Monday again!

After the excitement of my treasury this morning I thought I'd better come back and give you an update on my lampwork jewellery - well I'm down to 40 sets now!! Yes I have used another 4 sets since I last spoke to you - I have been busy :) It is still holidays though for my daughter so we do have to spend some time together ;)

This set includes beads by the very lovely Isabelle Anderson - I have to blame my friend Izzy for actually making me fall in love with lampwork bead in the first place - her website is where I got my very first set! I love the luminous look of these and have actually been coveting them for a while - so much Izzy forgot about them ;)

1st treasury on Etsy

1st treasury
Originally uploaded by Gemheaven Jewellery

How cool!!

Check her out HERE

More in a bit...

44 and counting!!

I'm working like a trojan I really am - my bead stash is slowly going down and I haven't bought any beads since Tuesday - what do you mean TUESDAY!! I know I slipped up but I clicked buy before I even thought about it - well I suppose thats how I have 44 sets still in my box lol!! So if you can do your maths I have used 3 sets since I last posted! The above set is a Emma Ralph Ice bead set and I love the colours - don't you? (YOu can find this one on my Etsy shop - if you are interested)

Then I had some fun with some of the lovely Laura Sparlings beads - lots of delicious desserts - I think these look very summery - don't you!

I have one more set I have made up into a bracelet which I will save until tomorrow - hopefully I will be able to subtract a number or two from the title - wish me luck ;0)

Backwards

I giving up beads for lent - thats the reason for being backwards because as you know lent is over!! Over the weekend I added up all the bead sets I have - now I'm talking about Artisan Glass (lampwork) which is something I have always held my hands up to being addicted too! BUt this I actually hang my head in shame I counted (and this was me being honest - when I say counted these are just the ones I sorted) 47 sets in total (well actually I counted 46 but then found another set under a book) yes you read that right 47!!!


SO because of this I am on a bead buying ban - yes I have to show you in the next month at least 20 pieces made with lampwork - Hopefully you will help me count this down and when I reach 20 I can start buying again - eeeek - this will be extremly painful as I adore buying them!! Please hold my hand throughout April so I keep strong - haha! So all my flame fueled friends please help me be strong and I am not ignoring you if I suddenly stop buying your beads - I need to be strong ;)

Good Friday!

Well I've had my Hot Cross Buns for breakfast - yum and now we have a lazy day ahead - the weather here in the UK is wintery - last easter was so much later and we had beautiful blue skies and hot sun - in fact there are photos of us in t-shirts enjoying a Easter egg hunt! Why do they change the month Easter falls in? I have been told its something to do with the moon and would love to know if this is true - maybe a google is in order!
OK this is what I have found out

Easter Sunday is the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon (PFM) date for the year. In June 325 A.D. astronomers approximated astronomical full moon dates for the Christian church, calling them Ecclesiastical Full Moon (EFM) dates. From 326 A.D. the PFM date has always been the EFM date after March 20 (which was the equinox date in 325 A.D.).

But next year apparently it falls on April 12th so I think a picnic will better be saved for next year!!

I haven't a great deal to show as my dizzy spells are still happening - I think I may have to brave the dr next week. FIngers crossed I will be able to still create something this weekend ☺

Spin me round

So sorry - I fully intended to post on Sunday evening - then MOnday but I had this weird dizzy thing - just like when you have had to many drinks and the room spins round except I hadn't had anything stronger than a cup of tea. Even with my eyes closed it felt like I was being spun around - and with that headaches and nausea - yuk. I managed a few moments yesterday on here but not enough to post.

I was busy making though - so I have lots of new things to show you in the next few days - a couple of commission need sorting too - being off doesn't work when you have work to do!!

Jump!

This bracelet is one of my favourites at the moment (I know, I know I say that about them all!) but I think the colours in this one are just fantastic. This is actually boro glass - which is not that easy to come by in the UK sadly (hopefully that will change soon) - boro glass has lots of silver in it and has to be treated in a whole different way (my source on the subject hopefully will be playing with her new glass real soon ;0) ) I adore boro, the colours are fantastic - these are actually from the US by an artist called Cory Walker.

I added little glass spacers (Shirley Giles) Green Kyanite, Rubies, Moonstone and Teal apatite - I just love how the colours pop! I have a few other sets of boro here waiting to be played with so expect more soon.

Two in a row!

I am doing well - two posts in a row!! I have to show you Elli's pasty she made on Saturday - being Cornish we love pastys - lovely beef, potato and turnip with lashings of pepper, a pinch of salt and a knob of butter - all wrapped up in short crust pastry! Elli decided she wanted to make her own - and I was extremly impressed with her heart pasty! She ate the lot to!

Another reason for todays post I wanted to show you something my two fab friends are doing at the moment. Allison Raposa of Msbaubles and Angela Mckenna of AM Designs have both entered into the new volume of the Etsy promo book (see HERE).

TimothyAdamDesigns says: With 140 etsy artists featured in 4 volumes, the handbook to handmade is a small cut of very talented artists from around the world. "the handbook to handmade" is a monthly volume of 36 ETSY artists and their shops...this is a promotional tool that is used to help promote artists and etsy. the first volume was a success, with a great mix of artists from 36 different cities from around the world.

I love Etsy and have bought a few bits and pieces on there - more and more UK artists can be found on there - really there is worth a look - everything from Knitting to canvas's, soaps and pottery! I really hope Allison and Angela get to show us what the finished book looks like with their pages! Allison and Angela both have unique styles which I admire greatly.

The first picture shows the latest silver necklace I have made - simple and sweet with that dark edge ;) and the bracelet is a birthstone commission I had with my customers childrens birthstones - I love the mixture of the stones - peridot, Amethyst and Topaz.

Oh I say!

The saga of the missing gemstones continues - day 7 and counting :( The above pendant was made with my rather large already collection ;) Wire shaped into this leaf shape and wire-wrapped gems oxidised and hand-polished.
Guess what I have won something - I don't win much if anything but I had a comment left by the lovely Cindy of Jewellery Tales telling me I was a winner and woohoo HERE I am! Winning Art bead Scenes prize is fantastic - I'm so excited!! Many of you may remember seeing Trelissick on my blog a few weeks ago - although now she is in a new home!

The above necklace is Baltic Amber - this is the most fantastic Amber I have ever had the privilege to hold or even work with - the organic nature is perfect to me - and I kept this design simple - who need to complicate such beauties?? The beads are incredible and I finished her off with a pretty sterling silver leaf clasp.

Have a good evening

Grrr post

I promised you a look at these earrings on Thursday didn't I?? I hope you like them I seem to be taken with wire wrapping at the moment - I think the more confident I am with silver wire the better it is becoming. I also made a few more pieces yesterday which I will show you in the week - in fact my wrists were aching this morning and I'm sure my eyes need testing!

This pendant was actually made for my friends birthday - her birthstone of course and I wanted something simple yet pretty. I think I may be making a few more of these pendants......
Now there is one thing all these pieces have in common... yes the gemstones. I adore gemstones and I placed my normal order of lots of beautiful, special pieces last Monday- I waited and waited , Thursday I contacted my lovely supplier who told me they were posted Monday! Arghhh Yesterday still no gemstones - now a week is too long for recorder post from Scotland to here - ok I may be the bottom and Scotland at the top BUT I 've had supplies from Hong Kong come quicker than that! I have an awful feeling that they are gone for good! Now I love my postie - he's fantastic and doesn't seem to mind me pouncing on him when a parcel is expected. The ones that cover for him are great too but somewhere the Royal Mail seem to have started to employ people who are less then trustworthy - this isn't the first parcel I have lost - you may have gathered! So fingers crossed my parcel is lost and will be found!

Always making...

I seem to be making lots of earrings at the moment - the above pendant doesn't count!! Yesterday I made a pair which was so unlike me - I keep looking at them and wondering where my muse has been on holiday recently! I will photograph them today and show you tomorrow or Saturday- I do love them so I hope you do too!

The above pair and matching pendant are Smokey Quartz with Prehnite, Iolite and Fw Pearls - they are quite weighty compared to my normal earrings but I think they will certainly get some comments!
I'm still coughing but hopefully it will ease off now - Mandie is right when she says it sounds as if you are a heavy smoker when you do cough - last night I sounded like a squeaky gate!

Cough Cough

I was going to post yesterday but with a awful cough and cold by the time I had been caught in a hail storm walking to school to pick up Elli,being drenched through, where my jeans were so wet an cold by the time I took them off the were being dragged down (than goodness my coat is a good length) and my legs were looking like I had poured boiling water on them. Then the shakes started and I felt terrible. Luckily Mamma and Gump ( the grandparents) were able to come to the rescue and take Elli swimming while I wallowed in the bath trying to warm up! I couldn't stop sneezing and although that does seem to have stopped I'm left with a really chesty cough.

Today I did do some creating though - I will show you more tomorrow - so I must be on the mend. I had a day where I didn't have to leave the house so hopefully tomorrow I will feel even better. I have to say my little girl is a fantastic nurse - she smoothed my brow (lol she did really) I think she enjoys the drama although she did tell Mamma she was going to live with her soon!!!
The above pendant is my Mum's pressie for Mothers Day - that and a book which hasn't arrived (Mandie from Jewellery Craft recommended it) The pendant is very dainty I'm really proud of this one.

Mothers day

MY poem
Originally uploaded by Gemheaven

Happy Mothers day to you all out there. I had some wonderful gifts from Elli including this poem! Which made me tear up!

Mummy I love you so much you make me sparkle
Upstairs at night I love it when you cuddle me
Mummy you are special to me
Mummy I love you
You are the best