It’s always fun to look back and see what photos resonated for people. This is the Top 9 photos from Instagram for 2016 for me. A lot of recycled glass in there! Thanks for liking what I do.
2016 – Top 9 photos on Instagram
Year: 2016
Messy desk
Oh gosh, it’s been a busy December. A busy year actually! I’m looking forward to a tiny break over Christmas. I think I might even clean my desk so that I can start the new year all sparkly! A big thanks to everyone who has bought my work this year. I am so grateful to you all.
I’m still taking orders, and I’m happy to work on custom requests too.
Farm glass
I had another special request from a customer recently. They had collected a lot of old glass from a family farm, and the customer asked me if I could melt the glass and turn it into beads. I said I would try….and I’ll show you the result soon!
The glass is so old, and so pretty. And I love that this old glass will be made into necklaces that the family can wear and treasure forever!
I love custom orders
I love it when people trust me to make a special necklace for them. Sometimes the order is quite specific, and sometimes I have a bit more freedom to create something new and different.
This order was based on some necklaces that I made a while ago. I was able to create a special pink necklace with etched and shiny, pink and clear beads.
Please feel free to get in touch if there is a special piece that you would like made for you!
View from my studio
It’s a bit stormy today as I head back into the studio again! Thanks to everyone ordering special presents from my Etsy shop, via email, and through the various shops that I supply work to. Your enthusiasm and support for my work really makes me feel grateful that I get to keep doing this!
My favourite earrings
At the moment I am really enjoying wearing these earrings. They are light and comfortable, and the colour really sparkles in the light. I have made them in a few different colours. They are great because the beads change over, and so you can have a few different pairs of earrings really easily.
I am having an introductory special offer on these earrings in my Etsy shop. You will get the sterling silver earring, and 2 choices of colour beads. You might like to get the red pair, and a transparent green pair. Or any other combination of colours. Let me know if there is a specific colour you would like.
Check out the listing on Etsy via this link.
Upcycling
I love the concept of upcycling! The idea of reusing what is essentially something destined for the bin, and creating an entirely new product from that.
I’ve experimented with many, many ways of making beads from recycled glass, and over the years I have found that letting the colour of the glass shine through is what appeals to me the most!
I am very fond of the Skyy Vodka bottles and the beads that I make from that. One of the prettiest necklaces that I make is this one, where one of the strands of beads is shiny, and the other is etched for contrast. They are simple, elegant , and really beautiful necklaces.
View from my studio
It never ceases to surprise me how busy this time of year is! Someone asked me today if I had started any Christmas shopping yet, and I just giggled. No, I hadn’t even thought about Christmas shopping yet! We tend to do it all very quickly, in the week before Christmas. But we are also lucky that we have a fairly small family, so not many presents are required.
I hope you are not finding this silly season too overwhelming!
Banrock Station Jewellery
One of the first recycled glass bottles that I started using was a Banrock Station Sparkling White Shiraz! Yes, the drink is quite nice, but the environmental messages from Banrock Station are also very important. They are extremely eco-conscious in their company, and I love that. It matches with my philosophy on recycling and being aware of the impact we are having on the environment.
This jewellery set shows off the beautiful colour of the Banrock Station wine bottle perfectly. It’s an ice blue tone that looks great on a lot of skin colours.
View from my studio
Now it’s time to say thanks to all of the galleries and shops that sell my work. Without you this life would be a lot harder! Thanks for taking a chance on my work, and I’m glad it’s working out for most of you.
