Im Back!

I know its been a while and I apologise but I have been on my jollies to Cuba. We have had an absolutley fantastic holiday and to be honest I am depressed at having to come back down to earth!

Cuba is a very interesting place, in the hotel it was very geared towards the tourists and very "caribean", however as most people know, Cuba is a communist country so on the outside of the tourist district its a very different story. We went to Havana on a day trip which was great apart from all the propaganda about and all the beggars. It is steeped in history and we enjoyed a few Mojito's!! At night we went to the famous Tropicana show which was visited by the very famous or should I say infamous Al Capone!


Anyway now that we have had our holiday and the washing and ironing are done I have had chance to finally make some new bits and pieces a bit different to my usual stuff. I hope you like!!!

This one is a variation on my "slinki" range, handmade with silver rings and beads instead of the black rubber.

This one is my new pendant range handmade from Venetian glass tiles. I have added swarovski crystals and added as Sterling Silver necklace!

AND finally ........ a handmade bangle - no fastener needed!!

Back again soon with more goodies!!

Feliz año nuevo

to you all!! As we are off to the sunnier climate of Cuba on the 19Th of this month, I thought I would get into the spirit of things by saying happy new year in Spanish!


I have had a right time of it lately trying to make some new jewellery, on the flip side of things it seems that I have lost what a lot of my friends term as Mojo! I cannot be bothered or have the slightest inkling to make anything really, don't know why but i think it might have something to do with just being really tired after the Christmas rush. I have however got some goodies left over from my sales at Christmas and one of which is pictured below - it has some lovely metallic beads from Helen Brodt-Savage. I call this one Metallica!

I am hoping to make some new jewellery before my holidays and get it on my website but until then I do hope to at least keep this blog updated!

I have been gathering some fantastic beads as well from camps such as Beverley Hicklin and Dawn White so hopefully this will give me the boost that I need to get me going again. I have also been buying a mystery object for a great pendant idea I have so more on this as and when!

Anyway must fly so

Cheerio for now

love Bev xxxx

Foil Glass and a Blooming Bad Cold!

I have been making some foil glass bead necklaces for a couple of months after a few ladies at a party asked me if I made any "cheaper" necklaces!! Cheaper I thought - NEVER!! But after having a blooming good think about it, I decided that I could rise to the challenge and craft some value for money necklaces without compromising the look of them. I have not looked back since!! These necklaces absolutley fly out of the window at shows and parties alike. I charge £20 for each necklace which I dont think is bad considering you are getting a handcrafted piece of jewellery.

I have decided today that I would just have to list them on my website also so that I can give my clients the chance of buying one of these little stunners, I mean, they make lovely christmas pressies don't they?? So why the hell not!!

After being exausted with the brilliant Crafts for Christmas in Harrogate last week I have caught a right blooming cold and a half, coupled with a bit of a chest infection, if you didnt know me better you would swear I was on 40 Capstan Full Strength a day! Anyway I have decided to get to the quacks tomorrow for some chest saving antibiotics or any such linctus he wishes to give me.
I have a party tomorrow night, then on Friday I have a gift evening at my local Catholic Church social club ( they are fundraising to send some ill folks to lourdes) and on Saturday and Sunday I am at Wentworth Castle Gardens in Barnsley for their christmas gift fair!
So Speak next week if I have the energy!!

Love Bev xxxxx

The festival of witches and gobbildygook!

Well it is here again - the nightmare evening for some - loads and loads of fun for others - "All Hallows Eve" otherwise known as Halloween a brilliant celebration of pagans and witches when Celts believed that on the night before the new year ie, 1st November , the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.

On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain (later called all hallows eve) , when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth! Druids as well as Christians have celebrated this festival for hundreds of years so I was stunned today to hear my local radio station have a phone in about wether to stop halloween or not as it is a American thing!! "It is blooming well not" I said allowed to the radio - I would have phoned in myself but was fuming with the dumb people of my beloved Yorkshire for thinking it is not something we as Englsih people need or want! I bloody well love halloween and my kids love it too even though they are 14 and 17!!

Maybe its when some people get silly with trick or treating that it puts people off! I dont know but hey if the kids love it and they are supervised then I dont see a problem do you??

Now i've had my rant I can now tell you I have not got any new pics to post sadly as I am waiting for my new docking station coming for my camera! I have been really busy making jewellery as it is the massive Crafts for Christmas at Harrogate next weekend and I am dead nervous that I wont have enough stuff for sale! I am sure that I will manage - I always do some how, but I still worry.

I have been to the docs this afternoon for my dreaded smear test - god dont you just hate those things its so undignified being prodded and poked - still better safe than sorry i suppose. I had my blood pressure done also and it was sky high ( not surprising really considering why I was there)!! So have to go back in a fortnight for it doing again.

OOh also before I forget I baked my very first traditional fruit cake today - my house smells georgous I can tell you. I am going to leave it a couple of days and keep feeding it Brandy then Im going to ice it!! If I do make a good job then I am going to bake my own wedding cake! Pics to follow - obviously if its a complete and utter feck up then I wont bother you with the photos LOL!!!

Photo below is my beautiful and absolutely mad as a hatter neice and god daughter Isabel! I am going to see her at my mums tonight for our halloween tea and am really looking forward to it!

speak later love Bev xx

Calm Before The Storm?

I have felt really calm and peaceful today, I cleaned everything in my house to within an inch of its life yesterday including my living room carpet and today I have had nothing much to do!

Now every other mentalist cleaning extraordinare will know that you ALWAYS have cleaning to do and believe me I did look everywhere but lo and behold I decided to concentrate on my jewellery instead! Yep Siree I have had a slouching day!!

I am a little worried though cos normally there is a calm before a storm isnt there?? I am in York this weekend at the October Show with Made in Yorkshire on St Samsons Square so maybe that will be the storm, who knows!!!

Here is a sample of my new stuff made today - the beads are from Caroline Hannons studio and are fantastique dont you think??

Im gonna call this set "A Bed Of Roses".

Clambroth

Hey, don't ya just love these beads? They remind me of vintage marbles like "Clambroth" a set of marbles with swirls on them! I have added loads of hill tribe silver on this one and am really quite pleased with the outcome!

My mum was the "Chickenly champion marble player" when she was a kid and I used to love listening to her telling me the tales of when all the other kids used to come around and try win her tin of marbles from her!!

I have also made a bracelet and earrings with these beads from Beaujangles and Baubles, and this is quite unusual for me I must say as I don't really do sets if you know what I mean!

I am decorating this weekend and on Sunday off to a wedding fair near where I live - hoping that this will give me some inspiration!

Speak soon and have a good un!

Love Bev xxxx

What am I like!!

Well Well Well what am I like!! I apologise profusely for not updating my blogginton for ages and ages and I have loads of crappy little excuses but the truth of the matter is that I don't seem to have the time to shit shave or shampoo lately if you pardon the very graphic pun!

I have been doing some very successful shows and quite a few parties which has meant that I have absolutely no stock what so ever so have been beavering away to get some stock made in time for what we jewellery makers describe as not so much the busy season of Christmas but more the " I cant believe I am walking around in a coma like trance whilst trying to keep up with the mentalist Christmas shoppers" kind of season. Anyways I have now just about caught up with about a week to go before York's October show where I will be exhibiting my wears with Made In Yorkshire on St Samson's Square, so if you are in the area then please do come along and say Hi!! The necklace above is made from some fab retro beads handmade by Mindy of Moogin beads - I am so in love with her beads at the moment I am in fact about to own most of her stock ha ha!


On a more personal note, myself and Dom have decided to get hitched here in sunny England and have set the date of 31st January 2009! I know it does seem a long way off but honestly its just over a year away and you know how time flies don't you? We have booked our wedding at the fabulous Woodlands Hotel which isn't too far from where we live. I have fallen in love with the place so there you go we have it booked - SUITED!!!
I want to also mention my very good matey from school - Deborah Parky whose daughter Kylie is in labour as we speak and want to wish them all my love and hope all goes OK - god I feel really old as I can remember Kylie being born 20 years ago!! I will of course let you lot know how she goes on - although I already know she is having a little girl!

I also want to let you know that Marvin and Betty are fine and dandy if not a little crackers (in the nicest possible sense of course) here is a pic taken yesterday as they had pinched my Christmas wrapping stuff and had it wound all around them - mind you its not as bad as eating Dom's cheque book while I was doing his accounts earlier! He will go mad BTW!

Right I must get off and update my website with new jewellery so please feel free to mosey on over for a gander - speak real soon!

Love Bev xx