Sometimes simple is best

Hello!

For today's blog, I searched my recent haul from Claire Lockwood's shop update. Claire's ceramic pieces are exquisite. The colours are always a delight -vivid and earthy at the same time. They are so very beautiful that I use them sparingly, and often take them out of their box and give them a little stroke...

And so I faffed about with these for ages, believe it or not. Sometimes, the more beautiful the components, the longer it takes me to decide what to do with them. And I love these. I've bought several pairs of Claire's crescents/half moons in the past and love the shape of them. These are the most wonderful dark, indigo blue with a rustic stone coloured, textured  stripe.

In the end I stopped faffing, because sometimes simple is best....So i added some lovely oxidised copper links by Lucy Haslam and some pretty co-ordinating seed beads

So, if you're stuck -think simple! When it comes to beautiful components like these, you really can't go wrong. If you like these gorgeous components, be sure to like Claire's Facebook page -she posts details of when her shop updates are happening, and they sell like hot cakes so you have to be quick off the mark!
These beauties are up and listed in my etsy shop
See you in a couple of weeks!
Sue x

Drops and Spikes

So here we are in December! I don't really do seasonal earrings, I'm afraid so had a little look in my beady stash for inspiration for this week's post, and thought I'd dip into my supply of Petra Carpreau's ceramic drops and spikes. No-one does drops and spikes like Petra. They are fantastically versatile, come in all the colours of the rainbow and they are just so tactile -gorgeous to hold. I love the way they look like they have been dipped in colour.

Then I got a little obsessed with the same design! I love these pretty czech glass flower beads, and thought they went so well with the drops. I added some antique brass spacers and sweet little yellow picasso seed beads. I love this turquoise version. Who doesn't love turquoise and yellow?

Here's some with rich red drops and gold seeds

Now for some spikes. I love this combination of brass and silver spacers - love the contrast in colour and textures. Some speckled blue spikes and seed beads for this pair

 And green spikes and gold seeds for this pair

Told you I get a little fixated with a particular design!
These pretties are available in my etsy shop, except for the turquoise pair, which have already found a new home.
Thanks for reading! See you in a couple of weeks

Sue x

Twisted Sisters

A couple of weeks ago my friend Lucy had an on line show to ease herself back into production of her metal work, after a break while she settled into her new house in wild Wales. A one woman show is quite taxing, and she won't mind me saying she isn't always in the best of health, having had an industrial accident several years ago which left her with a badly damaged back.  Late in the afternoon I knew she was pooped (her words!) so I offered to go on for an hour with some examples of how I use her more unusual findings.

So I posted my 'Twisted Sisters' They use Lucy's 'twisted sisters' connectors - she tells a good tale about how I rang her up one day and said imperiously ' I need something new - make me something different' and she came up with these. Bit of poetic licence, I say...................

These were the pairs I posted. I called these 'Platinum Blonde and 'Blood Meridian.' I overwrap Lucy's connectors with swarowski crystals in colours that blend, or contrast with the ceramic drops - they are fun to make.

It wasn't too long before I started getting comments asking if I was making some more - it's a style I haven't made for well over a year now. But now I'm hooked again. 

So here we are - some lovely new autumn colours. The ceramic drops that I take my colours from are, of course, by the wonderful Petra.  

 

                                   

                



                  A Clockwork Orange

                Fiesta - The Sun also Rises.

The new pairs will be in my Etsy shop this week, and I feel more coming on!

               See you in a couple of weeks

                              Lindsay

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