Welcome to my website! Have a look around, I hope you like it ♥
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11th May 2012
Announcement -I have had to make the unhappy decision not to attend the Nor’East of Scotland Cat Club show tomorrow at Caird Hall, Dundee, I am Not Well. I don’t cancel fairs lightly, the last time I did was because I had broken my ankle.
If the lady who bought the cat bead from me at the last cat show reads this, I am terribly sorry to let you down. If you would contact me, I am sure that somehow, we can organise setting your bead on silver for you.
I am so upset to be missing the day at the cat show. Not good.
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28th April 2012
A surreal moment for the day -
Yes, cats in wigs. I make no apology : )
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11th April 2012
I made a sun catcher using one of my large hollow cat beads. I tell you, in Scotland one needs anything that might catch the sun as it doesn’t get a look in that often, what with the persistent cloud cover. I hope it raises some money for charity at the Flame Off happening at Towcester this weekend.
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Fair’s over, phew! Next up, Nor’East of Scotland Cat Club on 12 May 2012, so plenty of time to make some spotty cats, stripey cats, blue cats, orange cats, etc, and prepare for a day of plaintive miaowing from the cats on show. Maybe there’s even time for me to do something totally unrelated to glass, like housework, or gardening. Hmm. Probably not.
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9th March 2012
At last, I’m packed and ready for the Scottish Bead Fair, Perth this Sunday 11th March, and hopefully I’ll have wound down a bit by this time tomorrow. The amount of preparation for any kind of fair is enormous, and I’m shattered! I’ve been organising for days now (display does not make itself and one can’t just buy it off the shelf) and I know other exhibitors have been too, so I’m off to the shed for a bit of relaxation. Anyone wanting to make beads and sell them will soon find out that it’s not all about melting glass, there’s a list of skills that need to be developed that have nothing to do with melting glass.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
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28th January 2012
22nd January 2012
Well, I have listed new things in the shop, I’ve been making a new style of owl bead, taking my inspiration from an owl fridge magnet sent to me by Judy Munford, because it reminded her of me. I suppose I do look like that sometimes : ) I thought I’d share how I came to be making round owls with flappy finger wings rather than the flat owls. It was fun making a new style, I had one day where I just couldn’t stop making them to make anything else, not even a cat bead. More to go in the shop in the next day or so, and the second the gales give me a break, I’ll be back at the torch.
I have also booked two more fairs ~
25-26 August 2012 9th Annual Stourbridge Bead Fair
and
18 November 2012 The Scottish Bead Fair Glasgow, Scotland
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10th January 2012
Happy New Year!
I’m almost ready to put new work in the shop, I’ve been developing my owl beads and am very pleased with them. I have only two booked fairs for the coming year (so far), I needed some time to draw breath and give myself space for creating without pressure. I found myself referring to my work as ‘stock’ and it felt wrong.
Effort, skill, artistry, creativity, and thought goes into making a successful bead, and to nurture and enable those things I need to step back and give them space. I can imagine how awful it must be for a creative person to have to sit and make the same bead style, colour, size and design repeatedly all day long for a wage, it would bring out the absolute worst in me, I’d be sacked.
Here’s a close up of ‘Knuckles’, I was honoured to make him as a Christmas present
deeeelicious colours…
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I needed something ‘new’ (well, new to me) to get my interest sparked again, so I’ve been trying out ‘painting’ with molten glass, and here’s my first attempt at an owl on a branch bead
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Below is a photo of my newest bead display, I have handmade individual stands for each bead, I really like this idea, it means that favourite beads can be displayed while they wait to be made into jewellery. They are made from plaster, can be painted, and have a good weight to support a large bead without falling over, they are £2.00 each.
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Swimming Elephant
So, I was trying to recover a bead that wasn’t playing nicely, I pulled at the glass a bit here and there and was considering dumping it in the plunge pot and going to bed, when I realised that I had what looked liked an elephant face on the surface of the glass, so I gave it eyes, and there it is. I love it. I really do, and it’s completely accidental. Of course I had another go and made a couple more over the next few days, but they’re not quite like this one. First time lucky.
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I’ve been amusing myself making ‘sheep’ beads…
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Some of the beads you’ll find in the bargain bowl at my fair table, I put a few beads together, and you pay £1.50.
Sometimes you’ll find matching sets, perfect for earrings. Bargain.
