Pippa, Lesley & Bo

Not long to go now so here is a little introduction to our 3 artisan beaders who will be our Special guests at the Smitten Beads Open House on the 5th September

Firstly there's Pippa Chandler (of Pips).
I asked Pippa to give us a taste of what she's been up to and what we can expect to see on the day...

After many years of doing a weekly craft fair, in August this year I decided, after a lot of deliberating, that I wanted to concentrate solely on making beads and just a little jewellery that I would sell via facebook and Etsy. It was a difficult decision, the craft fair had been a part of my life for a very long time and I had made some good friends there. But it was the right decision for me, and now I have more time to make beads, which I completely love doing. I miss all my friends and colleagues, but certainly don't miss the early mornings and long days!

So now I am concentrating on developing new designs and new techniques and am loving every minute. This week I decided to go through the jewellery that was left to me from my Mum. I haven't had the heart to do it until now. She had some really interesting pieces, nothing of any value, but all meant something special to her. I loved the look of a few of the pieces and decided that it would be a lovely thing to take moulds of them and perhaps make them into beads. She would have loved that pieces of jewellery that meant to much to her, had inspired new pieces made by me, which would eventually go to someone else in a completely new style.

Here are the pieces that I made. I think she would have liked them!

some of Pippa's latest creations

Special guest number two is Lesley Watt (Thea Elements)

Lesley will not only be bringing her fantastic components to sell but she will also be demonstrating the wire macrame method she used to make these fantastic earring.......

 wire macrame earrings

Apart from the fantastic pmc connectors, pendants and beads that Lesley makes she has recently turned her hand to etched pieces and will be bringing both on the day.

 etched copper & pmc components

Last but not least we have Teresa Hulley (Bo Hulley Beads).

Smitten already stocks a range of beautiful ceramic pieces from Bo Hulley (in fact we have just restocked), so Teresa will be bringing a different range to sell on the day. You will be able to by from both ranges.

Bo Hulley ceramics you can find on the Smitten website

Some of the beads that Teresa will be bringing on the day

Well I bet this little lot has got your creative juices flowing, me too! I can't wait to see all these lovely goodies and their creators in the flesh on the day.....Something tells me there is going to be a lot of cake eating and a fair bit of chuckling!  I can't wait.

Don't forget to contact me (via the website) to get on the guest list

Claire 

xx

Preparing for the Smitten Open House

Scaling the Fabric Mountain - the destash begins!

It all started a long long time ago in a small city far far away (well about 15 miles anyway)...Before Smitten Beads, there was Smitten Accessories. My little shop in Bath, where I used to sell my handmade bags, cushions, throws, jewellery, cards and a fair few other bits and bobs. I ran the shop for 7 years and I can't tell you how many bracelets, necklaces and handbags I made in that time, but each year as the shop got busier I made less and less and bought more and more in from other designers and manufacturers, always trying to buy British where I could. When the day came to close the shop I sold most of the stock off in a grand closing down sale, but I kept some of the more interesting things we had back from the sale as I intended to carry on selling on line. However as the Smitten Beads website got busier and busier I found that all the lovely stock I had kept was just sitting in boxes along with all my fabrics, trimmings and beads that have not managed to make it onto the website.

Here's my little shop...

Now do you remember this, my very very large stash of fabric, trimmings, papers and faux fur.  As you can see I have boxes and boxes of the stuff....

Well on Thursday my long suffering (she's been helping me in one way or another since the shop began) and very understanding (her stash is almost the same size as mine) Mum came over to Bristol to help me start the mammoth destash....We sorted and sifted, tidied and trimmed and so the fabric mountain was conquered! We managed to sort through about 20 large boxes of fabric and a very large box of beads and various craft items.

Here is a little taster of the items to be destashed at the Open house, I'm dedicating a whole room to the discontinued and sale items so there will be some serious bargains to bag........

Fabrics & trimmings - Mostly furnishing weight for cushions and light upholstery plus huge amounts of very good quality faux fur and suede fabric.....all at a fraction of the original wholesale price, most will be £2 - £4 per metre. 

 

Hand made and Scrapbook papers going for a song.

 

I also have a few weird and wonderful craft items such as boxes of wooden slices! 

I'm destashing my large jewellery display stands

I also have a few leather, suede and fabric handbags left which will all be going for half price or less.

Hand printed shopping bags and purses, felted vases! And a few table cloths/throws/towels

Jewellery, mostly silver including some men's cuff links.

 

Last but not least, I have piles of craft coloured jewellery necklace boxes at trade price. 

And obviously lots and lots and lots of beads! 

There's still loads more to sort through but hopefully I will be ready and tidy for the 5th. Don't forget the Open house is invitation only so please get in touch via here, facebook or our website if you would like to go on the guest list.

Hope to see you there

Claire x

Open House

We have a date....The next Smitten Beads Open House is set for the 5th of September...

You will be able to see all our lovely beads out on display.....just in case you have forgotten here is a little taster of what will be on display....

Some of our new Czech glass, tiny 1x2mm crystals & brand new antique copper wire from Beadsmith.

 A selection of our latest love....Peanuts!

 A brand new batch of sari silks!

Plus I'll be showing off the new and utterly gorgeous challenge packs. 

OUR SPECIAL GUESTS

The Open house is going to be a little grander than the last one, as you can see we have a few special guests - Pippa Chandler from Pips, Lesley Watt from Thea Elements, Teresa Hulley From Bo Hulley Beads. All will be selling their wares plus the lovely Lesley has promised to demonstrate her stunning macrame earrings. I'm looking forward to learning this one.

An example of Lesley's beautiful macrame earrings to be demonstrated on the day.

Cermics from Bo Hulley - Polymer clay from Pips - Bronze components from Thea Elements

FABRIC SALE
You may also have spotted that it says Fabric Sale! yes Fabric on my little flyer at the top. Some of you may know that before Smitten Beads there was Smitten Accessories. This is how Smitten began, I had a little shop in Bath, UK where I made and sold cushions, throws and handbags (and of course jewellery). Well I have a huge pile of beautiful fabrics just sitting in boxes! And that's just not right so it's time for a destash. So if you sew or know anyone who does then this years Smitten Open House is for you too. I shall be posting more when I have had a chance to sort through it all, there is a lot of  fabric!

Here's the mountain that is my fabric stock all to be sorted and destashed.

ACRYLIC BEAD CLEAR OUT (with some other beads too)
To make room for our ever growing glass bead range we're selling off most of the acrylic and synthetic beads. Here are a few of the bags I've been making up for the Open House, most of the beads will be 50-70% off and in some cases even more :) it's grab a bargain time...

  Bags of beads for the clearout sale.

CAKE!....
As if all this lovely bead heaven is not enough, some of our lovely customers have already offered to bring cakes, my Mum will be making her mushroom quiche and my husband has promised to put together something cooling to drink!

SO...HOW TO GET AN INVITE...
Heres what to do, if you would like to come to the Open House then just drop me an email via the contacts page of the Smitten website Contact page or message me via facebook Smitten Facebook page with your email address. I will then add you to the in vitation list. The invitations with directions and more details will be emailed the week prior to the event. (This is an invitation only event as it's in my home) :) ..

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Claire

Brit Pack Beaders challenge 3 - The Reveal

Despite the beautiful beads and colour inspiration of this challenge it has proved a remarkably tricky one for me. Unfortunately I have been without mojo for quite a while now, whether my creative energy has all be used up running Smitten or I'm just not in the making mood I'm not sure. I had one idea and one only so rather than try to force the creativity I've gone with it. No rocket science in this one just reusing some techniques picked up over the last year. Now I know that all sounds a bit gloomy so I should point out that I have really enjoyed the making, I'm sure I've said before that I rarely get the chance to sit down and create. And never fear - I am on the hunt for the elusive mojo, I'm searching all over the place for inspiration even in music. My husband recently found an ap? for millions of internet radio stations and I'm on a bit of a mission to find the best ones to work to....today's radio adventure is - Alternative Rock stations!... I'm searching the waves, writing this blog and finishing my design all at the same time so I wonder if there will be an edgy feel to my finished piece? The radio station I am currently listening to has just asked me if I would like to find out how to get waisted while at work with no one else finding out?!... Shocked?... I was!...I wonder if neurophen for a frozen shoulder counts ;)

Here's the link to the component reveal blog..Artwork and component reveal, a reminder of our inspiration, a group shot of the beads we each sent/recieved and an image of my initial design mock up

So that was yesterday and this is today..another day another radio station (something a little more ambient and chilled today).

Et voila, the finished piece a bracelet and a pair of earrings (almost there). I've split up Bo's clasp and will be using the beautiful ceramic part another day. The bracelet has been designed around Pippa's lovely flower and the metal part of the clasp. I've introduced some terracotta peanut beads and two Vintaj copper leaves but other than that everything else was part of the challenge. The stringing material is the waxed cord sent by Rebecca and all the other beads were from Joanne.

The earrings are a work in progress, I've used some more of the Irish waxed linen cord the two bronze pmc rigs made by Lesley, some more of those peanuts, finished of with two of the Czech glass fire polished gemstone donuts sent by Joanne. 

Lastly I'm planning a brooch with Bo's lovely ceramic piece, one of the bronze drops 

and a crystal wrapped ring. 

So there we go. Thank you to Lesley, Bo, Joanne & Rebecca for the gorgeous beads sent and to Pippa for making my contribution. I hope you like my makes. I'm off to continue my radio search and pack more beads to send out to my customers, see you in a couple of months for the next challenge.

Please pop over to see what the other ladies have created...

 Lesley Watt

Joanne Tinley 

Bo Hulley 

Rebacca Anderson 

Brit Pack Beaders - Challenge three

March! March! I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog. There is a saying 'if you want something done then ask a busy person' well who ever came up with that one was crackers, on behalf of all busy people can I just say...it's not true! ;)

Considering that it's been so long I'm very glad that I have a great topic to blog about :).....it's that time again, BPB challenge time! This time the challenge was set by Teresa (Bo) Hulley who has picked a painting with gorgeously rich colours as our inspiration.

For any new readers/followers here's a quick recap of the BPB challenge explained by our esteemed leader Lesey Watt - The Brit Pack Beaders

 

Lets crack on then...so here is Bo's theme for our 3rd challenge....Mariana by Dante Gabrielle Rosetti

 

Oil on canvas, dated 1870, 109.2 x 90.5cm, Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collections

The painting was inspired by the opening of Act IV of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure and has the inscription 'Take, O take, those lips away' inscribed on the frame. The painting features Jane Morris - wife of William, the Page Boy was modelled by Willie Graham whose father commissioned the picture.

Teresa herself best describes why she choose this painting "I first saw it at Aberdeen Art Gallery many years ago, probably before I had heard of the Rossetti family and their links to William Morris. I remember the richness, colour and texture of the dress vividly - I really wanted to reach out and touch it. I am fascinated by the links between two incredibly talented families and am also a huge admirer of the life and works of William Morris."

The beautiful blues and burnt orange are what jumped out at me so for my focal bead I commissioned Pippa Chandler to make us a hopefully polymer clay piece.....

...and here are the beautiful contributions from my fellow BPB's

From Bo....

From Lesley...

From Rebecca....

 From Jo....

So this is what we have to play with.....

Now we all have to pop off and make something delicious with our beads (I've already started). Our challenge reveal is set for the July 31st. I hope you will come back to see what we have created... in the mean time enjoy the sun!

Links to all the BPBs.....

 Lesley Watt

Joanne Tinley 

Bo Hulley 

Rebacca Anderson 

Bead Smitten Earring Competition

I thought I would take a little time out today from getting ready for the BIG BEAD SHOW at Sandown Racecourse (yes I am working over the Easter weekend) to tell you about our fantastic earring competition that took place last weekend over in the Beads Smitten Group on Facebook.

The brief was fairly simple - Make a pair of earrings and if they happen to have some Smitten beads in there then extra brownie points will be awarded. The earrings were judged on a) Buy-ability: would I buy them. b) Wear-ability: how practical are they. c) The wow factor: speaks for itself really. d) Finishing: how well the piece has been made. e) (last but not least) Design: the overall look of the piece.

I was absolutely gobsmacked at how good all the entries were and the task of judging was truly testing! We had 28 superb entries but the wining earrings had just that little something extra that made them stand out. We have 80 members in the group now and I have to say it's so friendly, helpful and creative I could never have imagined it would take off so well. I am so happy to be a part of it, the next competition will be rings!

Here is the winning design by by Manda Jane Rodwell of Silver Storm Jewellery - created in copper and featuring one of my favourite Smitten beads the ruby vega pinwheel flower.... Manda sold these before the competition was even over but luckily she has promised to make me another pair :0) I'm sending Manda a little parcel of Smitten loveliness as her prize.

Here are all of the other stunning entries....

Emma Louise Quinn 

Debbie Sullivan

Jayne Hussey

Heidi Post

Lyn Gulliver

Katie Jayne Floate

Christina Gray

Catherynne Kessell

Lindsay Philipson

Jan Williams

Teressa Hulley

Debi Riley

Di Keeble

Nicola Smith

Lucy Haslam

Keeley Kenyon

Ailsa Jackson

Monica Scala

Shiela Garrett

Leigh Thow

Claire Lockwood

Rejetta Sellers

Marianne Hall

Bernadette Hamilton

Claire Swain

Julie Sumner

Denise Badi

So there you are all the fantastic entries pretty darn good hey!

Thank you everyone

Claire 

xx