My first You Tube video

I did one YouTube video this year, I had plans to do so many more but, life just gets in the way! I made a bead, for Beads of Courage, so if you want to give it a go...click..HERE for how to make a bead with Izzybeads


For the picture of the day, I have chosen my stitch markers, cute sheep with balls of wool, great for Xmas gifts, just re-listed as having a good run with them, shame I can't knit really!

Available in my Etsy shop

Laney x

For the love of sculpture

Woburn Abbey Gardens

 

 

I love sculpture, in all mediums and I think that is quite plain to see in my glass.  I don't do girlie, but I do do dramatic!  In my teens I was quite keen on colour, mostly clashing colours lime green with pink, purple with orange...I didn't know then that my 'clashing' colours are really 'contrasting' colour, or opposites on the colour wheel.  In painting, to get that blue or purple to sing, add a dash of orange somewhere in the painting, it will bring out the bluey purples, or add green to a red painting and watch the colours pop, I love contrasting or complimentary colours. 

When I started to draw, that was just what I wanted to do, just draw.  I wasn't interested in colour, I loved form and wanted to be able to recreate a 3D image in 2D form in graphite.  Colour came later when I was encouraged to use coloured pencils as a medium, but even then I tended to use coloured pencils with graphite or an ink pen, later using the ink to sketch with, which is my prefered way of sketching, ink and wash, and back to the simplicity of just line and form.   

Trunk Tied, Elephant sculpture focal bead


Colour still plays a part in my sculpture work, and I still love contrasting colours, like in this gorgeous baby dragon, lilac with deep green and pale blue.  I think this gorgeous dragon is very well going to go to the gallery (more on that news another time!)

Its been a busy, and wet day, here at Chez Izzybeads, I have been soaked twice, once on the dog walk and once on the trip to the post office, I have been in the studio though and made some more sculptural beads and even a trip to the vets for Iz's yearly boosters.  Both dogs go to the vets, their boosters are 6 months apart, so they both go, both times and both get weighed. Its a good way to keep a check on them.  Being big dogs and being Golden Retrievers, they have to watch their weight so they don't put too much stress on their back legs in older age.  The vet was thrilled with our Iz, perfect teeth, perfect eyes, perfect ears and perfect weight...PERFECT :O) she is a healthy 33.8kg and at 6 years old that is brilliant news.  Defi got weighed too, he has gained 4kgs and is now 31.5kg, which is about right for his age of just 2.  He should get to about 35-37kg when fully grown I reckon.

The perfect duo...Defi and Iz


Laney x

 





 

Aliens and Ugly Mugs!

Pink Alien....everyone needs one! In my Etsy shop

In what direction does my mind work?  I don't usually ask, but the kids think I am bonkers!  Recently I went on an alien bead making adventure and they all crawled out of the woodwork...or landed in their alien ships in the garden, which would explain the holes in the lawn, definitely not caused by the chooks!

 

This little pink guy is still sitting in my Etsy shop, just waiting for a new home.  I have ordered this morning some completely fabulous boxes to gift wrap these guys up, they will make fantastic Christmas gifts, can't wait until they come! 

Leopard Gecko

Just because I could, a gorgeous Leopard Gecko :O)

SOLD



Ugly Mug

This cute blue Alien, jumped on a plane, courtesy of Royal Mail, and is now sunning himself in the USA, hopefully not causing too much mischief :O)












Anyone else remember the Ugly Mugs from the 80's?  I used to have one, and I loved it, tea tasted so much better in an Ugly Mug.

Right enough procrastination, I really do have to clean out the larder!  Amazing what you will do to avoid that job!

Laney x

Autumn sunshine and missing bumble bees!

It all started with this hollyhock.  A massive great big bumble bee was nosing around and getting covered in pollen.  I dashed in the house to grab my camera, and by the time I came back out - which was straight away - he was gone. Shame would have made a great picture.

This afternoon, I decided to head into the garden and do some tidying up.  I haven't been in the garden much this year, what with the weather, lots of bead fairs and life getting in the way, the garden is definitely looking unloved.  I didn't even grow veggies this year.  The dogs had a bone this morning after the river walk, so they still had something to do whilst I was enjoying the bright autumn sunshine.  This is Defi, growing into a handsome boy now, happily nibbling away on Izabels left overs.

Even our Meg came outside for some sunshine, here she is doing the 'hind lick' maneuver, not bad for a girl (cat) in her early 20's (human years), bet I couldn't get my leg that high anymore!  ...and yes my car is that dirty, the downside of living rural when its been raining and the farmers have been in and out of the fields with the tractors.

Seeing as I missed the bumble bee, I took some time off from the gardening - it really doesn't take much to persuade me - and wandered around, deliberately ignoring the weeds, and concentrating on the movement in the garden.  I love flowers.  But.  I love my chooks and cats and dogs more, so I don't have any flowers.  EverReady Looky Likey (the name stuck!) was caught on the old picnic bench that serves as a potting bench in a good year and a dumping ground this year - its all been tidied up now though - she was investigating the many bugs that were lurking in the discarded pots.  She had quite a feast!

I haven't been home alone today, my son had a day off and was ...and still is...cleaning his van, always nice to show off what I have actually grown from seed. Planted in well rotted manure and left to fester, this long legged triffid matured into a rather large nearly 19 yrs old!

Oh Izabel....Izzy...bell...bells....

She did come round to the front with me and Defi eventually!

This picture was one of those...oh good I have the camera moments.  Megan had moved to a sunnier side of the garden and two of the new girls, EverReady Looky Likey and one of the Marran girls tooks to sunbathing with her, I think the chooks are settling in nicely.

Another quick snap shot of the three girls.

Autumn Fruits

 

Finally, the beads of the day, beautiful autumnal colours, Poppies, acorns, blackberries, blue berries, Poppy heads and sculptural leaf shapes, all available in  my Etsy shop.

 

Hope the sun shines tomorrow, I do really need to do much more tidying in the garden!

 

Laney x

Stitch markers and experiments

 I have been encouraged by Sara of Crafts of Texture, to make some stitch markers, using my natural brand of humour, finally able to put it to some good use!  She brought some glass buttons from me, a while ago, and mentioned that with my humour, stitch markers would go down a treat...so get them while you can!  First up is my trademark Chook marker with fried eggs and bum holes...how else would they lay eggs!!

 

Chicken (chook) and fried egg stitch markers on Etsy

Just click on the link for the chooky set or for the Sheep and balls of wool set (below) click here!

Struggling to think of that perfect Xmas gift for Granny?  Look no further than in my Izzybeads Etsy shop

I have been experimenting with my fused glass.  This pendant is quite simple in that there was only three pieces to cut, but the finished piece is stunning, but, a touch grown up for me!

So...

I decided to have a play.  I put together some fusing glass and made some cabochons, then I dragged out the glass paints (ones that go into the kiln to be fused into the glass, so posh ones!) blew off the dust and promptly emailed the lovely Jill at Kiln Fired Art for some tips.  Sadly, my watercolour skills are limited, the paint isn't vibrant with me, it just goes to mud, and using glass paints is a similar process, other than for drying you use a kiln.  Jill suggested I try an oil based medium, which resulted in a quick dash to the local supermarket for some Olive Oil, then I set about my fused cabs. 

So far they have had two firings and I am not unhappy with them, just not over happy.  They are not quite the masterpieces I imagined they would be, but, they are a start and I have many more ideas...and cabs...to play with, but I think I will take the bull by the horns and attempt to use the glass paints in a more watercolour technique, possibly this weekend...wont be next weekend as we are now counting down to the Beadathon raising awareness and funds, to support the Children with Cancer charity. 

If you are feeling generous and want to support us, and read more about it, click this link Beadathon.  We are a small group of lampworkers, and we are very passionate about raising awareness for this fabulous charity, we are nearly at our target of £500 and it would be brilliant to reach that by next weekend.

Laney x

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