Nothing in particular

This is one of those bit-of-everything posts where I waffle on and on for no particular reason. I know my parents-in-law like reading my ramblings, though. *waves at Lynne and John*

I've had a very meh bead week output-wise, but I had the urge to make buttons yesterday. I've not made any buttons for about eight years so goodness knows why I suddenly decided some had to be made, but I did and they were. I made a few but the one at the top of this post is the best of them. It's not for sale as I'm not totally happy with it (bit of scum in the clear and a slight wonk) but I'm going to make more.

I also made a couple of cabochons. These are flat-backed, without a hole, and can be set in jewellery or seed-beaded around. They can also be turned into pendants and brooches with a bit of glue and some findings. This black and white cabochon is my favourite and I can just picture it set in a silver ring. So yes, expect more buttons and cabochons soon. Not strictly beads, I know, but never mind.

On Monday Chris and I went to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. I took many photos but I'll not bore you with all of them. Here are a few of my favourites:

Bee going about his bee business

Aster

Honey bee on a purple tansy

Poppies

Groovy mullein moth caterpillar

Our gardens at home are coming along nicely too. We've had the front garden turfed—it was just gravel and weeds—and a couple of flowerbeds made. I'm going for a cottage garden look and have planted lupins, asters, poppies, white foxgloves, teasels and cornflowers so far. They're all sprouting well so we should have some colour out there soon. I've also planted a little French lavender bush and a yellow climbing rose. We have a round window in the side of our 'porch' and I'm hoping that the rose will climb up and around it.

Graham's first bloom

Raindrops on roses etc etc...

The rose is 'Graham Thomas' from David Austin Roses and he's already blooming. My mum absolutely loved yellow roses and I've been wanting to plant one since Chris and I bought the house, so I've got there eventually. Only took me seven years.

My study resumes on Monday. This time it's Later Prehistory (Iron Age and Bronze Age) and Classical Archaeology (ancient Greece and Rome). The textbooks for the latter look very dry, like drier than a dry Shredded Wheat in the Sahara on a particularly dry day dry, but hey, I wasn't too enthused by the prospect of the Early Prehistory module either and look how I enjoyed that. Oh, and I got my first two essay marks back. I passed! I got two 2.1s (upper second class) and on one of them I was only two marks away from a 1st. That'll do for me.

Enough of my chatter. Have a great weekend.

Gifts From Joy

I taught my last lampworking lesson of the year today and it was very fitting that my last student was also the first of the year. Joy Funnell came back (obviously I can't be that bad!) for more glass melting fun and she brought me some lovely gifts - a fab book about knitting and crocheting with wire and beads, some Art Clay Silver and a totally gorgeous fine silver button made by Joy herself.

Isn't it great? I need to create something that will show off its true shiny beauty.

Joy is an Art Clay Silver Jedi Master and if you've never had a look at her work I urge you to do so for it is utterly fabulous. Her enamel work is pretty dang spectacular too. Joy also teaches so if you fancy trying your hand at some Art Clay Silver why not book yourself a lesson with her?

I have no idea what I'm going to make with my Art Clay Silver. I've only ever had one go with it before (longtime readers may remember my Darth Vader earrings) but Joy told me how to make some simple beads so I may have a go at that. I'll make sure that I keep you posted and let you know how it goes .....

Beads ..... and another button

I'm on a Luminobead kick at the moment! These 'Springtime' ones are made in a variety of pretty colours. I do love the 'glowing' effect.

And above is another button. This one is a kind of irregular triangle shape. It has a clear centre with a black surround. I spent far too long on this button but I had a vision in my head and I wanted to make it a buttony reality. And I did.

Whew!

Cor blimey!

What a mad couple of hours I've just had. I watched Come Dine With Me, got dinner, washed up, fixed a mistake in my knitting (again - and no, I didn't throw it in the bin), cleaned beads, etched some beads, strung beads, photographed beads, edited the bead photos, updated my website (half an hour later than planned), sold some beads (those 'Zing' ones up there were first to go) and now I'm a-blogging.

Time for a cup of tea, methinks.

I made more buttons! Oh how I love these babies. They are so ..... nice! I'm going to have to knit something to put one of these on. This etched one is called 'Hailstones'.

Right. I'm going to knit for a bit now. I'm working on even more socks! Then I shall go to bed and hope that the neighbourhood cats let me get some sleep tonight. There were two cats outside in the back garden last night who decided to spend most of the night shouting and fighting. One of them was Buster's girlfriend. She was scrapping with a pretty pale ginger cat. They were doing that thing where they face each other, noses about an inch apart, and they just shout and wail. It's like they're trying to see who can shout the loudest. Why on Earth do cats sound like they're speaking in tongues when they fight? They make bizarre noises that they never make at any other time. And what was Buster doing while these ladycats were outside fighting over him? He was asleep on the sofa. I know that to be true because I came downstairs at 5.30am to see if he was involved in any way. Cats. Crazy animals but I love them!

Buttons By Laura

This is my first ever lampwork button. It's not perfectly round - more ovalish, but it's a totally usable button nonetheless. I enjoyed making it and I'm going to make more.

Why buttons?

Well, once upon a time, way back (a whole five-and-a-bit years ago) when I was just starting out on this whole beadmaking adventure, my Mum was flicking through one of my bead books. Her eyes lit up when she saw that it was possible to make glass buttons. She said 'Does this mean that if you start making beads and get good at it then you can make me glass buttons for my knitting to match my wool?' and I said 'Yes, but let me have a go at making a bead first, Mum!'

I always meant to have a go at making buttons for Mum but I never got around to it.

I've since followed in Mum's footsteps and have become an avid knitter like she was and I can now see the appeal of handmade, unique glass buttons for embellishing knitted projects. So today, for some reason, I got the urge to have a go at making a button. I wanted to make a nice two-hole button. I didn't want to make one with a loop on the back because lampworked buttons are just not dainty things and I was worried that a button with a loop would droop down too much and be way too bulky for affixing to knitted fabric.

Trouble was, I didn't have a button mandrel. So I had a think and a ponder and then I fashioned a button tool of my own and it did the job! I then set about creating this turquoise and chocolate spotty button and I'm pretty pleased with it. I'll definitely be making more. Each button will be unique but they'd be great for chunky cardigans and bag closures. Lovely knitting deserves lovely buttons!

Sadly, seeing as she died three years ago, I'm a little tiny bit late with the whole making-buttons-for-Mum thing! But hey, maybe I'll knit something and use the button myself.