Making a start on Autumn and Winter Jewellery

Cream with Moss Green Spiral and Metallic Dots Bracelet

I'm feeling happy now that I have made a little progress with some new designs and colours for the Autumn and Winter. I've also been de cluttering my website to make way for the new, which will be gradually added over the next few weeks. www.littlehousejewellery.co.uk
Here's a little taster-

Deep Mauve Bubble Bead Necklace

Small cylinder shaped bead on necklace

Deep Mauve Earrings

Coral Orange with Metallic Spots Necklace

Chunky Necklace with Spirals and Dots

Combining Lampwork and Fused Glass

I have always found my fused glass pendants to be very popular with my customers. I can see the appeal: they are bright, eye-catching and can compliment clothes simply and inexpensively. Although my pendants are hung on suede or satin cord, many people have a favourite silver or gold chain they like to use instead. Some have several pieces of fused glass that they interchange to go with different clothes.


The problem is I've always felt I am not very good at it. With beads I can be free and easy, in my opinion handmade beads look better if they are not quite perfect. It sort of distinguishes them from mass produced beads. However with fused glass it is completely different. The best fused glass is precise and balanced in shape, arrangement and design. The best examples of this are Nina Bulley www.ninabulley.co.uk and for stunning objet d' art, Pauline Evans isleofwightarts.com/paulineevans.
Both of these artists will be taking part in the Isle of Wight Arts Open Studios next month [July 2015] isleofwightarts.com.
The other problem with my fused glass is that I have not invested enough time to get to know what happens to different glass when it's in the kiln. It's a bit like the old days when I use to take a roll of film to Boots and eagerly await the prints, but on opening them up, finding only six or seven out of twenty four that were any good. Thank goodness for digital cameras! Well fused glass is just like that. I carefully prepare a tile of what I think are going exciting pendants. On opening the kiln however, some glass has slumped unevenly, any tiny mistake I had ignored before, now is emphasised and looks wrong. Making beads is relatively instant in comparison, I know straight away whether a bead is going to work or not.

Well I thought it was about time to have another go with a different approach. My aim has been to combine lamp work bead making with fused glass. I have briefly tried this combination before by literally making a flat bead and then fusing onto glass. The problem was the bead release, which no matter how much I tried to clean out of the hole, still left an ugly rough bit behind. This time I am making the 'beads' on the end of the mandrel rather like the way I make stud earrings. There is less bead release to remove and if there is any residue, it is hidden within the layers.

Lampwork 'beads' made especially for fused glass

What I also wanted to do is to create an effect that wasn't so slumped or melted. A little less like a melted ice cream and instead have more defined edges. This I did by experimenting with different kiln temperatures and timings. I am making progress with this, but not quite there yet.

Anyway see what you think. I have found some lovely simple silver plated bails on Etsy [hotfusedglass] and will hopefully have some pendants ready for my Open Studio weekend from 17th - 21st July. More photos to follow in a future post.

Beads within Beads

'Bead within a Bead' Necklace

For the past few weeks I've been working on a new design. At last, after many attempts I've created enough 'beads within beads' to make a mini collection.
After experimenting with mauves and paler greens, I decided on a strong shade of teal with a core of pale opaque green, which I thinks works well at giving the beads a sort of extra 3D effect.

Anyway, see what you think. So far, I have made a necklace, a bracelet and earrings. These are all available on my website -littlehousejewellery.co.uk

'Bead within a Bead' Necklace

'Bead within a Bead' Earrings

'Bead within a Bead' Bracelet

Finding the Right Event

Tactile Disc Bead Necklace

The week started well with a good day at the Affordable Arts Fair at Ventnor.

I've been trying to analyse why one event can be so much more successful than another for me. It's difficult to pin point exactly. I know it's definitely not the number of visitors, as events with a high footfall have so far produced my poorest sales.

It may have something to do with location perhaps? But why a small seaside town like Ventnor artsisle.org appears to be better than a busy Saturday outside John Lewis in Southampton is a mystery.

This leaves me with demographic, which sort of links to type of event. Excuse me if I use West Quay as an example again. There wasn't a vast number of stalls at West Quay, but a lot that consisted of goods [particularly jewellery] that were handmade in a looser sense. It's hard to explain, so apologies for sounding sniffy and snobby, but the stalls attracted the eye of people who were looking for a trinket, an inexpensive treat, a bargain, something nice but ordinary. Whereas an arts event such as Open Studios isleofwightarts.com or Affordable Arts Fairs attract people who spend time looking. The visitors are generally more interested in how something is made and connect to uniqueness.

I don't pretend to be a professional artist. I don't have a degree and I am almost entirely self taught. What I do have is ten years experience in lamp work bead making, an eye for colour and I think a distinctive style of my own. I like to try new techniques and ideas, but don't like to do the same as someone else.

So where do me and my jewellery belong? When it comes to events, I would say somewhere between the craft market and a professional artists' event. Bead making and I however, know exactly where we are. I may never make a fortune, but as long as I continue to get a thrill from turning on the kiln and firing up the flame, everything else is just a bonus.      

Me!

Affordable Arts Fair at Ventnor Winter Gardens

Just a short post this week, as I'm busy getting ready for the 'Affordable Arts Fair' at Ventnor Winter Gardens this coming bank holiday Monday artsisle.org. Monday 4th May 2015 - 11am - 4pm.
I've been making some pendants combining lamp work and fused glass, I'm hoping to get them ready in time for Monday. Here's a little preview of them fresh out of the kiln.

Fused glass and lamp work combination

Trying Something New

Cylindrical Beads within Transparent Outer Glass Beads

For the last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with a new style of bead. It's sort of a bead within a bead.

First I made a cylindrical bead and then used the hollow bead technique over the top. This was quite successful and effective. The biggest difficulty is getting the bead even and preventing the transparent outer bead from collapsing onto the inner bead. Hopefully, it just needs plenty of practise.

Cylinder Base Beads

I got really ambitious next, I decided to try and create a loose bead within a transparent outer bead. It took a good few sticks of clear glass in practise, as the beads continued to fuse together. On the ninth attempt I achieved it.

Tricky to see, but small orange bead within clear glass bead

Unsuccessful Attempts

In conclusion, although I quite like the loose bead within a bead, there's a few impracticalities with it. It's success rate at the moment being one and the difficulty in cleaning out the bead release being another. I may go back to it at a later date. However the original cylinder base bead definitely has possibilities. It's effective on it's own and definitely has scope to develop further.

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The Advantages of Simple Stringing

In my early jewellery making days I attended and enjoyed a silversmithing course. However on discovering glass bead making, I just didn't want to do anything else, especially something so intensive as silversmithing. I have also dabbled in beadwork and fused glass, but nothing holds me like bead making.
There are several reasons why I like to use simple bead stringing techniques.

1.The main reason is I like my jewellery to be about the beads I make. I don't want anything to detract, complicate or make them fussy.

Part of Spring/ Summer Collection

2. Less time making and joining components means more time creating beads. Yippee!

3. My beads are almost indestructible and so would probably outlast the finest clasps and findings. Simple stringing means that if a clasp, wire or ring breaks it is very easy to repair, replace or refresh.
In fact, all my jewellery except for sterling silver earring components, postage and packing, I will repair free of charge. So actually my jewellery is guaranteed for life!

Tactile Disc Bead Necklace

Bell Flower Earrings 2015

4. All my jewellery can be altered and made to measure to fit an individual. Necklaces and bracelets can be made bigger or smaller or beads can be arranged in a different way.

5. An item of jewellery can be changed while new or to an old favourite at a later date. Beads can be added or changed to create a new look.

Stringing with metal twisted beads

6. The findings are reasonably less expensive, so more of the value is in the originality and design of the handmade beads.

I know there is the issue of allergies. I always use sterling silver for earrings. Clasps etc. are generally silver plated and bead wire is nylon coated [tiger tail]. My glass beads have no rough edges, on the contrary they are very tactile. For those that don't like bare necklace wire, I also use seed beads that leave no exposed wire.

Memory Wire Bracelet fits nearly all Wrists

Seed Bead covered Wire

littlehousejewellery.co.uk

Forthcoming Events - 2015

Open Studio Weekend 2013

Handmade Stall at West Quay Shopping Centre, Southampton
 - Saturday 21st March 2015
-9am -6pm
- First chance to see me and showcase my latest Spring 2015 collection in all its glory!

Isle of Arts Affordable Arts Fair at Ventnor Winter Gardens, Isle of Wight- artsisle.org
 - Monday 4th May 2015
 - 11am - 4pm
- Looking forward to this event in a beautiful location.

Isle of Wight Arts Open Studios - isleofwightarts.com
- Friday 17th July - Monday 20th July 2015
- 10am - 5pm daily
- I love this event because its a great opportunity to demonstrate exactly how my beads are created and made into my unique jewellery.

Mauve Bracelet Spring 2015

Open Studios Weekend 2014

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A Useful Pattern

Pattern from Pinterest

Original Handmade Bead Summer 2014

I love Pinterest! It's such a straight forward place to search for inspiration and ideas. Here's a good example, I found this pattern last  Summer and used it to create this bead. The jewellery I made with these beads didn't prove particularly popular, I think probably because the colours were a bit restricting. However, I really liked the design and decided to develop it. At Christmas I used the design more successfully with cream with metallic spots. This Spring I am really pleased with how it has evolved in the white and soft turquoise beads in my Spring 2015 collection. www.littlehousejewellery.co.uk

Necklace Summer 2014

Bracelet Christmas 2014

Necklace Spring 2015

Bracelet Spring 2015

What makes my Beads and Jewellery different?

I'll start with an analogy, perhaps a bit of a grand analogy, but never mind. Leonardo Di Vinci  was certainly a great painter and leaves me in wonder at what can be created by the human hand. However, if I am completely honest I don't like that style of painting and on the whole it leaves me cold. When it comes to the great artists, Matisse is definitely more my thing, especially his 'cut outs', I love them. I feel comfortable with them and  love how they were created. I have the same feelings about lamp work beads.
artfund.org/what-to-see/exhibitions/2014/04/17/henri-matisse-the-cut-outs

Over the years I have seen all sorts of lampwork beads created by others. There are bead artists that produce the most amazing, complex beads. They have skills way beyond my capability. Although, I can admire the skills of these beadmakers, they are not beads I have any interest in or aspire to make myself. The problem comes when these beads are used to make jewellery, jewellery made from these beads tend to be a bit heavy, clunky and frequently gaudy. Would it be rude to say, they lack style? Perhaps I'm being a little vain, but I like my beads because they don't try to be individual pieces of art, but instead they work together. They are wearable, they focus on colour and simple shape and design. They are invariably not perfectly round or symmetrical, those traits I leave to perfectionists and factory beads, mine are handmade and distinctively mine. I always make jewellery that I would like to wear myself. Myself as myself now, myself as a younger woman and yes, myself as a older woman.
I aim at the holistic look of a piece of jewellery, I have my three classic designs of discs, bubbles and spikes and these continue to evolve. Other designs change from season to season and year to year.

Of course I do learn new techniques, but not all do I use and others I experiment with and then adapt to fit in with what I want. I can honestly say, I have rarely been inspired by other bead makers. Instead I prefer to seek inspiration for new shapes and patterns from other sources. Lately,  I have found Pinterest a marvellous source for this. When I get the chance, a trip to an art gallery is often useful too. Another common and fashionable source of inspiration for many artists is their 'surroundings' and 'natural world'. I do live in a beautiful location near the sea and have a garden that makes me happy, but ultimately that's all it and making beads needs to do, just make me happy.