I have been beading for over fifteen years and my beadwork is bound up with my health. You will know this story if you have followed my blog before.
I started beading after becoming seriously ill and I have found the beadwork consistently therapeutic. Beading has also given me a creative outlet and I think this is a healthy thing for anyone. I have come to know a lot of other beaders and I realise that many of us are suffering from difficult health conditions.
So, although I wanted to write mostly about my beading adventures, I have also talked more personally. I think we can all support each other. Sometimes it is comforting just to know that you’re not the only one who is struggling. So, I’ve shared some of my struggles and doubts on here. Since I believe it’s important to speak out, I thought I had better start by setting an example!
I hope you enjoy reading about my general beading adventures in this part of the blog.
VATMOSS update time I think! My Facebook newsfeed is currently full of updates on this hot topic. Now that the full implications of the legislation have had time to sink in, I am faced with the sobering thought of just how much could be changing in two weeks’ time. I have in fact just been…
Artists and Makers magazine is a new title on the market which I thought it would be worth blogging about as it may interest a lot of you. When I tell you that Artists and Makers magazine is a new title from Interweave, you will straight away know it’s something worth looking at. For those of…
VATMoss…or VATMess as it’s becoming known…relates to the new VAT regulations coming into force in the EU on 1st January 2015. The VAT rules on downloaded products are being changed in an effort to close some loopholes that have allowed companies to trade with lower VAT rates. Currently the VAT that must be charged on…
“So how was the Big Bead Show 2014?” I hear you asking…well, it’s taken me all week to recover and I’m sorry to report that I don’t have a huge bead stash photo to show you as my attempts at shopping weren’t that brilliant if I’m honest. No, my day was largely spent talking, which,…
Two weeks ago I found myself in Royston teaching a lovely group of ladies who all belong to the Budding Beaders. I was teaching the Poinsettia project which I originally designed to appear in my book, A Beaded Christmas Table. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting these ladies and hearing about their group: it had originally started after…
Well, if you’d told me a couple of months ago that I’d be writing this blog, I really wouldn’t have believed you! Apologies for the lack of communication both on here and on my Facebook page recently, but my life has become incredibly busy and full of exciting events all of a sudden. I had…
Well, I’m just back from teaching my second workshop of this year at Stitchncraft Beads in Semley, Dorset, and what a fabulous time I had! I left home expecting to teach ten people, which seemed like excellent news to me. By the time I had reached Dorset, numbers had swelled to a full workshop of…
In amongst all the teaching and large beading projects I’ve been doing recently, I’m also working away on my next new book. Some of you who have come along and said hello to me at bead fairs this year may have seen some of the early samples and heard a little about this project. It’s…
Well, for those of you who have been following me for a while, it’s that time of year again! I spent the allotted time from 1st April until 8th June putting my efforts into making a stunning piece of wearable beadwork, photographing it to show it to best advantage and then sending four photos to…
Recently I have been creating a lot of designs with a story behind them. The question I am most often asked is how I come up with new designs, so I thought it would be a good idea to talk about some of these designs that do have their origins in particular themes or events.…
