Handmade Monday - more of those tassel necklaces

Happy New Year blog followers. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year break.  Here's a quick pic of Lucca the dog enjoying the beach at Broad Haven on Christmas Day, when it was bright and windy.   

I kept crafting all the way through the break, and I'm still a bit obsessed with making dangles for the interchangeable chain necklaces. Because I always want my jewellery to have a touch of the ancient world about it - I like things to look like they could have literally been dug out of the ground! - I always love to use pearls, glass pearls in this case. 

That one is a bit Cleopatra, don't you think?

Five pearls in a row.

A lovely textured ring charm.

And some chainmaille with green Quartz beads. 

Would love to know which you like best?

One of my New Year resolutions is to do more tutorials on this blog, so please make sure you nag me if they don't appear, won't you?

Here's a link to Handmade Harbour where you can see what other crafty people have been making this week. http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk

Alison x

The dog's blog: All four paws in the air

This may be my last jump now that I have been diagnosed with arthritis.  I'm trying to get used to a quieter life!

Folksy Friday: Holidays are here

School's out soon so maybe you need some of these items from Folksy sellers if you're off on holiday or just hanging round the garden hoping to see the sun!

This holiday aceo by Ghost Goose brings back some memories

Soap flip flops - what a great idea! - by Just Bev Soaps

For those of us who dream of owning a boat or a beach hut, 

recession-beating options from Buttons and Stars and Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics!

Bluebells and Oystershells (fantastic name!) will help you remember your passport 

and Cherry Tree Handmades will keep your souvenirs together in style.

What else do you need for the perfect holiday?

BESTeam weekly feature - Waterwaif

What a fabulous shop - this is a dream assignment for me.  Waterwaif on Etsy is a store full of delicate jewellery made from semi precious stones and crystals inspired by the ocean - I guess the ocean around Florida where Waterwaif makes these lovely things.

You can see this inspiration in the dreamy colour palette, the use of translucent materials which reflect back a watery glow, and the light and airy feel of these pieces.  Truly Boho-beach-chic!

There are lots of items to choose from in this well-established and popular shop and I could have picked all of them to feature!  But I'm going to indulge myself a little and concentrate on the blue items (I wonder why!:-))

First up is this teal crystal starfish pendant.  So light and airy and beautifully wrapped with sterling silver wire.  What a great item to wear on holiday - the teal blue green would look stunning with a tan.

Have you ever seen red turquoise before?  I hadn't, but I've got to say it looks stunning in combination with the sky blue turquoise in these lovely earrings.  Turquoise is the stone of the season according to Pantone, so these are the ones to get now. 





Really couldn't resist adding this beautiful matching set of aqua blue crystals and creamy freshwater pearls. So light and airy and such a great colour combination!

There are still more shades of blue in this vibrant blue opal bracelet. The silver songbird here and the clear crystals are such a winning combination.

Not just jewellery!  Here's that lovely red and teal blue again

in an original painting. Wouldn't that look great in a modern neutral decor?


I hope I've whetted your appetite for more.  You can follow Waterwaif on her lovely sea-themed blog, on Facebook where there's a new store and exclusive discounts for fans, and on Twitter.

Wordless Wednesday - At the beach