I want some boro glass beads. I'm not exactly sure what that is... but from what I understand its about the best quality glass for handmade lampwork beads. These ones above are beautiful.. only prob is there are no sets in the bunch... so it would be one bead per piece of jewellery. But it could be a good starting point.
Elevationseven a joint project between James and myself. The plan is to upload a photo everyday from somewhere around Perth. It's not a new idea - but from what we can tell, its the first one in Perth. It will put the new camera to use, and keep us on the lookout for the next photo opportunity.
A recent order on my website required gift wrapping and a little Birthday card. With a bit of technical help from James for the card design, here it is all ready to go:
I didn't expect to get onto this so soon, but here it is. I was too impatient to wait for a mandrel, so I improvised with a nail polish lid, which amazingly is the perfect size for my finger.
With wire wrapping around the ring base only:
With additional wire wrapping around the Czech Glass bead
I definitely prefer it with the extra wire wrapping, but I will need another couple of goes to get it a lot neater than this one.
For a first attempt... I'm happy :)
Once I get hold of a mandrel I can start work on something like this. Now this image here doesn't quite do it for me, but in silver and with a bit of colour, possibly some adjustments once I start playing I think I could make it my own.
So... off I go to order a mandrel :)
Heres my latest Etsy find.
Luckily its reserved for someone (not me) or I may have had to pull out the credit card again. This can be worn as a long necklace or a multi-strand bracelet. I think it would be a beautiful addition to any winter wardrobe, I would have been happy to add it to mine :)
Another Etsy store to keep an eye on.
Today James & I purchased the Olympus MJU1020
Watch this space... theres an exciting new project on the way...
Handwired has such stunning work, its a real inspiration. I hope to one day be working to this standard. Everything is wire-wrapped to perfection, using the best materials, including gorgeous gemstones. The other thing I hope to achieve one day is having my own 'style' or 'niche'. Handwired certainly has a signature style. And their colour combinations are beautiful.
I am learning quickly that people who sell items which have been made with care are such a pleasure to deal with. I guess this comes from the passion they have for the item itself. I have been lucky enough to receive some marketing advice/ideas from this lovely lady who is very successful with a booming craft business.
I have a custom order with the designer, Joyce, at the moment. Stay tuned and I will post a pic when it arrives. *I can't wait*
Very disappointing.
I was quite looking forward to visiting these markets - focused on art and craft. Unfortunately they were a major let down. A total of perhaps 10 stalls, at least 5 of which were jewellery, and one of handmade glass beads. Perhaps other crafters, like me, have a fulltime job and are therefore unable to set up a stall on a friday. Strangely, these markets are only open thurs/fri.
I think Perth is in need of markets that only allow sellers of handmade goods. (perhaps I am biased). But how can someone who makes jewellery be expected to compete with the sellers of asian imports.
There are rumors of a 'upmarket market' on the perth foreshore, which is great, although the term 'upmarket' most likely equals expensive.
For now, I will wait for the next Cat Haven fete to set up my stall. It's great to be able to donate to them whilst selling my things.
Very sad news. The Perth leg of the Bead & Gem Show has been cancelled. Last year we had 3 expos which included beading supplies. the B&G show was the best. One of the shows had already decided they weren't coming to perth, so it was down to only two. Now the B&G show has cancelled I am quickly losing my excitement.
SO... the money I had mentally allocated to the B&G show is now available for... perhaps an online purchase?
Which is not so bad, but the expos always have the really good discounts.
These are lovingly known as 'goddess beads'. I have seen many of these from talented crafters, but this one is by far my favourite, I really love the texture of the colour, and the photography is beautiful too. Alana from Vicare Flameworks spent over an hour working on this one.
I have already posted this, but wanted to try to show it a little better. It's not always the case, but this time the item is MORE beautiful in real life than the picture I purchased from.
This pendant is so gorgeous. The earrings might be too much if worn with the pendant, but I'll wear them alone, they are also very sparkley and very very pretty
"Seraphinite is often referred to an an angel stone because of its higher energies and relationship with angels. Seraphinite is a type of chlorite and is the most effective stone for cellular regeneration and can cause a flush of pure healing energy. It acts as a trigger, causing old patterns of disease or imbalance to fall away and new patterns to be created."
Or so they say...
Well apparently we are drawn to a particular gemstone for a reason. I am very strongly drawn to Seraphinite (unforunately one of the most expensive semi-precious gemstones). That could be because of its healing properties... or simply because its such a beautiful gemstone. The pics don't do it justice.
Before winter hits, I'll be getting some of these
OK so i'm not sure that they're handmade, but they are from an independent Aus designer. And they look sooo warm
I absolutely love the concept behind this store. It is a home for anything handmade. The basic idea is designers rent a 'cube' of floorspace where they can display their handmade items.
Unfortunately Melbourne is a little bit too far away for me to rent a cube.
Guess I will have to wait until perth gets its own In.cube8r
This is one of them.
I can't put this on the front page of Jasmalicious.com as its not for sale... so I'll feature it here instead. This design used a full strand of Garnet as well as some smooth Rose Quartz beads,
I am loving working with different gemstones. I have also discovered the perfect length for a convertible necklace/bracelet. It can work as a single strand necklace or a multistrand bracelet. This is definitely a keeper.
Dichroic Glass Pendant
One of the benefits of buying handmade is dealing directly with the maker.
I found this gorgeous pendant on Etsy, and after a quick conversation, the designer is making me some matching earrings this weekend.
Designs With Attitude has some stunning work here, and at a great price. Can't wait to get this little one in the post :)
The best places to buy handmade:
- Global website, based in America
- Australian website. Still kind of small but its growing
and, of course, there is my store Jasmalicious
First and foremost, the handmade pledge:
This doesn't necessarily mean a lot, but to me it means no more 'plastic crap' from those certain retail stores... you know who you are!
The aim of this blog is for me to keep a sort of scrapbook of all the amazing, beautiful, clever and inspiring things that I stumble across. That is, of course, the handmade things.
