Wednesday 19 December 2007

Busy Busy Busy

Well it's definitely Christmas! I've been busy with commissions.


Friday 14 December 2007

Advent Calender

I finally found one!! Got it from a newsagents on my way to work on Wednesday. I was so happy because I thought this would be the first year I didn't have one. So I got to work and caught up....12 little chocolates....heaven and a bit of a sugar rush!

BUT

Not only did I catch up, I overtook! I got home that night and carried on eating the little chocolates. I finished it about 10 minutes ago. I have no self control. But at least I ate them in order.
Maybe next year I shouldn't have one.

Nothing new on the website but I do have loads of orders at the moment. 4 for Xmas, 5 for after, a gift for my surprise Santa with the Portsmouth girlies and some other little things. Busy busy busy!

Monday 3 December 2007

sianajewellery.co.uk

Website is live!!
There's only 1 item for sale at the moment but there will be more added soon.
This is exciting but slightly scary......bring it on!

Sunday 2 December 2007

A Time To Hybernate

I was asked to make a bracelet with a hedgehog charm (not easy to find!) and autumn colour beads. This bracelet had a sterling silver hedgehog as a focal with glass flower and leaf beads, brown crackle beads, round wood beads and glass pearl beads all in various autumn colours. There are a few Swarovski crystals dotted around too.

The website is looking good, just need to wait for my .co.uk domain that I bought months ago to be transferred and then it'll be up and running!


Saturday 1 December 2007

Construction site......

......of the virtual variety!
I've decided to take the plunge and set up my own website to sell my jewellery. At the moment I'm designing my site banner and making jewellery to sell. It's a big step and I'm not even sure if it'll work but it's worth a go.

On a more depressing note, it's 1st December and I don't have an advent callender. This is wrong and needs to be sorted......soon!

Tuesday 27 November 2007

Blue and Purple Bracelet

This is a commission bracelet made using a silver foil purple heart focal with Swarovski crystal, blue and purple glass cubes, blue glass crackle beads, blue and purple glass silver foils beads, purple glass pearl beads and blue faceted firepolish beads.





Wednesday 31 October 2007

A Bit More Amber

A friend had an idea to make her housemate a bracelet using the amber chips left over from the necklace......so she came round, got a bit hyper and threw my beads around, whilst I was trying to make the bracelet. I made it....she was happy....and hyper.....and hungry! But she makes me laugh and is a damn good friend.....here's the bracelet.

Tuesday 30 October 2007

Autumn

A friend asked me to make her mum a necklace with dark red, dark green and rusty coloured beads........so I did this! All glass beads, Swarovski crystals and crackle beads with silver plated spacer beads. Oh and it's really really long!

Amber

A friend and I saw a necklace in a local jewellery shop that was a little bit on the expensive side! It was amber nugets with silver spacers. I said I'd have a go at making her one to match a dress she has......and this is what happened. It's 42cm, has 4 different shades of natural amber chips, sterling silver round spacer beads and Swarovski crystal bicones in topaz, light topaz and crystal AB.

Saturday 27 October 2007

Nothing's Ever Black and White

I was asked to make a friend's sister a bracelet using black, white and grey beads and this is what I came up with. It includes silver coloured metal rose beads and a heart focal, black and white cats eye beads, black faceted glass beads, white and grey silver foil beads, black and clear Swarovski crystals, clear hearts, white crackle and black cube beads. I love this bracelet and I think I might just be making myself one!

Wednesday 24 October 2007

Oh Dear!

I've been really bad! I haven't kept up to date with orders lately and feel really bad for everyone waiting on me to get beading. There's even a very special commision that should have been done a couple of weeks ago but thanks to the lovely postal strikes I didn't order a certain thing that I needed for it. Someone slap my hand.
But today i'm gonna catch up! I'm going to order everything I need and pop down to my local bead shop.....who recognise me.....is this a bad thing? Do I go there too often?! Then I'm going to settle down with some munchies and a huge cup of hot choc and get creative.
Watch this space for pics (but not the special one......that's not getting posted until it's recieved but it's new owner!).

Wednesday 17 October 2007

SRAJD

I have just become a Self Representing Artist Jewellery Designer!
If you look to the right of the blog you can see my logo with member number and if you click it you'll be taken to the SRAJD website where you can find out all about it and what it means.

Exciting stuff!!

Saturday 6 October 2007

Green Swirly Bracelet

This is a bracelet made using beading wire, silver foil lampwork beads with green swirly detail, green firepolish beads and green Swarovski bicones. This is the first piece of jewellery I've made in a long time that isn't a commision! It's actually for sale!



Friday 5 October 2007

Rose

I had a request from a friend to make her mum a bracelet using rose quartz. This bracelet is strung on high quality wire, with round rose quartz beads, freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals all in various shades of pink.

Monday 1 October 2007

The Card

Getting slightly addicted to paintshop pro............
I would print these out but asking my printer to print these onto perforated blank business card thingys sent it to printer heaven.....oooopsy.



To .com or not to .com?

I think I have too much time on my hands at the moment! I've created several spreadsheets with a costing template, stock levels, expenses and that very important profit column. I've also designed business cards to send out with my jewellery or to randomly leave here there and everywhere (I'll post a pic later).
Not only all of the above, I'm also toying with the idea of setting up a propper website.....not that the blog isn't enough, it's just the next logical step. But do I want to take that step now? Will I have time once uni and placement are in full swing to maintain it? Or will I need something to keep me sane when i'm burried in midwifery? And then, if I set it up, will it just be a website showing off my jewelery or will I actually sell it through the website? And if I sell it, that involves registering as a sole trader/business with the lovely tax people and doing the fantastic tax returns.......again, do I have the time?
I think I'll toy a while longer......and eat some chocolate.

Tuesday 25 September 2007

Black, Green and Pink

This is a bracelet made for a friend's aunt. There was no request regarding specific colours so I took direction from the main focal bead that I found and fell in love with in my local bead shop. This bracelet has an oval black lampwork bead and two further rondelle black lampwork beads. These beads have pink flower and green detail. The bracelet also has pink, green and black glass cubes, green and pink crackle beads, pink and green glass beads and also pink and green freshwater pearls. On the main focal bead is a single Swarovski crystal.

Green Necklace



So ages ago my mentor said I should have a go at necklaces........I thought, yeah one day but at the moment people want bracelets so that's what I make. Over the months I toyed with the idea, bought some threading materials, played around a bit but didn't go any further than that. Until someone I work with asked me to make a necklace, a green necklace........so I did and here it is. It has lots of freshwater pearls, Sworovski crystals, fire polished glass beads, glass pearls, silver foil and other glass beads all in various shades of green.......and is sold!




Monday 10 September 2007

13th Birthday Bracelet

A friend asked me to make her daughter a bracelet for her birthday after seeing a couple of bracelets at a BBQ. This bracelet has a cloisonne focal bead with a pink Swarovski crystal bicone. Also on this bracelet are crackle beads, cats eye, chech fire polish, glass cubes, freshwater pearls, glass pearls and Swarovski crystal. The main feature is a sterling silver 13 charm. A special charm for a special birthday.

Blue Bracelet


This is a blue bracelet made in the same style as the green one below. It has a blue venitian style lampwork bead with a blue Swarovski crystal bicone as the focal piece. This bracelet also has freshwater pearls, fire polish faceted glass beads, cats eye and silver foil beads. Sold.




Green Bracelet

This is a lovely bracelet with a green heart cloisonne focal bead. There are also 2 other cloisonne beads on the bracelet along with green and purple glass beads. I've used silver foil, cats eye, crackle, fire polished, freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal. It's made using silver plated findings and bracelet. This has been sold.

Monday monday

Haha.......I've managed to retrive my lost photos. This I am pleased about, as not only were my jewellery photos on the card but also the pictures of 2 of my good friends weddings. I'm a happy little bunny.

It's Monday........I have a day off, this is good.

Watch this space for photos of jewellery i've made so far.

Sunday 9 September 2007

First ever blog!

I thought I'd create a blog to show off the jewellery I make.

I first started making jewellery a few months ago to take my mind off my hectic uni course. My bank balance doesn't thank me for it but my sanity does. I do sell my jewellery but haven't actually sat down and worked out how much I make from it, whatever I earn goes right back into buying more beads!

Everything I make is made with glass beads, freshwater pearls, crystals and some gorgeous focal beads. I try not to use plastic beads but if I do it's only to complement the rest of the piece.

I'll be posting some pics soon of what I've made so far. I have lost some pictures because I stupidly erased every photo from my memory card...........clever!