Preparations ...

In the studio. Making components.

Losing My Religion. One spoon at a time.

 Grampians roadside bones. Roo at one time I guess.

Tumble etched beads. Thrifted . Too shiny. Not now.

                  
                                                                     Ah the 90's.

Flea Market Finds

As I hunted about the op shops this week I had in mind some new ways to display the jewellery I make. Naturally everything I looked at was weighed up against its ability to become a unique new display stand of one kind or another. In the end this is what I brought home with me ...


This fairly tall "Tim Burtonesque" candle holder looked promising.

As did this fringed rattan lamp shade ...

I made a wire armature and covered it with calico...

Which looked ok until I tried to tea dye the fabric after it was sewn to the armature and all the yucky black stuff from the steel wire leeched through and stained the fabric. No pics of that though 'cos I am a bit ashamed that I made such a dolt-head mistake!  I covered the rattan with old pattern pieces, wrapped my girl up in some already dyed fabric and added some romantic touches. Voila!

Please forgive the dodgy pics. (I am sure everyone over at Sophie's has done a much better job of photographing their wonderful finds.)

Oh and don't forget I am having a giveaway over here.

Shiny, shiny sparkles - and a giveaway.

I love a bit of sparkle. I like shiny sparkle, Christmas sparkle, grungy sparkle - if it glitters there is a fair chance I am gonna like it. I have never subscribed to the less is more philosophy when it comes to shiny stuff. Of course my favourite shiniest and sparkliest stuff to use in jewellery making has always been Swarovski crystals. When I started out on a beady pathway they were like my Holy Grail. I wanted to get my skills to a point that justified using them in my designs. Well I have come a long way baby - and so too it would seem have Swarovski crystals. I have just spent a deliciously indulgent amount of time perusing the latest "Create Your Style with Swarovski Crystals" magazine and I gotta say I am a bit gobsmacked. This issue is called "Issue Sound" and is themed around the idea of music. It is chocka block full of drool worthy pics, like this one on the front cover ...

That is what I call some serious decoration for your decolletage! Scattered throughout the magazine are articles about current fashion trends, new releases from Swarovski and did I mention the fantastic pictures? Oh yeah I did - well, they are pretty inspiring! The thing I really appreciate about the stuff in the mag is that it isn't just about stringing a few glitzy beads together. Oh no, there are all sorts of ideas about creating mixed media jewellery and accessories, utilising a range of skills - from wire-work to plaiting. The best bit has to be the amazing "how-to" section. This is so well done - lots of pics ( yay, someone who gets that creative people are visual people!) and the instructions are really clear. Have a gander at these little gems ..

A stack of fun designs to make ...

Really good instructions that make everything seem absolutely achievable.

The projects presented have good design elements and really you could use them as a guide to create stuff in your own style. I have to admit I gave up on most of the "beading" mags currently available as they  regurgitate the same old designs  and mostly seem to be about promoting the products of the various advertisers. This magazine is all about Swarovski for sure but we already know it is an awesome product, so it doesn't have that try-hard feel. I really, really like this magazine. Really. The good news is that I have one to give away! AWESOME! Let me know you would like to own this gem of a magazine by leaving a comment. I will leave the give away open until next week when Rex the Wonder Dog will select a winner by random - well he is a dog after all!  Hmmm - back to immerse myself in the luxe lovelies ....  Oh and head over here to see some much lovelier pics from the mag. And if you do the facebook thing you can go here for more gorgeousness - and competitions and stuff ...

Flea Market Finds

Oh dear - our phone lines are down so this installment comes to you courtesy of the local library! It seems the beady thrifting faeries are still with me this week as I found lots of irresistable pretties.

I also purchased a couple of books that look interesting - although they will probably remain unread until the end of the Uni semester ...

 These earrings feature some beautiful mother-of-pearl ...

And just look at the beautiful carving on this shell disc!

More carved beads - this time they are made of bone.

Pretty stones.

A scrumptious jumble ...

Head over to Sophie's for a little more thrifting goodness!

Okay so I concede that there is nothing new about a bunting necklace. They are probably all over the Net. However, I have never made one so that at least, is new to me!

Arranging and re-arranging the flags to find just the right sequence ...

Linked together with sterling silver jump-rings.

I am really pleased how the torch-fired enamel looks - a little bit "shabby-chic". It adds to the vintagesque appeal. (and yes, that is a real word - well it is now ...)

I will definitely be revisiting this - maybe some really bold colours next time?

Flea Market Finds

My travels this week seemed to dredge up a whole lot of sewing paraphernalia ...

Then there were some beady bits ...

including these beautiful seed beads ...

I also turned up some jewellery odds and sods - to be repurposed ...

some pretty embroidery, crochet and old spoons caught my eye ...

I plan to use the spoons to create some more jewellery - like this ...

and finally I unearthed some dolls.

I'm afraid that I am planning to separate their body parts ... mwahahaha!
Pop over to Sophies'  to see what other stuff people have been collecting this week.

Night Time Newie.

Fueled by tequila and the bonhomie of The Courthouse ( pub, not legal institution!) I decided to try out the night time setting on my camera. This first one is a little wobbly so if you get motion sickness -TURN AWAY NOW ...

Then I started getting all creative ...

Sadly due to aforementioned tequila I can't quite remember how I achieved that effect so I won't be reproducing it anytime soon. Maybe that is a good thing. As a photographer I make a pretty good jeweller. Ah well it was a good night!

So much to see...

Sydney certainly has lot to offer visitors! In fact there is so much to check out we will definitely need another visit. Soon. There are alot of glam gals and boys about the place for Fashion Week but it is not like I am inundated with invitations to the shows ... Today I heard about a neat idea where you can watch a show on your 'puter! Cool. No need to break out your Jimmy Choos (I wish!) and designer jeans to join in with the hip people. Find out more here . Enjoy the show. In your trackies.