Fuzzy Designs for Christmas

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Hi Everyone

This week my fellow artist from Fuzzy Designs has been working and I hope you like what he has done, I do.

Well, one piece at least, and some pinstriping creations to accompany it.

If you’ve looked through the Spanner Art back catalogue you will probably have noticed that “S” spanners have been a constant source of ideas from the very beginning. They just have a fluidity about them which, to me, suggests a sort of fish-like movement. However, this piece takes a different approach because, rather than being engraved and then painted with transparent colours, I opted to go down the skeleton route instead. I added a mist effect around the spanner in luminous paint so you can decide for yourself if it is a ghost fish or some strange denizen of the deepest oceans.

Both the pinstriping pieces have a Christmas feel to them but I would have to admit that was completely accidental. The final choice of shapes and colours didn’t really come together until a long way through the creative process. I was very unsure about the asymmetric piece as it was an experiment and I had no idea if people would like it. It sold within a few minutes of the first fair I took it to so it can’t have been too bad!  

JO x 

Turquoise Fun

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Morning

I have had a love of turquoise for some time but it is so expensive that I have only purchased small chips and small cubes, but have not felt sure what to make.

So I have finally decided what to make and I really am pleased with the result.  From the small chips I made a bracelet and used Sterling Silver findings and small beads to make the turquoise shine.

Then I took the cubes which already had drilled holes because they came on a strand. I increased the width and depth of the hole on one side of the cube to accommodate the ball head of a sterling silver headpin.  By recessing the ball, and pushing the headpin through this enabled me to efficiently make stud ear rings.

If you enjoyed these makes then please let me know.

Jo x    

Christmas Glitz

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Hi Everyone

Christmas market season is well underway now so it is time for me to think of things that I can make relatively quickly but have lots of fun and glitz. 

So I have made a necklace and ear rings from cubes of black agate with multi colour sparkly square rondells, perfect for that little black dress.

I followed this with two bow tie chokers in deep purple and teal agate, just so much fun for that black tie event over Christmas.

If you enjoyed these makes then please let me know.

Jo x    

Christmas Cards 2023

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Good Morning

This past week I have been making a start on my Christmas cards.  When I counted up, I needed to produce about 20 cards. However, by the time I had decided what I wanted to make and found the card to make them out of, I have only managed to make nine so far! 

Still, I am very happy with how they turned out and it would be great to hear what you think of them.

Jo x    

Clay Handmade Beads

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Hi - Happy Autumn

Well, I have returned from my holiday which was wonderful and exhausting but so much fun.

Before I left, completed a commission with a strand of beautiful turquoise and red clay beads.  It took me some time to decide what to make but I am very pleased with the final necklaces, and the client was very happy too. 

The first is an 18” necklace with the clay beads and rondell’s of garnet which gives flashes of red when being worn – so pretty.  Necklace No. 2 is a long line which is made from a champagne medium chain and a beady bead - completed with clay and gold beads with a champagne tassel. 

I really enjoyed the challenge of working with a set strand and I hope you like what I have made. 

Jo x    

Gemstone Elastic Bracelets

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Hi everyone

Not much time for fun jewellery making this week so I have made some elastic bracelets for my Christmas stash: they are pretty, fun and always good for a gift. 

All the bracelets are made from a variety of gemstones. We have three two-tone with enamel sea charms, and three bracelets with silver tone chain on halfway – just to give that little bit of interest when they are stacked up together. 

I hope you enjoy their simplicity and colour. 

Jo x    

Yellow Smiles

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Good morning 

The suite of jewellery I made this week has been both a joy and seemingly never ending!  I have had these yellow chalcedony and clear quarts square slices, which are corner drilled, for some time and not known what to make with them.

So, when I finally had an idea it was very time consuming to wire almost two full strands of these stones together, but most satisfying when the necklace came together just as I had envisioned - I used citrine to complete the neckline. By comparison, the ear rings and bracelets came together easily and I am so happy with the end result.

I hope you love all of this too. 

Jo x    

Nod to Vivian Westwood

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Hey everyone

Gosh, I hope you all had fun in the unexpected sun last week and are now appreciating the cool rain. 

Over the last week or so, I completed a commission for a necklace with a nod to jewellery by Vivian Westwood. I love how it turned out and it is a major statement piece.

Using both very large shell pearl and cultured pearls on the tassel with 925 Sterling Silver, it just sparkles and shines as it moves, looking sexy and glorious. 

I hope you like it as much as my client does.

Jo x    

Bracelets so Easy to Wear

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Morning all

On the bank holiday weekend I travelled from the Isle of Man to the UK on the ferry. It takes about two and a half hours so, armed with lots of gems and beads, I settled in to make some elastic bracelets. 

Sitting next to me was a lovely lady (a nurse) travelling with her daughter and, after watching me for a while, she joined me in making the bracelets.  I was very thankful for both the help and the company - it made the time and the task go much quicker, so thank you for your help if you are reading this.

Over the last week I have been keeping the bracelet theme going, making some different items with gemstones and 925 sterling silver beads and finding (some of which are gold plated). 

I enjoyed making both types of bracelets and hope you enjoy the results.

Enjoy this extended summertime.

Jo x    

Front Clasps

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Hi Everyone

I know that it’s Tuesday but, with a long weekend, you need to take the holidays when you can. 

I found this design on Pinterest and I love it. So, to show how different it can be made to look, I created two colour combinations.  The first is neon apatite with the prettiest silver flower clasp.  The second necklace is made from orange adventurine, which is a pale sunny yellow/orange, and I have used a glittery gold clasp. 

Both necklaces have ear rings to accompany them. They not only look divine but, because the clasp is at the front, they are easy to put on without help. 

I hope you love these creations as much as I enjoyed making them.

Jo x    

Threaded Suites

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Good morning

Last weekend was going to be the last fair of five in a row, but I am sorry to say the wind was too high and unfortunately the Duck Races in Laxey, Isle of Man, were postponed.

So, this last week I have made a couple of threaded suites which are both pretty and easy to wear.  For the first suite I have used graduated cubes of mookite, which is a type of jasper and is from one source in Australia. 

The second suite is a station necklace and earrings made from crazy lace agate, hollow four leaf clover with rhodonite cubes and chain which looks great.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and all the fairs that go with it.

Jo x    

Fuzzy Fun Design

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Hi Everyone

This is the latest offering from Fuzzy Designs.  Just a couple of items this time around.

first of all we have a piece which has caused mixed reactions to put it mildly. It seems Man Buns are a rather divisive subject and the suggestion that they should be removed with a pair of rusty scissors is met with either hearty approval or outrage – depending on one’s point of view. The piece itself was very simple to put together, the only slight issue was finding a way which mounted the hammer (which is an old toffee hammer) securely.

The second piece is another simple idea which takes the size difference between two spanners from the same manufacturer and applies it to the surrounding pinstriping. To my eyes at least, there’s more than a hint of Art Deco going on – which was an unexpected bonus!  

I hope you enjoy the art works.

Jo x     

Beautiful Pearls

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Good morning

Over the last few weeks I have been so busy with making things for the Summer Fairs that I just have not had the time to keep up with my blogs and for that I apologise. 

So I am posting two of my latest cultured pearl pieces which were fun to make and even better to wear (just testing of course!).  The first is a large necklace and ear rings made from quartz shards in pink, blue and natural clear mixed with Biwa peals.  I think the result is stunning.

The second is a necklace made from silk, covered in blue wire and threaded with a selection of 2mm drilled pearls in various colour and sizes, breath-taking on the skin. 

I hope you enjoy my latest makes and enjoy the summer while it lasts.

Jo x 

Spanner Art (with no Spanners!)

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Good morning

SPANNER ART (WITH NO SPANNERS!)

The main driving force behind Spanner Art is to make use of garage debris (not always spanners) that would otherwise go to the dump. These two clocks are true to that principle as they feature a selection of parts that were just simply useless and beyond repair.

The brighter of the two is a sump plate from a Kawasaki motorcycle which had been twisted in an attempt to get it off the bike. No good for keeping oil in the engine but a coat of paint turned it into an interesting mount for a simple clock. 

The other clock is literally made of scrap parts. The backing plate has been badly damaged, the spark plugs don’t spark anymore and the chain running around the edge is stretched way beyond its usable limits. However, put them all together and you get a real statement piece for a man cave!

I hope you enjoy the these oddities and the sunshine if you have any. 

Jo x 

Hedgerow Flowers

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Hi everyone

Over the course of the last week I have made a suite of jewellery which I never thought I would, as it’s much more flowery than what I usually make.  Using small flowers of many colours, and shell pearls as the centres, I layered them over and over to create a hedgerow effect.  Then, using a wire bar, I created a curve which is connected with pink and green mermaid coated quartz to create the neckline.

There is, of course, a pretty pair of ear rings to match.

Jo X  

Large Gold Chain

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Morning everyone

While tiding up my chain stash I came across this very large, gold plated base chain with lots of texture.  I have teamed this chain with 10mm rounds of green crackled quartz which have been knotted with gold thread and finished with a matching tassel.

The matching ear rings look simple but impactful.

Keep making and enjoy the sun.

Jo X 

Birthday Flowers

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Good morning

This week I have made a box of colourful flowers for my mother’s birthday.  I choose this pattern from Tanya Batrak on the Silhouette Store – it was just what I needed.  The finished article was robust enough to post in sturdy box and arrive untouched by the mail handlers (they can be a little over zealous!).

The flowers are made from 200 gsm paper and double layered, while the box is made from one layer of 260gsm and one layer of wall paper for a distinct pattern.

Overall I am more than happy with the results, I hope you like it too. 

Jo X  

African Colour

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Hi every one

Taking my inspiration from African jewellery, I made this multi thread and multi colour necklace.  Using waxed cotton threads and antique bronze wire this piece was a joy to make, although fairly tricky to keep so many cords together.

To accompany the necklace I also made some elastic bracelets which have lots of colour and fun.

I hope that while you are enjoying the early summer you are still finding time to participate in some fun crafting.

Jo X  

Three The Same

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Morning

Oh boy, are we in the UK having the best early summer!

This week I have made three double bracelets, one strand of small coins and the other a strand of chain with beads.  The stones I have chosen are golden Obsidian, Amethyst and Apatite.  Each have a different colour of chain, along with a matching pair of ear rings.

I think they’re super nice and I hope you like them too.

Jo X  

Fuzzy Designs

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Hi Every one

THE ENTIRELY UNREQUESTED RETURN OF SPANNER ART which is done by my lovely partner and you can see his other makes on this blog under Fuzzy Designs.

Although, strictly speaking, this is actually Saw Art.

Recently, he was given a pile of old saws by a friend who is a tree surgeon/ wood worker. This stumped him at first because, even though he has used saws in the past, there were so many of them (he gets through a lot!) that I felt I ought to try something a bit different.

As you can see, he was only 50% successful on the first outing as one ended up being sign written (with a message appropriate for any workshop) but he pushed the boat out a bit with the other and Is pleased with the result – so much so there may be others in the same sort of theme. It’s a stylised take on classic Japanese imagery and the lettering simply reads “Cherry Blossom” (or Sakura no hana if you’d prefer). he has a stall at a fair coming up shortly so no doubt we will find out if my enthusiasm for this new direction is justified!

Enjoy your makes.

Jo X 

Ear Rings Selection

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Hello

I have a school craft fair coming up at the end of June which I have never attended before.  So, over the next few weeks, I am trying to make some pieces which will appeal to the children and hopefully prise their pocket money from them! 

So, last week I have been making ear rings which I think are fun and colourful, and I think that is all I need to say about them!

Enjoy your makes.

Jo X 

Colour of Summer

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Morning

This week I’ve gone for bright and sunny multi-colour crackle quartz!  I used these large rounds to make a bubble style necklace with small rondels for the neckline and ear rings.  Because the large stones are a good weight, I used a double strand for the neckline and the way the multi-coloured stones play with the light just adds to the joy of the piece. 

Jo X 

Slider Bracelets

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Hi, Happy Easter

This week I have been enjoying the springtime feeling and my love of bracelets, which I wear lots of in Spring and Summer with shorter sleeves. 

I have taken apart some jewellery I was given which wasn’t really my style but it was full of beautiful Toll beads.  I have repurposed some of them as the centre of what I think are really lovely slider bracelets. 

I have also made some more rope slider bracelets with various gemstones at the centre. They are of different colours and shapes which I think are very appealing to both wear and look at. 

I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend and you are finding time to have some craft time.

Jo X

Carrot Cottage

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 Morning everybody

With Easter next weekend I have just finished the cutiest paper lantern and it is so much fun to make.  The pattern came from Dreaming Tree which, if you follow me, you will know is my favourite online shop for paper construction designs.

So, after choosing just the right papers to show it off to its best, I made a carrot cottage with beautiful fronds on top, decorated with flowers and bling, and I think the end result is wonderful.

I hope you enjoy this design and whatever you are creating.

Jo X

Faberge Egg

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Hi Everyone

I hope you all enjoyed Mother’s Day last Sunday, whether it was with children, grandchildren or fur babies!

With Easter on the horizon this last week I have been working on my first Faberge egg homage and I am very happy with the result.  I purchased the pattern from Dreaming Tree https://www.3dsvg.com/ a site I love and this design has not disappointed.  The egg top comes off and has space for chocolates or a thoughtful gift.

I hope that you like it as much as I do.

Jo X 

Hearts Forever

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Good morning.

As last weekend was Mother’s Day, and with Valentine’s Day not that long ago, I have made some heart pieces.  The first is sterling silver hearts, two of which have been enrobed with either gold or rose gold.

I then made three slider bracelets full of hearts. The first with multi-colour hematite, then pink and white crackled quarts, and finally Dalmatian jasper - all so pretty in their own way.

Do stay warm and dry if possible and keep crafting.

Jo X

 

Garnets & Gold

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Hi Everyone

This last Saturday was the first craft fair of the year and it was nice to be out and about again seeing all the craft goers as well as both new and old customers.

Over the last week I have been working on some of the prettiest garnet nuggets that I have ever owned.  I used half a meter to make a three stranded necklace including gold dipped hematite and the end results are stunning.

Let me know what you think of this suite and don’t forget to tell me what you are creating.

Jo X

Gemstones and Resin Tubing

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Good morning

Over the last week I have made two rings. I purchased the ring shanks and set the gemstones which are labradrite and blue kyanite.  I will be practicing more gemstone setting techniques over the coming period so watch out for them.

I also completed some necklaces and bracelets using resin tubing with chips on them to give lots of sparkle and shine for evening wear.

I hope that you are having fun in your crafting.

Jo X 

Notelets & Ear Rings

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Hi Everyone

This last week I have made some small notelets which are great fun.  I am a strong believer in receiving post, it really does warm the heart.

I have also created some fun ear rings which I just love.  I have had the gemstones for a little while but only just got around to using some of them. They are amethyst and peridot which makes me feel like spring is in the air.

Let me know what you think of this week’s makes and how you have been spending your time.

Jo X

Silk Collar

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Hi. Good morning.

Over the last few days I have been working on a collar which is made from copper and I have covered it using sari silk, in colours ranging from turquoise to terracotta, and then criss crossed it using wire with unakite beads attached. The wire picks up the reflection when the wearer moves and creates some sparkle, adding a little eye catching interest to the piece.  I have also created a pair of long line ear rings using copper chain and unakite beads. 

Let me know what you think. I love the finished jewellery and I hope you do too.

Jo X