Handmade Monday Long Necklaces

Apologies for the gap in blogging. I've been busy, both with crafting and with other less fun stuff including poorly relatives. I always find crafting relaxing, though, so even if I'm a bit stressed, the Blue Forest Jewellery production line is never quiet - in fact, it often gets more efficient!  There is so much jewellery in our house now, I have to look through my photos before I make something just to check I haven't done the same thing before!

One thing I really love is a long, tassel necklace.  So I've made a lot, but it always seems wasteful to be using so much chain. I've tried to solve that now by using a large textured ring on a long chain and adding the bar of a toggle clasp to the dangle so as to make that bit interchangeable.  I made a long version of the chain, and then an even longer one so I've got a choice to suit whatever neckline I'm wearing.

It took a while to convert all the ones I'd already made...

And some of them are not quite tassels either...

And a slightly different toggle clasp used on some of them...

Anything that saves room in my clutter is a good thing, IMHO. This one is my favourite...

And it's nearly Christmas.  How are your preparations going?  I haven't done as much as I should, probably because I've been messing around with necklaces!!

Here's a link to see what other crafty folk have been making this week. http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk

Happy Christmas in case I don't get chance to blog again before.

Alison 

Handmade Monday: Jewellery for the coming season

I love that it's November, so I can start showing some Christmas makes. Only a couple, then I promise to shut up about it!

The snowman charm is quite big and looks so cool with the white beads and crystals. 

And this charm is double sided with the tree on one side...

...and the deer on the other side. Bag charms were popular in the shop last Christmas and I think they are good presents for people who love jewellery but just have too much!

Apart from that, I've been in an amber and brown mood

This is a memory wire bracelet and here's a lariat

And some simple glass bead earrings

So which do you like best?

Here's a link to what other crafty folk have been up to this week.  

Handmade Monday: end of the year

Well, Christmas has really crept up this year.  It seemed to be November for ages, then December has flown by in a flurry of sales and busy-ness. I can't complain, and the thought of literally hundreds of people opening Blue Forest Jewellery handmade presents on Christmas Day all over the world really makes me proud and happy.  Sometimes selling online seems like such a slog, but at times like this it all seems worth it.

For me, creating something beautiful (hopefully!) that lasts and has meaning for the person giving it as a gift and for the person receiving it, is very satisfying.  I always remember listening to a radio programme where people were phoning in to talk about the objects which meant the most to them, and for the women ringing in, it was almost unanimously pieces of jewellery that people had given them or they had bought for themselves to mark significant events which were talked about.  Jewellery is more than something pretty - it's a little shared luxury that says something about the taste and personality of the person wearing it.  And it has the permanence that a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates can't compete with.

When I was a child, jewellery was much more of a luxury.  Women saved for items like 9ct gold gate bracelets, or waiting until significant events or anniversaries for them, and cherished the relatively few pieces they had bought or been given.  Nowadays you can easily buy a pretty pair of earrings with your weekly supermarket shop, and the relatively low cost of pieces means that far more people can treat themselves more often.  I love that.  Little luxury treats make difficult times more bearable, whether it's the effects of a world recession, or a personal or family crisis, there is meaning in people, especially women, stopping amidst their busy and difficult lives to say 'I want to get myself a little something to wear that looks good and makes me feel good.'

Enough of the philosophising, I hear you cry.  What have you made this week?

Well, there is a bag charm from beautifully carved tigers eye Lily beads and freshwater pearls.  Very delicate!

More earrings with drawbench glass beads.

A lucky lady will be receiving this statement leaf charm necklace for Christmas.

And these birds nest bracelets were listed and started to sell.

Very please to appear in the January edition of Bead Trends too with my field of flowers pendant

Happy holidays to all my blog readers and especially folks who take the time to leave comments, to customers, fellow sellers and even the spammers!

Hope to see you all again in the New Year - although if the spammers want to target someone else, I don't mind that at all!

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

Alison x

Folksy Friday: Christmas swaps

I've had the pleasure of doing lots of swaps or trades on Folksy and Etsy recently, and got some beautiful handmade gifts in return.  I can't posts pictures of what I've received, as they are mostly Christmas gifts for friends and family who might just see this blog!  So I've picked some random but stunning creations from each of the shops I've traded with.  Thanks to everyone who has agreed to swap with me - it has to be the best way to shop.  Click on the picture or the shop link to visit.  Enjoy!

Art in Wax on Folksy

Girl of the Sixties on Folksy

LittlemouseLilly on Folksy

KnitwitDesignsUK on Etsy

Hopeful Hare on Folksy

AdienCraftsandGifts on Etsy (it's just the bandana for sale, not the gorgeous Schnauzer!)

Handmade by Edwina on Folksy

Fabulous shops, aren't they?

Alison x

Friday feature: This week's makes

Blue and brown tassel chain earrings

Blue and brown glass bead bangle with bronze wire wrapping

Tiger striped glass beads with mookaite and carnelian

Filigree leaves purse charm/ bag charm

Filigree bird bag charm/ purse charm

Flower connector charm bracelet with faux suede cord

'Love' vintage style cord bracelet

Picture jasper carved roses and chocolate pearls

Wire rose ring

Wordless Wednesday: Watch out, angels about!

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

Handmade Monday: Viking weave

Just because it's nearly Christmas doesn't mean I don't keep having mad ideas.  So this week, while everyone else was getting sorted wrapping presents and decorating trees, I decided to learn Viking weave!  Luckily it's very easy to do, but it is quite time consuming, leading me to reflect that the Viking folk must have had plenty of long, dark evenings to fill with no TV distractions!


Fragments of the chain have apparently been found in Viking graves and were sometimes used as currency.  This little bracelet in copper wire is the only finished piece so far. The findings were all hand made too, so don't look too closely!

It's great fun because as you weave the wire looks quite messy and you think you've made a mess of it, but once you start pulling it through the drawplate, a bit of magic happens and it all comes together quite nicely.  Hoping to post a tutorial in the New Year when I've had more practice.  Currently having a go at double knit which is going well considering how awful I was at real knitting ;-)

A couple more makes from this week picture here too.  Hope you like them.  The watermelon tourmaline is a new gemstone for me and I love the range of colours.

So now I'm off to catch up on some of those non-crafty Christmas tasks.  Merry Christmas everyone!

And here's the link to find out what other crafty people have been up to this week.

Wordless Wednesday: New makes and new shops

And new online stores at:

http://www.storebeez.com/stores/blue-forest-jewellery/

http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/blue-forest-jewellery/products/