Our entry this week comes from Julie in Peterborough and it's called "Washed Ashore" bracelet. And here is it's story...
Washed Ashore is a lovely bracelet threaded on memory wire, a metal based continuous coil that allows any bracelet to flex and wind around the wrist, thus fitting most wrist sizes and maintaining it's shape. Colours range from light greens and teals, to dark ocre reds and amber oranges. The striking hues of this bracelet catch the eye due to their subtle contrast, especially with close up photography.
This piece was really an accidental one. I had just finished making a bracelet called 'Smokey Jo' and had some maroon pearls left on the table, along with some jade from another memory wire bracelet. When I saw the two colours together, I wanted to see how I could combine them without it looking wrong. I find my beads on a table, all rolling around are a little like an artists' palette, no rules or order, just a random mess waiting to be used.
There is a real mix of beads on this bracelet, and for £15.00 including delivery in the UK, it's a real synch. Dark teal glass crackle chips provide a nice grounding colour and shape, with their texture and unusual shapes. Green jade also does the same, but in a paler green, and turquoise semi precious stone chips add a bit of 'perzazz'! The turquoise stone was bought in the Canary Islands mandy years ago, as part of a twisted necklace that split and it is one of my absolutel favourite stones because of it's striking colour. The glass and jade came from the same supplier, with a mixture of bulk buys; not particularly romantic I know, but everyone has to bulk buy now and then ;)
I had a few brown lampwork beads in all shapes and textures in the beady box that did not match and looked a bit lonely, so I strung those into the mix as well. The green glass speckle beads with the white mottling were from an online store that I love, and you'll see in my other designs I also have them in clear glass and pale pink. They have a strange bobbly texture to them that I love. One little inconspicuous bead worth mentioning is a tube-like pale green glass bead with a frosted finish. It was bought at the Corn Exchange in Leeds, in 2004 (goodness I'm starting to feel old) in my student days. This is the first proper bead shop I ever went in, and I do not know whether it still exists, but I must have been in there for an hour or more. The poor lad I was with at the time wished he never showed it to me, especially when I spent £20.00 and then wanted to go back the next day as well.... when you get the beady bug, it bites hard!
Lastly, the cream of the bracelet is the unusual gold freshwater blister pearls, which I adore. These pearls are always unique; they can range from 10mm-40mm, and they are sometimes called baroque pearls as well. I have these in a range of colours, best seen in the "Hope" bracelet design, and I just love the forms, textures and depth of colour in each of these fascinating pearls.
I called the bracelet "Washed Ashore" because the greens remind me of seaweed, sand dune grasses and the frothy shore. The blister pearls are gold and unique in shape, like little footprints in the wet shore sand, and have that golden glow of the sun kissing sand at sunset The turquoise is the colour of the open ocean and the glass chips and smaller beads are like little pebbles that find their way to land.
Here it is! This week's Wednesday blog entry has been suggested by Vicky in Cumbria, thanks Vicky! The piece Vicky has chosen is the "Georgiana" necklace. She says:
"Please could I suggest the Georgiana Necklace for your Wednesday blog post. It's my favourite piece and I'd love to know where the beads came from and your inspiration for it."
This is relatively new piece, made about four weeks ago when we were getting the fresh cold days with the early afternoon sunshine beaming through our windows, much like Melton Mowbray today! It is predominantly browns and golds, with hints of yellow and silver also. The necklace is 18inches long, and there is also a matching bracelet and earrings too. I love this set, it just reminds me of warmth and richness and love.
The inspiration, as with quite a few of my designs, came to me some time ago whilst doodling in my pocket sketchbook. Just a page or two of biro sketches, in no order or colour, but loosely using beads I know I have in the beady-box. It's easier to draw a design when you are pushed for time or space; and although you often use beads you've invented in your head, it's a challenge to make them yourself or see if you can source them if you love the design that much!
The colour scheme evolved purely through chance. I was going to make Georgiana (at that time nameless) in purple, but having just made "Damsen and Sloe", wanted a new scheme, and, just as I was wondering what to use, the sun came out and cast a golden light across the cornflower studio walls. It all sounds terribly romantic, but it is true, and everywhere I looked was golds and bronzes. I am not one to wrestle with fate (or wrestle in general really), and once I had found a goldy-brown glass heart for the centre piece, (and one for the bracelet) I was away!!
The beads used for Georgiana are mostly made of glass. This necklace was intended to be symmetrical of sorts, though I am against perfect symmetry in most things. It was not meant to be, but that was ok, because it's a part of what makes each piece unique. If the beads aren't there, I adapt, and thus, every design will always be different and my work always evolving.
The glass heart was from a craft fair in Leeds, bought around two years ago. I bought many of my other hearts from the same lady, in other colours, but have only purple remaining. The beads either side of the heart are different, one a glass brown sphere an the other a copper and brown glass disc, similar in size and weight and both equally scrummy. The beautiful little heart on one side of the necklace is made of tigers eye semi precious stone, and it is one of the first bead sets I ever bought online, and the last I have of a purchase seven years ago. It holds lovely memories of the steep learning curve I was going through around that time, understanding the difference between an ear wire and an eye pin, a tiger eyes and a carnelian bead. Oh the joys. Don't we take accumulated knowledge for granted?!.... The lovely amber coloured glass beads are from a charity shop in Peterbrough, where I also bought a little tea cup and saucer I fell in love with, and only saw because these beads were inside. The coppery golden biwa freshwater pearls, hanging at either side are from China, where some of the most stunning pearls in the world are farmed. These are no exception with their other shimmery hues that can only be captured by the eye, not the camera. And lastly, the little brown beads which act as a buffer to their larger neighbours. It may be said that the 'spacer' beads in a design are not as integral to the more focal arrangements. In this case however, these little beads are another piece of me that the buyer of this necklace will receive. I bought them as part of a set of bracelets from Florence on a school residential. I used to be quite a hippy, with my long blonde hair, plaited in places with beads hanging down and bell bottomed jeans (not to mention my blue Beetle Mitzie). Needless to say I collected bracelets, of the beads, plaited, woven, leather variety and these were part of a set which set me back around £20 (quite a lot for a young waitress / Art student!). Anyway, years later I found these in my jewellery box and decided it was time to use them for other ends. And now, here some of them are!
I hope you've enjoyed the first story behind the design feature, it is nice to be able to share with you the work and experiences that bring a piece to life. Seeking out new bits for my designs is something I take for granted now, but in a world where so much of our produce has journeyed only by freight, it is nice to know that sometimes, what you are buying has finer threads of distance, and has been loved before as much as it is loved hereafter.
If you've enjoyed this feature and would like to suggest a piece of my jewellery for next week's Jewellery Jackanory, please contact me directly or comment below. And in case anyone was wondering, here is Mitzie...
So I was sat chatting to my partner's cousin and fiancee recently (confusing I know), and we were having a chat about my jewellery and where it all comes from. In China, where they both live, people are fascinated about our heritage, architecture and culture in the UK. It was during this conversation that I realised how little I explain about the beads I use and their history, something that is so integral but I take for granted. Each piece of jewellery does have a unique story to tell, just as I say on the homepage, but the descriptions don't always cover this, purely from a product facing perspective. So "One Jewellery Wednesday" is set to change all that. It's Jackanory for my Handmade Jewellery!
For anyone reading this who is a designer or crafter, you will know you have to utilise the most bizarre places to find what you're looking for, and really think beyond the High Street and eBay. It's a bit like the Lions egg advert, being able to make 'something out of nothing' IS a skill. I can't say that pearls and stones are quite nothing to me, my eyes widen at the thought of them (and for those of you who have met me, my eyes are already big enough!), but combining these together is not always easy.
If you're reading this and you're not a creative person, you will I'm sure have skills in areas I could only dream of, but can hopefully still relate to what I'm saying. You probably appreciate a handmade item even if you don't make it, and for me, that is such an integral part of what I do, because without you, I would not make a living.
Each week I will ask my twitter followers, facebook fans and blog readers to suggest a piece of jewellery from the site you'd like to know the history to, for sale or sold. And I will write about where the beads came from, what kind of beads they are, and how I came to design the piece and give it it's name. Each piece to me (though this may sound melodramatic) is a legacy in itself, and a personal journey has taken place in order to get to that product. When I sell a piece of jewellery, I am, in effect, giving that legacy and journey to the buyer for free without them knowing. My heart and soul goes into what I do and therefore I am always travelling with each item I sell...
To find out the story behind your favourite piece of jewellery, comment below, via the facebook page or tweet your idea to me
So, due to the new t&c's of facebook, fan pages are no longer allowed to run competitions that use facebook as the only platform; this includes providing an incentive to fans to like or share. As I am a co-operative and diligent facebook user (well, co-operative anyway), I'm still going to run the competition, but not through facebook so no dummies are thrown.
The competition is still to win a piece of handmade jewellery worth £20.00, but instead of sharing on facebook, you can enter through this website instead by:
1. Commenting on this blog post, stating your favourite piece of jewellery from the website and why 2.Using the contact form on the left hand tab, stating your favourite piece of jewellery from the website and why OR 3. Contact me with the above information through the facebook contact tab on the handmade jewellery page.
A winner will be picked at random and announced here on the website and also on Facebook and Twitter, so
Of course (if you're still reading), I would dearly LOVE everyone to share my products and page with their friends as much as possible, (not only through facebook) and if you feel this is something you would be happy to do, then I salute you in appreciation and hope that all your days be merry!!
At last I've added a new Valentines gallery! It can be found on the left navigation and through the third slide on the homepage.
Valentines is a one stop gallery designed to highlight the best hearty morsels on the website. Spend over £12.00 before 10th February 2012 and receive a complimentary Valentines card too, with postage still free in the UK.
Can you believe it? In addition to the Valentines competition I've decided to do this... on all orders made through the website that are £12.00 and over, I'm going to throw in a free handmade Valentines card. This website has all the ingredients for that thoughtful and perfect gift.
Not only do I include p+p in all my prices, but I will thoughtfully gift wrap each item you buy, include a gift tag (which can be written for you if you wish) and now also send you a free Valentines card made by my own fair hands. These cards are not to be sniffed at... especially as they range from £2.00-£4.00 per card. Each has totally unique and you can choose between male and female cards.
Just make Handmade Jewellery your first stop for Valentines goodies and you're halfway there!
So it's here!! The new giveaway competition. I've been madly making lots of lovely gifts for Valentines and I want the world to know about it! One lucky fan will win a very fine piece of jewellery worth £20.00 for five seconds of their time and a few clicks... this is what you have to do:
The next status (which will go live at 20:15 GMT today) is my special Valentines post. To be entered for the competition, you must share it with your facebook friends (a little personal comment would also be much appreciated!). New people who become fans of the page, can also share and enter. The status will re-entered regularly on the wall throughout the competition for easy access. After the first five shares from different people the competition is officially on!
The deadline for shares is Thursday 9th Feb at 19:00. All those who share starting tonight, will be entered into the draw, and a winner chosen by random.org. The result will be announced later that evening. Any deleted shares will be withdrawn. Lets hunt some fans!!
For those of you who live locally, I've added a new left hand tab called 'Events'. My New Year's resolution is to 'get out there' a bit more, as it's always nice to meet new creative people, as well as forge links with new clients. So, I have named a few events I did last year, and hopefully the list for this year will grow and grow. If you want to hold an event in your area, please fill in the contact form and I will get straight back to you. Here's the link for events:
http://www.beckytoughill.co.uk/events.html
In other news, I'm currently putting the finishing touches to my Valentines cards during the day. New photos are going on in the evenings, and I will be listing new pieces on Folksy this week to get a wider audience.
This evening, I will be announcing a Valentines competition for anyone who shares a magic link, and all Valentine's orders made through the website will receive a 10% off next order voucher.
If you've not been over to the galleries yet, here are a few new pieces to wet your appetite with links to each.
Hi everyone and hope your January is going swimmingly. Here's the link to my 'sold' gallery, if you've not noticed it mysteriously springing up on the left hand side.
http://www.beckytoughill.co.uk/sold.html
It features recently made and sold items, so you can keep track of what is popular and what you may have missed.
The good news is, if you see something in the sold gallery you like, you can always email me and if I have enough beads that are similar, I will always try to design a piece that fits your requirements. Remember, I don't make duplicates, all my work is one off and embraces the beads I manage to source and find on my hunt for treasures. I will endeavour however, to match colour schemes to be the best of my ability.
News of events up and coming to follow, along with more content in the galleries when I've photographed everything.
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