Raspberry Rings

Bubbling under the Sea!

2012-01-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

January and another year begins and I have had a great start, I have a few courses lined up for this year and the first one was with a glass artist I admire greatly : Diana East . I had been drooling over her mini seascape paperweights for some time and my husband organised a one to one course for me which was fantastic. These photos are what I produced in class. I came home brimming with excitement and ideas and went straight to the studio to experiment with the techniques we had covered which included these, some blown Boro beads, Fuming and Cane making.

Here are the first attempts! All the pieces you see within are premade and then positioned and the whole design encased in clear. It takes time to produce the little gizmos to make up the design and then you have to get the clear over them without melting them in the heat.......

I found myself waking up in the night thinking 'Hey maybe I could include that!' A while ago I bought a tutorial on how to make Jellyfish from Mary Lockwood and thought it would be fun to try and incorporate one into the design It worked well :

Whilst I was on the course Di had also shown me how to make a little clam to put inside so I had a play with that to

These little paperweights are really addictive I am loving playing with the designs

I have also been experimenting with some other ideas which are very much work in progress but this will give you a clue. I think you could make some lovely pendants and ring toppers with this technique, I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head! I am also on the verge of upgrading my kit so the extra charge of Oxygen should improve things too so watch this space!!

I was also given a book by another artist I admire hugely : Stephanie Sersich and as I had a pile of orphan beads from last year I sat down and made a couple of necklaces using her techniques:

It is so clever, actually weaving the beads into the design which makes them really secure and I really like the button detail from the clasp

It also worked well for just a single focal bead like the one below

February should be an exciting month too I have a course booked with Anouk Jaspere and I have my new Oxcycon and hopefuly my new GTT Lynx Torch arriving.

On the home front it has been a certain young lady's second birthday so we had a meet up of 6 Lakelands on the beach to celebrate!

Here are three of them Milly at the rear! Thank you for visiting my blog and hope to see ya next month!

Jennie ;0)

Here comes 2012

2012-01-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

So firstly HAPPY NEW YEAR! and apologies for not having posted here for what seems like an age....indeed it almost is!

2011 was a big year for Raspberry Rings and me personally. We moved into our new house and I opened up my little studio to the public for the first time last summer and was overwhelmed with the response. Appledore is a beautiful village, right on the estuary and it attracts alot of summer visitors. Here is Milly my lovely Lakeland Terrier checking out the view!

The visitors came and came and the studio was buzzing right through the summer. In terms of glass I experimented with different designs, the Mandela Wheels were still top of my creation list though!

But during the year I experimented wth the shape and created these Daisy Beads.....

Marbles were another exploration of 2011 which I definately want to explore more in 2012..

And a few mini paperweights....

Looking at this reminds me that in the summer I created a second' Etsy Shop Lovely Lily Beads in memory of an Airedale Terrier, Lily who died from Addisons Disease. I was friends with her hooman Mum and we hatched a plan to create some dollars for Airedale rescue and www.lovelylilybeads.etsy.com was born.

Most of what was posted in this shop had some paw prints on to represent Lily x

In my own work I was getting more and more into the 3d and was creating some swirl beads that I was very pleased with:

So the year unfolds and I was lucky enough to do a course with the so talented Carla Di Francesco at my friends Amanda and David's Studio in Barnstaple: Mango Beads what an inspiration!

So weeks passed and more Mandela Beads came out of the kiln....

And then the thoughts turn to next year and the need for a more 3 dimensional design bubbles to the surface again...

So here we are 2012..I have lots of plans, I have a days class booked with the extremely talented Diane East, I also have a course booked with Anouk Jaspere in Febuary and a couple of other courses in mind for later in the year. I definately want to experiment with Boro Glass and am excited about the year ahead.

Thank you everyone for your support in 2011 and I hope 2012 fufills all yur dreams x

Jennie

And the message from Milly and her new friend Roo the Spaniel is:

LIFE IS A BEACH.....SO JUST ENJOY!

2011-05-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

So I have spent the last few weeks experimenting with big beads on varying mandrel sizes. I have become abit obsessed with this style of putting one design inside another. This seems to work better with the smaller mandrel size, this pink bead has a 5mm Core.

Whereas this one has a much larger core and you can see that the flowers are less effective although that is only my opinion as I have had some lovely comments about it.

So next up I made some murrine flowers and anenomes and made up a couple of more beads with small cores....here they are.

Those anenome murrine made me think of seascapes so next up

So what next? I started to build a bead of petals and then added a line of colour which I cut into and realised that it made a flower shape to

So I made a bead using this band of colour rather than petals....

Then it made sense to just do a flower since they looked lovely just by themselves....

so the journey continues........................

Its Official, I am open!

2011-05-17T05:06:00.000-07:00

So the day was getting closer and the reality of actually having a working studio that visitors to the village could come and have a peek at was finally beginning to sink in. Ian and I spent the week before sorting things out for the 'big' day.

The biggest job was putting up the Gazebo which of course wouldn't quite fit into our alley. It had to be suspended over the roof, that is obviously why I married an ex Theatre Rigger as it went up in a flash and was decorated with bunting that I hadn't even known he had bought!

I had some professional signage done for the Quay to let visitors know where I am and two signs for the bottom of the alley.

Because the walls are hundreds of years old literally the nails of course refused to cooperate so Ian decided to glue them on and this took some time! But being a village he had lots of people stop and chat and ask him what he was up too! All publicity is good publicity even if it is your husband glued to a wall for half an hour!! Our neighbour Danielle has commissioned a local artist to paint the walls and you can just see the boat in the right wall and there is a lovley big lighthouse waiting to be painted on the left.

Then of course the task of clearing up the studio, somethings had to stay like my travelling Gazebo which is the huge bag at the end and of course the inflatable Kayak and oars in the corner which is what every lampworker needs and Millys basket which you can just see at the end there although she is not the best meeter and greeter to strangers so her time in the studio is limited now!

All nice and tidy! now time for the cabinets and displays.....

Outside we set up some tables and put out the sweeties!

My mum and father in law sent me this lovely bunch of flowers for luck so we popped them on the table and we were ready to go......

So smiles all round!! Have you spotted Ian? We had a lovely day and infact were to busy for most of the day to get the camera out! Thank you to everyone who came to visit particularly my two lampworking friends Julie Haveland Beer and Amanda Muddimer it was lovely to see everyone and Manda, those Jelly Worms made ALL the diffence to my day? Amanda owns and runs a fantastic lampwork studio in Barnstaple and runs courses from there (www.mangobeads.co.uk) and I am doing beginner and taster sessions in Appledore so there is now lots available for anyone who wants to have a go at lampworking in North Devon. Amanda has alot of advanced courses to and hosts International tutors, I am doing a course later this year with Carla di Francesca and I did a course there with Astrid Reidel at the end of last year.

I am now open between 3pm and 7pm most days for visitors, my first afternoon was yesterday and I was thrilled with the amount of visitors. 10 people popped by, but it did teach me that I will need to leave some of my more complicated experiments for the moring as I can't chat and make big beads at the same time!

So what have I been up to glass wise? Playing with colour mainly and my big hole mandrels! I also have a couple of ideas up my sleeve following a lively (sober!) chat in the pub this morning when I was dropping some more of my cards off there. So look out for Anna's idea to hit the web!

I have been working on these glass wheels and am hooked!

They are large and the size means I have to be really on the ball as far as keeping them warm all over is concerned and I have had some very sad casulties!

This was one that suffered a thermal shock but I have glued it together and it is hanging in my window! I still need lots of practice at the detail but I am happy that things are moving in the right direction!

This gives you some idea of the size...this is a UK 10p beside this bead.

So that is all for now, thank you for reading and if you are ever in Devon or if you live close by and are reading this do pop by and say hello! The address is 1 Victoria Crescent, Irsha Street, Appledore, EX39 1RS and if you would like more information on beginner and taster sessions do email me on bazaarbarnstaple@yahoo.co.uk

Jennie ;0)

Counting down to my Open Day!

2011-05-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

So time is marching on and my open day this Saturday 14th May is nearly upon me and I have been making beads like mad over the last few days and really enjoying myself! Which is good because home life is abit fraught with the potential of a massive leak in our house under the ground floor which may require major building work. So when the going gets tough the tough run to their torches!!

I have been working on alot of large beads, these babies measure up to 4.5cm in diameter!

I love these bright colours and am really pleased with the results and they look fab just hanging on a leather or cord thong.

I have always been lucky enough to sell alot of the 'pandora' style 5mm beads and was trying to find a twist on the origninal idea when I started expermenting with a raised bubble to create something different.

Some of them are created with Double Helix silver glass to create the patterns......

Others I have used my handmade Murrine in......

So how do they look on a bracelet? Well it would be a lie to say they stand upright like this on a bracelet that is not full but if your bracelet is snug with beads these bubble beads will stand proud like the one in this shot. I personally quite like the idea that they also hang and the suprise is there when you look closely at them.

And finally a little novelty! I have updated the design for my hollow beach beads and added some 'sea' and a little jellyfish within the bottom of the bead and leaving the top hollow with a couple of barnacles and then filling it with sand from our local beach. I could however fill it with sand from anywhere in the world I would just have to fly there first!!

So here is the Beach! And a picture of Milly and her Friend Paddy have a romp on the sand!!

It is Official....my Studio will be Open on the Saturday 14th May!

2011-05-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

After months of trying to sort out a new studio I am happy to say that I am now settled in. I am officially 'opening' on Saturday 14th May and will have my cabinets full of new beads to celebrate the occasion! I would love to see anyone who wants to come down and say hello, have a look at my new workspace and of course look at the beads! Please feel free to spread the word and bring friends too!

Appledore is a lovely village to visit with lots of gallerys, pubs and of course beautiful views over the river. My studio is up an alley (Victoria Crescent) opposite the side entrance of The Beaver Inn in Irsha Street so why not make a day of it.....we are close to Westward Ho! to if you fancy a walk on the beach!!

I will be posting on a regular basis new product to my websites and I will also be open for visitors from the 14th.....hope to see you then!

And if she is good you might meet Milly too!!

Glass Wheels with Windows!

2011-02-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

So a week of experimenting........ I have been practising some dragging techniques to create different patterns on beads and experimenting with a fairly new glass from Double Helix, Helios which when worked produces metalic sheens of pink, gold and purple but difficult to photograph to its full glory.

Having spent a day layering colour and dragging away I had a handful of beads that I was pleased with and had experimented with layers of different colours and thought I would do the same the next day, after all colour combinations are pretty endless.

This plan lasted until I woke up at 3am the following morning, does anyone else do this? I am fast asleep then wake up dreaming and thinking about glass and beads!! I found myself wondering what it would be like to put some clear glass into the mix to create windows in the bead so when worn sideaways it would have extra interest. Then I had to curb the urge to pull on clothes and rush to the torch and cannot sleep for the excitement of wanting to experiment!!!

So here are a selection of that inspiration....very much work in progress at the moment.

I love the size of these wheels, you can see by the size of my fingers how big the bead is! Sorry about the quality of the photos I took these shots quickly in daylight so I could write my blog tonight.

The large bumps around the outside of the bead above look clear but it has a thin layer of double helix Clio in there which gives them an opal effect if viewed from on top. The bead has a base of clear glass but whilst working it fumed in the flame and created this rather lovely seaglass effect.

This bead I did not 'fume' so the clear remains clear giving an interesting pattern from the side.......

And I just had time to experiment with some clear coloured glass too......

I love this effect but I am away from the torch for the next couple of days so I guess I will have a disturbed sleep with all the ideas that will bubble away during that time!! I am going to experiment at creating more patterns with the clear so the bead has a two dimensional feel depending on when and where it is viewed. Will keep you posted.

Thank you for reading my blog

Jenniex

Oh yes and lest I forget Milly I think has plans in paw that she is not sharing with us.................

The Facebook Police!!

2011-02-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

Well having been away from things for a little while it would seem things are changing at a furious pace on Facebook....what is new I hear you cry!! Well it would seem I can no longer do a Bead Draw on Facebook. So I have moved the Giveaway Bead from there to here so it falls in with there rules and regulations.

So if you would like this bead just leave a comment in the comment boxes below xxx I will do the draw on Wednesday so you have a few days to sign up xx

Good luck everyone and thank you for coming over here to do the draw xx

Milly and her friends are also under attack and some of her friends accounts, one lovely Wire Fox Terrier had 5,000 friends, have already been deleted from Facebook without any warning there is a Causes Page which is asking Facebook to review this decision. The sad thing about this is there is alot of action on these pages to promote Dogs that need fostering or adopting and helping them to find a forever home. It also has raised the awareness of a number of issues surrounding Dogs like the murder of 100 Sled dogs in Canada recently. These pages are important and on a lighter note they make me smile and sometimes laugh outloud with their content even on the darkest day. If you get a second it would be great if you could take the time to follow the link, sign up and invite people to join the cause. Thank you!

Murrini Madness

2011-02-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

So another week has shot by and the house is still not fully unpacked and the flooring is still not down in the studio but this hasn't stopped me from lighting the torch! I have been experimenting with Murrine this week.

I did a course in October with Astrid Reidel which I mentioned in last weeks blog and made Murrini for the first time. I have not had a chance to experiment with them so this was the week and I am hooked!

So what is Murrine? Well Wikipedia has given me this explanation

Murrine (common pluralization murrini) is an Italian term for colored patterns or images made in a glass cane (long rods of glass) that are revealed when cut in cross-sections. Murrine can be made in infinite designs—some styles are more familiar, such as millefiore. Artists working in glass design murrine in a variety of ways from simple circular or square patterns to complex detailed designs to even portraits of people. Murrine are designed by layering different colors of molten glass around a core, then heating and stretching it into a rod. When cool, the rod is sliced into cross-sections of desired thickness with each slice possessing the same pattern in cross-section.

The murrine process first appeared in the Mideast more than 4,000 years ago and was revived by Venetian glassmakers on Murano in the early 16th century.

It is abit like making a stick of seaside rock but with the added tension of having to do the work in a flame!! When you chop it up you have the same image or pattern in the chopped pieces which are called Murrine.

There are some amazing glass artist around who make the most fabulous murrine, like Ayako, just look at these beads some truly inspirational work here.

Now mine has a long way to go but I was rather pleased with this one, the yellow in it was an experiment and it worked!

I was also pleased with the top murrine in the photo below...I wanted to try and make a flower and had big purple irises in my mind and was surprised that there was a vague similarity!!

Now not everything in the Studio was rosy this week, I was working at the torch yesterday afternoon and heard a couple of clinks coming from the kiln and was so disappointed to find these casualties lying on the kiln floor!

That is the curse and the addictive part of lampworking, you have to go through so many processes to create one bead and all along the way there are so many different influences that can either help you create something special or destroy something you think is special. But that is the hook you just gotta keep on striving for better and better!!

Well that is all for this week all that remains is a little pic of Milly! Another of her with her friend Patrick! Have a lovely weekend and thanks for taking the time to read my blog x

Jennie

Trying to get back in the Beady Saddle!!

2011-02-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well who knows where this year has gone already!! The studio is almost finished but the house is very definately not fully unpacked!! Why do these things take so long? It is all those little DIY jobs that drag on and on! This and the fact that I have a boisterous Lakeland Terrier who needs a good long walk everyday or she will cause chaos!!

So to start the news and the blog I wanted to first take a moment and say how touched I have been by all my customers old, and newer who have kept in touch during my bead drought, I have been suprised by the number of people who have made contact and asked how things are going. To those of you a HUGE thank you x

So what is the grand plan I hear you cry! Well, once we have finished sorting out the unpacking, recycling etc. I am going to have a 'Beady Party' and invited all those local customers to an open evening or indeed anyone who would like to come. You can have a browse around the studio where I am setting up a couple of cabinets of beads and jewellery for sale and of course nibbles and drinks! You can't have a bead party without those!! By Easter I should be fully up and running and will be selling from the 'studio shop' to anyone who wants to drop by!

Although there are still some things to do in the Studio the ventilation, kiln, torch, propane and oxcycon are all in so what is girl to do!! Well not the ironing that is for sure!!

I found myself nervous at lighting the torch, apart from a class with the wonderful Astrid Reidel back in October I have not been on the torch at all since August of last year, an age away. I found myself having one of those moments....spent ages cleaning my glass tiding the work surface infact doing anything to avoid the inevitable even though I was SO excited to get started. Like sharpening your pencils then having that moment of panic when you have to start a clean sheet of paper. I decided that the only way to get back in the beady saddle was to start with beads that were simple and organic, no clever stuff just layering dots and spots and bumps to get myself back in the swing. But of course the temptation of all that silver glass winking at me from its storage meant it wasn't long before I was incorporating the wonderful Double Helix glass into the mix with its lovely reflective qualities.

The hours soon slipped away and I started on some stripes too! My encasing skills seem to have been forgotton but I wasn't unhappy with this little collection. It is just practice and what better than to be practicing something you really enjoy!

So what next....well stick a tungsten pick in it!!

Then why not combine everything and see what happens!

I still feel like I have a ways to go before I feel confident again but I do feel like I have rounded the corner and am on my way!

Have a good week everyone, I will be blogging on a more regular basis now that I am almost straight so I can let you know when the website shop is open again. I have put a few items on sale from last years stock in my Etsy Shop and I will be adding stock as and when I get a minute over the next week. http://www.etsy.com/shop/RASPBERRYRINGS Here is the link so do pop over if you like and have a look!

And now for anyone who regularly reads my blogs...when I am blogging that is!! The picture of Milly for this week is one of her and her friend Patrick today at Grey Sands Beach in Appledore were they had a mammoth run and totally exhausted each other.....Hurray!!

2011-01-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

So here we go we have moved back to Appledore, it has been seven years but we are so happy to be back in the village and I am so pleased to have my studio here. Appledore has always been an inspiration, beautiful light and beautiful views. After 5 months at last we are here to stay and we have found a house we want to live in for the long term.

So let me show you some of those fabulous views......we could be in Florida? Well maybe not if you feel that East Wind but still beautiful!

So this is the Studio, small but compact and hopefully room to have a small showroon but lots of work to be done!

So full of stuff but we are feeling ambitious! and I am getting the hang of the saw!!

This is as it looked before I had the saw out!! We needed to put a full roof insulation in!

And now it is in!

But of course all the stuff is in the yard!!

and I get the feeling we are being spied on from the yard!!

now we are getting the benchs in place...

So a little taster of how things are coming, will keep you guys posted tomorrow!!

2010-10-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

So here I am in Appledore, a beautiful village in North Devon. We are in are rented house and apart from the fact I have no torch it is perfect! We are right on the rivers mouth and the inspiration provided by the views and the sunsets and sunrise make me long to be back on the torch.
We are hoping to be in our new house by the end of November, fingers crossed and I am planning to give a little celebratory bead party once the torch is lit!
I was however lucky enough to attend a course at my friend Manda's studio : Mango Beads in Barnstaple with Astreid Reidel. I have admired Astrid's beads for a while and it was awesome to be able to meet her and she was very generous with her knowledge. Here are my class beads, the shapes leave a little to be desired but I really enjoyed learning new techniques.

I am doing a sale locally at The Beaver Inn on 3rd November, It is a Wine and Shop evening Ladies only! Should be fun and lot of different stalls to buy from.

So that is the news bead wise..........and it wouldn't be the same without showing you how Milly is enjoying her new 'rented' place!

Keeping an eye on what is happening on the beach!

Bye bye for now

Jenniex

Times They Are A Changing!

2010-09-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

So the season is changing and as I took Milly for her walk this morning I was aware of a crispness in the air, the berries in the hedgerows and the chill behind the Autumn sun. This time of year has become a poignant time for me since my mum lost her 5 year battle with Cancer in November 2008, I can remember the smell and feel of the season as my father and I walked around the Hospice gardens during a her last days and I can sense that in the air today. Her death also marked the start of my journey with glass, the total absorbption that melting glass demands meant that the grieving process was softened and I felt supported by the mesmeric and wonderful effects of the glass. So her passing created a huge change in my life and I found a new path to travel . But other changes have followed on the heels of that as Ian and I reassessed our future at the beginning of this year.

As some of you may know we have sold our house and having lost two houses due to Grade II listed problems we have moved into a friends house in the beautiful village of Appledore, North Devon were we lived when we first met and we are renting for a while. This change means that I lost my studio and have been unable to make beads. We also decided earlier in the year that we would sell our shop Bazaar in order for me to focus on my glasswork and for Ian to go back full time to Stage Management a job he has been doing on a part time basis for the last couple of years and loves. What we hadn't bargined for is that this sale would happen so quickly and it looks as if we will be completing on the sale next Monday .

So for the first time in a long long time I will be without a home of my own and without employment!! A strange feeling indeed, Ian luckily has lots of work between now and Christmas so we will not be on the breadline! The long term plan is to, first and foremost get a studio and we have put an offer on a house here in Appledore which has that option and we are hoping to be in before Christmas. Once I am set up again and if all things work out, I will be doing some Christmas Sales from Appledore for anyone who would like to buy my beads or jewellery as Christmas pressies. I also have a couple of regular customers chomping at the bit to hold Bead Parties for the festive season so I will be doing that as soon as I am able to.

So this is the final week of Raspberry Rings being in the shop and although the stock is running low there are still beads available and I will give a 10% discount to anyone who comes in and mentions that they read this blog or saw the discount mentioned on Facebook!!

Once the beads have left Bazaar I will be focusing my time on making jewellery and going back to my Wire Wrap work which is how my journey into jewellery making and beads started. I will be posting on Facebook and blogging the results of this journey who knows I may end up with a seperate site for jewellery!! I have been asked to become a member of the West Quay Fund Raisers here in Appledore and I will be doing a Ladies Only Wine and Shop evening on the 3rd November at The Beaver Inn in Irsha Street......All Ladies welcome!

The other unfortunate thing about our new situation is a very poor internet connection and I am currently just about linked online but do not have sufficient speed to upload piccys so you are going to have do without Milly for now I will have to get to an internet Cafe to upload new pictures.

So thank you to all of you who have supported me and Raspberry Rings over the last year and I look forward to being able to get back on the torch as my head is bursting with ideas that I want to share with you all.

Jenniex

Summer Time....I love it!!

2010-06-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

So at last summer is here......................

Personally it has been a really busy time, we are in the process of selling our house and downsizing...... apart from my studio area which is expanding. LOL! We are hoping to exchange in the next week or so and complete beginning of August...fingers crossed!

My sister is also on the move she is off to LA. Her husband works for Warner Brothers and has been offered promotion and is all ready over there. She is packing up her house here all by herself so I popped up to Oxfordshire to keep her company for a few days and as Ian and I are now legal guardians for Hannah my sisters eldest I have been to the school to listen to A Level Options and meet some of her teachers and friends. I cannot believe what is available at school now, mind blowing. I will be visiting LA as soon as I can and if any of you Americans out there have any suggestions of Glass Artists or Studios/Shops I should visit in California please let me know!!

I have managed to get some torch time in too and have been organising stock for a number of bead parties and fairs, the two biggest are yet to come and worth a visit if you are in the area: on the 17th July Green Man Festival in Barnstaple and then the Maritime Festival at Clovelly on the 18th July. If you don't know Clovelly in North Devon check out the link it is a beautiful cobbled village that hasn't changed for hundreds of years. The stalls are all pitched along the Harbour and it is (weather depending!) my favourite Festival/Fair.

So what is new on the bead front well continuing with my 'sea theme' I had an urge to do some fishies and here are a few of them....

Then I had a little obsession with round beads.....here are a collection some are 5mm and I have popped in Silver Rivets these are available to buy right now on my website

I have also added a shop to my Facebook Page and as always you can keep up to date with all the latest news by joining my Page, just head on over there and hit the 'like' button at the top of the page. I am 10 short of 500 Fans and once I hit the 500 I will be having another little giveaway as a thank you for all your support.

I am experimenting with some new floral and Goldstone beads which I will post in due course in the meantime here are some more of my round beads this time with 3mm Core:

and a little Ice Cream Sundae to cool you all down.................

And lastly Milly................well we have found some time to play this month and have been out kayaking and Milly came too, she has also been playing in the sea and then getting filthy in the sand and wearing her new frisbee toy as a hat?!!

Thanks for looking JENNIEXX

Octopus, Jellyfish and Wet Lakies!!

2010-05-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

So yet again I am writing this and wondering were the time has gone! The winter is trying to be over here in Devon and the sun is shining once again. I still wonder at the capacity of us UK dewellers to suddenly become open and optimistic once the sun shows her face!!

I have been inspired by the longer days and the longer walks Milly and I are having on the beach and have been producing a few sea inspired beads. I must also at this point credit a fellow bead maker Julie Fountain at Lush Beads for a certain amount of inspiration as she wrote a lovely tutorial in a Bead Magazine recently which hugely helped my barnicles!! Coupled with her own beautiful seaside beads you can see her work at www.lushlampwork.co.uk.

So lets start at the beginning Jellyfish, having been completely wrapped with paperweights, marbles and beads with little worlds within I bought a tutorial on Jellyfish from Etsy and had a go……here are the results!

Then came the seaside beads and the Octopus.....

then the seascape beads.....

Then a little detour and a little Owl.......how the hell did he get in here?

And I just cannot get away from those big summer wheels.....

Life goes on and I found some time to put together a necklace with my Clio Bumpy Beads......

In amongst all of this playing I manage to set up a shop on my facebook page which has proved very popular and have sold a few item through there....thank you! I have added a few focal beads this one of them.....

So there we are May in a nutshell! If you would like to see more please visit my facebook page at http://facebook.com/raspberryrings

As always all of my beads are available so if you see something you cannot live without do get in touch....and so the time has come for Milly who has spent most of this month in the sea!!

New Toys to Play with.....No time to Blog!!

2010-05-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

So yet again time has escaped me! So much happening in the real world that the beads seem to have slipped behind. My father got married again last week....age 71!! My sister is moving to LA!! We are moving house!! So these three events coupled with abit of ash in the sky which threatened to keep most of the family from the wedding has meant a really busy and stressful April with a greatly reduced torch time.

April was also the month of Flame Off! one of the events for British Lampworkers hosted by Tuffnell Glass This was a fantastic opportunity to get my hands on some lovely glass and alot of new toys!! With demonstrations from Lavender Creek Teresa Laliberte, Diane East and Sharon Peters the whole event was really inspiring and with three very different demos and lots of glassy chat I came away full of ideas and tips for my own work.

I have still been playing with Clio, Glow in the Dark Dust and big bumpy beads. I love bright colours and the combination of transparent glass with Clio Double Helix glass creates some great effects. The three beads above are a selection using those effects. The big wheels continue to sell well and I am experimenting with putting some flowers into them instead of bumps. This is very much work in progress as so far I am having a frustrating time trying to make them perfectly round.......

My flowers have improved so much since I discovered a Japanese tool, the 3D Flower Rod this really simple tool creates real depth too flowers...here are a few beads using the same tool.....

Talking of making things perfectly round I purchased a Marble Marver at Flame Off! No one warned me how addictive they can be so I have spent the last week or so chasing hot balls around my bench and floor and burning little tread marks in my carpet..

These are all made with soft glass but my plan is to buy some Boro and start experimenting with hard glass once we have moved house.........Now because I can't wait I thought I would try some off mandrel pendants anyway (in soft glass) and actually I was quite pleased with the results, like the marbles they have become a hugely addictive way of playing with glass LOL! Here are a couple of experiments. I am loving this off mandrel work and the freedom it brings, I would just love to have a go at paperweights I am in awe of the work of Chris Buzzini

I would just love to have a class with him.......A girl can dream can't she!!

So there we are, a short overview of April!

Milly also had her first ever haircut in April, here are the before and after shots.....seeing them together makes me realise just how much she needed that!

Flower Wheels and Pirates!

2010-03-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

So another couple of weeks pass, and for the first time since plunging into lampworking head first I had a couple of days of complete disasters, no inspiration, bead release busting at the crucial moment and generally got very depressed and was doubting that any creativity would return. I then decided to go back to basics and in doing so discovered flowers!! Not encased flowers, far to stressful on my dear old hothead but raised flowers. I love doing raised bumps and these are a variation on a theme. I have produced a crop of them some huge flower wheels which look lovely on a silver chain or just on a leather thong. Then some 5mm beads, larger than the traditional Pandora style bead and some 3mm. I am planning to sit down and make some jewellery with them which I will post in due course. I will also be posting them on my website but for the moment they all available in my shop, Bazaar, Barnstaple, North Devon.

Here is a selection for you to see:

So there we are......I am really pleased with them and they are improving in style with practice.

On a completely different note I took a day out to go to Crufts Dog Show last week and saw literally hundreds of Lakeland Terriers!! Couldn't resist buying Milly a few bandanas and her she is in her brand new Pirate one.....posing as usual

So that is it for this week will post again once I have made up the beads into some jewellery. Have a good week everyone xxx

2010-03-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

So what an exiting week.......Playing with the new glass from Double Helix, Clio. I started using CIM Grumpy Bear and swirling some Clio over it and came up with this.....

I love the pastel shades in this and the pink that is appearing, I think more work at the torch to really bring that pink out. Then I decided to try incasing and came up with these babies. I used lots of different clear colour bases and topped it with Clio encased in clear. I literally gasped when I saw them!!!! Each spot is like it has a little mirror behind it and they really have to be seen in the flesh to get the true beauty.

And of course the selection at the head of the page.

Then being me I had to take it a step further...I had some ring mandrels made for me last year and I thought I fancied a big Clio Wheel and this is what it looked like....

So what on earth do I do with these? The centres are approximately an inch, maybe a scarf ring? Any Jewellery makers out there? Any suggestions?

Well had to post these as so excited with them but that is it for now! But before I go wouldn't be a blog without the photographers assistant would it?

Lovely Rings and Give Aways!!

2010-02-24T03:39:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks, Firstly apologies for the delay in blogging, where does the time go? As always life is so busy I hadn't realised it had been so long! So what has been happening, well I have been on the torch and playing with colours and some silver foil this week, it has been an adventure and I couldn't possibly post piccys just yet as they are really not up to scratch. It is always a weird time experimenting, as an artist one has to experiment and move forward and with each fuglie that appears from the kiln or the flame I have to remind myself that even if the bead doesn't make the grade I have taken something from the experience, even if it is 'Oh Bo***cks that didn't work then!' I am sure every other glassy friend reading this will agree!

I get lots of customers in my shop asking for bead sets and I have put some time in this week producing some which are now on display at BAZAAR, 3 Gammon Walk, Barnstaple and also on my website www.raspberryrings.co.uk But here is a preview!

I am going to make a concerted effort to produce more as I have found I actually really enjoy the discipline of them. For local customers I also now have a bowl of orphans on the counter which is lovely to really rummage in!!

Also this week I have been busy on my Facebook Page : Raspberry Rings, Lampwork Beads and Jewellery I promised that when I gained 200 Fans that I would do a giveaway and I was thrilled to find that I had 201 Fans as of today!! Thank you to all of you that have fanned me. I find Facebook the most immediate way of talking to my customers and finding out what they think, what they want and to sometimes take some constructive feedback! For those who are local in Devon it means they get a 'heads up' on new beads that have arrived in store and of course for those of you who are not local a 'heads up' on what is available on my website shops. I have also met alot of other glass artists on-line and I love seeing what they are up to and have fanned over 100 shops and pages!! Excessive but truly great fun! If you want to see the giveaway just click on the link above. I had abit of a disaster with that to, somehow it ended up on the bead rack in the shop and sold almost immediately so I am creating one similar with permission of the person who bought it...yes thats you Alison!! Do check it out, all you have to do is leave a comment and you could win a pretty silver riveted bead.

And finally I have gone back to my roots.....just cannot leave the wire alone it is so soothing to twist and bend random designs and come up with a ring like this! I also wrote down how I achieved it so I am dead chuffed, no two will be identical and I can make them with a chosen bead which gives great flexibility for the customer all I need is your ring size. If you are interested do get in touch and we can work something out they are retailing at £14.99. The wire currently is non tarnish silver plated copper but it could be done in silver but that obviously would push the price up. Hope you like! The pendant is a regular feature for me and a great way to display big beads. I am happy to make just the finding for anyone who has a big bead they want to wear as a pendant.

Well I have probably blogged on for long enough for now but as always the last pic is of the lovely Milly....this is after a very wet walk on the beach and a romp with a HUGE poodle and a very energetic terrier!!

2010-02-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

So I am pleased to announce the winner of my bead is

is http://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com and you will see by the nature of her blog how right this win is for Diane. CONGRATULATIONS!! I once again thank you all for entering and I have so enjoyed checking out your blogs. Diane it is a pleasure to pop this bead in the post for youxx

Will be posting again real soon xx

And the Winner is..................

2010-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!! Well I am absolutely overwhelmed by the response to the One World, One Heart event. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to visit my blog and enter for my prize. I have now closed the event and will be announcing a winner tomorrow. I am using a random number generator online as I guess this is the fairest way of doing things. I was very touched by all your kind comments, I love it that you all love glass too x

Will post first thing and email my winner tonight......................................so watch this space LOL!!

and coz I can't do a post with out a bead and my lovely Milly here is what I have been working on. It is a 'deconstructed' Union Jack. First attempts below. I have put it on nice thick leather, put in silver rivets and added a nice chunky clasp so it is suitable for boys and girls!! Only available at Bazaar, our shop at the moment but as always if you would like something similar do get in touch. I will be making more and they will go online in due course........................

And the lovely Photographers assistant exhausted from all her Valentine Proposals on the beach!!

Best wishes

Jennie

One for the Boys!

2010-02-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Well who can ignore One World One Heart! What an incredible response 212 comments and prize entrys....I know what Ian and I will be doing on Valentines Day!! Good Luck and thank you to all my new visitors, I have really enjoyed visiting other blogs and am thrilled to have so many visits from around the world.

I have had a busy week on the torch and we have been really busy in the shop which is fantastic news, infact Raspberry Rings took a large percentage of the turnover in January..... Whoop Whoop! So a HUGE Thank you to everyone both online and in Devon you know who you are :0). As a result of all this lovely activity I have had a week of trying to catch up with myself and have torn myself away from the torch today to dedicate myself to cyberspace. LOL!

I have listed a whole lot of new 5mm beads on the website and there are also some new ones in the shop (Bazaar, 3 Gammon Walk, Barnstaple, North Devon). They are all one off so get them while they are hot!!

The piccy above is of a few of them! I have also been doing some BIG beads, below, due to a huge demand for them.....not keeping up on my website at the moment but I promise i will!

I have also been busy with the beads 'designing' some ready to wear pieces. I have had a few requests for more for the men so I have posted a few on my website : www.raspberryrings.co.uk here is a taster inspired by the movie Avatar! All are on chunky leather with 'manly' clasps!!

And I have added some more for the girls too and with Valentines at the front of my mind.

So that is all the news from here. Oh I almost forgot and my posts would not be the same without her....Ta Da...... Here is the photographers assistant today, who is looking abit sleepy after a huge romp on the beach with an extremely fast Springer Spaniel called Ed earlier!! Puppy lovexxx

Thats all for now folks, I am out of cyberspace just updated everything & I have decided it is SO boring compared to the Flame!! Hey if you would like to read more check out my Facebook : Raspberry Rings, Lampwork Beads & Jewellery

See Ya!! Jenniexx

One World One Heart..........

2010-02-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!
Well an exciting week all in all with lots of sales in the shop........a huge thank you to everyone who has bought from me recently x

Now I don't usually blog twice a week but I had the offer of a carpet ride!! After reading the article on women of glass in Flow magazine I started to browse blogs and discovered Lisa Aitchison, http://touchofglassdesigns.blogspot.com/ her work is inspirational and that is were I found out about the Carpet Ride created by Artist Lisa Swifka. Some of you may have noticed the mysterious logo in the top right side of the page...... Well this is what it is all about : Lisa created this event in 2007 and it is about linking together like minded people. Each of the artists on the carpet is giving away a prize and to enter all you have to do is leave a comment on their blog. You will find a list of them if you click on the logo. You too can come and join us and help unite bloggers from around the world. This is an international event and a great way to meet new friends and connect with fellow artist. Oh and of course win lots of scrumptious prizes!!

Here's the guidelines.

1. You must preferably have an active blog, or be following me. If you are not you can leave your email if you wish but why not use this nudge to start blogging and follow me too!!!!!!

2. You must leave a comment to be eligible for the give away. Be sure to leave contact info, in case you are the winner!!

3. The winner will be drawn at random on Feb 15.

I thought long and hard about the prize and as I am only a year (just!) into my glass adventure I was conscious of the staggeringly awesome standard of most of the other glass artists on the carpet! So here we go.......................

The inspiration for this little baby was the sea, the sand and the wind. I and Milly, my Lakie terrier, spend a huge amount of time on the same beach, Westward Ho! It is a huge sand beach with huge tidal change and I am constantly amazed by how everything shifts with each tide and I had that in the forefront of my mind whilst creating this bead. It has been formed free hand as I wanted to keep that organic feeling to the shape as well as the content. I hope it reflects that movement and you like it!!

So there it is!! Since I am still awaiting the arrival of my 'Cricket' and am still with my trusty hothead and bulk fuel I am dead chuffed with the encasing but it does take hours..yawn.....xx

Well all that is left is to say good luck, enjoy the ride and will blog again on the weekend - Jennie xxx

Snow, Sun and of Course LOADS OF BEADS!!

2010-02-02T02:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

So Happy New Year!!!

Now that might seem a little belated as it is February but I have been lucky enough to have been back in Tobago for two weeks soaking up the sun and recovering from retail madness in December, a BIG thank you to all of you who bought from Raspberry Rings last year we had a great year and I enjoyed meeting some of you in the shop. It took us a while to actuaaly get away as we managed to time are departure when the big snow came, roads full of snow, airport full of snow in fact the only person who seemed to love it was MILLY!!

So after a 24 hour delay which tested everybodies patience to the limit (nothing like checking in, buying your duty frees then having to return duty free, collect your bags and go through passport control and customs without having left the country with every other plane that has been canceled and then pay a fortune for a hotel as we were miles from home grrrrr!).

The only up side of being at Gatwick was I managed to get in touch with an old friend who lives close by, and found out he (Charles Hooper) is to be appearing in a BBC programme in February, it is called Master Crafts and sounds fantastic he had to learn loads of new skills... here is a link to their Facebook Page if you would like to find out more, I understand one part of the series features a glass artist...will keep you posted www.facebook.com/home.php?#/Mastercrafts?ref=mf

So after an adventurous start I and my friend Cath had a fantastic time, trekked the rain forest, did lots of snorkeling, went to watch the flying fish, in fact spend alot of time on and in the sea (even met a shark face to face for the first time!!) and yet again seem to have got that blue bug. Blue is not a colour I am normally drawn to but those seas in the Caribbean are just so blue it kind of infects you and those Parrot fish.... well they are inspirational in terms of their colours and markings, just unbelievable so still working on a bead using their influence. Watch this space!!

The sea is also an inspiration and I have continued with my Tobago beads mentioned in an earlier blog. This first one is a large 5mm silver riveted one perfect for a silver chain or leather pendant:

And then there are the little ones!! 5mm silver riveted, although the observant people out there will spot I haven't put the rivets in yet but they are on my list for tomorrow!! Then it will be added to the website. In the meantime here are a few that I listed yesterday at www.raspberryrings.co.uk

I am a member of a forum called Frit Happens, for glass artists: www.frithappens.co.uk and we have a blog www.FHFteam.blogpot.com We are spotlighting some of our members over the next few months and because I was away I missed some of the earlier artists but will list them later. So here is the latest one JeannieGems, I love the use of colours in Jeannies beads and her woven jewellery is so pretty too....check it out at www.jeanniegems.etsy.com

And lastly Valentines!! I have been listening to what customers are asking for in the shop and as well as the beads everyone is after pins so I am in the process of producing some one off beads and pins with Valentines in mind.....here are a couple:

Well so much to catch up on I must run and besides look at this face........ I think she is telling me it is time for WALKIES..........................................................

'Glow in The Dark' 5mm Bead Giveaway!!

2009-12-17T03:55:00.000-08:00

So complete and utter Christmas Madness with us LOL! I feel like I am in some crazy quiz show on telly where the clock is constantly ticking the time away till Christmas!! I am beginning to mimic BEEP BEEP the roadrunner!!

Anyway this is a quickie....firstly to apologise to those of you who may be waiting for new 5mm beads on the website, sadly although I do have a selection of new beads they are only available via the shop as I will now not be able to guarantee Christmas delivery. The good news is I have managed to experiment with my new glow in the dark beads and they ))))GLOW(((( and are available via the shop as from today Thursday afternoon. Late night shopping in Barnstaple tonight, we are open till 9pm, BAZAAR, 3 Gammon Walk, Barnstaple, North Devon. 01271 323 218

To thank you all for your support and custom this year, I am doing a Christmas Draw for one of my new Glow Beads. If you would like to enter make a 'comment' below I will be doing the draw on Sunday and will contact the winner then and organise posting it, If you are not a blogger or a follower of mine you can also send me your details to bazaarbarnstaple@yahoo.co.uk. Sadly it will probably not be there in time for Christmas but it will Light up your New Year! The bead has a 5mm core and has Sterling Silver Rivets, it is a lovely aquamarine during the day and glows at night. We did a test last night and with only a few hours under a lamp they glowed all night!!

I will post again on Sunday with results, and FHF members please add a tag to your comment so I can PM you on the forum!! It is probably quicker that way.

Good luck and a HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all

Jenniex

Santa's Little Helper!!

2009-12-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

So here she is, Santa's little helper or actually photographers assistant...MILLY! She spent the whole time I was photographing the latest batch of beads in the conservatory running up the back of the sofa and bashing me on the head with the horrible looking dog toy of hers. And yes Sophie if you happen to be reading this, that yellow thing under her feet is the partially destroyed Hot Dog you gave her!!

Anyway I digress we have had a really good week both on the website and in the shop and the beads are selling as fast as I can fire them....thank you to all my customers and to all of you who have been spreading the word, I have had alot of people in this week who have been told by friends to come in and have a look. The only downside to all the retail action is that it meant I couldn't get to Manda Muddimers Open Studio (www.mangobeads.co.uk). I also missed a visit from Julie Haveland Beer (www.domairicdesign.co.uk) another talented local glass artist who popped into the shop to say hello. Hopefully we will catch up soon x

So not much news this week seem to be attached to the till, the torch or asleep!! The only drama is my ongoing battle to recieve an order from California for some 'glow in the dark' dust to go in my beads. The company are saying it has been posted and after a few emails has put some more in the post but still not a sign of either packages and I'm out of pocket....grrrrrrrrrr

But I have since found a company in the UK who do some and excitedly ordered some Aqua glow dust and of course had to order a few more glass rods whilst I was on there LOL! Got it home and put the bubble wrapped glass with the small packet of dust attached to it on the kitchen table and turned my back for a second, when I turned around Milly had managed to get the whole parcel of the table and was happily gnawing on the end of the packet........I will not repeat here what emitted from my mouth but luckily she did not get the dust. Can you imagine? Ian my husband thought the whole episode was hysterical and was sad he couldn't get the camera out and photograph the results of her eating it........

I have been experimenting today and am waiting for the results with baited breath. It is amazing to work with if it goes near the torch or hot glass it fizzes and glows like fireworks. I plan to giveaway a glow bead as a Christmas Freebie here if I can get it too work.

So that is the news from here, more 5mm beads in the Kiln so they will be availabe at the end of the week in the shop and I will try to put some on the website on Thursday morning but will keep those of you following Twitter or Facebook updated.

Bye for now........

Pendants, Pendants and more Pendants!

2009-12-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas has arrived and the shop has been bonkers this week. It is a relief to be honest we just didn't know how the 'credit crunch' would affect the way people shop this year but so far it doesn't seem to have made a huge impact on how the spending is going...big sigh of relief!

Once again the website and the shop have been busy for Raspberry Rings, thank you to all my lovely customers! As a result stock has been running low so I have spent some time putting some pendants together as you can see. The one on the top left is a particular favourite, I love that shimmery effect of the double helix glass used that gives it a real Christmas feel! I have currently hung the pendant on a sterling silver chain and added three 5mm Pandora style beads threaded on to give it that extra pazaaz! The nice thing about this design is that you can add your own beads and mix and match if you like.

My Christmas Balls from earlier in the week became all sorts of things from pendants to bookmarks. The beautiful huge blue one sadly was cracked so I decided to wear it in the shop on Saturday on a long silver chain, a customer came in and was obsessed with it!! In the end after explaining that it may only last for five minutes and I was unhappy about selling it for that reason, but eventually and even with a slight crack she pursuaded me to part with it for a tenner!!

I did manage to get some 5mm done and in the kiln earlier in the week and they are in the shop now and on the website

and last but not least this 5mm that kinda expanded into a huge bead which I love which is available in the shop, I have popped in some sterling silver rivets since this photo was taken and it looks great just on a simple black leather thong!

Thats it for this week, Happy shopping to you all! Will blog again mid week....Bye for now!!

2009-11-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all!
So Monday and a day for playing at the torch, I have been thinking about christmas baubles for my christmas tree or HUGE pendants can't decide which. They are hollow beads measuring 30mm approximately and are lovely to hold....fit nicely in the palm of your hand!! The dots leave abit to be desired so some practice is needed before I am happy but they have been a huge amount of fun to make and I thought I would share them with you all. These I think will adorn our tree unless someone makes me an offer!! LOLx

Busy week this week, Ian is away on a stage management job so I am (with the help of the lovely Chloe and co) on my own in the shop this week so not much time for torching. Thought I had tomorrow but due to a rota c**k up I am in the shop for the middle part of the day.....may be able to fit something in tomorrow night. Hope so was doing some experimenting with Terranova which was looking exciting....watch this space!!

Have a good week all, will post when I get time.........

I've Been Keeping a Secret......

2009-11-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody, Where does the week go? I cannot believe it is Friday already and we have had our first late night shopping at the shop......Is it my age or is the world moving so much faster than it use too?

So the news from Raspberry Rings : Well a busy week, managed to get on the torch at the beginning of the week and produce some beads. The 5mm are still the most popular but these larger 5mm core beads are also proving a hit. They are all unique, I do not make two the same so you will get something original to wear. I have also designed a silver link, like the one you can see on the blue bead here (can you see the Tobago influence still asserting itself LOL!), The links are completely handmade out of sterling silver wire, hammered and worked into a D shaped link and wound at the top. These I have been selling on their own for customers to put on their own chains or we have silver chains availabe in the shop or I am making simple leather necklaces with silver clasps to hang them on. Phew! It is endless, oh and did I mention the bead pins? Anyway the long and short of it there are lots of beads to choose from in Bazaar. If you are local come in and have a chat, I love making pendants up and there is a wide variety of style and prices to choose from. You can come in and choose a wish list for your family to buy for you for Christmas and then you know you are getting exactly what you want!

Now those of you who know me well know I hate keeping secrets and I have been for what seems like months. I have ordered a secret ingredient for my beads to really make you stand out in the crowd but it has been delayed in California and I am practically mugging the postie when he arrives in the excitement of the possibility that he might have something in his sack for me! I just hope it is worth the wait....I have kept it secret for two and a half weeks and I am popping to tell you and to experiment and post pictures.........watch this space for the moment my lips are just about sealed!

Elsewhere I was really chuffed to win a Competition. I am a member of a lampworking forum, called Frit Happens - www.frithappens.co.uk. It is a forum for fire people everywhere, not just lampworking there are all kinds of glass workers and some really talented beaders, jewellers and silver clay artists there too. Anyway I entered a couple of my beads in a Sparkly Challenge that was being held and I won......never one anything in my life before so I was very chuffed with that, and even more chuffed to hear I was to recieve some bead work from the very talented Lynn Davy (http://www.nemeton.clara.net/) so that was a lovely suprise and TA TA here are the winning babies:

Oh dear just noticed the bit of sticky behind photo 4...oooops! These have all sold except the bead in Picture 2 I have a feeling that one is still in the shop. I was popping these on in my Etsy shop but I keep paying for the listing and then sell them over here! Not grumbling but it means my shop is looking abit empty now!!

As always if you see any of my work anywhere and you would like more information or to buy or commission a bead please do get in touch.

So that is all the news for this week, a few necklaces to make and a lovely pin commission to do so I better get to it! I also need to add some 5mm beads to the website.............Infact I will do that right now........thanks for reading!

PS Thinking of giving away a sparkly bead for Christmas to one of my blog readers, what do you all think about that? LOL!

PPS oh and I nearly forgot some of the new 5mm beads:

Hey Facebook Followers!

2009-11-25T06:14:00.000-08:00

Wow modern technology, I can't believe that I have new followers via Facebook in that short space of time....thank you everyone, I will endeavour to update these posts regularly and keep everyone up to speed with what is happening in Raspberry World!! xx

Where do all the Days go?

2009-11-23T03:18:00.001-08:00

I can't believe last week has gone so quick.....The engagement ring that gave me sleepless nights was picked up on friday and they LOVED it, in all the excitement I forgot to photograph it but Ian took a shot on his mobile of it actually on her finger so all I have to do now is work out how to download that onto my laptop!! We had a great bead party on Thursday night with Alison...Thank you Alison!....Milly came too as she has two dogs herself and Milly was given a lovely red bandana by Molly and Mabel which makes her look everso sweet.....must post photos!! Lots of sales, lots of lovely glassy chat really enjoyed it.

The shop is busy with customers as well and the large size beads on silver chains are popping out! I have a pile of commissions and I am out to lunch so note toself NO WINE AT LUNCHTIME! It was my birthday on Friday, 46 were does the time go, I still feel 26 apart from a dodgy hip which is playing up badly at the moment......there it is old age!!??? I am talking and sharing my health issues, will stop that immediately! Got a new Blackberry phone so look out I will soon have absolute access to the internet at all times!! Ian gave me a few tools I had requested and all in all I was really spoilt, sister and family came for weekend, lovely time but no time for the torch except in my dreams.

Well I am sure noone is that interested in my social diary so I will stop here and will post with piccys once I have mastered getting photos of Ian's phone.

Best wishes Jenniex

DREAMING OF TOBAGO!

2009-11-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

Good evening all! I don't know what it has been like in the rest of the world but it has been FOUL in North Devon, blowing a hurricane and pouring with rain for days, I have been listening to Radio 4 and the rain gushing of the roof of my Shed as I work at replacing the 5mm beads that are flying out of the shop..... As usual I got distracted and this time I started daydreaming about my holiday.

My friend Cath who took me to Tobago to stay at her friends house last year has asked me again in January, so exciting it is such a beautiful island, sea, sunshine and flowers! The house is in a truly beautiful spot set in virgin rain forest. The whole thought of Tobago made me think of the seas and the beautiful infinity pool at the house (piccy above) and I found myself leaving the small beads and grabbing the blues to produce the beads below influenced by the Carribbean Islands, the spear shaped pendant from the infinity pool and that flowing water. (Double click on images to get the full glory!)

and so I have lots of new designs in my head now and dreaming of Nylon Pool, Tobago...............Slightly more inviting than rainy North Devon............................

Wedding Bells!!

2009-11-15T10:37:00.001-08:00

Well what a week that was! Loads of exciting glassy things happening but the biggest suprise of the week was when a young couple came into the shop and started looking at my glass rings. I love making them but they don't sell as well as the beads so I don't make so many now. I probably jinxed them by getting 20 larger mandrels made and as soon as I had them done the sales seem to drop right off. Ho Hum the twists and turns of retail! Anyway I digress, it turns out this couple are getting married and want something different for the engagement ring. Ha ha! you know what is coming, well I was gobsmacked, I mean I like my rings but I would never have put them in that bracket but they obvioulsy loved them and who am I to argue? It left me with a glow and a smile on my face all day untill I realised I actually had to produce something special and that glow turned to fear and apprehension and a couple of nights of glassy dreams, what a responsibility, I am so honoured! They have decided on colours and I have been getting some practice in on the torch today as I haven't made a ring for a few weeks. Tomorrow will be 'ring' day. Once it is done and they have picked it up and like it I will post piccys but here are a few of my earlier ones, sorry about quality of pics, don't seem to have photographed any of the more recent ones so they have improved since then!!

We had a couple of Christmas Sales this week, one was in aid of a childrens charity in a local community hall, it was not just beads and jewellery but a range of stock from our shop Bazaar in Barnstaple. It was hard work, we had a busy day in the shop and then packed the van headed off had half an hour to set up, then 3 hours of watching paint dry! No to be fair there were shoppers there but most were browsing and we took a total of £80.00 and made the decision that we would not be doing that style of sale again, every year we give it a go and every year it is a disaster!

Friday night was a different matter, a regular customer, Sue threw a bead party and we had a fantastic night. It is always a buzz to be amongst people who love beads and Sue's friends certainly did! There is nothing like hearing feedback firsthand and I still find it amazing how we all see colour and combination so differently. I just love looking at other peoples bracelets and necklaces. We were due to be there from 7 till 9 but we were still going at 11pm, one girls mum even phoned in an order having checked out the website.....what can I say but a huge THANK YOU SUE!

For anyone in the Barnstaple/Bideford area of North Devon who would like to hold a bead party do get in touch, we bring a few bottles of vino with the beads and 10% of what we take you get in beads!

Most of the sales were 5mm beads but I have also started taking a dish of 3mm beads and am offering a pendant making service if customers want it or they can just buy them and string them themselves which is proving really popular at the partys but particularly in the shop I had six to do this week.

I have divided the beads up so that they are different prices according to how complicated and time consuming they are to produce but the basic ones at £2.50 each fly out! So the result of this and a really good week in the shop means the bead racks are looking bare so after a romp on the beach with Milly, (at last a drop of sunshine after all the rain) I cleaned the shedio and glass and settled down to a 5mm beading session on the torch. Wasn't long before I was distracted and one huge bead was the result! I will post pics when it is out of the kiln.

We also had a delivery of new sterling silver bead bracelets in store from our silver supplier, they have really pretty clasps double ended with a tiny coloured crystal in the centre of a flower decorating it. I won't be putting them on the website as there are only a few all in different colours and all 7.5". Do get in touch if you would like one of course I can post them. This is the pic from the supplier which is why it is not so clear.

So that is the news from me, a really good week on the bead front but now Sunday roast beckons so time to close.........See you soon and thanks for looking x

Revving up for the Christmas Sales!

2009-11-11T14:06:00.001-08:00

Wow knackered tonight, really busy day at the shop deliveries left right and centre and we seem to have our teenage doggie back now the bangs have stopped. She is bossing us around and generally telling us what to do and when, we are going back to our Cesar Milan rule of Exercise, Discipline, Affection in that order. Poor old Dudley is being bullied 24/7 that is him the background looking angelic but don't believe it he managed to wake us up with a sweet little fat mouse at 2am for the second night running.......little cherubs aren't they!

Another good day today 25% of the takings on Raspberry Rings, a couple of bracelets and beads and a couple of focal beads....I am liking christmas! ;0) Did a couple of pendants with customers today, they chose charms and beads but did not want to spend the money on silver chains so I offered up some leather and they chose their colour and I have spent this evening putting clasps on both as well as riveting loads of 5mm beads. Not a very good piccy but here is one, that fairy is a great charm she looks as if she is holding the beads up.

I did some copies of my christmas sparklies in smaller beads and they look lovely now they have their little silver tummies in place! So we are all ready for a couple of Christmas Sales, one tomorrow and a private Bead Party on Friday, I always really enjoy those, meet loads of new people and get to have a glass of wine whilst I sell!! So I will let you know how those go over the weekend when my feet touch the ground again!!

Bye for now..................

Getting ready for a busy week!

2009-11-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

So we survived Fireworks, Milly was not happy and lost her mojo. We were staying with friends in Plymouth and it was like a war zone and she managed to leave a little pressie for them in a quiet corner..oooops!
Sorry Jane and Simon! She has now returned to full on teenager and bossing us all around. She takes me round to the Shed everytime I go to work incase something or someone 'gets' me on the way there and keeps coming back to check all is well every five minutes or so.

Last week was fantastic bead sales which put a smile on my face but that means back to the shedio for some fast and furious work in the flame! Managed to spare time on Thursday to have a good glassy catch up with Manda from Mango Beads. Manda gave me my first lesson and is a constant inspiration......hey check out her world at www.mangobeads.co.uk! It is so good to sit down and talk glass over a mocha thank you Amanda!

Have also added a couple of beads to my Etsy Shop. One of them pictured here. These big hole beads are going a storm with the new silver charms and chains, something abit different to the usual bracelets, although talking of braclets I have ordered some lovely new silver bracelets with great clasps, flowers with czec crystal decoration will post them when they arrive.

So the kiln is bubbling away and we will see what tomorrow brings, lots of silvery glass my favourite. I am toying with the idea of some glow in dark beads...great for clubbing......maybe I will have to flex the credit card in a few minutes hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmx On a non glassy theme I managed to book tickets for P!nk again next year.........awesome.....saw her in Birmingham this year, so excited she is doing stadium this time.....bring it on....whoop whoop!

Well that is it for now, thanks for reading!

Jenniex

New Silver Has Arrived!

2009-11-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Folks, A strange day today, infact a strange week but that is too long a story to share.

The good news is that bead wise this has been a fabulous week lots of my sparkle beads are nestling in new homes and I have received my latest orders of silver charms for the silver necklaces that you can add my 5mm troll style beads too. Currently these are only available in the shop but if anyone is interested do get in touch! Here are a few they are awesome and look fabulous with my new sparkly beads........am I allowed to say that myself!! I think I might have to keep a pirate one myself...Jack Sparrow eat ur heart out!

Fireworks still banging around outside mean that my time on the torch was limited today as Milly was cowering around my ankles so we had to abandon creation and come inside to safety!!

Off to Plymouth this weekend to see old friends so torching will now have to wait till Monday, got a couple of sparklers in the kiln to replace the ones we have sold this week. I am smiling all the way with the response from my customers. Thank you everyone xxx

The Fireworks have started already.....

2009-11-04T12:49:00.001-08:00

Well I am sitting here typing this and thinking about popping into the FHF Etsy Team chat room, drinking hot chocolate and trying to ignore Milly who is quivering under my chair at all the pops and bangs that are going off around us in Bideford. To distract ourselves from the fireworks we are listening to a debate on radio 4 about Twitter. The result: that Twitter can create a 'Twitch Hunt' which in the opinion of the current speaker creates Mob rule. Mob rule hhhhmmm! I guess that is what the FHF team are trying to achieve with their treasury 'hits' lol.

Now what I should be doing is sitting down and starting the Wedding Crown I was commissioned & paid for to do for this Saturday,, yes that is this Saturday (the bride had an accident with her original one and needs a quick replacement that looks as she wants it LOL !! and she is asking me?) So here I am asking myself why am I twittering, blogging and generally floating around the internet rather than getting out my tools and wire and getting on with it? Probably because the wire doesn't hold as much of an attraction now I have FIRE! And talking off that I also have one eye on the clock as the kiln has a little stash cooking away.

Felt so tired today, didn't get enough sleep last night, was it just me or was that wind freaky? It felt like the house was going up Wizard of Oz styley, ended up reading from about 2am to 3.30am tried to sleep and finally dropped off at 6.15....my alarm goes off at 6.30 GREAT.

Full day at shop, Christmas shoppers out already and really busy with lots of goodies arriving for christmas. I must get some piccys of the Christmas window its a goody stuffed half the shop in there!! I must also post piccys of my awesome new jewellery counter. Milly has caused stress today she is really restless and bossy, she was spayed last week and is not able to exercise too much yet which means I have a Lakeland Teenager on my hands she even barked at me when I left the van this morning to fill up with diesal I ask you, she has also taken to pushing her cushion all round the office if I am on the computer and ignoring her.

So that is my excuse for no wire wrapping tonight. I am knackered and I am promising myself I will take my tool bag to the shop tomorrow and get on with it....well I have too as they are picking it up lunchtime Friday....aaaagghhhhh!

Sold the two babies you see above yesterday, a 26" silver chain and silver Bali Ball Charm to keep them company and a whole heap of 5mm beads, then a bracelet and more beads today, oh and some charms so was really chuffed with the beady side of things! Should get an exciting package tomorrow from my silver supplier with new charms and some great leather bracelets with silver clasps for 5mm beads.

Well that is it for now..maybe I will go and pack my toolbag ready to go, but first I might pop into the chatroom and see who is about.........

Night Night...............................

Feeling Optomistic Today!

2009-11-03T02:16:00.000-08:00

So after last week this week has got to be better. We normally have Sunday and Monday away from the shop so today, Tuesday always seems like the beginning of the week for me.
Huge family dramas last week with my dad announcing his plans to remarry meant my focus was all over the place but now I have got my head around it and am back on track - I think.
Just trying to get my head around all the different places on line that I seem to have posted myself in the on line frenzy I had yesterday, so much to check every day!! Hey and still trying to work out how I can put Twitter on here for folk to add themselves as followers....does anyone out there in the ethers know?
Just added a few of my 5mm beads to my Etsy Shop, www.raspberryrings.etsy.com. I sell them from the shop where they fly out like hot cakes I am pleased to say, and the website which is slower sales so I thought I would try a few them across the pond to and see what the response is!
So I must go and face the madness that is the shop at this time of year and help the lovely Chloe who is working for us now Manda's daughter Sophie has gone to Uni unpack yet MORE christmas stock and put it out. Come and check it out if your local to us...Bazaar, 3 Gammon Walk, Barnstaple, North Devon!!

God it is so fustrating that there are not more hours in the day, and that I only have two hands, it seems to be my torch time that is comprimised at the moment particularly since Lam (husband!) is off on a 'secret' stage management job in Glasgow for the week, will tell all once the secret is out!! So it is me, Dudley (the cat!) and Milly (the Dog!) keeping each other company at home. The really happy family person is Milly who has just had her stitches out following her spaying and can now lose the pink 'bonnet' that has been causing sideways amused looks from all the other dogs she met bless!!

So lets see what the day has in store......Maybe I'll blog later.......................Bye for now

2 November 2009

2009-11-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

So Christmas has arrived in our shop it feels so strange with the weather being so warm but the customers are buying so I am back at the torch to produce more 5mm Beads which are selling even better since we put in a bespoke counter for all the beads and handmade jewellery. I am thrilled and touched by the response. I have also started to produce some sparkly beads with christmas in mind, I have ordered lots of lovely silver too will post some piccys later but time ticks on so I am off to the shudio now..........