Quail's egg necklace

I really liked how my previous quail's egg necklace had come out so I decided to strengthen another quail's egg with resin and see if I could set it in silver.....and I could!........

(Sterling Silver, resin, quail's egg)

I kept the setting simple because I just wanted to see how it would work - I may try again and make something more elaborate.  I do like to have something to fiddle with and eggs have such a pleasing shape and texture - I'm loving having one around my neck to play with while I'm mulling something over!  

In unrelated news, Barbara has written a post about her favourite pieces from this month's Love My Art Jewelry Boot Camp.....and I got a mention!  Thanks Barbara!!

Boot Camp 3

This time Boot Camp was all about wire work. Coincidently, I made an impulse purchase of a Coiling Gizmo a week before Boot Camp was announced so I decided to put my new toy through its paces for this challenge.........and I love it!  I've been coiling like a demented person ever since!!  Here is what I came up with.....

I was experimenting with coiling different colours of copper wire together and came up with the links at the bottom which I really liked - they have an almost ancient Egyptian feel to them (for me anyway) so I made the rest of the necklace to fit in with that theme.  It is mostly all wire, with a few Czech Glass beads thrown into the mix.
Please go and have a look at what other people have made for this boot camp - I'm always amazed at the creativity shown in these challenges.  Thanks to folks from the Love my Art Jewelry blog for organising this fun challenge.

The ‘What came first’ Necklace

I spotted some quail’s eggs in the supermarket.  They did make a nice little snack but really I bought them because they were so pretty and I wanted to see if I could use them in jewellery. 

I have strengthened the egg with resin so it is a lot stronger than it looks but I do like the apparent fragility of the necklace.  I have some dyed howlite bird beads and these seemed a good match so I’ve included one of these in the necklace together with some seed beads. 

What came first; the quail or the egg?  

Bluebell Woods

My lunchtime ritual is to go for a walk in the woods near where I work.  My job is desk-based and I could easily spend the entire day sitting down if I didn't do this.  I haven't been able to walk for a while though after injuring my ankle in spectacular fashion in February.  However, today I went for a walk in 'my' woods.  This was under orders from my physiotherapist who thought that the uneven ground would 'stress my foot' (which is a good thing apparently!).  It was perfect timing - the bluebells are out and the scent was amazing.  

These walks are important to me - particularly when I'm thinking up a jewellery design - so it was great to get out there again.  I’m not one of those people that can sit down with a piece of paper and come up with a design.  I just go for a walk in the woods and an idea pops into my head - or not as the case may be, but at least I’ve had some fresh air!!  

I have been busy making things but I seem to be using a scatter-gun approach at the moment - I've started lots of things and, consequently, haven't finished anything!  Hopefully my walk will clear my head and I'll have lots to show you in the next few weeks.  

Eat, Drink and be Merry

I haven’t shown you any of my thrown pots for a while.  I’ve been throwing a new shape (for me at least) on the wheel – a goblet/chalice shape.  Each one is coming out slightly differently as my hands learn how to throw this shape.   They seem to be getting bigger and bigger though – it will be a very merry night if you drink from some of the more recent ones!   Or perhaps they could be egg cups if you like Ostrich eggs for breakfast!!

Art Bead Scene April Challenge

A couple of weeks ago I showed you my interpretation of Monet's "Walk in the Meadows at Argenteuil" which was the work of art chosen for Art Bead Scene's April Challenge.  Art Bead Scene has a blog tour at the end of the month so we can all see what everyone has been making.  Please go and have a look - there are some breathtakingly gorgeous interpretations of the painting.  

Here is my necklace again in case you missed it.....

Bead Soup

Hooray, it is my reveal day for Bead Soup.  Jò sent me a lovely selection of goodies to work with.  There are some more detailed photos in my earlier blog entry but here is quick recap.....

I started by taking a few of the smaller elements from my soup ingredients and making them into a focal.

There were two bead caps that reminded me of the centre of flowers so I took some of the resin fragments that I blogged about a few weeks ago and made a daisy with the bead cap at the centre.  I paired this with the mother of pearl beads from my Bead Soup ingredients and some seed beads from my stash….

Next I took the leaf and branch charm and filled this with resin and tissue paper. I’ve paired this with some seed beads from my stash and some of the frosted glass beads and another leaf charm that Jò sent.....

Jò told me that she didn’t like working with the colour orange – and fortunately, the bead soup that I sent her didn’t have any orange in it.  To be honest, when I looked in my stash I couldn't find many orange beads either  so I guess I have the same issue with orange as Jò.  Therefore I thought, as one of the aims of Bead Soup is to expand your horizons, I should take it as a challenge to make something with orange beads.  I’ve made this bracelet with the few orange beads I found in my stash (and some creamy brown leaf beads to calm it down a bit!).  From my Bead Soup ingredients, I used some of the bead caps, a leaf charm and the small frosted orange beads that Jò sent….

I’ve had it in my mind for a while to make some resin pieces with some 3D elements.  Jò included some teeny-tiny bead caps and these gave me the perfect opportunity to try this idea out.  I embedded the bead caps in some of the resin and skeleton leaf components that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago.  I added some coloured resin in the centre to make a centre for the flower.....

and here is the completed piece……

Next I worked with the copper fold-formed focal that Jò sent me as a gift (as if her Bead Soup wasn't generous enough!!).  I made a macrame bracelet for this with some of the glass and silver beads from my soup ingredients....  

And last but not least – how did I use the focal and clasp from my soup ingredients?  I recently did a waxed linen cord knotting class with the very talented Rebecca Anderson over at the Manchester Bead Shop and I wanted to use what I’d learnt in that class.  I went all-in with this one and made a full-on girly confection!!  I paired glass beads from my stash, with the focal, clasp and silver beads from my soup ingredients....    

It has been really fun working with everything that Jò sent.  I was very lucky to be partnered with her!  I really enjoyed the challenge of using ingredients that I hadn’t worked with before.  Please head over to Jò’s blog to see what she made with the ingredients that I sent her.  And please also go and see what the other bead soup participants made – there is some lovely work out there. 

A final word to Lori Anderson – the hostess of the Bead Soup Blog Party.  I am amazed at the work that she puts into this.  Thanks very much Lori – I’ve really enjoyed your party!!