Nearly the end of January ....

This weeks activities have been more varied than last week ... I hesitate to say 'less focused',  just more of a variety.

I have made this weeks earrings for the 13 week challenge on AJE - the beads this time are from The Fyre Faerie, aka Nicky Townsend. The beads are so pretty - fine dots of silver over colour over a cream base, then etched. So they have a matt finish rather than glassy. I added a freshwater pearl drop to the bottom and some small crystals in a matching / co-ordinating  topaz colour.

You can find Nicky on Etsy here : http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFyreFaerie. You may recognise Nicky's name - she writes a regular column on self employment,  in My Creative Diva on-line magazine.

I attended a course on marketing - for my new business, in crafting activities. It was an good day, with some interesting people there and its fired me up somewhat to get on with some market research.

Otherwise this week I have been busy making for a monthly challenge for a bead e-retailer. I think the colour and the preponderance of heart beads is a give away about the theme -  for valentines day.  The deadline  is in three days time. I had hoped to make a couple more items, but am having to move onto other projects. I can't show the items I've made (next week hopefully) but I can show you the beads, on the left.





I've been doing some more sewing of samples, to have a folder of different ways to tackle techniques. This week I've been doing zips. Last week it was hems and seams. Next week I'll be doing piping and piped seams. As I was working through different zip insertions, I realised I needed a dedicated pressing cloth. I love old textiles, when they go soft through many launderings, starting  to go thin, then thread bare. I looked out an old dishtowel, probably rather tatty to most people  but I like the holes in it! Then to give it an identity I used freehand embroidery stitching to sew 'press cloth' into it. Of course its an educational exercise as well, machine control!

The weather has been pretty snowy here, but its fast disappearing and we are having the rain and wind we expect for January. As its my birthday this week, I have having a little treat and visiting Chester which I love. Watch out for some pictures next week.... I love the double row shops, the walls and the many little individual shops too. And of course its the gateway to North Wales, a part of the country that I would happily move too. Maybe one day?