Monday July 19th, 2010

I was looking at Flickr page earlier and felt quite disappointed, I'd seriously got into the craft of jewellery making in around Feb/March time and I just don't seem to have much to show for it. As it currently stands I have a mere 18 items upon there and that's everything I've ever done, ever. Even 'The Lonely Blue Earring' is up there and that was the very first thing I made. Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh, but to be honest I think it's fair to say I've progressed since I put those blue beads together, I guess I'd be more concerned if everything up there looked pretty much the same, but I've tried out new things (whether they've worked is another matter entirely). As I get more confident in my abilities I will be making alot more things I assure you. I'm getting there albeit somewhat slowly. The ideas are there certainly.

Writing of ideas I read a piece in a magazine about how to go about putting together an ideal sketch book. Hmmm, looking at their 'ideal' I laughed out loud, there is no chance I could produce anything up to that standard. I can't draw for toffee, in fact there's more chance of England winning the next World Cup than me producing a work of art. I still chuckle when I see my 'seahorse' that looked more like a brontosaurus and my 'butterfly' that just looked like 2 letter B's (obviously one was a backwards B) with a sausage in the middle. At present I have a simple exercise book covered in dogs, I'm well passed the middle page so I'll think about that later on.

I'd come in to a bit of money after selling my old PS3 as I'd just upgraded to a PS3 Slim (thanks to the Carphone Warehouse). I used some of that to have another bead splurge, I ordered lots of goodies from eBay, a box of delights from Beads Unlimited and I went and raided Pink and Dizzy. It was then I'd got the pack of glass crosses I'd been waiting for in order to get started on the rosary bead project I'd seen in a copy of 'Bead' magazine. I used the actual design in there purely as a guide, with regards to the colour I did it purple and used a whole variety of beads and bits that I already owned, I also made it rather long as well. Although it cost less than a fiver to make to make as 'Bead' stated, it certainly took longer than 2 hours, saying that I was routing around for beads for ages, getting food, playing with the hamsters and was distracted by the TV so I guess that kinds of explains that. I was in fact so pleased with the eventual outcome of it I chose to make another one, only this time in red. Because I ordered the mixed coloured pack of crosses I plan on making more of these rosary beads using a variety of colours - maybe go monochrome, use charms or take on themes autumn colours, fruits of the forest, the ocean, sunset, you know that kind of thing.

I'm off up to Bradford on Thursday for a week to visit my family, as soon as this was confirmed pretty much I was online checking out numerous craft and bead shops in Leeds (I knew for a fact there'd be nothing of that nature in Bradford), I'm all too aware there is a Hobbycraft as it was situated round the corner from where I used to work - I spent many a lunch hour in there, but much to my delight I found another one in the town center 'Yum Yum Beads' it's called I believe and judging by it's online shop then it looks most interesting, I'm sure a few quid will be spent there.