Hi all!
So Monday and a day for playing at the torch, I have been thinking about christmas baubles for my christmas tree or HUGE pendants can't decide which. They are hollow beads measuring 30mm approximately and are lovely to hold....fit nicely in the palm of your hand!! The dots leave abit to be desired so some practice is needed before I am happy but they have been a huge amount of fun to make and I thought I would share them with you all. These I think will adorn our tree unless someone makes me an offer!! LOLx

Busy week this week, Ian is away on a stage management job so I am (with the help of the lovely Chloe and co) on my own in the shop this week so not much time for torching. Thought I had tomorrow but due to a rota c**k up I am in the shop for the middle part of the day.....may be able to fit something in tomorrow night. Hope so was doing some experimenting with Terranova which was looking exciting....watch this space!!

Have a good week all, will post when I get time.........

I've Been Keeping a Secret......

Hello Everybody, Where does the week go? I cannot believe it is Friday already and we have had our first late night shopping at the shop......Is it my age or is the world moving so much faster than it use too?

So the news from Raspberry Rings : Well a busy week, managed to get on the torch at the beginning of the week and produce some beads. The 5mm are still the most popular but these larger 5mm core beads are also proving a hit. They are all unique, I do not make two the same so you will get something original to wear. I have also designed a silver link, like the one you can see on the blue bead here (can you see the Tobago influence still asserting itself LOL!), The links are completely handmade out of sterling silver wire, hammered and worked into a D shaped link and wound at the top. These I have been selling on their own for customers to put on their own chains or we have silver chains availabe in the shop or I am making simple leather necklaces with silver clasps to hang them on. Phew! It is endless, oh and did I mention the bead pins? Anyway the long and short of it there are lots of beads to choose from in Bazaar. If you are local come in and have a chat, I love making pendants up and there is a wide variety of style and prices to choose from. You can come in and choose a wish list for your family to buy for you for Christmas and then you know you are getting exactly what you want!

Now those of you who know me well know I hate keeping secrets and I have been for what seems like months. I have ordered a secret ingredient for my beads to really make you stand out in the crowd but it has been delayed in California and I am practically mugging the postie when he arrives in the excitement of the possibility that he might have something in his sack for me! I just hope it is worth the wait....I have kept it secret for two and a half weeks and I am popping to tell you and to experiment and post pictures.........watch this space for the moment my lips are just about sealed!

Elsewhere I was really chuffed to win a Competition. I am a member of a lampworking forum, called Frit Happens - www.frithappens.co.uk. It is a forum for fire people everywhere, not just lampworking there are all kinds of glass workers and some really talented beaders, jewellers and silver clay artists there too. Anyway I entered a couple of my beads in a Sparkly Challenge that was being held and I won......never one anything in my life before so I was very chuffed with that, and even more chuffed to hear I was to recieve some bead work from the very talented Lynn Davy (http://www.nemeton.clara.net/) so that was a lovely suprise and TA TA here are the winning babies:



Oh dear just noticed the bit of sticky behind photo 4...oooops! These have all sold except the bead in Picture 2 I have a feeling that one is still in the shop. I was popping these on in my Etsy shop but I keep paying for the listing and then sell them over here! Not grumbling but it means my shop is looking abit empty now!!

As always if you see any of my work anywhere and you would like more information or to buy or commission a bead please do get in touch.

So that is all the news for this week, a few necklaces to make and a lovely pin commission to do so I better get to it! I also need to add some 5mm beads to the website.............Infact I will do that right now........thanks for reading!

PS Thinking of giving away a sparkly bead for Christmas to one of my blog readers, what do you all think about that? LOL!

PPS oh and I nearly forgot some of the new 5mm beads:

Hey Facebook Followers!

Wow modern technology, I can't believe that I have new followers via Facebook in that short space of time....thank you everyone, I will endeavour to update these posts regularly and keep everyone up to speed with what is happening in Raspberry World!! xx

Where do all the Days go?

I can't believe last week has gone so quick.....The engagement ring that gave me sleepless nights was picked up on friday and they LOVED it, in all the excitement I forgot to photograph it but Ian took a shot on his mobile of it actually on her finger so all I have to do now is work out how to download that onto my laptop!! We had a great bead party on Thursday night with Alison...Thank you Alison!....Milly came too as she has two dogs herself and Milly was given a lovely red bandana by Molly and Mabel which makes her look everso sweet.....must post photos!! Lots of sales, lots of lovely glassy chat really enjoyed it.

The shop is busy with customers as well and the large size beads on silver chains are popping out! I have a pile of commissions and I am out to lunch so note toself NO WINE AT LUNCHTIME! It was my birthday on Friday, 46 were does the time go, I still feel 26 apart from a dodgy hip which is playing up badly at the moment......there it is old age!!??? I am talking and sharing my health issues, will stop that immediately! Got a new Blackberry phone so look out I will soon have absolute access to the internet at all times!! Ian gave me a few tools I had requested and all in all I was really spoilt, sister and family came for weekend, lovely time but no time for the torch except in my dreams.

Well I am sure noone is that interested in my social diary so I will stop here and will post with piccys once I have mastered getting photos of Ian's phone.

Best wishes Jenniex

DREAMING OF TOBAGO!

Good evening all! I don't know what it has been like in the rest of the world but it has been FOUL in North Devon, blowing a hurricane and pouring with rain for days, I have been listening to Radio 4 and the rain gushing of the roof of my Shed as I work at replacing the 5mm beads that are flying out of the shop..... As usual I got distracted and this time I started daydreaming about my holiday.

My friend Cath who took me to Tobago to stay at her friends house last year has asked me again in January, so exciting it is such a beautiful island, sea, sunshine and flowers! The house is in a truly beautiful spot set in virgin rain forest. The whole thought of Tobago made me think of the seas and the beautiful infinity pool at the house (piccy above) and I found myself leaving the small beads and grabbing the blues to produce the beads below influenced by the Carribbean Islands, the spear shaped pendant from the infinity pool and that flowing water. (Double click on images to get the full glory!)

and so I have lots of new designs in my head now and dreaming of Nylon Pool, Tobago...............Slightly more inviting than rainy North Devon............................

Wedding Bells!!

Well what a week that was! Loads of exciting glassy things happening but the biggest suprise of the week was when a young couple came into the shop and started looking at my glass rings. I love making them but they don't sell as well as the beads so I don't make so many now. I probably jinxed them by getting 20 larger mandrels made and as soon as I had them done the sales seem to drop right off. Ho Hum the twists and turns of retail! Anyway I digress, it turns out this couple are getting married and want something different for the engagement ring. Ha ha! you know what is coming, well I was gobsmacked, I mean I like my rings but I would never have put them in that bracket but they obvioulsy loved them and who am I to argue? It left me with a glow and a smile on my face all day untill I realised I actually had to produce something special and that glow turned to fear and apprehension and a couple of nights of glassy dreams, what a responsibility, I am so honoured! They have decided on colours and I have been getting some practice in on the torch today as I haven't made a ring for a few weeks. Tomorrow will be 'ring' day. Once it is done and they have picked it up and like it I will post piccys but here are a few of my earlier ones, sorry about quality of pics, don't seem to have photographed any of the more recent ones so they have improved since then!!

We had a couple of Christmas Sales this week, one was in aid of a childrens charity in a local community hall, it was not just beads and jewellery but a range of stock from our shop Bazaar in Barnstaple. It was hard work, we had a busy day in the shop and then packed the van headed off had half an hour to set up, then 3 hours of watching paint dry! No to be fair there were shoppers there but most were browsing and we took a total of £80.00 and made the decision that we would not be doing that style of sale again, every year we give it a go and every year it is a disaster!

Friday night was a different matter, a regular customer, Sue threw a bead party and we had a fantastic night. It is always a buzz to be amongst people who love beads and Sue's friends certainly did! There is nothing like hearing feedback firsthand and I still find it amazing how we all see colour and combination so differently. I just love looking at other peoples bracelets and necklaces. We were due to be there from 7 till 9 but we were still going at 11pm, one girls mum even phoned in an order having checked out the website.....what can I say but a huge THANK YOU SUE!

For anyone in the Barnstaple/Bideford area of North Devon who would like to hold a bead party do get in touch, we bring a few bottles of vino with the beads and 10% of what we take you get in beads!

Most of the sales were 5mm beads but I have also started taking a dish of 3mm beads and am offering a pendant making service if customers want it or they can just buy them and string them themselves which is proving really popular at the partys but particularly in the shop I had six to do this week.

I have divided the beads up so that they are different prices according to how complicated and time consuming they are to produce but the basic ones at £2.50 each fly out! So the result of this and a really good week in the shop means the bead racks are looking bare so after a romp on the beach with Milly, (at last a drop of sunshine after all the rain) I cleaned the shedio and glass and settled down to a 5mm beading session on the torch. Wasn't long before I was distracted and one huge bead was the result! I will post pics when it is out of the kiln.

We also had a delivery of new sterling silver bead bracelets in store from our silver supplier, they have really pretty clasps double ended with a tiny coloured crystal in the centre of a flower decorating it. I won't be putting them on the website as there are only a few all in different colours and all 7.5". Do get in touch if you would like one of course I can post them. This is the pic from the supplier which is why it is not so clear.

So that is the news from me, a really good week on the bead front but now Sunday roast beckons so time to close.........See you soon and thanks for looking x

Revving up for the Christmas Sales!

Wow knackered tonight, really busy day at the shop deliveries left right and centre and we seem to have our teenage doggie back now the bangs have stopped. She is bossing us around and generally telling us what to do and when, we are going back to our Cesar Milan rule of Exercise, Discipline, Affection in that order. Poor old Dudley is being bullied 24/7 that is him the background looking angelic but don't believe it he managed to wake us up with a sweet little fat mouse at 2am for the second night running.......little cherubs aren't they!

Another good day today 25% of the takings on Raspberry Rings, a couple of bracelets and beads and a couple of focal beads....I am liking christmas! ;0) Did a couple of pendants with customers today, they chose charms and beads but did not want to spend the money on silver chains so I offered up some leather and they chose their colour and I have spent this evening putting clasps on both as well as riveting loads of 5mm beads. Not a very good piccy but here is one, that fairy is a great charm she looks as if she is holding the beads up.

I did some copies of my christmas sparklies in smaller beads and they look lovely now they have their little silver tummies in place! So we are all ready for a couple of Christmas Sales, one tomorrow and a private Bead Party on Friday, I always really enjoy those, meet loads of new people and get to have a glass of wine whilst I sell!! So I will let you know how those go over the weekend when my feet touch the ground again!!

Bye for now..................