Can't believe it's only the beginning of week 2 of the school summer holidays. I'm loving the summer. My first proper summer off work with the girls (I don't count the summer littlest was born when I was on maternity leave as it didn't actually stop raining.. at all).

We've had loads and loads of fun, the girls are having a brilliant time, BUT I am getting very little jewellery made, and not keeping up with listings at all.

I've decided to go with it, and not worry too much. I'm working on a few bits and bobs, and have been playing around setting stones in bezels. I'm also working on a few new beaded necklaces, which are simple but I think effective. I'll hopefully load a few of these up later this week. So things are getting made.

My turquoise stash is steadily decreasing! I'm also planning on doing something along these lines with some rather lovely fluorite beads, and some shiny black onyx - intersperced with a splash of coral.

Summer is a quiet time on etsy and folksy generally, so it's a good opportunity to take some time out, and play.

Copper creations

The very lovely Anna aka the bunny maker from Half an Acre recently sold me her old mini kiln. (Thank you Anna!!)

This was so exciting because not only can I now fire larger silver pieces; I can now play with copper and bronze clay. I've had some copper art clay for a while. Apparently you can torch fire it, but I wasn't that successful so I've just been looking at it, all wrapped up and looking sad on my shelf.

But now, with my kiln, I can actually make stuff with it.

Here is my first (of many) copper leaves with some of my huge turquoise bead stash.

Don't you just love how copper and turquoise go together.

Just need to get a clasp finished and then I'll probably list it.

The clasp has seen me experimenting with copper plating! It seems to be pretty much impossible to get copper solder, so I use silver. For this clasp I soldered together copper wire to make a toggle, but this meant that the silver solder looked a bit odd. Simple solution - add a spare nail or screw to the old copper pickle pot (where the pickle has turned a shade of blue), and watch it fizz and copper plate over the solder. FANTASTIC.(This is why you only usually use copper tongs in a pickle pot - to avoid accidental plating!)

Love trying new stuff, and using new material. Hope you like my new copper creations!!

Folksy Friday - Listings found with the term "Sky"

Here are some gorgeous items I found using the search term "Sky" - aren't they fab? Random search terms on Folksy can really make you appreciate the amazing artists and makers who are involved on the site. Click on the pictures to go through to the individual shops.

And as I've gone with a sky theme I couldn't resist adding in an item of my own...

a fine silver cloud with turquoise raindrops!

Photo background

On a trip this weekend to the local pet shop to buy a goldfish for the girls I finally spotted some grey slate stone in a dark corner to use as a background in my pictures. I've been looking in garden centres and the like for ages!

These are some rather hurried photos I took in the garden this afternoon, without a light box - so please excuse the poor lighting, overshine, and reflection of me and the camera in the shot!

I will re-do the pictures when I have longer than five minutes to spend, but I really needed to get them listed.

I really like the dark grey against the silver - it really makes it stand out, so you can see the all the detail, which I usually find really tricky with my the more subtle silver and crystal jewellery.

Purple

WARNING: When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple

with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired

and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

and run my stick along the public railings

and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

and pick the flowers in other people's gardens

and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

and eat three pounds of sausages at a go

or only bread and pickles for a week

and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

and pay our rent and not swear in the street

and set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.


Some picks for anyone else who would like to practice...

Earrings (by me!!!)

scarflette (by hooked yarn)

Amethyst twist necklace

Studs

I'm really excited that I finally got around to making some stud earrings (or ear posts - call them what you will). 

I find them so much easier to wear than dangly earrings for everyday - I got scared of wearing any earrings when the girls were tiny, and Eve who is 2 still likes to fiddle with my ears when we're having a cuddle so dangles are generally still out for me.

(These black onyx and sterling silver ones are in the etsy shop now)

They're fun to make, especially conisdering my current soldering obsession. I'll definitely be making some more. Maybe some more irregular shaped ones, and different styles of bezel wire in the future.

 

  

Going to load these moonstone beauties up later! I love moonstone.

So what's the verdict - do you like studs or dangles?

Spring is in the air!

Ok, so it's still a little chilly, but hey - the sun is shining, the birds are singing and my girls are waking up even earlier because it's getting light (grrrr). 

 

(Love this fellsiders pic from Flickr)

I had been getting so fed up with all the rain in February, but since March started it's been blue sky all the way, and it's my birthday month!

So here's are a few spring picks from my etsy shop....

Spring promise - necklace and earrings - with lovely Fluorite stones and sterling silver.

 

Flow necklace - think spring stream shining in the sunshine..

Loving spring - looking forward to summer! Please please no more snow!

Do you remember those gorgeous lampwork beads I bought from Josephine Wadman? I blogged about them a couple of months ago and promised I'd let you know what I did with them....but forgot...until now.

The first thing I made was this necklace with sterling silver swirls:

I loaded this into my shop, and it went within half an hour! Crikey didn't even get a chance to load up the matching earrings before it was sold...

 

So inevitably I've only just loaded them up into my etsy shop... (oops).

Then I made a little pendant with hammered sterling silver drops.

I'm really happy with them and just can't get over the blue! I think I'm going to have to learn lampworking next.