Swirls and Whirls

Here are the newest additions to my Autumn and Winter collection. Soon to be found on my website littlehousejewellery.co.uk and in my Etsy shop.

Plain and Simple Cubes

Really Long Cube Bead Necklace

I wasn't sure how to include turquoise in my Autumn and Winter jewellery this year. Looking at the colours I was attracted to I decided it maybe good to go back to basics and make plain shapes. Some of the glass is variegated,  has a slight lustre finish or marble effect, so the beads are not completely plain.
Of course the big advantage with plain beads are that they are so versatile.
littlehousejewellery.co.uk

Short Cube Bead Necklace

Cube Bead Earrings

Turquoise Bead Stud Earrings

Small Glass and Silver Cube Bead Necklace

Cube and Cuboid Bead Necklace with Seed Beads

More Additions to the Autumn/Winter Collection

I've been working on grey beads mostly for the past couple of weeks. Here are the results so far. They're not all on my website yet, but I'm getting there!littlehousejewellery.co.uk

Grey Bell Flower Earrings

Grey Bell Flower Necklace

Twisty Black and Grey Bracelet

Grey Bubble Bead Necklace with Iridescent Bobbles

Black and Grey Earrings

Grey Marble Earrings 

Black and Shades of Grey Necklace

Grey Marbles Necklace

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

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

Black with Smudgy Flowers Beads

I do like black, so I made these beads. Although they are black, my intention was to make them summery with soft smudgy flowers of lavender and pale pink. I was aiming for sort of Chinese chrysanthemums. I didn't quite achieve this, but I'm pleased with results all the same. www.littlehousejewellery.co.uk

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

Spring is on its Way! My New Spring Jewellery 2015

Earrings in Pale Green and Brown Transparent Glass

Long necklace of speckled flowers

White and Turquoise Mid Length Necklace

One of the lovely things about making beads and jewellery is that I am always looking ahead to the next season. The next season in this case is my favourite, Spring! So here I am in February and the first part of my Spring Jewellery Collection is finished.

This first part combines the freshness of white with soft turquoise opaque glass. The other part is pale green with pale brown transparent, with the impression of fresh new leaves and buds.

For the white and turquoise, I've combined spots, dots and a sort of spot, swirl pattern I first developed last Summer. For my pale green, I thought it just had to be flowers, particularly bell flowers.

My new jewellery can be found on my website littlehousejewellery.co.uk and also in the Quay Arts shop in Newport quayarts.org

Spot, Swirl Pattern Necklace

Neutral, Muted, Colour?

I've been wondering why I'm enjoying working with not only a limited range of colours, but something quite alien to me. That is, soft, muted and dare I say neutral [a word not normally in my vocabulary!] colours.

     People that know me, know that I love colour! I suppose that's what attracted me to glass bead making in the first place. Don't worry, I never had and still have no desire or intention of living in neutral surroundings, that's just not me. Nor will you find me in any white clothes. In my opinion white clothes are for wedding dresses and maybe crisp white shirts with dark suits.

I came to the conclusion that I use white and neutral colours in the same way most other people use bright and strong colours. Many people like a smattering of colour, well, I'm the opposite. For instance, while I have colourS on all my walls, all paintwork is white in my home.

This all leads to my theory of why I'm enjoying creating my new Spring jewellery. My Spring beads will still be unique and characteristically mine. However, rather than striking, statement, eclectic jewellery, they are developing into more complimentary, subtle necklace, earring and bracelet designs. I have been surprised that despite limiting myself to just a few colours, the ideas have still continued to flow. Am I becoming organised?…….I doubt it!
See my new Spring 2015 jewellery on my website or Etsy Shop-
www.littlehousejewellery.co.uk