Its pretend.

This is a pretend geode bead. It took a while to make the bead as there are so many layers to it.
Once it was cold, I could then grind and polish it into the geode you see before you. Its not perfect, being the first time I have tried this, but I am really pleased with it. I'm patting myself on the back actually, and................its been snapped up by a beader friend of mine. Now there's a compliment.

Is that a tadpole or not?

Ok, this bead has gone to one of my bead mates. My DH said the surface decoration looked like a tadpole. My beady mate and I thought it looked more like something else (I don't need to spell it out do I?). What do you think?

Thats charming

I am taking part in various bead exchanges, and the latest one was a charm exchange.

Every one of the charms is incredibly gorgeous. They are made from a multitude of media, including lampwork, resin, seed beads and polymer clay. This exchange has been the most fun yet.

An artistic afternoon

Saturday, sunshine and showers. I was lucky, and only experienced the sunshine.

I spent a delightful afternoon at the open studio of Chrissy Silver (find her at this website : http://southlondonwomenartists.co.uk/).

Chrissy makes stunning porcelain pieces, that appear rather fragile and delicate, but in reality are functional and sturdy. The colours tend to be on the subtle side, echoing the delicacy of the medium. But I spent too much time talking and socialising with her and the other visitors, to have enough time to fully appreciate the entirety of her displayed work. However, I did manage to grab a few pictures to remind me of her work, and to whet your appetite.

Chrissy also has an amazing garden. Take a walk down the garden, and it seems to extend endlessly, with various pathways leading to little nooks and crannies, and displaying a variety of shrubs and flowers. It is a beautiful space.

I have included a picture of the artist, taking a picture in her garden, of one of my beads.

Inside Vienna

Let's see Vienna from the inside.

Fan-beady-tastic

Today I went to the bead fair in Daventry, organised by the Beadworkers Guild (http://www.beadworkersguild.org.uk/).

As you can see there was an amazing variety of bead work on display, so I thought I would share some of it with you. (You'll have to forgive the poor picture quality).

And yes, I did spend money on more beads! A girl can never have too many beads!

Hats off to....

Hats off to.......my lovely hubby who whisked me away to Vienna for a surprise visit, knowing it was somewhere I have always wanted to visit.

Lots of lovely food, fantastic architecture, and amazing art.

We saw "The Kiss" by Klimt.

We drank champagne.

We saw opera, ballet and listened to Mozart and Strauss.

We rode the trams, and visited the Swarovski crystal shop.

We ate Sachertorte in the sunshine.

And we learnt that you can skate on the Danube in the winter.

How big?

This is the longest bead I have made to date. It is approx. 2 1/4 inches (5.5 cm) long.

Its not the most perfect bead technically, and I kind of overcooked it in places, but I'm still a little amazed at myself.