UK Beaders

UK Beaders Blog

Challenge theme: She Sells Seashellsnemeton

my website
Just want to see more beady pictures? Save yourself the bother of reading this and go straight to www.nemeton.clara.net instead!

my shop
There’s now a selection of my finished work, including beaded beads, for sale online at www.nemeton.etsy.com – a new venture for me this year.

my beading
I love little tiny seed beads in all their many colours and finishes! Since I was last featured on here, I have also discovered the delights of handmade lampwork beads and have spent a lot of time inventing ways to incorporate lampies into my seed bead pieces. I will try any technique that doesn’t involve glue, but my favourite is freeform, the more diverse and ‘organic’ the better! I am still in love with lime green, which pops up in a lot of my designs, but have tried to broaden my palette and work with lots of different colours too.

I’ve submitted a lot of designs to magazines over the past couple of years, and much to my surprise a lot of them have been published: I’m now a regular contributor to both Bead and Beadwork, and watch out for a whole raft of projects coming up in Step by Step Beads soon too (plus the odd one in Bead & Button)… oh, and the online Beading Daily. (There’s a more or less up to date list of my publications on the ‘Brag Page’ of my website if you want to track them down and have a go!) My two necklace kits so far have been very successful, and I have some new kit designs for Westcoast Jewellery that should be available very soon. I’d really like to write a book, but at the moment there just isn’t the beading time!

my ‘real’ job and my favourite things
I work freeelance in science publishing, but am now trying to reinvent myself as a jewellery designer/bead artist instead. Still got a bit of a way to go before the beading business starts to make a profit, but I’m a big believer in chipping away a little at a time, and I know I’ll get where I’m going in the end. As well as beads I like cooking, seaside walks, identifying moths, sitting in the sunshine, and of course chocolate!

my challenge piece
The pendant, the shells and various of the other bits and pieces in this sea-themed necklace were swaps or throwouts from my forum friends – they just seemed to go together. I peyote stitched round the edge of the pendant (and for once got it to fit first time!) and added some short fringes with beads and shells on the ends. The little herringbone starfish (whose big brothers are hopefully going to be an earring project in a magazine) was a perfect finishing touch, adding texture to the pendant without interrupting its oval shape.

my thanks
Big thanks to all the forum members who voted for my piece - your support is very much appreciated. And even bigger thanks to Kitsch Kitty for organizing this challenge and for all her hard work with UK Beaders. I’ve made such a lot of friends here, and look forward to lots more time chatting over the next couple of years!Challenge theme: Pastel PerfectionSunflower

Hello,

My name is Catherine and I’m still in shock that I was lucky enough to be voted as the winner of this challenge. Thank you so much.

I only discovered jewellery making last July. Funnily enough it resulted from my wanting to make my own hairsticks and finding I needed a headpin to do so. I went on the internet to find out what a headpin was and where I could buy one and haven’t looked back since. Oh and the hairsticks are still waiting to be made as I’ve been too busy making jewellery to get around to them.

I have to say that everything I have learnt has come from the beading forums on the net (mostly this one – thanks KitschKitty) and from books borrowed from my local library. What with being housebound due to a severe health condition I unfortunately haven’t been able to get to any classes or groups to meet my fellow beaders but am honoured to have met so many in the virtual world of online beading.

I started off with simple stringing quickly progressing from using the cheaper glass beads to gorgeous lampwork (mega thanks to Tan – who’s been an absolute star) and gemstones (yummy). I find I am constantly attracted by new methods and want to have a go at everything. I’ve recently started playing with seed beads, as I couldn’t resist after seeing all the beautiful creations on the UK-Beaders forum. I was pleasantly surprised to find it lots of fun and not at all stressful – I had thought those tiny beads might finish me off! So now I’m trying out bits and pieces with stitches I like and am beginning to combine them with stringing and the good old Nemeton tassel (thanks Lynn). It’s been quite interesting to see my change in style as I learn more. I keep meaning to write down all the tips I wish I’d had when I first started – maybe one day soon.

At the start of the next chapter, I am beginning to research and consider the idea of selling some of my creations (I’ve discovered I can only wear or give away so many). So with a bit of luck and much perseverance my beading may at some point become self-supporting. Well that’s the dream anyway. I certainly hope it happens as I can hear those yet to be made lampies calling me to me buy them and give them a good home!

Hope you all have as much fun beading as I do.

x Catherine.

Challenge theme: Put your heart into itOur winner is... Alchast

My name is Norma aka Alchast I live in Edinburgh with my husband and my three fantastic girls who are 15 13 and 12. I started card making about 10 years ago and moved onto jewellery making about 6 years ago. After attending a course at Edinburgh College of Art run by Anne Little, a wonderful inspiration and awesome jeweller, I got the beading bug big time. I learnt the basics of enamelling, wire working, soldering at the course and haven’t stopped learning and experimenting since.

I love working with wire and specialise in making jewellery with recycled copper, both sheet and wire. I source my copper from the local scrap yards and am now such a regular customer that they keep me wire and sheet, sometimes for months, as they know I will snap it up as soon as get a chance to pick it up.

I trained as a Community Education Worker, specialising in Adult Education in areas of high deprivation, and had used my love and aptitude for all forms of arts and crafts in a wide variety of projects, due to family commitments I no longer work in Comm. Ed. So it seemed to be a natural progression that I started to deliver courses in jewellery making, I have done this for nearly 2 years and love every minute of it. I love that people who come to the classes are astonished at the amount they pick-up and learn in a short 2 to 3 hour session, also how addictive it is.

I am now combining copper with a variety of other materials including semi-precious stones, silver, polymer clay, lamp work beads, pmc, fabric,felt and anything else I can work into my designs. I draw inspiration from a variety of places but especially the historic surrounding where I live. Our flat is literally in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle so I don’t have to go far to see spectacular architecture, flora and fauna.

I am bowled over that this piece was voted as the winner and am deeply appreciative of the honour bestowed upon me. It’s onwards and upwards with my jewellery making and am fully intending on doing this for the rest of my life.

Thank you every one
Norma aka Alchast