Welcome
to EJR Beads!
Are you looking for beads, findings
and craft supplies just that little bit different? EJR Beads is home to my
handmade art beads plus a host of other jewellery making and craft supplies. I
pride myself on stocking the EJR Beads online store with the unusual.
You can find my latest lampwork,
polymer and ceramic art
beads plus masses of other things-we-like for sale in
the online store.
Not sure you want to click yet?
Don't you like antique beads, freshwater pearls, copper, sterling silver &
hypo-allergenic beads & findings? Not interested in vintage buttons, craft
supplies and tools - polymer clay and art clay silver supplies?
See, I knew you
were bluffing. Now stop teasing me and just go take a look. You won't regret it.
Here you go, here is the link again, all nice and big. Please add me to your
faves because I am always adding cool new items to the store, so you need to
check back regularly!
Click here for the
EJR Beads online store !
We ship
throughout the UK and beyond, have an easy-to-use shopping cart and very reasonable
shipping rates with a quick despatch.
Oh, and you
can use the store to
join to my mailing list too.
Subscribers get
regular emails about new products, competitions and more. Simply set up an
account in the online store and tick the box for the newsletter to subscribe.
In the meantime,
thanks for visiting ejrbeads.co.uk today. I hope you have enjoyed your visit, if
so please do spread the word! You can scroll down the page now to read more of
my waffle. I waffle almost daily on this page, so you can always see what is new
- in the store and in my head...
Best wishes, Emma Ralph
Studio Update:
Tuesday 2nd September
New beads and
free beads!
I took one look outside this morning, heard the rain thundering down and thought
to myself "I will work inside today". Somehow the idea of spending all day in a
spider-laden shed in the rain didn't quite grab me today! But there is always
plenty of other stuff to do.
So I listed some
new
lampwork beads in the EJR Beads online
store today, including this set of Encrusted Relic beads.
But I so have some
freebies you can win. Giving away some free beads is a nice way to start a wet
Tuesday don't you think? I thought so.
So, as promised -
your chance to snap up some freebies. These beads are some of my new Encrusted
Relic beads, with a bit of a Mackintosh feel to them. If you want to be in with
a chance of winning them all you need to do is to
email me three bits
of info:
Firstly - the
answer competition question - "What is the name of the lampwork Focal bead I
have listed for sale today?"
Secondly - your
full name
Thirdly - your
postal address (this is just time-saving, so I can get your beads straight out
to you if you are the lucky winner.)
Studio Update:
Thursday 28th August
Blink and you
miss 'em!
I listed a
couple of sets of beads today. A set of lampwork and polymer beads, which both
sold pretty quickly. So it just goes to show - you should always drop by
the EJR Beads online
store to see if I have snuck a set or two in under the radar!
There are
more beads in the kiln though - so hopefully they should be cleaned,
photographed and listed early next week sometime.
Meanwhile, the
annual
Jewelry - Gifts for the Holidays magazine from the Beadwork people has
arrived.
This mag has
a lovely mix of projects in it. Not too Christmassey either if you know what I
mean. More, they are just very nice projects that you would be happy to wear to
special parties or give as gifts. A very nice issue, with a bit of everything in
there from wirework to stringing.
Studio Update:
Monday 25th August
Hooray, Hooray,
it's a holiday!
 I
do hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday weekend. The Brits at least. ( I
know that for my American readers, it's next weekend you get to loaf around in
bed)
But for us Limeys
we get to be lazy now and good thing too I reckon. We should do it every week if
you ask me. I mean, what is even the POINT of Mondays? No-one likes them. Ban 'em
I say.
Today isn't such a
bad Monday though since I have some new
lampwork beads to list later in the
online store
later. Here is a sneaky preview of one of the sets. This is a rather bizarre set
of beads I am calling "Encrusted Relics", since they were very much inspired by
things left under the sea / in the ground too long.
I will be curious
to see what you make of these beads, since I think this is one of those "love 'em
or hate 'em" type sets! Actually the photo doesn't quite do them justice but
they are certainly unusual!
I think they will
be a design challenge for whoever is brave enough to take them on. None of the
beads is identical in style, colour or well - anything really! But somehow, for
me at least, they seem to work.
Studio Update:
Thursday 21st August
and now I have
guilt!....
I was working out
in my shed today, making lots of lovely new lampwork beads. When I went to turn
off my propane, a spider was busy building a web right in front of the tank.
The spider was so
nearly done and it was a lovely web. I figured that if I took one of the long
guide silks she had made, maybe I could re-orientate the web slightly so I
wouldn't snag it.
Well, that plan
didn't work. I totally muffed up her web. Big time. She was only little, but I
could SEE her angry face and I am sure I heard her swearing at me.
But, she gobbled it
all up and when I returned half hour later, she was remaking her web. This time
in a slightly different position so as to not obstruct my pathway.
What a clever,
persevering, inspiring little spider. Yey to her!
Sometimes - ok,
quite often - in bead making, things don't go according to plan. Or it can take
months sometimes to perfect a process, to work out the right ceramic glaze or
the perfect glass combo that will help you create the look you are after. There
are so many times when I might open the kiln or oven and find another "what not
to do" bead smiling at me.
I shall add Mrs
Spider to my list of motivational thoughts for all those moments, spurring me to
go back to the drawing board.
Studio Update:
Wednesday 20th August
Hi Ho....Hi
Ho...!
It's off to work I
go!
I was sitting here
this morning thinking how much I love my work. I really do. And thanks must go
to you for that as it is you guys who keep EJR Beads going and me out the doss
house! Thank you!
I got to thinking
about some of the jobs I had in the past, before my previous "career" in credit
control. Did you know, for example, I once started training to be a hairdresser.
At the end of the day I couldn't really handle the "so, are you off anywhere
nice for your holidays then?" level of conversation for 45 hours a week. But the
work itself was cool.
Don't ever
underestimate hairdressers because it takes a lot of hard work and talent to be
good at hair. Believe me, I know from the botched attempts me and other student
hairdressers made! It is a brave woman who replies to those "models required"
signs in the hairdresser window. One of my models (the incredibly ancient Mrs
Pettitt) would always just fall asleep. I am sure she only came in for the tea
because her blowdry and set would always be dubious at best!
Then another of my
jobs was factory work. A summer job making plastic identity cards using the
fabulously-titled Pramesco Mark 3 machine! This machine would melt and fold
plastic. That was it's raison d'être. It knew what it was doing, it just
needed a numpty human to put the flat plastic in and take the folded plastic
out. I was that numpty.
I often wondered
what the Pramesco Mark 2 was like. How inferior was it to the mark 3? Why the
upgrade? Is there a Pramesco mark 4 now? Or even a mark 5?
My brother was
working this job too. He put a jelly baby into his Pramesco Mark 3 and it never
quite worked the same after that. Smelt interesting though.
But thankfully the
days of the Pramesco are behind me.
EJR Beads is now
here to keep me out of trouble and away from public view. So what is new in
store today I hear you cry?
Well the latest
issue of
Polymer Cafe magazine is in. It's a good'un too!
Lots of projects in
there for using your
translucent polymer clays with groovy products such as my favourite
Adirondack Alcohol Inks for instance.
Also, a cool
sculptural project by Christi Friesen and much more.
Studio Update:
Sunday 17th August cont.
Silent Auction!
 So,
I thought it was time for a lampwork bead auction. But this time, an auction
with a difference - or more to the point several differences.
Firstly, this
auction will be run from this website, not eBay or elsewhere. Secondly, it is a
silent auction.
So how does that
work?
Simple. Just
email me your
maximum bid, cross your fingers and wait. The highest bidder wins, paying just
£1 higher than the next highest bid.
So, if you are the
highest bidder with a max bid of £30 and the next highest bidder's bid was, say,
£24 - you would win the beads for £25. Clear as mud?
Don't worry, it
will all work out in the wash.
Here are the beads
in question - a set of stylised rose design tabs in various shades of purple and
lavender. All the beads are decorated on both side, they come with natty little
coordinating spacer beads too. The tabs average around 18 x 16 mm.
Postage and packing
worldwide is included. Closing date for entries is 24th August (a week from
now). If there is more than one highest bidder, whoever's bid came in first will
win. So what are you waiting for?
Email me and
get your bid in!
Studio Update:
Sunday 17th August
Reading Specs on!
Well after a lovely
Saturday afternoon over with Mr Man, feeding the foxes it is back to work for
me. You will all be glad to hear Foxy is doing well! He showed up in the kitchen
as I was making my dinner and had to be escorted outside again with bribes of
whiskas cat kibble.
Foxy Lady is doing
well too - she is Foxy's sister and a little more timid than Foxy (although
still braver by far than your average fox. I guess it is all relative really. )
But the world does
not turn on cute fox anecdotes alone really does it? Certainly this website
needs a tad more than that and I know that most of you really tune in for beady
news. So all I can tell you is that I am now settling down to clean a big bowl
of
lampwork beads.
Will I get them
cleaned, photographed and listed in the
EJR Beads online store
today? I just don't know. If I shut up and get on with it just maybe.
Meanwhile,
you might like to know that lots of new
bead magazines have come in. I have new issues in for
Jewelry Artist, Wire Jewelry, Art Jewelry and Beads & Beyond.
Jewelry
Artist has a fantastic issue out, as always. Among other great projects and
articles, there is a feature on choosing and using resin. This opens up many new
possibilities for your jewellery design, more so if you are a polymer clay
artist as often resins can be successfully used with polymer clay (Check out my
second book
Get Creative with Polymer Clay for a cool resin and clay project for
instance!)
There is also an
excellent article on saws. Sounds odd, but if you are teaching yourself
different skills for jewellery making, these sorts of articles are beyond value.
Not only are all the basics covered, but there is even a very nice project at
the end where you can put your new skills to practice.
 Also
in store now - the latest issue of
Wire Jewelry.
This is the Summer
2008 issue. Thought the last issue was Summer 2008?
Well it was. So is
this one.
I know, crazy huh?
I think the last one was actually called the "Summer Preview". Anyway, the point
is this, don't go thinking you already have this issue just because its called
Summer 2008. You probably don't. You probably need this one. You probably need
to hurry since these Wire Jewelry mags just fly out the door no matter how many
copies I get in.
There is the usual
mix of high quality wire projects in this issue, with 3 different chain maille
projects for those of you who are link-obsessed.
Studio Update:
Saturday 9th August
Nope. Not yet.
Thanks for asking
though!
 Well,
the new beads all seemed to sell out very quickly. Thank you everyone. Your
support is so appreciated, I hope you know that. I am sorry to anyone who missed
out but I am sure there will be some more goodies up soon.
I did list a couple
more of my
ceramic pendants this morning in the
online store. I
love making these pendants. In fact, I have one from this latest batch that I
have kept back for myself as I want to make it into a necklace for me to wear.
Gasp! I never wear jewellery these days, so this is rare!
I was going to list
it for sale, but it kept looking at me asking me not to. Plus it is a green
triangle shape so it reminds me of those noisette triangles from Quality Street
chocolates. Umm chocolate.
Studio Update:
Thursday 7th August
Yup. Woe is still
me!
Horrid cold still
here. Has now travelled to lungs. Either that or someone kindly sandblasted the
inside of my lungs whilst I slept for that fashionable raw feeling.
So what is a girl
to do except sit around in bed watching telly, eating chocolate, faffing around
with beads and updating drivelley blogs all day? This being ill lark isn't all
bad really is it.
Meanwhile.... many of you have been asking for news about Garden Fox. So here he
is.
This is Foxy's
standard body language for "will you give me some dinner please? I am bored of
rat and pigeon?"
(Yes, Foxy did eat
Mr Man's favourite garden pigeon the other day, but we will draw a line under
that sorry event. In fairness, pigeon was very stupid. We had to pull it out of
one of the local cats just the weekend before and it STILL continued to walk
around on the ground without the slightest concern for who was stalking it. I
guess this is Darwinism in action)
So even though he
has some shocking inter-species personal skills (as in eating the other animals
he meets) could you resist Foxy when he asks so politely?
Well, could you
resist?
Are you sure?
Could anyone really
resist those soft tan brown puppy eyes?
Looking at Foxy and
how he has wrapped us around his little finger this summer, it is so easy to see
how Man and Dog developed that so-called "best friend" relationship.
This cunning little
creature knows just how to push our buttons. He must be laughing all the way to
his den as he cons more specially blended "fox mix" and sultanas out of us. This
fox even has Mr Man's mum making sandwiches for him daily.
When was the last
time anyone made you sandwiches daily? Or me? We are in the wrong game. We need
to get cute and furry.
So maybe you
haven't fallen under Foxy's spell yet? Maybe you think we are just soft.
Are you REALLY SURE
you could resist those eyes?
If so, all I can
say is you are a stronger person than any of us are ;-)
You will notice
that this photo was taken on a different day, with Foxy in a totally different
part of the patio. This really is his stock pose for getting what he wants. He
is the gigolo of foxes, just playing us for all he is worth.
Well, they do say
foxes are sly and cunning, don't they. I am starting to see just what they mean.
You don't want to know what the little criminal has stolen from the house and
garden too! If it ain't nailed down.....
Are you bored of
Foxy yet? Probably you are. I don't have children to bore the pants off you
about, so I have to do it with animals. Maybe I will start showing off
copious pictures of my cats doing nothing in particular. Oh it will come to
that, I am sure.
Did you maybe come
here for some bead news instead though? If so, all I can do is apologise. This
cold has pushed me right behind schedule on the bead front. I do have some new
lampwork beads and
ceramic beads, pendants and
buttons almost ready to list in the
online store. I
just need another day at least to photograph them and whatnot. But there are
some cool things in the pipeline so watch this space....!
Studio Update:
Tuesday 5th August
Woe is still me!
 Ooh
I feel dreadful. Aren't summer colds the pits? Never mind, I am sure it will be
over and done with soon.
Meanwhile, we have
had a new delivery of
Microfine Glitters. But its not all good news. I need to warn you that some
of these colours will not be around for ever (indeed some are gone already). My
manufacturer is quitting the business. So unless I find a replacement as good as
these glitters, when we run out they will be discontinued. I will only settle
for a product that is as good (or better) than the glitter I stock now. This
stuff is fabulous and I simply wont settle for the lesser quality glitters
flooding the market today.
So the moral of
this tale is - if you see a glitter colour you like at
EJR Beads, do make
sure you order up enough to keep you going. Even though stocks are pretty good
right now for most colours, once they are gone that could well be it. Let's hope
not. I am always scouring the globe looking for fantastic products to bring you
but like men who put the seat down afterwards, good glitter can be hard to find
it seems.
Oh, and some
colours are available in larger 50 gram packs too don't forget!
Studio Update:
Monday 4th August
Woe is Me!
I have had a stinky
cold all weekend. Not a killer one, thank goodness. Just a nasty head cold. Now
it has turned into a stupid, annoying sinus infection. Poo.
I have been very
good though. I have managed to fit my "I'm dying. Leave me now.... I would be
alone" moments in around my work. Got all the orders from the weekend packed and
into the post nice and early. Also I managed to get some more ceramic beads and
buttons fired. I should also have some lampwork beads cleaned and finished off
in the next couple of days too.
Secretly though, I
am thinking I should get some kind of medal or certificate of bravery for this
soldiering-on. Remember I am a useless patient and hate being ill. If you think
I am self-obsessed normally, you really don't want to see me when I have a
temperature.
I am so glad we got
out for a walk on Friday though, else I would be totally stir crazy by now.
Studio Update:
Friday 1st August
Happy in Happy
Valley!
I took a day off
today. Well, I have been working very hard on lots of lovely lampwork and
ceramic beads, so I figured I deserved it.
Mr Man and I
decided to not do our usual dog walk. Instead we took the furry overlords on a
trip to one of my favourite places around here. Happy Valley.
Happy Valley is
just one of the open areas of chalk grassland around the town where I live.
Pretty much all this part of Surrey is on chalk. It produces some fantastically
beautiful landscapes. The downlands and meadows of gorgeous wild flowers attract
so many birds, insects and other critters.
This valley and the
surrounding downs (why are high areas of land called "Downs"?) have been farmed
since Celtic times. In fact, the Celtic field markings and barrows are still
visible in some areas.
After the
comfortable stroll through the valley there is a rather insignificant turning to
the right. A short walk over some farmland and you arrive at a small lane.
Trot up the lane
just a little and what do you find? Only my very favouritest church ever!
Chaldon Church dates from the 10th - 11th century although there has been a
church on the site since Saxon times at least.
There are many
remarkable things in Chaldon Church. The ornately carved pulpit dates from the
1600s for example. A renaissance tablet set into the wall has the coolest Sun
face and morally inspiring verse carved into it. Everywhere you look there is
cool stuff.
Simply the smell of
this place gets my heart thumping. It smells old. It smells of the middle ages.
I used to do a lot of archaeology on mediaeval sites and the mud of those places
smelled the same as Chaldon. Nice and musty and old. I am sure there some who
would hate that smell. But for me it is magical and evocative.
There is, however,
one more thing that Chaldon Church has up its sleeve. That is its 12th century
wall painting - the oldest of its type in England.
Depicting the
'Ladder of Salvation of the Human Soul', this mural is a very graphical
representation of hell and purgatory, full of warnings against the seven deadly
sins.
Imagine you are a
mediaeval peasant. Are you going to disobey the priests when all those evil
demons await you? They will boil you in pots and do other nasty things to you if
you don't watch out.
Or you can live
righteously and be judged in purgatory up above. If you have led a good life
(and can prove it) you might just ascend the ladder to heaven.
What ya gonna do?
It's a no-brainer really isn't it.
Now, as I said -
this place is OLD. It is mentioned in the Domesday book even.
On the wall inside
the church someone has written out the excerpt from the Domesday book and its
modern translation.
Take a look-see.
Now I am no lawyer,
but that clearly says the Church belongs to Ralph yes? And what is my family
name?
Bingo!
By my reckoning
then, this is MY church. I has got it in writing, innit.
Well I do hope you
enjoyed today's little romp around Northern Surrey with its delightful chalky
downlands and interesting churches. Was it all a bit too clichéd "English"
though?
Oh I do hope so. I
hope you could almost taste the cheese and chutney sandwiches and lashings and
lashings of ginger beer.
Studio Update:
Wednesday 30th July
Memory Lane!
I was digging
around some old files today, archived from some hard-drive or other long since
keeled over.
There are more dead
hard disks around this house than dead flies. Which is saying something since
cleaning dropped off of everyone's top ten years ago when it comes to
priorities. I think about the same time that old mattress and shopping trolley
appeared in the front garden actually.
Anyway... found
some of my polymer clay work dating from 2000-2001!
This is one of my
Millefiore cane slice collar. I made lots of these, as they were really fun.
This one was inspired by Coleus leaves.
It can be scary and
fun at the same time seeing photos of really old work. I think a bit like
looking at really old photos of yourself. I think I still have some of those
canes around in the studio too and they are still workable. Isn't
Fimo wonderful stuff!
Studio Update:
Sunday 27th July
But
Wait...There's More!
Well the new beads
sold out pretty quickly yesterday. Thank you all - I am sure you have no idea
just how much I appreciate your support.
To those of you who
missed out on the beads - I am sorry, but please keep trying you will find some
available soon I am sure.
For instance, I
just listed another 3 sets this morning (I told you I had been busy this week!!)
and right now, they are all still available.
Please just check
out the
lampwork beads section to see what's new.
Studio Update:
Saturday 26th July
Tyred and
Exhausted!
I worked like a
Trojan yesterday. Up at 6.30 am and working non-stop trying to get all the new
Art beads photographed and the images processed.
I did stop around 5
pm and had a float in the pool for an hour on the Lilo. What bliss that was!
Now, don't go thinking I am Victorian Beckham or something, the "pool" is one of
those huge overgrown paddling pool type things. We bought it off eBay for 200
quid and it has been worth it's weight in gold.
When my accountant
first came to see me, he looked into the garden, saw numerous inflatable killer
whales and such-like and remarked "Oh, I see there are children in the house
then!".
I had to sheepishly
tell him the youngest person in my entire family was 25 and we were just a bit
odd and liked pool toys. I'm pretty sure I noticed him make a quick scan of the
major exits of the house at that point.
Anyway..... you
don't need to hear all this rubbish. You need to hear about new Art beads right?
How about some
ceramic ones then? These are some Tyres I have been working on. They have large
5 mm holes and I am in lurve with them. I cannot stop playing with them, they
are so fiddle-with-able. You can find these are more in the Ceramic Beads
section of the online store.
And talking of Ceramics - I finally
have some of my new buttons to show too. I have even made a new category for
them (you can see it in the main menu of the
online store, 3rd
from the top.)
I have listed some
cute Rustic carded buttons and metal shank buttons too.
My buttons are not only fab for clothing or fabric crafts, but great for
jewellery too. They make unusual focals or clasps, especially for seed bead
work. Or why not take some inspiration from my
Shabby Chic jewellery range to create some cool button earrings?
And as for new
lampwork beads? I have some up my sleeve. I should have them listed over the
next day or two, so keep 'em peeled!
Studio Update:
Monday 21st July
Furry-Faced
Cheek!
Some of you may
remember me showing you a picture of the very tame fox cub living in Mr Man's
garden?
Well foxy is
growing - both physically and in his bravery. He comes and sits every
morning outside the kitchen door, waiting for his brekky . Of course this means
we will have to feed Foxy forever I guess, but don't worry - he is very good at
hunting too. Too good if you ask me since I found a clump of something that was
obviously once a bird on the patio this weekend!
As you can see,
breakfast wasn't served quite quickly enough for him the other day, so he
decided to walk into the kitchen and have a word with the chef! What bare fared
cheek his has. Or, I suppose that should be a fur faced cheek.
He is very sweet
and still loves sultanas above anything else. He will sit by our feet in the
garden making puppy eyes at us until he has had his fill!
Of course, I am
assuming that it is food Foxy wants. But maybe I got it wrong? Maybe all he
wanted after all was the latest issue of Bead magazine?
If so, fear not
Foxy. All you need to do is to log on to the EJR Beads
online store and
check out the
Books and Magazines section.
The latest issue of
bead is in stock and apart from a whole bucket load of really cool projects,
it also contains a feature on British Lampwork artists, including muggins here!
Also in stock now,
the latest issue of
Jewelry Artist. If you ever wanted to learn how to solder, well it's a great
issue - lots of top tips and projects to get you started.
Studio Update:
Thursday 17th July
Long time, no
speak!
 Yes,
these pages have been a bit bare haven't they!
Sorry about that, I
have just been busy in the studio the last week or so making
lampwork beads,
polymer clay beads and working on a new series of ceramic buttons too.
Most of the beads
listed in the
online store over
the last couple of days have sold now. If you want to get advanced notifications
when new beads go up, make sure you are on my mailing list. Check the FAQ on
this site for details on how to sign up, and remember just setting up an account
at the online store will not subscribe you. You have to opt in to the mailing
list. So if you haven't been receiving email updates, why not log in at EJR
Beads and check your account email notification settings (or just email me and I
will check your account for you)
Meanwhile, as I
type this set of lampwork beads is still available, but hurry! I am sure it
won't be for long. (Oh and those are not whopping great bubbles, just a trick of
the light and my poor photography skills I am happy to report!)
Studio Update:
Friday 4th July
Caution: Purple
Distraction Ahead!
There you are, driving down the road and you see a sign by the roadside.
"Caution - Purple Distraction Ahead".
Is it a killer
grape on the loose? Alice Walker doing a book signing? No. It's a lavender
field. A beautiful, purple, fragrant lavender field.
Apparently the area
around here was quite the world's hotspot for lavender production in the 18th
and early 19th century.
Over the last four
years, Mayfield
Lavender have revived the tradition by setting up their English lavender oil
company, growing all their lavender organically at their Oaks Park field.
Now as you
know, lampworkers such as myself spend our days melting glass with big hot
flames to make beads. Lavender oil is fantastic for the inevitable minor burns
that we all get.
Lavender is also a
well known for relieving stress. Actually, this morning I was feeling quite
panic-attackey. After half an hour of walking around the lavender field taking
photos, I was feeling a lot more relaxed and mellow!
So, if you are
looking for anything to do with Lavender - do visit Mayfield's website. They
have an online store too!
Studio Update:
Friday 27th June
Read all about it!
I took off for a spot of birding today. I probably should not have, since I had
a kiln's worth of
lampwork beads needing cleaning and photographing. But all work and no play
makes Emma way too grumpy so off I went, picnic in hand.
We saw some very
cute baby Lapwings and other stuff too. I think Mr Man got a photo of them, so
will show that off later in the week if he ever remembers to get the photo off
his camera and give it to me.
Of course, all too
soon it was over and we were back on our way home to get some work done. So what
can I tell you about the online store today? Well, some new reads are in. The
latest issue of
Step-by-Step beads and
Stringing magazine have arrived.
I think these are
both awesome publications.
Step-by-Step Beads just seems to get better and better. There is such a
great mix of projects in each issue from stringing to beading. What I also like
is that there is a good mix for different abilities too. Beginners will like how
there is always something in there they can magage and learn new skills too. But
with some magazines, more advanced beaders can sometimes get left out.
Publishers are so often afraid of "scaring people off". Not so with Step-by-Step
Beads as they always seem to have some meaty stuff in there too!
Stringing is a very different animal, but equally good. It is a magazine to
inspire and provoke ideas in you rather than teach you techniques. So each issue
has literally hundreds of different earring, necklace and bracelet designs. You
can use them to inspire new designs in your own collections, plus get a really
good feel for any new directions jewellery-making is going or see hot new
trends.
If you do
jewellery parties and take custom orders, Stringing magazine can be invaluable.
Customers can flick through it when discussing commissions and give you ideas of
what they like, what they don't like etc. So you can both arrive at the desired
design and be able to show different design concepts to your customer rather
than trying to describe them. A really useful selling tool in itself since a
picture really does paint a thousand words!
Find both these
magazines and more in the
Books and Magazines section of the
online store.
Studio Update:
Tuesday 24th June
Amber-cadabra!
 The
Baltic Amber section has been re-stocked and undergone a little facelift. I
wanted to show the current colours of amber chip beads a little better in some
spanking new photographs. Old favourites such as the River Rock are back in
stock and there are also some new colours: Cola and Light Cola.
You asked for the
chips to be a little smaller - so you got it! They are a tad cheaper than
before. Well, as they say on the telly "every little helps!"
Don't forget
Baltic Amber screw clasps are also available. Containing no metal at all,
these clasps are completely hypo-allergenic and make the perfect finishing touch
to your amber jewellery. What is more, they come in a multitude of different
colours!
"Wah, but I want
lampwork. And cheap lampwork at that!"
Ok. You got that
too! Just keep an eye on the
lampwork beads section of the
online store. I
will be adding a few caboodles over the course of this evening and tomorrow.
Please remember though, it is "first come, first served" on all my art beads. If
someone else's order comes through before yours, they will get the beadies and
you will get a refund. Even if they are first by just a minute or even a
fraction of a minute. We is very democratic at EJR Towers. So the moral of this
story is - you snooze, you lose!
Studio Update:
Friday 20th June
Just Chillin'!
It's Friday
evening, my work is done, the dogs are walked - I'm just chillin' and looking
forward to the weekend. Ok, who am I kidding - I will be working again tomorrow
if not this evening. It seems there is always *something* to be done when you
work for yourself. Not that I am grumbling. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Although (like most
self-employed people) I do end up working pretty much every waking hour, there
are many benefits. Because that does allow me to have a little time out at
off-peak times. On Tuesday we went out for a spot of birdwatching. It was bliss.
We trotted off down to our nearest nature reserve and sat in a hide eating
cheese and onion rolls and watching the birds over the lake. I have never seen
so many Kingfishers in my life. It was like a buy-one, get-one-free on
kingfishers. I even saw kingfishers doing it, so we know a whole new generation
is in the making ;-) They really are gorgeous birds. If you get a chance, get
out birding this weekend. It is super-relaxing.
But back at EJR
Towers - what is new here? I am still working on getting this weeks art beads
finished up. Lots of beads are made, just everything seems to need sanding or
polishing, cleaning or photographing.
Meanwhile you might
be interested to know that the new issue of
Jewelry Artist has arrived. There are some fantastic
Art Clay projects in this issue, plus so much more.
Studio Update:
Wednesday 18th June
They is gone!
Sorry folks, the
freebie beads have been snapped up now. Do keep an eye out for future giveaways
though!
Studio Update:
Wednesday 18th June
Wot No Freebies?
My apologies to
everyone waiting for the freebie beads I spoke of in my email newsletter. The
trouble was, I couldn't get a nice photo of them the other day, so today I tried
scanning them instead.
This set of
freebies consists of a nice focal heart bead, in pale pink and clear. Plus a
trio of scroller beads, all accented with palest periwinkle and blue. As you can
see, it's not the best photo in the world - but it will do! These beads are just
such a pale pink colour I couldn't really pick them up with the camera at all.
But trust me they look a lot nicer in real life.
So, do you want
them?
The first person to
email me their full
name and postal address will get them.
But let's say you
miss out on the freebies - or maybe you are one of the people who likes to pay
for your beads instead - what to do? Don't panic. I have another set of lampies
to list in the
online store later
and hopefully the
ceramic beads will be up tomorrow or the day after. Oh and did I tell you I
have been working on some more
polymer clay beads too?... I am so all over the place with my mediums this
week
Studio Update:
Wednesday 11th June
What's New
Pussycat?
If you are waiting for new art beads, I can only apologise and promise you there
will be some new sets up for sale soon in the
online store.
I have a kiln full
of
lampwork beads that I should get cleaned and photographed over the next few
days. Also I have a whole slew of ceramic beads that I am working on. It will be
a few days yet before those are ready I imagine, but just keep checking the
online store won't you!
Meanwhile, do take
a wander around the
Books & Magazines section of the store. New issues are in for many of
your favourite reads. There are still some copies left of
Wire Jewelry and the new
Beads & Beyond issue is out too.
I think this latest
issue of Beads & Beyond is the best yet. Especially if you are a lampworker,
since they have features on both the major glass bashes of the year (GBUK's bash
and the Flame Off conference). Plus a whole host of stringing, wirework, art
clay silver projects and more. Me like.
Studio Update:
Friday 5th June
They're up!
New
lampwork beads,
polymer clay beads and even some
earrings too are now up in the
online store!
Amongst the polymer
clay goodies, I have also revisited one of my favourite designs - my Pod
Pendants.
I haven't made one
of these pendants for absolutely ages. I don't know why I stopped making them
actually, since I really enjoyed doing this one. I teamed it with some great
dyed silks which you would have thought were custom-dyed, the colours match so
well!
Studio Update:
Wednesday 4th June
soon...
I will have some
new lampwork and polymer beads ready soon, I promise. Just gotta photograph them
and list them in the
online store. So
hopefully you should see some new stuff up in the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, look at
this beautiful card that my friend Jennifer Blunden sent me for my recent
birthday. This card is another of her stunning original designs.
I just love
Jennifer's characters. I am sure that she MUST have modelled this one on me. In
my head, that is just what I look like when I check out the mirror (of course,
you only have to scroll down the page a little to see the reality though ;-)
You can see more of
Jennifer's talents in the
customer gallery, where some of her jewellery is showcased, featuring her
beautiful art on
Fimo polymer clay.
Talking of Fimo - I
am afraid I have a little bad news. I have heard from the manufacturers that the
prices across the Fimo range are to rise at the end of this month. I will
endeavour to keep my prices as low as I can, but please be aware that price
changes are coming. The current prices are only good whilst stocks last.
Studio Update:
Thursday 22nd May
And now for
something completely different...
Here is a new set
of
lampwork beads, up in the
online store
today.
The shape is my
all-time favourite - Flamenco tabs, but the colours are very unlike me. Muted
earthy stone-like colours throughout this set. They remind me of agates. I can
just see these beads working beautifully with
sterling silver, can't you?
Studio Update:
Monday 19th May
To bid or not to
bid, that is the question!
I have a
new auction
up on eBay. I have listed on the US eBay site this time around.
The UK eBay site
has really messed around with the search function and the way they show
listings. Why can't they just be happy enough with the millions they were
already making? Why do they have to squeeze any extra bit of money they can out
of that site at the expense of the sellers who made it what it is?
They now sell
advertising space to outside websites. So when you search for something on ebay,
you just get spoon-fed their advertisers' sites rather than easily being able to
see all the store and auction items that might be suitable. It has become
impossible to find anything on eBay UK lately.
So far the US site
seems left un-changed. Since that is where most lampworkers list anyway, I
thought I would go back to listing there. So for this auction, the price is in
US Dollars don't forget, not GBP (which makes it a pretty sweet deal given the
current exchange!) Also, postage and packing is free on this auction.
Studio Update:
Wednesday 7th May
Argh NOT Cute!
Don't you hate it
when you are walking in the woods, busy being in a foul mood and someone takes a
photo? Mr Man took this awful photo of me yesterday. I was wracking my
brains trying to remember what it reminded me of. Yup - I'm Bigfoot!
Separated at
birth?
If you are
wondering what I was pouting about, I was moody about having to go to the
dentist today! Never mind, all over with now. And yes, I was brave.
Studio Update:
Monday 5th May
Aw Cute!
 Ok
then - how about a cute fest?
What about this
little guy then? Isn't he adorable?
He is one of the 6
fox cubs currently using Mr Man's garden as feeding station and training ground
(especially for those important night-time missions!)
This photo was
taking in daylight however. With three of us sitting on the patio only a couple
of metres from him, talking to him all the time. He sure does like those
sultanas put out for the birds. He just laid on down and gobbled them all up,
looking up obligingly for the camera each time I called to him.
I just don't think
anyone has told him yet that he is meant to be a bit more wary! His mother is -
she kept a much greater distance when I was in the garden. But this little guy?
No, those sultanas are obviously worth being a bit braver for!
The EJR Beads Archive - don't miss my waffle - see
what has been and gone!
All text and images © Emma Ralph 2006
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