Another Chilled out day...

Well, Day off today and pretty much haven't done anything apart from sat on the sofa and enjoyed relaxing whilst flicking through the whole of www.deviantart.com if you haven't checked it out...you should!!!! I can't explain it... it just has a load of artist's with all there art work on... its brill!!! and then tonight I have made another web template to add to the little collection... haven't had any feedback on them as yet... so I will wait your thoughts... I am still trying to work out how to use my super amazing camera... so I'm afraid still no beadie pictures... hope to get to grips with it tomorrow though!!! FINGERS CROSSED

Web Templates

Hey, Well I decided to try to get my designs by vicki website up pretty soon, so I can start making websites for people, so last night I decided I wanted to create a few pre-made templates for people to buy... here are the two I have made so far... I want to make 10 as a starting point to get the website a bit more filled out. (waffle waffle waffle... sorry if I don't make sense my head is all over the place...)

Sweetie Shop Web Template

Stitch Flowers Web Template

At The moment the template will show up with the Wix adverts along the bottom and sides, but once the template have been purchased they will no longer be there :-) let me know what you think, I've got loads more ideas!!!

Also, just so you guys know, The illistration images I have used are freebies on Sanqunetti Design, Judy Sanqunetti does everything in terms on designs!!! I think I might purchase some of here cute birdie images :-) they are so cute! and then the photos on the template I have used from Stock.Xchng.

Right... on the bead front... I have made 5 more sculpture beadies... but at the moment I am not 100% sure how to get a white background using my new snazzy camera... I think I need to have a play for an hour or so on my next day off!!... ow that's tomorrow YIPPEE :-)
xxxx

Cupcake and Strawberry beads as promised!!!

I was gutted because when I had taken my super amazing new camera to take photos over the last couple of days one of my friends had shown me how to do a few things with it that I had no idea... I think he kinda knows what he was doing... and he set it all to Manual... Focus... White Balance etc... EVERYTHING!!! and I came to taking some photos of these beadies and the camera just wouldn't focus at all... :-s SO I email the support at Nikon in Europe... and they got back to me within an hour... and now its all fixed and back to being easy to use :-) YAY!!! At the mo I have 3 beads in my kiln... one turtle (hoping its going to be ok... it was quite big and it cracked a little... I fused it back together so fingers crossed!!!) a bee and a flower... I'm enjoying this sculpting stuff :-)

My Maggie Came to Manchester!!!

Well I have had like the best week off work ever... you've heard about what I got up to over my long weekend, well Tuesday and Wednesday I have been in Manchester spending time with my bestest friend ever!!! We went to school together, so I have known here for 8 years, and She is now studying to become a doctor in Ireland, so I don't get to see here much as she is studying super hard!!! She bought her boyfriend over to meet us all, who was lovely and I'm very happy for her! We have had a really great time. We went for a curry with some more old school friends on Tuesday night and then had a chiese buffet on the wednesday lunch with a load more of friends! The Necklace above I made for Maggie!

Me and Maggie in the Indian
I was click happy and took about 20 photos in like 15 seconds or something like that, I thought this one was lovely, Maggie you pretty thing!Me and maggieFran came to meet us :-)

Made some beads last night ... a cupcake bead and a strawberry bead, hehe, watch this space... I am going to go clean and photograph them now... I want to fill my kiln today as I am back to work tomorrow ... no one wants to go back to work after a holiday do they, so sob sob!!!

Sight Seeing in Liverpool and...

A View from the Albert Docks.

Pretty cool building... just happened to be a Costa Coffee.

We thought we would try out the motion mode... fast shutter speed!!! WOOP!... and my turn!

Yellow Submarine, The Beatles! Fran drinking a pint in The Cavern!

and again.. on Inside mode... or something like that!

and me in The Cavern.

Both of us.

me and my new hair!!! love it!

another photo taken with the inside mode on... not sure it would be classed as a "good" photo by professional photographers... but we liked it!

We decided to go to Wagamams, Japanese!!! it was bloody gorgeous! and we both did alright with the old chock sticks!!!

me enjoying a Ebi Katsu (Fried battered Prawns to you and me)... yummmmmy!

and finally a view of the Albert Docks from the top of Liverpool One.

So we have had such a wonderful long weekend. We have kept busy the whole time! But no beads to report at all... but that's OK... got lots of ideas stored up!

Friday we went into Manchester to see Fran's sister and brother in law, it was a lovely to see them and a really great day. They arrived back safe and sound in Vancouver today! Lucky things! Ow, then we watched Derren Brown... I was so excited at the fact that he was going to sick us all to our sofas... but it didn't work on any of us! I was gutted as I so wanted it to work. Did any of you guys get stuck? I haven't yet spoken to anyone who did yet so hope there were a few of you.

Then Saturday we were up earlyish to see Mum, Dad, Nan and Arthur off on their holidays in Scotland, we watched a few movies whilst I dyed my hair. had a fantastic afternoon nap (I sooo wanna do that more often! hehe) and then off we went for a curry. We got back and stayed up til 6am whilst the UFC was on, Fran was so excited to be watching, as he thought he was going to miss it. I re designed my whole website (as you have already seen) then we slept for a few hours then got up and ready to go out, and walked to the Middlebrook shopping center to pick up my AMAZING anniversary present!!! It is amazing... it was a brand new brilliant camera!!! Which is why I wanted to go somewhere to take some photos! It is incredible... I tried taking a few photos of my beads this morning, and there is a whole totally different level of detail and clarity! I love it!

and then today we went to Liverpool and Fran showed me the sights (See Above)

And tomorrow my bestest friend in the whole world is coming to Manchester for the day and I'm gunna go see her!!! So excited can't wait!!! I haven't seen her for over a year

So I guess I won't have any more beads to show until... erm... Thursday! Watch this space :-)

Hope everyone is well

Vicki xxx

Happy 2 year Anniversary Us!!!

Well, two years ago today I met my now boyfriend for a drink in Font Bar on Oxford Road, Manchester... I had known him through work for a couple of months. And to be honest... since then we have pretty much been inseparable... We have had a tough 2 years, what with me being ill for the majority of the first year, and then getting a flat together... then moving back home to live with the rents. But we are so happy together... who knows where we will be in just another years time! (keep reading... you'll understand in a bit!)

So... last night we went for a nice Indian meal which was lovely, and we came back and we stayed up and watched the whole of the UFC, (I was so suprised I was still awake come 5:30am!!!) So... this is what happened... I re-designed my Beads By Vicki Website... take a look let me know what you think!!!

So, those of you know me... I get bored quickly... from the age of about 10 I would change my room around at least once every 2 months... and as I go older the obssesion began with changing my hair colour. So here are a few things that I have changed in my life at the moment

1. Dyed the ends of my hair bright pink (photo to follow later)
2. Totally re-vamped my website (and with the new design comes new beads!)
3. ... the scariest and most exciting thing of all... there is a very big possibility that Fran and I will be going out to Japan for 6 months as soon as we have the money!!!

So I think you are pretty much up to date now... the sun is shining... we are chillin' and everything is goooood!!!!!!!

xxx

It's all about being off work for a week!!!

Crous Polka Dot Heart Pendant - I'm so totally in love with this necklace, that I'm afraid I will not be parting with it... I am happy to say... this is necklace is mine... all mine!!!! hehe

Well, first things first I want to apologies to everyone who follows my general waffle for not leaving a post for so long, I have been working very hard at the restaurant trying to do as many hours as I can possibly do, leading up to this very very exciting week off!!! So It's mine and Fran's 2 year anniversary this Sunday which is very lovely... I have got him a lovely pressie... but I have managed to keep it a secret from him, so I can't tell you guys till I have given it to him!!!! but I am so proud of myself (haha!) as I have never managed to keep it a secret from him what I have got him! He has absolutely NO idea, Yippee!!!! I think we are going somewhere and doing something on the weekend but we don't know what as yet! haha! We will do something though, something nice, but not too expensive. Anyway, so in between working my arse off running around a bloody restaurant attending to EVERY bodies need for the past few weeks, I have managed to do a bit of bead making, and I have made a few bits of jewellery with the beads... here are a few piccies

These beads I made with Double Helix's Silver Glass called "Triton". I originally saw this type of bead over at Beads By Clair Scott's Flickr Page her beads are absolutely beautiful!!! She just doesn't seem to make a "bad bead"!!! I asked her what glass she had used to make a set of hers that I absolutely loved and she was nice enough to share with me, I spent a good few hours playing with the glass before I got close to getting the reactions she got from the glass... but I feel I am defiantly getting closer to getting brilliant effects from this glass! which is very exciting!

This was another set I made with the same glass but wrapped round a stunning bright eye catching lilac colour and then the pearlescent effects from the silver glass has been captured in crystal clear glass. The effects range from a light green colour to a stunning deep blue

A couple more hearts, I am loving the shape I am getting the more I make them. I love making them too! The Pink Heart I have used CiM's transparent Pink called "Blush" and then covered it in Mica Powder "Diamond" and it has given this absolutely perfectly cute heart a perfectly beautiful sparkle!!!

he This was a bead I was messing around with, it is a Pysche base with Triton Drizzled on and swirled around, then I was playing with reducing the glass to see the different effects had got, I literally worked on this one bead for about half and hour, reducing... then reversing the effect and then reducing etc etc. When I sat down to make my lilac polka dot heart pendant I thought I would turn this bead into a pendant. Which I gave to my friend at work who gives me lifts all the time!!!!

Because tomorrow is my first day off I am going to tidy and sort out absolutely everything, the bedroom, the bathroom, the spare room, and finally all my jewellery stuff which is in a proper mess and I can't find anything!!! Which will make my time off much much easier!!!
I'm sure you will be hearing lots and lots from me over the next week! :-)
Lots of Love
Vicki xxx

SEPTEMBER SALE - 20% OFF!!!

Grab a bargain with 20% OFF Many Selected Items!!! Click on the Image above!
I am celebrating getting a new set up to make my glass beads with... and I love it soooooo much that I thought I'd share the joy exclusively with my wonderful Etsy customers!
TAKE ADVANTAGE!!!! :-D

Vicki xxx

only as good as the tools you use...

I thought it was a saying... but was told I was very wrong!!! anyway, I just can't bealive that upgrading thi brilliant torch has made my bead making soooooooo much better... its kinda crazy!!! here are a few photos.