2011
Here is a link to my current blog!
29-12-09
I know , I know....
I've been a little bit slack with keeping up with this blogging thing.... Life has just been really chaotic in the past month in the Shepherd house hold!!.....
The market went fantastically.... Christmas has come & gone & now news years is just around the corner...
Im currently taking abit of a break from things... re energizing the soul a little & hashing out some plans for 2010.
Good news is in January I will be having a give away & running some specials to celebrate a year of this blog being open!!!...
So make sure you keep an eye on this space!!
Till then, have a fantastic holiday break.
Sally ;)
(Ps; happy birthday to my oldest daughter Mariah! the big 10!)
23-11-09
a little bit Devine........
I know I haven't blogged much lately.... It's because Im really putting alot of effort in creating beads & jewels & artworks for my boutique stall at the Bristyle designers market, Racecourse Rd, Ascot in Brisbane on the 5th of December....
Im so excited about this market... My work is coming along beautifully.... My boutique will be right in the middle of the St Augustines church.. Im sure you won't miss me!
For sale will be a range of Unique jewellery featuring my handmade beads along with a few long awaited artworks....
Here is a little peek at some of the available jewels...
From my Devine
"Monets Garden Collection"...
& my
"Ocean Bliss Collection"
There will be more pictures in the coming week....
Sally ...
15-11-09
& the rush begins!!!....
Ok the think the Christmas chaos has hit me already!!.. Im busily filling orders (still!)...& Im getting ready for my big Market debut! & in the middle of it all my computer dies!...
So Im scrambling to get everything back on track!!...
A little while ago I joined a fantastic Etsy group called BrisStyle...It a collective of artists & crafters selling purely handmade goods & as you well know by now anything handmade just rocks my world!!!!..
Part of being in the group is that you get to join them in a quartly market held at St Augustines Church on Racecourse Road Ascot.. just out of Brisbane city....
The one coming up is on Saturday 5th of December.. perfect for the Christmas shopping!!!!!
Now usually markets scare me lol!.. so I've somewhaty avoided doing one until I attended the last one this group held!!.. & lets just say I was in love!!.... so I've decided to give it ago & Im currently working on Beads, Jewellery & Art to sell on the day....
Till then check out the groups website & blog;
This will help you keep on all the news & goss!
Hope to see you there!
Sally :)
27-10-09
Busy, Busy!!....
October is just turning out to be such a huge month!!! Since the realease of the new ring designs I've been busy filling tons of orders...Which is wonderful, but you soon realise how quick another month can go & how quickly Christmas is approaching..
Zali Belle's growing fast ( 5 months!).. rolling over & pushing herself up so much I don't think it will be long until she crawls.. she has such a cheeky & determined personality!
I've just bought her some gorgeous headbands from one of my etsy fav's...Banner Boutique..
I can't wait to recieve them!!.. I think they will finally force me to get in & sew some matching outfits for Zali, something I've been meaning to do since she was born...
I Also paid a visit to the Craft & quilt fair on the weekend.. It was great!!.. I didn't get to look at everything but what I did see was just wonderful.. it was lovely catching up to a few people as well!
One mention I will make is that I just loved these guys at beads Online.. (http://www.beadsonline.com.au/)
It was their first show & they were just so busy but really took the time to say hello which was lovely...I picked up some real goodies from there that will be used in some new jewellery pieces Im currently creating... & I just love their cover piece on the front on the new Australian Beading...
A very gorgeous piece indeed!! make sure you check it out...
Sally :)
18-10-09
Been & Gone...
Well I did hold true to my promise... I did make the rings & I was going to put them upon here but they just sold too quick!!!
Usually I have to pick if i should pop them up on my website or etsy first...& lately my etsy has been very slow.. ok ts all been very slow..
This time I decided to po everything up on etsy to give it abit of a kick along.. & most of the rings sold overnight!!
Good news is I have lots of orders & I've been making alot more.. so within the next week i'll have some more to sell.. & Im putting them here first!!
Till then,
Sally :)
12-10-09
Im Sorry...
If you've been waiting, checking fequently over the weekend for my new rings!!!! I know Im such a tease ! ...
I just had one of those weekends... getting in some much needed family time as things had both been hectic the pass few weeks for hubby & I....plus trying to finish off a few orders!!...
I WILL be taking the rest of the pic's of the new rings tomorrow, so they will be up by thursday- friday at the latest!!!....
Promise!!!
Sally :)
9-10-09
Beautiful glassy flowering rings....
Along with filling a bunch of orders, this week I've been working on my ring designs... most are designs Ive played with in the past but haven't put out there for sale or taken pictures of..... but I've decided to expand the ring collection as Im teaching flower techniques in my up coming classes & wanted to show off what can be made!! ... theres a few tiger lily rings currently up on the website.. but the new rings will be available to buy from this weekend....
Heres a sneeky peek:
I think the new rings are just going to gorgeous for summer!
What do you think?
Sally :)
2- 10- 09
Highs & Lows....
Well we all know how it goes.. life just hands us those highs & lows....thats just the way it goes.....
For those that don't really want to read about my personal stuff ( & I know there are those out there!)..thats ok... but I suggest not reading on...the fact is theres more to me then just lovely glass & pretty paintings.
As real as that is. I am human.
Today my mother turns 58.
That is the only number I have........I have no idea where she even is ( & I think she wants it that way).. what she may be thinking or what her dreams are.. or even if she has any left.....I have no idea if she ever thinks of me ( or my brother for that matter) or if she wishes that things were different.
The truth is she is likely to be losing herself in a bottle.....the way its been for about 35 years......
All I know is that I do I wish I was with her( minus the bottle obviously), we were having a bbq or something & my kids were jumping all over her & she could feel our love......
I wish I understood her & I could share my life with her....I wish we could share our highs & lows......
Sometimes I listen to my friends share their stories about their mothers... some of them share stories of butting heads with them over & over again & some have a beautiful soulful mothers I could only dream of.....
I envy both equally.
They have absolutely no idea of the terribly tortured soul of an unmothered woman.... & I have no idea where to even start....so generally I just say " uhh huh".
Sally.
( I promise the next post will be alot lighter & come with pretty pictures.. !.. ;))
30-9-09
Beads Glass Craft Festival 2010....
Im happy to announce I'll be holding 3 workshops over 5 days at this event in Townsville , July 2010!!!...
I'll be teaching a 1 day beginners class along with 2 other 2 day workshops featuring everything from Ocean inspired beads to my Tigerlily ( stargazer) rings !!!.......
I think this whole festival is just going to be absolutely fantastic!.. there's a bunch of International & Australian artist teaching everything from glass working, beading, paper tole & the list goes on!!!... the event finishes off with a 3 day festival markets being held.
Sounds like a whole lot of fun!
Interested?? well just click
to access my booking page!!
And for more information about this awesome event just click
here !
I hope to see you there!
Sally ;)
25-9-09
Moving Soon....
Im currently working on moving this blog to a blogspot page... reason being if you scroll to the bottom you may notice every time I post an entry some of the older post gets gobbled up!( & I have no idea how to prevent this!).... Unfortunately i lost the first 2 or 3 posts I made but since I noticed the problem I've been saving them in a separate file on the computer & they will be re posted there.
I have some great news coming up on the teaching front & other exciting announcements coming soon!
Sally :)
7-9-09
Thinking to the future...
I loved teaching during 2008 so much that since leaving my job it hasn't been far from my thoughts.... So Im currently working on the beginnings of some new exciting workshops to hopefully teach during 2010.
My plan so far is to start private ( 1 on 1) lessons from my home studio, teaching some beginners classes along with tutoring those with previous glass experience, along with travelling to hold some specialty workshops.
Information on what the workshops will include will be available soon on my new "Teaching" page.....
Im really looking forward to getting out there again!
Sally :)
30-8-09
Sets on special to celebrate the start of spring!...
Theres some huge savings to be made, so be sure to check them out!
Sally :)
28-8-09
Road Trip !!
Lately I've felt the desperate need for a break.....things just haven't been easy..... After a few weeks of complete chaos in the Shepherd household the wonderful hubby took a week off work for some much needed quality family time.... so weve done dinner, movies, sleep-ins & then we decided to top it off with a road trip down to Byron Bay...
It was just wonderful !, we went up to the lighthouse where we were lucky enough to spot 4 humpback whales( including a baby) going by..... Unfortunatley I didn't capture any pics of that... my cameras too slow & they are just to quick I think!
But heres some other piccies....
Lovely Byron Bay.....
The gorgeous lighthouse....
down the bottom of the lighthouse..
trying our best to get a good kiddie pic...Zali's such a wiggle worm!.....
loved these boxes!
We swam in the beautiful ocean & shopped at the seriously cool shops , had delicious ice-cream & generally just had fun... I think I really needed it. We all did.
I've come back all refreshed & inspired, like I've been away for months.
Sally :)
2-8-09
Ok, well heres how I feel about it.....
( warning .. its another long one! lol..)
Its probably the bit I dislike most about being involved in the beadmaking industry... when you jump on your fav forum to check out what everyones else is sharing in the show & tells, or you recieve a newsletter about some ones latest work , rock up at a bead meet ...etc, etc....& wouldn't you know it suddenly a fellow beadmaker seems to have had the same "idea" as you....
The beads you have been working on for months & months & only posted up yourself the week before or started showing & selling. .... some one else has just suddenly been "inspired" to make the same...
Coincidence ???......maybe, but unfortunately not likely....
In this industry, this happens all the time...
to lots of people....
It bites,
I've personally had this happen a few times now.... & its come from all different places.... people I know, like & respect, to those I've never met before & may live on the opposite side of the world.... Sometimes its just a hobbist trying out things & experimanting with what they have seen around & sometimes its a fellow full time artisan who sells, publishes & promotes their work as well , who goes into their studio determind to make someting just like yours, most of the time for $$$ reasons....
Sometimes the knock offs are gorgeous & sometimes they are just utter crap!!! lol...
Sometimes they change it up abit & try to add their own spin but sometimes they are determind to make something as close to your work as they can get & palm them off as their own unique work.....
I've once even had my beads openly dicussed on a forum including how I might have gone about it....
( And please don't think Im referring to the tutorials I've written or classes I've taught, I love teaching & passing on techniques!!!....this is very ,very different.)
I know that some people feel there is no such thing as copying anothers work & that theres "nothing new under the sun" or once you post a pic on the net that work becomes public property & its free for all..... they mean no harm. Beads are at the end of they day just a bunch of techniques that have been done over & over again for centuries..... the list goes on...
I undertsand everyone is different & will have their own opinion & have a different spot where they draw the line.
I get that.
But I can't help but feel...So with each different case I deal with a range of feelings.... I sometimes feel... hurt, dis-respected, ripped off, annoyed & angry, sad, dissapointed , confused...& most of all frustrated.....like my imagination has been ripped out of me & stolen in the dead on night.
I react differently, I've explained how I felt & had lengthy debates with fellow artists..., I"ve gotten angry & "had a go" at offenders... I've expressed my feelings in threads on forums on the subject and then at times I've tried to avoided it all & just suck it up....Yes I admit sometimes I feel the urge to shake the computer.
Nothing seems to work..
so today Im just ranting away in my blog...;)
Sometimes Im left wondering why I bother at all??? All the time I spend sketching my new creations down in my diary to the amount of glass I " waste " experimenting, trying to get a bead to look the way I have imagined in my head & on paper made into reality.... sometimes it seems an impossible task & involves me throwing glass around the place in complete frustration & whingeing to my husband " its not bloody working"... lol...
I could just make the basic beads, production line style, stuff I've just learnt from others & books & online tutorials, damit maybe I should just copy others too.. I know I could..... but I just don't want to.
or I could be doing something else altogether....sometimes I think its time to walk away.
I keep at it because I love it.... I love it... I love it.... I love glass & I love the challenge of useing my imagination to make something a little "different"... Not everything I do is "new"...but I do MY best to create something unique once in a while... in hope to create beads in a style that is recognizable as my own....I just wish that could be respected.
So Im just going to keep at it...I won't give up.
............. "so howz about those Peacock Feathers???" you ask...... well thats how I feel.
Sally.
23-7-09
The Magic Continues.....
My new Peacock feather sets are up, continuing "The Magic Peacock Feather" collection I have started in the last few months.... there are 3 different sets this time around, titled "Honesty", "Loyalty" & "Destiny".....each set has some really beautiful beads which I have just loved creating, so be sure to check them out!...
Heres a peek at one of the focals;
This lot of beads took me a little longer to create this time around... things have been a little more hectic with Baby Zali now in the house!..I've finally managed to get some decent sleep but I learn't 3 children certainly keep you busy!!....
Zali Belle ... at 6 weeks old!
Babies certainly grow fast, its wonderful to watch their personality develop each day.... Zali is certainly abit of a cheeky one, very chatty & excitable.... but she also has abit of a serious side, often spending time observing things around her & really deep in thought....Just gorgeous!!!
Im going to jump back on the torch this weekend... I have a few ideas swimming around my head I'd like to give ago...along with making some rings I think!!!
Till next time...
Sally :)
28-6-09
Fixing Itches....
Well even though I’ve attempted to take a “little break” from it all, just while I’ve been getting bub settled in, I’ve still managed to get some creations made lately….
I find even though some days Im barely able to keep my eyes open & struggle to string sentences together from endless nights of sleep deprivation…I still seem to buzz with new ideas & the itch to create!!!
In the week I gave birth to Zali & decided to enter one of the beading forum.com.au’s “year of jewellery” challenges… A theme is set & people from the forum make creations with seed beads, polymer clay, wire & lampwork beads create the most wonderful pieces…& then at the end of the week members of the forum are invited to vote on their fav creation…
That week the theme was “Peacock”….well how could I say no!!
Here are my pictures of my entry… not the best pictures, but I did take them at 11pm at night..right before the deadline!!
This was the first real seed beading I had done in years…about 16 years in fact!!
But spiral peyote stitch had been on my to do list for quite a while…
Despite tearing my hair out( first week baby lack of sleep!) & a bunch of rushing.. I think it turned out pretty good for my first attempt…& once votes were casted I scored equal first place!!!
I won a lovely theme banner for this website but Im unsure how to post a pic of it yet!!!..anyway, thanks to everyone who voted for me!:
I’ve now fallen in love with peyote…which is basically hand stitching little seed beads together... this is another bracelet I created…
I just LoVe how this one turned out & had intended to put it up for sale this weekend.. (as much a I was wrestling with myself about possibly keeping it!)but a family friend has pounced on it first…buying the piece along with a matching pendant I made…..
Im still working on more of my “The Magic Peacock” collection among lots of other lovlies…so now that Im truly back in the swing of things I should have some new stock up on my website sometime in the coming week….
Until then be sure to check out my mid year specials ;)...
Sally...
26-5-09
One week ago....
I became a mother again....our family welcomed into the world the lovely & ohh so cuddly
Miss Zali Belle Shepherd.....
19th May, 5:27pm
7Lb, 11oz
She is just truly devine.....Its been 9 years since we had our last child & I had forgotten how soft a babies skin is, how tiny their toes are & how soulful their eyes are when they gaze longingly at you.....& don't even start me on the new baby smell....
I admit it wasn't an easy birth, it was a long & traumaic labour, but at the end of it all Im just glad to have been blessed with this sweet little girl....My family is on cloud nine....
Life is wonderful....
Sally...
3-5-09
I May Be In Love......
Today I waddled ( in my about to pop pregnant state) my around the Brisbane craft & stitches show....& realised how much I just love ANYTHING handmade... so much gorgeous fabric, devine beads, paper.. stamps, fibres ...... do I need to go on??... I might have just been in heaven.
And then theres the people... I just love meeting people ( hello to all the gorgeously lovely people I met!!!!! :))
Especially the ones that also just swoon over anything handmade...it was bliss lol....serious bliss....what a great day...
People are often quite surprised to learn along with making beads, I adore sewing, crochet,cross stitch, stamping, paper crafts....ok..ok... anything crafty!!, along with the beadmaking & painting of course... :)
In the coming year I hope to combine a few of these passions in my "Other handmade items" & "Artworks" sections of my website .. along with expanding my etsy shop.
I have so many creative ideas swimming around my head ( along with thoughts of snuggling my new baby.. lol)I seriously feel as though Im on cloud nine....
Im currently working on some more of my "The Magic Peacock Feather "