All About Beads

I listed a new necklace in my Folksy shop - beautiful pastel blue cylinder beads and silver coloured seed beads.

Very pretty - please visit my shop to see more - just click on the link on the top right of the page.

Snowpatrol

Went to see Snowpatrol in concert tonight at the Odyssey with my friend Claire from work.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Digital Photography for beginners - Mon 23 Jan 2012

I started my new evening class tonight - looks like it will be interesting and fun.

Hoping to learn how to use the camera I have and ask for advice on choosing a new more up to date slim line model.

There will be 4 evening field trips - two into Belfast, one to Lady Dixon Park and one to Belfast Castle - really looking forward to them.

I think each week we have to take photos and send them to the tutor who will critique them - will be interesting to see what everyone comes up with.

Photos this week have to include line, pattern, colour.

Edited to add my photos for this week - not very exciting - I'm going to find it difficult to find the time and decent weather to get out and about and take more 'arty' photos!

I went to a garden centre this week and used that opportunity to take a few photos.

Folksy Friday - 20 January 2012

It's the birthday of two good friends this weekend and they both love cats, so that's my theme for this week.

Happy Birthday to Lynne and Pamela.

So many 'cat' items on Folksy - all different including jewellery, stationery, brooches, pincushions, home decor, bags.


Please click on any of the pics to go straight to the Folksy Shop.

So many talented crafters/artists promoting their talents on Folksy.com - I'm very happy to be part of that community.

NI Beaders' Guild - Sat 14 Jan 2012

Another lovely afternoon spent at the NI Beaders' Guild.

Today Beatrix, one of the Guild members, was demonstrating micro macrame jewellery, it was an opportunity to 'have a go'

and also to see some of the beautiful pieces Beatrix has made.

Please visit her website to see more - http://www.alabjewellery.co.uk/

Beatrix also provided these beautiful bookmarks, each one showing a photo of one of her jewellery pieces - really brill promotion idea.

Micro macrame is now on my to do list !

A New Year sale on Folksy

Am delighted - the bracelet I listed on Folksy at the weekend sold today !

So I've listed the two other items I made from that huge bag of lovely beads.

Very proud of this necklace, hours and hours of work to create it.

This beacelet is a tubular net design, unusual and it matches well with the necklace.

Please visit my Folksy shop to see more pics.

AllAboutBeads.Folksy.com

Another start to a New Year resolution - using my bead stash

I'm going to try to use up some of the beads I have in my stash, as it is getting out of control!

I've had this huge bag of turquoise seed beads for about three years and decided to see how many pieces I could make from it.

I don't know how much it weighed but I've made three pieces so far - weighed the bag and it is still over 100g !

I'm going to list the three pieces in my Folksy Shop http://www.folksy.com/shops/AllAboutBeads  AllAboutBeads.Folksy.com over this week.

1st piece - a lovely spiral rope bracelet.

It's made with the turquoise beads and size 11 silver beads, embellished with tiny drop beads and fastened with a lovely silver coloured metal toggle.

What do you think of it?

Please call back to see the next two pieces.

A good start (to one of my new year resolutions !)

I invited my 4 nephews and 1 niece for a 'sleepover' on Friday night.  If you are a regular reader of my blog you'll know I like to spend a lot of time with them.
Unfortunately the littlest one, Ellis aged 3 couldn't stay on the Friday night because he had woken about 4 every morning this week and his mum thought it would be better if he stayed in his own house overnight - rather than have all of us up so early - I think it was the right decision!

The 3 eldest arrived on Friday night first, then Mason came after football practice.  I had set out the 'Bob the Builder' playset, Dean, Kyle and Kelsie haven't seen it for some years as they are getting so grown up but they were so excited to see it, I laughed so much at their reaction - good memories!

They remembered the theme tune and all the names of the characters, except for the forklift truck - I googled it, his name is Sumsy !

While we waited for Mason, they helped me to make the stew for Saturday night's tea - a real team effort.  Hopefully Dean won't grow up to be the mad knife murderer he is impersonating here!

Saturday morning was craft time, painting in pjs - loved it, just a little messy.

The down to the local playpark after lunch.

They were walking together in front of me - had to capture that image.

Then back to my house, first to cosy up and watch a DVD and then ready for tea - if you look closely you can see the painted dino, plant pot and tea light holders created that morning.

A final play with Bob the Builder and his friends and then home time.

The kids were all so good, I enjoyed every minute.  When I asked everyone what their favourite part of the 'sleepover' was, Mason replied playing on my wheelchair and working the stair lift!  I laughed out loud, all the activities I'd arranged and he enjoyed that the most !

Folksy Friday - 6 January 2012

Christmas Pressies from Folksy.com

Christmas 2011, I bought several presents from Folksy -

the soap and sign for my Dad - The sign is already on the garden shed, and dad said he would be putting the soap in his little outside cloakroom in the garden, which he uses when working in the garden - perfect !  Just what I thought he would do.

Crayons for my littlest nephews, each letter of their first name in a different colour of crayon.  They didn't believe they were crayons at first - thought they were too nice to use !

A jar for each nephew and my niece with their name on it, I put their favourite sweeties in each jar but thought they could use them for storing coins, tiny toys, necklaces or hair bobbles as appropriate!

The wooden decorations I used as gift tags and suggested to the recipient they were also a decoration for their tree.

The little bracelet kit was part of my niece's present.  We'll have fun making it together.




I was delighted with all my purchases.
Please click on any of the pictures to go straight to the Folksy shop.
Throughout the year why not visit Folksy.com for all your present needs.

New Year 2012 - Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

I'm writing down my resolutions - in the interest of full disclosure and to have responsibility/ accountability!

Lose weight - I've been going to Slimming World - lost 19 lbs since June 2011(although there may be a weight gain over Christmas!) and I have some way still to go.

I hope to go on a sunny holiday this year so that will be a great incentive to keep on with the healthy eating.

Keep my house tidier - (not tidy, I am so untidy and that makes me unhappy so I want to try to be tidier, not live in CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome).

Swim on a regular basis.

Only eat out once a week, organise my diary better.  It'll will mean I'll have to say NO more often and plan ahead using my diary.

Develop my photography skills (do you see what I did there?!).  I've enrolled on a Digital Photography course for beginners - looking forward to that.

Use up the beads, yarn and papercrafting supplies that I already have, do not buy beads (except ones that I need for my teaching bead workshops). (That's my get out clause !)

Keep in touch with my nephews and niece, they are growing up so fast and I love being part of their lives, hearing about their activities, attending events at their schools and spending time in their company.  (that will also mean I'll see more of my sister/brother-in-law and brother/sister-in-law which will be an added bonus).

Keep in touch with my cousins.


Wish me luck !!




What about you?

Do you make new year resolutions?

Care to share any in the comments?