Looking back with Iz

 

 

I have been feeling a bit down these last few days, possibly even as much as week, I dont know why, the change in the weather?  Who knows?  I came on here to blog today, not really knowing what to blog about and found a button - I just love buttons!  its been there for ages but I haven't pressed it before, so I did.  Its the picture button 'from this blog' one.  Up came all these pictures I had forgotten about and they made me smile.

Before Defi came to live with us, it was just me and Iz (and the rest of the crew, the mogs, kids, hubby and chooks but the daily walk was just me and Iz) our walks were definitely quieter then! Defi doesn't like the car rides much, so we tend to go to the river now, which is just a five minute walk from home, but back then, Iz and I used to drive the kids to school (going back a few years both have now left school), then carry on to Dinmore Woods, near Leominster.  Only about 15 mins from us.  But Iz had lots of doggy friends there, some of whom I still chat to via facebook.  The picture above is one of my favourites of Iz and reminds me of the quiet watcher she really is.

The beautiful Acer trees turn to gorgeous reds and goldens in the Autumn.  This morning walking by the river, I was wrapped in a big fleecy coat but the sun was shining, I love Autumn, that snuggly in a big coat feeling but still with a cold nose, floating leaves and winter sunshine.  Its a beautiful season.

 

Before glass, I used to draw, and, like my beads, my favourite subjects were my animals, or any animal I saw, but mainly my animals.  I found these coloured pencil drawings of my Izabel when she was a puppy, I remember they took hours of work and were a real labour of love, just as she has been, growing from a bouncy puppy to a spoilt teenager and finally, now she is six, a lovely lady dog - ok lady might be pushing it when she rolls in mud and jumps in the river and stinks to high heaven, but she is, and has been, a definite labour of love!

Just lately, my artistic muse seems to have left the building and I have been floundering around like a fish out of water, perhaps I need to go back to basics and just make the things I love the most?  I think that could be a new plan!

 

I haven't forgotten about the give-away at the end of the month and I will find something this weekend to show off and give away, just leave me a comment below and I will put your name into the woolly bobble hat, for a chance to win....whatever I come with!!

 

Laney x

Animal gods, mythology and me.

Goddess Bastet in my Etsy Shop

083, a photo by Izzybeads on Flickr.

I love mythology, but then I love stories too.  When I was a little girl I had a fabulous book on Aesops Fables, and I still have it somewhere on the dusty bookshelves in my daughters bedroom.

Aesop was a Greek story teller and slave who lived in Ancient Greece around 620 - 560 BC, so a while back!

Fables are like our modern day fairy stories with animals being anthropomorphized (my favourite word ever!) 

Myths and legends also tell of anthropomorphized animals, with many gods and goddesses taking on animal characteristics akin to the strengths, or weaknesses, of the god or goddess.

Goddess Bastet, the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of music, dancing and pregant women, she is depicted as having the body of a woman and the head of a domestic house cat.  I found this wonderful link to famous moggies (another favourite word to describe cats, I always refer to our old geriatrics as mogs, which is an old word from the North of England, but that is another blog post for another day...)

To read more about the Goddess Bastet, click this link to the Famous Moggies

Check out my Etsy shop to see my Goddess Bas[tet] - she is known by both names.

A quick reminder that in just 10 days, a few of us lampworkers are gathering together to raise money and awareness for Beads of Courage, Children with Cancer.  I have a donate button at the top of my blog, if you want to donate to this very worthwhile cause.  Be Child Cancer Aware - Beads of Courage 

Laney x

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