Saturday 31 May 2014

AJE Component of the Month - May Reveal

Each month one of the AJE team creates components for the rest of our team and a number of guests to design a piece of jewellery around. This months components were supplied by Sue Kennedy of Sue beads and I got to work with the cute set of chicklet beads second from the left in this picture...


Because these beads are flat I decided they would work well as bracelet focals but as I've made a few strung bracelets recently I wanted to do something different. I've always been fond of beaded copper bangles and used to make a lot of them so decided to go that route. These bangles are formed around a core of heavy gauge wire but on this occasion however, instead of wrapping the core with wire I decided to try wire macrame in order to get a flat band effect.


I threaded the beads onto the core with some Czech glass and copper accent beads and used 0.9mm copper wire to 'tie' simple square knots around it.



The ends of the core wire are looped with a couple of jump rings and a hand forged hook added to complete the bracelet. I used Liver of Sulphur to oxidise the wire and enhance the textural detail.


A fairly simple design but I really like this type of bangle and I think I may be making a few more.

You can see what everyone else made with their components by clicking on the links below and joining us on our blog hop.



Guests



AJE Members


Lesley


Saturday 24 May 2014

Waxed Linen Blog Hop

Welcome to the Waxed Linen Blog Hop kindly and most ably hosted by the Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studios.


I was even later than usual getting my pieces done for this hop to the point where I was still finishing up at 2am this morning so I had to keep them fairly simple. That's one of the things I love about waxed linen though - it's very easy to put something simple but eye catching together very quickly.

My first piece is a braided strung bracelet with a lovely pewter button clasp and heart charm from Mamacita Beadworks and rustic blue/grey seed beads from Smitten beads. The tails have been finished with some tiny pewter beads I was given as part of a bead soup four year ago. Very simple but the kind of thing I wear a lot.




My second piece is a reprise of a necklace I made last year with wire wrapped beads but this time I used double strands of waxed linen to string these lovely Czech glass beads - again from Smitten Smitten Beads, The ceramic heart focal is by Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio and the bronze text connector is by THEA elements - that's me!


the quote is from one of my favourite poems by W B Yeats...

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.


And finally I whipped up a pair of five minute earrings using some red ceramic beads from our host Diana and some cream ceramic discs by me. A scrap of linen, a few copper accent beads and some ear wire and that's it done...I frequently make earrings like these when I'm about to go out and find I have none to match my outfits.


So those are are a few ways to use waxed linen and I'm sure the other participants will have demonstrated many more so I hope you will join up on the hop using the links below and many thanks to Diana for hosting this hop.

Have a great weekend.
Lesley


Diana Ptaszynski  


Sunday 18 May 2014

Time for a Giveaway...


Ever since I started this blog it's been on my to do list to set up a mailing list subscription option so that I can keep my followers up to date with what's going on. Well, three years later (where did that go...?) I've finally got around to it and there is now a sign up box in the side bar just beneath my profile.

My plan is to use this very sparingly to give people who subscribe advance notice of shop updates, sales and any special events that I might be taking part in. This probably won't amount to more than once a month with an occasional extra and subscribers can opt out at any time. The problem now of course is that I don't have contact details for any of those lovely people who have begun following my blog in those three years so I have nobody to send my updates to...isn't that sad.

So I need a little help in spreading the word and since you're all so good at that I think a giveaway is order. The giveaway prize is £30 GBP and free shipping to spend in either of my shops THEA Elements and THEA Jewellery and there will also be a couple of surprise prizes as well.

You can enter the draw by subscribing to the mailing list (the box in the side bar of this blog) and/or sharing this post in your social media networks. Simply leave a comment below letting me know how you have subscribed/shared and I will randomly select the winners on Sunday June 1st, publish the names here and notify them by  email.

I'm also planning to do some random giveaways to subscribers from time to time so thank you for helping me get this off the ground and good luck!

Lesley
















Saturday 10 May 2014

8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal

Welcome the the 2014 Bead Soup Blog Party and the 8th annual reveal for this event - the brainchild of Lori Anderson. If you don't know about BSBP you can find out all about it here. Since there are so many participants in this blog hop I plan to be economical with my words and let the pictures do the talking...lets face it that what we all want to see isn't it...beads, beads and more beads turned into beautiful Jewellery!

My partner for this year's hop is the talented lampwork artist Maryse Fritzsche -Thillens of Glass Bead Art and this is the fabulous bead soup she sent me all those weeks ago - not just a beautiful selection of her own organic beads but some lovely sterling silver pieces too...


As soon as I got these beads the big focal in the top left of the picture jumped out at me because it reminded of the beautiful Jurassic coastline not far from where I live...


This inspired my first necklace which uses beaded and braided waxed linen to give a layered effect and a curved sterling silver tube reminiscent of the many coves and inlets along this stretch of coastline.


The region is also a renowned site for fossil collecting so the silver spiral shell is a perfect finishing touch for this piece.


Next up comes a bracelet designed to show off the silver focal clasp along with some of Maryse's lovely sparkling rock beads. I found some silk that matched the beads perfectly and wove this through sections of chain and then oxidised the clasp to knock back the shine. The bracelet is finished with two Hill Tribe Silver rose charms. The cool palette and contrasting materials in this piece give it a mixed organic/urban feel.



With the addition of some Hill Tribe rings and some hammered wire I used the rest of the blue rocks to make a pair of earrings to go with the bracelet...


My favourite beads from the soup were the green/neutral toned rocks and I put some of these together with one of my own bronze leaf focals to make another bracelet. I am completely infatuated with rustic seed beads at the moment so multi strands of these in varying sizes were a no brainer.



The palest of the beads from this set I teamed up with the pretty green leaf headpins and a little ruffle of russet suede to create this fun pair of earrings.



All the while I was making these pieces I was going back and forth to that Silver butterfly focal and trying to do something spectacular with it but I wasn't happy with anything I came up with. In the end I decided I much preferred it with this very simple treatment of fine chain interspersed with Czech glass beads in graduated tones of blue and amber and a chain tail with matching teardrops.



Although I still had lots of beads to play with that's where I called it a day but I will of course be returning to the rest of my soup before too long. Many, many thanks to Maryse for sending a bead soup that was such a joy to work with and now I can't wait to see what she has made with the ingredients I sent her.


And as always, a huge thank you goes to Lori and her helpers for all the hours and hard work they've out in pulling off yet another awesome event - very well done ladies (and gent!).

Thanks you for visiting The Gossiping Goddess and I hope you will now join me and the rest of the BSBP participants on our mammoth blog hop using the links below.

Lesley 

Maryse Fritzsch-Thillens                    www.glassbeadart.blogspot.com

Lori Anderson, Hostess     www.PrettyThingsBlog.com

Tina Bosh                                  http://bookbug-somanybookssolittletime.blogspot.com/
Kristina Hahn Eleniak                 www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com
Kari Asbury                               www.hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com
Kris Binsfield                             www.cherishdesigns.wordpress.com
Cheryl Gangle                            www.RockCandyJewelryDesign.blogspot.com
Amber Dawn                             www.InventiveSoul.blogspot.com
Michelle Wigginton                     http://adornedonadelaide.weebly.com/
Kayla Potega                              http://teejewelry.blogspot.com/
Becky Pancake                           www.beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com


Debbie Rogers                             http://debbiestreasuresandgems.wordpress.com/
Jenny Kyrlach                             www.anafiassa.blogspot.com
Genea Crivello-Knable                 www.geneabeads.blogspot.com
Deborah Read                             www.deborahreadcom.blogspot.com
Julianna Cannon                          http://julsbeads.blogspot.com/
Lisa Liddy                                  www.lisaliddy.wordpress.com
Debbie Rasmussen                      www.Kepirasmussen.blogspot.ca
Iveth Caruso                               www.creativeatelier.net/blog
Rana Wilson                               http://ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com/
Corrie Williams                           http://thecedarbeader.blogspot.com.au


Linda Anderson                          http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Miranda Ackerley                       http://blog.mirandack.com/
Andra Weber                             www.andrasjoyfuljourney.blogspot.com
Loretta Carstensen                      http://www.designsbyloretta.blogspot.com/
Penny Houghton                         www.smellynelly.blogspot.com.au
Tania Hagen                               http://pelimadesign.blogspot.co.nz/
Robin Reed                                www.willowdragon.blogspot.com
Laurie Vyselaar                           www.Lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com
Rachel Baron                              www.rbarondesigns.blogspot.com
Erin Guest                                   www.renlish.com


Emma Todd                                            www.apolymerpenchant.com
Kelly Schermerhorn                            http://meanderingwithkelly.blogspot.com/
Dana Hickey                                            http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com
Rebecca Ednie                                       http://eclecticendeavours.blogspot.com
Marybeth Rich                                       http://forestofjewels.blogspot.com/
Sherri Levinton                                      www.cuttergazette.blogspot.com
RaMona Woolson                                www.jerseygirlsbeadwork.blogspot.com
Jo-Ann Woolverton                             www.Itsabeadifulcreation.blogspot.ca
Audrey Belanger                                  http://esperianterra.blogspot.ca/
Candida Castleberry                            http://spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com

Click below to read the full list...