Before I Went Away

I’ve been quite quiet lately, but do have an excuse; I’ve just come back from a couple of weeks in Spain (which was fabulous – I love Spain) and was mega busy finishing a couple of jewellery pieces (and doing the day job) before I went.

Firstly I made this Laura McCabe bracelet as a raffle prize for The Little Lucy Flynn Fund Elvis Tribute night.

I also made this Blue Russian bracelet for me.  I used cobalt and gunmetal seedies and gorgeous lampies given to me by Helen at LaLa Lampwork.  The bracelet is done in Russian Spiral stitch, with the toggle and clasp in Peyote.

I also had to treat myself to a new camera before I left, as my old point and shoot had broken (I was planning on getting one at some point this year or early next year, but timing-wise – if not money-wise – a few days before the holiday was a perfect time.  I ended up with this Nikon D3000.  I think the next book in my basket will be the “For Dummies” book for it.  It’s my first DSLR and I’m so glad I started off with an entry level one, as I think it will be quite a steep learning curve coming from a point and shoot.

I also treated myself to a couple of books from The Book Depository.  I’m really loving this site, as they seem to be able to get some books prior to their UK publication date.  I got Classical Elegance by Maggie Meister and Bead & Button Magazine’s Your Seed Bead Style.

I’ll be back soon to bore you with some holiday snaps and give an update on my next projects.

Lisa xoxo

Fantastic Fabrics

I recently bought The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam of u-handbag.com and have decided for my next project I’ll make something from it.

I’ve decided to make the reversible bucket beg on the front cover – it’s a nice size for taking to work and will be ideal for popping any mid-week shopping into (it’s also available free here.  I’ve picked these 3 Amy Butler Soul Blossom fabrics for the bag, the floral ones for the inside/outside and the spotty one for the base, edging and straps.

I’m just waiting for the fabric to arrive, so I can get started – hopefully it will come tomorrow or Wednesday.

On the jewellery front, I’m making a bracelet to wear with this Vinyard Jewel necklace from Laura McCabe’s book, Creating Crystal Jewelry with Swarovski

Hopefully I’ll get it finished this week, but I suppose that will depend on how long the bag takes me.

Remember you can still win my turquoise and brown cuff – just leave me a comment on my UP FOR GRABS give away post.  Good luck!