I have resumed my pottery classes.

Well after what seems like ages away I resumed my pottery classes! I was excited about going back because our pots had been finished over the summer and we would finally get the chance to see how they had turned out. I think on balance I am happy with the results but realise that going forward I will concentrate on preparing ideas to take with me. I am happy with the above bits, I like the colour and shape of the plate, but can see a little more effort is needed in the finishing! Its not as smooth as it could have been. The hearts are fine, but again I can see where in future I would refine them. I wanted them to go on my wall and two of the four have actually made it to my wall so that's a result.

Tom wanted a coffee cup which has turned out fine, again a bit 'rustic' and 'organic' (for that read wobbly and uneven!!) It hold a small cup of coffee which is what he wanted and as a bonus in case he forgets his name I have helpfully provided a label to assist him. 

A better shot of the plate, I like the way the frit has bloomed like flowers on top of the glaze. The bowl behind was made from coiling, a technique I am not very keen on, so that a bit wobbly as well. The spotty pot was made with slab work, that was easier to construct but not easy enough for me to consider making two more to make a matching set!!

Not sure what to make of this bowl, I went all free lance on this one combined to death lots of techniques which have given an 'interesting' result!Pink paint, white glaze and some blue frit, mmm not sure that its one I would repeat!!

This candle stick was nothing like this in my brain, it sort of evolved as I went on, as I said previously it was supposed to be an underwater scene with fish and gently waving weeds, it was a 50% success, the weeds turned out looking like earth worms BUT its turns out this is one of those pieces that have improved with addition of a good coloured glaze! 

It actually fits in nicely on my unit, so its a success!

This last week we made weird bowls, not sure how they are going to turn out!!

I think they would not be out of place in an air raid shelter, but I am prepared to be amazed once they have dried out and fired!!

We also did some little free hand dish things, you'd be amazed at how fiddly they were and I am still not sure I actually like the result. I have decided going forward that I will have a project something that i will prepare beforehand and then work on it during the lesson. In my head I have a little ceramic village on the side of a hill, with windows that will light up with a tea light. Trouble is it will not end up anything like that!! I can dream!!

I have still been fiddling with my camera and I am starting to master it a bit better. I was helped no end by a very patient bee like thing that was sitting on a rose, I think it was a bit dozy because it stayed there for ages and let me take loads of pictures!!

I took around 20 photos and all the bee did was womble around a bit and ignore me!!

I have also been back at the flame this week with a remembrance bead commission. It was good to be bead making again, everything else seems to have taken over at the moment.

I hope that they like their beads.

It seems to have been a very busy weekend, Tom is 'enjoying' Sunderland on the telly, I am baking a plum cake for pudding and Beth is swapping her bedroom around, I just hope she doesn't get fed up mid move, it could be a long afternoon!!!

Finally I wanted to wish my friend Sue a speedy recovery, only Sue could go on holiday and delay her return by ending up in hospital with a badly infected leg after a mosquito bite. She has had a few days as an inpatient but has been released back into the wild this morning, they are now waiting for the insurance company to arrange a flight home. Thinking of you Sue, hope you are back in your own bed soon .

Have a great week.

xxx

Finally....

I have finally got around to making things with my beads. Hurrah!!!

I felt inspired by my white spotty beads and made a necklace and a pair of ear rings.

I had trouble photographing them because no where seemed to show them as they are in real life.

In the end I took photos on a mirror, this seemed to be a good idea at the time, but it confused my camera and it refused to focus!! Looking at the top photo the reflections are blurred so I can see how my camera got confused!!

I am very pleased with how it has turned out, so pleased that I have made two more sets tonight using some of my less perfect beads. They don't look too bad if they are mixed in with some sparkly beads!!! 

I am going to attempt to photograph them tomorrow night, watch this space....

Indoor Water Feature....

Yesterday Beth said, 'I can hear dripping' so we stopped and listened and sure enough we could hear dripping, we were in the living room and there really shouldn't be the sound of dripping in there!!! So we looked around and finally tracked it down to the central heating system. More precisely the water heating part of it. There was a huge puddle in the bottom of the system and water was starting to run out onto the kitchen floor. So we called the man who services it and he came out and said we needed a new part. He switched off the gas but we still had a tank of hot water so he said he would leave the water on so we could use it . So last night we set up a bit of a Heath Robinson device to drain the water away, involving corrugated plastic and a bread bin!!!!

This morning the bin was full, I had a shower with the last of the hot water and now we are waiting for the bloke to come back and switch it off until the new part arrives.  More expense!!! 

I had a very productive weekend, finished scrapping all my photos of the bulb fields and I had a successful burn up with my beads. I made a set of beads and I am happy with how I am getting better, I can see me making something with them !!

I made a set of white beads with green blue and purple spots, nine in total I am pleased with the colour, shape and the speed with which I was able to make them. Its made such a difference having a graphite bead roller, it helps me keep everything roughly the same size!!! That has made me think that perhaps I could investigate some other shapes, I get on better with the roller than with the brass presses. 

Over the weekend we had a birthday party, the Twins were 28!! I can't believe they are that old, it makes me feel very old when I think back to looking after them as little tiny babies. Where does the time go????

Lots to look forward to, the removal of the internal water feature and our cruise. I can't wait until we are aboard the Opera heading for the Norwegian Fjords. We went last year and it was brilliant, this year we will be with our friends Madeline and John so it will be twice as good!! 

4 days without the internet????

I have had a terrible week, its been hard to cope with. I have been without the Internet!! It is amazing how much you come to rely on the magic of the web. Beth has not been able to do her research for her home work.  I have lost count of the number of times I have gone to look for something before realising that I couldn't actually look it up. I wanted to upload photos and sort out some photo shop posters, all to no avail!! Last night I phoned Virgin again and they said that it was a fault on my modem having spent three days telling me it was a general fault, they refunded half a months subscription and arranged for an engineer to call tomorrow. As it turned out we received an automated call to say that they had fixed it remotely and did we still need an engineer?? So now its back and life can get back to normal!!!

So what did I do to fill up my Internet free time?? Well made beads of course!!!

I have been playing with 'silver' glass. This glass reacts with the base glass to produce some interesting effects . Making beads is like making cakes, you have to experiment a bit and keep a note of what happens. I used silver leaf on top of ivory glass and they reacted  together I then put a bit of silver glass over the top.

To make the glass shine you have to allow it to cool for a while and then gently waft it in the tip of the flame. If you get it right it has a mirror like shine. I am pleased with these few beads. Some time soon I will make them into jewelry and hit the craft fairs!!

I am glad we are heading towards the weekend, it seems to have been a hard week not helped by the torrential rain that we have been enjoying. Every day this week we have been drenched getting from the car to the office. Today we had a presentation outside and that was wet as well. This is what happens when you are in the middle of a drought and hose pipe ban!!!!

More Beads!!!

Over the weekend I got time to make a few beads. Before we went away on our mini holiday I managed to buy a new implement, a bead roller. I wasn't sure how I would get on with it, but I am pleased to report that it has worked very well. I needed something to enable me to make beads of the same size time after time. I cracked on and managed just that!! The roller has 4 different sized holes so I was able to make 4 different sized beads. Most of the ones above are the same size but there are a couple a bit bigger when I over did the amount of glass !! All in all I was very happy with a regular bunch of beads and I feel inspired to do more.

I tried to keep a common theme, spotty beads!! I don't know what happened to the blue ones though. They all developed red streaks. I have checked he rods and they are pure blue no red in them at all. I have checked my work surface and that's clear, so its a mystery, perhaps I over heated the blue and got a reaction.

All I have to do now is make them into something, so I need to work harder at making 'sets' of things!!

In more good news Carl is now designated as a 'NQT' Newly qualified teacher. He has handed all his work in and they have signed him off at Uni. We are so proud of him its been a tough few years and he has had to work very hard to get there. I think he will make a great teacher. Well done Carl !!!!

New Beads!!

Well the weather this Bank Holiday has been as we have come to expect - wet!! Here we are with four days off faced with a hose pipe ban and it has been steadily raining and being generally miserable. I have had a good time crafting caught up with my scrap booking, enjoyed digging around the family tree and yesterday had a go at a few beads.

I am particularly happy with these for a couple of reasons.

1. They are just about the same size.

2. There has been a great reaction between the glasses.

I might be able to make these into something nice, so I am thrilled!!!

This afternoon I went over to Van Hages Garden Centre to support my friends son, Sam, who was putting in a spell  as a garden gnome riding a snail!!! He is a very talented young man and he has passed the audition for a place with The National Youth Theatre. (400 out of over 5,000 applicants countrywide!) He is raising money to help cover some of the costs associated with the training.

His costume is great and a couple of his friends turned up to rattle a bucket for him. Good Luck Sam!!

What a beautiful day!!

When I woke up this morning and looked outside the sky was clear and the sun was shining, it was still cool but it looks as if today might be a great one for taking a few photos. All week I had been planning to take some blossom shots but had not got around to it. I am a bit of an ignoramus when it comes to naming the trees, so I am going to see if I can do an identification by google a bit later on!!

I think its fair to say that the blossom is stunning this year, we have a fantastic tree on our green, but its always very late flowering, but it hasn't stopped the trees in the rest of the town.

I am amazed at just how many flowers there are blooming at the same time, they are the most delicate shades of pink with a few white ones thrown in.

It seems such a lot of effort for them to bloom when the slightest of breezes results in pink confetti every where, a true sight of spring.

This tree had less flowers in smaller clusters, but they were fragrant and you could catch the scent on the breeze. 

This tree was stacked with blossom. I took a drive around the whole of the town and I only found this type of tree in one place. 

The tree attracted loads of great big fat bees, they were buzzing from flower to flower.

Last of all is the magnificent Magnolia. Strong, big pink flowers There are a few of these in the main road through the town, they are not all in flower as yet, but this one was in a garden nearer to home, so I took a few sneaky shots. 

Beth has been out all day playing the part of a body for the Ambulance service who have a mock up major incident. She gets to take several roles, this morning she had a peanut allergy, she is now on her way home covered in blood!! I hope she got some photos!!!

Mum and dad have had a bit of a day, the stair lift has packed up, they have a call out service plan  but when the man arrived he found  that the gear box had broken and he doesn't have a spare one, they have to be ordered in. So Mum is trapped upstairs until its fixed, hopefully in the morning. 

My conservatory is finally 'done' we picked up the final cupboard Saturday morning and have that installed next to the bureau, so now my printer and craft robo are up and running again. I advertised a couple of bits on  Free cycle and one has gone and one is waiting to go. So then I will be clear I am happy with how it has all turned out and I was able to sit and make some beads this afternoon without spending an age shuffling things around to get ready first.

I can't wait to see what come out of the kiln as I have been experimenting with some special effects glass. I just hope its not poo on a stick!!!

More Beads!!!

Last weekend I was on a roll bead wise and I managed to do something I had not done before, I made two beads on a single mandrel. I only have seven BIG mandrels so by doubling up I was able to make enough beads for two necklaces. The problem is keeping the first bead warm enough while making the second, you have to keep sticking it back in the flame. I got quicker and braver as the session went on. I was in the end able to make the beads quite close together. I even managed FOUR plain beads on one mandrel. After they had been cooked in the kiln I only lost one which broke so I am more than happy with that experiment!!!

These are made from dark ivory glass with silver brown decoration.

These are made from dark ivory and turquoise, with a small touch of black.

Carl is now in Australia, I have heard that he is or possibly has climbed the Sydney Bridge, which looks again like too much hard work to me!! He is also going to go Whale watching before he moves onto New Zealand. He seems to be enjoying himself. Wish it was me!!!

Its Gone Again!!

This weekend has gone in a flash !! Why does that always happen??? Its been quite a productive one. I have been beading and because the weather has been so blustery I have been washing.  I managed to wash and dry all the bedding from Carl's room including quilt, under blanket and sheet and quilt case. Put them on the line and they were dry within the hour!!

I tried a new technique to make a glass topper for a ring. Its quite easy although I did make a mistake on a couple of them, I didn't allow the glass to drop down enough. That said I am very happy with the results!!!

I like this one it reminds me of peacock colours!

This one will go with my necklace!!

Yesterday Dad and I went into see Mum in the afternoon and we were not sure what we would walk into. She wasn't very happy but she was more determined to get out of there. We did some exercises with her and got her legs moving. She was sitting in her chair but I did them I think its the only way we can get her to concentrate and get cracking. Perhaps she has turned the corner.

I have heard from Carl today it seems that they are experiencing some terrible weather. He said that they have never seen rain like it. They are being battered by some big storms, thunder, lightening and winds. He text me to ask if I could look up the weather online as he thought they might be heading for a cyclone and the big worry was that they had booked an evening on a cruise across the bay. As it happens they were experiencing the wrath of tropical storm 'Songda' which was sweeping through the area. The weather info said they had issued a 'Red warning' for rain. I haven't been able to find out what that means, but it doesn't get any worse than a red warning!!! Carl says they have got some spectacular photos !! Sarah has said that they have found a fantastic Cath Kitson shop, I like a girl that has her priorities right!!!!

My New Necklace

So here it is in all its glory, with all its handmade imperfections but I LOVE it!!! I am not saying that in a big headed sort of way, but I have spent the past few months trying to perfect my skills and this is the first major product. I have always loved the big hole beads and people are always commenting on my 'usual' necklace, so I have decided to make sets that will go onto a silver chain.

So now to source silver chains and away  go!!!

Reflexology,Reiki and New Beads!

I am still trying to perfect making a heart shaped bead, I am finding it a bit difficult, I am not sure if its the press that  don't like or if its just that I am not cut out to make hearts. These I made yesterday and although they are getting better they are still not what I can see in my minds eye. I might sell the press and look at another shape heart.

I have also tried out button making and I like it!! I can see that this technique has lots of possibilities I made these yesterday and I now have lots of ideas about what I would like to make in this shape. Mind you it took ages to melt the glass yesterday so perhaps I had the regulator setting wrong.

I think its about time I made something with my beads so I have made a set of turquoise and ivory beads and I intend to clean them up and wear them 'pandora' style on a silver necklace with some silver spacers. I hope to sort that out later today.

Last night I went out with my friend Tina, we went to a holistic therapy place where they offered taster sessions of various therapies. I was booked in for reflexology, Reiki and tarot reading. There was also a talk on Feng Shui. It was a nice relaxing evening apart from the journey to and from the place. Tina was driving and she was talking and distracted. We went a fair distance out of our way to get there, but on the way back she excelled herself and we ended up going home via Enfield!!! I think we doubled our journey home.

So what were the therapies like?? Reflexology was was lovely, very relaxing and not at all ticklish which I was worried about. I would have that done again. Reiki was something I had never had, it originates in Japan and is channeled healing again very relaxing. I enjoyed that and felt quite relaxed afterwards. Its definitely something I will look at doing again. Tina had crystal healing and Hopi ear candles, so there is more to try next time!!

Making Buttons.

I went to Flame Off a few weeks ago and saw a demo by a lovely lady (Julie) who taught us her technique for making glass buttons. I have enjoyed having a go and I am sure given more practice I will get better. I spent so much time concentrating on getting the petals right and cutting the hot glass, that I seem to have lost the basic skill of placing dots!!! I am sure I will get better, I can only do two at a time as I only have two mandrels!!!

At last some good news for Mum after her operation yesterday the surgeon has said that he is encouraged with the wound and that he has stitched everything back up and is hopeful that will be the end of things. He is so sure that he has said that Mum can sit on the edge of the bed for a while today in preparation for finally getting out of bed again after seven long weeks.

The Busy Beader.

This week has been hectic, Mum is still in hospital and looking at having another operation next week. She has had a scan on her leg and they can see that its still bleeding, so they are going to have to go in and stop that. They are worried about another general so will have to look at epidural or worse case local and sedation.I just hope they can get it sorted it has been nearly five weeks in bed now.

Madeline on the other hand (or leg!!) is doing very well, she is up and about and Grace tells me may be discharged later today or tomorrow, brilliant news. I am keeping my fingers crossed for her.

Yesterday I spent a lazy day playing with my glass. I just wanted to try out some techniques and use some of the new presses that I had bought. By and large things came out OK, I am having a real problem using the heart press and I will have to look for further advice on that which is a little disappointing as I want to make hearts. Nothing is as easy as it looks.

Anyway here are a few of my successes.

These were made with my new lentil press they were fairly easy and I made a fair few with the same colour and I plan to turn them into a necklace sometime soon.

Made with the same press and same colours I need to keep practicing the flower shapes!

Same lentil press but red glass .

My first commission!! My friend Hannah asked me to make a few beads for her bracelet, I have explained that I am still in my practice makes perfect stage, but she wanted a couple anyway, so I hope she likes them.

Lastly I watched a tutorial at Flame Off last weekend and decided to have a try, again not as easy as it looks The one on the right is a bit blobby particularly around the dots which have melted into a splodge and not in an attractive way!!!The one on the left has nicer spots but is generally lumpy, so once I have learned how to combine the two elements, I may have a usable button.

Its been fun trying!!!

Getting Quicker

I have not had a lot of spare time recently (Amazing I hear you all cry!!!)but I did manage to get an hour to  myself Saturday afternoon and made a few beads. Its quite addictive. These orange and black beads are quite striking lots of people who have looked at them love them. They are a little garish for my taste!

This red and white bead is equally garish but I love it, the other two are for practice and have turned out to be almost a matching pair - result!!

These are my favourites the two outside beads were turquoise base with alternating ivory and turquoise dots, the centre bead is an ivory bead with turquoise dots!! I have made a few of these now and I like the combination.

I am hoping to have more time to do some more.