Category: Inspiration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it was about 2001 when I did my first glass beadmaking course.  It was on Kangaroo Island, and the teacher was Bernie Stonor.

It was both awesome and overwhelming!

Awesome because I could see the potential for making beads to make my jewellery really unique.  And overwhelming because I could see the potential for making beads to make my jewellery really unique!

Living in a one bedroom apartment in Sydney at the time, it took several years before I was ready to pursue this new hobby!  In fact it took a year of living in the States to realise that dream.

The picture above shows you the first book about making glass beads that I owned.  A really awesome book filled with ideas and techniques.  The second picture shows you the first beads that I made in the workshop!  Inspired by the book, but totally lacking technique and confidence!

 

I was in a craft shop the other day, looking for red wool so I could make myself a scarf.  I asked the shop assistant if she could direct me to where the red wool might be.  “We don’t have a lot of red wool this season,” she told me.  I was devastated!  If you know me, red is pretty much the only colour I wear.

“Oh no, that’s the only colour I wear,” I told her.  I had red boots on to prove my point.

“Yes, I love red too, but I had to make myself wear other colours, I just had too much red.”

TOO MUCH RED?  There’s no such things as too much RED!

 

These red items are available in my Etsy store right now:

Towards the end of every financial year, I have a think about what I might like to buy in terms of tools.  This year, as I diversify my jewellery making practice, I decided to treat myself to a disc cutter.

In all the books I have read about jewellery making, and the courses I’ve attended, they have always listed a disc cutter as an optional tool.  And certainly, you don’t really need one.  But, WOW, what a difference it makes to the time it takes to cut circles in metal.  I had a few practice shots this afternoon, and I can safely say this is one of my best investments for a long time.  I can’t wait to see what comes out of the studio now!

On the weekend I’ll be banging out a few circles (yes, that is how you use a disc cutter, by banging them with a hammer)!  I’ll show you some new work next week.

I don’t know how or why I stumbled across Lana Del Rey’s music.  Perhaps I was listening to Triple J, maybe it was Rage, wherever it was, it really “sang” to a part of me, and I think I have now listened to the “Born to Die” album about 25 times, maybe more.  It’s part of my morning walk, and it’s been there when I’ve needed time out from everything.

Not only is the music beautiful, the lyrics are thought provoking.  No “doo-wops” on this album, every word has a certain power.

The more I listened to the music and lyrics, the more I wondered about this young artist.  Lana Del Rey (not her real name) is not only a beautiful singer, but she is a beautiful person.  She is stylish, elegant and classic, mixed in with a bit of modern sultry!

Perfect inspiration for my Lana Collection….launching VERY soon xx