Wishful Wednesdays #10

Oh this Bragging Rights Enameled Bangle bracelet by Charmed I'm Sur on Etsy.

Three things from StarEyes, one of my favourite shops for semiprecious stones. A large Sagenit pendant. A wishbox urn pendant/charm. And lovely feathers from peacock.

Arabella Art Accessory Rabbit Bag by Dragon House Of Yuen on Etsy. The smaller rabbit is sold seperately. Oh I love everything from this shop. Not at all less because my daughter's name is also Arabella. And she loves rabbits (or just anything cute really).

Wishing on a Saturday instead #2. AND who took this photo?

Can't help looking at a lot of christmas tree ornaments lately. It is not like we lack any in our house really, but you know ... These Bird Cage Cushions by Olive on Etsy, are just too sweet. I am very fond of all her things.

Nancy Schindler of Round Rabbit and the RabbitMuse blog makes wonderful porcelein pieces to use in jewellery. I love the ones with many wholes in them, but I seem to always miss out on her selling sessions in her BigCartel Shop. Bummer ... I don't have any of her things yet, but soon maybe. You can buy her jewellery in her Etsy shop.

Peppercorns in a real quail egg filled with resin. Pendant by Yolk on Etsy. Pretty!

Oh, and these earrings by Heather Powers of HumbleBeads I just love.

Almost a year ago I saw this photo on a blog somewhere. I think it was someone who had been on a weekend course in this house. I just thought it was a marvellous looking building, very odd and different. So I saved the photo in my inspiration photos folder that I keep on my computer. Now I would just like to know where this is. Anyone who knows?

Wishful Wednesdays #9

Hi, I missed last Wednesday Wishes so I posted on Saturday instead. Go here to check that.

Today I wish for a new practical bag. Nice looking is a must! By BayanHippo.

I wish someone would knit me this cute lamb. Or really just any of all the cute little knitted animals you can buy the pattern for. With some clothes too. By DawnToussaint.

SeaUrchin again. Well, what can you say? Astoundingly beautiful beads. I think I would just hang them on the wall by my work area, and just admire them every day for a looooong time before I get around to use them in some jewellery.

So ....

... if you wonder where the result of part three of the Lejonklou-de Koning Challenge is, it has been postboned (how do you spell that word?) until next wednesday. Check back then to see what I have made with the pink, black and white beads and the chain.

Wishing on a Saturday instead #

Hello there,

I missed my regular Wishful Wednesdays post this week. And it seems it is a rather popular post so I thought I'd share some current wishes of mine today instead. So here we go, hope you get as inspired as I am from these finds:

1. From LimaBeads I recently bought the NewsPrint Jasper Heishi beads. And gosh are they wonderful. At first the big puffed coins where in my cart aswell, but then I got a bit tight so I took them away. Now I just feel I need to get them anyway. This stone is apparently very rare, and it comes from Australia.

2. Oh, I am so in the mood to use elephants in my jewellery lately. And just the day after I had been roaming around on Etsy searching for beads of elephants I saw a new piece by Lorelei with elephants in it. (Hi Lorelei!) So I don't know if that was just a coincidence, or if elephants will be a next big thing. I, anyway, wanna make a bracelet I'm gonna call "the Elephant Walk". And it shall be a line of them holding on trunk to tail like they do in circuses. But all beads I find are drilled the other direction so I think I might have to make them myself in polymer clay. But I did find these two very very nice Elephant Pendants from TheIDConnection. And I really wish for those.

3. At BeadsAndPieces they have a nice collection of horn beads which I also have been looking a lot for over the last few days. Funny how one get these craves for different materials and colours at different times. Look at these Burnt Horn Flat Squares 25x25mm. YUM!

4. BeadsAndPieces also have this chain made of Linked Makabibi Shell & Yellow Horn Rings. Each ring is 30mm. Oh my!

Now, enjoy the rest of your weekend. I myself have had a very pleasant day today, meeting my friend Yvonne who is exhibiting her art in an art gallery/museum, Edsviks Konsthall. It has been a very beautiful sunny day. And Yvonne had asked me to bring some of my jewellery coz we haven't met for a while, so she wanted to see what I have done. Her friend Fia bought one of my bracelets (one I haven't showed here, but will soon, so you can see it), and Yvonne asked me to make a custom necklace for her. I am very happy 'bout that. Had a glass of white wine also, which was very very nice! Most of the art exhibited was very good and interesting. So I had just the most perfect afternoon with very nice company. Now I believe there is a good film on. 23 with Jim Carrey. I missed the beginning, but after I have published this post and made a cuppa for me and Mark I will turn it on.

Sincerely,

Malin

Wishful Wednesdays #8

I am craving for interesting pendants the last few days, after having seen all of Lejonklou's absolutely wonderful creations. I also wanna make jewellery that nice!!!! So I've been roaming around on the internet on a quest for pendants.

I went to Fusion Beads to check out the Artist's beads's section. Instead I, just by lucky chance, came over this wonderful large hand in bone (40x37 mm). Not at all an artist's bead, but oh so wantable! I just dream of hanging it on some lovely leather string with some nice rustic trade-like beads knotted on. Perhaps even a multistrand necklace. Hmmm ...

Next stop was of course Etsy. Is there ever one day I don't hang out there for quite some time? I like the character of this stone, it's yellow colour with black "dirtyness". The drilled little heart makes it all sweet, doesn't it. AllyBeans.

Sorry guys, but this one is already purchased - by moi. Porcelein pendant with dragonfly by FinnCreations.

Wishful Wednesdays #7

Today my humblest wishes are just a few things that I believe would lighten up my jewellery creating a little bit. Wonderful things that could make the difference in a piece:

Mmmmmm colours! Mmmmmm lots of them! All mixed up Greek 8 mm washers, about 65 of them for 4 dollars from Beadsite.

Ancient looking fake bone. Large vintage buttons made of bone looking celluloid, carved. By ABandC on Etsy.

"May all your dreams come true". The cutest teeny tiny leather bag that I would like to use as a pendant. From Onlyee on Etsy.

Wishful Wednesdays #6

I wish to have you, all my international beading friends, over on a "nice cuppa" (=nice cup of tea). I thoght I would start to invite you one by one on tuesdays or thursdays on "Time for Thursday/Tuesday Teaparty" here on my blog. Starting tomorrow or next tuesday. You will find out more about that on the day. But NOW today I just wish I had the loveliest tea porcelain. Look at this one for instance. Acapulco from Villeroy & Boch. I love it!

Wishful Wednesdays #5

Sometimes what we wish for and what we get is the same thing:

Lampworked ButterNut beads by RadiantMind ... mmmmmmm ... I just couldn't resist them ... and now they are on their way. Yum!

Perhaps soon ... clever ICE Resin syringe. I have never tried resin, but boy would I like to. This one makes it easy enough for me. I found it at Objects & Elements. I already got a couple of bronze coloured adjustable rings with square resin "containers", they arrived in the mail today. It will be fun to think about which images I shall use, or maybe seed beads or maybe ... And then I will go ahead and get the resin.

Why oh why ... they where sold out just when I discovered them today in a shop I have never been to before, Two Scoops. Large 20 cm beautiful carved and burned wood rondelles.

Wishful Wednesdays #4

Right now I wish I was brave. A lot more brave than I really am. Coz really I am scared, frightened, terrified of what I am about to do. But I will dare! Now I am daring. Very very sooon.

Two questions lately has had my thoughts going in a certain direction over the last few days:

First the one Shannon LeVart asked on Studio Saturday on ArtBeadScene:

"What obstacle is in YOUR way of seeing a project to completion?"

This is part of what I answered:

"Oh, I would say my own health issues is the biggest obstacle. On the other hand I wouldn't be doing jewellery on the scale I am doing now unless it was for my health issues. It is the only arena where I express myself and work creativly nowadays. Although I have to admit I am constantly hunted by everything I WANT to do, but don't get around to. I keep thinking that I could be so so productive. But I just can't ... "

I have been thinking about it ever since, and the answer I gave. I have been thinking I need some kind of outlet for my thoughts and feelings about my own illness. Maybe I shall start a blog about it. To keep as a diary mainly for myself. But free for anyone who wants to read it. I do NOT want this blog to be that arena. (Apart from today, and this particular post that is.)

Second question was from Maire Dodd:

"who do you allow in your inner sanctum? do you let in many? few? none? how does that place feel to you? do you open it and share it? do you protect it? do you hide inside of it?"

I did not answer yet. I've been thinking a lot about it. And here it is now:

You hit a very weak spot there Maire. Right on. This is what it is all about at the moment, I realize. My inner sanctum. I don't know where it is. I have lost it. And now I don't dare to search for it. I am so afraid of what I will find. I just don't want to deal with it. I just try for all I know to avoid any thoughts in that area. I don't want to think about it! I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!! I don't want to feel, think or be at all aware of anything to do with my illness. I constantly try to distract myself with anything else, so I don't have to deal with it.

And I certainly don't let anyone even close to near where there is a chance it could be. I just hate to talk about it. I don't even talk to the people closest to me. I don't want to, don't want to, don't want to!

Here it comes:

I wish I did not have MS! I wish wish wish wish wish! Coz I hate hate hate hate hate it sooooooooo!

Sh*t - do you have any idea how difficult that was?

Now it is said! I don't know if it will make any difference at all. I just feel sick at the moment from overcoming my fear of saying it. And posting this. But I do believe it sometimes is easier to let out your inner thoughts to people you are not so very close to. You Maire and Shannon asked questions which made it possible for me. Thank you so so much!

Please be gentle with me.

Wishful Wednesdays #3

Today I wish for BEEEEEEEAAAAAADDDDDDSSSSSSS!1. Dear MissFickleMedia - Shannon LeVart, you drive me crazy by constantly presenting new wonderful things you have made in your studio. The leaves, patinated in many different tones, I adore them. Your popular light pink almond flowers, but now in blue instead, simply gorgeous. And the diamond chain I have already got in verdigris (I used it in my necklace for the ABS september challenge), here in russet colour instead, wonderful.
2. Astrophyllite. I had never heard of this stone until a few weeks ago, when Mari Älgkrans who runs the excellent shop StarEyes here in Sweden presented it as a new gem in her stock. It is soooooo beautiful! Very rare apparently, discovered about hundred years ago in Norway. On Etsy CindyLouWho2 has a necklace for sale, with a big focal astrophyllite stone. In my mind it is beyond gorgeous.
3. Cobalt Sky by Sue Beads - Susan Kennedy. A couple of weeks ago Andrew Thornton had a giveaway with beads from SueBeads. To participate we where asked to look around in the SueBeads webshop and find our favourite beads and let Andrew know which ones they were. I voted for these ones which I would like to use in a necklace for all the soon to come winter parties, and especially the one at New Years Eve. And now I just can't stop thinking about those beads. I have been to the SueBead site many times since, just looking at them and dreaming away. (By the way, I won the giveaway, luuuuuuuckyyyyyy me!)
4. Mary Harding, ceramic bead artist. She has made these three wonderful components. Unfortunately both the Wild Grass Toggle and the Ceramic Pendant with Blue Wild Daisies are already sold, but hey we can enjoy the pictures anyway, can't we. The Queen Anne's Lace Charm is still available though. So so pretty!

Wishful Wednesdays #2

I want to share with you this great shop I discovered recently, when I was in England a few weeks ago. Went there to visit the wedding between my brother-in-law Ryan and Rebecca. They live in York, a wonderful picturesque town with a huge Abbey and medieval wall around the city center. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. But I am not going to talk about that now. Coz today is Wishful Wednesday #2. During the stay in England I and my family stayed in a hotel in Leeds, a neighbouring town to York. And while there I of course wanted to check out if there was any nice bead shops in the area. I found YumYum Beads right in the fashionable and beautiful shopping area in the city center of Leeds, called the Arcades. The whole area is full of stunningly beautiful arcades built in the Victorian era. A true pleassure to walk around there.

Anyway, the YumYum Beads shop is soooooo mouthwatering to enter. Crowded with for me many new and very interesting designs on beads and findings. I could easily have gone way to far with my shopping in there. But I managed to stay on a super tight £17 budget. That is $26. Can you imagine that? And look here below at all the goodies I got for that sum.

I didn't go for any of all of the wonderful, bigger and more expensive parts in metal though. They were the ones that I was really super keen on. And still am. The good thing is that they have an on-line shop. Just look at some of the things they have.

If you wish to check out the shop on-line, there is currently two sites to visit.

www.yumyumbeads.co.uk

www.thefrenchbeadshop.co.uk

(From what I understand they will eventually end up being just one. The company is in the process of merging them.)

The French Bead Shop is YumYum Bead's sister site and a summer shop in the medieval town of Dinan in Brittany, France. Open seasonally from Easter until mid September.

The two lovely helpful and friendly ladies that was working in the shop the day I visited gave me their names on a piece of paper, but of course I have lost that paper (sorry about that). Please write a comment if you see this. And hey, next time I am in the area I will pop by for shure! See you then!

Below, some nice earrings for sale in the shop.

Until next time, all my best,

Malin

Wishful Wednesdays #1

Hi,

I thought I would start with another regular post here on my blog. It shall be called "Wishful Wednesdays". Guess what it will be about! Yes, you guessed right. I will tell you about things I wish for. Meaning I really like them in some way or other. They could be expensive or cheap. They could be beads, or books, or any other thing really. I might get them one day, or they might be something I probably would never get around to purchase. But I can dream! Beautiful and exciting things always kind of cheer me up. And I wanna share that feeling with you.

I should say thank you to Jade Scott really. On her blog she posts every now and then her "Five Faves" from Etsy. Very inspiring to look at. Makes me very happy. So I thought I'd do something similar. Thank you so much Jade!

So here we go:

Wishful Wednesdays #1

These beads are made by Claire Maunsell of StillPointWorks and the blog the Next Bend. She wrote this wonderful post telling us about the process to come up with this design. Very nice to read. And those beads I just love! So special, organic and like object you could find in nature. Just beautiful shapes and colours. Really has my fantasy going.

Say Hello to Amaguq! He was all handmade by Harem6 from Romania/Germany. From their own clay formula and with pencil drawings on. They do jewellery too and dolls, apart from art pieces. All their things are so utterly special and unique! Like they come from another universe. I get a strong Eastern European feeling, being reminded of animated films I saw in my childhood.

This Krinkle Chain from Ornamentea keeps saying "buy me buy me buy me buy me" to me. So what am I supposed to do? I guess I will end up buying it soonish.

It's something about unevenly facetted gemstones. I am sooooo attracted to them. These Golden Pyrite Rough Nuggets is sold by Lima Beads. Yummie Yummie!

Hope you enjoyed this post. Please let me know what you think.

All my best

Malin