I've been awarded

One of my newest blogging friends has just honoured me with an award..... the Spreader of Love. The rules are you must post the award on your blog, name your bestower, then bestow the award upon 6 other bloggers and leave a message on their blog that they've received the award. So thank you Julz (from Meanderings by Julz ) for honouring me with this award. It is now my privilege to pass it on to some other wonderful bloggers so that they too can spread the love: Annette Husband - Annette in Oz - an amazingly talented Aussie who is so sharing with her knowledge Robyn Kirkman - My Inspirational Journey - for being such a great student (who enthusiastically puts into practice everything she learns in my classes) Zeb Loray for her incredible artistic talent which she shares so generously through AM Stamps Yahoo group and also her blog Roz Veevers for her tireless efforts in spreading friendship in the stamping world Bec Lennox - Wild and Precious Art - Bec's enthusia......

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Star of Wonder

Today's eye candy comes from the latest issue of For Keeps Creative Paper who were good enough to publish my Star of Wonder card set. These cards feature scrapbook paper from Karen Foster Designs, wooden stars from Kaisercraft, metal shim and my absolute favourite painting medium, Lumiere . You can see the full version of the cards in Issue 72. Want a FREE subscription to this magazine? For a limited time, Creative Living Media is offering a 6 month digital subscription to Creative Paper (or any of their other magazines) just for signing up to receive their newsletter. Now you won't get a better bargain than that!...

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Shiny chain links

I seem to have a growing collection of fancy chains... I don't know how that happened, but every time I see a length of shiny chain that is out of the ordinary, it goes into my shopping basket. I'm like a magpie collecting shiny things! I'm so attracted to those lovely links: squares, rectangles, marquis shapes, ovals and twisted circles. Have you seen them? Aren't they just gorgeous? I first spotted them earlier in the year when I was in the US and of course that lovely shiny length of twisted silver links went straight into my shopping basket. I was so excited to bring it home and I prized that length of chain, only using it on special pieces. I was definitely miserly with it, worried that if I used it all up I wouldn't be able to get any more. Well I no longer have to worry because they're now available in Australia too. Now every time I see a rack of lovely shiny chain links in fancy shapes, I'm immediately drawn to it - I'm a magpie, remember! And w......

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Peach and lemon jewellery

My latest jewellery offerings are peach and lemon bracelets and earrings. I spotted the lovely cloisonné focal beads on the weekend and I just couldn't resist them! I would normally pick blue-based pinks to work with (I really like the cooler colours) but these beads worked perfectly with two strands of peach coloured ceramic beads I had. I teamed them up with rose coloured glass chips and dyed lemon stone chips to create some very pretty, summery feeling jewellery. This one is such a pretty shade of peach - and it sits very delicately on your wrist. And this one uses the lemon stone chips to add some interest with a ceramic bead as the focal (love the cloisonné starfish - very cute!). And with the addition of some filigree metal beads and disks this one has a very lacy feel..... love the soft, peachy glow this one has! ..... matching earrings using hoops to create orbits around the ceramic beads. ...... and finally, this pair with rose coloured glass chips on the hoops and a flor......

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Designer Christmas Tree Charms

I've been working on a really fun little project this weekend: making "jewellery" to decorate a little Ikea twig tree! These charms are not quite jewellery but they are definitely more than your average Christmas tree ornaments - I call them Christmas tree charms. The jewels are cast in resin (with Krafty Lady art moulds), and combined with cloisonné beads and Swarovski crystals they make chic little mini bracelets hanging on the branches. Draped with a little bit of tinsel and a battery operated light set, my little designer Christmas tree will make the perfect centre piece for the Christmas dinner table....

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Making Rosaries

It seems that my daughter has caught the beading bug! She wanted to make some parting gifts for friends she had made at WYD in Sydney and decided to put her new found jewellery making skills to use. This is what she came up with...... I think she did a great job..... she chose the bead combinations to suit each recipient and then worked out how she was going to connect each of the bead components together - she even made do with flat beads in place of the centrepiece medals. Of course she raided my stash to do it but it was a worthy project so I didn't mind. And her friends reactions...... well, they all loved their personalised, handmade memento....

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