At Last!!!!

Hallelujah! Finally, my new selections are finished and listed in the shop after what has seemed like forever. So, please forgive this post filled with shameful hawking of my wares, in exchange for me being able to be a better follower of all your lovely blogs, now that I've come up for air!!!

Well, this time, I'm just giving you a taste of what these selections are made up of. They're mostly beach themed, with a light summery feel. At least, that's the effect I was trying for, you may disagree!!! 

Ok - to kick off, it's bead caps.
I haven't used this glaze before, it's called Catalina Blue, and I love how fresh and clean it looks on the porcelain, which is strange for me, as I'm normally drawn to the more dark and grungy!!

These - getting darker .....




Nice and rustic on terracotta, with my favourite Antique Turquoise glaze.

                                                       


Moving on, there's feathers,

 coconut halves,

terracotta bark tablet beads,                                                                 

eggs - speckled and glazed.

I've made some mouldings and stampings of a little bird I made. 

I was trying for hummingbirds. With the exception of a few gourd like things, and the stamped pendants, I've made these selections up from pairs of things, as per fanci's suggestion, so that they'll be of more use for making earrings.

Shells, in various guises.

 A couple of fossil mouldings.






Some house shaped bezels with PMC3 and Bronze clay,

and these gourd shaped pods - some rattle. Oh - those last three weren't pairs at all, were they?  These are though -

and these -

Not quite what I had in mind, but they're an interesting finish, and once I stopped shrieking in horror, I decided that I quite liked them! The metal clays have rubbed off in places, which makes them look more aged and primitive.

Same thing happened with these, but again, I don't know - I rather like them that way.  I'll just have to see if anyone else shares that vision!!!

What else? - Oh yes, hoops - LOTS of hoops!!

These, just bisque fired and unglazed, which could have a finish added on top, or just left raw.

Oh, and some buttons -

These have been fired with bronze and silver metal clay -

and these have glaze and metal clay, which I was pretty pleased with. A skinny finger could wear these as rings. There'll be more of these next time in different colours.
I think that's it for those. What of the amphoras, I hear you ask - yes, I'm sure I hear a small distant voice asking that question. Well, here they are - still sitting and patiently waiting.

Some of those are from before, that have been fired again with more metal clay, and these are the newest ones.

There's one more, but it's a present for our Funky Jackie. I'm just waiting for the arrival of a flex shaft now to make  life a whole lot easier. Janet seemed surprised that I had been making do with a cordless Dremel, so I'm expecting great things from a mains driven grinder/polisher.

Well now, I bet you're all glad that's over!! Not half as glad as I am to have got through all that listing. Which I did with this on my lap!

After the first dozen, I let him take over!

He does SO much more than just look pretty!!!

I hope you like my latest efforts, and I'll try not to leave things so long next time, but I'm about to start working on a new range of finished jewellery, that will hopefully be taken on in a few shops around Devon - eek!!

 Just in case you didn't properly catch sight of the easter bunny hiding in the undergrowth last time - here's one of it's children  - awwwwwww!!!

Till next time .....................

                                                                           XXX


                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

A Funky Interlude

Once again, I seem to be repeatedly muttering the same inane question to myself - 'Where does the time go???', although really, I should be asking myself how I manage to fit so much less into it than others seem to!! 
Just a few out of the ordinary events, have sent me into a flat spin, that has left my latest collection sitting in a measly and charred heap, just waiting to get their sparkle on and smile prettily at my camera!  For that rare pleasure though, I'm going to have to keep you all waiting for just a few more days, but for now, I'm going to share with you the splendours of that very talented, but oddly shy birdie, Jackie from Funky Trunk Creations. You may all know her from Mizz Fanciful's blog and forum, on which she is an avid commenter, and also from her Etsy vintage shop, Funky Trunk.  After some consistent, and what I prefer to think of, as gentle encouragement, she has now opened her delectable bloggy doors. Just the banner alone made my heart skip a beat, and then came the pictures!!! Not BIG enough for my liking, so I shall attempt to rectify that here!!





Gorgeous, eh? - There's more - SOOO much more!

I love them all, but this one's my favourite. 

Unfortunately it won't be for sale. I'm unsure of how many, if any, of the pieces in this collection will be featuring in Jackie's new shop. If you read her words in this post, then you'll be able to understand why.  She's busy at work creating new pieces though, which I can't wait to see.

For now though, we have these lovelies to feast our peepers on.

The cruel mysteries of Blogger won't allow me to big this one up for some reason - bah! 

  

 Oh YEAH! Now you're talking!! I just LOVE her soldering technique in this one.

 How damn beautiful is that??!!!

So, if you haven't been over there yet, do yourself a favour! But make sure you have a hanky on you.  Jackie is such an extraordinarily resilient lady, and has managed to overcome some emotionally and physically crippling life events, and yet come through the other side with her wonderful sense of humour intact, and ready to embrace this new chapter in her life.  After learning more about her life, I felt all the more touched by the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, that she has used in her etsy shop header.

     "What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

I wish her all the very best in her new shop venture, and can't wait to see what beauties come from her hands next.




Well, we've had some beautiful days here lately, which has made chips on the beach in Lyntmouth, kind of essential!!  Not that I need to try and find an excuse for that particularly delightful pastime! What a gutbucket I truly am!
I know, I know, you've already seen pictures of Lynmouth, but it's one of my most favourite places, so indulge me a little!

It's such a ridiculously pretty little place, and I spent a most delicious few hours there on the beach last week when my gorgeous friend, Helen came over from Ireland for a visit.  Just in case you're now muttering disgruntled-ly that my disgraceful chip eating is the reason for the delay in my new beads, I have also just started a part-time job, which is the main reason - honest!!!
Well - that, and the discovery that steel clay and bronze clay do not complement each other in a kiln firing.  I won't bore you with the details of carbon, and restricting oxygen - and the subsequent pain in the arse of a result that has on bronze clay, but just let you know that it makes everything very much slower and muckier, and turns me into a big, old potty mouth!! Grrrrr.

My fuzzy lad has been having a whale of a time lately, and he took me for a walk the other day to show me his favourite new place. I think it brings out the tiger in him!

 

He does like a nice paddle.

Well now, I'll see if dastardly Blogger will allow me to show you some extra pictures from the sculpture gardens this time, including some more of the spooky Mike Roles installation that made such an impact on me.

Nope, still doesn't have the same taste in sculpture as me! Maybe next time. But, managed to get these ones up.

 

These guys were pretty creepy too.

 Well, that's all from me for now, but I hope to be back very soon with some new selections to show you.

A big, warm welcome too, to the enigmatic Bauforscher with the wicked avatar, Sue the CoffeeFreek and future Old, Gray, Jewelry-making Hippy Chick, and the spectacularly talented Tracy from PipnMolly. It's a delight to see you here!!

                                                           

                                     Hoppy Easter!!

                                                                              XXX

Slow Progress

Well now, I'm sure none of you have been holding your breath waiting for my little bottles, which is just as well!!  This lot will be keeping me busy for quite some time yet, and the addition of steel and copper clays have not exactly helped the process! Hmmm, Kathy Van Kleeck, you have my utmost admiration!! I was already in love with these pieces of hers, but I'm even more blown away now by her ability to tame this brutish substance!

Urban Primitive Fossil Collage Necklace: Fossilized Bone with Steel and Roman Glass

Urban Primitive Raw Steel Cubes - Steel, Bronze and Fossilized Bone

So, this little pile is looking rather dirtier than the last time you saw it, but unfortunately, not much nearer to completion!

This couple are coming along slowly ......

The other new beads are all ready to go though, and I'll be putting  them out over the next few days. Here's a taster of some selections that include the rattlers..........

My next collection will be featuring glazed bead caps in a big way!!! Apologies to anyone who was hoping to see more of them this time, but I've already sold them.

Well now, me and man went along to the Broomhill Sculpture Gardens last week, which made for a nice break from hunching over my workbench. Soooo many amazing pieces there, and it was lovely to walk through the woods and come across these treasures.

Big chap, isn't he?

There was this amazing installation out there as well called 'Welcome To The Third Millenium' by Mike Roles. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck mingling amongst these unnerving figures, and the whole piece had an extraordinarily powerful air of dark foreboding.

Amazing body of work. Or, work of bodies!!



This old bagpuss of mine has developed a maddening new habit this week

!!!!!!!!!

How can I be cross with a face like this though?

'Ain't he sweeeeet!


Well, that's about all from me. All pictures no words!! All that steel dust has left me feeling a bit like this -

These bright young things are enjoying themselves in the garden. It's impossible not to grin at a daffodil!!

Until I have some beadcaps to show you, it's goodbye from me.
Oh, and a big welcome to Kim from Numinosity!!




                                                                      XXX