I've already worn this pretty romantic piece several times
It’s been ages since I did any jewellery making, partly because I’ve been mega-busy (hence the infrequent blogging) and partly because my mum is staying in my studio / guest room while she waits to move into her new house.
I used to do quite a lot, particularly beadwork, which I find incredibly therapeutic. Beading a fairly straightforward way of creating accessories, with the main time and effort going into designing the right colour, pattern and texture combinations.
Anyway, for one reason or another I’ve not done all that much of it recently, but the other weekend a friend of mine had a jewellery making
These handbag charms were very reasonable, and will make great Christmas presents
party, a fantastic concept which is way more up my street than Body
Shop, Jamie at Home or any of those other “buy in the comfort of your mate’s house” parties.
We arrived to find the kitchen table set up with a rainbow of beads in all shapes, sizes, colours, patterns, textures and finishes, plus equipment and a price list, all provided by party host Sandy Beddington.
After general chit chat over drinks and nibbles, Sandy explained how the evening would work and we sat down to start creating.
The best thing about a jewellery making party is that you can play around with the beads, experimenting to find the perfect design, and you only need to pay for what you take away at the end.
What’s more, Sandy prices her jewellery per finished creation rather than per bead, so you don’t have to worry about lots of fiddly adding up as you go along.
Beading with people – something I haven’t done before – provided inspiring and encouraging, as I picked up ideas from others and was flattered by complements about my creations from the other girls.
I made this bracelet to match a dress I bought at Monsoon a few weeks ago
I finished the evening with two handbag charms and two bracelets for an
incredibly reasonable £13 – if I think about it, I’d usually spent that on an evening out at the pub, and I’d have
nothing to show for it at the end.
I’ve already worn one of the bracelets, and I’m planning on giving the handbag charms as gifts. Plus, as soon as I get my studio back, I’m going to brush off my beads and my jewellery pliers, and get creating again.
- If you’re based in the Bristol area and are interested in a bead party with Sandy, you can visit her website at www.framptonbeads.com