Wednesday, 15 December 2010
my trip to Florida :)
05:19
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I'll be off to Denmark for Christmas but I promise to post pictures of that when I return! I hope you all have a lovely holiday season. Spread some love!
Love,
keiara
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Friday, 15 October 2010
LOADS of new beads for sale!
08:38
Soooooooo.. I tried to blog the other day. I was having an "admin day" (oh joy) and I figured I would update my blog as well but Blogspot said, "Oh. You want to accomplish something today? Well have I got news for you! DENIED!" I then ranted and raved and maybe got tears in my eyes just a little.. and finally I told it if it wanted to act that way then FINE I didn't really want to update my blog anyway! SO THERE! Welcome to my life. It's more fun than a box of tarantulas. *high fives Payton*
And back to the point. I have beads and jewellery for sale! YAY! The above necklace, Pastel Rainbow Spiral Necklace, can be found in my Ready to Go Jewellery section in my by keiara webshop (and that's all the links I could fit in one sentence). But wait! There's more!
Ok, guys. I'll stop the rambling for now. I'm still working my tail off for the Big Bead Show but I thought I'd better give you some new pretties to look at ;)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
keiara
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Thursday, 7 October 2010
food and holiday-themed beads!
04:25
I'm still preparing for the Big Bead Show (OMG - it's almost here!!!!) and I thought the Cupcake Queen (as I've been dubbed by the community) should probably have, you know, CUPCAKES for sale! I made a few up yesterday in various styles and sizes. I just love cupcakes! (Speaking of which: I may have bought a cupcake salt and pepper set and a cupcake tote bag the other day. The boy wanted to know why I needed the salt and pepper shakers since I already have some gorgeous purple Fiestaware ones. I shook my head sadly and told him that he would never understand. It's all about THEMES, people!! When I have a tea party and use all my cupcake things, how awesome will it be to have salt and pepper shakers, too?!? Of course now I have to find an excuse to cook food that requires salt and pepper for a tea party.. hmm..!)
In other news: I've opened an ArtFire shop! If you haven't visited it yet, please go have a look :)
As always there are plenty of beads in my by keiara Etsy shop and also in my by keiara webshop just waiting to come home with you.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
keiara
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Friday, 17 September 2010
beads, baking and Gramma
05:27
Things around these parts have been a bit emotional and hectic. My grandmother passed away last week. It's very difficult to be so far away from home at a time like this. Interestingly, I woke up that morning feeling very out of sorts. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong. I decided, as you do, to visit Canterbury Cathedral. While I was there, I wrote out a prayer for my grandmother (as well as for my sister and her unborn daughter and a friend who recently passed) which is then placed on the altar during mass the following morning. I asked that god watch over her and keep her in his arms as her health has been failing for some time now. (Some of you will remember I took an emergency trip to Florida during the spring to spend some time with her.) A few minutes after returning home, my sister called to tell me that Gramma had passed in the night. I believe it was her spirit that moved me to make the trip and I am so glad that I did it. I'm sure she'll always know how much I love her.
I felt inspired to create a series of beads in Gramma's memory. She was always very supportive of my art and always asked how the beads were going :) She would tell me how proud she was of me and she was so excited when my beads and artist profile appeared in Bead Magazine (I took a copy with me to Florida and we read it together). So I created the above series which I entitled Granlee Gardens and I am so pleased with how they turned out. I think she really would have loved them.
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As always, I have new beads (and old favourites) in my by keiara Etsy shop (including one of the Granlee Garden focals) and in my by keiara webshop (including a Granlee Garden necklace which is so pretty I desperately want to keep it for myself!)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
keiara
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Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Happy Tuesday - have some links!
07:04
Yesterday my little Munchkin turned 15! I can't quite believe it. Kaia is growing up so fast and she's such a great kid. I'm a lucky girl :) She asked for some lil bits, kooky kritters and classic cats, all turned into jewellery, for her birthday so now she has even MORE cuteness in her jewellery collection. It's nice to have such a loyal fan.. heehee ;) Above is a picture of some of my latest lil bits. They've proven quite popular so I added their own made-to-order section in my by keiara webshop. Check it out!
So how was your weekend? I had a nice, relaxing time catching up on episodes of True Blood and Doctor Who. My favourite Doctor is still Christopher Eccleston with David Tennant in second. I'm still not sold on this new Doctor although his companion is quite darling! Redheads rule ;) I also ended up making some lemon cupcakes and a super yummy chili. I really should have taken some pictures but, ummm, it didn't last long enough for that ;) I'm in a baking mood today but haven't decided what to make yet. I called my mother and got her American biscuit recipe (similar to scones) and I've been dying to make some so maybe that'll win out. I also have a craving for brownies, though, so maybe it'll be both! Ohh, I have all the stuff to make the chocolate chip cookie topped brownies. If you haven't had these yet, PLEASE do yourself a favour and make some up! I spread some chocolate fudge icing on top and they were super yummy :) I used the recipe on Bakerella's website. She's my hero :)
Ok, off to bake! Have a wonderful day :)
Love,
keiara
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Friday, 3 September 2010
game nerd.. beads!
05:18
As many of you already know, I'm a serious game nerd. I wear the title with pride and have met SO many wonderful people through gaming. Having said that, I don't actually play Worms, a game that consists of ridiculously adorable little worm armies fighting each other. However, plenty of my friends do so I decided to make a little worm bead to make them giggle ;) There is an option for your little worm army to wear halos, hence the angel worm above. I think he's SO cute!
Any weekend plans? I have students the next couple of weekends so I'm going to take some time to relax this weekend. I have a new cookie recipe that I'm dying to try out, too. I've also been debating between lemon cupcakes or my family's chocolate cupcake recipe (which is absolutely TDF!!) Knowing me, I'll probably just end up making both! I'm really glad I have a decent-sized freezer ;)
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
keiara
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010
beads, beads.. and more beads!
06:37
Kaia left for Florida (and her first day of high school!!!) over the weekend and I was a very sad bunny indeed :'( Before she left she asked if I could make her a key necklace with the above key and, unable to say no to her adorable face, I let her choose a ribbon and put it together. Isn't it lovely? The ribbon is by the wonderful Diane of Sowzere Designs and it couldn't be prettier! The colours are so gorgeous and the way they flow into each other.. well, it makes me sigh with delight, that's for sure :)
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I hope you're all having a wonderful day!
Love,
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Thursday, 19 August 2010
the hummingbird returns.. and LOTS of treats!
00:39
One of my lovely customers recently asked if I would recreate my Hummingbird Garden Focal. Last summer I did a whole series of garden beads that were very well-received and I really liked them. I had every intention of making more garden beads this summer but I've been so caught up in kooky kritters and lil bits that I never did get around to it! Anyway, so when I was approached about recreating the Hummingbird Garden, I jumped at the chance. Above is a picture of the finished bead. Relief work is super challenging for me and I really enjoyed the opportunity to push myself again. The recipient is very pleased with the results so everyone's happy :)
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Monday, 16 August 2010
see, I CAN do it!
02:11
Friday I taught an advanced course focusing on raised floral focals and these are some of the beads I demonstrated for the student. Sometimes even *I* forget that I am, in fact, capable of making "grown-up" beads.. lol :) In truth, I do prefer to make my whimsical, silly beads but I love raised florals all the same. It was a lovely day and my student seemed to really enjoy herself so that was good.
What are you up to this week? I have plenty of beads to make since I'm a little behind due to how ill I've been :( I'm still not 100% but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.. which, in this case, means make beads so my customers don't kill me.. lol :) Wednesday I'm meeting up with a dear friend for lunch so I'm realllllly looking forward to that. I've invited her back to my place for cupcakes afterwards so now I have to decide what to make.. again! Kaia also leaves on Sunday (*sob*) so I want to bake up a bunch of wonderfulness before she goes. I already imported the things I need to make Pumpkin Muffins (OMG, to die for!) as well as plenty of stuff to make all kinds of different cupcakes, brownies and other desserts (Banana Pudding.. YUM!). I ordered some French's French Fried Onions, too, because Kaia wants some Green Bean (haha, it was 'bead' the first time I typed it) Casserole. I wish I could get all this stuff at a normal grocery store here because OMG is it ever expensive to import! I usually bring some stuff back in one of my suitcases whenever I visit home but I didn't this past visit (what was I thinking?!) Anyway, so there will be pictures of more goodies soon!
I'm off to melt some glass. I hope you have a great day and a wonderful week!
Love,
keiara
http://www.bykeiara.co.uk/
http://www.bykeiara.etsy.com/
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Wednesday, 11 August 2010
lil bits and something sweet!
03:18
How is your week going? I'll skip a detailed version of how mine is going and just say: I've been camped out on the couch for days in the throes of a vicious Migraine attack :( Ugh! But, anyway, I made loads of cute new lil bits last week! A variety of different hamsters including angels and fairies, I also made a puppy, a pig and a bit of evil.. heehee. There are several lil bits in my by keiara Etsy shop and plenty of lil bits and other goodies in my by keiara webshop.
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I'm off to (hopefully) melt some glass if I can keep the head pain at bay. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Love,
keiara
http://www.bykeiara.co.uk/
http://www.bykeiara.etsy.com/
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Wednesday, 4 August 2010
busy week.. and it's only Wednesday!
04:37
How is your week going? I've been super busy (I seem to be saying that a lot lately) this week making lots of glassy goodies. Above are some of the beads I made so far this week. I really enjoyed making all the kitties and cupcakes and, of course, the lil bits! Those of you who know me (or read this blog at all!) know that I'm crazy about two things: cupcakes (MMM!) and tiny beads. I'm always pushing myself to create micro versions of my designs cause, in my mind, if it's cute in the first place it'll be even cuter if it's micro-sized! (Yes, I'm also obsessed with dollhouses for that same reason. Someday I will own a huge, gorgeous dollhouse [one word or two on 'dollhouse' - I couldn't find a definitive answer on that one] with tiny furniture and tinier plates of food and such. Yes, yes I will!)
Anyway! So I started out with the classic cat designs then moved to the kooky kritters designs (smaller than the classics) then on to my newest collection, the lil bits and then, on Monday, I created the micro lil bit pair in the above picture. Those VERY little guys are a mere 12mm tall! They are sooooo teeny. Teeny makes me happy! So I giggled the whole time I was making them and maybe Kaia shot me a few, 'Well she's totally lost it!' looks (not that unusual). The best news? The lil bits have been really well-received and, in fact, I sold the ENTIRE hamster collection already! Note to self: make more hammies!
Don't forget to check out my by keiara webshop too as there are plenty of beads in the Ready To Go Beads section that aren't in my Etsy shop!
Plans for the rest of the week? I have a new student tomorrow (YAY!) and the lovely and incredibly talented Jaye is coming down for a visit on Friday! I can't wait! Jaye is a sweet girl (and OMG you should see her play piano!!!) and I always really enjoy our visits. I wish I could see her more often! Since I'll be having company (and need not much of an excuse) I'm planning a lovely tea party for Friday. I haven't yet decided what kind of cupcakes to make.. so I might make more than one kind! And should I make regular-sized cuppycakes or minis?? You know I'm leaning towards minis. They're so cute! I even have a mini cupcake tiered display! Yes, I know, I need help. Help in the form of cupcakes! Okokok. I'll stop now. Maybe I should make some brownies too? Hmmm....
Anyway! I'm off to melt some glass and make some more hammies! Any requests? Feel free to leave me a note here or send me an email to keiara@bykeiara.co.uk :)
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
keiara
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About Me
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- by keiara - lampwork beads
- Folkestone, Kent, United Kingdom
- Hi! My name is keiara and I'm a native Floridian currently living in Folkestone, England. I am a hot glass and jewellery artist and I'm passionate about what I do! I love to 'talk shop' so feel free to contact me. Thanks for stopping by!