Some Brooches and Fire Chakra Colours

Fire Colours Chakra Bracelet with silver trim

So here is the bracelet that Blogger and my images file was playing games with yesterday!

We all need a little fire on these cold winter days, something to warm us up and create a spark.

These beads are all made on a transparent base which brings light to the colours.  Red, orange and yellow represent the first three chakras - the base chakra is red - low and slow, reflecting our base security - home comforts.  The sacral chakra is orange - big and pulsing - that represents our passion and creativity and the the solar plexus (surprise!) is yellow - shining like a shield at our mid section.  This represents our strength of will, our self protection - our adrenal system.

To if you've been feeling a bit lack-lustre and need a shot of energy this may give you a lift!

Oh, and $180 becomes $136 in the website sale!

Large Transparent & Dove Grey & Red Lace Brooch

For something completely different, this transparent gray based bead is overlaid with soft dove gray, then highlighted with bright red in a lace pattern.   

Perfect for your winter coat or jacket. $75 becomes just $60 using the 20% discount via the Website Sale!

 

Medium Black and White Lace Bead Brooch

Black and white is always good in winter - pop this on your favourite cardi and you're dressed!  

$65 becomes $52 this month.

 

Large Dark Ivory & Turquoise Round Dotty Brooch

Add a "pop" of ivory and turquoise to your teal with this organic looking brooch. 

$75 becomes $60!

 

Small Round Light & Dark Pink Flow Brooch

I love a bit of pink - it's so girly and feminine and soft. 

This little brooch reduces from $55 to $44 in the sale!

Small Round True Red Raku Brooch

And finally a shot of Red Raku - just a little one, though!

This style goes on almost anything with its lovely organic colour - there's a little bit of blue, beige, brown, black...and $55 becomes only $44 in the sale.

And let me know if you need any help choosing - perhaps you would like to see another photo or talk it over - I'm happy to help - email me or give me a call.

Hearts of Stone?

No, hearts of glass.  I've made some heart beads in the "Moeraki Stone" style lately, and have even made some tiny ones for earrings.

Yes, they're glass - lovely earthy colours, colours that change in the flame and combine with other colours to react and do something often unexpected.  It's one of the many things I love about working with glass!
The Moeraki Stone beads are inspired by the giant round bead-like rocks at Moeraki Beach on the East Coast of the South Island - it's a gorgeous place of big country where the sea meets the land and the sky and you can stand out on a tiny sheltered penninsula or "kaik" and look all around for miles.
Moeraki is on my mind lately.  I was given a book this week - Fleur Sullivan's autobiography.  Fleur is a restauranteur in her '70's, still working hard and inspirationally at what she does best - cooking original food and presenting it in new but traditional ways.  I know that sounds odd, but trust me, it's good!  She collects old household wares and food from the land and combines them in an original, authentic ways.
Since the problems with the website I've been able to upload lots more works and have been busily preparing for the summer, squirreling away good stocks so we can relax a little too.
I've just finished a set that I'm particularly pleased with Black Raku Spice Cubes with transparent gray - the black raku beads are lovely, but the addition of the transparent gray really brings the pieces to life!

My latest silver order has just arrived and I've been carefully weighing it all out and sorting it into my system - MAN!!! The price has skyrocketed!  I'm really afraid that I'm going to have to put my prices up soon - but I'll wait till the New Year.  The price is all related to the world mineral prices which have gone crazy since the recession.  Apparently people invest in gold, silver, copper etc during these times.  Let's hope that things come right financially in 2012 so the prices of materials goes back to normal!
Oh, and just because I haven't blogged in ages, I'll show you something else I've been working on...

I've found a way to combine these really reactive glass colours - Lime Green, Opaque Pink and Cranberry.  It's something I've been mulling over for ages, but when a friend came in looking for something to wear with a really pretty black top sprigged with pink and green I thought again and gave it a go.  This one is Extra Large Lime Green & Raspberry Flow Heart Pendant.

Red Raku Barrels

I thought it was time I showed you the Red and Black Raku Barrel beads that I have been making lately.

The Raku Barrel beads all began when I was trying something out for someone in Australia, and we were trying to come up with a shape and style within some parameters for her.
I've used glass raku frit (tiny shards of crushed glass) for a long time now in my beads, and have always loved it in combination with red and black.  As I understand it, the colours in Raku glass are made by using a lot of metal in the recipe, and that metal is usually silver.  Anyhow, it gives a lovely effect rather like that of tiny pebbles or spice sprinkled around.

Being an ex Cantabrian (that's the province in New Zealand where Christchurch is located, for you folk overseas), I have a penchant for red and black, especially in these post earthquake months, when our hearts go out to the people there.  I wanted to combine them both in some beads but in a kind of subtle way that's more wearable than the usual sporting colours.
So...without further ado...here they are...

Red and Black Raku Barrels Necklace

This is the first necklace I  made with the smaller shards of raku glass.

Red and Black Raku Barrels Bracelet 225mms

Red and Black Raku Barrels Earrings 1

And this is the set that I made with the larger shards - I can't decide which I like best!

Red and Black Raku Barrels Necklace 2

Red and Black Raku Barrels Bracelet 2

Red and Black Raku Barrels Earrings

I've been experimenting with the barrel shape in bigger beads too - here it is in the same True Red and Black, the same as the other ones here.

Medium Red and Black Raku Barrel Pendant

I think they look vaguely oriental, and because they're smooth and long, they're lovely to wear and quite neat and dainty looking.

There are a few more to look at here.

So, what do you think?

I've Been Making Brooches

This week I've been making brooches.













They're terrible things to photograph as they want to lie sideways when they're just hung from a ribbon, but they actually sit really nicely when worn.
I'm really quite pleased with this lot - the Red Raku Hearts are so easy to wear - I pinned one on a favourite jacket some time ago, and there it has remained - I can wear it with any scarf or outfit - it just seems to fit in with all the clothes I wear. These ones are
Medium True Red Raku Heart Brooch and Small True Red Raku Heart Brooch



The Flow Beads are a nice mix of transparent and opaque glass - the little pink one has a lovely big swirl of transparent amethyst across it and the blue one is a nice mix of Sapphire and Periwinkle Blues.



And these ones are Small Pink Amethyst Round Flow Brooch and Large Sapphire Blue Flow Heart Brooch