I return to Venice again? You bet! The gondaliers alone are worth the trip, but the glass/gondalier combo is an absolute winner! On reviewing my holiday photos I discovered I'd taken rather a lot of the gondaliers. I wonder why...

So, looking ahead, there's Art In Action to look forward to on 15-18th July, and then in August it's the International Festival of Glass. Having attended both in the past I heartily recommend them.

If you're a National Trust member you can get two tickets for the price of one for Art in Action if you book before 11th July! That's a saving of £14. I love a bargain!

I will shortly be visiting Cornwall, and there's an exhibition I'm particularly keen to see in Falmouth at the Here and Now Gallery.

With thanks to Dolly Daydream for alerting me to this.

Well that's all for now folks. As I mentioned at the beginning, I have a kiln full of beads today, so check back soon to see what I've been making.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Hip Hip Hippo-ray!

2010-04-24T20:26:00.002+01:00

I can't recall when I first decided that I needed to knit a wild animal. It's not the usual kind of craving, granted, but once the notion was in my head I knew I wouldn't be able to settle until it was done.

So here it is. It's a hippo and I knitted it.

Now it's finished I feel a sense of relief, and I'm wondering what I will next feel compelled to produce. It's very odd how these ideas come to rest in my head. If I was a regular knitter having a sudden yearning to knit an animal may not seem too out of the ordinary. The truth is that prior to the hippo I had knitted nothing more than a couple of scarves in my entire life. And one of these ended up being turned into a cushion cover when I got bored of it! The last scarf I started got no further than about 3 rows before I unpicked it and handed it to my Mum to finish - and what a brilliant job she did of it too. But, it bothered me. It bothered me that I'd been beaten. I was disappointed with myself for giving up.

When I was little I had a few violin lessons. I hated them, but I really wanted to succeed. The violin teacher decided that the violin really wasn't my forte and 'let me go' from the class. He was completely right to do so, because it was never going to happen for me, but I was so cross that I'd let a stupid little violin beat me.

A couple of years later, at a different school, the teacher asked if anyone would like to learn to play the cello. I didn't hesitate. My hand shot into the air as I realised this was the perfect opportunity for me to redeem myself, to myself. I'd show that stupid little violin a thing or two by learning to play it's bigger relation! I was never that good at it, but I played in the school orchestra. I was probably rubbish, but I didn't care. I'd proved to myself that I could do it.

Years later I still need to prove to myself that I can 'do stuff'. Although it can be inconvenient at times when these compulsions take over, I wouldn't change it at all. If I'd not given in to these notions, I would never have made a glass bead. Or abseiled from a water tower. Or knitted a hippo!

So I'm feeling nicely calm now and can tick the "Knit a Hippo" box. The desperate obsession to knit passed the moment I sewed the tail on my hippo and declared him finished, but I will definitely be knitting more regularly now.

I wonder what my next challenge will be!

Fossils Revisited

2010-03-21T11:29:00.009Z

Long-time followers may remember my exitement at finding a tiny but perfect fossil on a trip to Charnmouth a couple of summers ago. This is it before I was brave enough to clean it up;

This fossil inspired my fossil bead series and I have been harbouring ideas of making some silver jewellery from my ammonite too. This weekend I finally got around to it. Silver clay is not my most favourite medium to work in as I am by no means a perfectionist with it, but I wanted an organic finish to the pieces, so my rougher style was for once an advantage!

First, I made a mould of my fossil from a flexible alginate-based compound.

Then I filled the mould with precious metal clay.

I popped the moulded ammonite out and left it to dry completely. Then I made another! I attached some fine silver earring posts to the back of the earrings with clay paste, and left them to dry again. Then I sanded the pieces to neaten the edges and fired them.

Once they had cooled I brushed them with a brass bristle brush to reveal the satiny silver surface. Then I burnished the earrings with an agate burnisher to bring out the shine and popped them in my tumbler for a couple of hours. Finally, I polished them with jeweller's rouge. This is the end result.

Then I decided to make an ammonite charm too, which I have used in a necklace I made for myself. I used some of my organic lampwork beads with some citrine, smoky quartz and crystal quartz briolettes, and hung them of a silver ring which I hammered to texturise. I don't often make jewellery for myself, so I'm realy pleased with my matching necklace and earring set. I've also made an extra charm which I've just turned into a simple pendant.

I'm off out to lunch today to celebrate my parents' Golden Wedding Anniversary, which is the perfect occasion to wear my new jewellery!

Elephant Fundraiser a Trumpeting Success!

2010-03-16T19:10:00.009Z

You may remember that I was asked to make two pieces of jewellery to be auctioned at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Elephant Gala Fundraiser in New York.

The first one was dedicated to Turkwel. I made some lampwork beads with lots of silver in them and paired them up with some smoky quartz.

The second piece was dedicated to Chaimu. This time I made some organic cream and amethyst beads and wired them up with some amethyst briolettes.

I am pleased to report that the event itself was a resounding success, and the evening raised $70,000! The pieces I made sold for a total of $750, which I am really pleased with.

The picture below was taken by Beth Dietz, a DSWT supporter who attended the event, and has kindly allowed me to use her picture of the Turkwel piece as displayed in New York. Thank you Beth!

Kristin Davis, of Sex and the City fame, was the guest speaker for the evening.

Kristin gave a brilliant account of how she was involved in the rescue of little Chaimu when she was visiting Kenya. Kristin is a fabulous supporter of the Trust and has seen first hand the incredible difference that it makes to the lives of the elephants, who are orphaned often as a result of poaching or other human intervention.

By the wonders of modern technology you can watch Kristin's speech on Ustream.

I learned today that the person who bought the Chaimu necklace presented it to Kristin as a gift and I am told that she loves it! I hope it serves as a reminder of the part she played in Chaimu's rescue, and that she wears it often.

If you would like to support the work of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust you can foster your very own elephant orphan.

Moon Flowers look like this....

2010-03-14T18:50:00.002Z

If there were flowers on the moon, maybe they would look like this;

I rarely combine silvered ivory with florals, but I quite like how my MoonFlower bead turned out.

The promise of spring has definitely affected my bead designs, and this is one of the many florals I have been making recently. I called this one 'Peace'.

And now a couple of sets. The first one is stepping stones over a babbling brook;

And the second sets inspired by a packet of lentils!

Inspiration can come from the oddest places...

Have a great week!

Dad - this one's for you!

2010-03-06T17:30:00.004Z

Having just got off the phone to my Dad, who has observed that I haven't updated my blog lately, I thought I had better rectify that!

Despite treating myself to two long weekends away from work specifically to make beads I managed a pitiful amount. The reason for this was two-fold.

On the first weekend I managed just three beads before, for some inexplicable reason, plunging my left index finger into the flame. Ouch!

My finger smoked, and my nail baked to a black crust and the smell of burning flesh filled the room. My head told me I needed to abandon the bead I had just spent the last 15 minutes on, and which was nearly finished, and head to the cold water tap. My heart told me to ignore the agony and finish the bead. Almost without exception my heart wins the day in these circumstances, but this time, because I could tell it was a big burn, I did the sensible thing and sacrificed my bead to save my finger.

So for the next 30 minutes I held my finger under running water, and for the rest of the day whenever the wave of agony resurfaced I ran to the freezer and grabbed the peas. Being sensible paid off, and I avoided a blister, but I wasn't able to feel the tip of my finger until Thursday when the hardened end of it finally fell off! Eew!

Other beadmakers will know that once you've had a burn there is little possibility of making beads for about a week, as every time the burn gets warm again it hurts like heck. So that was that for my first beadmaking weekend.

So it was with a significant amount of eagerness and expectation that I approached the following long weekend. I finished work on Wednesday evening and had an entire four days with nothing much planned except beadmaking. Imagine how fed up I was when I came down with the lurgy on Wednesday evening, only to feel human again in time to return to work the following Monday morning! Urgh! Why do these things always happen?!

Well, I did manage a brief session at the torch, and the two sets below are the result of that.

This first set is called 'Agateous' on account of it reminding me of Moss Agate. I've used a lovely, deep clay-red glass which I heated until it was soupy and blended with ivory, black and silver. The black has webbed through the other colours which gives the agatey feel.

The second set is called 'First Frost' and I've used a lovely opal glass in sky blue, which I've decorated with silvery fronds.

I have another day off work next Friday, but you know what? I'm not going to plan a beadmaking session at all, and I'll just see what happens.

This week I ran a couple of giveaways. So congratulations to Julie H-B and Janet (JayeSpangles) who both won a set of ring pellets to try out. If you would like to try these yourself take a look at my Etsy listing where you can read the full instructions on how to use these clever pellets to ensure your precious metal rings are a perfect fit.

Thats all for now. Have a great week.

(See you soon Dad - love you xx)

Spirograph Art

2010-02-15T20:34:00.004Z

When I was little my Spirograph was one of my best ever gifts. But why should something as fabulous as the Spirograph set be reserved for children? I have dusted off my set and had great fun creating these Spirograph Art cards.

You will find them in my Etsy shop. They are not printed reproductions. They are the genuine article, drawn by hand, individually, in ink. I am selling them in sets of five, wrapped in ribbon and cellophane, so buy them for yourself or as a unique gift for someone else.

Spirograph was invented by Denys Fisher, a British Engineer. It is made up of plastic cog wheels, with rails and circles for them to run along and around. The Spirograph’s wheels are of different diameters, with holes for the pen tip at different distances from the centre. With the turn of the wheel, the pen traces out hypotrochoid and epitrochoid curves. I don't understand what that means at all, but it sounds very clever and I can pretend I'm actually doing something deeply mathematical instead of just making pretty patterns for fun!

I remember that there was a version of spirograph for younger children, called Spirotot. My sister had one of those and I wish we'd kept it!

Spirograph is still being made today, but unfortunately it is nowhere near as good as those produced in the 60's and 70's. There is also a pretentiously named "Hypotrochoid set" available in a nifty tin, and while it does the job it's still nowhere near as good as the original Spirograph.

Oh they don't make things like they used to!

I'll be listing some more sets in various colour schemes shortly, but I have to say that I rather like the classiness of the monotone set.

I have a set of beads to list too, just as soon as I've wrestled them from the mandrels and cleaned them. Now if only I could produce a spirograph design on a bead. Now that would be cool....

New Beads & Other News

2010-02-06T16:12:00.008Z

I have new beads to show you this week at long last!

This first set is called "Andromeda"

and the second set is one of my favourites; "Lyme".

I plan to be producing beads a little more often than I have managed over the past few weeks, so keep checking my site and my gallery for new beads.

Despite the lack of beads, I have been busy making beads and jewellery for a very exciting fundraiser event in New York. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust are hosting an Elephant Gala Fundraiser at The Wild Horses of Sable Island Gallery, and I was asked to make two pieces for the charity auction. So I have made pieces for two special orphan elephants; Chaimu and Turkwel.

Now this is the exciting bit! Their guest speaker is Kristin Davis, of Sex and the City fame, and she is (hopefully) going to be wearing one of the pieces for the evening. Gulp! Kristin was involved in the rescue of Chaimu, a male baby ele when she was visiting Kenya. I'm hoping Kristin might like the Chaimu piece enough to place a bid! Well you never know ;)

I will post some piccies of the pieces I made once the auction details are in the public domain, which should be soon.

I was asked to send a copy of my Bumpy Beads logo for them to add to the event Sponsors page, which I duly sent. It is quite bizarre to see my little logo displayed against some big brands, particularly the iconic Vespa brand. I think I could get used to it though!

I was wandering around the website of Making Jewellery magazine yesterday evening when I stumbled across some pictures of my beads and jewellery. These particular pieces featured in a recent edition of the magazine, but I didn't know they were online too! My beads are the ones at the bottom of the page, on the left. I'm sharing the page with some of Laura Sparling's delicious cupcake beads.

The other thing I have to tell you is that I went all sequins and sparkles a couple of weeks ago and went to see the Strictly Tour at the NEC. (Gon on, click the link - you know how you love THAT music!) It was fab!

I am a massive fan of the show and was in my element with Len, Arlene, Craig and Bruno. Kelly Brook is stunningly gorgeous, and the dancing hobbits, Chris and Ola were cute! Ali and Brian were in love, Ricky Groves was funny, Natalie Cassidy did a brilliant quickstep and Austin Healey displayed a marvellous chest, which justified the ticket price all by itself ;) Mark Ramprakash won the trophy the evening I went. I haven't enjoyed a night out so much in ages.

I'm back at the NEC again tomorrow, but this time to visit the Spring Fair International. It should be fun!

Have a great weekend :)

QR Codes (more exciting than they sound – read on!)

2010-01-27T19:33:00.007Z

Followers of my blog will know that I love gadgets and technology, so when I discovered an app for my iPhone that reads barcodes I was in my element. There are lots of similar apps, but I downloaded RedLaser to play with. It works on the premise that while out shopping, you scan items, and are immediately presented with details of where you can buy the item, and how the price compares at different retailers.

So, of course, I set to work zapping everything in my kitchen cupboard. The barcode reader worked really well and scanned everything I presented to it. However, although the app is supposed to support us here in the UK it is clear that its catalogue is just not as well developed as one would have hoped. But I had fun and learned more about bar codes than I ever knew there was to learn!

This led me to the discovery of QR Codes, or ‘Quick Response’ Codes. I’ve often seen little square codes on the backs of products, or in magazines, and even on the front page of Moo stickers, but I’ve never understood their potential.

Of course, I may be way behind the rest of you in learning about this technology, but for the uninitiated QR Codes are 2 dimensional barcodes. This means that unlike the barcodes we are more familiar with, like the one above, they carry information on both the horizontal and vertical planes. By carrying information in both directions, QR code can carry up to several hundred times the amount of data carried by ordinary bar codes.

QR code was developed by Denso in 1994 and has been used in wide variety of applications, such as manufacturing, logistics, and sales applications. In terms of common everyday use, QR Code is now being used in all kinds of ways. Look out for it printed on paperback spines, or at exhibitions and events.

Ok, so now we know what they are, but so what? How can I read them?

To read QR code you need a QR Reader. Many of the Japanese smartphones actually have an inbuilt QR Reader, but for those that don’t there are plenty of downloadable readers to choose from, many of which are free. I chose i-nigma, by 3GVision Inc for the iPhone. You just launch the app, scan the code through the phone camera, and you can then retrieve the information contained in the code. If the information is a link to a website you can launch the site directly from your mobile.

This technology has massive potential. In Japan and the US QR codes are now being displayed in the corner of movie posters. Scanning the code will take you straight to the movie trailer. Brilliant!

You will by now realise from my blogs that for me pretty much everything eventually comes around to beads and jewellery, and you’ll be pleased to read that this blog is no different! The Spring Fair & Jewellery Show at the NEC in February will make use of QR Codes in a massive way.

They will be using QR codes as a method of accessing http://m.springfair.com, which is the mobile event site. QR codes will be displayed prominently on Spring Fair signage and other marketing collateral enabling visitors to access the site directly from their phones. They list the benefits of this technology as;

• Convenience for visitors of comprehensive event and exhibitor details in the palm of their hand.
• Ability for visitors to plan the day’s schedule of exhibitor visits, presentations and seminars.
• Convenience for visitors of all exhibitor contact details and product information still at their fingertips once they’re left the show.

All too often new technology, while very impressive, actually has very little practical application. I think the reverse is true in the case of QR code. It’s quite incredible really that although it has been around for over 15 years it’s not used more in this way. I guess as more people migrate to smartphones QR code becomes more accessible, so perhaps we’re on the verge of something that will grow and grow. Who knows?

So, the next logical step was to create my very own QR Code for my Bumpy Beads website, and here it is;

Scanning the code will reveal that it points directly to www.BumpyBeads.co.uk. Brilliant!

The next step will be for me to reproduce the QR code onto the reverse of my business cards. Stickers with my code can be placed on the backs of my jewellery boxes. Imagine it printed onto a t-shirt and worn at a Bead Fair! Or on a vinyl car window sticker, or a tote bag... or... well... anywhere really!

It is also completely possible to direct the QR code to a different place each day, so one day someone scanning it would be taken to my website, or another day to my Etsy Shop. I could point people to a different beadmaking or jewellery making tip each week, or link people to my favourite site of the week. So my business card would become so much more than just another business card. It would evolve, and be exciting, and worth hanging on to!

Scanning the QR code below will point you to my Etsy Shop, but scan it tomorrow and it may well point you somewhere entirely different. How exciting!

The possibilities are endless, so I’m just going for a lie down now I’ve worn myself out thinking about them. But look out for QR code on my website, in my blog, on my business cards and wherever else I can use it!

Happy scanning!

New Year, New Beads!

2010-01-18T19:19:00.002Z

My first blog of the year, so I'll begin by wishing you all a Happy New Year. It's been a very odd year so far and off to a bit of a slow start, mainly due to the snow. And we have more forecast for this Wednesday. Now I love a bit of a snowy sprinkly to prettify the place, but come on now... enough is enough! It's amazing how quickly the "magical sparkle" of the snow can turn into a "tedious slushy mess". I blame myself really. I wished for it. Two hours later we had three inches of the stuff and I was struggling to get up the hill I live on.

The moral of this story must surely be "Be careful what you wish for"!

So here are my first beads of the year. I have another Taj focal, this time a lentil shape, with some lovely detail;

Then there is a set of wavy beads, so I'm cleverly calling these, ummm... wave beads!

I love the shape of these. They really demonstrate the versatility of glass.

Finally a set of beads inspired by the night sky and star gazing adventures through my telescope.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is a spiral galaxy about 27 million light-years away and about twice the size of the Milky Way.

This set of Pinwheel Galaxy beads was inspired by the fabulous swirl of this beautiful galaxy. Droplets of real silver on the surface of the bead represent the starry masses that hang in the galaxy's gravitational sphere.

All of these beads are listed in my Etsy Shop.

I'm busy making some jewellery for a special project at the moment, but I'm hoping to be making lots more beads again soon.

Tutorial in "Making Jewellery" Magazine

2009-12-19T21:53:00.003Z

I have a tutorial published in the current issue (10) of "Making Jewellery" Magazine, so I just thought I'd let you know! It's a really simple tutorial that shows some easy techniques for making your jewellery more versatile so that you can wear it in different ways.

They have also featured some of my pieces in their Readers' Showcase, so I'm quite pleased!

It's a great issue this month and it comes with a fab 2010 calendar, so don't miss out.

On sale in all good newsagents now! I hope you enjoy the tutorial.

What a result!

2009-12-16T19:48:00.004Z

Wow, what a result! Just over £2500 was raised from the auctions of my jewellery for the David Shedrick Wildlife Trust. I am staggered! With just six pieces being auctioned that's an average winning bid of over £400 per piece.

If you placed a bid - THANK YOU! The Trust really needs the funds to help continue their incredible work rescuing orphan elephants and raising them until they're ready to return to the wild.

If you were one of the lucky bidders THANK YOU for your generosity and I hope your jewellery gives you as much pleasure as it gave me to make it.

If you're still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for someone who has everything, why not give an elephant? Yes, a real elephant! You can find out how to foster an elephant for a gift for someone, check out this link.

New Beads!

2009-12-13T17:46:00.003Z

It's been too long since I listed new beads, but I have listed some on Etsy today.

I have a Taj focal bead and a Taj bead set. These were an experiment with some colour reactions from some special effetre glass, and I'm quite pleased with the colours that emerged. I've called them "Taj" because they remind me of indian sari silk for some reason. I've etched them so that they're silky soft.

Then I've made more of my "All Washed Up" beads in purple and the palest pink.

The pink beads have been hand-shaped into little nuggets and I really like how the light catches the flat facets of these beads.

The elephant auctions are doing amazingly well, with bids now having reached over £1000! There are just a couple more days to go before they end, so don't miss out!

I almost forgot! Look out for my project in the January issue of "Making Jewellery", which will be on sale later this week.

Have a great week.

Elephant Auctions - now live!

2009-12-08T19:20:00.003Z

It's that time again and the pre-Christmas auctions of jewellery, raising money for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust have launched today! They run for seven days, and there are six pieces, dedicated to six special baby elephants;

Kilaguni

Mutara

Nchan

Shaba

Tano

Shukuru

The DSWT have had a really busy year, rescuing more baby elephants than ever before, so if you're buying Christmas gifts at the moment, or even thinking of treating yourself, please consider a gift that keeps on giving.

The DSWT are also auctioning some completely gorgeous limited edition bronze statues of elephants, with all profits going to the charity. They are all absolutely beautiful, but Maisha is my favourite.

Or why not give a REALLY different gift this year, and give someone a baby elephant! Or at any rate you can give a gift of a fostered elephant, which is even better (no elephant poop to clear up after!) You can find out how to foster an orphan elephant yourself, or for a gift for someone at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's site.

Good luck if you decide to bid!

Coming soon - Elephant Auctions

2009-11-07T17:07:00.006Z

Well it is almost that time again when the auctions of the next pieces of jewellery for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust will go live. For those of you unaware of the inspiring and life-saving work of the DSWT, you can read all about them on their website.

Since the Trust was established in 1977 it has successfully hand-reared more than 100 orphan elephants. That's amazing!

There are many reasons why elephant babies need rescuing. In some cases their mothers have been victims of poachers. In others the babies have fallen down man-made wells. How heart-wrenching must it be for a mother to have to leave her baby behind, when despite all efforts she has been unable to rescue her baby.

The DSWT is amazing. It never turns away an orphan in need of help, even when it is bursting full to capacity. And it has certainly been stretched this year as so many elephants have fallen prey to the droughts in Kenya. Without their mums to take care of them the babies can only hope that they are spotted so that they can be taken under the wing of the Trust and welcomed into the nursery to meet their new family.

So this year more than any other, the DSWT needs support. I hope that the six pieces of jewellery I have made raise a record-breaking amount.

The auctions will be up and running shortly, so keep checking here or here to find out when they're live. I've sprinkled some teaser photos of the pieces throughout this blog. As always, each piece is dedicated to a particular elephant, and the elephant's name is engraved on a sterling silver tag.

You can also help to support the baby elephants by fostering one. I foster Makena, a beautiful, motherly female, who I have watched graduate from the nursery in Nairobi to "big school" at the Ithumba stockades. Makena was just 7 weeks old when she was rescued. She is now 4 and loves to take care of the younger ones. She is becoming quite the little matriarch.

I also foster Shimba, a little boy. He's quite an aloof character, and must be one of the few elephants with an aversion to mud baths!

To foster your own baby elephant, or even baby rhino, visit the DSWT's website.

The Moon

2009-11-03T19:50:00.004Z

I have no new beads to show you this week, so I thought I'd show you the moon instead!

As I drove home from work today the moon was large and low, and had that beautiful golden glow that you only get at this time of the year. I raced home hoping that the clouds would stay away long enough for me to get my telescope out. I was rewarded!

This is my very first piece of astrophotography. It was taken this evening through my telescope and my strategically placed trusty Canon Ixus. It was just an experimental shot, and I didn't expect it to work at all, but it did! Ok, so it's not perfectly focused but you can still pick out lots of features. I need to get my moon map out to navigate my way around.

It's amazing how looking through a telescope puts everything in perspective. All the worries and irritations of the day dissolve as you realise how insignificant they are in the grand scheme of things.

The clouds are coming in now, but it was a treat to have a clear sky to view this beautiful waxing gibbous moon.

I imagine that it won't be long before the image above finds its way into a bead, or maybe an entire set of beads. Or, maybe a piece of silver jewellery. You see, I'm inspired already!

If you would like to begin stargazing there are two fantastic pieces of software that will get you started. The first is Stellarium, and the second is Pocket Universe for iPhone. There's an entire universe out there to discover!

All Washed Up

2009-10-04T17:42:00.006+01:00

I absolutely love making organic bead sets, and I love this softly etched set in ivory and black, with trails of silver and a lovely swathe of antique clear. They really look as if they could have been washed up on the tide, so they are my All Washed Up beads. See what I did there?

Staying on the organic theme, here is a fab lentil in one of my favourite colours. The black has laced over the bead giving a deep veiny appearance.

I rarely encase my organic beads, but when I experimented with this bead I was really pleased with the result, so there may well be more of these appearing in future.

Tiger beads are such fun to make, and this is a really hefty-sized focal.

If you prefer more colour in your beads, I can do that too! Pink Lipstick...

and Raspberry and Peach Melba.

That's all for now!

Verdigris beads published in the US.

2009-09-13T16:33:00.007+01:00

I was really excited to learn recently that Lynn Davy won first prize in the Semiprecious Stone Contest, and her winning entry is featured in the September/October issue of the popular american magazine, "Step by Step Beads".

Lynn created an absolutely stunning necklace, which she called "Treasures of Atlantis". You can read all about it here.

Lynn used amazonite, labradorite and pearls, and a beautiful fine silver focal bead along with some of beady clusters, and my verdigris lampwork beads. The silver focal is by Rebecca Crabtree. I own one of Becci's silver lentils myself, and so I can vouch for how beautiful they are.

"Treasure of Atlantis" is a really gorgeous necklace, and I am so pleased that my own beads were fortunate enough to play a supporting role in this winning piece!

The September/October edition of the magazine features not only Lynn's winning necklace, but also a project for a matching bracelet, also incorporating my beads. Lynn has made some clever beaded beads for the bracelet.

Finally, there is a project to make matching earrings, which can be downloaded from the magazine website, and Lynn has used my verdigris beads in these too.

This is the first time my beads have featured in an american publication, so it is a big milestone for me. There is something quite surreal about browing through a magazine and your own creations jumping off the page at you. Lynn's pieces with my beads feature throughout the entire magazine, and Lynn has been generous enough to mention me as the bead artist. My website even gets a mention too. Thank you Lynn!

If you would like your very own verdigris beads to recreate Lynn's "Treasures of Atlantis" set, I would be happy to make some especially for you. Just contact me with your requirements and I'll give you a very reasonable price.

The BIG (it's not) SUMMER SALE

2009-09-06T20:11:00.005+01:00

So that's that then. Summer I mean. In a few short weeks we'll be putting the clock back and drawing the curtains at 6pm. Now I quite like the dark nights, but I know i'm in a minority.

So to cheer you up I've just launched THE BIG (it's not) SUMMER SALE!

ALL beads are reduced, so there are some great bargains. There are bead sets and focals, so please pop along and take a look.

Mr Site - thanks!

2009-08-21T19:32:00.004+01:00

I was really surprised to learn today that Mr Site has included my website as one of their "sample sites". I have a vague recollection of being asked for some comments on Mr Site a few months ago, but then I'd forgotten all about it.

There is a lovely screenshot of my website and a link back to it. So it's fantastic free advertising. Thank you Mr Site!
This isn't a terribly good screen capture, but if you want to see if for yourself go to page 10 here.

I've had a brilliant week of sales, but there are still plenty of beads left to buy in my Etsy Shop.

These are two of my favourites;

Iced Cranberries - named by Nic of Murano Silver

Shades of Amber

Well that's all for now folks. Have a lovely weekend!

Beads on Etsy

2009-08-14T18:57:00.004+01:00

For a number of reasons, none of which are interesting enough to blog about, I have decided that for the foreseeable future I shall be selling my beads on Etsy. You will recall that Etsy is THE online place to buy and sell handmade items.

From the buyer's perspective this will be much more straightforward, as the lack of a stock control system on my website has meant that on occasions the same bead has been sold twice or more, resulting in disappointed customers.

The slight down-side is that Etsy prices are displayed in US dollars rather than £ sterling, because it is an american site. Of course, if you're an american customer this is an up-side! For all other customers I recommend http://www.xe.com/, which is a reliable currency conversion site. Paypal will do the conversion for you automatically, so you shouldn't really notice any difference at all when you're shopping in the Bumpy Beads Etsy Shop.

The exchange rate is ever-fluctuating, but I shall keep a close watch on it to ensure that my customers are not disadvantaged by the $:£ rates.

Of course I will still keep my website up-to-date, and you will be able to access my Etsy shop directly from my website.

You can also find my items on Etsy by searching on "Heather Webb". That's me!

I am also a proud member of the Frit Happens Etsy Street Team. The team is made up of a fabulous group of people who sell their handmade lampworks beads/marbles/knobs(!), fused glass pieces, jewellery and a whole host of other items that I know you'll love.

We all tag our pieces "FHFTeam". So to find us, just enter "FHFTeam" into the search box at the top of the Etsy page.

If you're familiar with Etsy you'll probably be familiar with treasuries. A treasury is a gallery of handpicked items. Members feature their favourite items. Treasuries might be based on a theme. Look out for FHF Team Treasuries to see some of the brilliant items for sale. I've been featured on three treasuries this week, which has been great!

The bead pictures that litter this blog are beads currently available in my Etsy shop.

I'm loving stripy beads at the moment, and am very likely to be making more of those this weekend, so expect to see more in my shop next week.

Have a great weekend!

New Torch

2009-07-11T17:25:00.006+01:00

Most beadmakers begin beadmaking on a Hot Head, which is a fairly basic single fuel torch. The design of the torch means it can be used on propane, without the need for a sparate oxygen supply. The only thing with this is that Hot Heads don't run as hot as dual fuel torches. My usual impatience meant that I opted for a dual fuel torch straightaway. These torches need a separate supply of oxygen, either tanked or supplied by an oxygen concentrator.

There are so many different torches available now, and I opted for a Minnow, made by Bethlehem Burners. It has been a fabulous torch for me, and has a narrow flame which is great for pinpoint heating. However, I tend to work fairly large, and for a while I've been wanting a torch with a slightly wider and bushier flame. After much deliberation, and I mean MUCH deliberation, I chose a Carlisle Mini CC burner.

I lit it for the first time today and it is superb. It runs hotter than my Minnow and the flame is bushier and wider, so it ticks all the boxes. I'd heard a couple of reports of the Carlisle needing two oxycoms, but I'm running it on one and it's absolutely perfect.

Even the marver that fits it is pretty special. I chose a Crowley Marver, and this fits with a ball joint, which means that the angle of the torch can be adjusted independently of the marver, and the angle of the marver can be adjusted independently of the torch. The torch uses a ball joint too, so the entire set up is extremely versatile.

Strangely, despite the flame being wider, I've found that this has actually helped my stringer control. The greater area of ambient heat around the flame means that the "sweet spot" is easy to find.

But the biggest difference is the fact that the propane and oxygen valves are on the opposite side of the torch compared to the Minnow. Argh! I have to re-learn my POOP routine all over again! For those of you who are scratching your heads wondering what on earth a POOP routine is, it's the order the propane and oxygen are turned on/off when lighting/extinguishing the torch.

So the beads that I have to show you are the very last beads that I made on my Minnow. Enjoy!

I made focals.....

and I made sets....

Hope you like!

Yay!

2009-06-19T20:27:00.005+01:00

The Elephant Auctions ended today and raised just over £2000!

I am thrilled, particularly when the economy is on its knees and money is tighter than ever.

A total of 309 bids were placed over 10 days. The piece dedicated to Maxwell, the tiny blind orphan rhino, raised the most, at £311. Amazing!

Thank you to everyone who placed a bit. You're all brilliant!

A special thank you to Lynn Davy too, who gifted me her fab Clunk Click piece, which raised £55.55!

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust will put these funds to good use. May saw the arrival of three new orphans, so every penny counts.

Elephant Auctions - now with Rhino's!

2009-06-10T19:28:00.008+01:00

The third round of auctions of my jewellery in aid of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is now live!

As always, each piece is dedicated to one of the orphans, and this time we have included two of the rhino's.

So the line up is Zurura, Sinya, Mawenzi, Madiba, Lualeni, Kibo and finally little Maxwell and Maalim.

The pieces have a silver tag with the name of the orphan engraved on it, and they're off to a flying start on Ebay. You can find the auctions here.

In addition, there are two bonus pieces. One of these is the lovely Clunk Click keyring, made by Lynn Davy that featured in February's "Beads & Beyond" and kindly donated by Lynn.

The other is my Silver Caps Necklace that featured in the January issue of "Bead".

As always, the entire amount raised will go to the DSWT.

Happy bidding!

New Glass Storage!

2009-05-24T21:06:00.012+01:00

One of the biggest headaches that most lampworkers face is how to store glass rods. If I had a larger entrepreneurial streak and bigger pockets I would definitely be exploiting the enormous gap in the market that exists for purpose-built glass rod storage. As my pockets are shallow and there are already too few hours in the day, I'll have to let this opportunity pass me by! It's this "I really cannot be bothered" attitude that comes between me and making my first million time and time again. Ah well, I'd rather be poor and making beads than rich and selling Bespoke Glass Storage Modules.

Unsurprisingly, creative people have developed a variety of ways of storing their glass rods. Favourite methods include cardboard postal tubes, drainpipes, vases and vegetable racks. I myself have up until now been using a rather nifty Plastic Guttering/Wine Rack Combo, which has served me pretty well. However, every beadmaker knows that beadmaking is not just about the beads. Oh noooooo... most of us eventually add a second hobby to our repertoire: Glass Collector.

When I began lampworking just over two years ago I set myself up with an Effetre Studio Pack of some 49 colours. I was able to justify this fairly substantial investment, because in actual fact I wouldn't need to buy any more glass for years. Err... hello?? Why did no-one warn me that "needing" new glass and "buying" new glass are activities that are in no way related to each other?!

I discovered Vetrofond, with all their fabulous odd-lot colours. Frog Pond. Wasabi. Painted Desert. Delicious!

Then I discovered Lauscha clear; the very best crystal clear glass there is, in my opinion.

Then I found CiM colours, whose rods have a lovely sheen.

Soon after I was smitten by the ASK range, and am still eeking out some of my favourite colours now that the glass is no longer produced.

Double Helix silver glasses now have me in their thrall, closely followed by TAG and Northstar.

I'm itching to try the Reichenbach colour palette too.

Now I'm no mathemetician, but even I can hazard a guess that with the amount of glass I own I shouldn't actually "need" to buy more until 2038. For the avoidance of doubt that's the year two thousand and thirty eight. However, I may as well come clean and tell you that if I last until 20:38 tonight I'll have achieved something. Yes, I am obsessed. Completely and utterly.

So, my glass collection is growing, and the wine rack no longer cuts the mustard. What to do? Clearly ceasing to buy more glass is not an option. In fact I get the shivers just thinking about it. The only answer is to build more storage. Bigger, better storage! Yes, this is what I need. Bigger and better, with room for expansion. Embrace the obsession!

This time I have gone for the Quality Downpipe Model, and because I know my fellow beadmakers are as occupied with storing their Glass Collection as I was, I thought I would share how it was built. As a picture paints a thousand words, here it is step-by-step, in pictures.

First I had to acquire 80 metres of 6.5cm square downpipe. Yes, that's not a typo. Eighty metres! As luck would have it one of my neighbours has a plastic extruding company, and was able to supply me with exactly what I needed, and even cut it to 40cm lengths. Thanks Dave!

Next, it all had to be unpacked, and cleaned of all the swarfy bits. Then the protective plastic covering had to be peeled off. It took ages, but sitting in the sunshine to do it made it more bearable.

I decided to build four separate modules, each made up of seven compartments by seven compartments. At this point I went all girly, and couldn't fathom how to get it all squared up. My tactic worked perfectly, and my hubby became so exasperated with my feeble efforts that he decided it was men's work. I watched, from underneath my parasol on the patio. It was tiring watching all this activity!

The pipes were glued together with silicone glue, and then checked to ensure they were neatly aligned with a set square and spirit level. I'd have just checked they looked about right, so it's probably for the best that I wasn't left in charge of such an important task.

More layers, and more spirit levelling.

And here is the first one, all finished, except for the heavy card that was glued to the back to stop the rods slipping out of the back.

Two days of drying later, and today I've finally been able to move my glass to its Luxury Accommodation. I have 196 compartments, and it's about three quarters full. I've agonised over the order I should store it in, but have opted for the "approximate rainbow" scheme. Today has been a voyage of discovery as I've found colours that were long-buried and that I had completely forgotten I owned!

I keep popping into my studio to have another look. This new storage system has made my glass so much more accessible and consequently so much more easily strokable, and this can only be a good thing!

This is the bit where the credits roll up the screen, so I should like to thank "Silicone Dave from Over the Road" for providing the materials, and my lovely hubby for transforming it from 80 metres of 6.5cm downpipe into the Luxury Glass Accommodation that it is now!

Poached Billiard Balls

2009-05-22T16:41:00.004+01:00

I've recently returned from a few days on Exmoor. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. I strongly suspect that the next beads I make with be heavily influenced by the rugged landscape.

Until then, I have two sets of beads to show you that I made before my trip. These are of the organic variety.

This first set is named "Stepping Stones". I can imagine these beads just poking their heads above the surface of a babbling brook, their surfaces being worn smooth by the water.

The second set is set of six stone-inspired beads. The silver and black have been deliberately overcooked so that fine veins of colour web across the surface of the bead.

The two sets of beads go together beautifully, and would make a fabulous project for someone!

While we were away we visited Arlington Court and Dunster Castle, both National Trust properties, and both well worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.

At Arlington Court there is an impressive billiard table. The Guide told us that the billiard balls were made from dyed ivory. She explained that as they became worn, they were returned to the maker who would re-work the surfaces to make them smooth again. Each time the balls were re-worked they would obviously get a little smaller, which she said was "terribly inconvenient". I pointed out that it was not nearly as inconvenient as it was for the elephants who were slaughtered for their tusks, and she agreed.

The London firm that made the billiard balls apparently used 1000 elephant tusks a year, and there were another 40 London firms producing a similar number of billiard balls at the same time. That's tens of thousands of elephants being slaughtered each year, and many of these elephants would have had babies who would not have been able to survive without them.

It would be good to be able to say that slaughtering elephants for their tusks is a thing of the past, but unbelievably it is not. Sadly, for as long as there is a market for ivory and while the world's governments fail to take the necessary action to totally end the ivory trade, these beautiful, loving, emotional animals will continue to be hunted down.

Shocking isn't it?

In Print Again!

2009-05-14T19:59:00.005+01:00

I am really pleased to have discovered that I have had an article published in the June issue of Beads & Beyond. In it I write about my two greatest passions; beads and elephants, and how I've managed to find a way to combine them.

The article has been given a full page, with pictures of the jewellery I created for the auction in February, and of the orphan elephants in the care of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

There are more auctions coming up in late May/early June, so the timing of this article is absolutely perfect! If just one person decides to foster an orphan elephant or rhino as a result of the article I will be so happy.

NDII

I make no apology for blogging the link to the DSWT's Orphans Project again.

I shall announce details of the forthcoming auctions as soon as I know the start date. Here we go again!

Tie Dye and Other Beads

2009-05-10T19:13:00.005+01:00

I've had an absolutely lovely day today at Ludlow's first ever Spring Food Festival. A smaller affair than their famous Autumn Food Fair, it was nevertheless an excellent day out. On entry you were given a souvenir half pint glass and a token for your first half pint of beer or cider. Then it was just a matter of eating and drinking your way around the entire event for the rest of the day. Bliss! The weather could not have been better, which really made the day and put smiles on everyone's faces. The Fair was held in the grounds of Ludlow Castle, which is fairly spectacular in its own right, as castles go. Row upon row of classic and vintage cars, lorries, tractors and motorcycles were an extra attraction. Came home with asparagus and chocolate. I'd call that a very successful shopping day!

Yesterday I made beads, and these are them all scrubbed up and shiny;

Berry Focal

Berry Tie Dye Set

Surf's Up

Coast I - shiny finish (I couldn't decide whether to etch these Coast beads or not, so I left one shiny and etched the other!)

Coast II - etched to a matt finish, with the "water" left shiny and wet.

That's it for this week!

Have a good week.

Ring Sizing Pellets, for use with Silver Clay

2009-05-03T14:47:00.005+01:00

I've been so disappointed to finish a ring only to discover it doesn't fit! I love these pellets so much I've made them available on my website.

If you've ever made a ring using silver clay you'll know how tricky it can be to get a perfect fit when the clay shrinks a little more than we would have liked. These fabulous ring pellets take all the drama out of it. Cast from fine investment powder, these pellets won't mark the inside of your ring.

Just make your ring a couple of sizes larger than the size you need the finished ring to be. Before you fire it, place a ring pellet of the size you want the finished ring to be in the centre of the ring.
During firing the ring will shrink tightly to the ring pellet, resulting in an accurate fit. Brilliant!
One the ring has cooled, place the ring and the ring pellet into a paper cup. The pellet will dissolve quite easily. If necessary use a needle tool or a stiff brush to carefully poke out any remaining pellet. Rinse the ring.

Do not pour the ring pellet residue down the drain. Instead, let it dry out and then pop it in the household rubbish.

Pellets are sold in sets of 9, one of each ring size 4 to 12. Each pellet is imprinted with the ring size. Ring sizes are US sizes, but the comparable UK size and the diameter in millimetres is as follows;

4 H1/2 (15.5mm)

5 J1/2 (15.5mm)

6 M (16.5mm)

7 O (17.2mm)

8 Q (18mm)

9 R1/2 (19mm)

10 T1/2 (19.8mm)

11 V1/2 (20.7mm)

12 Y (21.4mm)

A set of 9 pellets is just £4.95, and you can buy them here.

Nia does it again!

2009-04-30T22:44:00.004+01:00

I just spotted an absolutely gorgeous necklace that Nia has made using some of my beads and some Crazy Lace Agate. Nia's pieces are always so classy. My beads look all grown up!

You can see more of Nia's work on her website.

Lucky Me!

2009-04-26T19:36:00.006+01:00

Recently I was very fortunate to be gifted a gorgeous silver and glass pendant, made by the fair hand of Rebecca Hughes. It's a really wearable piece that I've hardly taken off since I received it, and it's also my favourite colour. Take a look at Becci's gorgeous silver beads and buttons at Fired Silver.

I have also acquired a new pet! This is Juan Carlos, and he was made by Lesley Jane Dixon. Isn't he cute? You can find Les's brilliant character beads, as well as lots more beads and some felt pieces at Flame Born Beads.

I have listed new beads on my website today, so pop along and take a look. I had real difficulty getting any nice pictures today, but this is a close up from one of the sets that I'm really pleased with. I mean I'm pleased with the bead, not the close up, which has a hideous reflection of the conservatory roof!

Have a great week!

Going Global!

2009-04-24T20:43:00.008+01:00

Regular readers will know that I am foster mum to two orphan elephants called Makena and Shimba who are in the care of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Shimba - Nov 2008

As blogged previously, auctions of my jewellery have raised £3201 and £2941 respectively for the DSWT.

For the past few weeks I have been busy making beads, and turning them into pieces of jewellery for a further batch of auctions that will take place in May. As soon as I have the precise date I'll blog it here, so keep checking back! I've come up with new designs this time, and as always each piece is dedicated to a specific orphan, and has an engraved silver tag bearing the orphan's name.

We didn't want to leave the baby rhino orphans out, so we have included them this time, which has been great fun!

Today I received a very exciting email. The US branch of the DSWT has heard of the auctions of my jewellery that the UK branch have been running, and have asked for my assistance. They are holding a fundraising event in Seattle in June and have asked me if I would provide two pieces of jewellery for them to auction at their event.

I am extremely flattered to have been asked to send my pieces all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, and of course I am very happy to assist. My details will be included in their event brochure, so this is a fantastic opportunity for my beads to be showcased in the US. I am thrilled and I hope the pieces raise lots of dollars so that the extremely important work that the DSWT undertakes can continue.

Keep checking back here for updates of the May auctions, but in the meantime I have provided you some teaser pictures of the beads that will be included in this next batch of auction pieces.

If you would like to foster your own baby elephant or rhino, visit the DSWT.

Flame Off 2009 - Day Two!

2009-04-18T20:11:00.003+01:00

Day Two of the Flame Off was just as brilliant as Day One. Inevitably there was more shopping and oohing and aahing over beads and meeting up with friends, which was brilliant.

The first demo was Beverly Hicklin, who showed us how she makes her gravity swirl beads, and as a bonus she also showed us her disc beads, which she layers and then melts down. This gives a lovely effect of layered colours and randomness.

Next up was Julie Anne Denton. Today she created for us a fantastic sculputural She-Devil. Unlike yesterday, where she used boroscilicate glass for her dragons, today she used soft glass. Producing sculptural pieces in soft glass presents a completely different set of challenges to using boro, and there is a far higher chance of the glass becoming stressed and cracking. However Julie Anne's skills ensured this did not happen, and the resulting piece was visually stunning and technically miraculous. I only wish I had a photo to show you, but my iPhone just isn't up to decent close ups, so you will have to take my word for it!

Next was Sarah Hornik. When she told us she would be demonstrating an encased floral there was a fair amount of surprise, as this was not necessarily what most of us would associate her with. However, as always, Sarah put her own style into the bead, and showed us a gorgeous long encased floral, with lots of her trademark dots and scrolls inside. Her use of colour is inspiring and I learned a lot from her today.

I wasn't able to stay for the final two demonstrations, but by this point I was already full of ideas and new techniques to try when I'm next at the torch.

The entire event was extremely well-organised and Martin Tuffnell and Co should be congratulated. The only thing that could improve it would be making it a twice-yearly event! However I don't think Martin would agree, so I will start counting the months off until Flame Off 2010!

Flame Off 2009

2009-04-17T20:52:00.004+01:00

I had an absolutely brilliant day at the annual Flame Off in Towcester. It was really enjoyable meeting up with friends, old and new, and there was such a lovely atmosphere. I shall be going along again tomorrow, but thought I'd give you a quick rundown of today's events.

Obviously the first thing I did when I arrived was head straight for Martin Tuffnell's stall to see what delicious glass I needed to buy. I bought some copper green and rubino oro, which are two very special colours that I use quite often, and then stocked up on some basic effetre colours, such as black and periwinkle.

Then I headed upstairs to watch the first of the demonstrations, which were relayed to massive screens as well as to various monitors around the room. This meant that we all had a great view wherever we happened to be sitting.

First up was Sean Taylor, who made a stunning marble containing a green and aventurine vortex. He didn't use boroscilicate glass, as is usual for marbles. Instead, he used Bullseye, which is stiffer than regular soft glass, but melts more easily than boro'.

Next up was Sarah Hornik, from Israel. This is Sarah mid-demo;

Sarah demo'd one of her gorgeous ribbon beads. She made everything look so easy, and has inspired me to perfect my linear encasing technique. Gravity, as a tool, is often overlooked, but Sarah's ribbon beads rely on it to twirl the glass and achieve the twisted ribbon effect inside. I've been wanting to see Sarah at work for a long time, so today was very special.

The next flamework artist was Julie Ann Denton, from the Isle of Man. Julie Ann makes the most exquisite flameworked dragons, and this is what she chose to demonstrate in her mammoth two hour demonstration today. I didn't get to see the entire demo, but I saw her creating the dragon's wings by blowing a boro tube, cutting the wing shapes and then pulling them into just the right shape. A massive amount of patience and skill is required to pull off a glass dragon, and Julie Ann is one talented flameworker.

I then did an hour stint manning the GBUK stand. It was a great opportunity to chat to fellow beadmakers and try to persuade some potential beadmakers to take the plunge and have a go on the torches that were set up for taster sessions.

The final demonstration of the day was Anouk Jasperse, from Holland. Anouk demo'd two beads. In the first she showed us how she uses silver glass to stunning effect, and then she showed us one of her "caterpillar" beads. To make these she cuts into the glass and then carefully encases over them, and this creates a gorgeous twisted effect.

I spent some time ogling the delicious lampwork beads in the Lampworker's Village, and bought some silver beads. Then I went back to Martin's stall and bought a bit more glass. It was inevitable really! I bought some Reichenbach Magic, some Pink Gold and a few other "essential" bits and bobs.

Finally I joined the rest of the Frit Happens members in the Big Bead Swap! I pulled out a lovely dotty and raked bead from "Pat from Canvey". It's gorgeous!

So tomorrow I shall return to Towcester to watch more demo's, meet more friends and buy more glass. When I began beadmaking it was still relatively new within the UK, but today's event really opens your eyes to how it's growing in popularity, and that can only be a good thing!

A bit of Everything!

2009-04-13T18:51:00.004+01:00

This week I have another set of mixed organic beads, this time with silver droplets, and some swirls, and a mini set of dotty beads.

I still have some more beads on mandrels, so check back later in the week and I shall show you those too.

The Flame Off at Towcester is very much on my mind, with less than a week to go now! I'm looking forward to two entire days of glass demonstrations, and to trying out some new torches. I'm also looking forward to all the stalls of things to buy. Glass, beads, silver, tools. Paradise! Most of all I'm looking forward to spending time with people I've not seen since last year's Flame Off!

New Beads, New Look!

2009-04-11T21:17:00.004+01:00

I've given my blog and my website a bit of a makeover. I hope you like it! I've been meaning to do it for ages, but you know how it is. I'd put it off for months, and when I eventually got around to it, it was a 20 minute job!

I have sets of beads to show you, and there are a couple more sets sitting on mandrels, waiting to be cleaned. I've put off doing that today too! Do you see a pattern emerging here?

My first set is a lovely set of mixed organics;

This second set is called "Tinker's Beads";

I'll try to get around to cleaning the others tomorrow, inbetween eating Easter eggs!

Have a Happy Easter!

Across the Galaxy

2009-03-28T15:43:00.003Z

I have just one set of beads to show you this week. There were others, but I made them into jewellery and gave them away as gifts before I managed to photograph the. You will just have to take my word for it that they were pretty!

The set I'm showing you here is a classy set of ten silver-rich glass beads. Parts of the beads have taken on a fabulous mirror-finish, and the flame has managed to "pop" blues, greens, pinks, purples and even a little gold.

I tend to have a love-hate relationship with silver glass. It rarely does what I want it to, but then it can be quite exciting not knowing exactly the effect that I have achieved until I open the kiln the next morning. If I was more organised and took more notes of the glass combinations and types of flame that I've subjected my beads to, I might stand a chance of being able to replicate bead sets. As it is, the advantage of my chaotic style is that my beads usually are complete one-off productions!

Slogan Silliness

2009-03-18T21:25:00.002Z

I was playing with the Advertising Slogan Generator today. Thank you to Jo for sharing the link!

I just had to note these down for posterity;

"Mum's gone to Bumpy Beads."

"Drinka pinta Bumpy Beads a day."

"Have you had your Bumpy Beads Today?"

"Probably the best Bumpy Beads in the world."

"Monsieur, with this Bumpy Beads you are surely spoiling us."

"Four out of five dentists recommend Bumpy Beads."

"Reach out and touch Bumpy Beads."

"Leggo my Bumpy Beads!"

and my absolute favourite.......

"Go on, get your Bumpy Beads out!"

iPhone Tips!

2009-03-15T20:21:00.005Z

Unusually, this post is not about beads or jewellery! It's about my other obsession, which is gadgets. My favourite gadget at the moment is my iPhone, and that's pretty good considering I had it last August. I never really "got" mobile phones before, but of course the iPhone is so much more than a mobile phone. In fact the phone is almost incidental.

However, smitten as I am with the iPhone, it has to be said that the touch screen keyboard was a brave innovation. My fingers are fairly dainty, but nevertheless typing can still be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately the auto-speller is quite intuitive, so that does make up for the tiny keys somewhat.

But today I had a revelation! In fact I had two!! Had the iPhone been sold with a half decent manual it wouldn't have taken me over six months to discover the functions I am about to share with you, but hey ho, that's Apple for you. It's also quite possible that had the iPhone been accompanied with a comprehensive manual, I wouldn't have taken it out of the box anyway!

Quick Punctuation

Try as I might, I am completely unable to type in text-speak. I just cannot bring myself to type "C u l8r", or "Where r u?" I have an absolute need to type long-hand, with full punctuation, and this can be really tedious on the iPhone.

I discovered that double-clicking the spacebar added a fullstop and a space. I think most people know that. But what about commas, and exclamation marks? Clicking on the ".?123" key, then selecting the required character, and then clicking on the "ABC" key is long-winded. But now I don't have to, because I have found a shortcut and I'm going to share it with you!

The iPhone only accepts a character when you release the key. So, what you can do when you want to add punctuation is click on the ".?123" key, but do not release it. Instead, as the screen displays the punctuation view, just slide your finger onto the punctuation you want to use, and then release the key. The display will return to the normal view straight away, so you can just continue typing. This means you can type so much more quickly and reduces the number of processes dramatically. For a punctuation geek like me this is brilliant!

Screen Capture

I was browsing through my iPhone camera roll this morning, when I found a photo that I hadn't taken. The photo was a screenshot of my screensaver. I'd obviously somehow taken a screen capture, but I didn't know how I'd done it! The screensaver shot showed that the screen grab was taken at 09:43 on Monday 23rd February. So I put my thinking cap on, and remembered that a couple of weeks ago when I was at work my iPhone had frozen so that I couldn't put it to sleep, or power it down, or anything at all. I had a little panic, and started pressing everything, and I had obviously hit upon a combination that took a screen capture. But what was the combination?

After a little bit of Googling, I discovered that the little-known screen capture feature is activated by holding down the home key, and at the same time pressing the standby key. The screen blinks for a second, and the capture is taken and stored in the camera roll folder. Brilliant!

So there we are, two iPhone revelations in one day!

Normal glassy blogs will resume shortly, but I felt compelled to share this with you and I hope someone finds it useful.

Dotty about Dots!

2009-03-01T14:34:00.005Z

I can't stop making these dotty beads at the moment. I'm loving experimenting with colour combinations, and seeing the fabulous colour reactions that rubino creates. I also find that making sets of these beads is really relaxing. They're not terribly difficult, but they do require a degree of precision, and while I'm concentrating on placing my dots, I'm not thinking about anything else, which can be quite nice for a while!

Not that I have things that I need to avoid thinking about. In actual fact I feel in a very good place at the moment. We've had some glorious sunshine today, and I'm beginning to believe that Spring may actually be on its way. I am choosing to ignore any weather forecasts that mention "snow" on Wednesday!

With the arrival of Spring will come the second Flame Off event at Towcester, which I am eagerly anticipating. I plan to be there on the Friday and Saturday, and I'm looking forward to having a play on some different torches. I need to stock up on some glass too, and it's always nice to be able to select it "in person" rather than online.

That reminds me! I am shortly going to be building myself a new glass storage system. This is part of an attempt to be more organised and to keep my studio tidier. Well, that's the plan anyway! I promise some piccies of my new storage when it's completed.

Maple Syrup

2009-02-21T17:31:00.003Z

I have just one set this weekend so far. These are called "Maple Syrup". I think I must already have pancakes on my mind with Shrove Tuesday approaching.

I think I might have to make a big pile of them, and drizzle them in syrup. And then make another big pile, and sprinkle them with sugar and lemon. And then make another big pile, and smother them in chocolate sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmm! My mouth is watering already!

'Chintz' & 'Celebration' Beads

2009-02-15T16:11:00.007Z

Just a couple of new sets this week.

This first set is called 'Chintz' and was made using another of my friend Tan's gorgeous frit blends. These are a really summery mix of pink and yellow roses, with a little freshly mown grass thrown in for good measure.

The second set is called 'Celebration'. I have used my favourite Reichenbach antique clear glass, which I've etched to soften it, then I've decorated each bead with a wrap of silver. Very classy even though I say so myself.

I also wanted to mention that I have a bead featured in the new issue of Beads and Beyond. This time it is my entry to their Lampwork Bead competition. It's a bead I showed here ages ago, but here it is again. It's called 'Jurassic' and is one of my fossil series of beads. I'm not expecting to get a sniff of the prize, but it was well worth entering just to see my bead on the pages of the magazine, especially as it is my most favourite bead, and a definite keeper.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

More Oddly Named Beads

2009-02-08T14:23:00.004Z

Yes, I have just listed several sets of beads in my Bead Shop, and I feel quite sure that the bizarreness (is that a real word?) of their names will not disappoint you.

I have also listed a pretty focal. Something that is a little different for me;

Ocean Flower

Without further ado, some of my oddly named bead sets;

Apricots & Custard

Squished Berries

Turquoise Tie Dye

Silver Tabby

You can find other oddly-named beads in my Bead Shop.

I have, this weekend, succumbed to Twitter. I'm holding Philip Schofield and his hedge entirely responsible.

Anyway, it occurs to me that Twitter will be another way for me to communicate when I have listed new beads for sale. Consequently, if you would like to be notified, you can follow me here;
http://twitter.com/BumpyBeads

Have a great weekend!

Burnt Toast & Marmalade!

2009-01-31T16:41:00.003Z

I've finally listed a couple of set of beads on my website. Hurrah! I've been so busy making jewellery that I haven't had any spare beads to list. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify the situation from now on.

Yes, I know this first set of beads has an unusual name (to say the least), but when I name my beads I like to choose the first name that springs to mind, so 'Burnt Toast & Marmalade' it is!

These were made with a gorgeous frit blend gifted to me by the lovely Tan.

This second set has a less whacky name, and I've called it 'Coral Reef".

I hope you approve!

Have a great weekend.

Elephant Auctions - Ended!

2009-01-29T20:16:00.005Z

The Elephant Auctions finished today, and raised a grand total of £2941.50 for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I am thrilled!

With all of the doom mongers declaring recession, depression and the end of the world as we know it, I'd wondered whether the timing of the auctions was a little optimistic. I should have known better. The DSWT supporters have done it again! Thank you so much to everyone who bid, and for those of you who managed to win a piece, congratulations!

Last Day!

2009-01-28T20:35:00.003Z

Tomorrow is the last day of the Elephant Auctions. The auctions end at around 4pm GMT. Once again people have been so generous, and as I write this bids are totalling a little over £2500. Amazing!

"Silver Caps" Project Published

2009-01-21T18:52:00.005Z

Issue 14 of "Bead" was published today, and it contains my very first published project!

The lead time for getting items published is enormous, and I prepared it months ago, so it was as if I was seeing it for the first time. The project photos are a bit dodgy, having been taken on my old camera, but the magazine photographer has taken some lovely photos of the necklace itself. It even made the front cover. That means that with the beads that Lynn used in her project being on the front cover of the current issue of "Beads & Beyond", and this necklace being on the front cover of "Bead", you can't fail to miss me when you walk into WH Smiths this month!

The "elephant auctions" are going incredibly well again. At the moment bids amount to just over £1200, which is just brilliant! A massive thank you to everyone who has placed a bid.

Taveta

The DSWT sent an email out to all supporters today, with links to the auctions. The combined effect of that email, with the coverage I have in "Bead" and "Beads & Beyond" has resulted in a staggering number of hits on my website. While I have a few pieces of jewellery for sale on my website, on Etsy, Folksy and my new ArtForm studio, I have absolutely no beads for sale at the moment!

Please please keep my website bookmarked because there will be new beads and pieces of jewellery added in due course.

Well, that's it for now. I'm off to check how the auctions are going!

Elephant Auctions off to a Flying Start!

2009-01-19T21:17:00.006Z

Well, the auctions are now LIVE here and totalling more than £180 in just four hours! Thank you to everyone who has helped get these auctions off to a flying start. Ndii with her keeper

These auctions will run until 29th January, but don't leave it until the last minute before placing your bid or you might miss out. "My" orphan elephants are Shimba and Makena, and I'm really pleased to see the pieces dedicated to them are doing well so far.

Good luck if you're bidding, and THANK YOU!

New Studio Open!

2009-01-18T16:35:00.008Z

I have just opened my new online Studio at ArtFire.com, which is a relatively new online marketplace for all things art and craft. You can visit my Studio here. Don't forget to bookmark it!

It works in a similar way to Etsy, but instead of charging a listing fee and a commission for each item sold, ArtFire is FREE! You can list as many items as you like and it won't cost you a penny. You can upgrade to "verified account" status, which gives you a few more benefits for $7 per month, and that is guaranteed FOR LIFE! Pretty soon it will change to $20 a month, so acting early has hopefully saved me a small fortune - and that means more money for glass! On a good month I can pay way more than $7 on fees, so I think I'm on to a winner.

The thing that really made me decide to open an ArtFire Studio is the fact that they are planning to spend $7 to $10 million dollars on advertising in the next 12 months. Now that has to be a good thing. I mean, how many people do you meet who have even heard of Etsy, let along shopped there?

If you would like to jump on this particular bandwagon with me and sign up for $7 a month, for life, you can apply here. (If you use that link I'd be really grateful as I might end up with a free account for directing you there. Even more money for glass!)

ArtFire has its own equivalent of a Mini Etsy, called a Shop Window. Mine is in need of some tweaking so I can get it to work, and that's the thing with selling in different forums. Each place has it's own way of doing things, and it can be a drag getting to grips with it in the beginning. However, I really like the concept of ArtFire, so I think its worth it.

Elephants' names announced!

2009-01-18T15:52:00.007Z

For those of you who have been eagerly waiting to find out whether one of "your" elephants has been chosen to have a piece of jewellery dedicated to them this time, the wait is over!

I can now announce that the elephants in whose name pieces of jewellery have been dedicated are;

Chyulu

Kora

Lenana

Makena

Naserian

Ndii

Shimba

Taveta

As you can see, I've added a little heart to each of these pieces, at Angela Sheldrick's suggestion, and this makes these pieces particularly suitable for a Valentine's gift. Again, each piece has a little silver tag added to it, which has been engraved with the orphan elephant's name.

You can access the auctions, once they are live, by clicking here. You can read all about the auctions on the DSWT's website here.

The auctions kick off at 4pm GMT on the 19th January and run for 10 days. Let's hope we can raise lots more money for the DSWT!

"Elephant Auctions" - date announced

2009-01-14T19:41:00.007Z

I am very pleased to announce that eight more pieces of my jewellery are being auctioned by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The auctions begin on Monday 19th January and will run for ten days. This time I have added a special "something" to each of the pieces and this will make them the perfect Valentine's gift!

Here is a sneak peek of one of the pieces.

The names of the elephants will be announced soon, so keep checking back here! Once again, each of the pieces has a small silver tag, engraved with the elephant's name. The pieces are totally unique, and will never be repeated, so don't miss your chance to own a special piece of jewellery dedicated to "your" elephant.

If you don't yet have your own elephant (and every home should have one!) you can find out how to foster an orphan elephant on the DSWT's website, here.

Once the auctions are live on Ebay you will be able to view them by clicking on this link, which will also appear on the Trust's website.

If you would like to read about the last auctions that took place in November 2008, which raised £3200 for the Trust, you can read an update on the DSWT's website here.

Happy bidding!

Hold the Front Page!

2009-01-07T19:48:00.006Z

I bought the latest copy of "Beads & Beyond" (Issue 17, Feb) today, and was thrilled to see some of my beads on the front cover! Ok, so they're right at the very bottom of the page, (I've drawn a big red ring around them so you don't miss them!), but they're definitely there!

Lynn Davy has had a brilliant project published inside, where she has used three of my lampwork beads in her "Clunk, Click Keyring" piece. I really love her keyring, which is a gorgeous combination of seedbeads, lampwork, buttons and copper findings.

Inside the magazine there's a lovely full page photograph of the keyring, and it's quite a novelty seeing my beads there!

I am ever so grateful to Lynn for mentioning that every sale I make from my website results in a donation to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. What a lovely thing to do, and every mention of the Trust serves to heighten its profile a little more, which is brilliant!

Addendum: Lynn has just offered me the ORIGINAL piece, as featured in the magazine, to use to raise funds for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, if and when she manages to get it back from the publishers! How generous is that?! THANK YOU Lynn!

Watch this space!

Finished, finally!

2009-01-03T19:39:00.003Z

I finally completed the necklace and bracelet set that I started in November! I have been so distracted by other things that after about three inches of making the bracelet I had to set it to one side. Well I sat down a couple of afternoons ago to do a bit more, and got so engrossed that I ended up finishing the bracelet and making the entire necklace! Obsessive? Me? Noooooo.....

This set is all mine. My hubby bought me the silver to make it for my birthday. I have been teasing him mercilessly saying that most women get their jewellery gift-wrapped in a pretty box, while I get a reel of silver wire and a pair of pliers to make my own. He knows I'm just kidding, it was the perfect gift!

The necklace looks really elegant worn just by itself, but it looks just as nice with a pretty pendant hanging from it. I'm sure it will be a well worn piece. The bracelet is really light and I love it!

I also got to experiment with my new large lentil press, and I decided I needed a purple bead to wear with a new jumper. So, I made this, and it looks lovely on my new chain.

Now all I need to do is make a lentil to match all my other jumpers and I'm sorted!

Goodbye 2008.... Hello 2009!

2008-12-31T17:57:00.003Z

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!

2008-12-08T16:49:00.004Z

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!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

2008-11-30T19:30:00.003Z

Well I think I am beginning to thaw out after spending the weekend in a freezing marquee at the Jinney Ring. This has to have been the coldest weekend of the winter so far, and it is just typical that it coincided with the Jewellery Fair.

Half of the stalls were inside, and the other half were outside in the marquee, which was open both ends, so not much help in keeping warm! Despite the cold, it was a really nice event, and those of us in the marquee shared tips on keeping warm in Siberian conditions. When we arrived this morning we all looked twice the size we looked yesterday, because we'd added a few extra layers of clothing for today!

I have learned that a piece of carpet underfoot really prevents the cold from the ground chilling your bones. I've also learned that when your Mum says "Wear a hat, it'll make all the difference" it is actually true. Finally, I've learned that biros don't flow in cold conditions, but noses do.

It was really lovely to meet existing customers, and some new ones too. I even had a visit from a lovely gentleman and his wife who bought one of the charity pieces for the orphan elephants a couple of weeks ago. They left with my most favourite necklace, and I am thrilled it's gone to such a lovely home.

All in all it was a lovely weekend!

Designer to the Stars!

2008-11-23T14:54:00.001Z

Several months ago there was a Forum Challenge to design a piece of jewellery for an Eastenders cast member. It all started when Barbara Windsor (aka Peggy Mitchell) was spotted on tv wearing a gorgeous bracelet. Sooz, of the Forum, contacted Barbara to ask about it, and Barbara explained that the bracelet had been a gift but she had subsequently lost it. We all decided to contribute beads to make her a new bracelet!

Well then we all thought how nice it would be if we could send the other cast members something too, so I made this for Samantha Janus, who plays Ronnie Mitchell.

I used my own lampwork beads with some lace agate, and hammered some wire to mount them on. Then I used a pretty bail to hang them from a silver chain.

This week I received a thank you note from Samantha.

How nice! You never know, I may see her wearing it at the next red carpet event!

Paperweights!

2008-11-22T14:42:00.003Z

I had a birthday last week, and Becky of Chameleon Designs produced the perfect blown glass paperweights for me to spend my birthday money on!

Becky and her fellow Uni students are raising money so that they can go to New Designers next year, and these paperweights are Becky's contribution.

This was my first purchase. A gorgeous ribbony swirl of blue, highlighted against a fritty white trail.

I liked it so much that when Becky made a second batch I just had to have this one.

Trails of cranberry captured in beautifully clear glass.

Well done Becky, these are fabulous!

Kitty, the Woodland Fairy

2008-11-21T13:09:00.003Z

Meet Kitty, the Woodland Fairy.

Kitty is the fabulous creation of the very talented and generous Sabine Little of Little Castle Designs. Sabine is talented because she makes the most fabulous sculptural beads, and generous because she offered the stunning Kitty up as an incentive for members of the Frit Happens Forum to make a donation to Children in Need.

Sabine not only makes exquisite fairies, she also makes beautiful butterflies and roses and has a real talent for these sculptural pieces.

Sabine sent me Kitty to bring me luck and grant my wishes, and I have had a major piece of luck this week (more of that another day), so she's certainly fulfilling her role!

Massive thanks to Sabine for her generosity. I will treasure Kitty always.

::::::::::: Drumroll ::::::::::

2008-11-17T19:45:00.005Z

The Charity auctions for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust finished today and raised the grand total of...............

£3201.75

This will make an enormous difference to the Trust, and I'm so grateful to everyone who has been so generous.

The top price was made by the "Lesanju" piece, which finally sold for £670. Incredible!

And guess what? We're doing it all over again! Watch this space to find out about when the next auction will be taking place.

Organics Necklace

2008-11-14T22:32:00.003Z

Just a quick blog today as I wanted to show you this necklace. I'm really pleased with it!

Click on the picture to see more details.

Oh... and the elephant auctions have now tipped over the £2000 mark!!!

Beautiful People

2008-11-11T21:00:00.010Z

I have been completely staggered today by the level of interest I have had in my beads and jewellery. Followers of my Blog will have read about the Charity auctions that are taking place this week for the DSWT.

A staggering £500 was raised shortly after the auctions were published on the Trust's website. Now that is just incredible, but NOTHING compared to what happened today when the Trust emailed all its supporters to tell them about the auctions!

From the moment I woke up my iPhone hasn't stopped pinging with emails from people enquiring about my beads and jewellery, and I've had lots of sales today. The frustrating thing is that I have lots more stock to list, but am unlikely to have time to list it until Friday. Doh!

Unfortunately "Bumpy Beads" has to fit in around my "real" job, so apologies for not getting new items into my shop immediately.

But that's not all! As I type, the auctions are currently at over £1500! Elephant people are Beautiful People! If you have bid on one of my pieces THANK YOU.

I wish all of the bidders the very best of luck in winning a special Orphan Elephant piece, and if you're not lucky enough to win, perhaps you may find something you like on my website over the weekend.

Here's a sneak preview of some of the items I'll be listing shortly. I have fossil pendants, charm pendants and some gorgeous glass bead necklaces with maille chains. Keep checking back!

Off to a Flying Start!

2008-11-08T16:04:00.003Z

After a little more than 24 hours over £500 has been raised from the auctions of my jewellery for the DSWT. I am absolutely chuffed! Thank you very much to everyone who has bid so far.

But with 9 days left there's still plenty of time to grab yourself a Christmas gift. Just pop over here to the auctions.

Grab a bargain!

2008-11-07T13:41:00.010Z

A little while ago I blogged that I'd been working hard on a commission, and I promised I'd reveal what it was all about in due course.

Well I'd actually been asked to create eight pieces of jewellery for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to auction off to raise funds for their exceedingly worthwhile cause. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that I support this charity by donating £1 for every item I sell to the Trust. I've blogged about the DSW Trust before, here.

So after much making of beads, and scratching my head to come up with a couple of designs, not to mention a batch of silver elephant charms going missing in action somewhere between my house and Chang Mai in Thailand, the auctions finally went live today. Yay!

The DSWT is going to be emailing its supporters around the globe to tell them about the auctions and I really do hope people see what a perfect opportunity this is to do a bit of Christmas shopping and support a worthy cause at the same time. There might not be any 3 for 2 gift offers here, but you will be getting a one-off piece of glassy art. Not bad eh?

Here's a taster of a couple of the pieces being auctioned, together with a picture of the elephant that each piece is dedicated to.

Firstly meet Lesanju, who was rescued after she fell down a well;

And this is Siria, rescued when his sick mother failed to respond to veterinary treatment;

You can see and bid on all the pieces here, and read a little bit about the elephant that each piece is dedicated to.

The auctions are featured on the DSWT website too, here.

Hat Trick!

2008-10-26T14:00:00.005Z

Yes, I scored a hat trick. Tagged three times this week. Thank you to Becky, Kelly and Billie who tagged me and proved that some of you do actually read my ramblings!

Here are the rules for tagging:

1. Link to your tagger and display these rules on your blog
2. Share 7 facts about yourself - some random, some WEIRD
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

So, here are seven facts about me!

1) I abseiled from the top of a water tower.

2) I have given a goat an enema.

3) I won a competition to design a chocolate. (My chocolate is the Strawberry & Black Pepper chocolate that you'll find in Hotel Chocolat's Exuberantly Fruity selection.)

4) I bumped into Christina Aguilera in a heliport in New York.

5) I passed my Advanced Drivers test.

6) I flew a plane over the Malvern Hills.

7) I always eat chocolate biscuits with the chocolate on the underside.

My seven "tagees" are:

Laurie
Amari
Zeldazog
Emma
Kathryn
Helen
Sam

Okay, tagging over! Need a glassy fix? Here are a few beads I've made for a big jewellery commission:

I hope the recipient likes them. Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Tagged again!

2008-10-22T21:24:00.002+01:00

Crumbs! I've been tagged again by Kelly of KEBO Jewellery!

I really must get into gear and update my blog and reciprocate my "taggings", and I promise that by the time next weekend is over I will have done both! I promise I've been very busy, and have lots to show you, and as soon as I can be home during daylight I shall take some photos to post. Going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark isn't terribly conducive to taking mid-week photos. And we haven't even put the clocks back yet!

I've been tagged!

2008-10-21T19:57:00.002+01:00

Yikes, I've been tagged by the lovely Becky of Chameleon Designs! Thanks Becky!

Seeing as I'm still in "busy mode" you will have to bear with me for a few days until I get a chance to type up seven fascinating facts about myself, but check back some time over the weekend. You never know what you might learn about me!

Busy busy!

2008-09-17T20:05:00.004+01:00

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I last blogged! I've still been in fossil bead mode, and seeing as I've had so many commissions for more I can't see that I'll be stopping any time soon. I don't believe I will ever get bored of making these beads because there is a never-ending combination of twisties to be made. Often the effect that the twistie makes in the finished bead bears no resemblance to the "raw" twistie, so it's great fun watching the effect develop in front of my eyes. I'm still making very long beads, as you can see.....

I'm also busy making commission pieces for a very special auction that will be taking place some time between now and Christmas. Intrigued? I will blog more about that shortly!

I anticipate the next few weeks being very busy indeed, so hopefully I will have lots to show you. I will also let you know where you can see my work in November "in the flesh".

Thanks for dropping by!

"Taveta" Pendant and more Fossil Beads

2008-08-31T17:30:00.007+01:00

Taveta is the latest baby elephant rescued by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. He is just 8 months old, and his mother probably died in a poacher's snare. Thanks to the DSWT, Taveta is now safe and being cared for with his new family in the elephant nursery. To celebrate his rescue I have made a special "Taveta" pendant, which will be auctioned on Ebay this week.

"Taveta" is a beautiful pendant comprising one of my fossil beads. The bead has a base of black, and I have trailed a twist of grey, black and silver around it, which resembles elephant trunks to me! I've added a special Taveta elephant charm, in sterling silver.

So, this is your opportunity to grab yourself a wearable piece of art glass, and at the same time help a worthy cause.

100% of the selling price for this auction will be donated to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

I have added more beads to my Fossil Collection this weekend, and here are a couple of my favourites;

I hope you like them. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend, and don't forget to bid for my Taveta pendant and help the orphan elephants. Thank you!

Sweet Dream Necklace

2008-08-17T22:13:00.004+01:00

I'm very excited to be able to show you this fabulous necklace that Nia has made, using a set of my implosion beads.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this set. The deep blue transparent glass contrasts well with the soft white, and while implosion beads aren't the simplest technique to master, this set just seemed to come together. I must have been in the zone that day!

Nia has matched the beads with amethyst, which she explains "is believed to aid restful sleep and promote intuitive dreams" - swarovski pearls and crystals, and Hilltribe silver.

Nia is a very talented jewellery designer, and you can see more of her work on her website and on Etsy. She has a Flickr album too, full of her gorgeous creations.

Charm Pendants

2008-08-17T20:59:00.007+01:00

No new beads this week, but I have been making some jewellery. I've had all the components for making these pendants for ages, and I'm really pleased that they turned out exactly as I'd imagined them in my head. It so often happens that designs in my head don't translate well when I try to produce them in practice, so it is always something of a surprise when they work!

These are best worn on a longer chain, or leather cord, and these are both on 24" long necklets. I love the way the charms move when they're worn, and the slight tinkling of glass on glass. The beads are quite dainty at around 13mm in diameter, so not heavy enough to do each other any harm.

I've listed them on my Folksy Shop, but it will be a wrench if they sell as I'm rather fond of them!

Fossil Collection

2008-08-09T13:19:00.003+01:00

I'm still in "Fossil Zone", and I had a very productive day yesterday experimenting with different colours and effects. I absolutely love making the complex twisties that are the basis for these beads. Not only are they an excellent way of practicing heat control, they are also tremendous fun. I like to set myself little challenges, such as making the thinnest twistie, or the thickest twistie or the longest twistie. I just like to play really!

I will be listing these beads on my website some time over the weekend.

I'm Website of the Week!

2008-08-06T19:55:00.005+01:00

Gosh! I have been featured in the Spotlight slot over at Dichroicglass.co.uk.

It is a really nice article, and I'm so pleased they have chosen my Bora Bora beads, because I absolutely love them! Those are them on the right-hand-side. I was so excited I took a screen grab. I've never been featured on someone else's homepage before!

They have also mentioned my fossil beads and included a photo of Mesozoic. They have described my designs thus; "whilst traditional in origin they are wonderfully contemporary". I am always interested to discover how other people perceive my work, as I'm highly critical of it myself, and it is impossible for me to view it objectively.

Pop over to Dichroic Glass's website for some great articles, and tutorials. It is an excellent resource for what's new in the world of glass. It's really flattering for me, as a lampworker, to be featured on a website that is mainly concerned with glass fusing.

Folksy

2008-08-05T15:44:00.004+01:00

I have just discovered Folksy.com. It's still in Beta at the moment, but it's set to be a contender for Etsy. While Etsy is a US marketplace for all things handmade, Folksy is based in the UK. Hurrah! At long last there is a UK site where we can sell our handmade items in £ sterling!

I have set up a Bumpy Beads Shop on Folksy, although I have yet to list anything there , but it's good to be prepared!

There are some very talented crafters selling some beautiful things on Folksy, and it strikes me that this is yet another site where I will end up parting with more money than I end up taking! I love these;

Ah well, there are no pockets in shrouds.... :))

More Fossil-inspired Beads

2008-08-03T20:33:00.003+01:00

Ideas are like buses. You don't get one for ages, and then several arrive at once. At the moment I could spend every waking hour at my torch, and I still wouldn't have enough time to turn the ideas in my head into beads. Lack of torch time is a continual source of frustration to me, and so I have to make the most of the time I do have. Unfortunately it's not unusual to find that I sit in front of my torch, after waiting for days for the opportunity, only to find that every idea I've had has fallen irretrievably out of my head. Argh!

I've learned to jot my ideas down, so that on my empty-headed days I have somewhere to refer to. It certainly seems to be working at the moment. Here are today's offerings;

TRIASSIC

MESOZOIC

CRETACEOUS

Fossil Hunting

2008-08-02T17:40:00.004+01:00

I happen to think this bead is one of the best I've ever made, and so it's definitely a "keeper". "Keepers" are those beads that you know you could just never sell, no matter what. I had a lovely session at the torch yesterday, and just before I finished, I decided to have a go at producing the bead that had been in my head since returning from holiday last weekend

We spent a fabulously sunshiney few days in Cornwall, and it was lovely catching up with friends. However, on the way to Cornwall we took at detour down to Charmouth in Dorset. We'd visited there last year, and I'd been eager to return. Charmouth is on the Jurassic Coast, and is the perfect place for fossil-hunting. So, armed with our hammers we set off to to find our own prehistoric relic. It's fairly easy to split the rock between its natural layers and find impressions of ammonites. It's not quite so easy to find an entire ammonite that has been washed out of the rock. But this time we did! It is tiny, measuring just 8mm in diameter, but perfectly formed. It has an irridescent sheen to it and I find it completely breathtaking.

As you can see, there's still a fair bit of sediment attached to it, but I'm too afraid to clean it up for fear of it completely disintegrating. What a tragedy it would be for it to have survived for 65 million years only for me to dissolve it in a bowl of water!

Anyway, back to my bead. (I can bring any conversation back to beads, I assure you...) Sometimes I see something, maybe a colour, or a shape, or a texture, and I can't settle until I've attempted to recreate it in glass. I've been like that since we unearthed the ammonite, and then yesterday my muse was in the right place to create something organic, and suddenly this fossil-like bead had created itself before my eyes. I can't really take the credit for it, because it honestly just sort of... happened.

So now I've awakened a new creative streak, and my head is buzzing with how I can take this in different directions. I'll let you know how it goes!

Making a difference with Beads

2008-07-28T19:27:00.005+01:00

The more observant of my website visitors will note that I am now donating £1 for each individual item sold on my website to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Firstly, I want to pre-empt the inevitable question of whether I have increased my prices to account for this. The answer is "no, I haven't". The DSWT is a very worthwhile charity, and I wanted to find a way of using my passion for glass to benefit its work. Until the time when beads become an accepted currency once again, this is the easiest way for me to do that!

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was established in 1977. It is dedicated to the protection and conservation of wildlife and habitats. If you have ever watched the BBC's "Elephant Diaries" you'll know about the outstanding work they do in rescuing orphan elephants. Many of these have become orphans through the illegal trade in ivory, and The DSWT operates several de-snaring teams that work very successfully, along with the Kenya Wildlife Service, to pursue illegal activities, thus making a safer environment for wildlife.

The orphans are taken to the Nursery in Nairobi, where the keepers care for them. They soon begin to bond with their new siblings and the most wonderful relationships are formed. Once they graduate from the nursery they transfer to either Voi or Ithumba, within the Tsavo National Park, and here they stay until they are ready to be reintegrated into the Park to live alongside the wild elephant community.

I have fostered two orphans. A little girl, called Makena, and a little boy called Shimba. I receive regular updates on how they're getting along and I take particular pleasure in reading when they've been up to some mischief! Makena is three years old and has recently graduated from the nursery and is now at Ithumba where she was joyously reunited with some of her elder foster siblings. Shimba is just two years old, and still finding his feet in the nursery.

It costs just £3 a month to foster an orphan elephant or rhino. If you would like to find out more about the DSWT, or how you can foster an orphan too, visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's website.

Art in Action

2008-07-19T20:35:00.004+01:00

Yesterday we went to Art in Action at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. I hadn't been to this event before, even though it's now in it 28th year. It was a fantatstic day, and an event I will definitely be returning to next year. I was in my element all day!

Art in Action brings together artists and craftspeople from all over the country, and further afield too, to demonstrate their skills to the public. All manner of crafts were represented, including leatherwork, sculpture, calligraphy, metalwork, ceramics, textiles and more. Of course for me the glass was the biggest attraction, and I watched several of the demonstrations by talented glassblowers and lampworkers. Anthony Wassell's plate spinning demonstration was fantastic! The final stage where he span the plate out was magical!

There are many similarities between glass and ceramics. The application of heat and cool can effect the colours in each, and we watched as some of the Raku pottery was fired. The smell of the burner was delicious!

This pot in the ceramics tent was born surprisingly quickly and it was really interesting seeing it come together.

Dora Schubert was in the Market Place, and I watched Diana East make a beautiful hollow bead from boro tubing. Julie Ann Denton's flameworking pieces are exquisite. We also watched beautiful wine glasses being made in the flame.

I was enthralled with the jewellery. Particularly I loved Lucy Sylvester's work. Her work is inspired by nature, and I was especially taken with her rings, with seed heads and acorns on them.

The best thing about Art in Action is the fact that you can roll your sleeves up and get involved. There were a plethora of practical classes to sign up for. My husband took the opportunity to take a winetasting class, while I watched yet another glass demo!

If you've never been to Art in Action I would recommend it wholeheartedly. The setting is beautiful, and the house and garden are open to visit if you want to pack even more into your day! It was really well organised, and the atmosphere was completely chilled. I took the opportunity to meet up with a couple of lampworker friends, and it was lovely to see Diana and Dora again too.

The event is on tomorrow too, so it's not too late!

Sunflower Necklace

2008-07-13T17:36:00.004+01:00

I am so pleased to have finally made this necklace for myself. I bought the hollow beads from Andrea Guibelli when we were in Venice in May. He makes them on a hollow mandrel and the end that isn't on the mandrel, he heats up and blows through the mandrel to blow out a hole. Very clever indeed. These beads are steel grey. I made the tiny spacers to match. The stunning silver focal lentil bead is one of Rebecca Crabtree's. She makes some beautiful beads using silver clay. You can see her work in her Etsy Shop.

Here is a close-up of the focal;

And a close-up of one of the hollows;

I've finised the necklace off with some byzantine weave. The clever thing is that the chain clips off so I can easily swap it onto other necklace frontpieces! Now I can have lots and lots and lots and lots(!) of necklaces without spending an arm and a leg on silver. With the way the price of silver has been rocketing lately, I'm quite pleased with my ingenuity!

Byzantine Necklace

2008-07-06T15:55:00.004+01:00

I haven't managed to make any new beads this week, although I'm itching to get a session at my torch. I will have to wait until next Friday now. I have made so much Byzantine weave this weekend that I can still see it when I close my eyes! I had a commission for a bracelet, which is now finished, and I made one for the Jinney Ring, and I've just finished this necklace, also destined for the Jinney Ring some time soon.

The beads are black, with silvered ivory highlights, and encased in lovely clear glass. I've used my own handmade bead caps, and lots of silver. This is such a versatile necklace I'm tempted to keep it for myself. But I won't...

I managed to take a break from chainmaille (it's a hard life...) and we went for a walk by the river this morning and fed the swans. We managed to dodge the rain and had a lovely relaxing walk. There's something about being close to water that soothes. As always, the camera was at home so I have no swan pics to share, but there were absolutely loads! We did, however, remember to take bread.

Flower Garden Ring & Charm

2008-06-28T15:13:00.002+01:00

I had another play with silver clay yesterday. I only intended making the ring, but then I thought I'd see if I could make a matching charm.

The ring is based on a project in "Beads and Beyond". I'm quite pleased with it, and it fits perfectly, which is a bonus after all the effort! I've hung the charm from the Byzantine maille bracelet that I wear almost every day. It seems quite at home there, and I shall definitely be making more. In fact, it was with charms in mind that I decided to try silver clay in the first place. The rings have just been a diversion - but a nice one.

I bought 20g of clay, and I've managed to make two rings, one 20mm charm, one 13mm charm and I still have about 7g left! It goes a lot farther than you think it will.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to have a beadmaking session, and then it will be fun combining my beads and silver clay into something pretty.

Well it's a gorgeous day outside so I think I shall take my book outside and make the most of it! I hope your day is sunshiney too.

Experiments in Silver

2008-06-22T19:20:00.004+01:00

Today I played with silver clay. I had a great time! Silver clay is pure silver, mixed with water and binders to make it pliable. Once fired the water and binders burn off leaving just the silver metal behind. Straight from the kiln the silver is matt white, which is the natural colour of silver. After sanding, burnishing and polishing it becomes the shiny silver we're all more familiar with.

Now these pieces were my first experiments this afternoon, and they need lots more polishing, but I was impatient to show them off! I knew I would be unlikely to make "the perfect ring" the first time I played with silver clay, so I've deliberately made this an easy-to-wear chunky ring, with randomly filed surfaces that reflect the light. It fits a treat, which is my biggest surprise! Silver clay shrinks, so getting the correct ring size is a bit of a challenge.

Then I made a little birdy charm to hang somewhere with some of my glass beads. He's around 18mm in diameter and needs lots more polishing. I need to give it the oxidising treatment too so that the little birdy stands out more.

I admit I was fairly daunted by the teeny weeny packet of silver clay that had cost me an arm and a leg. I was afraid to add water to it and consequently I worked it a little drier than I should have done. Next time I'll be braver. Ah yes.... there WILL be a next time!

Latest Offerings

2008-06-21T18:56:00.004+01:00

This week I've returned to subtler colours and with the exception of "Rose Garden" my beads have a more organic feel to them. I really wanted to make some bright fritty beads, but the wrong glass kept jumping into my hands.

I have had a complete nightmare adding these to my website. I use Mr Site software, and I've listed these beads three times before loosing the listings and having to start all over again! Ever had one of those days?

Rose Garden

Eris

Fens

Blush

Simple Stones

Hill & Dale

Enjoy your weekend. It's the first day of Summer today! You can tell by the grey clouds!

Chiffon Necklace

2008-06-12T20:13:00.005+01:00

Well my sister took a shine to the Chiffon set of beads, so I made them into this necklace;

I didn't think the beads needed too much dressing up, as there is quite enough going on with them by themselves, so I just added some sapphire swarovskis and some spiral silver tubes.

Thank you to everyone who has bought beads this week. You're great! I will try to restock as soon as possible, so keep checking back.

Bumpy Beads on Flickr

2008-06-08T13:19:00.002+01:00

I now have an online gallery at Flickr.com. Flickr is a gigantic world-wide photo album, and it's possible to link up with people who share similar interests to showcase your work and view theirs too. The world just gets smaller!

Please take a look at Bumpy Beads on Flickr, leave your comments, and feel free to list me as a contact!

Would you like to see my etchings?

2008-06-06T13:41:00.004+01:00

I've always wanted to ask that! Here are a few sets I've made over the past couple of weeks. The etched sets with contrasting encasing open up a whole world of possibilities, so I'm sure that more of these in different combinations will follow.

I hope you like them. Have a great weekend!

Jinney Ring Craft Centre

2008-05-30T20:25:00.002+01:00

I am absolutely thrilled that a local Craft Centre has taken my jewellery for their Gallery. The Jinney Ring Craft Centre is a great place with a diverse range of craft workshops.

One of my favourite things to do on a Friday is visit the glass studio where Stuart and Carina produce the most fabulous freeblown glass objects. While there are lots of similarities between studio glass and lampwork, there are enormous differences too. While I'm manipulating blobs of molten glass on the end of a 9" mandrel, Stuart and Carina are hefting great dollops of the stuff on 6' long punty rods.

I would definitely recommend the Jinney Ring Craft Centre if you're in the Worcestershire area, not least because they have a Chocolate Deli in one of the workshops. From molten glass to molten chocolate in just a few paces. Heaven!

You can find out more about the Jinney Ring here;

http://www.jinneyringcraft.co.uk

Lyme Necklace

2008-05-26T13:47:00.004+01:00

I love Bank Holiday weekends! I have been busy making beads this weekend, but for reasons I won't go into (nice reasons!) I won't be listing them until next weekend, so don't forget to come back then!

In the meantime, I have a necklace to show you. I made this for a challenge on one of the online forums. The necklace uses five lampwork beads from my Lyme series, as well as three agate beads. I've mounted the beads on some hammered silver wire, and bunched the drops together on a silver ring. A pretty silver bail finishes it off nicely. As it is a fairly hefty necklace I've mounted it on a 30" long silver chain.

This necklace is actually going to be sent to a famous actress, along with a whole box of other gifts for cast members that the forum is putting together. You never know, I might spot this necklace on the pages of "Hello"!

Venezia e Murano!

2008-05-16T17:50:00.008+01:00

Ciao!

I have just returned home from the most fabulous trip to Venice and Murano.

This was my first trip to Italy, and I have to say that it definitely won't be my last. We had beautifully hot weather, but with a nice cooling breeze. The temperature certainly encouraged lots of gelato eating, not that I needed much encouragement, it was delicious! The pizzas were fantastic too.

We took in all the usual Venice highlights, such as the Basillica, the Doges Palace, the Rialto and the Campanile, but not surprisingly, the real highlight of the trip for me was the day we spent on Murano. Murano is truly a glassy paradise! As well as being the most picturesque island you could wish for, it is wall-to-wall glass! There are enormous glass sculptures in the open air, and the canals are lined with shops selling beads, jewellery and all things glassy.

I visited Carlo Dona's toolshop and had a long chat with Carlo's son, Roberto. He is the nicest man, and spent ages talking with me about the tools he makes for glass artists. Then I visited Andrea Guibelli, and watched in awe as he expertly made one perfect hollow bead after another. He blows his beads using a technique I hadn't seen before, and I was fascinated. I could have watched him all day. I bought some beautiful hollow beads from him, and I'll post a picture of them once I'm organised.

Next stop was the Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum). It was really interesting to see that so many of the glass techniques we use today are identical to those that were used over a thousand years ago.

Finally, we visited one of the many glass factories and watched lamps being made.

The holiday ended far too soon, and I'm already planning a return trip!

Arrivederci!

Over the Rainbow

2008-05-05T14:57:00.006+01:00

I have just added two set of beads to my Etsy Shop. The first is another set of faux boro beads, called "Over the Rainbow";

and the second is an entire set of implosions, called "Lotus Blooms";

We've just got home from a trip to Hanbury Hall, which is a National Trust property local to us. We've visited numerous times, but today was an extra special visit. They are currently in the process of replacing the vast roof, which is set to cost around £750k. This means that the entire Hall is covered in scaffolding and a massive temporary roof structure. It also provides a not-to-be-missed opportunity to gain a birds-eye view of the Hall! So, we donned our flourescent safety vests and our hard hats and scaled the heights of the scaffolding and were able to view the building from an entirely different perspective to usual. It was awesome! A pot of tea and a scone with jam and cream finished off the outing perfectly.