Tickled Pink

October is almost upon us and with that is

Breast Cancer Awareness

 

To help raise funds and awareness I have set up a Tickled Pink section in my Etsy shop.

 

Here you will find a range of pink beads, and on each listing I will advise how much from each sale will be donated to Breast Cancer Charity.

 

 

 

I decided to do this on multiple listings instead of making say one set and donating all the proceeds for a few reasons. Firstly it gives more people a chance to participate and do their bit. And with having more than one set I can keep listing and talking about it. It's not just about the money raised, but also about raising awareness. Let's get people talking!

 

 

 

From experience from previous years, I have decided to wait till the end of October and add up all the donations and then pay that amount in one lump sum. When I have that amount, I will post it on here and on my Facebook page along with a copy of the receipt!

 

 

 

There are some beads already listed, with more to come. So please keep a look out.

 

Your support is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Trudi x

 

More Shimmering Polkas!

And there are a couple more shimmering colours to share with you.

 

First up is the custard yellow

 

now for the orange

 

 

light red

 

 

 

 

Till next time

 

Happy beading!

 

Trudi x

 

 

 

Shimmering Raspberry Polkas

And the polka pictures continue ...

this time it's shimmering raspberry!

You might see that the shimmer beads don't look as bright in the pictures, but I can assure you that they are still bright and have the added shimmer particles that reflect the light!

 Before picture ..

I've got a couple more test colours in the kiln, so more pictures to follow!

Till next time

Happy beading!

Trudi x

Pearly Green Polkas

And the polka pictures continue ...

As promised, here's another pair of polkas that have had the razzle dazzle treatment!

And so that you can see the difference, I've added a "before" picture!

Till next time

Happy beading!

Trudi x

Pearly Lavender Polkas

 

 

As promised, here's another pair of polkas that have had the razzle dazzle treatment!

 

And so that you can see the difference, I've added a "before" picture!

 

 

 

Till next time

Happy beading!

 

Trudi x

 

 

 

It's Been A While!

Hello there

It's certainly been a while since I blogged, I guess I've been guilty of posting quickly on Facebook instead. While I do love Facebook, it's great because it is so quick, I do find that I'm limited to one picture per post. Sometimes you want to post up a few and tell a story ... so for that the blog is great!

So what's new then?

Firstly, I've had a mini make over!

Well, not me personally, but my Etsy shop, my website and here.

I wanted to jazz up my banner in Etsy, and as I don't have the time (or expertise) I had a look on Etsy and I found a wonderful shop called Accentuate run my Marilyn!

She has pre-made sets that she will add your shop name and tag line to, and once sold to you she doesn't re-sell them so they are unique to you. With sets starting at $12 (about £7.70), I thought that this was a bargain. The banner also fits nicely on here and my blog! I like it so much that she's also designed an advert for me and I'll be getting some graphics for my next lot of Moo cards!

And the makeover hasn't stopped there!

The polka beads are very popular, and I was thinking about how I could jazz them up a little!

Well I mulled it over, and I gave them the "Razzle Dazzle" treatment

and they now have a lovely shimmering finish.

I'll admit that it's a little tricky to capture in a photograph, but in the flesh they have a lovely shimmering finish to them.

So far, I have only tried it on the blue ones but I plan to try it out on others very soon!

So watch this space!

Till next time

Happy beading!

Trudi x

The difference is clear

There's the old saying "you get what you pay for"

and this is particularly true when it comes to lampwork beads!

Like most people, before I knew about lampwork beads I was pretty happy with mass produced beads, thinking that they were pretty. Since I discovered artisan lampwork beads I now appreciate the difference!

To "prove a point" I've copied the design of a mass produced bead so that there is a direct comparison.

Both the beads in the picture are lampwork beads, but the one on the left is one I have made and the one on the right is a mass produced one. While you can only see so much in a picture I hope that you will see the difference in clarity! I always ensure that my glass rods are cleaned before using and I work in a nice clean flame. Already you can see the difference in quality.

What you might not also see from the picture so well, is that I have cleaned the nasty bead release from the hole. When you make beads, you need a bead release so that you can take the bead off the mandrel (metal stick). This leaves behind a dry dusty substance inside the hole. Any half decent bead maker would clean this out, and not only for aesthetic reasons - but also for health and safety ones too. Over time the dust comes out of the beads and as you handle the beads more and more it breaks up into particles that are really not healthy to breathe in.

Sharp holes are also often an issue with mass produced beads. If you use them in your designs they may well be fine for a short while, but over time they will cut through your beading wire and they will simply fall apart.

Now given the choice, I would much rather have 1 artisan nice bead than half a dozen mass produced ones. When I'm selling my work, my reputation is everything. I can't afford to send out a bead that I'm not happy with, and like most lampworkers I just won't do it. I want people to feel confident that when they buy from me that they're buying quality.

Less is definitely more for me!

I hope that you will agree with me, and please feel free to share this post and promote the beauty of handmade!

Trudi x