my jewellery blog

bit late i know

2011-02-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually on the computer this late as my husband is usually fighting virtual wars on it. Anyway, he is out and my daughter is asleep, my son is watching spongebob on the tele so i thought i'd sneek on for 2 mins :).
I went to the black sheep warehouse in warrington today, it has just had a revamp and the new set out is sooo much better. I ended up with 9 balls of wall and 2 cross stitch kits, just got to find somewhere to put it now lol.

Pictured is a lava necklace i made, i know not alot of people like black jewellery but i love this. I had the earrings to match but they sold at my last craft fair, which was so long ago now i can't remember.

I have been making phone charms too, here are 2 i have done. A kitty one...

and a skull one for the boys.

So i'll sign off for the night as i'll be in the land of nod soon (i'm shattered).

my blog is leaving me frustrated

2011-02-24T23:57:00.001-08:00

So i decided to try and blog last week as i hadn't blogged for a while only to be overrun with spam again. Even on my 'i hate spam' post, urgh i can't stand these people!

So i decided to just delete them all and blog anyway only to ramble on for ages and when i publish the post i got an error message and everything was lost. So in a fit of frustration i turned the computer off.

I'm not sure how long i am going to continue with my blog to be honest as i just don't have the time and it doesn't seem to be getting me any business.

I have however just opened a ebay shop, not sure if it was the right decision or not yet but we will see.

Pictured is a bracelet i made for a custom order before christmas, cute isn't it? i love the colours :)

destash

2011-01-13T02:29:00.001-08:00

I have sorted out one of my bead boxes and these are some beads i will probably never use. I listed them on ebay but they never sold, if you are interested then each lot is £1 plus £1.50 p&p. If you would like two or more lots then there is 1 p&p to pay. Just leave a comment and i'll get back to you :).

lot 1 - large red focal, acrylis yellow heart, 2 silvertone spirals, silver plated cabochon pendant, 3 hollow hearts, amethyst pendant and a chocolate fimo heart.

lot 2 - gone

lot 3 - 3 large glass pendants, 5 silvertone connectors and 4 glass beads with flowers on.

lot 4 - cabochons

thanks jo

snow again!

2011-01-04T00:49:00.000-08:00

I woke this morning at 5am to see to my daughter, she talks in her sleep alot and can wake a few times a night crying, so as i'm ambling back to bed i walked passed the landing window. I took a step back and had to squint to see but i realised that it had started to snow. hmm i said and snuggled back into bed. My husband then saw fit to wake me at 6.45am to tell me it was snowing, yes well next time i notice at 5am i'm going to wake him and tell him. No i'm not a morning person lol, especially with not much sleep.

I thought these pieces may be suitable as they kind of remind me of the snow.

They are both clear glass beads with white lucite flowers. The bracelet has a georgous leave toggle.

all over

2011-01-02T04:50:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like it is all over with for another year, everythings back to normal. We had to take our tree down 2 days before new years as it had turned brown and didn't look nice. My cards came down yesterday and my house looks more like a house now :0).

Time to concentrate on the year ahead and hopefully selling our house, it's been on the morket for over 18 months now and i would really love to move!

Pictured are a silver plated ring with a cream rose cab, pretty. A glasses chain with a seaside theme, i do love those shell beads!

And some silver plated earrings which feature cream glass pearls with tibetan silver fairys, fairy things is the theme of the month for my website so why not pop over if your a lover of fairies like me :) www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

would like to say thank you

2011-01-01T05:13:00.000-08:00

I would like to say thank you to all those people who commented on my last post. It's nice to see that people are reading my blog and it isn't just spammers.
I would also like to say happy new year to everyone, may the year ahead be a happy one :0).

Here are some of my latest pieces, a bag charm which i think is rather sweet.

a ring which is silver plated with a lime flower.

and a child bracelet which features a duck bell charm.

bit sick of spam

2010-12-31T06:25:00.001-08:00

It seems to be everywhere, and not the edible type which when in the mood can be quite nice! The forum of a craft site i am on has been taken over by spam, also misi which was once a great site is now over run with spam and people selling iphones!
long story short, i no longer use misi due to the owner not responding to any problems!
Now everytime i come on my blog i have spam messages from people selling diamond engagement rings argh!

I don't know weather to carry on blogging or give up?

Anyway enough of my moaning, here are some pictures of some hairclips i have made. I have set up a bits and bobs section on my website which features hair clips, headbands, glasses chains and phone charms. Check it out www.lej-jewellery.co.uk :0).

belated merry christmas wishes

2010-12-29T03:01:00.001-08:00

Merry christmas to my readers, again i have neglected my blog :(. I am going to start this year alot more positive and do my best to raise my business name :0).

I have been making alot of fashionable jewellery but i haven't been able to take any photo's due to my camera braeking around the middle of december. So here are some older pictures of my makes which are still available on my website.

They are 2 angel charm necklaces, silver plated, one with teal glass beads and the other has moonstone gemstone beads.

My hubby bought me a new camera for christmas so hopefully once the kids are back in school i'll get back into the swing of it :0).

My website by the way is having a massive clearout :0) www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

hey folks!

2010-12-15T23:25:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while again, hasn't it?
I've been quite busy with christmas coming up and with my daughter only being in nursary i have 3 hours each morning to run round like a headless chicken getting everything ready.
I have been making jewellery again, i did a fair (it went ok), got a new car, still haven't sold the house and spent an absolute fortune this christmas!
Here are some of my latest pieces...
moon and star earrings

star fish earrings ( i think these have now been reduced)

and one of my favourite charm bracelets

These are all available on my website :0)

more beads

2010-11-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

First i have some news, i have a house viewing on saturday :) yay! i didn't expect anymore viewings now until after christmas so this is great news. Bad news is i have to start to tidy up boo!
Anyway, now th pictures of my beads, first are some swirly ones with amber black and white glass.

And next is the same beads but squashed!

They are both for sale on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk :0)

christmas shopping

2010-11-09T03:22:00.000-08:00

I thought this morning i would go to the local shopping centre and get some of the kids stuff from argos while they were in school. Got there. waited in line thinking 'hmm, everyone else had the same idea by the looks of it' so i got to the till and only then did i notice a BIG sign saying the conveyor belt was off today and tomorrow so it may take a bit longer for goods to come up'. It didn't take too long but the woman behind serving everyone was having a right go about how there working there hardest to keep the store open and people are going to be moaning because it's taking so long! really i didn't see anyone moaning just people waiting in line for there stuff!
Anyway i then had to lug a big bag back to the car and have to find somewhere to hide it now lol.
Here are some focals i have made, first is a seashell

Next is a clear focal with blue stripes

And last a ivory pendant with pink swirls.

They are all listed on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk and are £3.

wow it has been so long

2010-11-08T03:16:00.000-08:00

Well it seems that way although i think it has only been about a month but i am sorry to say that i have neglected my blog :0(. I have been concentrating on so much other stuff. I have opened a etsy shop but it isn't going anywhere fast. I have been trying to promote my website rather than misi and folksy which are also going very slow.
Anyway enough moaning and heres some pictures, first is a childs necklace with wooden strawberries.

A flower vine bracelet...

And a tiara with turquoise and white frosted beads.

I have been listing more stuff on the website so if you want to have a peek it's www.lej-jewellery.co.uk :0).

I'll be back soon i promise ;0)

more beads!

2010-10-12T04:32:00.000-07:00

I'm getting into making lampwork sets now, i find it a bit repetative to stand and make 5-8 of the same beads and really struggle to make sets but i have perservered and i'm getting into it now. It is still taking me 2-3 sessions at my torch before i have made a set but i'm getting there.

These are a set i made using mystic pink glass, it gives the beads a cloudy effect but you can't see it from the picture.

This is a set i adore, they are teal and purple and the picture really doesn't do them justice. I've finished off another 3 sets and made a focal over the last 2 days and i have also started another set which i have fallen in love with so watch this space....pictures soon :0).

orphan beads

2010-10-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

So when i am lampworking i get a bit picky about what goes and what doesn't also what i can sell as a bead and what is slight seconds. The holes may not be perfect or the courners may not be square. This is where i stick them in a little pot to one side.
I have decided to empty that little pot and list some orphans on my website, aswell as sligth seconds there are also beads which i have decided not to make anymore of so they are odd.

I have made 3 strings up of 10 beads and they are priced at £4.50.

If your intersted please pop along to my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk right now i'm off to make some more beads whihc no doubt half of them will end up in my odd pot!

what a cutie

2010-10-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

This is my latest piece of cross stitch which i have finished. I have about 8 pieces on the go at the minute, one is a really big piece of a guardian angel which i have now been stitching for 7 years so hopefully i'll get back into that one soon.
I'm trying to finish the ones i have already started before i start anymore. The one i'm closest to finishing is a wallace and gromit warerabbit picture. I only have to do the outline but it is abit of a nightmare to be honest!
Not sure what i'm going to do with it but i was thinking of making it into a hanger.

love this!

2010-10-07T02:40:00.000-07:00

I think this is now my favourite bracelet. I love it, i have a 'thing' for skulls. More sugar/candy skulls than normal ones.

I put these tibetan silver ones with some red pearls and i love it!

Well still no news really apart from we had a offer on our house but it was 12k below the asking price plus we have already lowered the price by 8k to try and sell it so we had to say no :0(.

Maybe they'll make a higher bid but i don't think so.

Giveaway!

2010-10-06T03:19:00.000-07:00

I'm having a giveaway on my website, the prize is this witch.

To enter pop along to www.lej-jewellery.co.uk for details :0)

godess

2010-10-05T03:04:00.001-07:00

I know this is suppose to be a jewellery blog but i am making more lampwork beads than jewellery. I'm about to send a shipment down to a shop that i rent a shelf off so i may make some fresh jewellery to list on my website. When i do i'll show them here :0).

This si my lastest lampwork bead it is a godess made from red glass, i have made 2 of these from ivory but the holes haven't turned out right so i can't sell them. This one is fine so i'll be listing it on my website soon.

more beads

2010-10-01T02:55:00.000-07:00

Well both my kids seemed fine today so i sent them off to school this morning. I had to run the shopping centre to go the bank but as soon as i got home i put my torch on. I've made about 4 so i'll have to see what them look like once they have cooled down.

Here is a set i made last week, i like them. I couldn't photograph the purple properly but it is lighter than on the picture. They are also available on my website. I have listed some of my older sets on ebay with a starting bid of £1.99, if your interested heres the link

Oh well, i think i'll have a cuppa tea before i have to brace the element and go and get my daughter from school :0).

mystic blue

2010-09-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

Well today i have 2 poorly children at home with me. There not too poorly but my son was sent home yesterday with a headache and sore throat and is still abit off and my daughter has a nasty cough so i decided to keep them both off.

The living room already looks like a bombs gone off!

I made these beads last week and they were one set that came out of my last batch anneal. The colour is mystic blue and you can't tell from the photo but they have swirls of different shade of blue going through them and are quite pretty. I have listed them on my website :0) www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

witchy woo

2010-09-29T02:35:00.000-07:00

I made this a few weeks ago, it is a crochet witch *cackle* I quite like it but forgot to stuff the hat before sewing it on doh!

Still nothing to report, i have been making beads this morning but out of an hour i have 1 bead which is half decent. Just can't seem to get into it lately :0(.

I might nip back up in a minute and have another go.

novelty lampwork beads

2010-09-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

I've just got back from dropping the kids at school and thought i'd do a quick blog before i go and make some beads.
These are some which i have made over the last week, first is a chicken, I'm quite happy with how this one turned out :0)

Next is this ghost, i think it is better than the one i made last month and it isn't wonky lol.

Both are listed on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk , i have a mixture of sets and novelty beads now. I think i'm going to just concentrate on beads now as i'm finding it more and more difficult to sell my jewellery :0(. Saying that i'm not selling any beads either ha ha.

not been well

2010-09-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

I know i haven't posted for a little bit but i haven't been very well, i'm not sure what was wrong with me i think i had some kind of viral infection. I've still got a bit of a cold but i'll be ok.

No news to report really, we still haven't sold our house and nothing exciting has happened.

Pictured are some lentil beads i made, they are cobolt blue with silvered ivory wrapped around.

lots of lampwork

2010-09-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

I had a bit of brain freeze the other day while jewellery making, everything i made got took back apart so i decided to sort some lampwork beads out that i have had in a box for a while. I have strung them onto 18" silver plated chain and they are all £8. I haven't listed on my website yet but if you are interested then just just let me know :0).

First was a sea theme one, i really like it.

Next this pretty blue one

A yellow and green one

and one with a fish on. I love lampwork beads but as i make them now (long way of making them this good) i spend very little time jewellery making so probably won't use the ones i have bought.

ooo scary

2010-09-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

I have made these lampwork beads, i get a bit board making sets and it usually takes me a few sessons before i have enough to make a set. I tend to make 2 beads them start something else, these are my something else. I enjoy making little characters much more than plain beads :0).
This is my little ghost.
And here is my little spider, i made 3 beads because i knew i couldn't fit 8 legs on 1 beads lol.

I hope you like them, i have added the spider to my website but the ghost is abit wonky so i'm keeping him for me :0p. I may just make another.

purple smurple

2010-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

This is set of lampwork beads i made with one of my new presses, the colour is actually alot nicer than it appears in the picture. They are purple but the end have had a reaction to something and have a silver/gold shine to them.

They are available on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk where, don't forget, i'm offering 15% off everything with this code - promo15.

first day at nursery

2010-09-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

It was my daughters first day at nursery today, she was fine and was happy to be left at nursery. Me however i had to be shoved out the door by the teachers.

I was at a lost at what to do so i came home and cleaned up abit then i put my torch on and made a few beads. I tried top sit and watch tele but couldn't so i decided to go to asda for some bits. When i came home i unpacked the shopping and had a early dinner before going and getting her at 12.

She had a super day and didn't stop talking about it all the way back.

God help me tomorrow!

Pictured is a piece of cross stitch i finished last week, i don't do much anymore with doing other crafts but this is my second wip i have finished and i only have 4 left to finish then i can start another.

some cards and a angry day

2010-09-14T02:19:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded some pictures of some cards i have made, i will be listing them on my website over the next few days.
Firstly is this cute teddy card.
Next is this cute ballerina card.

A japenese doll card, i think they are caller koeshi but not sure.

And a caveman card, roar!

And now for my angry day lol. Yesterday i sent my son to school in his brand new winter coat. He also had football for after school club so i had to go out and buy him a tracksuit, he doesn't own a tracksuit as i think they look abit scruffy to be honest and would rather he wore jeans and a t-shirt. He doesn't play football at home so it's not a problem (he isn't a boys boy and doesn't like the rough and tumble things boys usually do).

So anyway i also got him a new pair of trainers as he needed them for school. So when i went to pick him up after after school club he came out with no coat, i told him to go and get it and told his teacher too. He asked if he had a kit as the school had to borrow him one. I told him i bought a new tracksuit and trainers for him yesterday and he had brought them into school that morning.

In the end it turns out there was nothing on his peg, no coat, no pe kit, no tracksuit and no trainers. He was to go home and the teacher would have a look for them. I was fuming all night!

However when i went in this morning and took him to his class they were on his peg, i have no idea where they disappeared to last night but i am glad they are back.

So rant over lol and thanks for listening :0).

new week

2010-09-13T03:06:00.001-07:00

Well it's monday, my husband has gone away again with work. He comes home tomorrow but is then off again on wednesday. My son went back to school for his second week and my daughter start nursery on wednesday.

Not alot is going on at home but i have been making jewellery again, i made this bracelet with swallow charms, i love it and my next tattoo is going to be 2 swallows.

I'm also having a offer on my website for 15% off everything from my jewellery to lampwork and my recently added card section (which i haven't had time to put much in yet). Just simply enter 'promo15' into the promotion code box at check out to recieve it.

Been to nursery

2010-09-10T03:37:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning in nursery today. My Darling Daughter starts on wednesday and they had a open day, well morning to introduce the kids.

She did ok, i could see she was quite imtimadated by some of the other children as she is quite meek and mild. She didn't want to come home and she can't wait to start on wednesday but i'll be really worried about her :0(.

Pictured is a set of sterling silver earrings i made using my own lampwork beads. I like them!

custom order

2010-09-09T00:22:00.000-07:00

This is some of the second custom order i have completed, It's a butterfly bag charm with 3 butterflies in pink.

A angel wing bag charm with clear beads.

And a angel wing necklace with 2 angel wings and pink beads, the lady also asked for another angel wing necklace but with clear beads. I made that last night and haven't had time to photograph it yet.

I'm going into town today to try and get my son the new gogos comic which is out today. He is gogo crazy and i have spent an absolute fortune on them but it is the only thing he likes, he's very picky!

sock monkeys

2010-09-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a sock monkey, which in case you don't know is a monkey made form a pair of socks (new ones of course).

Everyone went mad over them a few months ago and some people went on to creature there own creatures from socks.

I thought i'd give making one a go as i always wanted to but never found the time. So here is my sock monkey, very neon isn't it.

Today i have my daugthers teachers coming for a home visit, she starts nursery a week today so they need to come out and see her at home.

I also sold some lampwork beads last night, i'm over the moon and really hopes the buyer likes them :0).

Wow!

2010-09-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a busy few days, first off i was asked last week to make a commission order for a lovely lady who often buys from me so i gladly made it for her. The same day i had a lady buy one of my bag charms. She liked it alot and has asked to to do another 2 necklaces and 2 bag charms. Yippee!

I thought i'd upload the pictures of the bag charms i have made and have left on my website.

Theres a shell, betty boop and a pink heart one, very girly!

So while i'm thinking yippee things are finally picking up i have a friend, who i met through the craft scene, email and ask me to make necklace and earring sets and tiaras for her bridesmaids when she gets married next year.

I just can't believe it and to top it all off i have been featured in a treasury on etsy, it has certainly been a good week :0).

back to school

2010-09-06T03:36:00.000-07:00

My son went back to school today and the house is noticable quieter without him here. In fact i can't wait to go and pick him up at 3.15 and give him a big cuddle because i'm missing him so much lol.

Not sure what i'm going to do when my daughter starts a week wednesday.

Here is another of the bag charms i made, this one is a sheep but i'm sure you don't need me to tell you :0).

I'm looking to get back in my workshop tonight and make some beads, i've not been sleeping much so when i put the kids to bed i go myself so no bead making for a few days. I am working on a set which i'm making with purple glass and a new press so hopefully they'll be finished soon and i can anneal them.

house viewing today

2010-09-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

We have someone coming to see the house this afternoon, keep everything crossed for me won't you?

It is a friend of a friend who is coming and she recommended the area and our house to him, he had a look on the internet and liked it so we'll have to see how it goes.

I made some bag charms the day before yesterday, i have sold 2 which i'm really pleased about :0). I thought i'd put a picture up of some of the others which are listed on my website :0) www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

new shop

2010-09-02T23:36:00.001-07:00

I have decided (after my tarot card reading) to open an etsy shop. I had an account and was thinking about it but when i went to see this lady she said my business would take off selling abroad so i thought, well why not give it a try?
I'm only selling my lampwork beads there at the minute but will be adding other stuff if it starts selling.
Below is some lampwork beads i have made whilst playing about, please remember that i am a beginner lol

The first is a witch, i had the hat ok but then decided it needed a little more and completely messed it up lol
Next is a ghost, i love him, his eyes are a bit wonky but i'm going to make something for myself with him :0).

So cute

2010-09-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

I made this gnome the other day and i love him, i have been meaning to make it for a while as i love anything like this and i already have a knitted gnome which i bought from a lovely lady called Diane from Peggy knits.

I was planning on making another but he was so fidderly i'm not sure i'm going to.

Not much has been happening lately apart from trying to get the house ready for this viewing on saturday. The weather has been quite nice the last few days and i have took the kids for a amble round the shops but today i have to wait in for something i order for my son's birthday also i ordered some glass and new presses so i'll have to wait in for them too.

The verdict

2010-09-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

So i told you that last night i was going to get my tarot cards read, well i went and somethings she said i agreed with some i did not. She told me i would be moving soon which our house is up for sale and we have a viewing at the weekend. Also that we would be moving near water, the sea. That we are talking about getting a dog but we can't decide between 2 type which couldn't be more different. Well that would be a irish red setter and a cavalier king charles spaniel lol.

So i enjoyed being told things like my nan was with me and heard me talking to her, even if it wasn't true it gave me some comfort.

My business is going to get bigger and be very busy so yay to that lol, pictured is a lion i crochet a few days ago. He's a cutie isn't he :0).

Going to get my cards read

2010-08-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

I'm off to get my tarot cards read tonight, you may remember i said about my aunt getting hers done the other week. Well turns out my cousins wife still doesn't know if shes pregnant and won't go to the doctors so who knows!
I can't help but wonder if i'm doing the right thing though, if she if genuine then do i really want to know what may happen? Well i suppose i will find out tonight.
Pictured is some earrings i have added to my shop for the theme of the month. Hope you like them.

theme of the month

2010-08-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

I have decided that on my website i am going to be having a theme of the month. This will be on the front page within the featured products. This months theme will be Autumn, inspired by the orange leaves which will very soon be on our trees.
Below is one of the featured items, it is a set of lampwork beads i made last week. They are called Autumn leaves.

This is another set i have made which are also on the website but not a feature. They are called grey clouds, hmm maybe i should of featured them lol.

Not sure what i'm going to be doing today as it's a bank holiday and it is actually sunny, it has completely thrown me lol.

my trip to London

2010-08-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

My hubby has been working so hard lately and instead of the 2 weeks holidays he should of had we got 3 days. So we decided to drive down to London on the wednesday, it took a good 5 hours and once we had booked into the hotel decided not to waste a minute and go sight seeing. We got the train to tower bridge and got soaked, found a lovely little pizza place and had some tea. We then thought that as it was still chucking it down we would head back the hotel and do some sigth seeing the next day.

When we got up it wasn't raining and we decided to go to the natural history museum (sp?) Anyway it was wonderful and the kids enjoyed it but after a few hours plus 1 hour waiting to get in! we decided maybe we should see some other sights so we walked to Harrods then got a taxi to westminster which we went passed Buckingham palace on the way.

We then saw Big Ben, westminter abbey and the London eye. We then had tea in the most horrible chinese i have ever been to, yuk!

It was raining again by then and also nearly 6pm so we decided to head back the hotel. Was hungry as we had had nothing to eat really so we got room service and i had the most delicious club sandwich ever!

strange day

2010-08-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days where everything was just .... strange!

I had everything from messages being there that weren't there before to someone ask if i would give her niece one of my bag charms because she liked it. Not the one pictured, it was a betty boop one that has now sold. Yes a sale! wow! another strange occurance lol.

Anyhow my aunt went to have her future told last night and there were several things that were spot on. The lady told her that one of her daughter in laws is already pregnant and will be having a girl (she has 2 boys already). so when she got home she went straight round and asked her. She doesn't know but thinks she may be as she has a stomach ache and it only happens when she is pregnant. She already has a doctors appointment booked for today so we'll find out later! I was thinking of going myself TBH but i'm still unsure, do i really want to know whats going to happen or do i just let it unfold?

Sure would be nice to know if my handmade business is going to be a success aswell as if we are ever going to move! oh i haven't told you have i? we had a viewing from someone who had a offer on his house, they came back for a second viewing and asked how soon we could be out because his buyer wants him out soon as. Yep all great! we wait monday morning for a offer ...nothing, tuesday my husband phones the estate agent... Oh yes! mr blah blah called and said he's sorry but the people who are buying his house have pulled out because they can't get a mortgage, so he can't buy yours!

enough said i think :0(.

making again

2010-08-17T03:23:00.001-07:00

I sat last night and made this bag charm after about a month or so of not making any jewellery. I also made another 2 bag charms which i shall be posting the pictures of in my next few posts.

It felt good to be making again but at the same time i am relisting everything onto my new website and it is a reminder of all the stock i still have and why i stopped making jewellery.

Anyway i hopefully have a fair in a few weeks time so maybe i'll sell some there :0).

my new website

2010-08-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

My new website is now working and i have to say that i'm sorry i didn't make the swap sooner. Mr site (my old server provider) was slow and took at least 10 seconds to load my page, wasn't helpful with any problems i had whereas create.net (my new provider) have so far been brilliant. The new layout of my website is much better and i love it.

Please pop along and have a look www.lej-jewellery.co.uk It doesn't have alot of stock on at the moment as i'm trying to juggle my website and shops with looking after and entertaining my kids :) so the school hols probably wasn't the best time to do it but hay ho it's all done now and i'm alot happier.

flower power!

2010-08-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

Well i think my plee yesterday was heard as it has not rained today :0), the weather hasn't been sunny but it has stayed dry which is the main thing. I was going to take the kids out but realised that i have to wait in for a parcel which at 12.50pm has not arrived yet so we probably won't be going anywhere today :0(. Lets hope the weather stays dry for tomorrow.

I put my kiln on last night to anneal another batch of beads and this is one of the sets i have done. I did them for a challenge on one of the forums i use, they have a theme of the month competition each month and this month it's flower power. I went for a hippy colour theme :0).

rain rain go away!

2010-08-09T11:53:00.001-07:00

So we are 3 weeks into the summer holidays and it hasn't stopped raining, oh sorry my mistake we have had 1 dry day. I'm fed up of it now, the kids are fed up of it and everyone is board! On the up side we have had 2 viewing on the house, one of which want to come back for a second viewing :0).

These are a pair of earrings i made a few weeks ago, they are on sale in my folksy shop.

I'm thinking of changing my website provider as mr site who i am with now are quite frankly ...poo! I've had nothing but trouble with them for the last 3 years and i can't even load my website now and when i can the pages take forever to load. I have tried customer support who tell me to delete my cookies and restart my computer erm... hello... i'm no computer wizz but i'm pretty sure this won't solve the problem!

I will keep you posted on that.

yay oxygen! boo it's leaking

2010-08-04T04:38:00.000-07:00

So as explained in my previous post i was waiting for my oxygen, my husband brought some in with him from work on tuesday. Great, he hooked it all up, great! ready to go. So i turned it on and hisssssssss! hmm i thought, that can't be right so i turned it off then back on again and hissssssssss!

I then shouted hubby who told me what i thought, that it was leaking out of the connection boo! We then messed about with it for half an hour to try and get it to stop leaking with no joy :0(.

So i have to wait till he brings some special tape home to stop it leaking, thing is he's had to go away again with work until tomorrow :0(.

So i made this bracelet instead.

no oxygen :0(

2010-08-02T02:54:00.000-07:00

I use propane gas and oxygen when i'm making glass beads, i noticed that my oxygen tank was starting to run low on wednesday so i asked hubby if he could go and get it filled for me on friday (give me a chance to use the last of it). He said yes, great stuff! So he has a very stressful day in work on friday and doesn't really feel like driving to the boc place after getting home late (he's having a hard time with work lately :0(). So he said that it is open saturday till 12 and we'll go then to get some.
We set of saturday and when we get to place at 10am it's closed :0(, i was gutted. Hubby is now working away till tuesday and has the oxygen bottle in the boot of his car. He said he'll pick some up on his way home on tuesday which is only tomorrow and i've lasted this long but i'm having serious withdrawal symptons lol. See i said i was addicted!
Anyway heres what i have made while i haven't been able to make glass, shes georgous.

some pretty new beads

2010-07-30T04:56:00.001-07:00

I annealled these in my kiln yesterday, the other beads from the previous post i have put on ebay (seller id jcliff518 in case your interested) they are not perfect and i'm also curious as to what they would sell for.
These i'm am currently trying, yes trying, to load onto my website. I'm having trouble with it again and am seriously considering moving from mr site as it just seems to be problem after problem.

Anyway hopefully i'll have them listed soon and hopefully they'll sell soon :0).

fed up of the rain.

2010-07-29T05:52:00.001-07:00

Well since we came home from our holiday 3 weeks ago it has rained everyday! I'm well and truely fed up of it now, i think i have SAD, you know that seasonal thing when you get depressed in the winter. I love winter and have never been depressed but this rain is getting us all down. We have no motivation, the kids are board. It's so hard to keep them amused when we can't really go out anywhere :0(.

Anyway i've just bought them some gogos so they are quite happy sitting playing with them for an hour or so so i thought i'd hop on here and do my blog for the day.

This is a necklace i made last week, i bought a big string of ceramic discs at the last craft fair i went to, they were at a bargain price so i couldn't resist :0). I have made 1 necklace already which has sold, that was brown, so i thought i'd use the black discs to make a similar necklace. This has just been put in my folksy shop and i have everything crossed it sells soon.

I love lampworking

2010-07-28T00:17:00.001-07:00

I do! when i had my first lesson it took me a few days before i lit my torch at home, with the kids and the house taking up most of my time i kind of put it on the back shelf. It has been about 2 months since i had my lesson and the last 2 weeks i have really got into it. I want to be at my torch 24 hours a day, i think i have developed an addiction!
My teacher did warn me this would happen but i never thought it would lol.
So below are a set of 3 which i have since made another 2 green ones to go with them. There purple and green glass with ivory wrapped with a silvered ivory stringer.

And again some purple wrapped with silvered ivory.

I'm not sure how to sell them yet weather to put them in my folksy shop? my website? (which is having trouble loading at the minute because there is too much jewellery stock on it) or ebay?

Answers on a postcard please.

some beads

2010-07-27T03:24:00.001-07:00

I;m getting to the point where i can start to sell my beads now as 1. they are actually round and 2. they look pretty good. Even if i do say so myself :0)
These are a polka dot green and white set, i'm going to do some more of these in different colours.
Next is a green set with ivory silvered dots on.

And last this orange set, It's orange glass with frit on them, i love them there so bright and vibrant.

So i have some more ready to go in my kiln which i usually switch on at the weekend but i'm going to a bead fair on sunday so not sure when i'm going to anneal my next batch.

The bead fair is one of the only ones 'up north' so i try to go each time it's on. The man who supplies the glass for lampworking is going to be there so i suggest hubby hides his wallet lol.

Another day another 3 photos

2010-07-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

I thought since i have been away for so long i'd post another 3 pictures to show what i have been up to.
This is another lampwork bead i have made using my new flower press. I'm not sure on the colour and have since made another 3in different blues to go with it, one of them broke in the kiln though so i can see me making some more.
Next is a button bracelet, i kinda like it. My husband didn't get it at all and was like but it's buttons?!?! This is for sale in my folksy shop, there is also another one in my misi shop. I think that one is pink??

Next is this crochet bag, i adore this. It took me quite a while to do and the colour changes where a bit of a pain but i love it.

We'll it was the kids first day of the school holidays today and guess what? It rained! we went shopping about 11 o'clock to break the day up a bit. We got some chocolate rolls and doughnuts so the kids were happy lol. Tomorrow were planning on going out somewhere but we'll have to see what the weather is like before we decide where.

sunday, a day of rest?

2010-07-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

So it's sunday today, my plans are to go to a boot sale for a mooch around (if the rain keeps off) then perhaps get some meat from there and make a roast dinner when we get home. It is also OH dads birthday but he is in work till 3 so OH is taking the kids down then and i'm staying at home to make some beads.
Again i have put 3 pictures up, these are of my latest pieces. The first is a gemstone bracelet made with red agate, serpentine and rose quartz. Personally i love it! It isn't listed on my website but it is in my folksy shop priced at £10.

Here is another not on my website but again in my folksy shop, this is one of my favourite pieces. It's turquoise and tiger eye with tibetan silver spacers.

And last is a bead i made the other day and my very first octopus, i love him too. The thing is i forgot to keep the other side of the bead warm and he went into shock and cracked :0(. He is currently sat on my workbench on the mandrel (metal stick) as i'm to scared to take him off because i know he will break and i just can't do that to him!

Aren't i doing good 3 blogs in 3 days! I'm going to try and keep it up as i enjoy blogging and the kids are off school now so no rush to get up and out as we don't have to be anywhere.

Some more pics

2010-07-23T23:41:00.001-07:00

So i thought 3 pictures to explain what i'd been up to over the last few months probably wasn't enough so here is some more.
First is a few beads i have made, and my first set, i really like them but they have a few imperfections. There no perfectly round and on one side of the focal it has a few bumps where the frit hasn't melted in properly.

I have been cross stitching this picture for my daughter for 3 years now and have finally finished it. I'm not sure what to do with it yet and probably won't make it up until we move (no still not sold the house :0() but shes a cutie.

And last is this pink necklace, i bought the focal a while ago but never got round to using it as i didn't know what to do with it as it is very 'pink'. But i think it has turned out ok and i really like the way the pink goes with the freshwater pearls.

So thats me until tomorrow when i'll upload some more pics.

where does the time go?

2010-07-23T04:48:00.001-07:00

Seen as i haven't blogged for ages i thought i'd upload a few pictures to show what i've been up to. I have been sewing...
...Making jewellery...

.... i have been on a lampwork course and have started making my own beads....

I have also been on holiday and spent some time with my family. I am also currently having a sale on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk as soon as i sell some sale items i'm going to change my website around and have a overhaul. So watch this space.

busy week

2010-05-24T00:29:00.000-07:00

Today i have to take my daughter to playgroup then this afternoon i have to go to the garden centre for some micalite.

This is used to cool lampwork beads down slowly before they are annealed. Yes today i am going to become a novice lampworker yay!

My husband is going to get the gas and i have everything else so once it's set up i can start making.

Also this week i have a lampwork lesson plus i have a craft fair on saturday which i have to get ready for and i have to finish painting as the estate agent is coming to take new pictures. So much to do so little time.

Pictured is a bracelet i made a few weeks ago with some bright orange beads, i fell in love with them as soon as i saw them. I haven't listed this on my website yet but will be doing so as soon as i get a minute :0).

how hot is it?

2010-05-23T00:49:00.000-07:00

Not that i'm complaining of course, we've only just got rid of the snow!

Anyway i had a lovely day int he garden with the kids yesterday, i'm not one for sitting out in the sun but i did really well and i'm now more than a bit red. Well apart from where i must of rubbed my arms after i had just put the lotion on the kids because i have blotches of white everywhere lol.

So it's my birthday a week on tuesday and my hubby has bought me a lampwork set to start making my own beads yay! I already have a kiln so i'm good to go. I've asked my family if i can have the money for my birthday to put towards lampwork lessons which i have on friday and i'm really looking forwards too.

Pictured is a necklace i made a few weeks ago using grey silver foiled glass beads with silver tone egg shaped beads.

rock on

2010-05-19T01:44:00.000-07:00

I made these the other day, i think there pretty cool! My favourite type of music is soft rock or most things which have alot of guitar in. I was brought up listening to pink floyd, thin lizzy, guns and roses and that type of music so i guess thats the reason behind it.

Today i will be mostly painting my sons room. We decorated my daughters after we decided we weren't moving and i promised my son we'd do his next. I know we'll be moving soon but i would still like to do it for him. so today i'll be covered in blue paint lol.

moving again

2010-05-18T04:10:00.001-07:00

If you follow my blog then you will know that we were moving house, then we wasn't and again we have decided to move. we have decided that instead of looking for another house to buy we are going to rent instead. It relieves all the pressure of finding a house which we are going to be happy in for a price we can afford. So for the time being we are moving again lol.

Above are some aventurine sterling silver earrings i have made, i really like them. Below are some red lampwork earrings i have made, i really like them too lol.

They are both available from my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

gogo crazy

2010-05-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

I don't know if you have come across these but both of my children have gone gogo crazy. There quite hard to get now as many of the shops have sold out, we have a load of swaps and i have started to list them on ebay. If anyone is interested in swapping them leave me a comment and i'll send you a list otherwise you can check out my ebay account, my id is jcliff518 .

I have also listed a load of craft stuff on ebay as i'm having a clear out and seriously need to get rid of alot of stuff.

hmm

2010-05-11T23:13:00.001-07:00

I know it had been a while since my last post and i seem to be negleting my blog a bit but there isn't really enough hours int he day. I think it's partly to do with things being so slow at the minute too.

Alot of people where putting it down to the election but as we have a new prime minister now we'll have to wait and see.

Pictured are some cupcake earrings i have made myself from scratch. The charms are fimo and i have also made some in yellow and green. I'm hopefully going to be making a charm bracelet with them soon too so watch this space.

how long has it been?

2010-04-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

Well it seems like forever since i have blogged so i thought i'd pop on and give you all an update on whats been going on. Well not much really but we have decided not to move now, We can't compete with the prices people are lowing theres too and we are also too pickie in what we want to buy lol.

So we had the decorators coming next week to give the house a makeover, we've been couch shopping and we also went to ikea and bought some new bits and bobs (aswell as a load of fabric for me ;0). )

Things are still slow on the selling side but are getting better and i have just booked a few craft fairs so hopefully they'll go ok. I have started to make bag charms / keyrings again and pictured is one i made recently. Available on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

some of my latest pieces

2010-03-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

I've been making loads of jewellery lately, i think i'm getting back into the swing of it after a brake away. Firstly are these sterling silver coral earrings, i love them.

Next back to my novelty stuff is these rubber duckie earrings :0D so cute!.

And lastly a necklace i made using blue, amber and purple glass beads with silver plated tubes. Now i would never of put these 3 colours together but i order some beads recently and they came together in a bag and i thought hmm they go together really well so wala the necklace was born.

They are available on my website for purchase apart from the coral earrings as they will be going to one of the shops i supply, if you would like some then just let me know and i'd be only to happy to make some :-).

been playing

2010-03-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

I decided a few days ago to have a play with the fimo which has been sat in the storage cupboard for about 6 months.
This is what i made, a penguin

A pod of peas

And a chocolate

I've made them up into keyrings and have to say i'm pretty impressed with myself.

success

2010-03-23T04:22:00.001-07:00

So remember my last post saying i have a craft fair at the weekend, well it went fantastic! and was my best fair so far, ever! I'm so happy it went well and it was full of lovely people who were

mainly student but they were all great and were wearing lovely vintage clothes. I had such a good day.

I have also had a email from another shop asking to stock my jewellery so i'm happy about that and i have had a email from one of the shop i already supply saying i am there best seller in the 2 weeks i have been open. So lots of good news career wise :0D.

Pictured is version 1 of a tiara i have been asked to make, version 2 will have another butterfly added i'm half way through it and it looks much better with 2 butterflies.

another fair tomorrow

2010-03-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Well i have another craft fair tomorrow, it's in wrexham central station above yales cafe bar if anyone is interested and wants to take a nosy, O and it's on from 11am to 4pm. I'm looking forwards to it as there are a few other sellers i know going and it should be fun.
So i have put these 2 piccy on for todays blog, i will be taking them with me to sell, the first is a gold plated charm bracelet with red glass beads and green shell beads, i love the colours.

Next is some crochet, there is a bunny which my husband says looks like picatu from pokemon. Thanks for that love! lol and a toadstool which i designed myself. I didn't use a pattern just kind of made it up as i went along, i think it turned out quite good :0).

The rabbit does have a fluffy tail but you can't see it from this photo. So wish me luck everyone :0).

here kitty kitty

2010-03-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

Well my craft fair went ok at the weekend, there wasn't many people at all through the door, which seems to be the problem with them all, i did however mange to sell enough to cover my table and material cost but alot of people didn't sell anything so i can't grumble.
I'm doind another this weekend at wrexham central, i'm keeping everything crossed this one will be better or i'll be giving serious thought to giving up on craft fairs. I can't get in anywhere with my jewellery anyway so i don't see much point.
Below are 2 of my latest charm bracelets both are hello kitty style, 1 purple and 1 red, i love them both!

Hope you do too, and don't forget if your in the wrexham area pop in and support your local craft fair :0). It starts at 11am and is above the yale cafe bar.

craft fair tomorrow

2010-03-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

I have my first craft fair of the year tomorrow, when i booked it the lady said they were fully booked for jewellery and cards so i thought hmmm maybe i can take my crochet and sewing items. I only have a few but it's a month away i can make more. So she agreed and the fair was booked. Note to self never book a fair unless you have the stuff already, i have nowhere near enough to take, i've made a few keyrings to try and make it look like more but i don't know what to do. I don't want to rush round making loads and then not do to good because it's worse than going with your stuff made and selling nothing.
Anyhow i'll let you know monday how it turns out. Ooo i forgot if your in the area it's ivy, barlow moor road, didsbury, manchester. pop in!

Here is one of my latest charm bracelets, i love it!

Wish me luck for tomorrow and today, we have a viewing on our house horay! but we've just found out that the house we have set our hearts on is under offer. The people don't have a house to sell and thier mortgage has already been appoved so were gutted but it mustn't of been the house for us so i'm trying to say positive that we will find something better.

Anyway fingers crossed for the weekend and i'll let you know how we get on.

fun fun fun

2010-03-11T02:33:00.000-08:00

As some of you know i have a section on my website for novelty jewellery and here are 4 of my latest makes.
Firstly is these knitting earrings, i love them and i can't knit lol

Next are 'over the rainbow'

Then cheeky monkey.

And these froggy ones, the frog ones sold within an hour of listing them but i will be getting some more very soon and re listing them so watch this space.

I love novelty earrings, there so fun! I'll hopefully be making more styles in the near future. Any suggestions which aren't featured on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk and you would like to see then let me know :0).

purple rose

2010-03-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

This is one of my latest necklaces, it is called purple rose for obvious reasons lol. It is purple glass pearls with tibetan silver spacers and purple lucite rose beads. It is also available on my website ;). www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

It feels like forever since i have blogged and i have so much to show you including all the crochet i have been doing and i even made myself a top.

For the lady who inquired about a pattern for the summer dress i made i got it from the burdastyle website, theres lots of great patterns on there and lots of lovely creations.

made up with my little self

2010-02-25T03:47:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at dress making. I decided to try and make something for my daughter and found this free pattern. I think it's great. My 2 year old however said she doesn't like it and won't even try it on.

I think i'll wait for a bit and try to get her to try it on again. I think it's because she has seen me make it that she won't entertain it and judging by how head strong she is i don't think i'll ever get it on her lol.

I think from now on i'll stick to making myself clothes :0).

And the winner is...

2010-02-23T05:42:00.000-08:00

...Cookiemonster, congratulations!
Sorry it has taken so long to get round to doing this today only my husband currently has man flu. So as you can imagine i've been nursing him lol.

tomorrow

2010-02-22T03:56:00.001-08:00

Is when the winner of the giveaway will be announced and i have to say with only 10 entrants you all have a fairly good chance of winning :0).

I made this necklace a few weeks ago i love the colours, i made another using the same beads but in reds, purples and pink which i equally love. Both are available on my website. www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

giveaway

2010-02-18T11:14:00.001-08:00

I have just noticed that i have reached 100 followers yay! and i have decided to have a giveaway to celebrate.
Up for grabs are a pair of sterling silver swarovski crystal earrings.
All you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment saying which colour you would like blue or purple. Don't worry if your comment doesn't show up straight away as i have to approve it. I changed my settings as i was getting people spamming my blog all the time.

Thanks to all my followers :0).

half term

2010-02-16T00:24:00.001-08:00

What to do? it was raining all day yesterday and hubby had to go down to work in telford for the day so was late home. Today it is snowing and hubby has gone to scotland with work and won't be back till tomorrow :0(. I wonder what tomorrow has to bring?
The kids were good yesterday considering they spent all day cooped up in the house. They spent alot of the day in there bedrooms playing so i managed to get some cross stitching done.
I promised if the weather is ok we'd go to chester zoo on friday so they have that to look forwards too.
Below is my latest sterling silver piece. The earrings are sterling silver hooks with swarovski crystals and amazonite gemstone beads.

The necklace is amazonite beads and chips with sterling silver tubes and fastens with a sterling silver hook.

Well now i have to go and get the kids washed and dressed as we didn't know it was pancake day today and we have to go and get a squirty lemon!

as promised

2010-02-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

Remember a few weeks ago i said i had made a set using pressed amber and green potato pearls? well here it is.

I've had these beads for a while but i wasn't sure what to make with them but i made quite a lot of green and orange pieces the night i made these.

I drove to my nearest bead shop today which is about a 20 minute drive then 10 minute walk into the town centre only to find it was shut :0(. Oh well, i don't go that often so was a bit disappointed, i had to go shopping anyway because it is my mums birthday tomorrow and i had to get her something so the day wasn't wasted. plus i found some go gos which my son collects so he'll be happy.

dolphin charm bracelet

2010-02-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

This is my latest charm bracelet, it features glass dolphin shaped beads with blue and white glass beads and mother of pearl turquoise hearts. A must for any dolphin lover.

I have been neglecting my blog again but i just can't seem to fit everything in. In between looking after 2 children and a husband, trying and failing to keep the house tidy aswell as trying to find some crafting time. I just don't tink it can be done.

Also i'm a little bit miffed at the moment which is effecting my craftyness. I put photos of my work on several galleries aswell as facebook and anywhere else i can think of. In these galleries they have a 5 star rating as a comment box well i have been getting no comments or stars (fair enough my stuff isn't to everyones taste) but i then get people e mailing me asking where i get my beads. I don't mind telling people, well i didn't until someone asked and i told them, they then posted a picture of the exact same thing i had made and put 'for sale on my website' underneath it. Am i wrong to be angry about this? i would never copy someone elses work like that and i can't believe the cheekyness of her, she has emailed me since asking some other question but i have ignored her.

more lampwork

2010-02-04T02:16:00.000-08:00

Just thought i'd show you some more of my lampwork necklaces, these 2 are both made using sterling findings. I have to say i do really like them both.

I also have some sterling earrings on my website made with the lampwork beads from this necklace although they are not quite matching as they don't have the brown beads, they are matched with purple swarovski crystals.

I hope you like them both too.

bit more fantasy

2010-02-03T04:08:00.000-08:00

I made these earrings a few weeks ago, i love them not only because i love fairies but i love the blue it's so vibrant.

I haven't blogged much in the last week as we had a house viewing and had to put the en suite back in (and pack all my craft stuff away) within 2 days. My husband and my dad did a great job although it isn't finished it only needs the floor laying. We never heard nothing back from the people who came to view the house but at least its sorted now.

i adore this shop

2010-01-25T02:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged about another shop for a while as i felt after the coriandr express i would get me blog back to being mine. But when i came across this shop i instantly fell in love with it and purchased a dragon similar to the one below. The shop is on folksy and is called Feyth, the link in case you want to have a nosy (which i highly recommend you do) is http://www.folksy.com/shops/feythcrafts

I also love this schnoobug, hes adorable

And my favourite has to be this little fellow 'the elfling'.

She has lots of other stuff in her shop i can see me just having to go back there soon.

i love lampwork

2010-01-22T01:57:00.000-08:00

I made these the other day before i went on my shopping frenzy, the first is made using georgous grey lampwork beads with a hint of blue. I strung them with grey glass beads and grey seed beads. It fastens with a sterling silver hook and i like it.

Next is lilac frit lampwork beads strung with purple glass beads and silver plated spacers. It fastens with a silver plated hook.

I try to make both sterling silver and silver plated jewellery with my lampwork beads as i know some people only buy sterling silver whereas others prefer the silver plated which is cheaper in price. So i try to appeal to both markets.

gemstones

2010-01-21T01:18:00.000-08:00

I made another of these necklaces last week. This is the 3rd variation of turquoise and tiger i have made. I love how well they go together. It's probably one of my favourite necklaces.

I made another 3 necklaces using gemstones when i made this one but i haven't got round to taking photos yet.

Good news is that i have booked my first craft fair for the year on the 4th april at cefn, north wales and some more good news is i have had my first order for a shop i will be supplying. The shop is going to open on the 1st march and is going to be called Calladoodles. It is going to be based on the high street, carshalton in surrey.

fantasy

2010-01-19T02:15:00.000-08:00

I love all things to do with fantasy and magic, my favourite film growing up was labryinth starring david bowie and now i carn't tear myself away from charmed. I also love anything to do with angels and fairies so every now and again i make a fantasy piece. This is my latest one, it's carnelian chips with a pewter dragon charm. I love it and am thinking about ordering another dragon charm to make one for myself.

Today i am really tired, i can't seem to get to sleep at night then i'm up with my daughter 3 - 4 times through the night and then a early morning for the school run. My hubby has just gone up to scotland for work so i might be able to sleep easier having the bed to myself and no one snoring lol.

valentines

2010-01-18T01:27:00.001-08:00

I know it seems like christmas was only yesterday but the next big event is valentines. The high street shops already have there easter eggs out never mine hearts and flowers.

So i thought i'd show you my contribution for this year. It's red glass beads with silver plated spacers and tibetan silver hearts and toggle and can be found on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk :-).

Well i am sorry to say that i have fell off the wagon. Remember i said i wasn't buying anymore beads until i have used what i already have and although i have made loads with my bead stash i went on a bit of a shopping frenzy and spent £40 on lampwork beads ooops! The thing is i don't have many little beads to add with the lampwork beads so i'll have to go and buy some of them, well thats my excuse and i'm sticking to it!

poker face

2010-01-16T06:28:00.001-08:00

I thought i would show you some poker themed items i have made. Poker is pretty big at the moment with both male and female so i made this bookmark.

And these earrings.

I've been out today to get some storage boxes to keep all my bits in because my craft room was our en suite but we changed it because i needed a crafty space. Now were moving we have decided to change it back to try and sell the house quicker. I'm going to miss my little craft room but i definetly haven't missed having a 3rd bathroom to clean and i'm not looking forwards to it :-(. Speaking of cleaning i have just spent the last hour hunched over the toy box trying to sort that out because with christmas just been we have a tonne of toys. So i now have half a binbag to go the tip and a binbag full to go to the charity shop. The kids rooms are next but i think i'll leave it till tomorrow or i'll still be there all hours in the morning.

green and amber

2010-01-15T00:49:00.000-08:00

I really love this colour combination, I think it goes together really well. I have made a few sets like this including one with pressed amber and green potato pearls (pictures coming soon). The green shell discs are some i bought last week, i know i said i weren't going to buy any more till i used what i already had but i needed some stringing wire and saw these in the same shop so i had to get them :-p. Also in my defence i have made about 30 pieces over the last week all from my stock so i'm doing well.

Well school is back open today and thankfully it has been raining all morning (never thought i'd say that lol). The council had been out and cleared half of the road (don't know why they only done one side?) My husband has taken my son to school on his way to work so it has saved me a journey.

urgh! snow

2010-01-14T00:05:00.000-08:00

Ok yesterday was the first day my son was back in school since they broke up for christmas. The school is at the bottom of a very icy hill so it's been shut as teachers and parents who drive there (ie. me) can't get to it.

So they decided even though the hill was still 2" thick with ice they would open the school 10am till 3pm. I decided not to drive and walk.... i should of stayed in bed! It took me half an hour of slipping and sliding, getting the pram stuck but having fits of giggles to get to the school. It was snowing again and i was beginning to resemble a snowman. I dropped my son inside the school and left for my trek home, my daughter instantly started screaming because she wanted her brother and kept this up all the way home. Slipping and getting stuck isn't as funny when you don't have a 8 year old to giggle with and a screaming 2 year old, so after another half hour i got home. Had a cup of tea and had a little winge on facebook about my ordeal only to be told by one of the other mums that if the snow keeps up we have to pick them up at 1 o clock. urgh!

So i called the school at 12.30 and yes they were closing at 1pm so i thought i'm not doing that again and i drove my car to my dads (who lives at the top of that very icy hill) and walked 5 mins to the school hmmm why didn't i think of that this morning? So they have shut the school again until the coucil are willing to clear it ha! good luck! the council have gritted NO roads round here.

So anyway enough of my moaning lol. Pictured is a necklace i made the other day. I wasn't sure about these beads after i had bought them but i thought i'd try and make something since i'm using up what i have before buying more. I quite like it, you don't often see gold and silver together and i think it looks different.

childrens jewellery

2010-01-13T00:38:00.000-08:00

I like making childrens jewellery and it is always popular at craft fairs. So i have pictured my 4 latest pieces to show you. First is this frog bracelet, i still like to make novelty items even with kids stuff.

Next is this pretty fair bracelet.

Then this pastel hearts bracelet. I really like these beads there so cute.

And last this cute butterfly bracelet.

Making childrens jewellery is also a great way of using up your odd beads which you may only have 3-4 of as they always look great with a load of seed beads added in between.

skulls

2010-01-12T00:43:00.000-08:00

I have a bit of a obsession with skull jewellery at the minute. I have a few child pieces listed on my website and last night i made this piece. It is a memory bracelet and features black glass beads with tibetan silver skull beads.

I have nearly used all my skull beads but i just love them and can see me nipping back to buy some more.

I also found some sugar skull beads but they are 90p each which is going to put the price of a bracelet with 4 of them on at a bit too much so i'm still deciding what to do.

The snow is starting to melt now, the kids are still not back at school and my hubby has just ventured up to scotland for work. so things are slowly returning to normal, i'm also going to go out in my car today for the first time in a week.

I'm getting back into my jewellery making too, i sat last night watching hustle and made about 15 pieces, go me!

too early

2010-01-09T23:47:00.001-08:00

Urgh! well me darling daughter decided to get me up at 6.30am this morning. Not that i would usually mind but i stayed up last night to watch the first episode of heroes. I'm so glad it's back on now there will be something decent to watch on tv. But it didn't finish till 11.35pm so by the time i settled down in to the land of nod it was late.

Pictured are some earrings i made with a circle of memory wire i had left over, I have tried to make a bracelet with one ring of memory wire but it doesn't look right so i cut it in half and thought i'd give earrings a go. I think they have turned out pretty good.

I did venture out yesterday, my husband drove me to asda to do some shopping. where going to try and go out again today. The snow isn't to bad now, the problem is the snow has now been squashed into 3" of ice. The main roads have a single track through them which isn't slippy it's just the side roads.

more snow on its way

2010-01-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

I am not really looking forwards to it as i haven't been out since monday. I don't want to drive my car in it and the footpaths round here are about 2" thick with ice. I feel like i am slowly going crazy! i'm going to brave it today and at least go out for a walk, get some fresh air. I really hope there is some let up soon it's so sad to hear about all the people dying on the news from ice and snow related incidents.

On a lighter note pictured is a necklace i made before christmas i have a few of these maroon glass pearls and i used some gold plated filagree leaves which i had in the bottom of one of my bead boxes.

I hope things start to pick up again now christmas has gone. I have just been on one of my shops and i noticed there were 522 pages of jewellery, each page has 12 items on and i think it's just to much competition especially with people not buying. Fingers crossed for this year x.

black hearts

2010-01-08T03:40:00.000-08:00

I know we have only just had christmas but now us crafters have to start thinking about the next big date which is .... valentines day.

I made this bracelet and earrings set the other day it features black glass heart with tibetan silver spacers. The earrings are silver plated and both are available from my website. www.lej-jewellery.co.uk .

The kids still haven't gone back to school after there christmas break due to the snow. Not that i mind to be honest i have had a few issues with the school and i was rather my son was here where i know he was getting the right support and was being looked after. He was quite funny this morning, he told me he was going to get up and have his breakfast but then he was going back to bed to hibinate lol. not that i can blame him really i feel like doing the same.

ouch

2010-01-07T00:05:00.001-08:00

Well i say ouch because my car is due in for a service and mot today, i had to buy four new tyres last weeks which cost me £180. When i asked the lady how much for a service and mot the reply was £200 hmmm but i also need and clip for my seat.

The thing is i have a 2 door car so im always pulling the seat forwards to let the kids in and out and our drive is so narrow that you have to park as far over as possible so you can open the drivers side door (the passenger either has to get out the car before i drive on or climb over the handbrake.) So anyhow it's always my seat that gets moved and the clip is broke so i can no longer move my seat. Which is a bit of a pain because everyone now has to get out of the car at the end of the drive.

So i asked how much one of those was going to be .... £90 OMG. I think i'm going to cry £470 in the last 2 weeks on my car. blub blub!

I can't moan to much as there my first tyres in 3 years, my hubby goes through them every 3 months. good job his is a company car!

So anyway enough of my moan pictured is a kiddies necklace i made the other day. It features some lampwork dog beads i bought at a craft fair last year (as mentioned in a previous post i'm trying to use up all my beads before buying more). I hope you like it :-).

seaside and the snow

2010-01-05T23:52:00.000-08:00

Well not together but here is a bracelet i made callad by the sea. It is a memorey wire bracelet so wraps around the wrist rather than fastens. It features blue and green glass beads with tibetan silver seashells and a starfish and seahorse charm.

Next is a picture i took yesterday after we had had 6" of snowfall overnight.

The kids had a great time playing in it, neddless to say we had to come in and have some toast and a cuppa tea to warm us up. Well the kids had juice but after building that i needed a cuppa.

brrrr!

2010-01-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

How cold is it outside -8 the weather woman said on the news before brrrrrr! i have just got back from shopping and the sun has melted abit of the frost but the roads are still very slippy, i'm just glad to be home.

I still haven't got to finish my bag although i only have the strap to sew and attach so nearly there. In the mean time this is another bracelet i made before christmas. It is amethyst beads with flourite glass chips and a pewter peacock charm. I really like it.

nutty for knitting

2010-01-03T00:48:00.000-08:00

I love making charm bracelets which are unusual which no one else would have made or ones with a novelty to them so i came up with this. It is called i love knitting and features tibetan silver hearts and balls of wool with black glass beads. It is silver plated and can be made in any colour.

I made it before christmas and have listed it on my website with a few other bits.

Today i'm going to try and finish of a bag i started. I got half way through making it when the kids decided to start ww3 in my living room so had to sort them out and never got back to it.

I haven't crafted much over christmas, it seems to have flown by so fast and i have been trying to keep the kids busy. After i have done the bag i'm planning to make a summer dress for my daughter (yes i know it's winter but by the time i get it right it will be summer lol) i went to abakhan fabrics yesterday and got some georgous fabric in the sale for 50p a metre bargain!

season greetings

2009-12-31T00:47:00.000-08:00

I know i'm a bit late in posting but i hope you all had a merry christmas and have a good time celebrating new year tonight. I myself will more than likely be in bed by 10.30pm lol. Having a 2 year old who still doesn't sleep through the night it isn't a good idea to stay up past midnight then having to get up early morning. I will be very cranky to say the least lol. Hubby will probably send me to bed as soon as my daughter goes just to keep the peace on new years day :-).

So anyhow, following the trend i have reduced many items on my website www.lej-jewellery.co.uk

My news years resoulutions is to get organised, make more and blog more aswell as the usual eat less and exercise! so heres to a better 2010!

2 in a row

2009-12-08T06:08:00.001-08:00

Well i feel like i have been doing pretty well keeping my blog up to date lately.

Here is my latest piece, i think i have fallen in love with it lol, i love the colours of the beads and this is the 3rd one i have made using these beads. Unfortunatly i now only have about 8 beads left in the pack and theres no purple or pink but i think the reds will still make a great bracelet.

I have decided that i have to limit the beads i buy now too and i'm only buying what i need. I have way too many beads and with the things the way they are i don't have many pennys for splashing out when i see beads i like (which is pretty much everytime i see beads lol). so i'm going to be using whats in my bead box for now but i have some treasures in there ;-).

getting ready for the weekend

2009-12-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

I've got another craft fair at the weekend, yay, although that might be a bit to soon judging by my last few and what other crafters are saying about there fairs lol.
These are my 3 favourite pieces i have made in the last few days.

I think the bracelet is my favourite of the 3 i love the colours.