Long time, no blog…..plus the Big Bead Show!!

 

Yes, I know, it’s been a considerable time since my last blog post. Alas, real life seems to keep getting in the way (whoever thought up having to have a day job to earn money for rent and food and stuff, huh?) but I am really trying to get on top of things.

Last weekend I really got to grips with my bedroom and bought myself a desk – note: when you are trying to carry 17kg of flat pack desk in a box that is about an inch too big to carry under your arm, the trip from the bus stop to your front door which usually takes 5 minutes can, and will, feel like a lifetime. Chivalry is clearly dead…several people walked past me clearly struggling with the box without a second glance…and by the time I got to the flat lugging it up the stairs to our (top floor!) flat was well, torture!! But, once the feeling had returned to my hands, I cracked on and made it up and now I have a nice work/beading desk to use.

And speaking of beading…it was the Bead Magazine Big Bead Show on Saturday at Sandown racecourse so I eagerly hopped on the train from London to go and drool over stall after stall of fantastic beads. I was looking for some different things to usual as I have just started to work with art clay silver and wanted some different stuff to go with that than my usual seed beads.

The first stall I bought from was Ilona Biggins. I had to be VERY restrained because the entire stall was crammed with semi precious gorgeousness (I could have bought every kind of purple coloured stone on display they were so pretty!). Eventually I settled for some lovely purple crazy agate ovals and some chunky blue goldstone chips/nuggets. Neither of these photos does them justice (light was poo when I took pics) – the agate is a wonderful dusky lavender, and the sparkle on the goldstone is to die for :)

Then I bought some more semi precious beads from Twinkle Pieces – rounds this time. I’m not normally much of a pink person but these were so beautiful and I’d not seen any round matt rose quartz before so I had to have them.

And I also couldn’t resist these lovely impression jasper rounds either…my housemate says they look like little planet earths with the sea green and rock colours. Unfortunately my camera decided it didn’t want to download the pic I took of them for reasons best known only to itself. But I promise they are really nice too!

I spent a few pennies at the Bead Time stall – they had an offer on some nice glass pearls so I bought a selection in colours that work together in a few sizes.

And I also snapped up a few packs of acrylic flowers just because they are so sweet!

And I couldn’t quite manage to stay away from the seed beads and bought an adorable ladybird bracelet kit from Spellbound Beads that I started the other night – will post a pic when I have finished.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday and I’ve definitely found a few places where I can find stuff I want as my jewellery making takes a slightly new direction. Roll on the Big Bead Show 2010 :D

N    xoxo