Allegory Gallery: March UPDATED

I'm splitting up my Allegory Gallery post this month - I have a sweet pair of earrings to show you, but the photos haven't turned out well, so that will follow over the next few days. Until then, here is a bracelet I designed and made, using some cool shiny red beads from Andrew's gallery. I'm not even sure exactly what they are made of but they are very light, and hollow, so they make for some lovely lightweight and delicate jewellery. Paired with Sowzere hand dyed silk cord, an antique copper clasp from DaisyChainExtra and a simple clay round from Gaea, this is the perfect, easy-to-wear Spring bracelet.

***30.03.12***

And here are those earrings....

Vintage white glass beads from Allegory Gallery and rich red sari silk from PreciousSparkleBeads....hand forged copper ear wires.

I am part of a really exiting team of designers - the Allegory Gallery Design Team. Every month from February 2012 - January 2013, we all blog about pieces of jewellery we have designed using materials from Allegory Gallery. We are able to combine these materials with those from our own stashes, to create new designs every month. Andrew Thornton sent each member of the team an exciting package of goodies, from his new Gallery and Boutique in Legonier, Pennsylvania.  You can check them out on facebook too.

Please check out the other members of the Allegory Gallery Design Team's blogs and show them some love!

Peggy Li

Sally Russick

Penny Neville

Cindy Cima Edwards

AJ Reardon

Amy Cousin

Genea Crivello-Knable

Brenda Salzano

Shannon Chomanczuk

Charlene Sevier

Jess Prill

Rebecca Anderson

BTW

A few small pieces on my table today.

Firstly, some pretty clasps from Jo Tinley of Daisychain Designs that I blogged about yesterday:

And a simple necklace I made using one of the daisy clasps, a lovely faceted turquoise round from Barcelona, and a cool Humblebead headpin I've been hoarding for a few weeks (not long for me!)

Lastly, a simple chain and drop bracelet, made using some lovely Czech flower beads I bought last time I was in Edinburgh, from The Little Bead Shop. They now have a wonderful range of these for sale online - go check them out! I'm so glad they've got their online shop up and running :-)

What's on your bead table today?

Bad beader!

I am a bad beader :-( last week, I ordered some of my Beads and Beyond pal Jo Tinley's new clasps. She packaged them up to me and was kind enough to include some lovely extra goodies for me. The reason I say I am a bad beader is that I didn't email her to a) let her know that the parcel had arrived and more importantly, b) thank her! I really thought I had, but no....only in my head. I do that sometimes....

Here is what I ordered:

And here's one of the extra goodies she sent me, right up my street I think you'll agree:

Isn't she beautiful? I can't wait to make something with her - after I've hoarded her for a bit of course :-)

Here's a close up of my favourite clasp:

And the back, so you can see how it works. It's about the size of my thumbnail - small and perfectly formed:

Jo makes some of my favourite designs featured in Beads and Beyond and I think that's partly because she has a completely different skill set and style from myself (well, when I say that, she can almost certainly do everything I can with wire, but I can't do anything that she does with fire and metal!). She always has something simple and striking on the go and her lovely blog is well worth checking out if you're not already a regular reader. I'm hoping to go down and have some silver smithing tuition with her at some point over the next year or so (not sure that she knows this!) but until then, I'll be buying these lovely clasps from her! Show her some love and do the same :-)

A surprise competition!

I'm in a competition! I was reading one of my regular blogs, Jo of Daisychain Designs, who posted that she was in a competition...and guess what, so am I! It's Bead and Beyond Magazine's Jewellery Maker of the Year competition and apparently us designers have been nominated by the readers - I'm so very touched! Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see both mine and Jo's names down there at the bottom. It's such an honour to be included in the list of nominees - very talented designers, every one. I'm going over there now to check out the readers' entries - it looks like there's some really stunning work there. The new issue of Beads and Beyond will be coming out soon and I have to say, I'm really excited about seeing my newest design - it's one of my favourites which I'm sure you'll understand when you see the colour scheme! In the meantime, here's the main project from my most recent article in the current issue, High Tea.