'Beadoodles'

Just doodling with stringer. Like you'd doodle on a notepad but doodling with glass on a bead instead, I guess.

I got a mention in this month's issue of Craft Business magazine. Nothing much - just a few comments from me about the current bead climate. The magazine is a good read. You can download the current issue along with loads of back issues by clicking here. The bead article starts on page fourteen of the November issue.

Drawing with glass

It's been a whole week-and-a-day since my last post. Shocking!

I was up in Cambridge for the bank holiday weekend and I didn't get home until Tuesday evening so I haven't had many beads to show you.

But I have today! I'm very pleased with these. They were inspired by a floral fabric that Lyn at Florspace has used for one of her MiniZs. The fabrics that Lyn uses are just so beautiful.

I wanted to put a bold, striking flower design on a bead but not in the normal arrange-the-dots beadmaking kind of way and the only way I could achieve the effect I was visualising was to literally draw with stringer. Now, you may think that I do this all the time but trust me, drawing fluid petal shapes with a hair-fine piece of glass isn't as easy as doing straight lines and scrollwork. So these beads were a real challenge but I totally enjoyed making them. In fact, I can honestly say that I haven't had such an enjoyable beadmaking day for months.

I think that these bright red lentils would make a fabulous summer bracelet. Pink ones would be nice too. And purple, of course! Or maybe pale blue. Or zesty orange ........