I know that for a blog about jewellery there has been very very little jewellery discussed.
But fear not dear reader!
For the last eight weeks I have been attending a Glass Bead Making course at Fire Works on Upper Maudlin Street in Bristol. The lovely Georgina has been guiding four complete beginners through the amazing world of lampwork beads. And here are my creations:
Week 1
Week 1: a bit hazelnut rather than round but not bad for a first go!
Week 2
Week 2: Some shaping and adding a few more colours in.
Week 3
Week 3: some organic shaping (much fun), some snails and some cone and bicones.
Week 4
Week 4: DOTS, DOTS AND DOTS! And some snails just cos I love them!
Week 5
Week 5: Ok so it doesn’t look much but the green line is stringer I pulled myself!
Week 6 - Part 1
Week 6 - part 2
Week 6: Bubbles and flowers!
Week 7
Week 7: Silver foil, wire and encasing.
Week 8 – Pic to follow
Week 8: Sugaring, squares and a general play about.
I have loved every single week of the class. Georgina has been such a laugh and has been a fantastic teacher! The other 3 ladies were great fun and we learnt alot. Georgina also always has a kick ass selection of tunes on too 🙂
I have decided not to get my own torch at the moment but to continue going to Fire Works and hiring studio time there. Also means that I can continue asking an array of stupid and daft questions 🙂
Fire Works also has a lovely shop area full of delightful things like purses, bags, jewellery, pictures, cards, and notbooks etc. Well worth a trip if you are in need of a lovely thing or a present for someone. Hopefully someone will have popped in to get a present for me!
A while ago (10 Jan) I started to knit a snood from Kidsilk Haze in the most delicious smokey grey. It was supposed to be a nice easy quick introduction to circular knitting. I bought a lovely little kit from The Knitting Parlour (love the little bag!) and off I set!
It only takes one ball of yarn and I seem to have been knitting it FOREVER!!!! I think it’s been everywhere! It’s been to Perth, Manchester, Birmingham, Lincoln, it’s been to meetings and it’s been to Knit Club. OK, so I will admit that there were some trips where it just stayed in the suitcase. But on it’s last trip where it accompanied me to Newcastle I decided that I was going to finish it once and for all! 5 hours of knitting on the way there and 3 on the way back and it is FINISHED 🙂
The good news is that I love it x
I am in fact wearing it right now!
It’s been really easy to knit but just seems to have been the never-ending ball of wool. I might knit another snood in Cashmerino aran but on the other hand I should really finish off some of the million other things I have already planned.
If you are into knitting you can check it out in more detail on Ravelry.
I also thought that I would share this with the lovely Tea Rose Home’s Link Party 7. Check out her website for a load of links to other blogs featuring peoples handmade loveliness x
Not bad going for a beginner. It’s not often you can make something and actually feel quite proud of yourself for doing it, but I do!
It’ was maybe a bit of an ambitious second item to go for but then my first one was a bit too! The last few rows were taking FOREVER as you knit from the small bit up to the long edge. But I got there in the end 🙂
Check out all the knitty gritty details on Raverly.
And next I will be knitting something yellow I think, maybe?!?!?
NOTE: I wrote this post ages ago and for some reason never published it!!! My current project is in fact green and cream Humbug gloves. The yellow project is still in the pipeline tho 🙂
As the snow is due to hit Bristol any time I thought I would share with you all my cunning plan if it all gets so bad that I am stranded in my house (here’s hoping!)
A…is for All That Glitters. 2009 has been a great year for All That Glitters. I sorted myself out a website, got this blog going and have actually kept it going, been to a craft fair, had a good few sales and I have learnt a lot! Hopefully 2010 will be as successful if not more 🙂
B…is for baking. 2009 and my new kitchen have reawakened my baking bug. Just bought a cooling rack in the Lakeland sale (also bought a load of other stuff I didn’t need but it was cheap!)
Cupcake Tree
C…is for cricket. Who knew I liked cricket! Being in Bristol we oddly have Gloucestershire County as our local team! There was also plenty of Twenty20 action too! We are even looking into a joint membership!
F…is for fat. It’s still there! There was a brief spell of successful weight loss but then moving house and Christmas happened. Not been brave enough to stand on scales yet but lets just say the baggy trousers are not so baggy anymore!
G…is for growing up. 2009 has seen a lot of my friends buying houses together, getting married, splitting up, having babies and settling down. It’s strange! But good!
H…is for home. In particular my beautiful new home that I have made with the lovely Mr Sparkles.
I…is for I AM THE ONE AND ONLY! In June me and my friend Tony went to see Chesney Hawkes at Puxton Park. Mr Sparkles bought me 2 tickets for my birthday but ‘un-selfishly’ let Tony go with me!!!
Mr Hawkes Rocking Out!
J…is for Journey! My anthem of 2009, strangely!
K…is for knitting. A huge thanks to Susie at The Wool Sanctuary for teaching me to knit again. My Granny would be very proud of me for starting knitting again.
The front of my house doorstop
L…is for La Rocca baby! AWWWOOOOO! Hopefully 2010 will see a few more visits.
La Rocca Beauties!
M…is for marinated. Our fantastic weekend spent at Dannah Farm Country House in the Peak District in a room with our own private hot tub! We spent far too much time in it!!!
N…is for NFL. For the 2nd year we managed to get tickets to the NFL International game at Wembley. I love going as it’s a chance to get together with my little bro and to have a day waving a flag about like a right idiot!
O…is for old tat. 2009 saw the official start to my old tat (or vintage) collection. Accompanied by LB, The Queen of Old Tat, I now have a lovely wooden boat, French 1920’s cushion covers, a folding mirror and a few other bits and bobs! 2010 will hopefully see this collection expand.
P…is for pain. The sheer pain of my own stupidity! Why did I ever think that I would be able to snowboard?!?!?!
One of my Snowboarding bruises
Q…is for quality cider. Yep I have become a proper resident of the South West and I officially proclaim to the world I AM A CIDER DRINKER!
R…is for riding. This year I got a new bike. I LOVE IT! It’s the bestest bike ever! During the nicer months of summer and autumn we were out almost every Sunday on a trip somewhere. I am very much looking forward to some nice 2010 weather!
A ride through Bristol
S…is for Swine Flu. Poor Mr Sparkles managed to contract the piggy flu on the 22nd Dec so there was a bit of a last minute stay at home for Xmas. But it just means we get to do Christmas at least twice more!!!
Christmas brought to you by Tamiflu
T…is for tantrums. I have had a few of these during 2009. Mostly at myself or inanimate objects. It would appear that I am not as good at dealing with stress as I thought I was! Thank you again to Mr Sparkles for bringing me tea and being so loving and understanding.
U…is for unknown. This time last year I couldn’t have told you I would have done most of the things I ended up doing in 2009. Hopefully 2010 will bring some fantastic unknown adventures too!
V…is for Vegas. Went to a brilliant wedding of our great friends Mark & Bobbie complete with Elvis!
Elvis is in the building!
W…is for walking. This year I took part in the SunWalk in Bristol, I managed to complete the Half Marathon course and rewarded myself with a big ice cream!
Mr Sparkles, Me and my Medal!!!
X…is for eXtreme amounts. 2009 saw extreme amounts of paperwork enter our lives: mortgages, bank accounts, life assurance, the list goes on and on! We also joined Costco so we have been bulk buying all sorts: toilet rolls, ketchup, Fairy liquid, Pepsi, water, beer, Oreo cookies… Last night we realised that we wouldn’t need to buy dishwasher tablets again until approx April 2010!
Y…is for happY. (is it obvious I’m struggling to find things for the end of the alphabet?) 2009 has seen a lot of things that have made me very happy. My lovely boyfriend, my lovely house, my lovely nice normal neighbours, my lovely friends and my lovely family. And of course my lovely blog readers!
Z…is for ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Hopefully now that the stress of moving and unpacking is out the way I can get back to the plan of long lies, cat naps on the sofa and hopefully if the weather is good to me afternoon naps in the back garden all summer long!
All That Glitters 