MacMillan Spring Fair and Coffee Morning

 

This Saturday is another MacMillan Fair and Coffee Morning in Wraysbury and once again we will be there selling our earrings. The morning really is a lot of fun! Local vendors, made up of local small businesses and non-profits, will be selling new and used merchandise. There will also be delicious cakes (biscuits, cupcakes, fruit cake and chocolate cake in December, both were yummy!) as well as coffee and tea.

The set-up is nice; there are tables and chairs set up so you can grab a cake and coffee and sit and chat with friends. In December the vendors' stalls lined the room and the tables were in the center. I didn’t go around personally and look at all the vendors but I could see another jewelry vendor, ladies accessories, plants,  stationary, baked goods, nutritional supplements and hand knit woolen items. There is also a raffle, the winners are announced at the end.

Like last time I’ll have some surprises on the day. Plus our prices are lower at the stall (no shipping!), so if you are local and have seen anything you like come along and check out our stock. I’ve also made a few pieces especially for the fair; they haven’t been featured on the blog.

 

 

First is this pair in Onyx, they are the same as the Garnet Queen which was released in February, in addition to onyx beads they feature a crystal chambala bead. Next there is this lovely wooden pair. These Retro earrings feature an oblong and a round wooden bead with bronze colored bead spacers.

 

 

 



I made this pair with the remaining crystal hearts from Love Hearts. Each earring has only one heart.

 

Finally this is the first pair I've made that feature Jasper and hematite beads. I will be using jasper beads in the future but I wanted to have something to show at the fair. Jasper is a very earthy stone, not necessarily beautiful like garnet or sapphire but it has it's own charm. I love trinkets made of this type of stone. My mother has a lovely box made of this stone.

 

 

 

 

MacMillan Fairs and Coffee Mornings really are a great way to spend the morning. And all the proceeds go to MacMillan Cancer Support. So please come down and support us on Saturday between 10am and noon.

 

Wraysbury Village Halls The Green, Staines-upon-Thames, Wraysbury, Staines TW19 5NA

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/''/wraysbury+village+hall/@51.4582091,-0.6256265,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x4876709a5765227d:0x8fed39e7851187cc!2m2!1d-0.555587!2d51.45823

 

Aqua Marine

 

These are not Aqua Marine! Let me say that up front. These are beautiful blue glass beads that I got last year. A few weeks ago when I was having a creative streak I made these one evening while watching TV. I had just watched a video of someone making jewelry and thought I’d try this specific setting. Then I bunched the beads up together; I wanted a range of sizes and shapes of the colored beads. Once I was finished I knew I’d save these for March since this is really close to the color of March’s birthstone Aqua Marine. But again these are glass beads and not Aqua Marine.

 

Really I was messing around trying to come up with an idea for wedding earrings this year. I have given it a try but that will wait a few months. But I love blue! And these earrings are lovely.

 

As I said they are glass beads of different sizes and shapes. The clear beads are a mixture of glass and acrylic beads. All of the findings are silver plated and the fitting can be is kidney wire (as seen), fish hook or clip on (additional cost). The earrings hang about an inch from the ear.

Just one more week! Next Saturday (18^th) We’ll be at the Wraysbury Village Hall for another coffee morning fair. There will be tea, cakes and coffee on offer and lots of stalls selling fabulous merchandise (including us!) so come on down!

£6.00 including UK shipping, $9.75 including US delivery.
Only one pair available

Fiona

 

When you think of people do you think of a color? If you have a friend who always wears blue, when you think of them does blue come to mind? Well I have a lovely friend here named Fiona and when I think of her I think Purple. She’s a very colorful person, she doesn’t always wear purple but she does wear it often. She redecorated her home last year and what’s the feature color? Purple. I wanted to make a pair for her last year but I had no purple beads. She picked another pair I’d already made and she loves them. Since then I have gotten purple beads but I had no idea what to do with them.

I’ve been having another creative streak over the past two days. Sunday my husband turned on the soccer so I went into a different room to watch political shows from back home. I made a few pairs while I watched. Then Monday I was updating some old designs and while putting my supplies away a style came to me, and these happened.

 

One of many patches of crocuses in our yard

Monday was a lovely day so I went outside to take pictures of the new earrings. I was going to publish a different pair this week but when these came about I knew I’d have to do them first. It looks like spring in our front yard and these earrings match the Crocuses. And since February’s birthstone is Amethyst (which is also purple) I wanted to get these out before the month was over.

 

 




The purple beads feature a marble type effects, traces of white swirling around them. In the center there is a iridescent glass bead with a swirl effect on it. Those three beads are separated by small purple iridescent beads. The findings are silver plated, and can be replaced by kidney wires or clip on if you’d prefer. They hang about an inch and a half from the ear.

This seems like a good time to make an announcement. The journey is making another stop. Once again at the village hall in Wraysbury on Saturday March 18^th from 10am to noon. I’ll have the newest designs on hand as well as some old ones and some remixed designs. So put the date on your calendar and I hope to see you there. Remember, you save shipping costs when you buy in person. And there may even be a few surprises.

£4.00 including UK Shipping, $7.70 including US shipping

 

U-N-I-T-Y!

Umoja and Ujamaa

 

I wanted to have a more inclusive line this year, last week I released my Hanukkah earrings so this week I am presenting my Kwanzaa earrings. Like Hanukkah there is a special candelabra that is used to celebrate the holiday. So last year I thought about making the Menorah and Kinara for the holidays but I just couldn’t figure it out. Then my mother shared the symbols of each day with me and saw that I could make two of the symbols.

 

Kwanzaa or first fruits of the harvest is a holiday celebrated by some African-Americans from December 26^th through January 1^st. It is based on seven principles of African heritage which are:

Ñ Umoja or Unity

Ñ Kujichagulia or Self-Determination

Ñ Ujima or Collective Work and Responsibility

Ñ Ujamaa or Cooperative Economics

Ñ Nia or Purpose

Ñ Kuumba or Creativity

Ñ Imani or Faith

The designs I made for Kwanzaa are Ujamaa

 

 

And Umoja which was in the preview I sent out on Friday.

 

Since this is pretty much a solely American holiday I don’t expect to sell any in the UK. So I’ll only give American prices. But don’t worry members of my British audience, next week’s earrings are a UK exclusive. Oh, and did I mention #TDJ will be making another stop? This time at the MacMillan Christmas Bazaar in Wraysbury. So if you aren’t too far away you can swing buy and pick up your earrings for Christmas. I’ll have the entire stock on hand so you can pick up Christmas presents and earrings to wear around during the holidays. Come by and say hello on Saturday November 26 from 10am to noon.

Ujamaa $3.00 including shipping

Umoja $3.50 including shipping