It’s been a busy few weeks here at Blueberribeads. I’ve been preparing for and attending the UK Flame Off. It was a fantastic show and I ended up being pretty busy for the two days I was there. I was hoping to do lots of shopping and take pictures to share with you today, but I ended up not taking a single one. My purchases were pretty boring too, a marver and some glass... most of which I actually needed!
So as the Flame Off is primarily aimed at glass bead makers, I thought that for my post today I’d share some of my favourite UK lamp workers and their beads.
First up is my lovely friend and next door neighbour at the show, Laney Mead of Izzybeads. Laney has recently been exploring using enamelled stringers to create these amazing animal beads. I love this ‘Dulux’ dog and his sticky out tongue!
Another friend I look forward to meeting up with is Madeline Bunyan… I would like one of each of Madeline’s beads please, everything she makes is just perfect. I already own one of these little birds in pink, and they’re the nicest shaped glass bird I’ve seen.
Next up is Gay Massender from GaysieMay. Some of her recent designs include ‘Ladies Wot Lunch’ beads and they’re brilliant. Her sketched stringer style is simple, but the lines and colours perfectly capture a slightly eccentric English lady after one too many afternoon glasses of wine!
And Keren Panthaki of Vas Dea. I met Keren for the first time last year and after a little bit of stalking discovered that she creates the most amazing beads with a rich, beautiful, and individual style.
Becky Haywood from ChameleonDesigns is another amazing maker. I love the surface effects she uses. I’m in love with these lustre painted hearts. They look so juicy!
And Emma Ralph of EJR beads has a beautiful style that is instantly recognisable. Each one is a little work of art and wouldn't need much else to make an amazing piece of jewellery.
Another UK maker with an unmistakeable style is Lorna May Prime of Pixie Willow Designs. I love the fine stringer work and folk art feel to her beads. Many of her beads use colours I would never think to put together, but she makes them work perfectly.
While looking around for other UK lamp workers, I came across MasqueBeads. I love the finish to this bead. It’s sandblasted and accented with 24 carat gold. The different treatments give it a beautiful depth and each of the different effects work perfectly together as a finished piece.
Sarah from The Tartan Trout also uses sandblasting but with a much deeper cut. I love how single colour beads can have so much going on. The delicate designs are beautiful, you just want to stroke them!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my UK tour around some of my favourite bead makers. I would definitely recommend following the links and having a browse around their shops, these are just one each of an amazing array of beautiful glass.
Now I need to get back in the studio so I have something of my own to show for my next post!
Wow, Caroline, these are some gorgeous beads! It certainly looks as though you had a great time there. Glad you were busy....that is good. Love the sandblasted beads and that quirky lady looks like so much fun. The detail on that dog is amazing!
ReplyDeleteLove this article! Shipping and customs costs can make buying US pretties a little expensive, so I love digging out suppliers this side of the pond :) Another of my favourites has to be Moogin Mindy - if I had a million pounds I could quite happily spend it all on her beads!
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