Long Necklaces

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Morning everyone

There seemed to be a theme to this week’s creations and that is long necklaces, I do think they look good with a jumper at this time of year. I have made three different types and I like them all.

The first is a 20mm peach shell pearl set into a large gold toggle clasp. The second is made from parts of a necklace I bought from a high street store, reduced to component form and then remade it as you can see – I set banded agate for eyes and added gold wire roses around the bottom - I think it looks a little like an owl! The third is a silver wire heart made freehand with three small garnet drops hanging from the centre.

I enjoyed making these and I hope you like the results. Have a great week and, as it is Christmas next weekend, I will be taking a break until the New Year. I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, my next post will be 2^nd January 2017.

Jo x

20mm peach shell pearl set into a large gold toggle clasp

Banded Agate set in gold & rose gold with wire roses 

silver wire heart with small garnet drops

Just having Fun

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Good Morning

This last week has been a relaxing and fun one, with a birthday or two thrown in for good measure. I would like to show you what I think is the most fun birthday card I have made in a while - tailor made for my friend Justine and she loved it.

Also this week I have made some hair clips for my secret Santa at work which I hope will be enjoyed with the same amount of fun with which they were created.

Have a great week and, as always, it would be great to hear from you.

Jo x

These flowers are made from Pink Crackled Quartz 

& gold faceted Shell Pearls

Christmas Cards

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Good Morning

With Christmas now just around the corner, I have spent my time this week making cards to send to friends and family. It always takes me by surprise how many there are and how long it all takes to do. Still, I am pleased with the result and the photo below shows just a few - as some are already on their way home.

I hope you are enjoying the build up to Christmas and, if you are around, then you may want to pop in to JJ Ribbons in Laxey on Wednesday this week (the 7^th of December), they are open until 9pm and will have the Christmas train running with Santa on board as well as the Laxey bell ringers, hope to see you there.

Have a great week and, as always, it would be great to hear from you.

Jo x

Laxey Christmas Fair

Flower Power

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Morning All

This week I have been making a friend something to wear to a festive-themed wedding. I was not sure what I would end up with at the start, but I am very pleased with the result and so I think was my friend.

I found this lovely braid in my local shop JJ Ribbons and it was perfect for a 60’s style head dress, and I had two flowers left to make a long double-sided pendant - so that when it moved both sides would be lovely.

This last weekend was also my last craft event of the year, two days at the Workingmen’s Institute in Laxey, which was both fun and very tiring. If you called in I hope you had a great time and found something nice to take home.

Have a great week and, as always, it would be great to hear from you.

Jo x

Candy Cane Houses

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Happy Monday

Can’t believe we are into the first week of November already and it is time to start panicking about the Christmas products. So this week I have been making Christmas Cottages which hold twelve candy canes. I just love these little houses - they can be reused every year, just replace the candy canes for years of fun.

I have only finished the first two in a Nordic theme but I have started a further four which will be finished with more modern papers, but they are quite addictive to make.

I won’t be posting next Monday (the 14^th) as I will be on away on holiday - so I will try and have something fun for the week after. Also, don’t forget my next outing with be Saturday, 19^th November, for Motor Neurone Disease Christmas Fair, at St John’s Methodist Hall from 11:00 to 4:00, hope to see you there.

Jo x

Gemstone Shards

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Morning Everyone

I have been looking at a string of natural quartz shards which I have had for some time. I wanted to use them but could not decide how best to do so, until this week. I combined them with some copper coloured aluminium 2mm wire and I am very pleased with the result. It took a bit of trial and error to get the look I was happy with, but it was fun to play!

If you were at the ManxSPCA event this last weekend I hope you found something nice to take home.

My next outing with be Saturday, 19^th November,  for Motor Neurone Disease Christmas Fair, at St John’s Methodist Hall from 11:00 to 4:00.

Jo x

 

natural quartz shards & copper coloured aluminium Wire

ManxSPCA Craft Fair

Bangles Galore

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Good morning

After the frustrations of last week, I have made some wire bangles which I am very happy with.  They are made with 0.8mm wire for the base and either 0.4mm for the fine look, or 0.6 for a chunkier feel.  I think they have turned out really well; I’d love to hear what you think.

Next Sunday, 30^th October, I will be at the ManxSPCA Christmas craft & artisan market at the Play Barn, Ard Jerkyll from 12:00 to 16:00.  It would be great to see you there.

Have a great week.

Jo x

Pop Up Christmas Tree Cards

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Hi everyone

Not a lot of progress this week. I have been trying out some new designs which have not always gone to plan.  In fact I have only ended up with three working cards so far!

This type of card has a mechanism which is tricky to get to sit right and, if it’s not completely in the correct position, it either rips the card or will not stand up when you open it.

Still I will persevere and, at some stage, you will see more of these complete.

Have a great week.

Jo x

Pop Up Christmas Tree Cards

Silver & Blue/Turquoise

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Good morning everyone

Not a lot of time for crafting this week as I have had some major electrical work taking place – and no lighting meant no crafting!

So I have only managed two bracelets, but I love them. Both are silver and blue/turquoise, though very different to each other. The first is based on a gizmo coil that just builds and builds and the second is a child’s charm bracelet with cultured pearl charms.

I think they are fun and I hope you like them, let me know either way.  If you were at the fair on Saturday then I hope you enjoyed it and found something nice to take home with you. 

Have a great week.

Jo x

Silver & Blue/Turquoise Diamond Wire

Silver Child’s charm bracelet with cultured pearl charms

Fun Jewellery

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Morning All

This week I have made a couple of items: the first is a necklace and ear rings set from silver shell pearls and green crackle quartz. The quartz comes in trillion shapes which makes interesting flower designs.

I have also made a couple of pairs of ear rings to add to the stash for variety.  I hope you like what you see. 

If you were at the fair on Saturday then I hope you enjoyed it and found something nice to take home with you.  If not, then next Saturday, the 8^th October, I will be at Tynwald Mills in the marquee in aid of Crossroads Care from 10:00 till 4:00 - hope you can make it.

Jo x

silver shell pearls and green crackle quartz

Purple coated black agate Ear Rings

Moss Prenight Ear Rings

Port Erin Craft Fair

Bendi Christmas Cards

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Morning Everyone

In the last week or so I have started to become aware of how close Christmas is if you are a crafter and you plan to attend any Christmas Fairs.

So, after having minor heart palpitations, I have made my first Christmas cards, they are patterns which I purchased from ‘Dreaming Tree’ and I think they are lovely. They are a little fiddly to make but so much fun and the end result is great.  I plan to make more of them in different colours.

Next Saturday, the 1^st of October, I will be at St Catherine’s Church Hall in Port Erin. I am hoping for fine weather but, either way, it would be great to see you there.

Jo x

21st Birthday Prep

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This last weekend I attended a 21^st birthday for my friend’s daughter.  Jas is very into fashion but likes simple, clean lines and silver jewellery.  I decided to make her a bangle in silver plated wire, I was very much aware of the criteria which I needed to fulfil to make this project a success.

So having seen a technique on YouTube I decided to give it a go.  The first version was not as robust as I needed it to be, so I tried again using 0.8 and 0.4 wire - I am very happy with the results.

Let me know what you think and, as usual, it would be great to hear what you have been making.

Jo x

Not just the gift but the card and gift bag

The Bangle in detail

Movement in a Necklace

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Morning Everyone

What a fabulous weekend, fine and warm - just great.

I spent the weekend making a necklace and ear rings I saw demonstrated by Gemma Crow and just loved them.  It was much more difficult then I imagined, I used yellow Chalcedony & gold French wire to make this piece. To keep the movement you thread the French wire on to monofilament, this is very fiddly, but I got there in the end. 

I hope that you like it; as usual it would be great to hear from you so feel free to get in touch. 

Jo x

Fun with Water Colour Pencils

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Hi everyone

After water-colouring a couple of weeks ago, I came across come very cute digital stamps by SWALK which I haven’t used in an age. So this time I have been playing with water colour pencils, they are truly fun. I would love to hear what you think of the finished cards.

I was at the Craft Fair on Saturday at St Catherine’s Church Hall, Port 

Erin; the weather was awful but if you called in, then thanks and I hope 

you found something nice to take home.

Jo x

An Array of Gemstone Skulls

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Morning everyone

This last week and the week to come are motor bike race weeks on the Isle of Man and, with that in mind, I have created some skull jewellery to put in my outlet in Laxey at J J Ribbons. I have been lucky enough to source my skull beads in black agate, white howlite and clear quartz. They are nicely carved and give the jewellery a good weight.

I really hope that you like what I have created, feel free to let me know what you think and also if you have any ideas that might be fun to try.

See you next Saturday 3^rd September at St Catherine’s Church Hall, 

Port Erin.  I hope you can make it.

Jo x

An Array of Skulls

Skull Choker

Skull Tassel on gun metal chain

Skulls on leatherette

Skull Broach

Cubes Galore

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Good morning, if a bit of a soggy one.

This last week has been quite creative because I have managed to complete two suites of jewellery; although they are the same design. I just love the shape of these gemstones, corner drilled cubes, and I think in the different colours they give a very different feel.

I have also spent some time with a pre-bought cuff which I have wired tiny garnets into, this has taken quite a while to do but I think it was well worth the effort. When it is worn and the light hits it, the sparkle and colour is just gorgeous.

When I popped out to have a haircut, I took along some new pieces for my display at ‘B4 and After’. These have been arranged beautifully by the staff there, and I send them a big thank you!

My next craft fair will be at St Catherine’s Church Hall, Port Erin on 

 3^rd September, so one for the diary. I hope to see you there.

Jo x

Multi-Colour Crackled Quartz Cubes & Silver Seed Beads

Purple Howlite Cubes & Gold Seed Beads

Silver Plated & Garnet Bangle

B4 and After in Douglas, Isle of Man

Summertime Hats

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Hi Everyone

Well, this last weekend was the Royal Agricultural Show so my lead up to it was a bit frantic, what with going through all my stuff and making sure everything had a description card and was priced correctly, anyway you get the idea.

I did however, make time to decorate some hats that I uncovered and was hoping to sell if the weather was warm enough. I am very pleased with the outcome -  I aimed for three completely different styles and I like them all for different reasons, let me know what you think.

My next craft fair will be at St Catherine’s Church Hall, Port Erin on 

3^rd September, so one for the diary. I hope to see you there.

Jo x

Hats with their own personality

the Royal Agricultural Show