Quick ...

... I'm late for the Wimbledon highlights programme!

So this is a flying visit to show you a preview of new Red Mist items that will be on sale on my stall at the Art & Craft Market in Trinity Stree, Cambridge tomorrow. Half of the proceeds of any sales of this range will go to the Orangutan Foundation, a UK based charity.

Have a great weekend, hope to see you in Cambridge tomorrow! I've made lots of other items, they're all in the camera waiting to be put onto the website on Sunday/Monday.

Perfume for dogs

My delightful dog, Missy, today decided that the perfect perfume for the lady pooch in the country is Eau de Tortoise Poo. This exclusive fragrance is available by rolling on the grass just where the tortoise has been to the loo! So she's had to have a bath, fortunately it's warm so she's drying out now looking all cross and sulky with me. So I'm a bit behind on everything now!

A few days ago, I got a lovely e-mail from a lady who bought two bracelets from me, she wants me to make her some jewellery for her birthday (better not say which one!) Black and silver is the brief and I sent her this photograph of beads I made that I thought might fit the bill:

The bead on the extreme left is made with silver leaf and as it melts, leaves behind lots of tiny little dots which are then encased in clear glass to magnify them. Some of these have clumped together in the sample on the left hand side ordinarily I would reject this bead but just for sample's sake, it gives an idea.

The bead second left is made using baking soda to create lots of tiny bubbles which look silvery as they reflect the light. Again this bead is encased in clear glass.

The bead second from the right is made using .4mm fine silver wire wrapped around the core in a random fashion, lightly melted in and then encased in clear glass.

The bead on the extreme right has been made using fine silver .99% purity mesh. As the mesh is melted into the black base bead, it leaves a network of silver dots, bigger than those left by the silver leaf. Again the bead is encased in clear glass.

Fiona has gone for the baking soda bead and so I will be matching a batch of them very soon - I think it's going to be a very stylish one-of-a-kind jewellery set, I'm so looking forward to making them!

Camera and computer still not talking to one another

Despite the fact that my computer is refusing to talk to my digital camera, DH's computer has been far more amenable. Perhaps my laptop was just having a case of Monday blues but it might be time to think about a new one as it's over five years old. But anyway, here are the beads that I promised yesterday. I am going to make some more of these and hopefully get them made up into jewellery this week.

I forget to tell you, I sold my first Pandora style, large-hole bead on Saturday! I only started putting them out for sale on the stall two weeks ago. I still haven't photographed any yet and I want to make a new page on the website for them.

These are jobs that are on the list of jobs to do this week but as its Wimbledon fortnight, I might not get round to everything. I will be wanting to watch all of Andy Murray's games live but for the main, I will content myself with the hour of highlights in the evening. Today he is third on centre court so it's finally time to get my ironing up to date. I can iron inbetween points and not feel so guilty that I'm watching TV in the middle of the day! Wimbledon fortnight is the only time my ironing pile is ever up to date!

Communication error

I was so busy making replacement stock for my stall last week, I didn't get the chance to photograph any of my new items for the blog or the website. Conscious of the fact that I haven't shown you anything for over a week, I took a photograph of some new experimental beads that I am going to go into production with this week but my digital camera is giving me a "Communication Error" when I'm trying to download them into my computer.

I'll try with DH's laptop this evening when he's back from work to see if the problem is with the computer or the camera so sorry about the lack of updates. I do have new work to show you when the camera is back in operation.

Red mist success

I am pleased to say that I have sold a pair of the Red Mist earrings to one of my regular customers and also, her friend wants the Red Mist necklace - all without ever setting themselves down on my stall! As soon as I receive the cheque, I will be making the promised donation of half of the proceeds to the Orangutan Foundation. It's nice to know people actually read my blog (even if you don't leave comments!) :-)

Fear not, I still have a (not yet photographed) Red Mist pendant and a further pair of earrings should anyone want to see (and or buy) them tomorrow on my stall at the Art & Craft Market in Trinity Street, Cambridge!

I've put a few new items on the website today, highlights of these below: