Although it took about 2 hours, there were a few little false starts and re-dos, so overall it’s a one hour project to produce what could be a precious gift for someone, or keep it for yourself (evil grin).

Incidentally, if you have the opportunity to go to the Wellcome Collection, it has fabulous exhibitions that encompass both science and art, from the mediaeval to the modern. A wonderful source of inspiration.

Back to R&D: OK, so what I thought was “a few tweaks and I’m almost there”, is not quite the case. I’m in serious need of some good quality sleep, because I didn’t want this beating me. Fortunately I had an absolute beady epiphany in the shower Saturday (a beady one), which was the answer to the problem I kept encountering. So I’m now well on the way with those magnificent Jet Nut rectangles I bought. I worked 3 and wondered if I should stop there and produce a fairly delicate necklace of 3 central chunkies – but no. I worked another 2 and asked myself the same question, then my daughter, Gemma (who always favours minimalist, delicate things), said “You can’t just leave it there, you must make an entire collar of them, to make it really grand”. I didn’t expect her to say that! So, on I plod.

So many designs, so little time! Having worked 3 different colourways for the Lorenzo bracelet, I’m putting together a number of different colour kits which will be available later in the year. But there are still more Medici variations to put together – no time to sleep!

Last night I had a go at something that’s been niggling away at me for a long time. A miniature version of the Morgan pendant using a 14mm Cosmic Ring. It’s OK, but I’m going a step further and working it next time with my adorable little size 21⁰s, because the beads cover too much of the ring.

Whilst sourcing the crystal squares for Lorenzo last year, I came across some utterly gorgeous crystal rectangles called Jet Nut which are 24x16mm and look like twinkling pieces of chocolate from a bar. Stunning. I can’t wait to settle down one night and really get to grips with them – I did have a go on the train into town last week and was quite pleased with what I made. Just a few tweaks and I’ll have the basics sorted out.

Having managed to miss a lot of Dangerous Beaders meetings last year because I was so busy in the office, I was really looking forward to the February one and, lo and behold, it was cancelled because of the snow!

I thought this might be of interest to many of you – I bought a large reel of 3lb Fireline in smoke colour, and have been trying it out. It’s noticeably finer than the 4lb and the waxy coating tends to strip away fairly quickly. However if you are using it in short lengths for smaller beads and a little project, then it’s really useful.

And finally, I sourced 3 lovely turquoise/green shades of stone donut for darling Giorgio and they are going into my shop. However I only have 6 of each left and I can’t get hold of any more.

Also May is the time for the BWG meetings, whether they be the GBBS or the Regional Day, and there’s always a nice build up of anticipation.

The theme for this year’s BWG Regional Day in Glasgow was Tassels and Trims. It’s always a rather exciting time leading up to the day. There’s so much preparation involved for me, sorting out family needs, making sure there’s no paperwork outstanding and finally WHAT BEADS DO I TAKE WITH ME!

I also decided to have a sneaky go at tassels before I got there. Now, leading up to this, I’d been working on the Dynasty Beads bracelet with faux coral vintage beads but I had a horrible feeling the gold-coloured metal, round beads I was using weren’t going to stay gold for long, which would be very disappointing. I got it into my head that I’d like to make a bracelet of Dynasty Beads with 24K gold rounds interspersed with some carved turquoise stone beads. After a few searches on the internet I found some superb little hand-carved animal beads of real turquoise in both the traditional turquoise and a pale green type, so I ordered them. They arrived a few days later but were a little larger than I anticipated, however they were intriguing and I suddenly realised the beads represented the animals of the Chinese Calendar: tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat and ox.

For some reason the monkey stood out from the rest and I thought “Monkey in a Cage”, don’t ask me why. I pictured this little monkey in a gilded cage, hanging from something. I made a quick sketch and set about making it. I’d never made a tassel before but I tried with what paltry knowledge and threads I had, then I added it at the end. I had a great time decorating it on the train travelling up to Glasgow. Well you can’t sit idle, can you? I’ve put the “Monkey in a Cage” in the Gallery.

The Hotel was really nice and the staff were lovely. The Regional Bead-In Day was terrific fun and, once again, it was so lovely to see the “Bead Family” again, although there were a few missing faces as it was a long way for many to travel.

The day started with an introduction to the topics and Sylvia Fairhurst and Liz Thornton collared me to model an interesting little wire and bead bodice from the BWG collection. Sylvia took this pic of me in it at break time. Oh yes and you can see I’m also wearing my beaded tassel earrings I made before I left for Scotland, OK I went a bit tassel mad!

We all slogged away, beading and chatting and the time seemed to flash by far too quickly. After dinner we had our AGM and sadly Sylvia, our fab Chairperson said her farewells, leaving Liz to fill her shoes. Well I wish Liz every success and I know she’ll be great. I’m so fond of these lovely ladies and they are both terrifically talented beaders, with their own unique styles. The sadness definitely faded when Maria Kirk, of Nostalgia, judged the Challenge. She was utterly hilarious as a Russian spy and we were all in tears of laughter and streaked mascara at the end! Tchaikovsky and some cannon balls featured strongly!

Groan, the next day I managed to find some size 11 seed beads, size 15 charlottes AND size 15 delicas at the bead bazaar, that I didn’t already have. It’s gotta stop!

It was also driven home to me at the Bead-In that I’d better get my submissions in for the 2011 Great British Bead Show (GBBS). Oh My Gawd, what should I put in? Well it’s done now, so it’s up to the Committee!

Whilst pondering what to submit, I picked up the Dynasty Beads again, made some with the 24K gold rounds, embellished them with some 2mm and 3mm crystals and interspersed them with Murano foil beads. When I was at The Bead Shop in Tower Street last week, I saw they had some 3mm 24K gold rounds so I might try those with the Chinese animals! Either that or there might be a few more animals in cages soon, who knows.

I did manage to get some good beading in around Christmas time when I rescued a beautiful, large glass bottle from the woods at the back of our house. I think it was originally used to hold chemicals, and I’d intended to use it in a project one day (yes one of those objects). Well, it found its way into the woods at the hands of the despicable one, who decided it was never going to be used and that ‘she’ would never miss it.

So once it was smuggled back in I had to get cracking fast and, pushing my colour boundaries out of the usual peacock/sea shades, I made a deep, plum-coloured peyote band around the neck, and resolved to work in rich reds and golds. Oh, and one massive change, I’ve made to my beading is that I now stand and bead. No, really! I spend all day every day in my office, sitting at the computer, so the last thing I want to do is sit for hours whilst beading. I just can’t sit any more. So I’ve installed myself at the end of our high kitchen bar which defines where the kitchen ends and the living room begins. I can stand there comfortably for hours with no problems. It’s also helped to strengthen my knee which I messed up in September (no, not while skating, but I’m dying to get back on my skates).

So I stood throughout the Christmas holiday and beaded my bottle. I’d been reading a wonderful book about the Byzantine Empire, and I suppose on some subconscious level it must have influenced me, because the beadwork became more and more ornate, and I just went where it took me. Each row of my Byzantium Beaded Bottle was so satisfying as I was using many different techniques and loved the effects they produced. Beading away whilst all around me others were panicking about wrapping presents and writing cards, I felt cocooned in a little peaceful bubble. AND very smug too, because I’d done all my wrapping etc hah. No-one needed to be in that spot, I didn’t need to move, I was untouchable and didn’t need to put anything away. Triumph!

In January I was champing at the bit to do another bottle, but this time a slightly smaller project and in my favourite end of the spectrum. So using some of the same techniques, I beaded a little apothecary bottle in no time. Again it was immensely satisfying and…. I completed another project!!!

This month I’m going to be teaching an old favourite of mine, Scintillating Spheres, at Stitchncraft (see Dates and Events page). I sent samples to Lynn at Stitchncraft and of course, handling them made me want to reel off a couple for fun. However I didn’t stop there. In the last 2 evenings i’ve played endlessly with modifications of my method and have come up with some lovely new shapes of beaded hollow beads. Working them in 2mm silver, plain, round beads I made 4 new shapes and interspersed them with some gorgeous old beads from a broken necklace, that look like coral, and made a bangle. It has a distinctly Chinese style about it and I’m happily wearing it right now. I’ll add a picture asap. I’m calling the new shapes “Cube, Lozenge, Pastille and Chinese Lantern”, and they are an absolute must for a workshop – Dynasty Beads for the Dynasty Bracelet. I love how an idea takes off and turns into an avalanche. I’ve ordered some sterling silver, 2mm plain, rounds and 9kt gold ones to make some more Dynasty Beads and use them with some beautiful hand-carved turquoise beads.

In the bracelet, I wanted to try and capture the character of convulvulus vines entwined around a garden fence, but soon got carried away with many colours.

I had a lot of fun working on Eclectica when I had the odd moment. If I go on a train journey or long haul as a passenger in the car, it’s so easy to grab a Swarovski rivoli and put together some 11ºs, 15ºs and crystals and come up with a new and unique ‘wheel’. It also helps if I don’t have others with me, so I’m forced to try a different approach each time. Having made Gorgeous Giorgio and Celestine (you’ll soon see them, although I can’t reveal them yet), I went a bit mad on stone donuts and have amassed a few (-ish). I am going to explore these further.

As the blossom is starting to fill the trees again and hyacinths and daffodils are all around, I got out my Spring Floral bracelet which I’ve realised isn’t in the Gallery yet). I’m also feeling very upbeat as I’ve finished all the photography and writing for quite a few workshops.

I had a lot of fun working on Eclectica when I had the odd moment. If I go on a train journey or long haul as a passenger in the car, it’s so easy to grab a Swarovski rivoli and put together some 11ºs, 15ºs and crystals and come up with a new and unique ‘wheel’. It also helps if I don’t have others with me, so I’m forced to try a different approach each time.

Having made Gorgeous Giorgio and Celestine (you’ll soon see them, although I can’t reveal them yet), I went a bit mad on stone donuts and have amassed a few (-ish). I am going to explore these further.

Just a thought – was I silly or what? My turquoise amphora is with the Guild stand to display along with everything turquoise (also my Sea version of the Fantasy Garden Cuff). When I said it was to be a workshop, I think it was Sylvia who asked me why I hadn’t submitted it for 2009, and I said that I hadn’t been aware they were waiting for workshop submissions. I’d only focused on submitting for the GBBS! I just misunderstood their gumph. So I’m putting Amphoras together as a workshop asap.

However I had a day with the Crayford Waterside Beaders teaching Fan-tastic Variations, and wanted to say thanks Girls, I had a really enjoyable day with you all. It was quite extraordinary finding out that one of them had also lived in the same road where I had grown up with my grandparents…

Saturday 7th: I had a great day out teaching Fan-tastic Variations to the Cotswold Beaders, some faces new to me and a few old friends too. Everyone was lovely and, as usual, I drooled over their individual colour choices. Old faithful “The Weaver’s Knot” cropped up and I was able to pass that golden little nugget on to more delighted beaders. I learnt to do it in a workshop at the GBBS 2003 when I moaned about joining in new thread and then having to sew in the loose ends. I happened to be sitting next to a weaver who tutted and said I aught to be using the weaver’s knot, and she showed me how to do it. What a revelation it was for me at the time – that’s the beauty of workshops, so much information is exchanged and not just from tutor to pupil. The Weaver’s Knot is invaluable when working with stitches where the thread doesn’t pass too many times through the hole e.g. peyote, and for size 11ºs and larger. I wouldn’t try it with Fireline though – to sew in a new piece you only need a few twists and turns and it holds tight, almost behaving like wire.

What a spoilt girl I’ve been this year! Spain in January, and both Greece and Florence this month! As Louise was off with her school for a week, Steve and I grabbed the opportunity to whizz off to Florence together – our 1st holiday alone for 20 years! Of course I took my beads with me (as any self-respecting beadworker would do). It wasn’t my first visit there but it was for Steve and I found myself seeing everything through his eyes, as if for the first time. Everywhere was inspiration, even in the iron torch holders set into the walls, my favourite one of which was a rearing long-bodied dragon/lion, whose claws would grasp the torch. The Medici jewels in the Pitti Palace were stunning, and I particularly loved the huge odd-shaped pearls which had been cleverly interpreted into wonderful creatures and embellished.

The Bead-In was great fun – a very educational day devoted to Victorian and Edwardian inspired experiments in design. All Sylvia and the team’s hard work paid off and everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously. I didn’t even fall asleep at the AGM in the evening, it was that interesting!

Just had to share this bit of hilarity all you Beadies out there will understand. At the bazaar, the day after our Bead-In, I was browsing at one of the stalls flanked by 2 other ladies I didn’t know. I hummed and haa-ed about whether to buy some more 15ºs. Finally I said to the stall holder that I really shouldn’t buy any more, because my box wasn’t big enough. Instantly both women beside me turned and said “Get a bigger box”!

I am teaching at a number of Bead Groups around the country in the coming weeks, so it’s a busy time. But the best bit of all is that next week I’m off to Greece with my youngest daughter for a chill out half term break. So guess what’s going into the case first – even before the bikini! I only wish he was joining us, but he’s busy. I’ve consoled him by telling him how guilty I’ll be, feeling lying on the hot beach with my feet in the cool water. If he believes that, he’ll believe anything.