Earrings everywhere

Earrings were the items in production this afternoon, all now waiting to be photographed. All earrings are wrapped at the top to provide an elegant finish.

The flat discs are coin pearls, quite unusual in comparison to nuggets or round pearls. The crystals have a metallic iris shimmer and match the wrapped loop necklace made last year.

Each pair will be put up separately soon.

Purple Gecko Designs

 Purple Gecko Designs  has officially launched. Items will be be going up every week handcrafted by H&L. Watch this space for new designs, old favourites and exciting commissions.

New material, lots of ideas

New material! I love shopping for new material. All those lovely bolts of fabric just waiting to be turned into items. I spent the morning digging through appliques and satins for ideas for a new Latin American dress.

The Sewing Centre in Cape Town has a multiple of haberdashery items to make any sewer lose track of time as they browse their bounty.

Fabric City has four (4!) floors of fabric that you could spend days wandering through the bridal section, upholstery section, suiting, haberdashery and stretch materials. Warning: you will end up spending money in that store!

The result of my shopping adventure includes a sort of pinky purple satin and black applique roses and leaves to play around with.

I shall post photos as the work progresses.

Guess what my Easter weekend will be spent doing?

Bullseye

Bullseye!

The red and black beads make this pair of medallion earrings look remarkably like a dartboard. Ready to play?

Shell Flowers

Shell Flowers with shell disc centres make for fun additions to an outfit. A matching bracelet can be made on elastic, a hit with children and adults alike.

Pearls and Gemstones

Pearls and gemstones may not be the obvious choice to combine but in this piece, the gemstone chips highlight the colours of the pearls while still keeping the elegance of a knotted pearl necklace.

Knotted Shell

Knotted pearls may not be your cup of tea, but what about knotted shell discs? This long strand on brown shell discs creates a great beachy piece to wear with a maxi dress.

Beading: Completed Projects

With my thesis done and handed in for examination, it is time to return to the real world and with it the hobbies one can do when one has spare time. As many know, I do a lot of crafty stuff for fun and the occasional special commission for special events. As a result of my sudden spare time, I have finally managed to upload my completed beading projects onto a Pinterest board.

Cubed Cuff

This bracelet is a mixture of regular and two-drop peyote that creates a beautiful flat cuff to go with an evening gown. This particular piece is fashioned from Opaque Turquoise Cubes and Silver Grey seed beads.

Since these photos I have redone the silver section where I seem to have skipped a bead and added a button closure instead of a bead toggle.

Medallions Attempt 2

Pair 2 of the medallion earrings turned out much better than the original attempt. I've now figured out the correct bead spacing and tension. The picot on the edge creates a nice finish.

Fairview Cheesiness

Celebratory lunch at Fairview is always a cheese filled experience. I love their cheese tasting platters, that contain 10 samples (generous portions) of the different cheeses they make. There are 20 total, so between 4 of you, you can sample everything.

The photo below was taken midway through the tasting process. We finished the lot and promptly realised we didn't need to mains we ordered after our 'starter'.

PhD: Abstract

What my abstract looks like according to wordle:

Phd...Submitted, back to reality

I'm done. I have finally handed in my thesis and am returning to reality, the world of people other than my family, editor and supervisor.

Tomorrow it is back to back and the of life of developing in Python and dancing 4 nights a week. I've almost missed those days...almost.

Now the wait begins until I get any feedback, though there are many things to fill the hours. I am reminded of this:

Homemade Chalkboard

Mom's chalkboard has finally gone up, only 2 months late, but better late than never right?

The frame is not actually a bought frame...my brother the construction guy made it from moulded skirting  board, cut on the diagonal and then painted in high gloss white paint.

The chalkboard itself is a piece of plywood painted in black chalkboard paint we bought from the local hardware store. But you can make it in any colour you want, just ask Martha Stewart :)

Spiralling into Blue

A Russian Spiral is using blue metallic beads and iridescent squares. These necklaces make a beautiful accompaniment to an office outfit or a to spruce up a simple dress.

Canine Summer School Classes

Cape Province Dog Club training has resumed in the height of Summer. Daisy and I retreated to the shade while we waited for class to start.

Spirals of Chocolate and Cream

Spiral ropes have a very rustic look to them in comparison to Russian Spirals. These spiral colours where inspired by Top Deck chocolates, a particular love of mine.

Medallion Attempt

My first attempts at medallion earrings seems to be turning out rather well :)

These beauties are made around metal rings and then hand stitched using brick stitch. The purple and silver create wonderful contrasting bands. I'm thinking of using picot to create a frilly edge on them.

Purple Sparkle

Purple sparklies are my favourite kind. This bracelet is made from 144 Swarovski crystals strung on elastic with pewter spacers. The overall effect is one of opulence and shine.

Chevron Pearls

Pearls are always an elegant addition to an evening outfit. This chevron design adds a little bit of a modern twist to the classic pearl bracelet. The mother of pearl clasp adds a beautiful feature.