Season's Greetings!

Around this time every year I like to look back on the previous 12 months in my little beady world.  As I ponder, I try and work out whether I met my goals for the year and I smile when I think of how some of those goal posts had to be moved time and time again.  I like to think about the lessons learned and the ones that I need to re-take and I also like to reflect on all the little unexpected twists and turns that life threw at me.  I also spend time dreaming about the promise of the coming year.  I have some plans in place, but really, anything could happen and although that thought makes part of me very nervous, the rest of me finds that an exciting prospect - I have beads and I can make anything, I have life and I can do anything.  Thank you to each and every one of you for your support throughout 2011 and whatever your beliefs, I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a 2012 full of health, happiness and hope!

See you in 2012!

Kerrie x

It's official ...

... I teach beadwork!  This has been a long time coming, but I finally have my first workshop under my belt with several more in the pipeline.  My first class was held at The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd. and it will definitely be a day to remember as we woke up on the morning of the workshop to be greeted by this scene;

We didn't feel that it was safe to drive, but fortunately the buses were still running and so I made it to the workshop on time, and so did the staff at the bead shop and my four lovely eager students.  Although it was a full day workshop, we knew that it wouldn't be possible to complete the Double Daisy project in class, but everyone got stuck in, choosing their colours and juggling peyote stitch, ladder stitch and brick stitch until little petals began to appear.  Keeping my first workshop small with only four students, meant that I could spend lots of time sitting with each student individually, checking that they were on track and also chatting about their favourite bead stitches and admiring some of the beautiful beadwork that they had brought with them.  As well as a lovely spacious (and warm!) workshop area, the bead shop also provided plenty of tea and biscuits which all made for a really enjoyable day before we all had to wrap up and head off home in the snow!

This project was designed exclusively for The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd. but now that the workshop has finished, you can buy the comprehensive 18 page tutorial via my website and make your own Double Daisy!  The instructions cover how to make the finished daisy and include some ideas on ways to use it; you might like to turn yours into a pin/brooch, create a loop of beads at the back to turn it into a pendant or sew it onto finished beadwork or ribbon (as in the picture below) to make a glamorous choker or wrist corsage!

Whatever you decide, have fun and don't forget to send me a picture!  The pdf of the instructions is available for purchase here and will be delivered by email.

Dark Faerie Handflower

I created this new piece last week for an on-line forum challenge. The theme was 'Dark Faerie' and it instantly appealed to me, conjuring up all sorts of moonlight blossom images. I spent a happy evening gazing out of my window at the starlight night, imagining what kind of fairy I might like to create a piece of jewellery for. In the end, I became so immersed in my own little fairytale that I even created a story around the piece and couldn't wait to start creating the next day. The result is Dark Faerie Handflower ...

This is the tale that accompanies the piece; "My fairy is a good fairy, she spends moonlight nights roaming the woods, collecting night-flowering plants for remedies. Of course, not everything in the woods at night is as pure hearted as she is, so she wears this handflower with a magic mirror at the centre of a night bloom. Whenever she encounters anyone or 'anything', she holds the back of her hand up to them and their intentions are reflected back towards them. If they project evil they will receive evil and if they are good that too will bounce back at them. Either way, our fairy will be protected and free to continue with her important work"  Yes, I know, I am probably away with the fairies myself!  See you next week ...