Handmade Monday : Vintage Jewellery and Birds.

Flower Vintage Charm Bracelet

Flower Vintage and Copper Earrings


Well, it's been a rainy few days here in Manchester......in other words, perfect jewellery making weather! It's been quite a while since I made any beaded jewellery as I have been distracted with my love of polymer clay and doing up my house. I thought it was time for a challenge so I decided to have a look around online and came across Bead Me Up Buttercup and Smitten Beads on Facebook. I  totally fell in love with Angela's (at Bead Me Up Buttercup) polymer clay vintage birds and the 'Inspiration Packs' that both ladies offered, so I decided to buy some of the little birds and an Inspiration Pack from each shop. (An Inspiration Pack is a selection of beads and findings). The bracelet and earrings at the top of this post is what I created using the Inspiration Packs. The photo immediately below is the parcel which arrived from Bead Me Up Buttercup on Wednesday morning. 

Don't you just love opening parcels?


It took me hours of thinking and playing around with various pieces until I decided what to do with the polymer clay birds. So far I have only come up with designs for the yellow, pink and lilac ones. I am so worried I haven't done them justice. 'Vintage' is a bit of a new style for me but I am really enjoying creating pieces in vintage style. There is so much inspiration everywhere and it seems really on trend at the moment. Here are some pictures of my first go with the little polymer clay birds :

Summer Flowers Bracelet and Matching Vintage Lemon Bird Earrings

Summer Flowers Bracelet with Lilac Cream Washed Bird

Vintage Hot Pink Cream Washed Bird Earrings with Swarovski Crystals


 I have bought some cute mini bird houses (some wood and some papier mache) so my challenge for this week is to decorate them. I haven't done much decoupage before but I have bought some beautiful papers on eBay and been admiring them for a few weeks now, too scared to actually have a go. I think it is time to bite the bullet and have a go.....hopefully I will have a couple ready in time for next week's Handmade Monday. I had best get a move on and start actually doing something as I have a few things planned for this week.

On Wednesday I am going to Ross on Wye with my Dad. He is going to an old car auction (old cars are his passion) and he suggested I go with him for a bit of a change of scenery. (I have been ill lately (again) with this wretched lupus which springs up every now and then to torture me! ). I am not sure the old car auction is really my thing but I will have a stroll around the town and maybe take some photos, get some inspiration etc. At the weekend I am heading down to Suffolk to visit a very dear friend of mine who has moved down there. We used to volunteer at Samaritans together until I went to uni in Sheffield and he moved down south! lol! I'm really excited about visiting him and seeing a new part of the UK. I have never been to Suffolk before and I am hoping to maybe pay a visit to Peterborough Cathedral to see the resting place of Catherine of Aragon en route. Since I have been ill I have really got into Tudor and Medieval history so it seems a perfect opportunity to explore!

Anyway, I can hear the buzzer going on my oven....I have had a go at baking a fruit loaf.....and got a very fed up Maisie pestering for food (my cats are not enjoying this rain and are bored to tears in the house) so I will leave you with a few pics and wish you all a Happy Handmade Monday. I will be back with a piece of fruit loaf and a coffee to see what Wendy and all the others have been up to over at Handmade Harbour.......bye for now xxxx

Little Maisie.....fed up with the rain

Me, attempting to model my latest creation and take a photo at the same time!







Comments

  1. I love the vintage flower bracelet, really pretty and gorgeous colours. Hope you enjoy your travels around the country. You might find some sun and not rain :)
    Ali xx

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  2. The lemon bird bracelet and earrings set is really beautiful, although all your things are lovely! I hate it when my fibromyalgia flares up and restricts my activities, but like you - I get more reading done! Hope you find some nice little craft shops to visit on your travels!

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    1. awwww fibromyalgia sucks, I'm so sorry to hear you have this horrible condition. I shall keep my eye out for the craft shops x

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  3. Lovely Vintage Charm bracelet. Been wet and miserable here too, my dog Molly is fed up with the rain! x

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    1. Thank you. Hope the rain clears soon so Molly and my cats can go out to pay again x

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  4. Some lovely stuff here - I particularly like the turquoise and copper combo - beautiful! Thanks for sharing, Chris x

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  5. I think my favourites are the flower vintage ones, they're really pretty.

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  6. Lovely bracelets x the poly birds are very cute x good luck with the decoupage, I too have some papers lined up ready to use but not got round to trying yet, i look forward to seeing your efforts x

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  7. Lovely bracelets x the poly birds are very cute x good luck with the decoupage, I too have some papers lined up ready to use but not got round to trying yet, i look forward to seeing your efforts x

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  8. I love the lemon and lilac together, it's such a lovely combination.
    I hope you enjoy your visit to Suffolk, it's a lovely area.
    Looking forward to seeing your birdhouses. I love decoupage, you can get so many lovely looks by adding other mediums too, I love to add lace. :)

    Jan x

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