Cow Pat Bracelet, Christmas Angels and Hedghogs

130, a photo by Izzybeads on Flickr.

 

Walking through the cow fields on my daily walk, I have to dodge the cows and the cow pats, that inspired this fabulous bracelet.

Cow Pat Bracelet available in my Etsy shop, just click the link, perfect gift for Christmas.

Talking of Christmas, who doesn't love angels hanging on the tree?  Here is a unique Christmas angel, just perfect for that tree....

Christmas Angels


 

Hanging Christmas Angels  available in my Etsy shop now.

Made to order hedgehog beads

A last picture, I love these little guys, my hedgehogs..Made to order Hedgehogs

Just click the links to go to my shop and make yourself smile.

Laney x
 

October 1st, nearly Christmas and new chickens

Firstly...blimey, my last blog was 24th August and its now 1st October...doesn't time fly?  Soon be Christmas then the New Year...just three more months until 2013...bit of a shock that!

Secondly, Jolene from Craft Pimp and Kitzbitz Art Glass Jo's blog has said that she is going to do a blog a day for all of October, and I like that idea, so I am too!  I will do a give away too, something fun for the dark winter nights that are coming.  I will post that on here this week, just write me a comment and possibly an idea or two, and we can do the draw at the end of month...31st October sounds good to me.

So.  What have I been doing?  I did Hereford Art Week in early September and it was brilliant, lots of visitors, lots of sales, lots of commissions and lots of exhausting fun.  Here is a great pic of my set up

There was only one bad weather day, the first Monday, and it poured and the wind...I was scared for my gazebo, but still I had plenty of visitors, something I didn't expect that day.  It was so enjoyable that I will definitely be doing it again next year.

Sadly, a few days after Hereford Art week finished, we lost our last ex-battery chook, EverReady, poor Frankie was all on her own and so sad.  The hubby wanted to raise baby chooks, even hatch his own eggs, but that would have meant that poor Frankie would be on her own for months, all through the winter, so I announced that wasn't going to happen and Frankie was getting a friend.  We looked on line, and found a lady in the Gower area of Wales (the most beautiful place ever) and she was downsizing her flock of chickens and giving them away for free.  My hubby has always wanted to take the dogs to the beach on the welsh coast, so just over a week ago, on the Saturday, the sun shone, it was a glorious day, and we loaded up the car with a picnic, two golden retrievers and a big cardboard box and set off.  We had a great morning on the beach, sadly no pics, I left the camera in the car! but, we did collect 5 new birds and here they are...

Frankie and her new pals - Frankie is the black and white bum sticking up!

Two of the Maran girls

They have all settled in brilliantly and now all come running when you call 'girls, corn...girls...' its so wonderful seeing their fluffy bums all waddling up the garden for something tasty to eat, and we are once again getting delicious fresh eggs.  Yum.

I have been busy with commissions and life, so have not had much of a play in the studio, but have been fusing a bit - more about that later in the month, I have been working on some new ideas.

So just before I sign off tonight, here is a lampworked Dragon Queen

Dragon Queen



 

 

She is available in my Etsy shop along with this jolly chap....

Ho ho ho....
 

Just click on the links to go to Izzybeads

Before you do though, click on Jo's Blog, she whom makes wonderful murrini and is definitely better at blogging regularly than me!

Laney x

Hereford Art Week set up

Hereford Art Week set up, a photo by Izzybeads on Flickr.

My fab set up for H Art week 2012

Off to Stourbridge, glass festival 2012

 

Bit of a picture hog on this blog post.  I am off to Stourbridge this weekend, the International Festival of Glass 2012.  You will find me in the Bonded Warehouse selling my beads Saturday and Sunday and on Monday I will still be there and you can see my fused collection of bowls and clocks.

 

Lots of see in Stourbridge, the weather is forcast to be miserable and wet but if you are brave enough to come out you will not be disappointed. 

 

International Festival of Glass 2012 Stourbridge UK

 

 

 

Beaded Penguin necklace

Lampwork bracelet Mogs and Fish

Beaded and Lampwork Orchid and Blooms necklace

Penguin

Flowers for mum

An eye for an eye

Focal beads




Laney x

Piggie bums, just for fun.

So....just for a bit of fun, I made a piggie head and a piggie body, then I added...

..a massive bag of bead soup - I love bead soup - a pair of jewellery pliers and cutters, some tiger tail and a couple of silver crimps...then...

..take a length of tiger tail, I used about 14inches, thread on a silver crimp and a nice sized bead from the soup, loop the tiger tail round and back through the crimp bead and crimp with the pliers.

Then....

...add the piggie head bead and continue threading on those seedie beads until you are about 2 inches from the end, thread on the piggie body, a seed bead (this stops the crimp from disappearing into the piggie body) a crimp bead and another nice sized bead from the soup (mine are the same but they don't have to be), thread the tiger tail back through the crimp bead and crimp with the pliers.  Tuck the end of the tiger tail into as many beads as you can and trim any excess.

Ta dah....

A fabulous, unique piggie book mark.

And just because I can, a close up of piggies rather cute derriere ....

Have a look in my Etsy shop for more cute bums ;O)

Laney x

More wet days and nearly Christmas

Can't believe this blummin' weather, its been chucking it down all day, but its still so humid, its difficult to know what to wear, not that that is too difficult in our house, what with the washing machine packing up just as my eldest came home from three months in France..with all his washing!

New machine came this afternoon...hooray...not before the mountain of dirty clothes has threatened to drown the bathroom, the carpet already disappeared under dirty, stinky socks.  I have a massive bag of stinking dog towels to wash, they are really hummin' in the utility room, so much so that I was lighting nice scented candles this morning before the great delivery of machine, it now smells of waxy blackcurrant with undertones of dog!

I have been busy making new beads for The International Festival of Glass in Stourbridge, this coming Bank Holiday August weekend http://www.ifg.org.uk/ its going to be a fun weekend.  I will be there in the Bonded Warehouse, Saturday and Sunday 25th and 26th August from 10am until 4.30pm and also on Monday 27th August, for Celebrate Glass, so I will be displaying my fused pieces, bowls, jewellery, recycled glass bottle clocks and more.

Recycled Cider Bottle Fused Glass Clock

As well as Stourbridge I am getting ready for H-Art, 8 -16 September http://h-art.herefordshire.gov.uk/  I am really looking forward to doing this and having my studio open and lots of visitors...hopefully...I am trying to get the garden to look nice but with all this weather I have been making beads instead! 

Flowers for mum.

Nearly Piggin' Christmas

Queenie the Corgi

Some of the beads will be in my Izzybeads Etsy shop drop by there and have a chuckle!

Don't forget that a few hard core lampworkers among us, are doing the Beadathon http://www.justgiving.com/24hrBeadathon A 24hr lampworking marathon to raise awareness, make beads and hopefully raise our target of £500 or more, for Beads of Courage, be child cancer aware.  Click on the link for more information.

Laney x

24 hour Beadathon for Beads of Courage - Be Child Cancer Aware

24hr Beadathon

This October, 2012,, during the weekend of 13th and 14th, a few lampworkers in the UK, are gathering for a 24 hour beadathon.  As well as lots of laughter and giggles, and drinking lots of tea and coffee, eating cake and making glass beads, there is a serious side too. 

Beads of Courage - Be Child Cancer Aware

I can't imagine having a child so poorly that they need this fabulous and supportive charity.  Many hospitals in the UK are now part of the scheme and many many beads are donated to the charity so that for every milestone a young child or teenage reaches, they get a special bead to add to their collection of beads and they do have collections!  Making you realize just what these kids go through.  The first time I saw a childs collection of beads, I thought they were 'just for the charity'.  His mum explained each and every bead and both me and my teenage daughter were very moved, there was so many beads and as each one represented a treatment, a blood test, chemotherapy and so much more, it was a humbling experience to realize how lucky we are, and I am, to have such healthy children.

So.........................24hr Beadathon   Click the link, please be generous and support us.  Many of us are travelling down to Ruislip, to the home of Jolene Wolfe, to stay up, take shifts, and make lots of beads for this cause.  Those who can't travel, are setting up web cams to make beads in their studios and be part of the 24hr Beadathon 

Its going to be fun for us, and we are hoping to raise lots of  money to support the charity as well as make lots of beads to add to the generous collection of beads donated from lampworkers (and other bead makers) from around the world.

Should you want to donate beads to the charity, click this link BofC - Craft Pimp Forum to take you to the Craft Pimp forum page, where you will find information about sending your handmade beads to Beads of Courage

Thanks for reading and please be generous x

Laney x