Wordless Wednesday: Watch out, angels about!

Handmade Monday: Chocolate and caramel

It's a well known fact that I have a relationship with chocolate.  Not always an entirely healthy one.  We got a chocolate labrador because he reminds me of one of my favourite things!  Truth is, I'm a bit of a brown person altogether.

I was reminded of this when I sold this bracelet in one of my favourite stones - bronzite - this week.

Bronzite is a deep chocolate brown, with amazing natural flecks of lighter browns and golds.  It's difficult for the camera to pick them up, but they are beautiful and especially in low light, give the stone a little glow.

So off to my bead stash to see what I could make.

Simple coin earrings with a little bronze wire work.  This time the camera did pick up some of the light play as it was a crisp sunny day.

Then I came across these beautiful glass beads with patterns like caramel and chocolate ice cream.  Food again! They look so delicious with a bit of wire work and some smaller bronzites.

Liked them so much, I had to do a necklace too.

There are still beads left, and I resisted the temptation to try and eat them!  But let's hope I've got it out of my system for a while ;-)

Have a great week and don't forget to visit other crafty folk's blogs to see what they've been making.

Alison x

Wordless Wednesday: my doggie double

Lucca and a beautiful carved jasper pedant

Handmade Monday: lots of creations

Hi everyone,
I've been away for a week in S Pembrokeshire, visiting the family.  Have to admit, we had some traditional seaside weather - torrential rain, thunderstorms, hail - but luckily most of it was in the night or at times when we weren't walking on the beach!  And the rest of the time, the sky was pretty blue and there was some extraordinarily warm sunshine.  Lucca the dog found time for some digging, as usual!...

 ...chilling out in the sun room...

 ...and a little ice cream - well, he has lost over 5 kilos, so he's allowed one!

Anyway, what about making things?  I made 12 items, so quite a productive week.  A bit of intricate wire work on this cherry quartz pendant

Something festive and something autumnal

And some new style multi charm necklaces and bracelets on faux leather cord

...to show but a few.  Now there's the marathon of listing them all in the shops!


Here's the link to visit other crafty folks' blogs

Handmade Monday: A bit of everything and cord bracelets

Well, the cord charm bracelets are still my biggest sellers, so I've been raiding my charm stash and come up some forgotten treats

The little matryoshka/ babushkas are still the buyers' favourites, and I can't help but agree that they are super cute!

Meanwhile, I'm still doing things that take considerably longer to make, and as it's now officially Autumn, have been really enjoying using leaf charms and mookite, my favourite stone.

This necklace has an enourmous filigree leaf charm which I've made detachable, so you could just wear and enjoy the gemstone chain

A more modest carved carnelian leaf is in this charm bracelet, with lost of mustard mookite and carnelian and quartzite beads.

But most suitable for today is this piece!

Here's the link to see what other crafty people have been up to this week.

Alison x

Just finished reading...

New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the idea of this book - something about Finland, which always interests me after travelling there, about language and the difficulty of expressing yourself. It was very poetic, and some of the scenes will live on in my head - particularly the cold hospital room, the warm alcoholic spirit, and the tales from the Kalevala which almost seem to become a kind of reality for the narrator. Like others, I need more plot line to keep me hooked, and the almost-romance wasn't a page turner for me. Really good to see a book in translation which is also essentially a novel of ideas so popular.

View all my reviews

Handmade Monday: that time already?

So, this week I've sold some snowflakes

and some snowmen

and not to the same person.  I guess someone is trying to tell me it's time to get organised for the big shopping, eating and relative visiting event at the end of the year.

Seriously though, I was quite sad to see the snowman off on their way to Scotland.  I haven't got anymore of the blue keishi pearls that are suitable for scarves waving in the breeze, so they won't be repeated.  I've got some more in the Folksy shop but done with gemstone chips and howlite beads - they look a bit more like they've been made by a professional snowman builder.  Last year, I tried to rebrand them as 'snowpeople' in the interests of equality and diversity, but it didn't seem to work.

While it's moving towards winter for some, lots of folk are still in summer festival mode, and these little cord and charm bracelets are still proving really popular.  I had a custom order for two at the weekend.

I don't know if people will still want to buy them after the summer festival season is over.  What do you think?

The butterfly is my favourite.  I've never seen a stressed butterfly, so I reckon they must be quite wise!

Here's the link to see what other crafty people have been up to this week.

Alison x