More New Designs and a Christmas Craft Fair

Apologies once again for a long gap in between blogs - I've recently started a jewellery making diploma course at an academy in Hatton Garden and that, beading and working on my thesis corrections are swallowing up so much time right now, I so do not know where the last month has gone!

I promised another blog post about new designs after showing my Athena glass spike jewellery, so here are a few of the most recent additions to my online shops.

As another part of my 'Tiny Sparkler' range, I have added a few of these crystal flower necklaces. Made using an 8mm Swarovski crystal chaton stone, each features a bezelled and embellished crystal petalled flower and its own tiny beaded leaf. A few draped chain tassels and some more crystals add movement to the pendants. 

 

These little flowers really are tiny - the flower head measures just 2.5cm across; the entire pendant from top to bottom measures in at around 6.5cm, perfect if you want a necklace with some glitter but that you can wear both day-to-day and of an evening. I think I will have to make myself one of these - I have some purple chatons left so I think my flower will have one of those as a centre...although I do now need more tiny silver seed beads as I've used them up really quickly of late!

Inspired by the tiny leaves in these necklaces, I decided to try something using the same motif in cubic right angle weave, but bigger. I also wanted a design which would use up some of the many gorgeous Czech pressed glass flower beads that I seem to have built up in my bead stash! This leaf and flower cluster necklace was what I came up with; two beadwoven leaves and a central chain packed with glass flowers, pearls and crystals.

I've so far beaded this teal version, with emerald green leaves on a silver chain and also just finished a purple version with antique gold findings. There are plenty more flowers in my bead box so I am sure there are a few more of these necklaces to come!

 

All the beading I have been doing of late has been in preparation for the craft fair I am doing this Saturday (24th November). I did the same market last year and it was brilliantly organised, in a wonderful venue and I had a great day of talking to people about my work and sent a fair amount of sparkles off to new homes. I am hoping that this year will be just as good, if not better. 

 

The fair is the Made-It Market, being held at the Cambridge Guildhall. You can find all the details on their website here. A perfect place to start your Xmas shopping (or treat yourself!) - there are a whole host of stalls filled to the brim with fantastic handmade work. Perhaps I will see you there on Saturday!

Nicole

xoxo

The Jewels of Viridia @ the British Bead Awards

So in my last blog post I was able to announce that my entry had been selected as a finalist for the British Bead Awards 2012, run by Bead magazine. Well, last weekend was the Big Bead Show at Sandown racecourse...I spent my pennies (sticking to my list pretty much, I might add) on new beads for Christmas craft fair stock and came home with some gorgeous crystals and findings in different metallic shades.

My piece, entitled 'The Jewels of Viridia' was a finalist in the 'Crystals' category of the Bead Awards. There was some amazing work on display across all of the categories, and sadly my necklace did not win a prize in its category. Myself and my mum who had come along to the fair with me (and who bought some beads with which she would like me to make some jewellery for her!) had to leave before the end of the show since we had several hours travel on the train to get home and our feet were very tired. So it happened that we missed my name being announced at the show - my necklace had been voted 'Best in Show' by people who visited the bead fair! What a surprise, especially given the amazing talent and range of jewellery making styles on display on the finalists table. So thank you to whoever voted for me, your admiration of my work is greatly appreciated!

The show over I can now finally show you some pictures of my necklace. It was inspired by some amazing 'fine jewellery' - a diamond and emerald necklace which was part of the auction of Elizabeth Taylor's jewellery collection. I decided I wanted to create a piece that emulated 'fine jewellery' but in beadwork, with silver and emerald green as my colour theme. 'The Jewels of Viridia' is the result. 

The full necklace - there are over 300 Swarovski crystals in this piece, including bicones, chatons, octagons and that fabulous central teardop stone.

A close up of the pendant section

The beaded toggle clasp and beaded-bead 

I learnt a lot whilst beading this competition piece, and I've definitely got ideas about how to take some of the design ideas from it to make some smaller pieces too. This necklace is going to have pride of place on my craft fair stand this Christmas - hopefully it will draw people's attention with its sparkle.

TTFN

Nicole 

xoxo