Wire Jewellery - organic bracelets

These bracelets were fun to design!
Trying to think of 5 different wire shapes to use for each colour (and there was only 5!) proved to be quite difficult!

The aim was to have a unique shape per colour. So pink had love hearts, blue had spiralled 'S' shapes for water and so on.

For the other colours;
Brown has wire shapes which almost resemble a bird or an owl, with the additional bone beads threaded on.
Green, the shapes I used for blue, I pointed more and turned into leaves.
Lastly purple, I tried to spiral the wire into more of a flower shape.

I have tried to make the bracelets look as organic as I can using waxed cotton cord.

Wire Jewellery - knot set

As a set, I really like this design. It almost reminds me of a flower with it's simple flowing form and elegance.

The set consists of:

A bracelet.

Matching pair of earrings.

And last, a simple necklace which isn't too garish!

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Wire and Bead Celtic Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - earrings

These Yin and Yang earrings were satisfying to create and colour coordinate. With a variety of bead sizes, shape and shades of colours for each pair, it became a challenge to please my creative mind!

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Making Beautiful Bead and Wire Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - kilt pins

These 10 kilt pins I had great fun creating. Using nature as the theme, the beads, shapes and combinations reflect the lines and colours of wildlife.

Whether the beads are made from natural materials; such as bone or fossil sharks teeth, or inspired by the colour of honey and bee's (picture above), wildlife can be interpreted in all sorts of forms.

The kilt pins above represent the natural materials found on earth. Ceramic beads with a rustic finish, originate from the clay rich soil parts of England have. Gem stones are also a natural formation alongside wood.

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Wire and Bead Celtic Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - buttons

I have quite a strong love for buttons but I try and restrain myself from using them as they seem to be a popular choice for jewellery making!
However, These simple rings look stylish and vintage!

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Making Beautiful Bead and Wire Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - fish

I really enjoyed making these fish keyrings. The design is so simple and each fish didn't take long to make at all! And with thousands of colours to choose from, I could have an entire ocean of them!

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Wire and Bead Celtic Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - celtic cross

These rainbow Celtic crosses with a handmade chain.

The majority of the beads for all my wire jewellery have been sourced from charity shops; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Wire and Bead Celtic Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - pin brooches

Next up are these snazzy pin brooches!

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Wire and Bead Celtic Jewelry.

Wire Jewellery - rings

Early last year, I thought it would be great fun to do a craft stall but unfortunately for me, the lack of time off from my work, didn't give me much of a chance to create the quantity of items needed to make the stall worth while.

However, throughout the summer of last year, I did carry on creating a range of jewellery, in the hopes that one day, I will sell my work.

As the rings are quite jazzy, I'll show these to you first!

Inspiration from Linda Jones' Making Beautiful Bead and Wire Jewelry.

Keep an eye out for more posts like this!

Tiny elephants

During August, I went to the Rock Gem n Bead show at Harrogate Pavilion and my mad eccentric boyfriend found these tiny bone elephants...

So I turned them into earrings for Christmas! They even have my stamp on the small tab!

On Wednesdays, we wear pink

On Wednesdays, Yes, we do wear pink. Any budding Mean Girls fan will recognise that quote.
So as a birthday present for my sister back in October, I made her some pink earrings to wear on Wednesdays!

I of course included my snail and initial mark.

And I loved how the sun shone on the small glass beads.

Counting the Birthdays

WOW! I haven't been on here for a while! I still have posts from Christmas still to write... I think they can wait!

Back in February, nearly half a year ago now, I made my older twin sisters a watch each.
The idea suddenly sprung on me whilst wandering around the Rock Gem n Bead show at Harrogate Pavilion. There was a stall selling watches and bracelets, from Australia, made from leather strips and threaded with wooden beads.

I knew I could make them cheaper than what they were selling them for and I was in the right place to buy everything I needed.

The beige watch was the first to be made. I now know what to do so any other watches I make in the future will go far more swimmingly than that of the first attempt! (sorry Catherine!)

There was alot to take into consideration. I couldn't give them a basic watch because where is the fun in that? For the dinosaur lover, a dinosaur charm was added. A plain watch face was used as not to 'over do' the finished piece. The watch was messy as it was, I didn't need to make it worse by adding an ornate watch face!

The blue, having a less awkward watch face to work with, went alot quicker and much easier!

The design was more simple, helped by the fact the watch had a different sort of fixture! More uniform shaped beads were added allowing for the ornate watch face to be used. A small mushroom seemed rather fitting for this design and the overall piece seems more controlled.

It seemed only right to wrap them, given they were birthday presents! So I whipped up a couple of tiny gift bags and they were done!

Perfect!

Homemade earring stand

As a Christmas present for one of my sisters, I had the cunning plan to make her a couple of earring stands.

As a designer, you naturally do a small amount of research before jumping straight into a project.

Her room isn't massive and there is limited shelf space. So instead of an earring stand, I made 2 earring frames.

2 ornate picture frames I found in the charity shop I work in, with mesh instead of a picture. Of course, I removed the glass and cut the backing to size so it made its own frame to cover up and strengthen the glue bond at the back.

I also added new string that wasn't starched into a triangular point.

As you can see, they hang proudly on her wall!

Christmas earrings and Jingle bells

Completely forgot about this post... It's never too late (or too early!) for a Christmas post!
Last Christmas (2015), I made my sister a pair of glass tree and silver wire earrings.

Very straight forward and basic but very effective!
The year previously (2014), I made the same pair of earrings, for another sister, but in the reverse colours.

Each pair has its own Christmas theme; the first set having traditional colours, whilst the second pair, has silver trim on the tree and 'silver bells'.

How Christmassy!

Mothering Sunday earrings 2014

You know, I had completely forgot about this post! Well here it is!

For Mothering Sunday last year, I made my mum a set of Celtic knot earrings. A very simple knot but they were quite small!

I used the excess corner pieces from a circular blank I needed for one of the many pieces I made for my final degree show. I have ALOT of those corner pieces still...

Anyway, here are the earrings, all lovely and in silver.

I need better pictures of them really but these will do, I'm not trying to be impressive with my lack of photography skills but at least you can see the Celtic knot I've created! That's why I leave it to the professionals!

Gem Fair and Gem Surprise

Last month, I went to the Rock Gem 'n' Bead fair at the pavilions in Harrogate. (you can find it here... http://www.rockngem.co.uk/)

There was so much there that interested me and as a typical girl, I was attracted to everything shiny...

Darn they're pretty!

That aside, I told my friend I'd buy her a gem and I did, but I didn't tell her I'd turn it into something...

So Steph, if you're reading this, STOP STALKING ME!

More to come!

Bear pendant... Revisited GRR!

The reason I am revisiting this small project so soon after making is simple; my fun friend unfortunately lost his necklace. Hopefully it is in his clothing somewhere or his uni room but for the time being, I have cleaned up the copper prototype as a temporary measure until the original silver one is found or I create a new one.

I have sprayed the copper pendant with varnish to prevent his chest from going green... This will also stop (to a certain extent) the copper from tarnishing... Usually anyway!

If I do end up making the the silver bear again, I will be able to redesign the arms. I wasn't happy with the arms or the paws of the bear, they were good considering the size but a designer will always find problems within their work.

So if you are in Lincoln (UK) and you find a silver bear like the one above, please oh please message me!

Thank you my lovely Moment-eers!

Ammonite Shindigs - the Final

This is it! The final bronze ammonite pocket watch fob is completed!

Phew!

I am incredibly relieved it is finished. Bronze clay is very strange stuff. It's slightly springy and it would have been incredibly useful if there were better instructions on the packet.

For my advice, watch plenty of video's on Youtube about using metal clay. Cleaning can be difficult if you don't have the proper pickling solution (dilute sulphuric acid usually) but I managed with white vinegar and salt (again, there are video's of that online). It is definitely one of those 'practise makes perfect' techniques and I'm only glad my first use of metal clay wasn't in silver!

Ammonite Shindigs 5

When the clay was thoroughly dry, I was able to sand down the surface of any rough textures and edges. I didn't spend a great deal of time on it, the piece is to resemble a fossil and not all fossils are smooth and perfect...

It is still quite heavy even when dry (that would be the bronze particles) so a constant warm space is ideal and after a couple of days, you can be sure the clay is fully dry.

Next stop, FIRE!!!

Ammonite Shindigs 4

Alrighty! I have finally started making the final pocket watch fob! About time too, my mad eccentric boyfriends birthday is on Monday...

I have made the Pleuroceras ammonite I have been going on about so this will be a short post! Possibly...

I ordered 20g of Creative Bronze Clay and here is what a 20g ball looks like against a 10 pence piece.

I didn't use the whole 20g as I didn't need the whole ball but here is the sculptured clay next to the same coin.

And finally, here is my sneaky snail logo! Right there on the outer spiral... Yay!

Once the piece is fully dry, I will be able to sand the surface lightly is is smooth. It will also shrink fractionally and then a tiny bit more when I attack it with the gas torch... It is smaller than I had planned it to be, books and other websites claim it's like regular potters clay. It is but it's quite sticky and also very springy, hence why it is smaller than intended... It kept springing back on itself! AND I discovered I didn't need to oil the work surface, my hands and tools, not to the extent they recommend anyway!

More on this to come within the week!