Whew! Where did that week go?

Well it's been over a week since my last post and it's all been a bit of a whirl! Mum didn't make it to the biopsy appointment last Monday, due to the severe storms that were battering the South Coast last week - but she has another appointment on April 1st. Thank you to everyone that has sent their good wishes and support, it means so much to both of us.

So what's happened in my beady world since last week? Well some good news regarding the Pink Ribbon Pin - it's going to be a project on Beading Daily sometime soon, so anyone that wants to can make their own special pin. Of course, these ribbons have become a popular emblem for various causes, and so I have also made Teal Ribbon Pin (representing ovarian cancer) to show how different they can look in different colourways.

I've also made a new Pink Ribbon Pin, with a 9ct gold stick pin, which is going to be auctioned by Beading Daily, with all the proceeds going to a breast cancer charity. I will post details of the auction here as soon as I know them!

What else? Well most of the week was taken up with either beading the pins, sourcing the materials (thanks go to my friend George of by george for helping me find the gold and silver stick pins!) or preparing the instructions and diagrams. Bead & Button is finally available in UK shops (with my Foxglove Trio on the cover) and I must admit, it was a great feeling to be able to walk into WHSmith on Saturday and see my design on the shelves! Beadwork is also due out sometime soon, with my Supernova Choker project in there and I believe the latest issue of Bead is also due out and I have another project in there - Butterfly Pendant ... sorry Julie ;-)

So all in all, a pretty busy but exciting time - now if only we could just get Mum well!

Pink Ribbon Pin!

As some of you know, my lovely Mum has been battling breast cancer for a couple of years now. It seems to be the one persistent black cloud in our otherwise bright sky. Tomorrow she has to have another biopsy to see if the cancer is back or if it's just scar tissue from the two previous lumpectomies. I made the Pink Ribbon Pin today in honour of Mum and to acknowledge her bravery in the fight against this dreadful disease. My heart goes out to everyone in a similar situation.

The secret's out!

Well the secret's out a bit sooner than I expected! The fabulous bead artist Zoya Gutina has very kindly added an article about me and my beadwork to the 'Jewelry Making' section of her website. Take a look and be sure to visit my gallery of work whilst you are there. Zoya also publishes a monthly newsletter on her site, and March's issue which is due out soon, will also include me as 'Featured Partner'. There is a link to Zoya's website on the side bar - go and have a browse at her gorgeous and intricate creations.

It's all happening!

Well I haven't actually managed to do any beading for the last couple of days - even though I've got a queue of projects to test and write up! I've spent the last two days trying to take some half decent photos with my lights and light-tent (I'm afraid my own set-up is nowhere near as neat and tidy as the picture above!) and then messing about with them in Photoshop - this is all new to me and it's taking me ages to get the hang of it. The reason I've spent so much time on this when I should be beading? I've got a very exciting project coming up - I don't want to say too much about it now, but all will be revealed in a few days. Watch this space!

Feels like Spring!

A touch of snow this morning, but it's a beautiful sunny day now. It's that time of year again when everything seems to burst into shades of pink and yellow - Forsythia and Flowering currant in almost everyone's garden. So today I am fitting in with Nature's theme and working on my pink lap-tray to finish my yellow Primrose Pin. It's one of a series that will be in Bead Magazine hopefully in time for next Spring!

First blog!

Well, thought it was about time I joined the band of beading bloggers! The first step was a website and now it's a blog - whew I feel almost modern! It's been such a roller-coaster of a year and suddenly my work is 'out there' and I'm having to come out of my shell. Think I'm going to struggle with blogging to start with, being a naturally quiet and shy kind of girl, but I'll soon get into the swing of it!