Not-quite Kalera shape (and one more elephant)

I've been making quite a few beads this shape lately

To get the shape, I am not quite filling the Kalera shaped brass press with glass. If I fill the press, this is the resulting shape (just to prove I do know how to do it!)

I've decided to call it the Kalera-lite shape. I like the less formal shape I get by not filling the press.

I made a double-stranded bracelet using these beads and black onyx, which sold on its first outing on my stall but I also got a commission for two necklaces made with these beads as well (one of which you've already seen a photograph, the other and the bracelet pics are on my old laptop - don't make me go get them!) I've made a new bracelet and I'll also be making earrings to match so I'll be sure to photograph them this week.

I have also made lots of Kalera-lite beads out of Bombay Sapphire and Cava glass which have been turned into pendants, earrings and bracelets - again, I didn't get chance to photograph them but am planning on doing some more so I'll make sure I get them done to show you.

Update on the Elephant Parade: my sister and her colleague, Alison were on safari all last week. I think they became rather obsessed with it because I was being bombarded with photographs thick and fast! The elephants have all been removed to be auctioned now and so - to fit in as many as they could - Sandy and Alison were looking them out before work and in their lunchbreaks - bless! We had a lovely bar-b-q round Sandy's yesterday for Father's Day (fortunately the showers that we had on Saturday when I was on my stall had stopped by Sunday). She tells me she saw 58 out of the 258 in total that were in the parade.

I'll be posting photographs of our favourites very soon, but in the meantime, here is a picture of the one closest to my heart. He is called Eko, he was in Green Park. The artist is Paul Kidby and he's being sold in aid of the Orangutan Foundation.