Handmade Gifts and LaaLaa's Swap

In the build up to Christmas I was making a few bits and bobs that I couldn't show as they were for others. 

My boss at work who had seen some of my makes asked me to make his wife a bracelet for Christmas, this is what I made for her,

When I took it in a few other men saw it and I was asked to make a few more for wives and girlfriends, I didn't take photos of all the bracelets I made just the first one.  I thought it was really sweet that the guys wanted handmade items for their wives, I bet it was nothing to do with having something delivered to their desks gift wrapped with no shopping involved ;0)

I did enjoy getting my jewellery stuff out again though.


In other news have you seen the swap being hosted by my friend Lynda over at Hookin' With LaaLaa?

The idea is that there is a crafty box that travels among us containing crafty items, Lynda is going to start the box off and pass it onto someone else who takes out whatever takes her fancy, but then she must replace everything she's taken with something else, and then pass it on.  
Pop over and have a look here for the full details.
I think this might be just what is needed to blow away the new year cobwebs.

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~ 

Daring to play with wrapped loops...

Shopping for felt in Hobbycraft last week, I found a lovely green mix set of glass foil beads from Beads Unlimited (I couldn't help it, honest!). I have been trying to stop buying beads until I use up the ones I already have, which should take me a while as I have lots!!!

Generally I am attracted to anything purple and pink and always go for mixes in those colours, so I thought I would step out of my comfort zone and create something with green for a change.

Rather than the usual I have been keen to learn how to do wrapped loops, it makes such a difference to the finish and it is so much more secure than a normal loop. Getting the loops the same size is difficult and I kept wrapping the loops and forgetting that I had to add them to each other. It was so frustrating, when I finished my necklace I found that I had a small compartment on my bead tray full of wrapped loops that I had snipped off in frustration. Here is the finished item, necklace, bracelet and earrings:

I have a box of pink mix seed beads, and many of them are what I would consider girly pink and was not sure how to use them, my lovely friend (who also makes jewellery) visited us yesterday and she suggested that the bronze metal beads I recently liberated from an old necklace would work well with it, so this is what came of that collaboration:

Once I get sat down making stuff I find it difficult to stop, and ended up trawling through my beads for something else to make, and found this old necklace from New Look that I bought last year. I wore it to death until it snapped and all the spacer beads had worn away so I have made it into another necklace and stolen a couple of it's original beads to make some earrings to wear with it:

Been spending time tidying the garden up today, it's first real tidy since autumn, and whilst the sun is still out I should get out there and enjoy it.

Back soon

Luv Kandi x