Busy busy busy

Gosh, where does the time go?

I've had such a busy couple of weeks. Archie started a new nursery and is only going half days so my afternoons are not so quiet anymore. He seems to have settled there just fine, but I cried on his first day because I was worried he would miss his old nursery!

Emily cried again at baby massage, this is the third week in a row now she's cried, yet she loves it when we do it at home and I was shocked to find out she's only put a pound on in 5 weeks,  so now I'm feeding her for England even though the Health Visitor wasn't too concerned - I feel like she's permanently attached to me!

Last weekend we went to the Newark gem and bead fair and my OH went round and bought me loads of stuff. He gets so carried away at these things and chose loads of pendants and some lovely beads for my necklaces. We spent £200, which I wasn't planning on, but he is so supportive of my jewellery making, I'm just hoping I can start selling my stuff and make him proud.

So here's what I've been making with the new beads....

This first one is my favourite, I think the pendant is banded agate and I used black faceted glass beads and blue seed beads and a lovely Tibetan silver toggle clasp

This is banded agate died pink, it's a really bright vivid pink and really stands out, it's about 3cm diameter and I used clear faceted glass bicones and velveteen tubing (which we bought a load of at the bead fair)

Here's another pink banded agate pendant, but this time with some really bright pink beads

Another pink banded agate, but this is very pale and delicate, I got a string of 10 of these pink coin beads and they are all different, some very pale and some bright pink. With this one I added some pink quartz ovals, silver lined seed beads and tried my hand at some wirework - which I think turned out ok

More banded agate, but this time green and yellow, with some lovely green and yellow beads and gold bugles, this one reminds me of a landscape, sunrise over green fields

I love the colours in this one - 4cm greeny blue and brown banded agate coin bead - to which I added sesame jasper flat ovals. I love the fact that you can spin these coin beads around and get a different pattern/colours on the other side

We also got 10 of the greeny blue banded agate coin beads and to this one I added some of the faceted black beads and blue seed beads which make a very pretty combination

I love this heart shaped pendant, I wished I had got some brown velveteen tubing for this one, but we only bought black, the smokey quartz cubey-pillowy beads are gorgeous and we also got those unusual shell beads at the fair

I wasn't sure what the purple pendant was (that's the problem when OH wonders off and buys a load of stuff but doesn't listen to what the sellers tell him about what they are.....) anyway it went well with the flourite chips we got so I did this 2 strand floating necklace on illusion thread.

I love this faceted glass teardrop pendant, to which I added some black faceted beads and some crystal rondels and good old velveteen tubing!

Last one using bead fair beads, again I'm not really sure what this is..... will have to do some research, I think it may be jasper, the round beads look very similar and so was a natural choice to compliment this pendant

Now for some other things I've made recently. I saw a tutorial for a wirewrapped cuff somewhere and was dying to make one, then not being able to remember where I'd seen it, I just had to make it up as I went along. I used silver plated wire and swarovski crystals from a mix called contempory christmas. Not bad for a first try I thought....

I made this beaded bangle which was featured in one of the bead magazines last month, quite easy to make but took a bit of time and used lots of thin wire.

I'm not sure about this one, I had started off making a stretch bracelet out of these and more similar beads, but then I didn't like it. When I pulled the elastic out the beads looked like they would make a nice necklace and so I added some champagne coloured velveteen tubing I had left. I'm just not sure if the lampwork lentil gets lost among all the dangles

I made this floating Swarovski crystal necklace to wear to a christening and it got me a cracking comission that I can't wait to get started on

Green agate ovals and serpentine round beads teamed up with some little purple beads, it's quite heavy this one, but I love the feel of the cool beads.

and a matching braccelet....

I love this little fishy bracelet, especially the little silver 'bubbles'

And finally I've made a load of earrings ready for the craft fair I've got coming up, I've paired off a load of other beads to make some more too

So I have been busy, just not had chance to take pictures or blog about what I've been doing!