Moonlitnight Creations

Claire Francis has been a bead customer of mine for many years now. As well as being a thoroughly lovely person (I've met Claire in actual real life) she makes absolutely beautiful jewellery too.

The other evening, when I was feeling a little bit glum, my email inbox ding-beeped and I was delighted to open an email from Claire that instantly cleared my bad mood. She had sent me a wodge of photographs of jewellery that she had made using my beads.

I can't pick a favourite because I think they're all stunners but I tell you, if I could wear earrings* those spotty ones would be dangling from my lobes right about now. I love them!

Claire sells her work via Folksy and most of these items are available in her shop - Moonlitnight Creations - where you will find countless other pieces that will make you ooh-and-aah with jewellery lust.

So thank you, Claire, for cheering up my face with your wonderful work.

Have you got any photos of items that you've made with my beads? If so, please email me and let me have a look-see.

Right. I have a stack of frit beads to clean and string.

Have a good Thursday!

* I had my ears pierced when I was sixteen. I wore earrings with no trouble until I was about twenty-seven and then all of a sudden my ears went all horrid. I left them alone without wearing earrings for months on end but whenever I try wearing earrings (and I've tried gold, sterling silver, titanium, nickel free, niobium and youwillnotbeallergicium) my ears instantly react and go wrong again. It's mighty annoying because I love earrings but never mind, eh? So yeah, that's why I can't wear Claire's spotty earrings. But you probably could ...

Restocked

I've been encasing frit beads like a crazy person and I've just added these pale green and light pink 'Cherry Blossom' ones to my Folksy shop. I've also restocked the purple and teal ones.

Shiny new beads

I had a lovely surprise when I opened the kiln today and saw these gorgeously rich purple beads. Obviously I knew they'd be purple (because I sat and made them myself with purple glass) but they really are a very lovely purple. If you like them too then you might be interested to know that they, and also the teal green ones, are available in strands of seven over in my Folksy shop. Each strand of seven is priced at £9.00.

I've also made a set of etched 'Iced Coffee' beads.

These ones are for sale over on my Freshly Baked Beads page.

It's doing really wimpish, naff snow outside. What's it like where you are?

Have a good Sunday and thanks for stopping by,

And the winner is ...

Thank you to everyone who completed my bead survey. Your responses have been super duper and I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me.

The survey software assigned each respondent a number and I have just used a random number generator to pick the winner of the prize beads and that person is Jane Hickey. Yayhurray!

Again, big thanks to you all.

Folksy Update

I've just put some beads in my Folksy shop. There are some pairs which would be fab for earrings and there's also a some encased frit beads.

Joanna over at Designs By Jojo sent me another picture of one of her lovely neckalces, this time made with some of my sepia beads.

I love this one; it's just so pretty.

I must away to the shed now. See you later!

Sneaky Peek

I thought you might like a sneaky look at some of the beads that I'll have for sale later today. Those up there are they. New beads will be for sale at 8:30pm this evening.

Thank you so much to everyone who has completed my bead survey so far. Your responses have been brilliant and I really do appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.

I'll be making a few minor changes to my little bead business (hence getting your opinions) and I've already implemented a couple of those.

Firstly, due to what seem to be constantly rising postal rates, I am now charging £3.50 to post beads to Europe, America, Canada and the rest of the world. However, postage to the UK mainland remains free of charge.

Secondly, I have opened a Folksy shop. I did consider Etsy but a few of you expressed a negative opinion about buying beads through Etsy and suggested Folksy instead. So, I listened and have set up shop there. In my Folksy shop you will find any Freshly Baked Beads that don't sell within a week of my listing them on my website. I'll put the odd set of Lonelies and one-offs in there too so do have a look occasionally to see if anything tickles your bead fancy.

Lastly, I am here now giving you prior warning of bead sellery tonight. A few of you have told me that I don't give you enough notice about new beads. It's not always possible for me to give you lots of notice but I promise you I will do my utter best. If you are signed up for email blog notifications and you rely on these for news of new beads then might I suggest that you sign up to my actual mailing list? It's just that the blog emails are sent via a third party service and I never know exactly when they'll be sent (I can only select a three hour window) which means that they might well be out of date when you receive them. Annoying, I know.

Righty-ho, that's enough waffling from me. I'd better go and melt some glass.

Have a fab Tuesday,

Prize Draw Survey

I’ve made a little bead survey as I’d like to get your bead opinions on a couple of things. There are only four multiple choice questions and a feedback section but I would really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to complete the survey.

The survey is aimed at people who buy lampwork beads.

Each completed survey I receive will be entered into a draw to win the set of cocoa and turquoise beads pictured above.

If you'd like to take part, please email me with the subject ‘SURVEY’ and I will email you a link to the survey. The survey is hosted by SurveyMonkey and is very quick and easy to complete.

The survey will close at 19:00 on Friday 22^nd March and then I will draw a winner at random from all completed entries.

I am now awarding myself the prize of a cup of Earl Grey for Most Uses Of The Word 'Survey' In A Single Blog Post. Yay me!

Have a great Friday evening,

New Beads & Designs By Jojo

Those gorgeously grey beads up there ...

... and these groovy, spotty ones right here are currently for sale over on the Freshly Baked Beads page of my website.

Joanna Duncan of Designs By Jojo sent me a photograph of a necklace that she made with some of my orange and aubergine beads.

Isn't it pretty? The necklace is for sale on Joanna's website where she also sells wedding stationery and handmade greetings cards.

If you've got any photographs of jewellery that you've made with my beads please do let me have a look-see; I love seeing what happens to my beads after they've left me.

'Red Noses'

I've made these beads especially for Comic Relief.

I was going to eBay them BUT I am not happy with eBay's insistence that my home address, email address and mobile phone number HAVE TO be displayed on the listing. There are a lot of wrong'uns out there and you can never be too careful ...

Instead, I am selling them here on my blog. All the money I receive for these beads will go directly to Comic Relief and once I have made the donation I will post proof of the financial transaction here.

There are two of these 'Red Noses' sets for sale. Each set consists of eight 13mm diameter enamelled red rounds and eight 9mm diameter black and white donut-shaped spacers. They're just waiting for you to turn them into wearable loveliness.

I'm asking for £20.00 per set including postage to the UK. That resulting £40.00 could buy eight two person mosquito nets which would protect sixteen people from potentially-fatal mosquito bites that spread malaria.

EDIT: BOTH SETS ARE NOW SOLD. THANK YOU.

Round beads, reduced beads and more

These chocolate brown beads are rounder than my usual ones. I haven't got a fancy bead roller or mould so these are shaped with gravity and heat. They're decorated with turquoise polka dots and are teamed with turquoise spacers.

The strand costs £25.00 and is for sale over in the usual place right now.

I've reduced the price of the 'Black & White' sets from £49.00 to £40.00.

I have three strands of these sat in the bead pot on my kitchen window sill and, quite frankly, I'm getting tired of looking at them! They can be found on the Freshly Baked Beads page too.

I'll be back later with some Comic Relief beads. All the money I take for those will be donated to Comic Relief.

I will also be conducting a bead survey and everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw to win a set of beads.

Hopefully see you later on for beady shenanigans! 

Have a good Tuesday,

'Black & White'

I always say it but I will never tire of making black and white beads. It's a classic colour combination that never dates.

I made a huge heap of beads in an array of designs and shapes and I've got three identical strands for sale over on the Freshly Baked Beads page.

Shapes include a cone, a heart, a lentil and a disc and each strand of twenty-one beads is priced at £40.00. I'm picturing these as funky pendants or really striking charm bracelets.

Some new beads ... finally!

I know, I know; it's been a while.

I've had a bit of time off plus I've been working on a few large orders.

But here I am and I've brought a heap of beads with me. That wodge of glassiness up there has been sorted, strung and photographed and the resulting sets are for sale on the Freshly Baked Beads page right now.