Welcome from Crafty Chicita

A big welcome to old friends and new. Follow my crafting adventures as I take you on a journey through the daily life of a creative crafter. Experience the successes and disappointments that are all part of my working day, but most of all, enjoy the ride.

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Let's Get This Party Started




Before I tell you about my crafting activities for the day, let me give you a brief background on how I got into beaded jewellery. Well, I fell off my fast moving and nervy horse in August as he decided to see how fast he could gallop while I hung on for quarter of a mile, feet out of stirrups, bouncing about until I landed with a huge thud, broke a lumber vertebra and was in hell's hospital for a week. Very lucky not to have broken my neck and had to wear a hideous back brace until a month ago. Anyway, I was not able to lift hefty bags of clay and so had to put my ceramics on hold. Meanwhile I discovered the wonderful world of beads and have been creating some little beauties since September. The two photos featured here are of my new listings in the shop (www.folksy.com/shops/chicita) if you'd like to take a look around.
On Boxing Day I got my hands into some lovely gloopy buff clay for the first time in months and created a custom order for a friend - a bird cafe, which I'll show you when it's been fired and glazed. You have no idea just how much I missed working in clay but the long break from it has filled me with ideas for designs. Today I have been smoothing out the lumps and bumps on some new ceramics designs which I'm not revealing yet, but I'll give you a clue as to what they are - horticultural - and that's all I'm saying for now. They'll be bisque fired in a couple of days, then glazed and fired and maybe glazed again.

Big thrill at lunchtime as a long awaited order of freshwater pearls and semi-precious beads arrived through the cat flap, in the most amazing colours. My daughter and I spread the little packets of goodies across my bed, drooled over them and discussed what she and I had in mind for them all, but I did not allow myself the pleasure of making anything with them, as I'm so strict with myself that I have to finish a knitting commission for a jeweller on Folksy - a gorgeous pair of Twilight mittens as seen on the hands of Bella in the vampire movie. I'm taking orders for these right now so PM me on my Folksy website if you want a pair.