tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64904600428344447712024-03-02T19:32:00.789+00:00Beads By LauraBead talk and general waffle by UK lampworker Laura Sparling, maker of designer lampwork glass beads.Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.comBlogger1241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-35653813487264841192023-08-02T13:23:00.005+01:002023-08-02T13:24:17.618+01:00PDF Tutorials on Etsy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK5tLLEzwsru5JPbzkekNaidCvlnQCgEphaNnlH0GYkB7LJ7PYsPw8fR7gJqR-SBxve5TfqaSi71QYONFDidGHgr3NWdqCgldLDQgU4yR4yTEQaMuxMUD8eZWH1CVrNIrtYNOAyE0zw7AEi9wWlB_raf6SGJobhX5bYO0EzbsVk2k75Ncw19hGdnjvcCV/s2048/Photo%2002-08-2023,%2012%2050%2043.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lampwork glass bead tutorials by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK5tLLEzwsru5JPbzkekNaidCvlnQCgEphaNnlH0GYkB7LJ7PYsPw8fR7gJqR-SBxve5TfqaSi71QYONFDidGHgr3NWdqCgldLDQgU4yR4yTEQaMuxMUD8eZWH1CVrNIrtYNOAyE0zw7AEi9wWlB_raf6SGJobhX5bYO0EzbsVk2k75Ncw19hGdnjvcCV/w400-h400/Photo%2002-08-2023,%2012%2050%2043.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Between 2009 and 2011 I wrote a few lampwork glass beadmaking tutorials. I sold some of these as PDFs on my website but I stopped doing so years ago. Not a week goes by where I don't receive an email from someone asking if they can buy one of my tutorials so I've decided to put them <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/beadsbylaura?ref=shop_sugg_market&section_id=44224540">for sale on Etsy</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The tutorials are for my ‘Cupcake’ beads, my ‘Roly Poly’ lentils and my ‘Flurry’ implosion beads. The latter are what have now morphed into my ‘Anemone’ beads but the technique is the same.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The PDF tutorials are the original files from 2009 to 2011. They are still perfectly readable and the pictures are clear. (Except for a couple in the Roly Poly one; 2009 digital cameras were quite naff but the couple of photos that are a tad blurry are not crucial ones.) The PDFs are slightly outdated in that some of the exact glass and tools I used may now be unavailable but that shouldn't be an issue. Please note that I can no longer guarantee the email assistance offered at the end of each tutorial.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The PDFs are only <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/beadsbylaura?ref=shop_sugg_market&section_id=44224540">available on Etsy</a> and they are £3.50 each plus VAT.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-60009309351039888182023-07-03T11:32:00.007+01:002023-07-03T20:52:52.579+01:00Ditsybeading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4qr0vS2gMniu58-2JedYV4ReZS88l0cDCzgr-DMVX6OsmAbJVerMvAxK0wJeDTLoLjgm_4OyW5EIuUJ6Zsb-azAECgiHOpCB7WNAcNkQLep7Jx34RNztlGntkO4jyX5FO7k6kSLBsd3dnrgHpITH3yQns91ZK3Ehw9byZ9ypHrcWNJOYolyQ9hneKSMo/s1500/Ditsybeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4qr0vS2gMniu58-2JedYV4ReZS88l0cDCzgr-DMVX6OsmAbJVerMvAxK0wJeDTLoLjgm_4OyW5EIuUJ6Zsb-azAECgiHOpCB7WNAcNkQLep7Jx34RNztlGntkO4jyX5FO7k6kSLBsd3dnrgHpITH3yQns91ZK3Ehw9byZ9ypHrcWNJOYolyQ9hneKSMo/w400-h400/Ditsybeads.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've always said that you never stop learning a craft. There's always new knowledge to be had, skills to be honed and new materials and techniques to try. Whenever I make a bead design that I've not done for a while I enjoy applying my current knowledge of glass to it. Oftentimes this knowledge is minor but it's knowledge that the me of three years ago didn't possess and it allows me to understand the bead better. I am aware that I'm probably sounding really wanky but I'll carry on anyway.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiq1p_VYJiW9HHjJi4dxeZaMohh5Czn8j3H4nH3swDwGAPFKDoJtroQgU1h19ogwWttGlqbybuAEh4qIETNf7oyjftEDJ779Zf-NGkoTXTOBCuuK_IG95vlQW3s9NQglgX4gegFTz3H_x4tKWr32GZrWS40asFTo5JM-1qrAqqsyUzpf_Q68bH7bmV4pi/s1500/GreenDitsybeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiq1p_VYJiW9HHjJi4dxeZaMohh5Czn8j3H4nH3swDwGAPFKDoJtroQgU1h19ogwWttGlqbybuAEh4qIETNf7oyjftEDJ779Zf-NGkoTXTOBCuuK_IG95vlQW3s9NQglgX4gegFTz3H_x4tKWr32GZrWS40asFTo5JM-1qrAqqsyUzpf_Q68bH7bmV4pi/w400-h400/GreenDitsybeads.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">With these Ditsybeads there are several things required to get the effect I'm after. The most important of these is the dot placement for the petals and making sure they're arranged correctly so that when melted flat the petals stay in a nice neat flower shape and don't end up like a vague splat. The dot-melting part is also really important and it's not just a case of bringing the bead to an all-over even heat; I concentrate on one flower at a time in a very particular way.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjShSzHYF5HOgxaOAd68N0qcc3vkJS-wOOrVJjtjVh5-2uM-5nE-jSYNj9x6RQgCaTHHPcxHHzEcTT7HpwoJ9iffbq_fdm8xnD_9T5Hs0XaefjOZVazb_Ch_Kh7BAwbDhsVpkAcRK2JXaAWkBQXMwGNFu2cVraUG3V7lcg1p-Jgpsq_1sPghJcY5u8yD72/s1500/TealDitsybeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjShSzHYF5HOgxaOAd68N0qcc3vkJS-wOOrVJjtjVh5-2uM-5nE-jSYNj9x6RQgCaTHHPcxHHzEcTT7HpwoJ9iffbq_fdm8xnD_9T5Hs0XaefjOZVazb_Ch_Kh7BAwbDhsVpkAcRK2JXaAWkBQXMwGNFu2cVraUG3V7lcg1p-Jgpsq_1sPghJcY5u8yD72/w400-h400/TealDitsybeads.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnxdNDCHzIFiMRfLkL6-3B5Ks8aAA8C7UjOfa5ytBjGfY59E_H5gz7pbMu-ICheCUKyZfqS6truvHdx38CCilKkaqwQilGGKOWqVwY4H1XHQDuRiZfqtriQX5d8nQ2PHNHvBGO0xf1KMuKDUpGR9Ij5F1I7a_hXGYSaQVGFd3N0jSvoCTw6dlIM3gA7FA/s1500/PurpleDitsybeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnxdNDCHzIFiMRfLkL6-3B5Ks8aAA8C7UjOfa5ytBjGfY59E_H5gz7pbMu-ICheCUKyZfqS6truvHdx38CCilKkaqwQilGGKOWqVwY4H1XHQDuRiZfqtriQX5d8nQ2PHNHvBGO0xf1KMuKDUpGR9Ij5F1I7a_hXGYSaQVGFd3N0jSvoCTw6dlIM3gA7FA/w400-h400/PurpleDitsybeads.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Adding the flower centres is also carefully done so that the dot touches all five petals and then it's heated to be slightly raised but not too flat. If it sounds fiddly and time consuming that's because it is. I worked out the Actual Price* of one Ditsybead the other day and almost laughed my tits off at the thought of asking that much for it.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieo6Yl9lMJuHBYKK-VRVJWAM6z7iWat8L0hUNaNZsuLw5ISEP0VjrXtc_ZVDh9fmQfON0OLvIHfiKVHnqwawk1PR3uVjyw22pH_o3Dk1Hb6W11g48AakQdfsYJFIWSLwCzyHjmxC89-jzSMrW5Dcl-ft1JApIMI80o8zC0SIPlJdb1em7spC4LJ0tvJNdv/s1500/RubyPinkDitsybeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieo6Yl9lMJuHBYKK-VRVJWAM6z7iWat8L0hUNaNZsuLw5ISEP0VjrXtc_ZVDh9fmQfON0OLvIHfiKVHnqwawk1PR3uVjyw22pH_o3Dk1Hb6W11g48AakQdfsYJFIWSLwCzyHjmxC89-jzSMrW5Dcl-ft1JApIMI80o8zC0SIPlJdb1em7spC4LJ0tvJNdv/w400-h400/RubyPinkDitsybeads.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass flower Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, all of the Ditsybeads scattered throughout this post have new homes now but there are more on the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*By 'Actual Price' I mean what the bead price tag should be if I paid myself minimum wage based on time taken, and also taking into account materials, gas and electricity. I don't factor in the cost of nineteen years of skill because that would be the Actual Actual Price and I would never sell anything at that rate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;">In crochet news...</span></i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I finished this blue shawl last week. It was one of those patterns that was so straightforward it kept catching me out. You can be lulled into a false sense of comfort when there are so many unfancy stitches involved and it only takes one stitch too few or too many to muff up an entire row.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfq5efzZIpQ0IsmQdShg1IjcdbJR2EOVFynQsDKarp3csoLHnth7KtACDXczF0p2YJJeJ-I__Nur7dLwAgC3RB5_sN825vSLGvvXj1RCJW3MFyEH-zzVQF2gyRAV99KMBPJOPoiqQYUjt5jr6KIeZEOiXGi7labv2bGhe-2hmglfLONnDnowJbySZuOqou/s3622/DestinationUnknownShawl1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Blue crochet shawl" border="0" data-original-height="3622" data-original-width="2716" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfq5efzZIpQ0IsmQdShg1IjcdbJR2EOVFynQsDKarp3csoLHnth7KtACDXczF0p2YJJeJ-I__Nur7dLwAgC3RB5_sN825vSLGvvXj1RCJW3MFyEH-zzVQF2gyRAV99KMBPJOPoiqQYUjt5jr6KIeZEOiXGi7labv2bGhe-2hmglfLONnDnowJbySZuOqou/w300-h400/DestinationUnknownShawl1.jpg" title="Blue crochet shawl" width="300" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This pattern is called 'Destination Unknown' and it's by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lisasattik/">Lisa Cook of LisasAttik</a>. I really love Lisa's designs - all those straight lines and blocks of pattern are right up my street.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Sthyb7QDI1Oy14NyetTaFLihewVVNisdcjRQYZ-xyg5uAEv9zBOKSL-KChwulOg4L6ZdvARJvXCiijZc7g8aG02pNLs486IDGcR7wkFfyqhlJeaDiGATqqbglL7XxGyWbRtmtKXSfeSMU82q6R66LWXq7w92udEQQAGFl6lhYKtZO5plh1A0YoIjeHCC/s3374/DestinationUnknownShawl2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Blue crochet shawl" border="0" data-original-height="3374" data-original-width="2531" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Sthyb7QDI1Oy14NyetTaFLihewVVNisdcjRQYZ-xyg5uAEv9zBOKSL-KChwulOg4L6ZdvARJvXCiijZc7g8aG02pNLs486IDGcR7wkFfyqhlJeaDiGATqqbglL7XxGyWbRtmtKXSfeSMU82q6R66LWXq7w92udEQQAGFl6lhYKtZO5plh1A0YoIjeHCC/w300-h400/DestinationUnknownShawl2.jpg" title="Blue crochet shawl" width="300" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The blue shawl is available in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1513461445/handmade-cotton-crochet-triangular-shawl?click_key=43e01ddef38185c113640ffe37b38fe47fe3ab92%3A1513461445&click_sum=5901b90f&ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1">my Etsy shop</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><b><u><span style="font-family: arial;">This week I've been mostly...</span></u></b></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Listening to:</span></i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://amzn.eu/d/c6SArnm">Cast On</a></i> by Brenda Dayne. This is a knitting podcast that I adored back in the day. I kind of stopped knitting when the whole knitting-is-racist thing occurred in 2019 and then I nuked my Ravelry account a bit later when they decided that only 50% of their users could talk about politics (Trump supporters weren't allowed to voice approval of him, and no, I'm not a Trump lover but I am pretty flipping fond of free speech) and those two things combined with the behaviour of certain knitting people I'd formerly greatly admired kind of shat on knitting for me. I think I've knitted three pairs of socks since then and crochet has filled the knitting hole. However, discovering that Brenda has got back to podcasting after a six year hiatus was wonderful. She restarted <i>Cast On</i> during the pandemic but I only realised this last week so I've got many episodes to catch up on. Brenda is even making me want to fish out the old pointy sticks. Maybe. We shall see.</span></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Watching:</span></i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Ashes to Ashes</i>. Every now and again I need a dose of DCI Gene Hunt and I do a <i>Life on Mars</i> and <i>Ashes to Ashes</i> rewatch and right now I'm halfway through season three of the latter.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECjYbGl8Z7Eie0IqIyt-tn5gvQfM7iDd3KMxq_-KEBqMDOciEDp1PcyiCHuOP52r_Sn8yjgoSPiAdUkjGhH3fQAyFvPmYHTYOffrTrZnmCBzu0ZoZ0-A-hUmjWjHpj0Ci6NApiDNlVcnGazx5tVBz4JCXZd3FrYf0cZLYBPfGfhPv_1cnjIw40sCj1-nG/s700/ashes-to-ashes-gene-hunt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="Ashes to Ashes" border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECjYbGl8Z7Eie0IqIyt-tn5gvQfM7iDd3KMxq_-KEBqMDOciEDp1PcyiCHuOP52r_Sn8yjgoSPiAdUkjGhH3fQAyFvPmYHTYOffrTrZnmCBzu0ZoZ0-A-hUmjWjHpj0Ci6NApiDNlVcnGazx5tVBz4JCXZd3FrYf0cZLYBPfGfhPv_1cnjIw40sCj1-nG/w400-h320/ashes-to-ashes-gene-hunt.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We cancelled our TV licence about a year ago so now we live in telly-gone-by and it's marvellous. Anything from the now that we do want to watch (rare) we get as a DVD, digital box set or download. I do not miss live television at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Reading:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://amzn.eu/d/c6SArnm"><i>Wild: Tales From Early Medieval Britain</i></a> by Amy Jeffs</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-9506924498637779272023-06-27T09:09:00.009+01:002023-07-03T10:16:18.893+01:00A post about post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIzO8bRmjAgSaETVeghfFb54Hmi-waKLzmbBVKF9fXZYiLHO_rSvw6-6UfHSeYK2dw71TcFwQrMk6KKUfMCdch39U3gdMmkQaOqxrts0VJItHdhdidIbKxnKclKCrMWqEoKAAIPBzzHJfE5K6dtwm5y5rGQsfViw_ExKyWTXSFBQQySFnk27A8UBnRpB_/s357/Goggins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mrs Goggins" border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIzO8bRmjAgSaETVeghfFb54Hmi-waKLzmbBVKF9fXZYiLHO_rSvw6-6UfHSeYK2dw71TcFwQrMk6KKUfMCdch39U3gdMmkQaOqxrts0VJItHdhdidIbKxnKclKCrMWqEoKAAIPBzzHJfE5K6dtwm5y5rGQsfViw_ExKyWTXSFBQQySFnk27A8UBnRpB_/w400-h400/Goggins.jpg" title="Mrs Goggins" width="400" /></a></div><p>This past year or so I've had more "my beads haven't arrived" emails than ever before. Most of the things I make are one-offs that I either can't or simply don't want to make again so a missing bead package always gives me the jitters.</p><p>Because of this I've made some postage and delivery changes <a href="https://beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">in my webshop</a>. These changes mean that my postage prices have gone up but everything I send out will now be insured and/or trackable.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">UK Customers</span></u></b></p>Postage is calculated by the value of your order.<div><br /></div><div>Orders worth up to £20.00 are sent Royal Mail 2nd Class to UK addresses. This is £1.50 per order and usually takes two to three working days. In the event of your parcel going astray we can claim the value of the beads inside it.<div><br /></div><div>Orders worth over £20.00 and up to £150.00 are sent Royal Mail Tracked 48. This is £3.50 per order, insured, trackable online and usually takes two working days.</div><div><br /></div><div>Orders worth over £150.00 are sent Royal Mail Special Delivery. This is £7.50 per order and is insured and trackable online. A signature is required upon delivery. This is a next day service.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Overseas Customers</span></u></b></div><div><br /></div>If you are outside the UK - including all EU countries - you may have to pay import duties, VAT, other tax, postal service handling fees, or other fees, at your end. Normally your country's postal service will contact you to arrange payment of these fees before they will deliver your package to you. I am not responsible or liable for these taxes or fees - you are. Please check with your local postal service or relevant body to see what the current import value thresholds are where you live, and what taxes and/or fees you may be liable for.<div><br /></div><div>Postage to Europe, America, Canada and the rest of the world is Royal Mail International Tracked and postage is calculated by the value of your order.</div><div><br /></div><div>Postage for orders worth up to £50.00 costs £10.50. This is insured and trackable online.</div><div><br /></div><div>Postage for orders worth over £50.00 costs £13.00. This is insured and trackable online.<div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>In the rare event of your parcel not arriving, please contact me and we will work together to resolve the issue.</div></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-7721163774064038622023-06-27T08:54:00.008+01:002023-07-03T10:18:31.769+01:00I'm back<p>I've recently had the longest break I've ever had from beads. I had Covid so I didn't work for a bit and then that bit turned into weeks and then more weeks. At one point I didn't think I'd go back to lampworking. I was ready to get rid of the shed and everything in it but fortunately Chris advised me to just leave everything where it was and to just wait. I seemed to have simply lost all enthusiasm for going down to the torch and glass. I stayed indoors and crocheted instead. I crocheted and I knitted and I crocheted a bit more. I even thought about going and getting a job at the Post Office. (I don't know why but whenever I've considered getting a job I always think about the Post Office.) I felt a bit lost and like I just wasn't supposed to make beads anymore. I was feeling that my beads are rubbish and boring and my refusal to 'make myself the brand' and be sucked into creating social media content - churning out videos and reels and all that guff - meant that my beadmaking days were probably over.</p><p>And then one day last month I got up and decided that I was going to go down to the shed and make some beads.</p><p>Before I lit the torch I sat and looked through <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/beadsbylaura/sets/72157606776284042/">my Flickr gallery</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/beadsbylaura/">my own Instagram</a>, surprised at just how many beads I've made over the years.</p><p>And then I made beads.</p><p>Afterwards I felt like a total idiot for feeling the way I'd been feeling.</p><p>My beads <i>aren't</i> rubbish or boring. I know they're not fancy sculptural beads or ones that contain inclusions and metals, or big massive focals - they are simple-looking, honed-over-nineteen-years, unfussy, small beads - but they are <i>my</i> beads, and that's fine.</p><p>I make beads for me. No, I don't wear them or keep them but the making of them is for me. The act of creating a bead is a little challenge and that challenge is what I love about making in general. I've tried a huge amount of crafts over the years but none of them has ever satisfied my makery urge as much as beadmaking does.</p><p>So on I go, continuing to do my own bead thing in my own way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuidVrIbqYut8nGYhvDaHNHiY1qT01Y9PKMKmM5bg1D-dM7y9LpC3reZsufKhl18uTMBdyxqin5bzpEK8ST66ddsw5XcCXW4B7hkU9y_GIBQbJl8TKK0EKbLSUuWc3J5WGF5VFYij6GsDWIpG2IB5KtS5QULwv6M9cWqGzAzX7SRZvLScAWdjaa91TbUY/s1500/PinkDitsybeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pink floral handmade lampwork glass Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuidVrIbqYut8nGYhvDaHNHiY1qT01Y9PKMKmM5bg1D-dM7y9LpC3reZsufKhl18uTMBdyxqin5bzpEK8ST66ddsw5XcCXW4B7hkU9y_GIBQbJl8TKK0EKbLSUuWc3J5WGF5VFYij6GsDWIpG2IB5KtS5QULwv6M9cWqGzAzX7SRZvLScAWdjaa91TbUY/w400-h400/PinkDitsybeads.jpg" title="Pink floral handmade lampwork glass Ditsybeads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p>This past week I've revisited my Ditsybeads. I've always liked these even though they take a lot of faffing to get right. I timed it yesterday and each successful one takes me about fifteen minutes to make. That's quite a while for a 12mm bead. I'm such a slow beadmaker and I set myself such daft standards but again, without those things my beads would not be my beads.</p><p>Anyway, that's quite enough of the self-obsessed introspective blah-blah. Next time I'm having an "I'm burning the shed and everything in it!" drama queen moment, this post will serve as a reminder to myself to keep going.</p><p>I'm going to write a boring blog post now about new postage rates for <a href="https://beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">my webshop</a> for balance.</p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-69920082051087382352023-03-13T14:55:00.002+00:002023-03-13T15:02:49.445+00:00Why have one shop when you can have two?<span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not a huge fan of Etsy. Its fees are too high and I have issues with some of their policies and biases. However, I'm at a point where I'm selling very little and I need to get my work seen. Instagram algorithms don't help with this unless you're willing to become a videographer who spends seventeen hours a day creating Instagram content and I refuse to do that. Also, PayPal seems to be playing silly buggers with my website checkout for some of my customers, and Etsy has many alternative payment options, so I've reluctantly reopened <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/beadsbylaura">my Etsy shop</a>. However, I'm keeping it to just UK sales at the moment. I'm keeping <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">my website shop</a> open too so right now I'm Laura Twoshops.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll add new items to both platforms for the foreseeable and I shall just see how it goes for the next few months.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Newly added items include this 'Sweetness' bracelet:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefwN-XmGt8YJwh-KDnglvdnLQpccl8HuQ9Th89pQtiWxmXJuwW8mNo3Lq1b9t2hHKIfoyv7nf27A5w_ngWt_ZfpjGzP9JhMyLdEcITtw1yiwdvhsyfSvTY9AyALKYAWdQGxtMDnAR8ED9nQOLC94paEYPpyJeoymUPpzyzfl9MPKI5IeWDlLbo6ATVg/s2200/SweetnessBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="2200" data-original-width="2200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefwN-XmGt8YJwh-KDnglvdnLQpccl8HuQ9Th89pQtiWxmXJuwW8mNo3Lq1b9t2hHKIfoyv7nf27A5w_ngWt_ZfpjGzP9JhMyLdEcITtw1yiwdvhsyfSvTY9AyALKYAWdQGxtMDnAR8ED9nQOLC94paEYPpyJeoymUPpzyzfl9MPKI5IeWDlLbo6ATVg/w400-h400/SweetnessBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS02vXDsx0qSm7jiQR_5ciB3deuE4lJqUdlO0OVwQP0Tqe1wHKuWXMZgZummnWyiHEvt-f4OWcqv0VCfdKATtR6_VS5ZUbY3ZTeixjRmPYOgXEihZZ8pjcOO4YT-CtSTXoVeVtmmri4kN8rBsDC7s_ajxwVJdd_FjQy7B3JKDcs6itHkTaZ8nH-6A6mQ/s2500/SweetnessBracelet5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="2500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS02vXDsx0qSm7jiQR_5ciB3deuE4lJqUdlO0OVwQP0Tqe1wHKuWXMZgZummnWyiHEvt-f4OWcqv0VCfdKATtR6_VS5ZUbY3ZTeixjRmPYOgXEihZZ8pjcOO4YT-CtSTXoVeVtmmri4kN8rBsDC7s_ajxwVJdd_FjQy7B3JKDcs6itHkTaZ8nH-6A6mQ/w400-h400/SweetnessBracelet5.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I made some matching earrings for it. I have two pairs of these.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDN0Ts-PC3JFtGkJrcbIvneycDcqVUx5-0g1bWZrf8qKpW40RcXMy_tS-X08eqUF_fwa_Wbz1UPEAuoKHXJCjJWnT2vxVBfxvrCGx9AEXz-mxy5PJxV7RSy9L3kUnvCzLX1iJNQv7G4BQbejdbaYu8UhBt0PQzegnv2y2EvlPAasNNp0mIW6Oz7z1JIQ/s2200/SweetnessEarrings1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="2200" data-original-width="2200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDN0Ts-PC3JFtGkJrcbIvneycDcqVUx5-0g1bWZrf8qKpW40RcXMy_tS-X08eqUF_fwa_Wbz1UPEAuoKHXJCjJWnT2vxVBfxvrCGx9AEXz-mxy5PJxV7RSy9L3kUnvCzLX1iJNQv7G4BQbejdbaYu8UhBt0PQzegnv2y2EvlPAasNNp0mIW6Oz7z1JIQ/w400-h400/SweetnessEarrings1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There's also this very groovy 'Retro' tassel necklace.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtruHJ_rqAhNauAJC_lKvIqmNcPMqxbGtAoVWuS9KLDbyMZ5F3e0yvqvhA2tqeA37ny8AP5K1jcz3lG8wUTLtaiLvpPYbhN9rkxkhln_HkbeZ3KPPPLGcUkWBHm-6Zo2fodl82_yB2OkYtj1nGQMss53u7Ob66j7NAse3Be5wCAL6BgNmPPtnMKzmohw/s2100/RetroTasselNecklace1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="2100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtruHJ_rqAhNauAJC_lKvIqmNcPMqxbGtAoVWuS9KLDbyMZ5F3e0yvqvhA2tqeA37ny8AP5K1jcz3lG8wUTLtaiLvpPYbhN9rkxkhln_HkbeZ3KPPPLGcUkWBHm-6Zo2fodl82_yB2OkYtj1nGQMss53u7Ob66j7NAse3Be5wCAL6BgNmPPtnMKzmohw/w400-h400/RetroTasselNecklace1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLYSsFObmqKtL98YGiI1zxs803oSATu37wz5p5Du0WnjLy7EZyc_OZ927Xr0WOZ8lza0k18WFYrYzPsUKloK4iflFXhv5vgWb5042uM9K-gMA6IXvqhwPmXe8se4DqpkQ73sxBqTs34mXseyXE0rcPgWytmmYL9BN7UDaKx3mmSaKC7M2YM-wnLjrZg/s2400/RetroTasselNecklace3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="2400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLYSsFObmqKtL98YGiI1zxs803oSATu37wz5p5Du0WnjLy7EZyc_OZ927Xr0WOZ8lza0k18WFYrYzPsUKloK4iflFXhv5vgWb5042uM9K-gMA6IXvqhwPmXe8se4DqpkQ73sxBqTs34mXseyXE0rcPgWytmmYL9BN7UDaKx3mmSaKC7M2YM-wnLjrZg/w400-h400/RetroTasselNecklace3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and solid copper necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">All of these can be found in <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">my web shop</a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/beadsbylaura">my Etsy shop</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>In crochet news...</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2023/03/how-is-it-march-already.html">the previous post</a> I mentioned that I was crocheting a shawl as a pattern test for another crocheter. The shawl is all done and is currently blocking. I'll post a photo of the finished item when the pattern is released, which I think will be towards the end of the month. In the meantime, here's an in-progress shot of the shawl.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6Wthcrwna3pBPJuLR1bkne2Ukv69C-vfjvy_9QgeCN3VFcMUbzo8FOR95_fTmYrXOpvq4n9kPJd_0j0bbJZGnYbJPgEHaXAOLzfBFQG2BFoqeGLjLq8iRRCVA-el0tFGdWz8ntRhsS8nfeZl2E6EjdTA8SBVf6TXSj8iGsJu5F3BzpDKrHZn3mtlaA/s3423/Photo%2009-03-2023,%2010%2016%2052.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet shawl in progress" border="0" data-original-height="2567" data-original-width="3423" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6Wthcrwna3pBPJuLR1bkne2Ukv69C-vfjvy_9QgeCN3VFcMUbzo8FOR95_fTmYrXOpvq4n9kPJd_0j0bbJZGnYbJPgEHaXAOLzfBFQG2BFoqeGLjLq8iRRCVA-el0tFGdWz8ntRhsS8nfeZl2E6EjdTA8SBVf6TXSj8iGsJu5F3BzpDKrHZn3mtlaA/w400-h300/Photo%2009-03-2023,%2010%2016%2052.jpg" title="Crochet shawl in progress" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The yarn is <a href="https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/scheepjes-stone-washed-coral-816-50g">Scheepjes Stone Washed</a> in the shade Coral. The yarn reminds me of when I stir salad cream into Heinz spaghetti hoops. (Yes, I do actually do that and I've done it since I was a child and yes it sounds vile but no, in actual fact it's a taste sensation.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm currently working on the border of another blanket which is made up of fifty-four of these mosaic crochet squares.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-r9WSkPDNAmEZxeGlu7ySjv1q03WExHQ6TD2Deh4hIGc3_3RCUZFWQtLW2Kk-l6ND92jP2VgHy2Xk6eVwmnOl15Mdz2D4gEsCrMv7YjOLL7CVGk4LSgiDMrxkXc08ykSOOyJMwGPsRkAMKyYFdgfIclWeL8YMa0AdFwhkACAxKqEIPsEbpH54gyo5A/s4032/Photo%2008-01-2023,%2010%2007%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mosaic crochet squares" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-r9WSkPDNAmEZxeGlu7ySjv1q03WExHQ6TD2Deh4hIGc3_3RCUZFWQtLW2Kk-l6ND92jP2VgHy2Xk6eVwmnOl15Mdz2D4gEsCrMv7YjOLL7CVGk4LSgiDMrxkXc08ykSOOyJMwGPsRkAMKyYFdgfIclWeL8YMa0AdFwhkACAxKqEIPsEbpH54gyo5A/w300-h400/Photo%2008-01-2023,%2010%2007%2010.jpg" title="Mosaic crochet squares" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>The pattern is the Terrazzo Afghan by </span><a href="https://www.ravelry.com/stores/tinna-thorudottir-designs" style="font-family: arial;">Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. I bloody love Tinna's work. She's an absolute genius.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll post a photo of the blanket when it's done.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">See you later!</span></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-51112281819371715182023-03-08T12:46:00.004+00:002023-03-08T13:05:00.963+00:00How is it March already?<div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've fallen off the blog again, haven't I? I mean, between my previous post and this one we've had Christmas and are into the third month of a new year, so that's quite a large blog pause.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a sad start to the year with the death of my maternal grandmother. Nannie was my last remaining grandparent so her death feels like a generational chapter closing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaa364Ui8htjELJsnxQbPc-6erjuf7DVI9sZCn_cJk5LOtc53slKHX6hlSB8BiE-1z1kDULGwoFWyEweWaB6Hgru4tPZvN8cOG5NO39qGNU29DN3_e_i_9i1s8bZzMyvcXA5UzxBm6OBQnWFmOJyXRhTAeMUUNp_FhqFV5FUwmdOKH0Jx3p2vVMGQRA/s1170/Photo%2017-06-2022,%2017%2043%2039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1170" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaa364Ui8htjELJsnxQbPc-6erjuf7DVI9sZCn_cJk5LOtc53slKHX6hlSB8BiE-1z1kDULGwoFWyEweWaB6Hgru4tPZvN8cOG5NO39qGNU29DN3_e_i_9i1s8bZzMyvcXA5UzxBm6OBQnWFmOJyXRhTAeMUUNp_FhqFV5FUwmdOKH0Jx3p2vVMGQRA/w400-h394/Photo%2017-06-2022,%2017%2043%2039.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nannie and Mum (holding a very tiny me)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It sort of feels like the year hasn't really got going yet. I've been crocheting doily after doily. The doily stack has reached insane levels of ridiculous but round and round I go, adding picots and pineapples and shells and mesh in a soothing, increasing, concentric fashion.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS2Ire7z7AqSX2FTPPnfZ-SKl_IiESrfswNopVGlBVBzwYJ5tgmB5eTfh9iPKPNPmDYKZl9EWYG3kLYJS6zCUHXhW6VO9d2flqBPeURue_TU5AJII4R8nPjRtTEgZhx6QLRw6DZVNIntn7IhUxa38WCYsMC5SsxctA2IF0RZ9oevdl1J5XXnKHkFSIg/s1500/Concentric1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crochet doily" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS2Ire7z7AqSX2FTPPnfZ-SKl_IiESrfswNopVGlBVBzwYJ5tgmB5eTfh9iPKPNPmDYKZl9EWYG3kLYJS6zCUHXhW6VO9d2flqBPeURue_TU5AJII4R8nPjRtTEgZhx6QLRw6DZVNIntn7IhUxa38WCYsMC5SsxctA2IF0RZ9oevdl1J5XXnKHkFSIg/w400-h400/Concentric1.jpg" title="Crochet doily" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Concentric'</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDPVTRzDD3A4RmeZf2WTNlRtPvAXpPQwQQHEIbJF7fMB2gDFGrgMoDrwGFSTslxOEpPZpq-bmab_6PoybNkOOHPmXps9UOhOzuapcOu2tmk_BGBdizPJDHJmJRhTpvZBkYVc1cfoI266lim8q9hqtFop-m9Pd00k3FStE0lT4jSgvrNb6e6WlXgoB5A/s1500/PinwheelMesh2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crochet doily" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDPVTRzDD3A4RmeZf2WTNlRtPvAXpPQwQQHEIbJF7fMB2gDFGrgMoDrwGFSTslxOEpPZpq-bmab_6PoybNkOOHPmXps9UOhOzuapcOu2tmk_BGBdizPJDHJmJRhTpvZBkYVc1cfoI266lim8q9hqtFop-m9Pd00k3FStE0lT4jSgvrNb6e6WlXgoB5A/w400-h400/PinwheelMesh2.jpg" title="Crochet doily" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Pinwheel Mesh'</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I keep trying to design my own doily but it involves maths which always defeats me and I end up throwing part-crocheted lace circles across the lounge in frustration. I will get there with a doily design, though, for I am human and will not be conquered by hooks and string.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrs7Z1uNqamR5YgUY3FJ9X7pmlRmE9tMPFlU5QPCufg_JI3wGT4waQQQ8qq45jWVdr9P86bnFGCyjp4j2bKu_5RsSupLvTAwQyowyE9M60NYrIvyylM_aeKVvLpJ07A2jGao7vVW1lGXcsnQhD0ejKbUUd79xSJwbGE6JxglGvtlgGU-jz6Yatt4Pt4g/s1500/Sunvale4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crochet doily" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrs7Z1uNqamR5YgUY3FJ9X7pmlRmE9tMPFlU5QPCufg_JI3wGT4waQQQ8qq45jWVdr9P86bnFGCyjp4j2bKu_5RsSupLvTAwQyowyE9M60NYrIvyylM_aeKVvLpJ07A2jGao7vVW1lGXcsnQhD0ejKbUUd79xSJwbGE6JxglGvtlgGU-jz6Yatt4Pt4g/w400-h400/Sunvale4.jpg" title="Crochet doily" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Sunvale' - a design by Julia Hart</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've added a <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1797338-Crochet.html">crochet page</a> to my online shop, not because I want to become a doily merchant but because whenever I post a photo of a doily on Instagram someone will always comment and tell me to sell it. I know that nobody really wants doilies - I don't even want bloody doilies - but they're there <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1797338-Crochet.html">in a section of my shop</a> anyway, just in case there actually is someone somewhere who is on the lookout for a doily.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Zm1Xt72KWJ0cBa-v_6IE-o9xLhgu1EoFHCPFFzJnwTyUtIoDQyVRN0Q4WsEtq3CkgOGp0Tj9Yi0Zbd0cK0Y8oXECsvCrBABJ6NXuRrcshEdVcIwShrzMxxzcP6s8ZJeEFCoR9rjP-FeLyX22dub7xOmODY-qENh6ggRgOASkfAaxZA-Y2Dft0IO6Sw/s1500/WhirlMandala4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crochet doily mandala wall hanging" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Zm1Xt72KWJ0cBa-v_6IE-o9xLhgu1EoFHCPFFzJnwTyUtIoDQyVRN0Q4WsEtq3CkgOGp0Tj9Yi0Zbd0cK0Y8oXECsvCrBABJ6NXuRrcshEdVcIwShrzMxxzcP6s8ZJeEFCoR9rjP-FeLyX22dub7xOmODY-qENh6ggRgOASkfAaxZA-Y2Dft0IO6Sw/w400-h400/WhirlMandala4.jpg" title="Crochet doily mandala wall hanging" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Whirl' wall hanging</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Some doilies lend themselves to being mounted within a ring as a mandala-style wall hanging and I've got a couple of those for sale <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1797338-Crochet.html">in the shop</a> too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-NCgYksw6yGOGy0HTgYZIItsdcfQjkR_YFvTNU1eoXkzIKMBPXQnohS6C7BCgTqaMwWKqfq1wEygZZTLEhXIrc4SQwJungNa1GOCSa06Y7CWmYvzf27XkgEgsMcBxjnj5duaiYluxTb1iomTy0Bzg4_QxcdaHToKrPOTdkZrjXM20dsNWsfdIH83Iw/s1500/RadiateMandala1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crochet doily mandala wall hanging" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-NCgYksw6yGOGy0HTgYZIItsdcfQjkR_YFvTNU1eoXkzIKMBPXQnohS6C7BCgTqaMwWKqfq1wEygZZTLEhXIrc4SQwJungNa1GOCSa06Y7CWmYvzf27XkgEgsMcBxjnj5duaiYluxTb1iomTy0Bzg4_QxcdaHToKrPOTdkZrjXM20dsNWsfdIH83Iw/w400-h400/RadiateMandala1.jpg" title="Crochet doily mandala wall hanging" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Radiate' wall hanging</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm still a bit in <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/12/glass-grump.html">the bead doldrums</a>. Sales are very slow and hot on the heels of the pre-Christmas postal strikes we had the barmy Royal Mail 'cyber incident' that stopped anyone posting anything outside the UK for almost two months. Both events have been a right kick in the teeth to many microbusinesses and several people I know shut up shop for good because of it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But still I plod on, making the beads I feel like making, when I feel like making them because making beads is what I do.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS-i3H4e_W7-VPDDMr5bIDczpbeOcdXdsslTFMnQ3n1GtIsD9NrrNb5vWBqCp6y_wtfq-89faIOpRzVua_62QM1_sspJXf81rNYBcEoWcXw7T9uYR9HOQOjr2yjTJ1X9Vl4ZUP0zO99j8C-yVZcp_n5_S6RXBGKAq_ywDw4nhIvwe21QB19xoceeyzw/s1500/VintageTendrilBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS-i3H4e_W7-VPDDMr5bIDczpbeOcdXdsslTFMnQ3n1GtIsD9NrrNb5vWBqCp6y_wtfq-89faIOpRzVua_62QM1_sspJXf81rNYBcEoWcXw7T9uYR9HOQOjr2yjTJ1X9Vl4ZUP0zO99j8C-yVZcp_n5_S6RXBGKAq_ywDw4nhIvwe21QB19xoceeyzw/w400-h400/VintageTendrilBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Vintage' Tendril bracelet</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiZN-HmhJ1kYC48IASsLmbvFwV5XhYxERVTYUwXhKtKugJz7JNDfSuXPBcujQa2TekSFCRD7PgtUPw8fNO4KZ77aVwYQsJvAxblo-hg9p-JfxYUz--gEC9D6Cue1MsEkFZa5d_FNKVq3fdqRxJ_Apz6eNAZaQdOCWWCy7GKVFRA0mggRo_lLDXchabQ/s1500/OrchidTendrilBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiZN-HmhJ1kYC48IASsLmbvFwV5XhYxERVTYUwXhKtKugJz7JNDfSuXPBcujQa2TekSFCRD7PgtUPw8fNO4KZ77aVwYQsJvAxblo-hg9p-JfxYUz--gEC9D6Cue1MsEkFZa5d_FNKVq3fdqRxJ_Apz6eNAZaQdOCWWCy7GKVFRA0mggRo_lLDXchabQ/w400-h400/OrchidTendrilBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Orchid' Tendril bracelet</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been working on some jewellery pieces combining my lampwork beads with wirework. At the moment I'm working in solid copper because A) it's a fraction of the price of sterling silver and I can make as many muff-ups as I like without feeling bad about it and B) I just love copper. It's such a gorgeous metal, whether it's left shiny or allowed to build up a natural patina, or if you hurry that patina along. I've been patinating the jewellery I've made with liver of sulphur, or 'egg water' as I call it. (See <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-trip-down-muscle-memory-lane.html">this post</a> for explanation.) After the piece has reached the level of patina I'm after I polish parts of it back to a shine using fine steel wool which brings out the detail of any fancy wirework and creates a lovely antique shop style finish.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QQgyFxuaRnnzbOl6iQ2I1krOiKSE60UmWBeLplkGExEVmGDZRxsag8eozZaSJGgtP2G-2wy4lLpxT4Og9Xk4t_snF3F1dgs7seDRA2h76QnCT76Jg9cFxYVsbxeZeVaYRgSUBLPwgpxYaTrKDHwA9aNw5zLcBJ5rF8oOuIXhgWcPoOzRNMC8r4qYvQ/s1500/TheBluesBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QQgyFxuaRnnzbOl6iQ2I1krOiKSE60UmWBeLplkGExEVmGDZRxsag8eozZaSJGgtP2G-2wy4lLpxT4Og9Xk4t_snF3F1dgs7seDRA2h76QnCT76Jg9cFxYVsbxeZeVaYRgSUBLPwgpxYaTrKDHwA9aNw5zLcBJ5rF8oOuIXhgWcPoOzRNMC8r4qYvQ/w400-h400/TheBluesBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'The Blues' bracelet</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff5aPuTk-j3H6dN_hRyM9pnsghnG0FmyJvqrQK7VNLodlTOqcxUhb2eVeJ8a-vrthu8iFd4gdsWDQMDABmWypFsW5KJutxWe8jh2LqHpPJ0k4DiqOw6civcBeAdXMy16-Mu2rUSiz40u95mfLvYSBWA1NAmHD6TXU2vAJYb3jW1Pi_hJ8Hg7S0f4FOQ/s1500/SandSeaNecklace2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff5aPuTk-j3H6dN_hRyM9pnsghnG0FmyJvqrQK7VNLodlTOqcxUhb2eVeJ8a-vrthu8iFd4gdsWDQMDABmWypFsW5KJutxWe8jh2LqHpPJ0k4DiqOw6civcBeAdXMy16-Mu2rUSiz40u95mfLvYSBWA1NAmHD6TXU2vAJYb3jW1Pi_hJ8Hg7S0f4FOQ/w400-h400/SandSeaNecklace2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Sand & Sea' Tendril necklace</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN921LNyb6bWRvI-4AD6UgF2TfE7QpbaBKV51J1t7K0xStZu__OHiJmEZrucHtH0AG-dgSb9Xzf8Cq8Ta514e_Id9bP8WZtXBAUN4BP_1YyCWDRxePb8fL1We3z6jdWYSMJWWsi1ttoMleamPZqhHyFoXVBjqBrbRz2l-WSpnf81sHBL737g4mRo9tQ/s1500/SandSeaNecklace4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN921LNyb6bWRvI-4AD6UgF2TfE7QpbaBKV51J1t7K0xStZu__OHiJmEZrucHtH0AG-dgSb9Xzf8Cq8Ta514e_Id9bP8WZtXBAUN4BP_1YyCWDRxePb8fL1We3z6jdWYSMJWWsi1ttoMleamPZqhHyFoXVBjqBrbRz2l-WSpnf81sHBL737g4mRo9tQ/w400-h400/SandSeaNecklace4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Sand & Sea' Tendril necklace detail</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Solid copper can react with some people's skin, particularly with sweat or lotions, but any skin discoloration is totally harmless and can be removed easily with soapy water. I wear a copper chain maille bracelet and have had no skin discoloration issues but then again I don't wear jewellery to bed, in the shower, or all day every day. Basically, what I'm trying to say is don't let the copper put you off. Embrace its warm tones and vintage, bohemian look.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TCMqUyRB9b-zho2jznpycjkMTZ1XpptFmnA_Gmqkbuiz_lLJLbzrjMdHIphErDNc90H35giZf_SL-8Gov9BZP1g7TpkpkVz_Nr5ONCmc6Vh0Y18tCV2rc4WZfV5lxb1UdP8Mb_9ZafezR5qfOduOoTRe3Tm20yiwW5X1jTcZkgnKy_itreWz3Asd9w/s1500/LemonCurdTendrilBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TCMqUyRB9b-zho2jznpycjkMTZ1XpptFmnA_Gmqkbuiz_lLJLbzrjMdHIphErDNc90H35giZf_SL-8Gov9BZP1g7TpkpkVz_Nr5ONCmc6Vh0Y18tCV2rc4WZfV5lxb1UdP8Mb_9ZafezR5qfOduOoTRe3Tm20yiwW5X1jTcZkgnKy_itreWz3Asd9w/w400-h400/LemonCurdTendrilBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass and copper wirework bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Lemon Curd' Tendril necklace</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've not abandoned sterling silver totally. I had a toadstool moment a few weeks back and I turned them into pendants.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUViXmMjdPMK6LPfU_7O4xcgvnqBHPUW9eyMWkp_tzXSJaelDEMsOKe1pAqcGFtVx6nX5ANBU9yfFKPfQCzw3nDxuGw-Eu8RIQDIgWkibjppRvf5SlfA_gonHeIIpMpG2-wcPkT6H6GczkB_qP1rarmQO23JkeI0X0Z25kR4RbG6AqvUIhZI42AOxSSQ/s1500/Toadstools.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass toadstool pendants by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUViXmMjdPMK6LPfU_7O4xcgvnqBHPUW9eyMWkp_tzXSJaelDEMsOKe1pAqcGFtVx6nX5ANBU9yfFKPfQCzw3nDxuGw-Eu8RIQDIgWkibjppRvf5SlfA_gonHeIIpMpG2-wcPkT6H6GczkB_qP1rarmQO23JkeI0X0Z25kR4RbG6AqvUIhZI42AOxSSQ/w400-h400/Toadstools.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass toadstool pendants by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toadstool pendants</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>All of the jewellery in this post is <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_795125-Jewellery.html">available in my shop</a>. I also have <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1527739-Beads.html">a few beads for sale</a> and a few of these, along with some older pieces of jewellery, are available at reduced prices. <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">Head this way to the shop</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's snowing here today. It's wet mushy snow that isn't going to settle but that doesn't matter because even at forty-five years old I still find the sight of falling snowflakes magical.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm going to stay in the warm today and work on a crochet shawl because I'm doing a pattern test for another crocheter. I've never tested a pattern nor crocheted a shawl before so it's an adventure. Always be making, always be learning.</span></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-26639242376743498342022-12-07T10:16:00.003+00:002022-12-07T10:16:49.847+00:00Glass Grump<p><span style="font-family: arial;">My glass grump is ongoing. This one is lasting a long time and if I'm honest, this is the closest I've come to giving up lampwork in the eighteen-odd years I've been doing it. However, I'm a stubborn cow and I actually do love melting glass so I'm determined to hang on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What's making me feel this way? I don't quite know. I mean, I sort of know, but it's hard to admit to myself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe people don't want my work like they used to?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There, I admitted it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know the exact reason/s for this. Perhaps people simply no longer like my work? Or me? Oddly, I can deal with the latter better than the former. Or perhaps the current financial climate has meant people can no longer afford handmade jewellery and beads? Maybe it's because I refuse to play the social media game and become a content creator? Perhaps it's a combination of all of these things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I can see other beadmakers are creating and selling less, though, and recently I've seen others retire from their torches. I don't blame people for doing that; sitting in a shed for hours, making beads and not knowing if anyone will buy them is pretty demoralising and it's the main driver of my bead grump.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If I make a set of very time-consuming, detailed beads, most people do not want to pay what they are worth. If I make spacers or 'simple' beads, which are also time-consuming, even though I can sell them for less, people might not want to buy them because they aren't fancy enough. If I make jewellery, people might buy it or might not, or even buy it to take it apart to get to the beads that they actually <i>do</i> want and let me tell you, that is even more demoralising and annoying than making beads that you're not sure anyone will buy. Trying to guess what people might want is a nightmare.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It could be that the answer is to be more active on social media, but I don't want to make Instagram stories, reels or videos. Do you have any idea how much beadmaking time that eats into? I don't want to be a YouTuber, a Facebooker or a TikTokker (absolutely screw TikTok). I don't want to give away my skills and knowledge for free in exchange for follows and likes because why should I? And I don't want to sell in Facebook groups or auctions because I cannot stand Facebook.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am a beadmaker, not a content creator. So I'm going to carry on hanging on and just make the beads I feel like making whenever I sit down at the torch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And besides, I've got so much glass and so many jewellery findings that I have to carry on because the idea of sorting, selling or chucking all of it makes me feel uneasy. And sad. And the sad thing is why I know I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">ANYWAY...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Headpins. I made more headpins. These are all made on 20 gauge (0.8mm) copper wire.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAmcNGVbYm-_Hpms4smYDdtk_AAavJ4mZ3koDdGN1JW2j9O31SW_EJirvxxzUu7skiYnb_SXtLBSnU10XJbCKi-NsIXq4GsaKTppLg2dlpGLGlLEiIHL7QL3KeQCUjWLcxTCzLo_scwo3wXSOSNuCe9UfC5Wk2XOsqd0HjSLV_ngecRgTzsBu8nI7Rw/s1500/LeavesNectar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAmcNGVbYm-_Hpms4smYDdtk_AAavJ4mZ3koDdGN1JW2j9O31SW_EJirvxxzUu7skiYnb_SXtLBSnU10XJbCKi-NsIXq4GsaKTppLg2dlpGLGlLEiIHL7QL3KeQCUjWLcxTCzLo_scwo3wXSOSNuCe9UfC5Wk2XOsqd0HjSLV_ngecRgTzsBu8nI7Rw/w400-h400/LeavesNectar1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLFzBGYUPthj3TiwpDzScdTziFj2ePxbstXUUvR-eYWq1XasJXpbBxp_6mFDr07FrTF9wkYJPgKwSk54OR9u6fUyEtPSc9AfRbDJInSXJnfeUnxQ4mNON6vyJxdwvFh4tWe1s-wWjjnUpK8x83ZrYsGuhZMQfa9j9CtzR2ybzFoWsNvcssRYGyhMsWg/s1500/HollowHeadpinsInkBlue2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLFzBGYUPthj3TiwpDzScdTziFj2ePxbstXUUvR-eYWq1XasJXpbBxp_6mFDr07FrTF9wkYJPgKwSk54OR9u6fUyEtPSc9AfRbDJInSXJnfeUnxQ4mNON6vyJxdwvFh4tWe1s-wWjjnUpK8x83ZrYsGuhZMQfa9j9CtzR2ybzFoWsNvcssRYGyhMsWg/w400-h400/HollowHeadpinsInkBlue2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNcOVBRhftGIeTG30QfwlNnMhEoamkrHYxdU23_T9c7-A9IaY3Xt4FMGRE8xJjajFZCWSYtoA45dXCUVOdasMVtZ3b80nnDzzey-6bL87ST72oE4kIkrQmLARs_CUwBHedF8IK7M_lLhXdKPsMsFQC1b3IiKP0_9suplAwNPh73hwO4m7iaPtnq-VGg/s1500/LeafPairNectarSpeckle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNcOVBRhftGIeTG30QfwlNnMhEoamkrHYxdU23_T9c7-A9IaY3Xt4FMGRE8xJjajFZCWSYtoA45dXCUVOdasMVtZ3b80nnDzzey-6bL87ST72oE4kIkrQmLARs_CUwBHedF8IK7M_lLhXdKPsMsFQC1b3IiKP0_9suplAwNPh73hwO4m7iaPtnq-VGg/w400-h400/LeafPairNectarSpeckle1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And beads. Polka dotty ones, because polka dots are my favourite.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6o9grKBtdiCuMJvk5cWnj8fbjKbXB865Vm7EbrdPw5dmxmliJlSBRDIKLXF3K7hi9nenWoLnPptXZTUO8pRI8Bc05lNF-Ld_KdHtxBcD95u2toNXQnYChl-EQjffCyJGKIkZ036KFILRldiz9Cl5LlKIYa2uVZp9Twd6SDGXm0frINSMYwZASUyvSZA/s1500/OrangeBluePolkaDots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass polka dot beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6o9grKBtdiCuMJvk5cWnj8fbjKbXB865Vm7EbrdPw5dmxmliJlSBRDIKLXF3K7hi9nenWoLnPptXZTUO8pRI8Bc05lNF-Ld_KdHtxBcD95u2toNXQnYChl-EQjffCyJGKIkZ036KFILRldiz9Cl5LlKIYa2uVZp9Twd6SDGXm0frINSMYwZASUyvSZA/w400-h400/OrangeBluePolkaDots.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass polka dot beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM9tnfq-YJKXJ2jAnfqYPgoLdKTbzbsJoubxvPTCSGTKaYKkZ2B31btXJW3U6O_he0yTqKaAMZ_RsV1EQw8Mmjc-X8ziyLVQBAvcH4tC_fnMPE3UkG9Lc6qVGSYRTjq5JxHPbSJXjCeOjiMMjcZfZBTfk8KZm5nFoGY1JW0sLyz4INJkLYqaFh644Qw/s1500/OrangeBluePolkaDotsPair1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass polka dot beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM9tnfq-YJKXJ2jAnfqYPgoLdKTbzbsJoubxvPTCSGTKaYKkZ2B31btXJW3U6O_he0yTqKaAMZ_RsV1EQw8Mmjc-X8ziyLVQBAvcH4tC_fnMPE3UkG9Lc6qVGSYRTjq5JxHPbSJXjCeOjiMMjcZfZBTfk8KZm5nFoGY1JW0sLyz4INJkLYqaFh644Qw/w400-h400/OrangeBluePolkaDotsPair1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass polka dot beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The headpins and beads pictured are <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">in my shop</a> and if you fancy 15% off anything in there, including jewellery, just enter the code <b>XMAS15</b> at checkout. The code is valid until midnight (UK time) on Sunday 11th December. I'll be adding a few new bits to the shop between now and then so do have a check back later in the week.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-83736707835022488922022-11-23T12:14:00.002+00:002022-11-23T12:16:12.280+00:00Headpinning<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUsUD0-H28DjHuy7xLRnjns_U-BwSsW7sRyCQedOhdgA8kl-qMmVQE49uOHb3HELLP7RErfUQbr-UZNVgOGz5Ped-7QRrl8sHEqVvk7YiS98AeykCflptpY3x_r_QMfhF72gjm1pSvax7A-FS5vWB27GFfmD6DushS1u4wCAsAfW_CQBYIC1bTF5UOw/s1500/LeafHeadpinsBottleGreen2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUsUD0-H28DjHuy7xLRnjns_U-BwSsW7sRyCQedOhdgA8kl-qMmVQE49uOHb3HELLP7RErfUQbr-UZNVgOGz5Ped-7QRrl8sHEqVvk7YiS98AeykCflptpY3x_r_QMfhF72gjm1pSvax7A-FS5vWB27GFfmD6DushS1u4wCAsAfW_CQBYIC1bTF5UOw/w400-h400/LeafHeadpinsBottleGreen2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been headpinning. At this point I'm in that zone I often find myself in where I keep making the same thing to find out why sometimes the outcome is this and other times that. This is resulting in an enormous amount of headpins. The daft thing is, I don't even know if people want to buy headpins.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fs8O5qI-BDw6A_SLqGaKHNkfFX8v9fbXPTNE4N-dLiyqfugBmT5DTMsw_QckBVKEiD8Dn6we-z0nompRbnxm_hpNIv3xgh_rZp7SUp5kO3JCbKKbjRorkhuX1MbQnchf4g5TZzqErl0_SaNFHYzAaZkd2fmYI8YYsg9MJvvaSAmdPU9PQRPA0fhJew/s1500/LeafHeadpinPairBlueGleam4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fs8O5qI-BDw6A_SLqGaKHNkfFX8v9fbXPTNE4N-dLiyqfugBmT5DTMsw_QckBVKEiD8Dn6we-z0nompRbnxm_hpNIv3xgh_rZp7SUp5kO3JCbKKbjRorkhuX1MbQnchf4g5TZzqErl0_SaNFHYzAaZkd2fmYI8YYsg9MJvvaSAmdPU9PQRPA0fhJew/w400-h400/LeafHeadpinPairBlueGleam4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Are some of you thinking "What is a headpin anyway?" and wondering what I'm droning on about?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Headpins are not hat pins or hair pins, neither are they finished items of jewellery.
Headpins are used by jewellery makers to create pendants, earrings or charms. Beads are threaded onto the wire of a headpin and the glass part acts as a stopper and decorative end. The jewellery maker then finishes the piece with a loop and attaches it to a bail, earwires or whatever other finding they fancy dangling it from.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1H67S-jh6LTyKILDtgUF3LYv30I-mnzCxtn6IPXzB5l7LMgH8fzEph4bPGzZaeLL0az7zUa-6SPyhDB1bVlnUOMc-N_a_1zdWYRbWFgTWaQrv23Fbiip5Qfo0828kJDn_lTuKjoRxQR79s4YWOsUvW9DfT40Q2M3_9qtBaBQqG4Y-WRObPDjHN7LkbQ/s1500/LeafHeadpinPairSoftMint3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1H67S-jh6LTyKILDtgUF3LYv30I-mnzCxtn6IPXzB5l7LMgH8fzEph4bPGzZaeLL0az7zUa-6SPyhDB1bVlnUOMc-N_a_1zdWYRbWFgTWaQrv23Fbiip5Qfo0828kJDn_lTuKjoRxQR79s4YWOsUvW9DfT40Q2M3_9qtBaBQqG4Y-WRObPDjHN7LkbQ/w400-h400/LeafHeadpinPairSoftMint3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In most cases I melt the glass straight onto copper wire. Other times I make the glass component on the end of a mandrel and then epoxy in the wire afterwards. This is because some wire doesn't like being in a flame and also because sometimes it is easier to make the glass part on a sturdy mandrel end rather than it bouncing about on the end of a wire while you try and shape it. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">For example, <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-trip-down-muscle-memory-lane.html">my acorns and oak leaves</a> are headpins; the acorns have their wires (copper with an antique bronze coating that cannot go in a flame) glued in after and the oak leaves are made directly on pure copper wire which I make darker with patination afterwards.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCOzrnjqU31QacUcgwlB39RHzGZ9MZihQsmXujxmZDrRzH2q7jHM_o6sn_7Eu-f7a_hjiQ0V8T_66a7G6M1q5BkKTCc7UZ4CxqnSMnYMYah4Nm3iEiyBiQNITpwKxLKzgsWMPN3zPn6KgGg6dobtdiuCHiLuOHljrRloJ__UjMP2xgTJBG6yPi5i7XQ/s1500/LeafHeadpinPairLimeGreen4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCOzrnjqU31QacUcgwlB39RHzGZ9MZihQsmXujxmZDrRzH2q7jHM_o6sn_7Eu-f7a_hjiQ0V8T_66a7G6M1q5BkKTCc7UZ4CxqnSMnYMYah4Nm3iEiyBiQNITpwKxLKzgsWMPN3zPn6KgGg6dobtdiuCHiLuOHljrRloJ__UjMP2xgTJBG6yPi5i7XQ/w400-h400/LeafHeadpinPairLimeGreen4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass leaf headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can see, I've been making a lot of leaf headpins. There's something very pleasing about the shape; it's very tactile, transparent ones catch the light beautifully and they would make great earrings.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQIA1C95NuP7689RFmwesW6OaMMFfPIZQ0kU9DLi8i9t5rFvqRr9AzzqLlCI_tQZAc9EXeFkxD3izieFjp_N44N1F23HGAXl_riKc4A4YDM1DTA0i5KxRF9sTjNNPXWUrAOAa3r6qY3TKUHbOYlr5hEhBoO1jaOqs5wcPPr6VlO3dajCLLzRDG6NH1g/s1500/LeafMashers1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brass leaf mashers for lampwork from LampworkTool" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQIA1C95NuP7689RFmwesW6OaMMFfPIZQ0kU9DLi8i9t5rFvqRr9AzzqLlCI_tQZAc9EXeFkxD3izieFjp_N44N1F23HGAXl_riKc4A4YDM1DTA0i5KxRF9sTjNNPXWUrAOAa3r6qY3TKUHbOYlr5hEhBoO1jaOqs5wcPPr6VlO3dajCLLzRDG6NH1g/w400-h400/LeafMashers1.jpg" title="Brass leaf mashers for lampwork from LampworkTool" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For the leaves pictured throughout this post I've been using a set of mashers which I bought from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LampworkTool?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=807004850">LampworkTool on Etsy</a>.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztpUSJ2ul9yb-R9dkYO-hS-1hmMORNNyP2MPI47MEWF7v4AnMIeCrCJAlh9tGUFD-T5NmQQ5Opdp6CgQ3r-fzFDi_EwtT3TaasDxyxZVZErkgZKs6z-At1KbMf5g2HpiNrhKojAdnHwv6Ae7IdiAfxEP1iHp8W8AhVCHDg-7Pdc1-YAil8vp8Hd5DGg/s1500/LeafMashers2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brass leaf mashers for lampwork from LampworkTool" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztpUSJ2ul9yb-R9dkYO-hS-1hmMORNNyP2MPI47MEWF7v4AnMIeCrCJAlh9tGUFD-T5NmQQ5Opdp6CgQ3r-fzFDi_EwtT3TaasDxyxZVZErkgZKs6z-At1KbMf5g2HpiNrhKojAdnHwv6Ae7IdiAfxEP1iHp8W8AhVCHDg-7Pdc1-YAil8vp8Hd5DGg/w400-h400/LeafMashers2.jpg" title="Brass leaf mashers for lampwork from LampworkTool" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">They're really good mashers and I highly recommend them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've also been experimenting with making hollow headpins.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjil-N6lTSzBWGsVTaeHKM97ekm7CsTG04wFmV5PUNgpm1tsglYGvgI29bQ4vivxhrZtPHpKvw-6vYRV8J4ERjz2UOct0ZR7Wjg2jNISKAqg9AC2Au9nMCdpjGomkyZyhYz3ucf-UNyViS07-iFTrsZ5Eap5_KLxKNLnbbX5QbZY4fK25kcTP9DlOU_QQ/s1500/LightGreenHollowHeadpinPair2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade hollow lampwork glass headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjil-N6lTSzBWGsVTaeHKM97ekm7CsTG04wFmV5PUNgpm1tsglYGvgI29bQ4vivxhrZtPHpKvw-6vYRV8J4ERjz2UOct0ZR7Wjg2jNISKAqg9AC2Au9nMCdpjGomkyZyhYz3ucf-UNyViS07-iFTrsZ5Eap5_KLxKNLnbbX5QbZY4fK25kcTP9DlOU_QQ/w400-h400/LightGreenHollowHeadpinPair2.jpg" title="Handmade hollow lampwork glass headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These are quite tricky but it's ever so rewarding when they turn out well. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwNWqn8jsGF_1nwTgRhjvJElmgvviRv-kSv28KstyY1I2uhibBomwB3zt7s-VccmsuPFuUxzV1oV7g8UI744eo4keoTiAPOIPyaC3_AHcXLvIEU0u7-pqRxyhRL7jdo6oSx2x4JB46oRZznhvYW6mO49kLa7GGVEzHQuU9hYadisnYVx4hZV4C9AURQ/s1500/InkBlueHollowHeadpins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade hollow lampwork glass headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwNWqn8jsGF_1nwTgRhjvJElmgvviRv-kSv28KstyY1I2uhibBomwB3zt7s-VccmsuPFuUxzV1oV7g8UI744eo4keoTiAPOIPyaC3_AHcXLvIEU0u7-pqRxyhRL7jdo6oSx2x4JB46oRZznhvYW6mO49kLa7GGVEzHQuU9hYadisnYVx4hZV4C9AURQ/w400-h400/InkBlueHollowHeadpins.jpg" title="Handmade hollow lampwork glass headpins on copper wire by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>These hollow ones would be perfect for earrings as they are nice and light.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Right now there are some green leaf headpin pairs <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1789812-Glass-Headpins.html">in my shop</a> and this weekend I'm going to sort out the big pile of assorted headpins that I've gathered over the past week or so and put some mixes of them in the shop too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm feeling a bit lost with the glass right now, to be honest. I'm just making what I feel like making. I've totally given up trying to predict what people might like or what they want. And when I do make what people have asked me to make ("Damn, I missed them, please make more!" etc) the stuff just ends up sitting there. So yep, I'm making what I want to make and if someone wants to buy it, then bonus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Do I sound like a glass grump? That'll be because I'm being a bit of a glass grump. It'll pass. *sigh*</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-11260548762847801782022-11-05T14:27:00.004+00:002022-11-05T17:40:50.989+00:00A trip down muscle memory lane<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkFjXg32gphKcDkLBeZs5DhR-ebIdG9HxKQkt1Gb_AHAOAXKotDnFuTEcmOw4tODvMCdTaeXcamPnsqnfo7lgoL0FxWe2GCsnmGlUKVATg_xVZwiIQGm4UC_dQraiLq--I42nwJHjvvTLfowQQ6B2PpOMAPrCvP6zIzITXGJ5a4kkXckyFdMUU_4OdQ/s1500/OakLeafHeadpinHot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass oak leaf headpin by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkFjXg32gphKcDkLBeZs5DhR-ebIdG9HxKQkt1Gb_AHAOAXKotDnFuTEcmOw4tODvMCdTaeXcamPnsqnfo7lgoL0FxWe2GCsnmGlUKVATg_xVZwiIQGm4UC_dQraiLq--I42nwJHjvvTLfowQQ6B2PpOMAPrCvP6zIzITXGJ5a4kkXckyFdMUU_4OdQ/w400-h400/OakLeafHeadpinHot.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass oak leaf headpin by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Up until Thursday I'd not made an oak leaf headpin for five years. I approached the task slightly nervously because I was pretty convinced I'd forgotten how to make one but within two attempts my brain and hands had remembered exactly what to do. It was almost like I was watching someone else dab on the glass here, swipe it there, shaping and coaxing everything into an oak leaf kind of shape. Then I was off and away, muscle memory well and truly jogged.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IGlDeurZrHsP9ha9I_HXqb5wIie69hmbWhiumCf9nEhz2UjuM42ywUNydk2-XlS-fEhbsg1rHCO_FkpRnrwgH0H7vYyUMOHCtKsaRZnXMGB0u0HtcTZRXXBz2Tm2GRGwWBF4c6aPinO13k-_lKBCmXkMHlfdI7KX6RzQEHdmH9a6Ryc9jkC9gg3tvg/s1500/OakLeafHeadpins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass oak leaf headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IGlDeurZrHsP9ha9I_HXqb5wIie69hmbWhiumCf9nEhz2UjuM42ywUNydk2-XlS-fEhbsg1rHCO_FkpRnrwgH0H7vYyUMOHCtKsaRZnXMGB0u0HtcTZRXXBz2Tm2GRGwWBF4c6aPinO13k-_lKBCmXkMHlfdI7KX6RzQEHdmH9a6Ryc9jkC9gg3tvg/w400-h400/OakLeafHeadpins.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass oak leaf headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I make my headpins in different ways, depending on what wire I want to use for them. The acorns I make on the end of a mandrel. This is because I'm working with a glob of glass that requires shaping by gravity and for that I need something sturdy to work on rather than a thin bit of wire which results in the acorn bit boinging about far more than is desirable. After the acorns are cool and cleaned I epoxy in non-tarnish antique bronze finish copper wire. I make my oak leaves straight on the wire because the shaping and clean-up of them is easier that way. Because the wire I use for the acorns has a non-tarnish finish I can't put it in the flame so I use bare copper wire for the oak leaves. (This already feels like way more information than anyone wants to know about this process but I've started so I'll finish.) This results in acorns with brownish coloured wires and oak leaves with bright, shiny copper ones. To make the shiny copper wires less shiny I give them a bit of a patina with some liver of sulphur. This darkens the copper and makes it less blingy. It's a very simple process but my word does it stink! It's like being stuck in a lift with a group of people from the </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Hard-Boiled Egg Sandwich Appreciation Society conference who’ve been eating egg sarnies for the whole weekend. Honestly, I cannot describe how egg-farty the stench of liver of sulphur is. It does the job, though, and fear not, the offensive scent gets washed off in the clean-up.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning I turned the finished acorns and oak leaves into necklaces.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JpjWaEoZvQCldmJA7EmcS1TO3okQOj7v-rZIKnxjb-J6gpCEK23suOmYt8uDX-58PSnNJBIYDJPD2Lx2kXk5yYYWmh1bxTzKGETXeBCpaiLRoRC-FWKVIdXkdmJI7yZ-c4gaOwnT994xlSo4bn3UqPaPf2mrFRmyDfrrpfl4MhincCO68ELdZ45Tmw/s1500/ChocolateAcrornOakLeafNecklace1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass 'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JpjWaEoZvQCldmJA7EmcS1TO3okQOj7v-rZIKnxjb-J6gpCEK23suOmYt8uDX-58PSnNJBIYDJPD2Lx2kXk5yYYWmh1bxTzKGETXeBCpaiLRoRC-FWKVIdXkdmJI7yZ-c4gaOwnT994xlSo4bn3UqPaPf2mrFRmyDfrrpfl4MhincCO68ELdZ45Tmw/w400-h400/ChocolateAcrornOakLeafNecklace1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass 'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-OPXsv9q0j7jS5CLduZYVTrWWOS-VtClaBIMhB5YmP7poQUL5mUccr8_hhc4_912o11qzERinJa-rfs9i-76orNCa2SeHpSva3MnEPxeomfqrYCHptL7krMrcqTjL0aq_rEczfsxL3zXDH0ysCqUgqXBI2LHV-cKnR5it_X0oVZUdFgoqM2CgwcCaw/s1500/CinnamonAcornOakLeafNecklace3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass 'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-OPXsv9q0j7jS5CLduZYVTrWWOS-VtClaBIMhB5YmP7poQUL5mUccr8_hhc4_912o11qzERinJa-rfs9i-76orNCa2SeHpSva3MnEPxeomfqrYCHptL7krMrcqTjL0aq_rEczfsxL3zXDH0ysCqUgqXBI2LHV-cKnR5it_X0oVZUdFgoqM2CgwcCaw/w400-h400/CinnamonAcornOakLeafNecklace3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass 'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThcJRVPzkvoW-WPQEzVmlKA2rF_xVNipV8JvcZlzhpnYG1ZIpsKpoBdLdsWCQ-Pq4l0y9zsQAAM4brxV-_nutVArxlXWj9tL8podJz3ckLk1cF9Vu5fJyBUG9SgScQw7FC0Xvrr8xEiZfapXWm0gPW0wru3g94vqilKpEtAWwD6nQVsrFwzLcrvFqlQ/s1500/ChocolateAcrornOakLeafNecklace3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass 'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThcJRVPzkvoW-WPQEzVmlKA2rF_xVNipV8JvcZlzhpnYG1ZIpsKpoBdLdsWCQ-Pq4l0y9zsQAAM4brxV-_nutVArxlXWj9tL8podJz3ckLk1cF9Vu5fJyBUG9SgScQw7FC0Xvrr8xEiZfapXWm0gPW0wru3g94vqilKpEtAWwD6nQVsrFwzLcrvFqlQ/w400-h400/ChocolateAcrornOakLeafNecklace3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass 'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've only made five and <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1772325-Necklaces.html">they're in my shop</a> at the time of typing, but if they sell out I'll make them available to order for a while.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I made some actual beads this week too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVc0La9DfhId2e8p8aYdA0wMGK0SG0Gc5xPWbrqPA88ZPIvvELHc4Gxx9EOSIBYii_98J5npBq_I_NRZgrS9ldrg9ppCeyavTING3z-geaLb3b83hUbBm0FijSW9FIvzGxJOlrKmzIgRhow8412uUkRIBZuuwM9gbtFw5PlqK3ZoFwwUd2-g-kEuPUQ/s1500/Sage1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVc0La9DfhId2e8p8aYdA0wMGK0SG0Gc5xPWbrqPA88ZPIvvELHc4Gxx9EOSIBYii_98J5npBq_I_NRZgrS9ldrg9ppCeyavTING3z-geaLb3b83hUbBm0FijSW9FIvzGxJOlrKmzIgRhow8412uUkRIBZuuwM9gbtFw5PlqK3ZoFwwUd2-g-kEuPUQ/w400-h400/Sage1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLcFWCcbzYWlB7nU8poLn9rDM6UjZvL98DiHBWNNSCaUbelRSZVeMAbrAvCWIN8vY4aJeSn-UX4nl23XbHM4UO191hXZNdjuMk95uVGTQysNTM1JM0YPra3S51-4YoqBQD7SnzxBUuIXoPSYCd6BlFzxkmjme_b6kiJ5HeULUsjoiF_gcBK7nWpJ3yw/s1500/Sage3%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLcFWCcbzYWlB7nU8poLn9rDM6UjZvL98DiHBWNNSCaUbelRSZVeMAbrAvCWIN8vY4aJeSn-UX4nl23XbHM4UO191hXZNdjuMk95uVGTQysNTM1JM0YPra3S51-4YoqBQD7SnzxBUuIXoPSYCd6BlFzxkmjme_b6kiJ5HeULUsjoiF_gcBK7nWpJ3yw/w400-h400/Sage3%20(1).jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">These are CiM Little Boy Blue encased with a thin layer of Effetre Super Clear 006, decorated with spots in Effetre White 204. I never tire of the 'floaty' spots thing. There's one set of these <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1527739-Beads.html">left in my shop</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And I've also made another chain maille bracelet. This one is the 'Sweet Pea' weave which creates these little clusters linked to one another.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuprdYtyoSRh3bBZ4c5vfQRI3wFWVCVkeDfobMMHwrBPkcJhTFh_-FWu5AQ4Emc1-D9Lq9p-S1DYbD3bTiCnrlHufMJq6fvrMCU3fIAqkvmEwuZZOninnpx-fHxeV9MXFL0cAPajxHi6o4Y8dd34yd-kHDIhWZFDlS2UG-xmuSXHz15qJsz4MIPY6LAA/s1500/CopperSweetPeaBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade copper chain maille Sweet Pea bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuprdYtyoSRh3bBZ4c5vfQRI3wFWVCVkeDfobMMHwrBPkcJhTFh_-FWu5AQ4Emc1-D9Lq9p-S1DYbD3bTiCnrlHufMJq6fvrMCU3fIAqkvmEwuZZOninnpx-fHxeV9MXFL0cAPajxHi6o4Y8dd34yd-kHDIhWZFDlS2UG-xmuSXHz15qJsz4MIPY6LAA/w400-h400/CopperSweetPeaBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade copper chain maille Sweet Pea bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEHB6qCoVLZjn_q_UXlFYW15bqsly8_JVmOMAu4KX28t2O1dn6PhqpiG3BXa3WnZvipyF42UAXpHpIXWXbOV4CkJxwS00gopokiR_lkqdFESWe4RfOfeY5l5X4pP379WsY5AW8icN-cB3r2yYOS_N6voEFwCuyHbZfRlJypRozwm7589TynNMvcK49A/s1500/CopperSweetPeaBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade copper chain maille Sweet Pea bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEHB6qCoVLZjn_q_UXlFYW15bqsly8_JVmOMAu4KX28t2O1dn6PhqpiG3BXa3WnZvipyF42UAXpHpIXWXbOV4CkJxwS00gopokiR_lkqdFESWe4RfOfeY5l5X4pP379WsY5AW8icN-cB3r2yYOS_N6voEFwCuyHbZfRlJypRozwm7589TynNMvcK49A/w400-h400/CopperSweetPeaBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade copper chain maille Sweet Pea bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The bracelet is pure copper and it's available <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_953473-Chain-Maille.html">in the chain maille section</a> of my shop.</span></div></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-66323196931476346022022-10-30T15:06:00.002+00:002022-10-30T16:18:38.125+00:00Metal bubble bath<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVf51uvr8xioF6uiIKcGRN1xmN_DvSN4mKthPeuJmlop3-Rjs1O0GmybVWuxdfPU06ojbWZGbM1km51SrIGNGOc9Xdcrur3N0GhFq4nT7pmkf1xKQVK813frDfHWPhiOY3Igp-7hbbPzk2ce3nsCJKf6xwzhISUArKXfv4XDc0-H1WF5uSYs8elegrw/s1500/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVf51uvr8xioF6uiIKcGRN1xmN_DvSN4mKthPeuJmlop3-Rjs1O0GmybVWuxdfPU06ojbWZGbM1km51SrIGNGOc9Xdcrur3N0GhFq4nT7pmkf1xKQVK813frDfHWPhiOY3Igp-7hbbPzk2ce3nsCJKf6xwzhISUArKXfv4XDc0-H1WF5uSYs8elegrw/w400-h400/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday afternoon while I was tidying away my jewellery making stuff I found a bag of tiny anodised aluminium jump rings. At just over 4mm diameter they're smaller than the rings I used for the shaggy loops earrings <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/10/rings-in-rings-in-rings.html">in my previous post</a> and I wondered if the smaller rings would work for the same weave. A few hours later I'd made this bracelet.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiUsLrpm8fFzUs95IpELh8DKC1yIAIhRC6GT7Zct53BOIEkq1cry0MPldzZmofW3LxQbNSXgS96mFg8RR2DqSD64P3f61LEqNrQxAw6-RKn4e4lSiNQ1WDtVrMjEVB8-3rz0g8EdAMUfXQwOK-auKoygYi0Yk3vtyrUeDwV_-T-kHm3r7m_fRXQ2i7w/s1500/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiUsLrpm8fFzUs95IpELh8DKC1yIAIhRC6GT7Zct53BOIEkq1cry0MPldzZmofW3LxQbNSXgS96mFg8RR2DqSD64P3f61LEqNrQxAw6-RKn4e4lSiNQ1WDtVrMjEVB8-3rz0g8EdAMUfXQwOK-auKoygYi0Yk3vtyrUeDwV_-T-kHm3r7m_fRXQ2i7w/w400-h400/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl34udPhHdmPRk8vTwjgOL1JToRUvpXpdPedTnWdtFDFNhZlXm6AR5xbxnQxwkAX3nfDOiRN366OzHm40gjUQMeI1foBYebdmmXIq7wGpk4V1yo1Ool6HzXlhRct9rO4J9IcZPK_0GUf3u7SabubSFAtUGY9pEflihw2z23SW2Moo0OqOpGqQwC64KgQ/s1500/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl34udPhHdmPRk8vTwjgOL1JToRUvpXpdPedTnWdtFDFNhZlXm6AR5xbxnQxwkAX3nfDOiRN366OzHm40gjUQMeI1foBYebdmmXIq7wGpk4V1yo1Ool6HzXlhRct9rO4J9IcZPK_0GUf3u7SabubSFAtUGY9pEflihw2z23SW2Moo0OqOpGqQwC64KgQ/w400-h400/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet4.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's unbelievably light and it has a wonderful fluidity and texture to it. Chris said it's "like metal bubble bath foam" and that's a really good description. It's frothy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqKbZf6Hg7zBvi-VMqAL--0aFxjJIgjMR7BT6HJwrM0tBJYfDg9mnd0a0-DrEA-3tX9kVy2p0q5h4O9FEvRiZssQxNg_Aza6wQSV-9N2daobPmBCuOEYmT-UkqXGtEyU8eCMo7-a0SEZsWYUrGVvHi5Y1kpHe7zw4TllX8U8ApoMTX5RlN1CdAA1BIA/s1500/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqKbZf6Hg7zBvi-VMqAL--0aFxjJIgjMR7BT6HJwrM0tBJYfDg9mnd0a0-DrEA-3tX9kVy2p0q5h4O9FEvRiZssQxNg_Aza6wQSV-9N2daobPmBCuOEYmT-UkqXGtEyU8eCMo7-a0SEZsWYUrGVvHi5Y1kpHe7zw4TllX8U8ApoMTX5RlN1CdAA1BIA/w400-h400/LavenderShaggyLoopsBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium and seed bead 'Shaggy Loops' chain maille bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've put it in <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_953473-Chain-Maille.html">the chain maille section</a> of my shop.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The three pairs of chocolate 'Acorn' earrings I had have all sold but all is not lost; I've added them to <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1652330-Available-to-Order.html">the Available to Order page</a>. I don't know how long they'll be there but probably long enough for anyone to buy some as Christmas presents.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOyr-pcF42Vl7Bfrqw-X1uGOhVsiQbHTidFx7Fs1ux7xqKvvAha2IC-ya-kK2vC02s3xtXfNglrZUMw9XicqLlByB7SYEzaokDX_rb_967386SGN3RbjU5SAoQzRyGkKgsV38q9XezjwKeMjMl9DcYqHZo8pDrONXRb_-NQoNVIllEjV6ckH3f44fFw/s1500/ChocolateAcornEarrings1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOyr-pcF42Vl7Bfrqw-X1uGOhVsiQbHTidFx7Fs1ux7xqKvvAha2IC-ya-kK2vC02s3xtXfNglrZUMw9XicqLlByB7SYEzaokDX_rb_967386SGN3RbjU5SAoQzRyGkKgsV38q9XezjwKeMjMl9DcYqHZo8pDrONXRb_-NQoNVIllEjV6ckH3f44fFw/w400-h400/ChocolateAcornEarrings1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In non-bead/jewellery news, I've just finished reading another book. I read and listen to a ridiculous number of books, of all different types, and I only ever think to mention the occasional one here on my blog. Maybe I should do more book blogging? Anyway, the one I've just finished is called <i><a href="http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/store/p126/DARK_FOLKLORE_Hardback.html">Dark Folklore</a></i> by Mark Norman and Tracey Norman.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfviXxfl_nPV-PAb_LYnlkrOpQZRLsw1lVLo658CM_9xhcaxdkPA0MvW_TmLvceNMEEYxDUSmktyl_Q9BUUS6t2tA7IyaW1aL5CC2EdcalRjwLFKUeocsrFeXWR6CVZUxVlrcBZrPtbQ24kK8A9bxA_51fmCCU5AGH4PlwUkoTnp9xC9wzZeSpjw8FtQ/s500/DarkFolklore.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="'Dark Folklore' by Mark Norman and Tracey Norman" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfviXxfl_nPV-PAb_LYnlkrOpQZRLsw1lVLo658CM_9xhcaxdkPA0MvW_TmLvceNMEEYxDUSmktyl_Q9BUUS6t2tA7IyaW1aL5CC2EdcalRjwLFKUeocsrFeXWR6CVZUxVlrcBZrPtbQ24kK8A9bxA_51fmCCU5AGH4PlwUkoTnp9xC9wzZeSpjw8FtQ/w264-h400/DarkFolklore.jpg" title="'Dark Folklore' by Mark Norman and Tracey Norman" width="264" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a fascinating read about the darker side of folklore, myths and social and cultural beliefs from all around the world. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on urban legends. Mark is a folklore researcher and author who writes and hosts <i><a href="http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/home.html">The Folklore Podcast</a></i> which I highly recommend to anyone who likes a bit of social history, folklore and information about ancient beliefs, customs and festivals. Marvellous stuff.</span></div></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-71557966835895765212022-10-28T17:24:00.004+01:002022-10-28T21:57:35.444+01:00Rings in rings in rings<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8JwFegC-k6cO4sf-vbdMNf2Ch2HFmdPgyQk1H5nkTxIqcIS0w4jUWEz0yl6IYLR82yKfLT14lLZEz4HhA3GPYvKtnJ9jLJhhYyFtLRqnsXX8jun3zm-QWlvg3ZfovmQ17kbz0rZzFzTKrEmDrD3EKpgZwoGzWDC3853dG7B9dborOmkVaD7fZSZ9DQ/s1500/CopperByzantineBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade chain maille copper Byzantine weave bracelet with patina by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8JwFegC-k6cO4sf-vbdMNf2Ch2HFmdPgyQk1H5nkTxIqcIS0w4jUWEz0yl6IYLR82yKfLT14lLZEz4HhA3GPYvKtnJ9jLJhhYyFtLRqnsXX8jun3zm-QWlvg3ZfovmQ17kbz0rZzFzTKrEmDrD3EKpgZwoGzWDC3853dG7B9dborOmkVaD7fZSZ9DQ/w400-h400/CopperByzantineBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade chain maille copper Byzantine weave bracelet with patina by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-squirrels-made-me-do-it.html">my trip to the cemetery</a> on Saturday I walked into the city centre, popped into a record shop, paid a visit to <a href="https://www.fitzbillies.com/">Fitzbillies</a> for a couple of their famous and ridiculously delicious Chelsea buns, then caught the bus back home. At some point in that very small window of being out and surrounded by other people, I caught some kind of lurg. Four lateral flow tests say it's not Covid but I'm constantly coughing, sneezing and my energy levels are very low. Pre-Covid era I'd not had a cold for years so maybe it's just a bog standard one of those and I've forgotten what they feel like? Whatever, I've been next-to useless this week so not much beadmaking has happened.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">However, I cannot ever bear to be doing nothing for long and if my hands aren't making something I get kind of edgy. I spent Monday in bed with a temperature but I wanted to be making something so I fished out my box of jump rings, grabbed two pairs of pliers and sat in bed making a chain maille bracelet.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Clt2I7v0lmA7jsDjgWD6BPgRonaXGZaIe_G0EZhGU8OkmRfPfP2xGCuEWdoRYl2G-HU315de-cWBWpg8e5xn0EMNorbsGVnLAYF2TpvYcooS4IIyXM92AllRT41QIFNVqbHVWVZHwEhFcgMvd-ADE0077AOULVQK0mmwQsyFgmqBo_qkbgOu2iL6bg/s1500/CopperByzantineBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade chain maille copper Byzantine weave bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Clt2I7v0lmA7jsDjgWD6BPgRonaXGZaIe_G0EZhGU8OkmRfPfP2xGCuEWdoRYl2G-HU315de-cWBWpg8e5xn0EMNorbsGVnLAYF2TpvYcooS4IIyXM92AllRT41QIFNVqbHVWVZHwEhFcgMvd-ADE0077AOULVQK0mmwQsyFgmqBo_qkbgOu2iL6bg/w400-h400/CopperByzantineBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade chain maille copper Byzantine weave bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Byzantine' weave bracelet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The next day I lounged about downstairs and made two more bracelets and some earrings.</span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeJqcSEmAtaEN0KmfmcrRkVwydEUZfS7ilDtYF4eaDxPKulxc2W1eRqKXEFvjYToCSq-6cpN2jrtrDIxb0gZuxKMeGvTJY1Vw97Czr0AJwL6wNXvCFvthw_4hvpUrmieTCaHWJU7i65KP4SoV3UqoHUVmkSA-CbRVCNpxP61Qa2Yq4X6N_J8Oktc4dQ/s1500/CopperByzantineBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade chain maille copper Byzantine weave bracelet with patina by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeJqcSEmAtaEN0KmfmcrRkVwydEUZfS7ilDtYF4eaDxPKulxc2W1eRqKXEFvjYToCSq-6cpN2jrtrDIxb0gZuxKMeGvTJY1Vw97Czr0AJwL6wNXvCFvthw_4hvpUrmieTCaHWJU7i65KP4SoV3UqoHUVmkSA-CbRVCNpxP61Qa2Yq4X6N_J8Oktc4dQ/w400-h400/CopperByzantineBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade chain maille copper Byzantine weave bracelet with patina by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Byzantine' weave bracelet with patina</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTcUxiPIRu8nrFwhbT7eKiNq8zAMyAkLghLRgAin3VS4pI5_I7JMbPZv0LvKlGDKgtSMeoEIIqqC3qlFQVRd8QR2_3erIhvn6w7nw09kdH0sud_fzptNas6MGxGZX88Jg8zidxRcqoVRcCoz7FiJgJVIXXujKSsMu-O3nYt7hPl03MLW7fsUQElaz_Q/s1500/ShaggyLoopsEarringsPurple1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium Shaggy Loops earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTcUxiPIRu8nrFwhbT7eKiNq8zAMyAkLghLRgAin3VS4pI5_I7JMbPZv0LvKlGDKgtSMeoEIIqqC3qlFQVRd8QR2_3erIhvn6w7nw09kdH0sud_fzptNas6MGxGZX88Jg8zidxRcqoVRcCoz7FiJgJVIXXujKSsMu-O3nYt7hPl03MLW7fsUQElaz_Q/w400-h400/ShaggyLoopsEarringsPurple1.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium Shaggy Loops earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Shaggy Loops' earrings</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've said before with regards to crochet, I'm very much a process maker. I get so much enjoyment out of the process of creating things that I tend to make stuff just for the sake of making it. This is fine but it means I end up with all these finished things – blankets, socks, doilies, jewellery – that I don't need and am never going to use.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAmwGb1bLSPb0VwqxsnDBGxHzyQd_lz-FeI5RqjkwxaRR77FWWYZNYCgltwhCp60zhywPsQWabW1w-EvkijaWA0qLO9BZeWmi9vkB2fPC5prDO0uK6MNDKRpvsMXmwv50bvkxjui6bpDMt-ZdOnh3VC4zi0FQXvKxlud8flPyDgxOPpI2vXb8npJNoA/s1500/ShaggyLoopsEarringsWhite1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium Shaggy Loops earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAmwGb1bLSPb0VwqxsnDBGxHzyQd_lz-FeI5RqjkwxaRR77FWWYZNYCgltwhCp60zhywPsQWabW1w-EvkijaWA0qLO9BZeWmi9vkB2fPC5prDO0uK6MNDKRpvsMXmwv50bvkxjui6bpDMt-ZdOnh3VC4zi0FQXvKxlud8flPyDgxOPpI2vXb8npJNoA/w400-h400/ShaggyLoopsEarringsWhite1.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium Shaggy Loops earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCnKUOi0Zyu4gK4Hw9aA_CumA_JK880GyTIdgAXiz5MAddgzaX-J2I2i4psKtvzpjFl3d-SG3H_Ofn6u-itMuSDKb9S9n64lQB2ACm2pkJD0CJFboh9QyouBYM_OOdKfBkLTGSt_9KYiZ0-dciN9WU8QQwtq4R-1TQgXFYx9_QT4foUaYm3DJjNkRCQ/s1500/ShaggyLoopsEarringsPink1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade aluminium Shaggy Loops earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCnKUOi0Zyu4gK4Hw9aA_CumA_JK880GyTIdgAXiz5MAddgzaX-J2I2i4psKtvzpjFl3d-SG3H_Ofn6u-itMuSDKb9S9n64lQB2ACm2pkJD0CJFboh9QyouBYM_OOdKfBkLTGSt_9KYiZ0-dciN9WU8QQwtq4R-1TQgXFYx9_QT4foUaYm3DJjNkRCQ/w400-h400/ShaggyLoopsEarringsPink1.jpg" title="Handmade aluminium Shaggy Loops earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So I've resurrected the <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_953473-Chain-Maille.html">chain maille jewellery page of my shop</a> and put some of the items I've made for sale on there. Maybe there's someone out there who would like to give a bracelet or earrings a new home?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've tracked down the winner of the last prize draw and I've figured out a foolproof way for how I'm going to run the monthly draws from now on. More details on that soon.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-83840689796188501932022-10-27T17:03:00.006+01:002022-10-27T17:04:27.701+01:00The squirrels made me do it<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxBJoNv0iJGQv8YdS4ntAPX6WoNrqdjVfw81OR37jckKWrY0p-ovRTi3bBt7I3uN8vjZv8yr3-yPGSY5n5srn5tGD5HzOvrysfKCW9lnu7Fah1fYDgd25i0a3fX4OddV80iDkn_4JZO-MqrkOXRPSgLWLeW9vA1jrZ_shnF8ImZpjdvoEDpmEqrmgUA/s1500/ChocolateAcornEarrings2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxBJoNv0iJGQv8YdS4ntAPX6WoNrqdjVfw81OR37jckKWrY0p-ovRTi3bBt7I3uN8vjZv8yr3-yPGSY5n5srn5tGD5HzOvrysfKCW9lnu7Fah1fYDgd25i0a3fX4OddV80iDkn_4JZO-MqrkOXRPSgLWLeW9vA1jrZ_shnF8ImZpjdvoEDpmEqrmgUA/w400-h400/ChocolateAcornEarrings2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I went for a wander round an old cemetery at the weekend. The cemetery is a Victorian one which is closed to new burials - the most recent grave I saw there was dated 1997 - but it's a lovely, peaceful place to be, full of magnificent trees, birds and squirrels. I sat for a while on a bench under a beautiful holly tree, watching the squirrels gathering acorns from underneath the massive oak tree on the other side of the path.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6vQ0GVH8KiPATEM23r91QVpt0X0D43V4meIFj5T1CR1MZcuqBLPsjK1e-uKQ-3XHrY3ZotpcFupaF2YA2jewC48veZL4Kz6X7fYDucKuL-pJA6C4MvMPiLFr6xvAqwR59_V8fZM0tBtP1yuQlze0PbZpDo_bGFBsJHe6DpQRsJ5rcxgcQkK-fo4sZg/s1500/ChocolateAcornEarrings4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6vQ0GVH8KiPATEM23r91QVpt0X0D43V4meIFj5T1CR1MZcuqBLPsjK1e-uKQ-3XHrY3ZotpcFupaF2YA2jewC48veZL4Kz6X7fYDucKuL-pJA6C4MvMPiLFr6xvAqwR59_V8fZM0tBtP1yuQlze0PbZpDo_bGFBsJHe6DpQRsJ5rcxgcQkK-fo4sZg/w400-h400/ChocolateAcornEarrings4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been quite a while since I last made acorns. I've always made them as necklaces with the addition of a glass oak leaf but I wanted to make some earrings and the oak leaf would be too much on those so I opted for just a single acorn.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnPBhMAsmMKYCfN-F_QUiOL4RoGrTXAF4derhTwOMBNpF2lpfc26kscwjsUsorXmJ9YSVg4aBtCP3R3DIGvKSvoUlKrEb4wqo1gIstQDMTCVacvm1owpJbN4L0bCuoSJvP3jGIHS9g897Jybj1vx8dL77z-1YIoDYj3nu30xbKvPdMqgvqV4p0fy5Ig/s1500/TerracottaAcornEarrings1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnPBhMAsmMKYCfN-F_QUiOL4RoGrTXAF4derhTwOMBNpF2lpfc26kscwjsUsorXmJ9YSVg4aBtCP3R3DIGvKSvoUlKrEb4wqo1gIstQDMTCVacvm1owpJbN4L0bCuoSJvP3jGIHS9g897Jybj1vx8dL77z-1YIoDYj3nu30xbKvPdMqgvqV4p0fy5Ig/w400-h400/TerracottaAcornEarrings1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S6N5XS0FUl13DwO_UqXRFRaqt3ZDSrBgrEu_ZG5pvgtj1X9IqfGkRQ60Q6mTfR_LcALP64yqMhJPt-aCWk7m2BhGq-5KQkrvPLGbgwxQNmysvDjdnSWjOseuXqEyz6VT8gu5jOeIFKLAUbbGfi8qFMqTDIGYnyERVq-wIgyFDTm5g0Pr0tzaPVC8-A/s1500/TerracottaAcornEarrings4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S6N5XS0FUl13DwO_UqXRFRaqt3ZDSrBgrEu_ZG5pvgtj1X9IqfGkRQ60Q6mTfR_LcALP64yqMhJPt-aCWk7m2BhGq-5KQkrvPLGbgwxQNmysvDjdnSWjOseuXqEyz6VT8gu5jOeIFKLAUbbGfi8qFMqTDIGYnyERVq-wIgyFDTm5g0Pr0tzaPVC8-A/w400-h400/TerracottaAcornEarrings4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I made a batch of acorns in dark chocolate brown and terracotta, paired up the ones that wanted to be together, and then I was left with a few odd ones so I made those into pendants and threaded them onto chains.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1BqjJkAvOVkm6wwo7b_D407Lr94UbaLiasEKEMzS9-lIo01sUv0YmjLiX7GtAVVSth_zeRbjzGJ8lnTkjrjo8zJE-yc5AAZb0Ik703j3nt-WCXr-CVSy40d_iHfHyUw3L8nMOU8NYt-cnwp9xDW6FN-p3x-OOERWtktzRicEH6XeYKFpgwWPVT-vDw/s1500/ChocolateAcornNecklace2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1BqjJkAvOVkm6wwo7b_D407Lr94UbaLiasEKEMzS9-lIo01sUv0YmjLiX7GtAVVSth_zeRbjzGJ8lnTkjrjo8zJE-yc5AAZb0Ik703j3nt-WCXr-CVSy40d_iHfHyUw3L8nMOU8NYt-cnwp9xDW6FN-p3x-OOERWtktzRicEH6XeYKFpgwWPVT-vDw/w400-h400/ChocolateAcornNecklace2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkuKywAIb6LPdiixg7UY6eYkr5OirbCNdcTxmO2BFWgIp8pzTF86PXrrzOa2iyPx1e4YwwKkkf-NzaB0iEd8sVmdmsAclX0s_MII0FVefAiOgJPLlUkz1GWDrVjpYQqTgzTnC3I7yaut7MVP7_PTrlL-qvM-DHfK0DYqSQLBddGtznXq5Qf5Zhvu7yA/s1200/TerracottaAcornNecklace4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass acorn necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkuKywAIb6LPdiixg7UY6eYkr5OirbCNdcTxmO2BFWgIp8pzTF86PXrrzOa2iyPx1e4YwwKkkf-NzaB0iEd8sVmdmsAclX0s_MII0FVefAiOgJPLlUkz1GWDrVjpYQqTgzTnC3I7yaut7MVP7_PTrlL-qvM-DHfK0DYqSQLBddGtznXq5Qf5Zhvu7yA/w400-h400/TerracottaAcornNecklace4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass acorn necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The acorn earrings and necklaces can be found <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_795125-Jewellery.html">in my shop</a>.</span></div></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-20491396288803191082022-10-23T13:51:00.003+01:002022-10-23T13:56:31.786+01:00Headpins<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I made a little batch of headpins this week. My propane was running low and that affects any stringerwork or surface design and makes it go a bit feathery so I made a couple of fancy headpins until the feathery thing started happening and then I switched to plainer ones until the gas ran out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday I turned the headpins into a pendant and some earrings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The pendant was made with the fancier headpin which has a petal-like design on it:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sjpXnqroR3CyRUDYcR0dwa7VHqZaLu5XJcoQVjc6tV1uWnQiftGfv82ypbrwH3yV_1cP71Hm9lZ-aEt1FiWX7PJapnCb82bvIF6tmfAFp9XmalGl4vI3cBUeIV50klzjTVnk5O2JmbOE00e5awLZRHOn32MGJmEQwB6A-gqQitkoANHMwymUvJQpVA/s1500/PetalsPendant3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pendant made with a handmade lampwork glass headpin by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sjpXnqroR3CyRUDYcR0dwa7VHqZaLu5XJcoQVjc6tV1uWnQiftGfv82ypbrwH3yV_1cP71Hm9lZ-aEt1FiWX7PJapnCb82bvIF6tmfAFp9XmalGl4vI3cBUeIV50klzjTVnk5O2JmbOE00e5awLZRHOn32MGJmEQwB6A-gqQitkoANHMwymUvJQpVA/w400-h400/PetalsPendant3.jpg" title="Pendant made with a handmade lampwork glass headpin by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpa2DQNaI0rmyLdGSWtubpNOMwYgu-bWAOPeA504IQDAzhsm97ysDJR4yMV9J-TtS0WOLS8S6o4Zgb3gU6MYTDeraKKTTg_5cRXaVp0XWcYkavvzQc6P6lMW7sdRxkCydNYztqKiRWUlyI415UERHHurqlemOwjBikW28XdivVZcPJubDJETEbFNaqfA/s1500/PetalsPendant1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pendant made with a handmade lampwork glass headpin by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpa2DQNaI0rmyLdGSWtubpNOMwYgu-bWAOPeA504IQDAzhsm97ysDJR4yMV9J-TtS0WOLS8S6o4Zgb3gU6MYTDeraKKTTg_5cRXaVp0XWcYkavvzQc6P6lMW7sdRxkCydNYztqKiRWUlyI415UERHHurqlemOwjBikW28XdivVZcPJubDJETEbFNaqfA/w400-h400/PetalsPendant1.jpg" title="Pendant made with a handmade lampwork glass headpin by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then there are these lavender earrings:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Az356fZMe2kqgKpLRGPeZjcFG7vckhcrgTH9vivhOI3XFI2o9_alvA3gwXV020SUNfQDeA0bHCeP3KE4mbVLYGwf_R842Xzi1-Pzl-Pgs2Vn6-DnlGxf76PW0YAEv23ZmRD_MJw2U1sSSswh6P4yMXTe2WDOPFSt0Z9tZyqfeDchb8oO5In3xPNNjg/s1500/LavenderFlowerEarrings3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Az356fZMe2kqgKpLRGPeZjcFG7vckhcrgTH9vivhOI3XFI2o9_alvA3gwXV020SUNfQDeA0bHCeP3KE4mbVLYGwf_R842Xzi1-Pzl-Pgs2Vn6-DnlGxf76PW0YAEv23ZmRD_MJw2U1sSSswh6P4yMXTe2WDOPFSt0Z9tZyqfeDchb8oO5In3xPNNjg/w400-h400/LavenderFlowerEarrings3.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I love the way the CiM Wisteria reacted with the Effetre Lavender Blue 247 to create that purple band.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjvNlIfpvFZhwF4r859MCBJtuySbtHEGwyZTqOaSDwba7u-rPo8wcAlNZXIYGxuTAEjSPO3MMJOM1BahryyOpYCafKTR28S8R968WAgQ2y6NH_xRrNgy3BCavUphnzlD0n7tMBmCqgSDDh_hID4Ac6tsyv0bQskN-_nQLsKoMRnQFpFFWCdS7DsQR7A/s1500/LavenderFlowerEarrings1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjvNlIfpvFZhwF4r859MCBJtuySbtHEGwyZTqOaSDwba7u-rPo8wcAlNZXIYGxuTAEjSPO3MMJOM1BahryyOpYCafKTR28S8R968WAgQ2y6NH_xRrNgy3BCavUphnzlD0n7tMBmCqgSDDh_hID4Ac6tsyv0bQskN-_nQLsKoMRnQFpFFWCdS7DsQR7A/w400-h400/LavenderFlowerEarrings1.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The other three earring pairs are made with headpins and globes of glass that are one third Effetre Light Turquoise 232 and two thirds CiM Fjord Milky. Again, the two glasses reacted with one another, making the turquoise go all mottled and cloudy. I kept one pair really simple and hung them from flower earwires...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RVzwP-gWRUB6tQHdNDuFLeBZrjxw70gLn_eJGcqJd8shKsDvwMjhUr9WIHDhfLZxeMSN6uqMRYJfFRV9XssjRR7Joro9Pl2lIMT5vT-Uq6R4LrstR0nVVe5qKg91v4wpa2cM13YGZfQlRRucg705YgLL1hMNuERnJq7hi3uW8oWikHmE3xgd92OYOQ/s1500/CloudyBlueFlowerEarrings3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RVzwP-gWRUB6tQHdNDuFLeBZrjxw70gLn_eJGcqJd8shKsDvwMjhUr9WIHDhfLZxeMSN6uqMRYJfFRV9XssjRR7Joro9Pl2lIMT5vT-Uq6R4LrstR0nVVe5qKg91v4wpa2cM13YGZfQlRRucg705YgLL1hMNuERnJq7hi3uW8oWikHmE3xgd92OYOQ/w400-h400/CloudyBlueFlowerEarrings3.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvtZjjRZk-ai06C8H9VHFjA6B7RrLkd8Qe5eU8hCoHo4Lh2i_snikvqYbrpxqotXw3j3w_eKIlu23OuJYQxF46dNi3izINkAI8Px00NdoDT-8nVCK_OGBjza2uvGHB_J8JOINSea4D0YydcsPSi-lbJ5f12_zyFkwGgCfkmFvRiJbanI5IlJmoi022A/s1500/CloudyBlueFlowerEarrings2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvtZjjRZk-ai06C8H9VHFjA6B7RrLkd8Qe5eU8hCoHo4Lh2i_snikvqYbrpxqotXw3j3w_eKIlu23OuJYQxF46dNi3izINkAI8Px00NdoDT-8nVCK_OGBjza2uvGHB_J8JOINSea4D0YydcsPSi-lbJ5f12_zyFkwGgCfkmFvRiJbanI5IlJmoi022A/w400-h400/CloudyBlueFlowerEarrings2.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">...and I paired the other ones with copper findings and hypoallergenic niobium earwires.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4SqAg5e1ZNcFGSInMFKoWw7h2iW2vXYoPQUZ2P6PcnVX7uFe6w8pSGlZIrFhocS2SOwF5xTk8EWqsdabn_B7zvD8OeYl1ntOaBIYvnJbM7xZBmTWnuSKfieh0pP166Aba9weeB6dz8hNvaEEthi9DZW6wmQvb9szVimoBlge9S2H5Nm99Iw8U95MKg/s1500/CloudyBlueCopperEarrings4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4SqAg5e1ZNcFGSInMFKoWw7h2iW2vXYoPQUZ2P6PcnVX7uFe6w8pSGlZIrFhocS2SOwF5xTk8EWqsdabn_B7zvD8OeYl1ntOaBIYvnJbM7xZBmTWnuSKfieh0pP166Aba9weeB6dz8hNvaEEthi9DZW6wmQvb9szVimoBlge9S2H5Nm99Iw8U95MKg/w400-h400/CloudyBlueCopperEarrings4.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBbd7jenJdSpo8dfSUjP_3h0CCzPUFq27IR-7Ld7BPn2Syi46Q8A3CbHMAsbQFVg-BnhIPhxu8bmFIIG01HBNlhZQUBzX_aeXT-MNsdVokuRKVSD5ZJmmb-KKuhI4C018Nx3Q3JUsqiNS4vHgKjL2jCAcS_NIjeF66593DeVcSDo4iEWEt-qSaNRr2w/s1500/CloudyBlueCopperEarrings2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBbd7jenJdSpo8dfSUjP_3h0CCzPUFq27IR-7Ld7BPn2Syi46Q8A3CbHMAsbQFVg-BnhIPhxu8bmFIIG01HBNlhZQUBzX_aeXT-MNsdVokuRKVSD5ZJmmb-KKuhI4C018Nx3Q3JUsqiNS4vHgKjL2jCAcS_NIjeF66593DeVcSDo4iEWEt-qSaNRr2w/w400-h400/CloudyBlueCopperEarrings2.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass headpins by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The remaining pair aren't really headpins at all - no pins, so just... heads? I attached some sterling loops to these and dangled them from sterling drop shapes. These earrings are really light and swishy.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtGxMtkZ81hFZ4608j3jzgqKrGreL_xUumkwqAzU-44ypn26zB7umABJ_uZOULL4vR_wVK07QubLo3CjSizz5YvhboPwRrDI3he_Ob1RdZGad_lSInCjHzA6_OY16m1VZGl2jLxMsdow3S19LQJ9mL5rTVGnn1nf6OoBLOI5yGoe6iybWukIzB2VvZg/s1500/CloudyBlueDropEarrings1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtGxMtkZ81hFZ4608j3jzgqKrGreL_xUumkwqAzU-44ypn26zB7umABJ_uZOULL4vR_wVK07QubLo3CjSizz5YvhboPwRrDI3he_Ob1RdZGad_lSInCjHzA6_OY16m1VZGl2jLxMsdow3S19LQJ9mL5rTVGnn1nf6OoBLOI5yGoe6iybWukIzB2VvZg/w400-h400/CloudyBlueDropEarrings1.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzQms5jZ8nzcOdHeJEW3_VX_ZM9j2ZOzvDgTCC22cwn2ii7GDmPHq8DZbL3k9PvonaaKggBV8ltVXRhixH9zIlmyrihAiyZ5rwRUrxD9uQbPCRGfPKeKTGJYGgBer7e6XOXD30oHVLwEJZXnVnIzkXOpA8akALuIynGHLGznLgA0lHHDXs-SOI2KKjA/s1500/CloudyBlueDropEarrings2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzQms5jZ8nzcOdHeJEW3_VX_ZM9j2ZOzvDgTCC22cwn2ii7GDmPHq8DZbL3k9PvonaaKggBV8ltVXRhixH9zIlmyrihAiyZ5rwRUrxD9uQbPCRGfPKeKTGJYGgBer7e6XOXD30oHVLwEJZXnVnIzkXOpA8akALuIynGHLGznLgA0lHHDXs-SOI2KKjA/w400-h400/CloudyBlueDropEarrings2.jpg" title="Earrings made with handmade lampwork glass by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All of these are <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_795125-Jewellery.html">in my shop</a> at the time of typing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I still haven't been able to track down the <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway-winner.html">winner of the prize draw</a> so Tina G, if on the off-chance you're reading this, please <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway-winner.html">contact me</a> so I can get your beads to you. If I've not heard back from you by the end of November I'm going to do the draw again.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-83119430407232169682022-10-06T17:03:00.002+01:002022-10-06T18:01:40.788+01:00Another riveting post<span style="font-family: arial;">Nothing has changed since I last blogged except for the fact we went to see Dawn French live. Her current show is called <i>Dawn French is a Huge Twat</i> and it's stories from times in her life when she's done daft stuff. It was SO funny and at several points I had to wipe away laughter tears. Wonderful woman.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But yep, Dawn French aside, it's just been beads and bracelets and bracelets and beads here. Oh hang on, I tell a lie; we did get a new kitchen bin because the lid broke off the old one. Very exciting times.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, here are some shimmy bracelets...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">First up, 'Autumn' which is shades of amber, yellow-orange and terracotta with some bronze Czech glass rondelles:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_3gZCGzQ1LUeuKf3kiPByrH3pHDX9DI1sWEg2ttgarLWf92dnaApPqVavD1v1--xqYJ9K1OJKCGRDtw5cw-WQfrnWHCL1B6bU6Z9xVH_VH-2YJkAfoYXUM6m0fv-UYTYxepDBs8B1uPG-5AmEVhOoXouTXhh_Kf3Htj8wcnHBMeRigwEFsj6yuP2Rg/s1500/AutumnShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_3gZCGzQ1LUeuKf3kiPByrH3pHDX9DI1sWEg2ttgarLWf92dnaApPqVavD1v1--xqYJ9K1OJKCGRDtw5cw-WQfrnWHCL1B6bU6Z9xVH_VH-2YJkAfoYXUM6m0fv-UYTYxepDBs8B1uPG-5AmEVhOoXouTXhh_Kf3Htj8wcnHBMeRigwEFsj6yuP2Rg/w400-h400/AutumnShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Then 'Fall' which is light turquoise, teal, terracotta and light brown:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUg_ejUmuQcO8369lAs1ot4aSxV_PIKlddWdxpOoJVa5-C-j7gjKIwZiWmxCTSHDpVFzUuqnaL2A12Za313VLgkrpOkzdNjZw04zcTtdMkYpUcn6gbKJNfzE6_Ze2fxVhY3iRC12w4AfML-bBlhvCgkcAernos-AzJhs5BHdajlwWqEPxpPzg8ogDQA/s1500/FallShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUg_ejUmuQcO8369lAs1ot4aSxV_PIKlddWdxpOoJVa5-C-j7gjKIwZiWmxCTSHDpVFzUuqnaL2A12Za313VLgkrpOkzdNjZw04zcTtdMkYpUcn6gbKJNfzE6_Ze2fxVhY3iRC12w4AfML-bBlhvCgkcAernos-AzJhs5BHdajlwWqEPxpPzg8ogDQA/w400-h400/FallShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Next is 'Lavender' which was inspired by my actual lavender bush:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUORWKKpOFYm_h_VHpFCA4rOvsJpn3Tt9E2MwzX6w9RDCxewNtsx-acWbLjlUvcaMDMzeRhpHreXQx26pMU3ykBaWplcSvXXEM34iMJJfE_a9dsoNoA8ixxT_P2rRHz79xdiK4sJYGoG11mkwNBl7phOFnpnVXwzVBYbhXnKvypVIi-K8oG3r_y626g/s1500/LavenderShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUORWKKpOFYm_h_VHpFCA4rOvsJpn3Tt9E2MwzX6w9RDCxewNtsx-acWbLjlUvcaMDMzeRhpHreXQx26pMU3ykBaWplcSvXXEM34iMJJfE_a9dsoNoA8ixxT_P2rRHz79xdiK4sJYGoG11mkwNBl7phOFnpnVXwzVBYbhXnKvypVIi-K8oG3r_y626g/w400-h400/LavenderShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>And the final shimmy is 'Berry' which is various purples with a dash of cranberry:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlJGEPjrLgHxSqZP1gmsWrKgWDc5AnPVjM5FiAw9GdMdaPgceYDSlRJqkSLt2QNv5jjYPiJvznKMcDwHM6SjgHFlQthy18lrVTpyJv-Z0Os44UY0BxLRLlZX0XtlV8m4-JjvNoRx4LZ8Lg9TQsbjigXgIGg9dUUvIKUQ33JDL_EvlyNFoPTbnhXalcg/s1500/BerryShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlJGEPjrLgHxSqZP1gmsWrKgWDc5AnPVjM5FiAw9GdMdaPgceYDSlRJqkSLt2QNv5jjYPiJvznKMcDwHM6SjgHFlQthy18lrVTpyJv-Z0Os44UY0BxLRLlZX0XtlV8m4-JjvNoRx4LZ8Lg9TQsbjigXgIGg9dUUvIKUQ33JDL_EvlyNFoPTbnhXalcg/w400-h400/BerryShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>I've also made this 'Halloween' bracelet which is finished with a Jack-o'-lantern charm.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfG7tKvxaiL5b1F3rFCdEK8C5KlrVzL2TA8szOmCPy9ZRmHHtX-S3t32XAXVqHDrgKHHCEQYqU40g4L3SF2wSpKw8di8Wblj9iuSd91qFazCV7GA6KlIJWz-G7IqUsnT9z6CdH6ya6d6sExOIIR6ZLHE9u4uBTrrmzPrAkOUWVFF_Ktdm3fzB35tMNQ/s1500/HalloweenBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead Halloween bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfG7tKvxaiL5b1F3rFCdEK8C5KlrVzL2TA8szOmCPy9ZRmHHtX-S3t32XAXVqHDrgKHHCEQYqU40g4L3SF2wSpKw8di8Wblj9iuSd91qFazCV7GA6KlIJWz-G7IqUsnT9z6CdH6ya6d6sExOIIR6ZLHE9u4uBTrrmzPrAkOUWVFF_Ktdm3fzB35tMNQ/w400-h400/HalloweenBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead Halloween bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9v86aCAHo9dBIMS6B6pxNLaOBDy1WC46N25Vydk8AbgP928z78Rxv50qhB05k5My0ffR_ds_1QwaE0pkaakNwEy5vvKNYTovv4gWYoq3tfYCwCFXMarKsxr_zbvkKliBQmFyuXM0LdIDUcnEpBo7JL8gpPLEV2yTllgHF0uQOcsdamb6y1uQ4Sdtqxw/s1500/HalloweenBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead Halloween bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9v86aCAHo9dBIMS6B6pxNLaOBDy1WC46N25Vydk8AbgP928z78Rxv50qhB05k5My0ffR_ds_1QwaE0pkaakNwEy5vvKNYTovv4gWYoq3tfYCwCFXMarKsxr_zbvkKliBQmFyuXM0LdIDUcnEpBo7JL8gpPLEV2yTllgHF0uQOcsdamb6y1uQ4Sdtqxw/w400-h400/HalloweenBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead Halloween bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">At the time of typing, 'Autumn', 'Lavender' and two 'Halloween's are <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1772324-Bracelets.html">available in my shop</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And yes, I'm fully aware that right now the beads in my bracelets are just plain spacers, except for the ones that are spacers with spots on, but I don't care. I'm enjoying the simplicity of them and playing about with colour combinations. Sometimes I like to make beads that are just about the glass rather than anything fancy. I don't know why I'm feeling the need to explain myself but explain myself I have.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've not forgotten the next giveaway. I need to rethink how I do it because <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway-winner.html">the winner of the last one</a> still hasn't got in touch so I need to figure out a way round that and some kind of back-up plan with regards to potential non-claiming of the prize.</span></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-2815731607423683342022-09-22T17:13:00.001+01:002022-09-22T17:13:35.343+01:00Giveaway winner<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's time to announce the winner of <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway.html">my giveaway</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've done the writing the names down, folding the names up and shaking them all about in a heart-shaped ramekin thing (because why not?) and then I got my glamorous assistant (Chris) to stir them all up again and draw a winner and that person is *triumphant trumpet parp noises*...</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HbNIzhIgWwosP3nJ62V2lQRfNFHZ9YiIqFPqWslKrDaDk6hCafRGd6k7CRgCkLGxKiWUONWjnGAX7GjwGCzE46FA2HJwWXhknU9Psc6nmzT328lSWNFrssO8KOKrX59xf9ZSpzSOWDTubl-xwZVdUnJpB--OuFXDst6i_EWSCPXJ2BZsZJzfDIKdiw/s1500/GiveawayWinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HbNIzhIgWwosP3nJ62V2lQRfNFHZ9YiIqFPqWslKrDaDk6hCafRGd6k7CRgCkLGxKiWUONWjnGAX7GjwGCzE46FA2HJwWXhknU9Psc6nmzT328lSWNFrssO8KOKrX59xf9ZSpzSOWDTubl-xwZVdUnJpB--OuFXDst6i_EWSCPXJ2BZsZJzfDIKdiw/w400-h400/GiveawayWinner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Tina G, please </span><a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/contactme.html" style="font-family: arial;">contact me using this form</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> and I'll get back to you to sort out delivery of your beads.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Everyone else, thank you so much for entering - I really appreciate it. I know that that blog commenting can be a work-up so I'm very grateful that you could all be bothered to join in. I'm going to do another giveaway next month so do please check back or sign up to <a href="https://us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0d85a3aabe452a5b5b7e3226b&id=a3ee4a81b1">my mailing list</a> for news of that.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-89242634857306223982022-09-21T16:44:00.004+01:002022-09-22T06:30:53.870+01:00'Daydream' shimmy bracelet<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uxk_5o_ZW5mRJ8wdWGRmqpjjRbPHLqECxe0WGx48H0onfluq3X1DGgPf_zmz2Ze81GlGwKANxZmfSV3eUE_69JN8eUin7bsDQzeAbjsGvkn5jqjemIOZ8kUX-lJnXz-6lSmBrjywhaqKUl_O7aLtbyjGtv-iNoQYhsddDkPpt-ypmC-q_JEdsHYf5A/s1500/DaydreamShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uxk_5o_ZW5mRJ8wdWGRmqpjjRbPHLqECxe0WGx48H0onfluq3X1DGgPf_zmz2Ze81GlGwKANxZmfSV3eUE_69JN8eUin7bsDQzeAbjsGvkn5jqjemIOZ8kUX-lJnXz-6lSmBrjywhaqKUl_O7aLtbyjGtv-iNoQYhsddDkPpt-ypmC-q_JEdsHYf5A/w400-h400/DaydreamShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There was going to be two bracelets today, one of them a gold one, but the gold chain I ordered is way too chunky for my liking and the beads don't sit nicely on it so I've sourced some other chain elsewhere and am now waiting for it to arrive, so it's just this 'Daydream' one instead.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpC1TguLWKWhzmr5L-XyfRZX6Sr4FnAYD6NqDVKFr_uNeVLDHmjKdzvgsbzms8sLg5LlF-vTdsE2mzrp7CqVcTin96-HA3ue6K3evXhOfBdSBnYoAVXXZ6unZiOC-npf3R7CLd_W0xyM6ziOcmU6kMJnT-0DGdAxKfN2jkA4Ho4HxXfFLpKg22NNHKNQ/s1500/DaydreamShimmyBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpC1TguLWKWhzmr5L-XyfRZX6Sr4FnAYD6NqDVKFr_uNeVLDHmjKdzvgsbzms8sLg5LlF-vTdsE2mzrp7CqVcTin96-HA3ue6K3evXhOfBdSBnYoAVXXZ6unZiOC-npf3R7CLd_W0xyM6ziOcmU6kMJnT-0DGdAxKfN2jkA4Ho4HxXfFLpKg22NNHKNQ/w400-h400/DaydreamShimmyBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The colours in this shimmy bracelet remind me of sweets, fizzy bath bombs, pink-toned sunrises and unicorn-related gubbins. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The glasses I used for this one are CiM Douglas Aster and Dollhouse Milky, and Effetre EDP 254, Light Sky Blue 224 and Dark Lavender 081.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj2m5XH6NyFapC4ejnlmhwgeebzzIX5pWUk7evgswH-AC_Xyq5Qv-XwXjjWUnuSVeA8VmEcO61CXfFuNrZCGf0jerpeLaTSUzcOYPU375gBDha_1kFP_ITWOAIaoE5nZ9WW06cFr_vw-UdWPGJOEM6X5GX-I61lbuCjfxPV2Lh7RONVBk490u1KKZNw/s1500/DaydreamShimmyBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj2m5XH6NyFapC4ejnlmhwgeebzzIX5pWUk7evgswH-AC_Xyq5Qv-XwXjjWUnuSVeA8VmEcO61CXfFuNrZCGf0jerpeLaTSUzcOYPU375gBDha_1kFP_ITWOAIaoE5nZ9WW06cFr_vw-UdWPGJOEM6X5GX-I61lbuCjfxPV2Lh7RONVBk490u1KKZNw/w400-h400/DaydreamShimmyBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead charm bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All metal is high quality silver plated base metal which is lead-free and nickel safe. The bracelet is <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_795125-Jewellery.html">in my shop</a> as I type this. I've reduced the prices of a few jewellery items so do pop over there and have a look-see.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In other news, it was my birthday on Saturday. Chris and I had a quiet day but on the Sunday we met my littlest sister, Emily, and her fiancé, Adam, in London as they'd got me tickets to see Ash as my birthday present.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHlvFJptI9BZP5jRVv4ERUfqmkXsWvM8JaqpIdIMcb7LGhFfBkClpt0rF3F1LoCFRJODgkeaYVOrk4XH4ph1WawtVDqFwtNV5zfmq6OJzvb4wLls5ni_SNdWHDKdJxoMtQFCi8hvScKxrVmCrBB7VEUEnuzilLgi1aBf2Ht_GWObosT2WN0xzQMlWUQ/s1500/Ash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHlvFJptI9BZP5jRVv4ERUfqmkXsWvM8JaqpIdIMcb7LGhFfBkClpt0rF3F1LoCFRJODgkeaYVOrk4XH4ph1WawtVDqFwtNV5zfmq6OJzvb4wLls5ni_SNdWHDKdJxoMtQFCi8hvScKxrVmCrBB7VEUEnuzilLgi1aBf2Ht_GWObosT2WN0xzQMlWUQ/w400-h300/Ash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The gig was to celebrate the 21st anniversary of their album <i>Free All Angels</i> which means that it's been twenty-one years since I last saw them, which was in Cardiff when the album was new.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-obQUOmqtuEhSAF8a0qLBtBuHJJKLWJAth6VSF-Ow7U3jH7s7_EdSB7914GKaabW02JzsQDx9F6KTNloldp016vq7bsHrjs0T5cu0P7fhfpWFHFrlSqdF-KmXEiFwVkkwuX9MfbGlsB8-CXPS2DI2qjo0lrTxC-xyyFbRtKLoL1SzLlUIMv-KVE2tQ/s2000/EmLauraAsh.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-obQUOmqtuEhSAF8a0qLBtBuHJJKLWJAth6VSF-Ow7U3jH7s7_EdSB7914GKaabW02JzsQDx9F6KTNloldp016vq7bsHrjs0T5cu0P7fhfpWFHFrlSqdF-KmXEiFwVkkwuX9MfbGlsB8-CXPS2DI2qjo0lrTxC-xyyFbRtKLoL1SzLlUIMv-KVE2tQ/w300-h400/EmLauraAsh.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Em and her youthful glam face,<br />me and my aged un-glam one</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The gig was at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town which is a lovely little venue. The show was great and a highlight for me was Ash playing <i><a href="https://youtu.be/szUeXBaOfl4">A Life Less Ordinary</a></i> which is, as Emily would say, a banger.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you've not enetered <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway.html">my prize draw</a> yet you've still got time; I'll be drawing the winner of the lonelies beads tomorrow. <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway.html">Head this way</a> to add your name to the hat.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-62201908895714410952022-09-16T15:32:00.003+01:002022-09-16T15:39:56.903+01:00The humble plain spacer bead<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF3HfnYDLzH7IkuJLDH-WW4ctypBOeNlUecSbZlRvMKmhvHOlrOk3B3UdCF-A_mPm6f_PzPHfCOPiMEHhazZWriyIYJ7gZqED6U1FI7wlxFW9UY-NtOLG7G-352E1s5Pgq44KIgnx4iEfmkLYTjAJBerAXgGEAg5_CQLhNfDmdzYK60KQBTBhe26BdA/s1500/GlacierShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icy blue handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF3HfnYDLzH7IkuJLDH-WW4ctypBOeNlUecSbZlRvMKmhvHOlrOk3B3UdCF-A_mPm6f_PzPHfCOPiMEHhazZWriyIYJ7gZqED6U1FI7wlxFW9UY-NtOLG7G-352E1s5Pgq44KIgnx4iEfmkLYTjAJBerAXgGEAg5_CQLhNfDmdzYK60KQBTBhe26BdA/w400-h400/GlacierShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Icy blue handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the things I like about these shimmy bracelets is how they take the humble plain spacer bead to a new level. I have so many oddments of glass and of those some is glass that works best on its own without any decoration, or because it's fussy and doesn't play nicely with other glass. That's where spacer beads come in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm trying to not buy glass (except for clear and a limited range of staples) so I can work through all my odds and ends, and making spacers is a great way of doing that, so expect lots more of these shimmy bracelets. Also, because the beads are small, simple and fast to make, I can keep the costs of the bracelets down. (I make my spacers one at a time, one per mandrel, though. I've never got on board with making loads of them on one mandrel.)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSLC_lNdUMFKqbzZNiG5XbZizssnbuWh5vVDhzgC1WXWhy98BSgyk66Yj07dwdULoc8tCVPc7ZWZCOtbQiJGBfO7NqauJng10b2rUy_y1pphyyb1lh5QW3-Sn4BbjVO_AzeLcfzsFg2GUtzwtRxx5YFwVsi7WCKabhmjAkJlpXD8eMegJ3Apcwui8Rg/s1500/GlacierShimmyBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icy blue handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSLC_lNdUMFKqbzZNiG5XbZizssnbuWh5vVDhzgC1WXWhy98BSgyk66Yj07dwdULoc8tCVPc7ZWZCOtbQiJGBfO7NqauJng10b2rUy_y1pphyyb1lh5QW3-Sn4BbjVO_AzeLcfzsFg2GUtzwtRxx5YFwVsi7WCKabhmjAkJlpXD8eMegJ3Apcwui8Rg/w400-h400/GlacierShimmyBracelet2.jpg" title="Icy blue handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I said a couple of posts back, sterling silver is becoming almost too expensive so this shimmy bracelet is made with high quality silver plated base metal findings. If I'd used sterling it would cost a huge amount and the weight would mean the bracelet would need to be hallmarked. I've never gone down that route and I don't intend to because I'm a beadmaker, not a silversmith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've got some gold plated findings arriving soon which I'm quite excited about because I've hardly ever paired my beads with gold metal. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUK_LdgvgFRX4cTlqumY2pJDoQoTRsVuX5BOTjl3a-FbxisG6ZWcErZ1ioCD0upPR1xMgORBGTRMVzK3cM_efnXIstiJ14JC9i8xLylWFvHGKNEW1rnwFXNvbMYoL6dRcE8MeNyJ7SQm1c43We-Y1NByAuqB8fVYC_-HmAciCfXqu5WVAIfBwji6RNQ/s1500/GlacierShimmyBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icy blue handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUK_LdgvgFRX4cTlqumY2pJDoQoTRsVuX5BOTjl3a-FbxisG6ZWcErZ1ioCD0upPR1xMgORBGTRMVzK3cM_efnXIstiJ14JC9i8xLylWFvHGKNEW1rnwFXNvbMYoL6dRcE8MeNyJ7SQm1c43We-Y1NByAuqB8fVYC_-HmAciCfXqu5WVAIfBwji6RNQ/w400-h400/GlacierShimmyBracelet3.jpg" title="Icy blue handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The beads in this <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/prod_7858077-Glacier-Bracelet.html">'Glacier' bracelet</a> are made from a third of an unlabelled rod of CiM transparent aquamarine blue, a very skinny and therefore annoying to use rod of Effetre Antique Green 852 and some Effetre Light Turquoise filigrana.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I also made this <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/prod_7857206-Theia-Earrings.html">pair of earrings</a> the other day. Again, just two plain little spacers in glorious Double Helix Theia which, in my opinion, is the best and prettiest purple glass you can get right now.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HXUnuJge88XDW8hVAvFZZiRH4S-B5DNEVibxYcByEft78nPaDTalJmZZFXga7eipUGnqJy4crK7KdocJkJOIHAWJYMnOkRUup5VK0Y6rOeR-iWf2xkpaJNICI9giIQ6Bul_10JtyFq-SEbX6idljNrNUH2J1D1c-I9h3axx7m_TaQX6B-cL97gEsbw/s1500/PurpleEarrings2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Purple handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HXUnuJge88XDW8hVAvFZZiRH4S-B5DNEVibxYcByEft78nPaDTalJmZZFXga7eipUGnqJy4crK7KdocJkJOIHAWJYMnOkRUup5VK0Y6rOeR-iWf2xkpaJNICI9giIQ6Bul_10JtyFq-SEbX6idljNrNUH2J1D1c-I9h3axx7m_TaQX6B-cL97gEsbw/w400-h400/PurpleEarrings2.jpg" title="Purple handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The greenish-blue disc beads are tiny Czech glass ones that I've had in my bead stash for eons. All metal in these earrings is sterling silver. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPWRJoEy0Kv-1Ek_VaJQQOwz5pciJkPPBkrBvurMXxSxdBnXP_yBzfXgAwdn9YgJxc38DQ6MbIV06z5yKtCLHo2CFlkDeQQj9GSLuoc_fEe4QOGMVj3I5y48pus381Uve_jOWzEpxpW2tWs1z_hy2uPabSd-UQSe82IuT3rlNRxQWJt6D6md9yCf8GQ/s1500/PurpleEarrings1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Purple handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPWRJoEy0Kv-1Ek_VaJQQOwz5pciJkPPBkrBvurMXxSxdBnXP_yBzfXgAwdn9YgJxc38DQ6MbIV06z5yKtCLHo2CFlkDeQQj9GSLuoc_fEe4QOGMVj3I5y48pus381Uve_jOWzEpxpW2tWs1z_hy2uPabSd-UQSe82IuT3rlNRxQWJt6D6md9yCf8GQ/w400-h400/PurpleEarrings1.jpg" title="Purple handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The bracelet and earrings are <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_795125-Jewellery.html">in my shop</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to everyone who has entered <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway.html">my prize draw</a> so far. There are way more of you than I thought there'd be so that's fab.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you haven't yet entered, please <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/09/giveaway.html">head this way</a> for more details and to add your name to the draw.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-75629114740673089622022-09-15T11:29:00.011+01:002022-09-22T17:17:03.313+01:00Giveaway<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8BluhEql4J0QDf-ydSN92H1AnsrIQBV5l4TH-u-85qC_vJc2fw2t6yWBZkgeIN4jDwmXmjwUBpstKJWxkb7s3AKpCIuHo3Scjrc8h9WL7XAumqMY-1eE6W3-8pPapV1nhYj4qpcDSzxMJfI7VV_Xo260hPhSwVlw06wx_ch8-c0httCfXV-2wGnGeA/s1500/BlogGiveaway1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lampwork beads giveaway" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8BluhEql4J0QDf-ydSN92H1AnsrIQBV5l4TH-u-85qC_vJc2fw2t6yWBZkgeIN4jDwmXmjwUBpstKJWxkb7s3AKpCIuHo3Scjrc8h9WL7XAumqMY-1eE6W3-8pPapV1nhYj4qpcDSzxMJfI7VV_Xo260hPhSwVlw06wx_ch8-c0httCfXV-2wGnGeA/w400-h400/BlogGiveaway1.jpg" title="Lampwork beads giveaway" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>I cannot recall the last time I did a giveaway so I reckon that means one is long overdue.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The prize is this strand of lonelies. They're just leftovers and colour experiments; all are first quality beads.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhl4MnLD99S8XZShlrh4gD_D0I5YrObwYakIUN-xHtY40uFI4O44Z1lXZ7de8-aDsfSauJZtLi7qeLb1dv1E1UEhABWTE-7oSfynLMgYF74OSeFvrrNY2wvLVFCF_n-fgK-pgrL7X0Ed8XepJaH_D4C7fxfElNGigDkzosohgsjac2_ysPoYRivbkHw/s1500/BlogGiveaway2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lampwork glass beads prize draw" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhl4MnLD99S8XZShlrh4gD_D0I5YrObwYakIUN-xHtY40uFI4O44Z1lXZ7de8-aDsfSauJZtLi7qeLb1dv1E1UEhABWTE-7oSfynLMgYF74OSeFvrrNY2wvLVFCF_n-fgK-pgrL7X0Ed8XepJaH_D4C7fxfElNGigDkzosohgsjac2_ysPoYRivbkHw/w400-h400/BlogGiveaway2.jpg" title="Lampwork glass beads prize draw" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you'd like a shot at winning the beads all you have to do is comment on this post. I know, I know – leaving blog comments is long and arduous compared to liking and tagging on Instagram but it's only a few more clicks/taps and key strokes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Please read the following before commenting:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">• You'll need to give me a name in your blog comment for me to add you to the draw. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're using a Google account to comment your name will show up but</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> if your comment is anonymous I won't include it in the draw unless you've given me a name as part of your comment. You can use a real name, initials or something made up. Comments along the lines of "Would love to win, Jane B" or "Please enter my name in the draw - Mrs Tiggywinkle" are great. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">• I manually approve comments so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't show up for a little while.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">• Anyone anywhere can enter.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">• I'll draw a winner on 22nd September and I'll announce who that winner is here on my blog so you'll need to check back to see if it's you. I'll then ask you to email me so I can get a delivery address from you.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Good luck!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwKfYr5XxyYApvuCNmZSEUI2NyV-ffsdGH-sxGEep-zH94wmlIMwozt5nMaM0WUJ2XYdV5aG45sKNT6AwzsH55Jl6jdIxvfdAFUHQj4rX2cU5MEApgxon1tfxZLUsPtJmbiq8tJmqqm2kYzvNaiuTwYKEZ8M-lQbvT5-BtGVT379smxVXG03hZp9cOA/s1500/BlogGiveaway3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwKfYr5XxyYApvuCNmZSEUI2NyV-ffsdGH-sxGEep-zH94wmlIMwozt5nMaM0WUJ2XYdV5aG45sKNT6AwzsH55Jl6jdIxvfdAFUHQj4rX2cU5MEApgxon1tfxZLUsPtJmbiq8tJmqqm2kYzvNaiuTwYKEZ8M-lQbvT5-BtGVT379smxVXG03hZp9cOA/w400-h400/BlogGiveaway3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thoroughly enjoying blogging again in this quiet corner of the internet – I feel like Ruth Goodman going back in time to live in a Stuart era farmhouse or something – and I really appreciate you joining me here. That's kind of why I'm doing this giveaway – it's a thank you for taking the time to come over here and partake in olden days technology all because I'm a moaning, contrary grump who is </span><a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2022/08/its-not-me-instagram-its-you.html" style="font-family: arial;">eschewing the noisy world of Instagram</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm guessing about four people will enter this draw so your chances of winning the beads will be pretty high. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're new to my blog, or if you've not been here for a while, hello! If you're viewing this on a desktop or a tablet you will see a sidebar on the right. (If you're looking at my blog on a smartphone, scroll right down to the bottom and tap 'view web version' to see the sidebar.) In that sidebar is a list of of my <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/search/label/how%20to">'how to' blog posts</a>, a link to all my <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/search/label/CiM%20Testing">Creation is Messy testing posts</a>, my blog archive, and a very small list of blogs that I follow. Are you a blogger too? If so, give me a shout.</span></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-91659268923775998732022-09-14T10:08:00.010+01:002022-09-16T16:02:50.110+01:00Looking after your jewellery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWmacxc_suD6RtFQleUqJsTwYwF_-v04uBkrZ0JhqISmO46iQnwjB9cpFvNV-auOxSo3BOUHfjs7ucaBLL5bS-9KAJuh1cEs8rV6CydqulwqbU7_m_4plMvGQZpEshxLwr62Eui493rGMtHUG5_mRp95EhszyAkAPovO95U4rRjt65A2Lzn5V_HEajg/s1500/SeasideBracelet4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Looking after and cleaning handmade jewellery" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWmacxc_suD6RtFQleUqJsTwYwF_-v04uBkrZ0JhqISmO46iQnwjB9cpFvNV-auOxSo3BOUHfjs7ucaBLL5bS-9KAJuh1cEs8rV6CydqulwqbU7_m_4plMvGQZpEshxLwr62Eui493rGMtHUG5_mRp95EhszyAkAPovO95U4rRjt65A2Lzn5V_HEajg/w400-h400/SeasideBracelet4.jpg" title="Looking after and cleaning handmade jewellery" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I enclose the following information with jewellery that I sell but I thought I'd put it here for reference.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Looking After Your Jewellery</span></b></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When you’re not wearing your jewellery, keep each piece in a plastic grip seal or soft fabric bag. Store in a dark place. This will reduce the chances of your jewellery tarnishing and keeps it from getting scratched or tangled. Handle your jewellery carefully and keep it away from perfumes, lotions, hairspray, household cleaners and chlorine.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Cleaning Your Jewellery</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>• Plated Metal Jewellery</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If your jewellery is zinc alloy, brass or pewter with a silver, gold, rhodium or antique copper plated finish, dip a soft cloth in some <b>lukewarm</b> dish-soapy water and then gently rub your jewellery with the cloth while keeping it submerged in the water. Dry the jewellery with a clean cloth, or allow it to air dry.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>• Pure Copper Jewellery</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Pure copper tarnishes over time but this can look lovely so you might not want to clean it. If you do, add a teaspoon of salt to some white or malt vinegar, or lemon juice, and soak your copper jewellery in the mixture for a minute or so. Remove the jewellery from the solution and then rinse it with cool or lukewarm water. Do not use very cold water or hot water as this could potentially shock the glass and cause it to crack. Dry the jewellery with a clean cloth, or allow it to air dry.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>• Sterling Silver Jewellery</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sterling silver can be cleaned in the same way as plated metal. If it is heavily tarnished you can use a sterling silver cleaning solution or special silver polishing cloth. These are available in supermarkets and jewellers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>• Surgical or Stainless Steel</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This beautiful metal only gets better and shinier with age and wear. If you do need to clean it, follow the instructions for cleaning plated metal.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>IMPORTANT:</b> Never clean jewellery that contains glass beads using the boiling water, bicarbonate of soda and tin foil method, as you might shock the glass and cause it to crack.
</span></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-46737778174107715742022-09-13T13:46:00.005+01:002022-09-13T14:03:02.259+01:00Making a shimmy bracelet<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGBxy7KkWKikj9Pfn_0yLJ4oj77M20bHRky4VqbFulxHulHldL7zOnVCcvKxFzQ1Wp2mPG0697I-6BgFhrDHtPmfTTV1aaMVDPpy9e9q9Y7p53Q0lBP4znzHsHjSblDeD89ezWOLcsbbLG01C0B_gu0WsjndJ2flMvypljRkhtHMU2GqUXph2SwteYg/s1500/CandyflossShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGBxy7KkWKikj9Pfn_0yLJ4oj77M20bHRky4VqbFulxHulHldL7zOnVCcvKxFzQ1Wp2mPG0697I-6BgFhrDHtPmfTTV1aaMVDPpy9e9q9Y7p53Q0lBP4znzHsHjSblDeD89ezWOLcsbbLG01C0B_gu0WsjndJ2flMvypljRkhtHMU2GqUXph2SwteYg/w400-h400/CandyflossShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought I'd show you how I make one of my shimmy bracelets. Obviously this is just a chain with beads attached to it so it's really nothing fancy or revolutionary but I've made many of these over the years and I wanted to show you how I've streamlined the process to make quite a long and repetitive task a little bit faster.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've watched many <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/tested">Adam Savage videos</a> and he's very methodical in his approach to making and assembling. Although I'm not creating movie prop replicas or costumes like Adam does, I have picked up many helpful tips and pieces of advice from watching him. For jewellery assembly I am a big fan of what Adam refers to as 'order of operations' which is working out the best and most efficient order of doing things to complete a task in the fastest and most logical way. If you want to learn more about this I highly recommend Adam's book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Tools-Hammer-Life-What/dp/1471185133/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1663071887&sr=8-1">'Every Tool's A Hammer: Life Is What You Make It'</a></i> which I reckon is a must for any maker.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For a shimmy bracelet I get all the components I need and set them out on my work surface.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">First up, beads.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhHsi27denJNdMcuZ0xgQAIR4N8H7Kxak-nQV3w1fQi4ZF5eRr0XHTa3oG_p3yBmrTvF0fv9X6P5ZO3MbMCaVHooDHE4AR-L9f0cwjlefZtYv2keXVaW43NNMreedOHSBSycXFfHmQ0YuCfrOq5-glevzFBTzgy1UcNJgmirkCMJz5ec2NkKI78ayIw/s1500/ShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhHsi27denJNdMcuZ0xgQAIR4N8H7Kxak-nQV3w1fQi4ZF5eRr0XHTa3oG_p3yBmrTvF0fv9X6P5ZO3MbMCaVHooDHE4AR-L9f0cwjlefZtYv2keXVaW43NNMreedOHSBSycXFfHmQ0YuCfrOq5-glevzFBTzgy1UcNJgmirkCMJz5ec2NkKI78ayIw/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These are an assortment of simple lampwork spacers I made in four shades of pink.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, findings.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDerl1RZLTbuG0dfvaH083lPBuZiWwotuSXpfwLER1O7qIp9S9-RtH0IliIXgOGblcfGZSPVAilgFelyAUBxvianuP0S8ijQyTCE0bJrok5jODv4_rWClKqRmx100-3LJdjMl3c7Ng4juUTOr5LZ2J7l4WnTuNUZYD9TQNtSXQaw7L2AiNVLlVjpZxGg/s1500/ShimmyBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDerl1RZLTbuG0dfvaH083lPBuZiWwotuSXpfwLER1O7qIp9S9-RtH0IliIXgOGblcfGZSPVAilgFelyAUBxvianuP0S8ijQyTCE0bJrok5jODv4_rWClKqRmx100-3LJdjMl3c7Ng4juUTOr5LZ2J7l4WnTuNUZYD9TQNtSXQaw7L2AiNVLlVjpZxGg/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet2.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These are all antique copper-plated brass, except for the clasp which is lead-free pewter. I've gathered quite the collection of antique copper-plated findings and components over the years and now seems like a good time to use them because much like <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62723567">Lurpak butter</a>, the price of sterling silver is getting ridiculous. Sure, brass costume jewellery may not weather as well as sterling silver wearables, but it still looks nice and enables me to charge lower prices. Besides, if <a href="https://www.viviennewestwood.com/en/women/jewellery/">Vivienne Westwood</a> can sell brass jewellery (we bought Robyn a Vivienne Westwood bracelet for her 18th) then so can I.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My first job is making the bracelet base from a length of chain, some jump rings, a clasp and a bead dangle.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4ufm_SE-x5pgv8WEWyyrgK8QdU8K5axXBLZpZBy2VGPe_EdTmzg3_X1bV0H1C0OC-dAH4U__icqSJZSl5Vv-iqW_IjGCMyDeojkjtCmK_FLRsuX0dq5o56jk68RZTwjGlMAt-KqQEkaZpMBGcdEkTpOaUq2q6mVEz-k4dy0FBbLPpkcPhETGWMsyIQ/s1500/ShimmyBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4ufm_SE-x5pgv8WEWyyrgK8QdU8K5axXBLZpZBy2VGPe_EdTmzg3_X1bV0H1C0OC-dAH4U__icqSJZSl5Vv-iqW_IjGCMyDeojkjtCmK_FLRsuX0dq5o56jk68RZTwjGlMAt-KqQEkaZpMBGcdEkTpOaUq2q6mVEz-k4dy0FBbLPpkcPhETGWMsyIQ/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet3.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, I thread all of the beads on to headpins, topping each one with a copper round bead.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMVJXOjQDw3LA3pNR6ltZAiB5LdPb8vpMiDnW7-5MsD-so2YxSWeZrY9iV6y5176sjZCr-AJsEPGmb6xBA7UxXX1xxV8uouz1T8KGIMLtxPjGCnjGZWuh6d8XEmWnoWjrfCTgS7tCUq6zB4IGm2fNBWDjwU_13EYor_7u6FJMF_aYv5gZ477akDBdNg/s1500/ShimmyBracelet4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMVJXOjQDw3LA3pNR6ltZAiB5LdPb8vpMiDnW7-5MsD-so2YxSWeZrY9iV6y5176sjZCr-AJsEPGmb6xBA7UxXX1xxV8uouz1T8KGIMLtxPjGCnjGZWuh6d8XEmWnoWjrfCTgS7tCUq6zB4IGm2fNBWDjwU_13EYor_7u6FJMF_aYv5gZ477akDBdNg/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet4.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I then create the first bend of the wrapped loop.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijV5l7vnHmBMSyAh-eirnHEl6WrC2pQ0406Aho7LtG6Yw_2ymyKsmq7-8Fjpc6qoGUgkbhFCDY7BaXGIANlxD4tVbOyFZgbacSXipuLV5uHtGEEreenf2xSPBOAQQ2tJym5LL8uCW1aJVxrQGpSI7kxOU2P3f1NQzeoNUvhYNRu9AWgN_u29hd24YLqg/s1500/ShimmyBracelet5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijV5l7vnHmBMSyAh-eirnHEl6WrC2pQ0406Aho7LtG6Yw_2ymyKsmq7-8Fjpc6qoGUgkbhFCDY7BaXGIANlxD4tVbOyFZgbacSXipuLV5uHtGEEreenf2xSPBOAQQ2tJym5LL8uCW1aJVxrQGpSI7kxOU2P3f1NQzeoNUvhYNRu9AWgN_u29hd24YLqg/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet5.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I do this for all of the beads.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrufrM1RRDwDq2Ri268D9aIq3Y9h8FiSeq4wIRuQt4kZJywvkJQbAutS8yBtN9aV3iwtW3y1_yRbCJS5LEMbfsjwhAAAIi3klGo3MPZKymeOPS_n5VsWUeNZDfm40VojPrwuCqAhJ8BW18hZ5jwZuNO488-6dalkifw7w_xgoytAA4mzNBuMJd0HoJtA/s1500/ShimmyBracelet6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrufrM1RRDwDq2Ri268D9aIq3Y9h8FiSeq4wIRuQt4kZJywvkJQbAutS8yBtN9aV3iwtW3y1_yRbCJS5LEMbfsjwhAAAIi3klGo3MPZKymeOPS_n5VsWUeNZDfm40VojPrwuCqAhJ8BW18hZ5jwZuNO488-6dalkifw7w_xgoytAA4mzNBuMJd0HoJtA/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet6.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I then work through all the headpins again, this time making the loop.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76BsiFE9kZwTle6B57nckcFbPxs575dESVlQzoJz-9T6400z9s5cR_8_IFAPJUXZDASevPuqSC_DGlsS30wOqIwyBi88uGsmyYgVrdAUl0UOyv4WfWyHHtueFRcH2z1CVySw3F7-STa-05e9ERhtso0X6jzOwEyAjM0LmTC021i336nxGM4Opwh3OvA/s1500/ShimmyBracelet7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76BsiFE9kZwTle6B57nckcFbPxs575dESVlQzoJz-9T6400z9s5cR_8_IFAPJUXZDASevPuqSC_DGlsS30wOqIwyBi88uGsmyYgVrdAUl0UOyv4WfWyHHtueFRcH2z1CVySw3F7-STa-05e9ERhtso0X6jzOwEyAjM0LmTC021i336nxGM4Opwh3OvA/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet7.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">By doing this one-task-at-a-time thing I'm not constantly threading beads, putting one pair of pliers down and picking another one up. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The repetitive nature of each job also enables me to be consistent so that my bends, loops and the resulting wraps will all be even.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HZdLq5MvHEAggmCrlnE4wSREj2DhipJGLqFYnOKhcAfp2TCTkuaCZM2f595p2AaNIjZdSombdVDp9yElrOAOSB9Sef8a4aop0ApfiAJOMRVlIFeMPPGgsYoyDiyd0ur7gH7Yw74X2wmu8k0wF88TTJnA2gfbQo8vjQvAdIAWsFAbcjN1_CVjgMa7Ag/s1500/ShimmyBracelet8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HZdLq5MvHEAggmCrlnE4wSREj2DhipJGLqFYnOKhcAfp2TCTkuaCZM2f595p2AaNIjZdSombdVDp9yElrOAOSB9Sef8a4aop0ApfiAJOMRVlIFeMPPGgsYoyDiyd0ur7gH7Yw74X2wmu8k0wF88TTJnA2gfbQo8vjQvAdIAWsFAbcjN1_CVjgMa7Ag/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet8.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, I attach each headpin to the chain and wrap the loop. I trim off the excess wire and after all the beads are attached to the chain I work along the bracelet, tucking the wire ends in and straightening everything up.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU9UnM2bgu4Sn81j7lacO2Sl652UH_Jk9jYjQTJRz7jPSLGHyohn4GVQELWnEFpS_BDOJk3jRQAWcjsPe8yGeoASSniPay3GjKjCrWU9EAFW3rawso3uHQQe0c-TbZSqPnPzMzTeYbxSFYZvdmTF3is1Y_b7stbQR9kZmsqI2AOI7biuohSqPLa3FAA/s1500/ShimmyBracelet9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU9UnM2bgu4Sn81j7lacO2Sl652UH_Jk9jYjQTJRz7jPSLGHyohn4GVQELWnEFpS_BDOJk3jRQAWcjsPe8yGeoASSniPay3GjKjCrWU9EAFW3rawso3uHQQe0c-TbZSqPnPzMzTeYbxSFYZvdmTF3is1Y_b7stbQR9kZmsqI2AOI7biuohSqPLa3FAA/w400-h400/ShimmyBracelet9.jpg" title="How to make a beaded chain charm bracelet" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I timed this whole bracelet assembly; from gathering all the parts to finishing the bracelet took me an hour and a quarter. Not bad going for all those wraps.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uvaRt2YsDUpGkOkD-wyaEC9UHin1kV0BZaKkG2mdt2t8_e08dpv9V-DPANM-pk89L7dPS54JbRvVAqFprJ6M6i-FSo641B5uHsxQptm7vRxpZmbFC2yr7UO638tR42xm335gs3d_-sBXmHgmWkBMT_c4d4CCHCE9JzxXpn_ZcCj73E0_kFmjWIwVzg/s1500/CandyflossShimmyBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uvaRt2YsDUpGkOkD-wyaEC9UHin1kV0BZaKkG2mdt2t8_e08dpv9V-DPANM-pk89L7dPS54JbRvVAqFprJ6M6i-FSo641B5uHsxQptm7vRxpZmbFC2yr7UO638tR42xm335gs3d_-sBXmHgmWkBMT_c4d4CCHCE9JzxXpn_ZcCj73E0_kFmjWIwVzg/w400-h400/CandyflossShimmyBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know if any of what I've shown and written here will be of use to you. If you're already a fellow order-of-operations devotee then I'm giving you a knowing nod. If you're not, give it a go. It's amazing how much time you can save by calculating the most efficient way of doing something in order to become a one person factory-style production line.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsjqG3B9WLqMwo6KSsWAiS5bDOAfVwN7qTv_G8EGyLGyHO0zl0rubqSZl-Xe8r7iczgz8SCRXBDtrcfvziTy4IBq6QgMs5VDXDLPMSqHRSH5hFoa4pyoC7qALAI_ac1cwEFryntHv_EZ99zTBPBLVtYQvC5TxXcuoNJ_pTqBjGeuaA8BKHLg4xQ35cQ/s1500/CandyflossShimmyBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsjqG3B9WLqMwo6KSsWAiS5bDOAfVwN7qTv_G8EGyLGyHO0zl0rubqSZl-Xe8r7iczgz8SCRXBDtrcfvziTy4IBq6QgMs5VDXDLPMSqHRSH5hFoa4pyoC7qALAI_ac1cwEFryntHv_EZ99zTBPBLVtYQvC5TxXcuoNJ_pTqBjGeuaA8BKHLg4xQ35cQ/w400-h400/CandyflossShimmyBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you like the look of this very pink 'Candyfloss' shimmy bracelet, it's <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1772324-Bracelets.html">in my shop</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm going to be doing a bead giveaway here on my blog in the very near future, so please do bookmark me or check back soon.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-1741977084907033182022-09-12T10:30:00.008+01:002022-11-04T06:24:20.158+00:00Jewellery. Beads. Hair.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4L4GJHH2dB4nOyQer8ffXOcvEBWD9JFA_nPf_Fta-adSck4H3WlnjJtbQwItts5I01GEqIUMlTao_29022QzRIMIQNcPmX00AdEgbcyi2Ywz6jbKdnoLPDKWbyX5ajPaPH8f_iFXKCVIpIN4sHlEiKex52hgnbvshHR3NfqSIG6a4LY7zSgcY0DPCAw/s1500/MistyMorningShimmyBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura SparlingHandmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4L4GJHH2dB4nOyQer8ffXOcvEBWD9JFA_nPf_Fta-adSck4H3WlnjJtbQwItts5I01GEqIUMlTao_29022QzRIMIQNcPmX00AdEgbcyi2Ywz6jbKdnoLPDKWbyX5ajPaPH8f_iFXKCVIpIN4sHlEiKex52hgnbvshHR3NfqSIG6a4LY7zSgcY0DPCAw/w400-h400/MistyMorningShimmyBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I can see my blog post views slowly going up so that's pleasing to me. Hello to anyone out there reading (I'm actually waving at you) and thank you for popping by.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I spent most of Sunday making bracelets. I'd made a heap of simple spacer beads and a few spotty ones, all in whites and clear, and I had no particluar bracelet designs in mind for them so it was nice to sit and faff about. I ended up with what I've always referred to as a 'shimmy' bracelet.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7ZCtgJTW0fVulAtEF80lKcns59N3KGi4MQWm_-2ahIx5cEOK67J_cXie6Gr_IchxdvHN3gHH--ObMVMzmqarb1hDZpwfC4iz-seKzffKTOzfd20tgRJV4a1HO4Z1QbK6GbTerNAyc6YoSBbqAiUbsBfalFppMezYE-VwN_s1D0b7uop-kFz0398QtQ/s1500/MistyMorningShimmyBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7ZCtgJTW0fVulAtEF80lKcns59N3KGi4MQWm_-2ahIx5cEOK67J_cXie6Gr_IchxdvHN3gHH--ObMVMzmqarb1hDZpwfC4iz-seKzffKTOzfd20tgRJV4a1HO4Z1QbK6GbTerNAyc6YoSBbqAiUbsBfalFppMezYE-VwN_s1D0b7uop-kFz0398QtQ/w400-h400/MistyMorningShimmyBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These take quite a while to make due to all those wrapped loops but the end result is always worth the effort.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg70OwH7b-jATweuATzXYApo7G1_okLVCG3YPFyNVV9ShCQ0liB765Glt-4cCjqlHraICY0eWcq-P4IqJ7y2lXpG4GpYjK0PBhMrDSEA4SQ_3btjJLEzVDL1rzfk3ZVjjybYoroX_oTdtSnU_L-ulJ9qlrlFuagRAI7bRzNyw8HVvPzjhgdRr8_puWpA/s1500/MistyMorningShimmyBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg70OwH7b-jATweuATzXYApo7G1_okLVCG3YPFyNVV9ShCQ0liB765Glt-4cCjqlHraICY0eWcq-P4IqJ7y2lXpG4GpYjK0PBhMrDSEA4SQ_3btjJLEzVDL1rzfk3ZVjjybYoroX_oTdtSnU_L-ulJ9qlrlFuagRAI7bRzNyw8HVvPzjhgdRr8_puWpA/w400-h400/MistyMorningShimmyBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Shimmy bracelets feel so lovely when you're wearing them and they make an amazing glassy rattle as you move.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And I also made a very simple, quite dainty bracelet by stringing a few of my beads with some seed beads and Preciosa crystals. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkdbV5LSIBX2sx_ceTJYsi-fwmafeYODkWMF2DPX4epf1bqzuAkHwEGz_4CVZLurmIZvOki4hMo7DcgDsnCFKCn6hbs8nsf0k5WBzwmGciqWNpauVzyC-CUt58YpoZ0yX7M7YgtEkU_4r9kqifuGS8g9nwmp6MBQOh7gyTbLH_qkME_isqJaPCQ2DlA/s1500/DewBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkdbV5LSIBX2sx_ceTJYsi-fwmafeYODkWMF2DPX4epf1bqzuAkHwEGz_4CVZLurmIZvOki4hMo7DcgDsnCFKCn6hbs8nsf0k5WBzwmGciqWNpauVzyC-CUt58YpoZ0yX7M7YgtEkU_4r9kqifuGS8g9nwmp6MBQOh7gyTbLH_qkME_isqJaPCQ2DlA/w400-h400/DewBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-gzhuzV8F90eKKjn1NDdjXb8_DJqCsHv-KQb99pNaASlBOROO43aRKnBmLGEDcZRzJFdgdAmRqKNS8vI_Lm4oaWU3zgPBTOMnLDi_PnSXJei3DCyDylwbuBcpVOATsPqRJ8mo_Ig7Hvon0qRyrj2CyaQVSt6ZS61AGgSMWOeGapGW9Wgp79uQ4C9lQ/s1500/DewBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-gzhuzV8F90eKKjn1NDdjXb8_DJqCsHv-KQb99pNaASlBOROO43aRKnBmLGEDcZRzJFdgdAmRqKNS8vI_Lm4oaWU3zgPBTOMnLDi_PnSXJei3DCyDylwbuBcpVOATsPqRJ8mo_Ig7Hvon0qRyrj2CyaQVSt6ZS61AGgSMWOeGapGW9Wgp79uQ4C9lQ/w400-h400/DewBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glasss bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Both of these bracelets are <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1772324-Bracelets.html">in my shop</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a sort out of one of my lonelies jars and I've added a strand of those <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1651093-Lonelies.html">to the shop</a> as well.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3-D8j4AU-1OkpXQqyYkwIxl5Jv6_JD9QoGiOeKgaQIMEn-fBENQJIIGMu7xgnk8hGLPY6i-GdzQByLctQumQQDNJ93_X1PxUOxNojMZdxJ7KUuD_G2G7D6FYDkeFBforLkgxMYxacs5xgJC9XkNwd3Atigpib4-d7WNrU7FvxdYkipig1NUx3p7ARQ/s1500/048.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glasss beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3-D8j4AU-1OkpXQqyYkwIxl5Jv6_JD9QoGiOeKgaQIMEn-fBENQJIIGMu7xgnk8hGLPY6i-GdzQByLctQumQQDNJ93_X1PxUOxNojMZdxJ7KUuD_G2G7D6FYDkeFBforLkgxMYxacs5xgJC9XkNwd3Atigpib4-d7WNrU7FvxdYkipig1NUx3p7ARQ/w400-h400/048.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glasss beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I do like a strand of lonelies because they make me put beads and colours together that I never normally would and this can often spark new bead and jewellery ideas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In non-bead news, I had my hair cut last week. I last had it cut a year ago and it was far too long and was taking me an age to wash.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUiUoJb2DrzyAOB6Pj6437fL1MJQtgKBN6MyePshuDnx5KroSuBY6spBe-IrOvQzGqdCCrn6Y6VA4I9szJIkCIDaiQcjpNraQDciYkBGDyXA5jcOWFVyJJFWKx4IdduPs9JRASVOA1C5cLcwsLsv4EkwcA-0Ur7BR2NsUZEiKgiG-mHsJxoJgwGFZ6Q/s2026/LauraSep22Med.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2026" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUiUoJb2DrzyAOB6Pj6437fL1MJQtgKBN6MyePshuDnx5KroSuBY6spBe-IrOvQzGqdCCrn6Y6VA4I9szJIkCIDaiQcjpNraQDciYkBGDyXA5jcOWFVyJJFWKx4IdduPs9JRASVOA1C5cLcwsLsv4EkwcA-0Ur7BR2NsUZEiKgiG-mHsJxoJgwGFZ6Q/w296-h400/LauraSep22Med.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm going greyer and greyer and I love it. I've had greys since my early twenties and I dyed my hair for years to cover them but I stopped dyeing it about six years ago because I just couldn't be arsed. Two days after the mess and time of a dye job a grey hair would be sat there laughing at me, so I gave up. My hair is how it's supposed to be at this moment in time and that's fine by me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In crochet news, I finished the doily I was making and I just need to block it. Chris is currently using the available floor space to take photos of <i>Blake's 7</i> spaceships that he's made so I'll have to wait for when his photo set-up is away until I can deploy my blocking mats. Our house is very small, you see. Both of us are in making mode all the time so we take it in turns to clutter the lounge up with stuff.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Right, I'm off to <a href="https://laurasparling.blogspot.com/2010/03/making-mandrels.html">make some mandrels</a> and then beads. Have a good Monday!</span></p><p><br /></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-83714696789527424012022-09-10T16:16:00.010+01:002022-09-10T19:27:33.954+01:00A quiet bead week<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVfmtDBSiPLAI_RNFEFsTz-UfSKsfGAluNf5S80FmYTQ_8bTJW8jaNUA_upFR_K0IFjp9XZ1Tk3O3MTdxXDr-BHksy4wQfabYLAneq8cagYY11CquXaW-v-5OJ16iAjaefgbsqHl728amSOLjVVPrdNxBVRv2P5xf5bay7Nj46aVGVMy6Wj4TOxLL0Q/s1500/ThamesBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVfmtDBSiPLAI_RNFEFsTz-UfSKsfGAluNf5S80FmYTQ_8bTJW8jaNUA_upFR_K0IFjp9XZ1Tk3O3MTdxXDr-BHksy4wQfabYLAneq8cagYY11CquXaW-v-5OJ16iAjaefgbsqHl728amSOLjVVPrdNxBVRv2P5xf5bay7Nj46aVGVMy6Wj4TOxLL0Q/w400-h400/ThamesBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've made beads this week but I'm only just getting round to doing anything with them. This morning I made this bracelet which I've called 'Thames'.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlq20Vc_vzkg83w8rCWZA9jO2rg6BQsUZR4clEauoPRcs1BjSsTelzw1JOrISjtbQEeN8d-JhWuzeFVrnjZct050uSI8q5V9huuc_UmHCTzQ7lIKGWnpxr64sf1OTllaiiLAuSlK_eganVH98VQwOhcxOK4q4DJOjVKQrROMAlokDavClPv1UWkAWHw/s1500/ThamesBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlq20Vc_vzkg83w8rCWZA9jO2rg6BQsUZR4clEauoPRcs1BjSsTelzw1JOrISjtbQEeN8d-JhWuzeFVrnjZct050uSI8q5V9huuc_UmHCTzQ7lIKGWnpxr64sf1OTllaiiLAuSlK_eganVH98VQwOhcxOK4q4DJOjVKQrROMAlokDavClPv1UWkAWHw/w400-h400/ThamesBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The beads are smooth pebble-type ones in a transparent greenish-grey, each wrapped with a band of silvered ivory.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv2iOBvYvxEd1GqSNAp6sLUl-7Hh8cAlIFanvOUNIUelDo96O3mTYvoJHko2H3GXN_Fp8MdCUvF9E3YitQxHoSFOuVRAQd9-cHef9HN6iVUCUsEGU__WpgEb9GUJKNLwDea5jwzQhvObSo6E_YBckSrXuaGfBtNzi_vH8TZG7nVafifyyVcGaEEuHWQ/s1500/ThamesBracelet3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv2iOBvYvxEd1GqSNAp6sLUl-7Hh8cAlIFanvOUNIUelDo96O3mTYvoJHko2H3GXN_Fp8MdCUvF9E3YitQxHoSFOuVRAQd9-cHef9HN6iVUCUsEGU__WpgEb9GUJKNLwDea5jwzQhvObSo6E_YBckSrXuaGfBtNzi_vH8TZG7nVafifyyVcGaEEuHWQ/w400-h400/ThamesBracelet3.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApxrIZvqxsDC4T3wHuCXsZzz-ivtzIDcLZnX6HJ-pkmgPEiy4ehlwVPKoyq8AQiemR9pGQh3UxxCw3p8BLv0cp3L0Dc4CwLfCjjtfsLsORV-MdlOGYKfCACtT4vtD-4mL2WoSQM2MDigXMl-4MAhBiAlbVdvrjT_VyOFY8VfkMifUeJaM-MnttwyXGg/s1500/ThamesBracelet4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApxrIZvqxsDC4T3wHuCXsZzz-ivtzIDcLZnX6HJ-pkmgPEiy4ehlwVPKoyq8AQiemR9pGQh3UxxCw3p8BLv0cp3L0Dc4CwLfCjjtfsLsORV-MdlOGYKfCACtT4vtD-4mL2WoSQM2MDigXMl-4MAhBiAlbVdvrjT_VyOFY8VfkMifUeJaM-MnttwyXGg/w400-h400/ThamesBracelet4.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The bracelet fastens with a magnetic clasp (always feels space age) and <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1772324-Bracelets.html">it's in my shop</a> as I type.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I spent last weekend in Hedge End celebrating my niece Robyn's eighteenth birthday. At the risk of sounding like an old biddy, I cannot believe how fast those eighteen years have gone. I was even more incredulous when she was waiting for me at the railway station. In her car. Which she drove me – her forty-four year old auntie who cannot and will not drive – to my sister's house in.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiiwBMKRni8C_d1nKqZrfwjZoDz2_q4R4LrlHKGVJ01D_988PcVefxLTNA8Wlh5ptbBT1VtfPffwfUnlAHwO1oDwWZDIpwmtVI39shlEvclvSDGR5Cv26DGsnQXTDT8KjJxdAfC3fW1K1rQ3J9owzT25DolKogQcmLUT62V9YYiaYluPHv5V26hjNrw/s1500/LiverpoolStreetRoundel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Liverpool Street underground station roundel" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiiwBMKRni8C_d1nKqZrfwjZoDz2_q4R4LrlHKGVJ01D_988PcVefxLTNA8Wlh5ptbBT1VtfPffwfUnlAHwO1oDwWZDIpwmtVI39shlEvclvSDGR5Cv26DGsnQXTDT8KjJxdAfC3fW1K1rQ3J9owzT25DolKogQcmLUT62V9YYiaYluPHv5V26hjNrw/w400-h300/LiverpoolStreetRoundel.jpg" title="Liverpool Street underground station roundel" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can never resist a roundel</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It took me two full days to recover from my weekend away. The trains were all to cock which made my outward journey over five hours. I had to go via Liverpool Street rather than my beloved King's Cross. I'd planned to go for a quick first journey on the Elizabeth Line but nope, that plan was scuppered for time reasons. But yes, ten hours of travel and doing the socialising get-together thing really knackered me out. That makes it sound like I didn't enjoy myself but I did; I had a lovely, lovely time. It's just I've become so used to it being just me, Chris, Nigel, and seeing three other people every Friday at the foodbank warehouse, that all that going places and seeing many people was very different.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All that travel did give me time to get a chunk of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-The-Ink-Black-Heart/dp/B09QL62WKC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ink+black+heart+robert+galbraith&qid=1662822440&sprefix=ink+%2Caps%2C337&sr=8-1">The Ink Black Heart</a></i> listened to, though. I finished it last night and I absolutely loved it. I've seen a lot of people complaining that they can't get on with the formatting of the book as it contains a lot of transcripts of tweets and chat room exchanges. Reviews for the audiobook are similar but I honestly didn't have an issue with it. I've already started my second listen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of the tweets and transcripts of online discourse in <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> are uncomfortable to listen to or read. If you're at all familiar with any of the threats and abuse that JK Rowling herself has been on the receiving end of these past couple of years, it makes the listening to or reading of parts of the book even more uncomfy. Social media is a problem. It has its uses but what it is doing to some people, and the knock-on effect that it has in real life, is deeply concerning. Never have I felt this more than I have the last couple of days on Twitter. I knew the social media problem was bad (and I could elaborate and go on forever here but I won't because it's just me and about two other people reading this blog) and that some people's moral compasses are truly broken, but the atrocious takes on the Queen's death and the way in which some people have spoken to others about her and the Royal Family is utterly disgusting. Personally, I find endless news stories of royal weddings, births, scandals and arguments quite tedious and I barely pay them any attention so yeah, I'm pretty much indifferent to all things royal. However, I was moved by the news that Queen Elizabeth was gravely ill and when it was announced that she'd died I felt sad. Many people have said it but the Queen has always been there. She was a constant, and for that to be no more feels slightly unsettling.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What really bothered me on Thursday and Friday, though, was seeing people second guess themselves with regard to showing how they felt about the news. I saw many tweets along the lines of "I'm not a royalist but... I'm upset she's gone/I feel sorry for Charles/it's the end of an era" etc and I saw people liking tweets but clearly not saying what they wanted to say for fear of being jumped on, ridiculed, unfollowed or blocked by people who had zero qualms about voicing their opinions on the matter. These people are so sure of themselves and the fact that they're on The Right Side of History™</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> they feel that they can abuse and belittle anybody who doesn't agree with them and who isn't a subscriber to whatever ideology they are. I say ideology because whenever I looked at the Twitter profiles of any of these shouty, righteous types, they all displayed labels – be it an identity flag, an '-ist' of some kind, a symbol like a red rose (socialist) or purple, white and green hearts (gender critical feminist), vegan, preferred pronouns, 'FBPE' (anti-Brexit) or the dreaded '#BeKind' – that show they are in thrall to some particular set of beliefs. I know a lot of people will consider some of those things I've just listed to be harmless, but I don't see it that way. The need to label yourself and others as belonging to this group or that way of thinking is dividing society into little factions who cannot accept any way of thinking that doesn't one hundred percent match theirs. Anyone who does think differently to them is called a bigot, far right, Nazi, white supremacist, TERF, bootlicker, and so on. The very fact that I can predict with very high accuracy the phrases and insults that one person will chuck at another after they've written something really edgy like "RIP Queen Elizabeth" shows that these are indeed dogmatic belief systems and my word, am I <i>sick</i> of it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And for what it’s worth, the only things I'd label myself are 'atheist' and 'realist' but I don't feel the need to state them in a social media profile.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Technology has evolved way faster than our abilities to cope with the sociological results of it have, and we aren’t equipped to interact with as many people via social media as we are expected to. As a result, </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">quite a few people seem to have forgotten how to be human. If you feel sad about the Queen dying, say so. Don't back it up with a disclaimer about not being much of a royalist. And if you are a royalist and you have a large collection of corgi ornaments and commemorative Diana plates, that's cool too. Just say how you feel. If people disagree with you, let them. Just be you. Honestly, those three words are my life advice to anybody. <b>Just be you</b>. Some people will like you and some people won't and that's just the way it is, both online and offline.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, that's enough of me wanging on about the ills of social media. And if you think it odd that I clearly despise what Twitter is doing to us all yet I'm on there joining the noise, that's because the only way to fight this shite is to push back against it at the source. It's not always fun and I have to be in the right frame of mind to do it, but do it I shall. Well, until I get my account suspended for wrongthink, that is.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-23758340647501539052022-09-01T15:03:00.003+01:002022-09-01T15:03:38.446+01:00New items of glassiness<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyImYJyX2bVpSpnyhvzPkcm_uSekkWPAnvlp4EqlF2Ud6w-HRDEPC5R7lVc5uCsQKL88UPu0fd2vY5YFezAWUdK83kcKqYqZggeg4qabe0YzGYvG0A-MJ4M8vA7ApPGfY74Ue67BUGLbg-GrlYZWucNS318u-jiFtaJpgXOTx2hVZmoRB6qS3JtdXnkg/s1500/Evergreen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyImYJyX2bVpSpnyhvzPkcm_uSekkWPAnvlp4EqlF2Ud6w-HRDEPC5R7lVc5uCsQKL88UPu0fd2vY5YFezAWUdK83kcKqYqZggeg4qabe0YzGYvG0A-MJ4M8vA7ApPGfY74Ue67BUGLbg-GrlYZWucNS318u-jiFtaJpgXOTx2hVZmoRB6qS3JtdXnkg/w400-h400/Evergreen2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>These are a bit green, aren't they? Effetre Sage Green 019 (which isn't anything like a sage green) is one of my favourite greens. The opaque green here is CiM Meadow. The two of them together make me think of woodland and trees.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8Z0xgSE8J8djLHRBDlzLAzi2qsk31Whwyj9meg7mqLm2puATM2Aiy3RjWu0PiaR6CaatBnNIDq8ek5TZOFoVaD4gQq2gto3d8S4TTb6b6bwtW4M0zI7lsnQCXevUTlI7tuOKZICSsn43G4qow-c-zABhYhK73l1Ew1TJnuUY1S1B7lMrIUWRetFzTg/s1500/Evergreen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8Z0xgSE8J8djLHRBDlzLAzi2qsk31Whwyj9meg7mqLm2puATM2Aiy3RjWu0PiaR6CaatBnNIDq8ek5TZOFoVaD4gQq2gto3d8S4TTb6b6bwtW4M0zI7lsnQCXevUTlI7tuOKZICSsn43G4qow-c-zABhYhK73l1Ew1TJnuUY1S1B7lMrIUWRetFzTg/w400-h400/Evergreen1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've also made a couple of strands of some good old spotty beads. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">These are CiM Aegean encased with a thin layer of clear, decorated with Effetre Light Turquoise 232 spots. The clear encasing layer may seem pointless but it definitely adds something to a bead. A bit of depth, I think.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGNPmaIMxMoNlWtM4ubRjITNdxRQotRoH1dQOz1Wt0ITEO05gPAPqccKFHUCtUF4RKZOkymAz75rAyD-3udP8ZA3v1TUx5loFvrp6vcsc0tM4P7NEzgTMDDIkX008AxwzvdT9H3K9dhPgUay3TIS--x7FwEDPzx5QWNv4Ty6jySJD3mY0-j43XU6M1Q/s1500/Aegean2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGNPmaIMxMoNlWtM4ubRjITNdxRQotRoH1dQOz1Wt0ITEO05gPAPqccKFHUCtUF4RKZOkymAz75rAyD-3udP8ZA3v1TUx5loFvrp6vcsc0tM4P7NEzgTMDDIkX008AxwzvdT9H3K9dhPgUay3TIS--x7FwEDPzx5QWNv4Ty6jySJD3mY0-j43XU6M1Q/w400-h400/Aegean2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The spacers here are CiM Peacock Feather.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">At the end of yesterday's shed session I had a few dipped mandrels left so I faffed about with some frit beads. I ended up with a few of them and amongst those few were a matching pair so I've made them into earrings. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30gGx6P36dWaqCfSgmS-kVqqi5CEece_F2yjHfrKCjR5KEYGCcLNRon_M6fTr7kx-FKAitBN1bZ3Q_mAQIrMPDPkZxbMPLqDNQJfz39piE1Bh9hrw8F649XzXeXqGAVwPQ80DjM-cPwjrWwyxxLsrP2JlW2SWDi4ZARbv_LqgqtHGWEBJmuMXGpyDVA/s1500/SpangleEarrings1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30gGx6P36dWaqCfSgmS-kVqqi5CEece_F2yjHfrKCjR5KEYGCcLNRon_M6fTr7kx-FKAitBN1bZ3Q_mAQIrMPDPkZxbMPLqDNQJfz39piE1Bh9hrw8F649XzXeXqGAVwPQ80DjM-cPwjrWwyxxLsrP2JlW2SWDi4ZARbv_LqgqtHGWEBJmuMXGpyDVA/w400-h400/SpangleEarrings1.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The beads are Effetre Dark Lavender 081 and the frit is one of the first frits I ever bought - Val Cox's Light Iris Blue. I've left it slightly raised for texture and I reduced it to a silvery-blue metallic sheen.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGMcDTxk1rlwXMdj5lfWXm8ueeno4xeySoa61rgiZtNpgDQvOS8flzTtGINR4zBB9yqPHlmyL_eqBTCjsZbnOWlJTxs9jdrFm5vDGsyalvXz8syFx_UEHDkTIQ-1hTDAoa-atHiLXkzeXeFyOCCKdM-zFDZdyB1ZEAXRPZy6C0qLIV8W5hlONDyhnQg/s1500/SpangleEarrings2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGMcDTxk1rlwXMdj5lfWXm8ueeno4xeySoa61rgiZtNpgDQvOS8flzTtGINR4zBB9yqPHlmyL_eqBTCjsZbnOWlJTxs9jdrFm5vDGsyalvXz8syFx_UEHDkTIQ-1hTDAoa-atHiLXkzeXeFyOCCKdM-zFDZdyB1ZEAXRPZy6C0qLIV8W5hlONDyhnQg/w400-h400/SpangleEarrings2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead earrings by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The little flowers are silver-plated pewter. I showed Chris the finished earrings and he said the flowers look like the Demogorgon off </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Stranger Things</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> which isn't exactly the vibe I was going for but I'll take it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The beads and earrings in this post are all available <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/">in my shop</a>.</span></div></div>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-16548541684763451022022-08-30T10:58:00.005+01:002022-08-30T16:37:56.797+01:00Beachy wearables and new Strike excitement<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1fnaIoakmqWMJxEifMQudXeMKxMAvhmpx3aPstn9sGOM7vJD6C_JizRC66wYEoTbViBsHbreUEDfjaDjfxw7AXQeMKpW4jLjcfcf5NfCdskhzSTDmQRRpUhYG8Vr2LDdMsRdMAcGNFxVY4WUbQH9fY5DPz6Jn1AnRw3w1uIDyKlI2sZb1YT96S7kcw/s1500/BeachyBeads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass beachy beads by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1fnaIoakmqWMJxEifMQudXeMKxMAvhmpx3aPstn9sGOM7vJD6C_JizRC66wYEoTbViBsHbreUEDfjaDjfxw7AXQeMKpW4jLjcfcf5NfCdskhzSTDmQRRpUhYG8Vr2LDdMsRdMAcGNFxVY4WUbQH9fY5DPz6Jn1AnRw3w1uIDyKlI2sZb1YT96S7kcw/w400-h400/BeachyBeads.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass beachy beads by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>There's a definite change in the light. I noticed it on Saturday; the morning sun had a mellow glow to it, rather than the bright peak-of-summer glare. I do so love the end of the summer and that gradual slide into autumn in late September.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I made a batch of beachy beads on Sunday and yesterday I spent a few hours turning them into jewellery.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojF_aBGlpJ16hMD6x7Lzna5gLWcMEP3oMAVgLPe9VvnZxanlRU9M7be2qWCLuJ2Ky2Far_STbwd8-v-uZowOkNdObOxr8ZLhEZoZp-vYg0zmK_m4i0mWXrIfsWoq18EGGS7FE0BTTvQY-ycw0jEfmB_nAoaZCH7BM7NKJ9-4t9NPhkkkVu3iSealh1A/s1500/SeasideBracelet1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojF_aBGlpJ16hMD6x7Lzna5gLWcMEP3oMAVgLPe9VvnZxanlRU9M7be2qWCLuJ2Ky2Far_STbwd8-v-uZowOkNdObOxr8ZLhEZoZp-vYg0zmK_m4i0mWXrIfsWoq18EGGS7FE0BTTvQY-ycw0jEfmB_nAoaZCH7BM7NKJ9-4t9NPhkkkVu3iSealh1A/w400-h400/SeasideBracelet1.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>The resulting <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/prod_7848002-Seaside-Bracelet.html">'Seaside' bracelet</a> is very similar to the <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/prod_7842627-Seashore-Bracelet.html">'Seashore' one</a> that's in my shop but this time I've used antique copper baeds and findings instead of sterling silver.</p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOtUguElr063hm1K9xOXRYrhqeFiE9JN2z-tJwaxptyK1mr9vSKKtw9fOYtq-BqOMWwASdMOOPDEpADF1g6WVPMYlFPzgTcvZlRpNFA9aYOTUpS7LRIjvuP0ptqIoc9T9kMIhQ-_5CCx7unfebz-HxnTydrHah6EbVqS6KiJxg3oWgFHAlaAGLD6efA/s1500/SeasideBracelet4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOtUguElr063hm1K9xOXRYrhqeFiE9JN2z-tJwaxptyK1mr9vSKKtw9fOYtq-BqOMWwASdMOOPDEpADF1g6WVPMYlFPzgTcvZlRpNFA9aYOTUpS7LRIjvuP0ptqIoc9T9kMIhQ-_5CCx7unfebz-HxnTydrHah6EbVqS6KiJxg3oWgFHAlaAGLD6efA/w400-h400/SeasideBracelet4.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>I also made a long necklace with some of the beads.</p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBQmquOdkDFm6DMEqMmtoqINCnqj479_ugvtbAnBttugalMLq8Mh-9hl0Q-aglzUGQSLiauos6K8Pp98piAvQrYfkc9HgQFHyzjfcjcmrq7I9J_LBPPUTifHpyprLvCvLcuUAR_j5k5c2RlWbwmvVJParGSwa_ekzNEIA4wusFc174p2NetyMpQC-HA/s1500/BeachNecklace3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBQmquOdkDFm6DMEqMmtoqINCnqj479_ugvtbAnBttugalMLq8Mh-9hl0Q-aglzUGQSLiauos6K8Pp98piAvQrYfkc9HgQFHyzjfcjcmrq7I9J_LBPPUTifHpyprLvCvLcuUAR_j5k5c2RlWbwmvVJParGSwa_ekzNEIA4wusFc174p2NetyMpQC-HA/w400-h400/BeachNecklace3.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>I used pearly ivory-coloured seed beads and oval sterling silver spacers for this <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/prod_7848013-Beach-Necklace.html">'Beach' necklace</a>.</p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX3yUqApX8efw59uanj1TRgEB3PeDYHcvnBJ-Yq8J8ZxmLYNx3viWjxDfnPYyVgj3czVAEqbbysDq5qO650zfSwEYn3X0h4NlwfaW_dULt5l017N-jFVVrRGsrL-ui_AcozAjxX0t3r99dEiY8fhXiEbyw8UYNmRe4JWmx-I_EPA8IdI8csJRLAErqw/s1500/BeachNecklace2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX3yUqApX8efw59uanj1TRgEB3PeDYHcvnBJ-Yq8J8ZxmLYNx3viWjxDfnPYyVgj3czVAEqbbysDq5qO650zfSwEYn3X0h4NlwfaW_dULt5l017N-jFVVrRGsrL-ui_AcozAjxX0t3r99dEiY8fhXiEbyw8UYNmRe4JWmx-I_EPA8IdI8csJRLAErqw/w400-h400/BeachNecklace2.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QYg0QQFeWlENfYTJkzU3KIULPEF89eUZqef0kSWrgUPAHViKU5oqLoorTYUrz4HYMc7gG3wcNzNnFiblXa7HEceioKEVr0oqc5EZjJg0XB7384jtXiUhCpnXnc6mT_G1dlD07PzDLwRtsqLbzxsJLWqUsE-DtPlKJXnKe_H8dZPHuhWoFd5PYXb3cA/s1500/BeachNecklace1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QYg0QQFeWlENfYTJkzU3KIULPEF89eUZqef0kSWrgUPAHViKU5oqLoorTYUrz4HYMc7gG3wcNzNnFiblXa7HEceioKEVr0oqc5EZjJg0XB7384jtXiUhCpnXnc6mT_G1dlD07PzDLwRtsqLbzxsJLWqUsE-DtPlKJXnKe_H8dZPHuhWoFd5PYXb3cA/w400-h400/BeachNecklace1.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">It measures thirty-three inches long and could also double up as a wrap bracelet.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbrMar1Ad1V2k7yaIzgcEVqI59kbnSKs-C94GlCA9DzsfKbu6xnoVkjrApfnG9V_kvFJvLefHu6vGaxtTnaiwxk65lKHu2jRUc4tIcWNZ-VPe-qOlhtRJmXIvV4xe_JajlOx9c34Dt0Ahiq-x4WVKZRWBfaC3XHwcXfRKSLdf021ppmiWBjphu1Ur9Q/s1500/BeachNecklace5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace as a wrap bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbrMar1Ad1V2k7yaIzgcEVqI59kbnSKs-C94GlCA9DzsfKbu6xnoVkjrApfnG9V_kvFJvLefHu6vGaxtTnaiwxk65lKHu2jRUc4tIcWNZ-VPe-qOlhtRJmXIvV4xe_JajlOx9c34Dt0Ahiq-x4WVKZRWBfaC3XHwcXfRKSLdf021ppmiWBjphu1Ur9Q/w400-h400/BeachNecklace5.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace as a wrap bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2txGlO7s4KqRKNjBu89LHLgOp4N_t5P3XtNwMEFFIaJpzmIOg0n6oUMGx7SxLw-uiGeoY17U5bBxckVKGuCA_TnHrvHi0V6MMwcByqVIjma-7YOit2klN_WxBYnkaIWcaeQCT5cEoo08qa80pu_PHmGV2ypCn_muOmpG7P1t3I2RxkgWwXSFmK743Hg/s1500/BeachNecklace4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2txGlO7s4KqRKNjBu89LHLgOp4N_t5P3XtNwMEFFIaJpzmIOg0n6oUMGx7SxLw-uiGeoY17U5bBxckVKGuCA_TnHrvHi0V6MMwcByqVIjma-7YOit2klN_WxBYnkaIWcaeQCT5cEoo08qa80pu_PHmGV2ypCn_muOmpG7P1t3I2RxkgWwXSFmK743Hg/w400-h400/BeachNecklace4.jpg" title="Handmade lamwork glass bead necklace by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Both the necklace and bracelet can be found <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_795125-Jewellery.html">in my shop</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm off down to the shed now where and I will lose myself in beads and the new Strike book.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfNTn2XOdWkot5ad3s3jpoUwIc9MdM2uHXKypJKFtQj1VGJ9IzvbEMyPO23KPD3cMDqWicHJBHsC5wi-DKAn58YPCcgbX4v_eKxACZcHS9cS4Zd0FEMOTCpDunAdrxqAOz56UZy4ttU0WHfX1SosOJSpLJODNqQLcvaBPdX4QlHuIi8NwWphDMRgvuA/s500/InkBlackHeart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="'The Ink Black Heart' by Robert Galbraith" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfNTn2XOdWkot5ad3s3jpoUwIc9MdM2uHXKypJKFtQj1VGJ9IzvbEMyPO23KPD3cMDqWicHJBHsC5wi-DKAn58YPCcgbX4v_eKxACZcHS9cS4Zd0FEMOTCpDunAdrxqAOz56UZy4ttU0WHfX1SosOJSpLJODNqQLcvaBPdX4QlHuIi8NwWphDMRgvuA/w400-h400/InkBlackHeart.jpg" title="'The Ink Black Heart' by Robert Galbraith" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first thing I did this morning was download the audiobook of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ink-Black-Heart-Robert-Galbraith-ebook/dp/B09QKMT5W6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PCQAI9BQI1ST&keywords=ink+black+heart&qid=1661852605&sprefix=ink+black+heart%2Caps%2C307&sr=8-1">The Ink Black Heart</a></i> and devour chapter one. I was like a child on Christmas morning! It's so good to have a new Cormoran and Robin story.</span></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6490460042834444771.post-64363166517951627972022-08-26T19:36:00.008+01:002022-08-26T19:40:50.303+01:00Even more bracelets<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGWaZrFRjexO_CNKQDq0pkkepa4pl3a8va6cEiGoA2jloY3qtuggsjx6QZWV22ogWAMsLjEt7Axa07Vju6GP5WQL_RdNUg7gKXhpcTfGa8WWJuHo7E32MuD8zMubDp7dC4EXlSe0BR2RWPfs3U7CEfZzlxjztixs9bXk1NSDU9JCvwvqTqRbvsgDjxA/s1500/PetalPinkDragonflyBracelets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelets by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGWaZrFRjexO_CNKQDq0pkkepa4pl3a8va6cEiGoA2jloY3qtuggsjx6QZWV22ogWAMsLjEt7Axa07Vju6GP5WQL_RdNUg7gKXhpcTfGa8WWJuHo7E32MuD8zMubDp7dC4EXlSe0BR2RWPfs3U7CEfZzlxjztixs9bXk1NSDU9JCvwvqTqRbvsgDjxA/w400-h400/PetalPinkDragonflyBracelets.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelets by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>Cutting down on my Instagram usage is doing wonders for my beadmaking. It's been ages since I've been eager to get into the shed in the mornings but this past week I've really enjoyed myself in there, planning out bracelets in my head and then making them a reality.</p></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExk6sCUrQ3Fk4DMPCU4UgO0ulg6rH32pAf-qu541z2O-eMpU6ZHEQy7Rg_a60EKSsxXNuZ7vL1cYB384fFZcfcWTEf9r999PxbkhwnZNKIHUgR53ov9EcJbAFJVBVjgicfDGv36wMi7C3IlfpZ0GMpzuzrZzPYTs1cwlbpW9gcB-54XUBdM48zkbpvQ/s1500/PetalPinkBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExk6sCUrQ3Fk4DMPCU4UgO0ulg6rH32pAf-qu541z2O-eMpU6ZHEQy7Rg_a60EKSsxXNuZ7vL1cYB384fFZcfcWTEf9r999PxbkhwnZNKIHUgR53ov9EcJbAFJVBVjgicfDGv36wMi7C3IlfpZ0GMpzuzrZzPYTs1cwlbpW9gcB-54XUBdM48zkbpvQ/w400-h300/PetalPinkBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Petal Pink'<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMc8EQKg0I5qxUqKIet01AhZg4wPtyhPUP0YxixtRRKPMPo572UOOD6O7vfLqkbz1YjXk6bqw557pM-suWq3CxSTSsaXSwPAKFV--xIq1LaikJsHPqYHAYf-lWYEgVySytLBGdqZpjZYN6AGF9ddvAkdOk2eJ4zGrTEehHl7qCBgb5i9HB9VLNYE2kg/s1500/DragonflyBracelet2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMc8EQKg0I5qxUqKIet01AhZg4wPtyhPUP0YxixtRRKPMPo572UOOD6O7vfLqkbz1YjXk6bqw557pM-suWq3CxSTSsaXSwPAKFV--xIq1LaikJsHPqYHAYf-lWYEgVySytLBGdqZpjZYN6AGF9ddvAkdOk2eJ4zGrTEehHl7qCBgb5i9HB9VLNYE2kg/w400-h300/DragonflyBracelet2.jpg" title="Handmade lampwork glass bead bracelet by Laura Sparling" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Dragonfly'</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I've just put these two <a href="https://www.beadsbylaura.co.uk/beadshop/cat_1772324-Bracelets.html">in my shop</a>. I've also put a second 'Seashore' bracelet in there too.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">On the walk to my foodbank shift this morning I listened to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31yF8eJJ8z0">a YouTube video</a> by <a href="https://juliabausenhardt.com/">Julia Bausenhardt</a>. Julia is an illustrator who quit social media and her reasons for doing so really resonated with me, especially as far as Instagram is concerned. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31yF8eJJ8z0">Click here to watch the video</a> but if you prefer reading words, Julia has also written about turning her back on social media <a href="https://juliabausenhardt.com/why-i-quit-social-media/">on her blog</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm off to continue working on a crochet doily now. It's been far too hot for working on the two crochet blankets I've got on the go and I finished knitting a pair of socks last week and making those was hard work in the heatwave. I've not made a doily for a couple of months but <a href="https://www.draiguna.com/">Draiguna</a> released a new pattern called <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1276408127/sunvale-crochet-pattern-pdf-digital?click_key=ce79933fa488076a31ed53a4b714e00152bfbebe%3A1276408127&click_sum=04946a67&ga_search_query=sunvale&ref=shop_items_search_1&crt=1">'Sunvale'</a> and it's so pretty I just couldn't resist crocheting it.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvd7avuDjUwP8MblLWehUtZo360PcZw7Pc3FpU3TgLEGRhs-RmsgEF2fNwBkl_XzyhmI1Mn5xH2LADXn-bYFKmoLHjtACp5vYE0HnmOhp29OUJttzLFP--nlFLbB6-9Cjj--biUv7NpTd43PheRkSxMDKOjMznRBlUEJvBhgeKcWHouSGIPGZQqUFEg/s1500/SunvaleDoily.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet doily in progress" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvd7avuDjUwP8MblLWehUtZo360PcZw7Pc3FpU3TgLEGRhs-RmsgEF2fNwBkl_XzyhmI1Mn5xH2LADXn-bYFKmoLHjtACp5vYE0HnmOhp29OUJttzLFP--nlFLbB6-9Cjj--biUv7NpTd43PheRkSxMDKOjMznRBlUEJvBhgeKcWHouSGIPGZQqUFEg/w400-h400/SunvaleDoily.jpg" title="Crochet doily in progress" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>This'll be another one for my ever-growing doily stack but I don't care because I get so much pleasure and satisfaction from making them. Making stuff for the fun of it is fun.</p></span><p></p>Laura Sparlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291538001842729975noreply@blogger.com0