Facebook Giveaway

I've made the draw for the pendant on Facebook, the winner was Dulce Matos Van Dyken. Congratulations to Dulce and thanks to everyone for taking me to 100 fans. Now about 200.............

How about this as a prize? What do you think? It's pale green sea glass, vintage beads and very fine old green ribbon with a tiny silver T bar clasp, which, by the way, won me a very nice prize from Kernowcraft. I wrote a review of these lovely little clasps and won a set of beading tools with sparkly pink handles, very chuffed!

Wordless Wednesday: Light

Cars @?*!

M ajor problems with the car, total disaster when you live in rural Devon. Luckily I have a friendly neighbour who gives me a lift most days.
I'm having a giveaway on my facebook storefront and there's only 10 fans  to go until the draw. I've probably mentioned this before, but it's getting close now.

Here's the prize, so if you like the look of it pop over and 'like' my page on facebook http://www.facebook.com/Vintage.Beadery and good luck

Bring Back Mastercrafts

There's a campaign running to try to persuade the BBC to commission a second series of the wonderful Mastercrafts. This was truly magical television, a real cut above the usual dross that seems to pass for entertainment these days, Visit the UK Handmade site: http://ukhandmade.co.uk/magazine/petition?destination=node%2F38
to sign the petition if you would like to see a second series. If you missed the first series you missed something really good. Watching people with real passion for their craft and skills that are almost lost to us, passing on their knowledge, watching people blossom and find their true vocation in life, frequently under quite trying personal circumstances, really inspiring and riveting viewing.

I am not really surprised, I suppose, that the decision has been made not to go ahead with a planned second series. There was no vicious infighting between the apprentices, in fact on several occasions they supported and assisted each other, all of them really wanted to win but all of them praised their competitors and admired their work. The three apprentices in each show were all really determined to succeed and all found strengths, and weaknesses, within themselves. A thoughtful and intelligent programme, too thoughtful and intelligent?

The box and some wonderful sunlit flowers

Here are some pictures of my lovely box. It needs a lining inside the lid to finish it completely




Jay's website

    The pieces of wood are the supports for the lid when it's a display box.
The photos aren't very good I'll have to take some proper ones in a properly lit space. I think its wonderful. I may line the compartments with felt as well.


I came home from work today to be greeted by this beautiful poppy, just opened and perfect.

By tomorrow it will be wide open and blowsy, We have a lot of trouble with these, quite a few of the buds never open and just shrivel up for some reason, if anyone knows why that happens let me know. The other plant is more prone than this one.
These buttercups are further up the garden among some herbs and wild strawberries.

I'm something of a haphazard gardener, for one thing I have no time and for another I haven't a clue what I'm doing. This is the front garden which does at least resemble a garden slightly!

The new online edition of the UK handmade magazine is out now

Anniversary

This is a few days late, it was our wedding anniversary on Saturday (36 years!) and my lovely husband surprised me with a wonderful present he had made for me. I was a bit taken aback when he produced a huge parcel, as we were really up against it financially last month. He had spent two weeks making a beautiful box with my logo on the top, it has two layers of storage for jewellery and he has designed it so that the lid becomes a display pad. What a star! I haven't taken a photo yet but to see some examples of his lovely boxes you can visit his site on MISI

http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/escutcheons.html

He takes commissions and can pretty much put anything on a box or a plaque that you like, *copyright permitting, as he makes the transfers himself.

*(Please don't ask for anything from TV, a book, a film or a logo belonging to any company or sports club as we will respect copyright and your request will be politely refused)