Locks, Keys and Keypers...

Over the last couple of months I have been a bit naughty and ordered a few little packages from America. I know lots of beaders will frown upon me for this but I just love the stuff you can get over in the States! It's not to say that we don't have lots of fantastic suppliers and artists here in the UK because we absolutely do, but there are also some pretty awesome ones over the pond and sometimes I just can't resist dipping my toe in! I am particularly into the wonderful work of Green Girl Studios at the moment...gorgeous.

Anyway, I am 'home home' at the moment - by that I mean the home in which I latterly grew up and where my Mum still lives, here in lovely Edinburgh. How I adore it here! I brought the bits and bobs I have been collecting recently and tonight piled them all together on my bed in my teenage room. And look what I discovered! I have strange obsession with keys and locks.

Now, I had noticed that keys are de rigeur amongst jewellery artists at the moment, but I hadn't quite realised how attracted I was to such things at the moment! I think their rise in popularity has something to do with the 'steampunk' movement in jewellery but personally this is not a style which particularly appeals to me per se. I think keys, locks, lockets and secrets are things that I have been drawn to from a young age and I don't think I'm alone on this one! I have been remembering back today to the 80s, back when I was just a wee young thing (honest!) and thinking of a toy that I used to covet - Keypers. Does anyone else remember these??


My friend Stephanie had an orange snail and I just LOVED it. My parents were not into 'trendy' or 'faddy' toys so I knew I would probably never have one but they really were such fun toys, with their keys and secret compartments! It must be the same appeal as lockable diaries, something else which I loved when I was a teenager in the 90s. So now I have to see what I will do with my small cache of locks and keys! And perhaps now that I'm all grown up, search out a Keyper all of my very own...