Lovely lucite, found on Folksy!

This is the first of a series of posts about all the lovely things I've been buying on Etsy and Folksy recently. The first two of these posts are going to be about some stunning beading supplies I've found - I'm a self confessed supplies junkie who loves nothing more than to browse for new items to add to my stash!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the kind of jewellery I'm making and it's potential audience and have come to the conclusion that I need to try some new things. While I love beadweaving, the market for my more complex pieces (the ones I like best to do) it is fairly limited due to their expense. So while browsing the Folksy forums recently I experienced nothing short of an epiphany when I spotted a post from Liz Dyson of The Little Bead Box, enquiring about forum members' preferences for combining packs of lucite flowers. She had just taken delivery of 5400 of them!!
http://www.folksy.com/shops/lizdyson

I was seduced straight away by the stunning array of colours - here is part of my order, sorted by size and colour, ready to put away in its new home.




Just look at those mouth watering colours!

New home - as you can see, the sun was over the yardarm at the time of photographing! The only problem with these drawers as they are is that I have to carry them around strictly upright to stop everything spilling out and have to store them where Stanzi can't get at them and knock them over with a paw-swipe. I think the ultimate solution will be to screw them down somewhere, which will happen when we have the back workroom sorted out. I'm only using them because I've run out of box space but I am liking the way the flowers look in them!

Some experiments in layering these little lovelies and there are so many possibilities yet to explore. Only thing is, I can feel the need for more shapes creeping up on me...







My first actual earrings; I've decided to keep the orangey ones. My excuse? The fire polish faceted beads I've used in them are the last of a lot and the colours aren't quite matching. (I don't need much of an excuse...in fact I'm wearing them as I type!)


Liz has a fantastic array of beading supplies in her shop and is a lovely person to work with; she's on my Folksy faves now and I'm sure I'll be visiting her again very soon!

I've finally done it!

Yes, after ages of deliberation I've finally set up shop on Etsy. Only three pieces listed so far but "great oaks from little acorns grow" as they say! Here I am: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7316923 And I had one person heart my shop and one person heart an item within half an hour of introducing my self in the forums, so I'm feeling pretty hopeful.

Loads more listing to do, both on Folksy and on Etsy, but I'm having a break for a couple of days to relax and do the garden! Let's hope the weather bucks up a little, it's been odd here today, sunny and then cloudy in quick succession.

A few flower pics :

These irises in our garden just get better and better each year!












Breathtaking delphiniums at Temple Newsam, near Leeds. I can still remember the fantastic shock of turning a corner and totally unexpectedly seeing these!







I'm not entirely sure what these are, I think they are a variety of primula. These beauties are at Harlow Carr, the RHS garden near Harrogate.








Will be back and blogging again in a few days, happy MayDay holiday to all!

I've been crafting again at last...

Well, I promised myself that I would spend all day yesterday at the craft table and I did. It felt really good to be "back at the coal face" for the first time in ages!

I've finished this pair of earrings and have nearly finished a "toning but not exactly matching" necklace. The earrings are listed on Folksy now, the necklace probably will be by Wednesday or Thursday.

I can't describe how much I love stitching these simple little zipped peyote beaded beads. They are nothing stunning by themselves but in combination with other beads made by the same method in different colours and sizes (sizes both of the component beads and the finished bead) they can amount to something really striking. And of course, as in the case of these earrings, just in combination with other beads.

I've changed my photograph strategy as well. I was browsing a beading book the other day (The Bead Jewellery Maker by Cheryl Owen) and decided that I really liked the way the pieces in it had been photographed, using textiles and papers that complemented their colours. Of course, as with any change, it means going back and re-doing most if not all of the photographs I already have on my listings. Realistically, that is going to have to be done piecemeal if I'm to get ahead with crafting.

Ah well, going to post this now and do my second Sunday post...

I'm so excited!

Well, yesterday I listed these pretty earrings on Folksy and, as soon as I'd finished, I went and clicked on "Buy" and then on "Jewellery" and there they were, right at the beginning of the search results!!

And today they are still only on the second page of results. (Folksy has a self-jurying system, so that when you list things they only get on the front page of search results if enough people have liked your shop so much that they've added it to their favourites.)

I am just so made up that this has happened!! (Sorry, explanation possibly needed - "made up" is a Yorkshire word, I believe. Well, I'm not a native of these parts and I only started using it when I arrived here so I guess it must be...)

Very short post as I'm near to the left of total exhaustion, the day jobs being pretty hard work at the moment! I will be back at the weekend.

Thank you again, all you lovely Folksy peeps!

The First Post - Not The Last!

I've been promising myself for months now that I will start a blog and the day has finally arrived! What will I be blogging about? Well, crafting will be the main topic, sharing the creations for sale in my Folksy shop - see My Favourite Links. You'll also see "how to" posts and posts about the work of other talented crafters on Folksy.

And as well as crafting I'll be posting about cats, gardening, history, holidays and - oh, well, how will I know until it arrives?!

I'm very new to Folksy and am still working hard to fill my shop and get it looking how I want it. All this on top of a full time job! Last weekend we worked solidly on the photographs and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm especially happy with the two you can see here! There will be more tweaking, of course - I'm an OCD Virgo, after all. And there'll also soon be something other than jewellery in the shop as I have recently got the felting bug and am planning a series of felted and embroidered bags.

Why Under The Lindens? Just two reasons, really. One: we have a stunning lime tree in the corner of our garden. Two: in the garden of my junior school there was a beautiful avenue of lime trees that I loved to walk in.