Mojo anyone???

Well I hate to admit it I have for a little bit of time lost my mojo!!

What is mojo?? To me mojo is the creative spark, the actual WANT to make something I have lost this mojo thingamigig recently! ... it's funny how life can affect this creativity.

I've been suffering from the most almighty cough and flu since January... my friend who is a nurse was visiting from Scotland. was quite concerned over this, me being me brushed it off.. but it definately made me feel uninterested in my jewellery making.... until today, I finally decided to go to the doctor.... he told me I had a problem with the medication I was taking for my blood pressure and that sometimes this can exasperate flu symptoms....... so finally I know why the hell I am coughing so much! And can actually do something about it.... he signed me off of my day job for a week so now I feel so much better that I have time to recouperate and get better.... I don't know if it's this or having looked at www.mydailybead.blogspot.com that has rejuvinated the lost mojo..... but since looking at it early this evening I have since made 6 pairs of earings 3 pendants and a necklace (photo's will follow soon!).

I hope to feel refreshed after my bit of time off!

Woo hoo, hope it's back for good!!!

Bridesmaid jewellery

Just a wee quick one for this evening, this late year has thrown up a few late bride's tying the knot in the later months of the year!

I have been working on a set for a bride, who has 4 bridesmaids, being a cash concious girl (which is understandable in this climate) she asked me to create a bit of bling without the heavy price tag!!

This is what I came up with for her featuring swarovski and pearl accents

Beaded Bead tutorial

I've always wanted to know how to cover wooden beads with seed's thus making the beaded bead, this is I feel a very useful skill to have when working with seed beads as they can add a lot of interest to a piece in addition you can make them however you like, meaning they can become a focal bead for your work.

Having had those wooden beads in my stash for ages I decided to scour the net for a tutorial on beaded beads, I have often admired other seed beaders work and wondered "how do they do that?" so after looking around on my favourite site for information and general chit chat about beads UK BEADERS forum and admiring work from a talented seed bead artist Liz Reed, I had a look at her website The Crimson Moon beaded jewellery. Liz has some very beautiful and interesting work along with some fab tutorials. I purchased her colossal beaded bead tutorial, this is the first tutorial I've ever actually paid for (usually I'm a skin flint, unless I buy a book I never usually pay online for the tutorials) but the beads looked so well made I just had to have a go.

After a couple of shaky starts, which mostly were due to me having no ink in my printer and having to keep getting up to look at the pc, I finally produced some pretty decent beaded beads (if I do say so myself!). The tutorial is very good, very easy to follow, the pictures are great, I'm rubbish at working out and calculating things, so even though I am pretty alright at peyote stitch I would never in a month of Sundays have been able to make these beads without this tutorial......highly recommended!

I've added a pic of my efforts.