Showcasing my Necklaces

I decided it was time to put together a showcase of some of my unique woven pieces that are available from my website.



Golden Fleece US$360.00/AU$418.00



Saturn US$330.00/AU$385.00



Sleeping Beauty US$360.00/AU$418.00



Apricot Sorbet US$920.00/AU$1137.00



Flame US$920.00/AU$1137.00



Berry Mix US$850.00/AU$1050.00


I hope you enjoyed the show!

The Results of My Silver and Woven Necklace

I've finished my necklace with the 'Cambodian Culture' theme, and have named it 'River Flow'.








Hopefully I have achieved the water feel with the colour selection, which was my main focus.


I'm currently adding all my latest pieces to my website and should have it ready to view by this evening.

The Results of my Cellini Spiral Project

I made my lampwork beads ready to use in my cellini spiral creation -






I chose the seed beads and gemstones that I thought would best go with the colour scheme -






I made my second cellini spiral, giving me two equal lengths to work with -






I began with making the toggle and loop with the finger weaving method, then added a section of seed beads, gemstones and my lampwork spacer beads. I put all the threads down through the cellini spiral tube and sewed each end using the nymo thread I had left as tails. Continued with my finger weaving....and here is the finished project -













What do you think - a successful project? I'm personally very happy with the outcome and have named it 'Persian Garden'

My Unique Jewellery

As another new week starts, I have created another new design. As you may already know, I dabble in some silversmithing, I weave and I make lampwork beads. I enjoy creating and incorporating all my loves into the one piece, and this one is no exception.

My handmade chain in sterling silver, flowing into a woven piece of my lampwork beads, gemstones and Japanese seed beads.

New Bracelets and Lampwork Beads

I had a request from one of the galleries that carry my work to create some bracelets for their next exhibition.


'Tropical Cocktail' comes to mind when I look at this bright woven bracelet. I have finger woven gemstones such as turquoise and sodalite, together with my handmade lampwork beads in blues, apricot, yellow and red with contrasting Japanese seed beads in between. This would be ideal for any season, bright and sunny for the summer months, and so uplifting for those cold winter days.




Turquoise and black, a beautiful combination giving a cool mediterranean feel. Once again finger woven, combining gemstones, crackle glass and cat's eye beads with my handmade lampwork beads and Japanese seed beads giving an extra dimension.




'Torrid Zone' - A land between tropics which I feel amply describes this set of my handmade lampwork beads. Fine silver on ivory depicting arid parched soil with surrounding turquoise pools.




'Cottage Garden' - Sweet violet blooms feature on this lentil lampwork bead over a base of black with a subtle green vine, together with 2 etched violet round beads.




'Silver Mine' - Veins of fine silver running through a base of amber and cinnamon. Complete with 2 round pale amber lampwork beads with an etched finish.

How a Lampwork & Jewellery Artist Structures her Business

A question that is often asked of me is how I manage to find the time to maintain my business at the pace that I do. I could answer that question very simply by saying it is because I love what I do, but there is a lot more to it than that.

1. You need to have strict working hours. Many people find when working from home they are easily distracted, if this is the case you need to strictly set your working hours. I generally start my day at 8 a.m., work through till 12, take an hour's lunch break, then continue through.

2. Have a daily 'to do' list. I have an online 'to do' list which I place on my desktop at the start of my day. It's a great feeling to cross each item off during the course of the day.

3. Be prepared to work long hours. Working from home does have it's advantages but if you really want your business to have a high profile you have to be prepared to put many hours into it. I structure my day so as my studio work is done in daylight hours and my computer work is left until the evenings.

4. Prioritize your work. Pleasing your customers is the most important fact to have a successful business. When an order is received, drop everything and work on it immediately. Let your customer know it will be ready within a week and try to have it out sooner, your customer will be happy with the service and hopefully recommend you to others.

5. Updating your website. I personally think it is imperative for a business to have an online presence. So many potential customers prefer to shop from the comfort of their own home and at a time that suits them. You constantly need new content on your website to keep people continually coming back. In my experience potential customers visit your website a considerable amount of times before they make a purchase, and if over a course of a few months they find there has been no activity on your site, they may question if it is still in operation and shop elsewhere.

6. Being a housewife, mother and business owner. I must admit it can be a struggle wearing all three hats. I recently decided my house had suffered long enough, so while my business was going through a quiet time I took advantage and spent a few weeks thoroughly cleaning what had become a very messy house. I have now added to my daily 'to do' list one room each day to do a quick clean through in the evenings to try and keep on top of the situation. Of course if you can train your children and husband to help, even better, it seems I've failed miserably in that area.

7. Social Networking. I have just added this subject to my list, hence the start of my blog. I have now allocated a day to my blog so in that time I can research topics and write up a few blogs in my textEdit with hopeful intentions of having a weeks worth of blogs ready in advance. Another day is reserved for working on my website and making a presence in StumbleUpon.



I've been self employed for over 20 years, began when my children were toddlers. Organizing my business definitely did not happen overnight, it has taken many years of experience to find the best way of structuring the business and having a routine that works well. I'm sure the methods I use may not suit all of you, but hopefully you may have found a tip that you can utilize. I have always worked in a way to keep my overheads very low. I taught myself how to use 'Dreamweaver' to enable me to make and maintain my own websites. You may prefer to hire a webmaster and relieve yourself of some of the work burden, I find I enjoy this side of my work nearly as much as creating lampwork beads and jewellery!

Be inspired by Winston Churchill when he wrote, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up."

Perseverance is the magic word. If you truly desire to own a business, don't let the little things get you down, keep working at it. Has relating my own experience of running a business helped you?

Touch Wood Rings

The moment I saw this ring, it took my breath away. This stunning piece has been handcrafted by David Finch of Touch Wood Rings , and as the name suggests, is made from wood. This particular piece features crushed lapis lazuli. David does not carry a range of his rings, he crafts each one to your specifications and therefore works solely with each individual customer.
Nicola and David live in a remote area of British Columbia, Canada and browsing through Nicola's Blog I discovered some beautiful photos, a Paradise all of it's own.
Make sure to check out Touch Wood Rings Gallery. You will find some amazing work, it is very apparent that David loves his craft.

My Latest Creations

I've had a call from a gallery who has a few of my woven pieces, asking if I could give them some smaller pieces to go with the larger necklaces. That gave me the push to finally make a woven bracelet which I have intended to do for quite some time. Here's a sneak preview.



A much simpler style of my woven necklaces



A new tube bead fresh out of the kiln -



'Scribbit' is a blog written by a woman living in Alaska. Michelle writes about numerous subjects, and I have found her a very interesting read. Whether it be Planning your Children's College Education or Growing Crystals, I think you will find her an entertaining writer.