tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34288180564128657692012-01-27T01:35:22.278-08:00Blog of my life as a jewellery (jewelry) artist in New Zealand. You will find photos of my jewellery and New Zealand garden, plus my favourite recipes.Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.comBlogger711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-44716894771865928442009-12-21T16:32:00.000-08:002009-12-21T17:31:15.196-08:00

I have yearned for a set of Caran D'Ache watercolour pencils for 30 years since my set was stolen from me in high school. But I couldn't find any anywhere here in New Zealand that sold them. My original set was given to me when I lived in England and I loved using them so much.I decided to do an internet search to find a supplier in New Zealand...zilch...so out of interest I did a worldwide

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-1465247704022050702009-12-19T13:37:00.000-08:002009-12-19T15:38:27.825-08:00

Where has the time gone?!! I have been so busy these last few weeks with work and preparing for Christmas. Finally all my Christmas shopping is finished. All presents chosen and bought. All I have left to do is to wrap the presents, make the mince pies and then buy a few groceries on Christmas Eve.I finished decorating my studio this morning under the supervision of Oscar (seen sitting on the arm

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-22393536750212017192009-11-23T21:44:00.000-08:002009-11-23T22:24:59.954-08:00

The wild flowers have done it again this year...they have surpassed themselves in glorious profusion. Our shared drive way, on our side at least looks like a field covered in snow...something that never happens in Auckland...sighs...I do miss snow...at least I can pretend.You can see in the top photo, the left hand side of the drive is perfectly manicured. No weeds and a lovely row of trees. Our

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-78288489217710506582009-11-13T18:06:00.001-08:002009-11-14T11:35:37.019-08:00

To my delight I have just found out that someone has added the new BBC series of Jane Austen's Emma to You Tube. I have just watched the first episode and it was delightful. I will watch the following episodes over the weekend...I can't wait...these programs always make me dreamy-eyed.I love Jane Austen's stories and others that are based around the Regency period and I especially enjoy seeing

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-65554355564498058772009-11-12T21:30:00.000-08:002009-11-12T22:05:06.737-08:00

I just had to share with you this glorious view from one of our bedroom windows. This pink rose bush has grown huge...taller than myself...and throws streamers of trailing branches full of shell-pink roses down to the ground.When I look out of this window it always reminds me of a scene from sleeping beauty where the castle is surrounded by a dense wall of roses that the prince has to cut

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-76215898996496300392009-11-08T21:54:00.000-08:002009-11-08T22:38:53.821-08:00

Meet my sister's peacock called Fred. He was very photogenic yesterday and posed nicely infront the camera for me. But unfortunately he refused to display his beautiful tail.There are no peahens around for him to display to. But he does give the sparrows and doves a fright when he displays his feathers to them. One very confused bird!Fred is 41 years old now. Quite an age for a peacock. My sister

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-87835765062353187182009-11-03T23:28:00.000-08:002009-11-03T23:44:58.692-08:00

I am busily preparing for bonfire night this week. Instead of celebrating on the actual day (November the 5th) which is a Thursday, I am going to have a party on Saturday night.I bought lots of fireworks including some really huge scarey looking ones. I will let the men light those and keep the sparklers for myself!This evening I baked Yorkshire Parkin which is a traditional English cake that we

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-29094422557385907892009-11-01T13:39:00.001-08:002009-11-01T18:52:16.052-08:00

Here is the latest bracelet that I have added to the Rambling Rose Jewels Collection.The lampwork glass beads in this bracelet are covered in little coral orange roses and olivine green leaves. I just had to name this bracelet Orange Rose Garden. Imagine an English country garden filled with the scent of hundreds of roses and wonderful arbours of climbing roses to walk through!The floral lampwork

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-22436508658224161202009-10-29T22:02:00.001-07:002009-10-31T23:48:48.059-07:00

The wisteria covering the verandah at the front of our house is in full flower at the moment. It flowers profusely at the beginning of each Spring and gives me a whole month of enjoyment.The clusters of white flowers hang down like cascades of white waterfalls, with some of the blooms measuring 27 inches long!On the occasional warm sunny Spring day I like to sit on the verandah with a refreshing

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-45410455566153045432009-10-25T23:48:00.000-07:002009-11-01T18:49:03.316-08:00

Here is the bracelet that I made today. The artisan lampwork glass beads are so pretty in cranberry pink, lime green and white. I immediately thought of bubbly champagne cocktails because of the little white dots on the pink centred beads. Then I imagined them being decorated with slices of lime and little pink cranberries...yuuum. A deliciously refreshing drink to sip on while partying with

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-81229217737784793642009-10-25T15:20:00.001-07:002009-10-27T22:23:31.982-07:00

This is my favourite cake for this time of year. We usually have it on November the 5th...Guy Fawkes night...to eat while standing in front of a bonfire watching fireworks...yummy, this cake won't last long!Here is the recipe:Make 2 days before eating to get the yummy texture.8 fluid ounces boiling water4 ounces unsalted butter12 ounces treacle1 egg beaten10 ounces plain flour1 1/2 level

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-73893139290109404272009-10-18T23:05:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:50:22.574-07:00

I am so excited and want to share with you that I opened my Rambling Rose Jewels store on Etsy this afternoon! I have my first item listed at last. The number of items for sale will continue to be added to from now on. You can easily visit the Rambling Rose Jewels store by clicking on the Etsy mini picture on the right of the blog.In celebration I did a little virtual shopping and "bought" crates

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-78498144914561170422009-10-18T01:14:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:44:32.580-07:00

I love the colours of the beads in this bracelet that I have named Buttercup Fields. A juicy citrus green complements rich turquoise and buttercup yellow. Imagine lying in a lush grassy field surrounded by glistening buttercups....looking up to a clear blue sky....basking in the warm sun.There are 7 detailed artisan lampwork glass beads with coloured cores, encased in clear glass and then

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-76150926619165554402009-10-16T01:26:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:45:58.867-07:00

I am really pleased with my new magnifying lenses that arrived in the mail this afternoon. What a difference they are going to make.My eyes have been gradually getting more and more blurry this year. I don't know whether it is from eyestrain from doing close-up work, or just an ageing thing. But I was finding it harder to focus on my jewellery while I was making it.So, my parcel arrived and I

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-28266132534788050342009-10-12T23:51:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:48:05.459-07:00

Spring is one of my favourite times of year as you may have already guessed. I love seeing the Spring flowers coming up. There is a continual succession of different flowers in my garden during this time of year.The purple Babiana flowers are establishing themselves well in different parts of the garden. I divide large clumps of bulbs once the leaves have died down and spread them around the

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-40278381549389992602009-10-12T23:24:00.001-07:002009-10-31T23:49:22.400-07:00

I love working with Cristy Howard's beads. She uses such vibrant glass colours in the most wonderful combinations.I have combined the artisan lampwork glass beads with Karen Hilltribe round silver beads which are 97% silver. The beads are linked together by being individually wire wrapped using fine silver (99.9% silver) wire.The bracelet is finished off with a sterling silver lobster clasp at

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-36439960278574660592009-09-27T23:04:00.001-07:002009-11-01T00:03:32.919-07:00

I have updated my blog banner to show my company name "Rambling Rose Jewels". My blog address will remain the same RamblingRoseJewellery.blogspot.comNow that I have set up in business I want to make sure that there is no confusion in logos. Now there is consistency between my blog, my shop and my business card. People can still Google Rambling Rose Jewellery and Rambling Rose Jewels to get here.

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-19235163475536851862009-09-27T00:56:00.001-07:002009-10-31T23:51:49.256-07:00

Today I had a great time at the New Zealand Jewellery Fair. It was open to trade only and admission conditions were rigorous, requiring proof of being in the jewellery business.The security for gaining entry into the show was like that at an international airport! All items being carried had to be put into trays on a conveyor belt and were x-rayed. Then I had to go through a metal detector

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-44259674570952389622009-09-25T20:46:00.000-07:002009-10-17T14:36:56.769-07:00

I will start this post by screaming aaaaaaaaargh!......A day and a half without being able to connect my computer to the internet, and hours on the phone with D-link.It started with me getting fed-up with my wireless network disconnecting on me more and more.....maybe it was in league with the old printer that died on me!!!....so I phoned D-link technical support for help.Luckily we have another

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-75027651123592220352009-09-24T01:36:00.000-07:002009-10-17T14:37:20.991-07:00

My last printer was dying a long, drawn out and painful death.....painful to me that is. It would print one page at a time and then say it was out of paper no matter how much paper was in the tray. It stopped even being able to take photopaper and it turned its nose up at the card I bought to print my business cards. The last straw was when it kept printing whole documents on one line and smudged

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-87776666447210386542009-09-20T21:11:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:51:27.517-07:00

At last I have found 3 lampwork bead artists who are happy to make custom-made beads for me! I won't need to rely on searching the internet to see what is available all the time. This means I will have a constant supply of beads when I need them. Plus it will save a lot of the hours that I spend on the internet doing my searches.....phew, what a relief :) The most wonderful thing is that I will

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-3883686458284492422009-09-15T00:42:00.000-07:002009-10-22T22:16:50.330-07:00

Yesterday I decided to make some fudge. I hadn't made any for years and when I saw the price of $2.00 for one piece of fudge at the local cafe I decided to make my own. So I hunted down a recipe for Russian Fudge and drove to the supermarket to buy just one can of condensed milk lol.30 minutes of cooking and 5 minutes of whisking later and I was pouring lovely rich coloured fudge into a tin and

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-23653483637247221492009-09-12T18:25:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:52:10.730-07:00

Today is another glorious Spring day in Auckland. It is lovely to be able to get out into the garden after being couped up inside for days due to rain or being stuck in the office.I took the opportunity to take more photos of flowers, always so bright and cheerful.Later this afternoon I will do some work in the garden dead-heading the golden African daisies (I don't know their name)to make sure

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-24007865706590641522009-09-12T11:58:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:55:37.528-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. Unfortunately I was unwell for 2 weeks, plus another week recovering.I managed to work on some new designs for bracelets and necklaces which I am pleased with and found another lampwork bead artisan, Lori Friesen, who also makes gorgeous beads. So I expect to be working with sets of beads in lovely opaque pastels and some stronger colours. I can't

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-58969634595126230812009-08-11T00:53:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.279-07:00

After all the romping around in the garden among the flowers taking photos yesterday.......I carried on the theme in my search for more beads and found the perfect answer......Beautiful floral beads made by Melanie Carey. I already have quite a few sets of beads made by Melanie and was delighted to find that she is still making her floral sets. She is delightful to work with and even gave me a

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-62278538643293675602009-08-09T16:38:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:57:16.643-07:00

Yesterday I had a great time with my camera after a quick clean up of the garden.I had cleared out most of the old leaves from around the Hellebores to show the new fresh green leaves and flowers.My cat Oscar followed me around and he went silly when he saw me gardening. The cats want to be involved in everything I do and they also love running up trees and playing hide-and-seek.I managed to take

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-60968373589384970782009-08-09T03:21:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:57:16.644-07:00

It is hard to believe that Spring isn't due to arrive until just under a month....but the photos I took this afternoon are here to show what is happening on our land!The daffodils and early cheer are already open! There are lots more pushing through the hay.Unfortunately the cows were let loose in the daffodil area and have trampled half of them down......The cows look so innocent....but there is

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-13187907303226187432009-08-08T01:17:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.280-07:00

Spring starts in September where I live, but it is still early August and the weather is warming up. More sunny days, 15 degrees C, lovely blue skies. Little lambs are already appearing in one neighbours field and another neighbour has two gorgeous foals gamboling around a paddock.My daffodils are also opening and I have a vase of the tiniest minature daffodils on my desk. I am charging up my

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-85471319615496578122009-07-22T00:53:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:56:27.431-07:00

I arrived home this evening to find that my Gina Jeans beads had arrived! I wasn't expecting them so soon, they only took a week in the mail from America. The beads were beautifully presented in their own special box, and were carefully protected for their long journey to New Zealand, and Gina gave me a pile of extra little spacer beads as a lovely surprise in my little parcel. They look

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-90637509488981145312009-07-16T04:08:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.280-07:00

Gina Jeans, a very talented lampwork bead artist in America has spent the last few weeks devoted to making these wonderful bead sets for me. I am so excited about them, they are my most expensive purchase of beads so far, and well worth the money. There is so much detail put into each bead. I have 3 bracelet designs ready to use them in when they arrive.

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-29303651493104805682009-07-05T16:59:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.281-07:00

I couldn't resist buying these mouth-wateringly delicious citrus coloured lampwork beads. The orange, lemon and lime colours look so fresh, just like a hand squeezed citrus drink with slices of fruit decorating the rim of the glass. The beads usually take between one and two weeks to arrive from America. So again I will be keeping my eye on the mail box until their arrival!

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-56892852893796258292009-07-02T01:52:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:20:45.348-07:00

Here are some really cute bird photos that were emailed to me today that made me laugh.........enjoy.........Until next time.....

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-84372803989805783442009-06-29T01:14:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.282-07:00

Here is my latest purchase of artisan lampwork beads made by Andree Kosak. The beads are hollow with a beautiful trellace of raised roses delicately spread around a sky blue background. More beads for me to go dreamy-eyed over until I decide on a design to use them in lol.I am also in the queue for a custom order of a few sets of Gina Jeans artisan lampwork beads which should arrive in 3 to 4

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-56988604697303489802009-06-26T22:45:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:21:35.113-07:00

Because the weather has been so cold lately we decided to buy bags of mixed bird seed to feed the birds with that visit our garden. Luckily the seed isn't expensive and a bag should last a week or so.We are visited regularly by a small flock of 8 Malaysian spotted doves. This year is the first time we have ever seen them in our garden. They are really quite pretty, with a band of spotted feathers

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-78452655214370608312009-06-21T17:13:00.001-07:002009-10-31T23:59:35.199-07:00

It was zero degrees Celcius (32 F) again this morning and the land was covered in a crisp layer of frost. My mother braved the winter chill and went out and took this lovely photograph of the view outside my room.....I was still asleep hibernating and woke at a more civilised time when the sun had come out and thawed all the frost!I also woke to the smell of fresh bread being made....I taught

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-31847239048480869702009-06-20T22:05:00.000-07:002009-10-27T23:19:09.591-07:00

We had struggled with our first bread machine for months, not being able to make a loaf of bread without having to interrupt the cycles and put the dough in the airing cupboard to rise. My first attempts ended up like bricks! After a couple of months the bread-making machine was put away in a cupboard. Almost a year later my mother suggested to take the machine back as it was still under

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-58936303568535910812009-06-15T23:12:00.000-07:002009-11-01T00:00:46.402-07:00

Groundhog day revisited!!! I am almost half-way though doing a stock-take of all my beads and silver. It has taken me days to get half counted so far. I can almost see beads when I shut my eyes, and I don't need to count sheep to help me to go to sleep at night lol.Everything needs to be accounted for and loaded into my Jewelery Design Deluxe program. If you have a large inventory it is a great

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-36613258070600914532009-06-10T00:58:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:59:35.199-07:00

We have been getting quite a few frosty mornings here in Coatesville, Auckland. I have been waking up to see our paddocks painted over with glistening white frost, and my car totally frozen over. I love the landscape when it is like this....but not so keen on having to wash the ice off my car before setting off for work!I love to walk through frosty grass, hearing the crunch of the ice under foot

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-7449920889509664392009-06-05T05:18:00.000-07:002009-11-01T00:02:04.460-07:00

I think I have finally got my Etsy Rambling Rose Jewels jewellery shop business card how I want it. I have spent countless hours trying to find graphics and then getting the colour right. Tomorrow I will try printing it out on heavy card stock on my inkjet printer to see what it looks like in real life. Fingers crossed until tomorrow......

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-91997508866125849372009-06-03T02:00:00.001-07:002009-10-31T23:35:36.261-07:00

There is always something special about silver beads made by the Thai Karen Hill Tribes. The beads are made individually by hand...no automated machinery involved...so that each bead is slightly different. This is what makes handcrafted jewellery look so good. Not at all like mass produced jewellery I love incorporating them into my artisan bracelets, they show the artisan lampwork beads off

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-27115541232660642182009-05-31T18:37:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:59:35.200-07:00

It is a glorious sunny winter day here in Auckland, after so much wind and rain in the past week, so I managed to get out into the garden and take some photos of the red hot pokers that are in full flower.This lovely orange is quite striking against the winter landscape and the lovely pale blue winter sky.These flowers provide nectar for some of our native birds, especially Tuis, and I was

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-2101436618754877062009-05-30T00:46:00.000-07:002009-11-01T00:03:00.504-07:00

I have discovered the Etsy forums and have found so many really helpful and friendly people there. There is so much involved in setting up a shop that it can be a bit daunting unless it is done one bit at a time.My list of things to do seems to be growing. As I cross something off that I have completed I seem to add 2 or more things lol. What would I do without my lists!I have a few more

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-90212319608825334942009-05-25T00:38:00.001-07:002009-11-01T00:08:04.800-07:00

Guido decided that my jewellery layout needed some tweaking this afternoon. He didn't want to hurt my feelings, so he waited until he thought my back was turned. But he didn't realise that I had my camera in my hand lol. I managed to get a motion shot of him leaving my home made light cube. It is a bit blury, but it gives you an idea of the tight squeeze it was for him to get inside it. He is a

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-84491818979504762012009-05-21T00:02:00.000-07:002009-11-01T00:02:38.649-07:00

I am doing a lot of work behind the scenes for my RamblingRoseJewels Etsy shop before I can open it. My latest has been working out shop policies relating to postage and insurance costs, exchanges, refunds and how to make payments.Postage Methods - International and DomesticPostage fees are quite complicated to sort out here and I want to make it as simple as possible for my customers. I have set

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-11488429915042038302009-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.283-07:00

The colour combination of turquoise blue and cream works so well. Another reminder of seaside visits....glorious blue sea and skies, lazing on soft sandy beaches, picnics, building sand castles, chasing waves as they gently lap the beach.....These artisan lampwork beads were made by Cristie in America....The style of these beads works perfectly for my Rambling Rose Jewellery designer bracelet

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-71939465705971301102009-05-17T00:27:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.283-07:00

I have just bought these amazing hollow lampwork beads made by Andree Kozac in America. The colours are so rich and I fell in love with the flower and vine decorations. My brain is working over time with plans on how these beads will be turned into a stunning necklace for some lucky person. When I buy new beads it can take months sometimes to find the perfect partners for them. I leave them on

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-57529630137620184522009-05-16T02:36:00.000-07:002009-11-01T00:09:20.746-07:00

The fresh green of these glass beads remind me of spring time with fresh new grass and tree leaves have just burst out of their buds. Three of the beads have clear glass droplets on which look just like morning dew. The soft blue flowers remind me of forget-me-nots, and two of the beads have spots reminiscent of peacock feathers so I added a sprinkling of peacock-blue Czech cut glass beads. The

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-29675447973576605262009-05-12T02:13:00.000-07:002009-11-01T00:10:04.591-07:00

Etsy Shop Progress reportI have finally created the first page of my Etsy jewellery shop which will be called Rambling Rose Jewels. The shop banner is up and a message to say that it will be opening soon. I still need to work out the intricacies of setting up the workings of the shop. Something for me to do on the weekend. You can take a quick look at it here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-41605426642984067192009-05-07T02:54:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:30:04.105-07:00

It has been a nerve wracking 2 days. I had to take Guido my siamese cat to the vet after work yesterday. He has been sick for a few days and it turns out that he is badly blocked up and can't go to the toilet :( I had to leave him overnight at the vet. I hate being without him. Nothing the vet has done worked, so he is now on intravenous fluids and they tried more enemas with no luck. So he is

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-26329870315305227332009-05-05T00:07:00.000-07:002009-10-27T23:41:17.112-07:00

A few months ago I found Choggie our resident hedgehog wandering by the house in a terrible state. He had lost almost all his prickles, was covered in maggots and was running in circles trying to keep the flies off him. I put him in a box and ran inside to phone Hedgehog Rescue to see if they could help him. But Hedgehog Rescue had no more room for another hedgehog! They gave me instructions on

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-87641856683330509532009-05-03T18:24:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:30:59.870-07:00

This is where I will be spending most of my time designing and photographing the jewellery that I make. At last I have different work areas to complete each task so that I can work without being interrupted and most importantly I don't need to keep packing everything up when I need to do something else.Yesterday afternoon I bought different props that I can use for photo backgrounds when I take

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-1157410482166112892009-05-02T04:09:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:37:42.396-07:00

I decided to rearrange where I work on making jewellery. Everything was getting too crowded on the desk in my bedroom, so I have commandeered our second sitting room/library. It has quite a lot of space, but 2 walls are taken up by bookshelves and the piano, and the 3rd wall is all windows. I have managed to set up my photography area on a large chest of drawers so that I won't need to pack

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-67888100076045609292009-05-01T03:17:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:31:56.861-07:00

I wasn't quite convinced that my previous photos of this white floral necklace were okay, they seemed hard against the dark grey slate background and these necklaces are so feminine and look so delicate. It bugged me so much that I had to set up my photo station again. So here is my latest attempt against a light background. And now I think that I got the lighting wrong, it looks too harsh lol.

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-8696809485156199552009-05-01T01:32:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:32:24.038-07:00

Here is my second floral necklace made with artisan lampwork beads by Chiharu. Each flower is unique and contains lots of detail. The flowers are set off with 4 textured clear glass leaves and Swarovski pearls. These are all linked together with fine silver wire wrapping and sterling silver jump rings, plus a sterling silver toggle clasp.The flower beads are cleverly made so that they sit well

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-54494542259135748212009-04-29T02:18:00.001-07:002009-10-17T15:32:52.888-07:00

Sometimes when you try to submit a comment, a message will appear saying "your request could not be processed, please try again." If this happens, first make sure that you have selected an option from the "comment as" drop down box. Then click on the "post comment" button.You will then be given a series of letters that need to be typed into a box which pops up. Next click the "finish" button.A

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-82790322492938927862009-04-27T23:15:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:33:25.782-07:00

This afternoon I made a list of all the things that I need to do in preparation for selling my jewellery on-line. It is very satisfying when I cross an item off the list as it is completed. It is amazing the amount of things that need to be worked out......1) Set up a method for payments.....I think PayPal is the most user-friendly because there are no fees for buyers and costs are displayed in

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-47676767758009853762009-04-27T02:18:00.001-07:002009-10-17T15:33:52.525-07:00

I spent this afternoon phoning around different tile shops to find real slate tiles to use for my photo backgrounds. I was amazed to find that not many sold slate tiles, just ceramics. And then I had to make sure that the slate tiles didn't have a protective finish on which would be too shiny..When I turned up at the tile shop that had what I wanted, the sales lady said that they don't sell

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-35582549038344241342009-04-26T02:01:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:21:35.014-07:00

For my next jewellery designs I decided to make 2 pairs of earrings to go with the Roses are pink lampwork bead charm bracelet. The first pair have Swarovski pearls in the design together with sterling silver bead caps and ear wires. I also used litle pink Czech Jablonski glass flower spacer beads.The second pair of lampwork glass bead earrings have Jablonski Czech faceted glass beads and flower

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-6084170849937019032009-04-24T22:06:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:34:48.970-07:00

I will be including these delightful gift boxes free with every jewellery sale once I have set up my shop on-line.The jewellery gift boxes are covered with anemone flowers in deep jewel colours with a subtle metallic sheen. The boxes will be in different sizes to accomodate your earrings, bracelets and necklaces. There will be one box per piece of jewellery to protect each piece.I have also found

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-72519838147711010772009-04-24T19:02:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:35:17.805-07:00

These earrings have Swarovski pearl clusters dangling from sterling silver ear wires and chain. They move freely, glistening with the light. There are 16 Swarovski pearls in each earring, each attached to the dangle chain with fine silver (99.9% silver) head pins which I made with a small ball of silver at the end.This is my first time photographing pearl earrings. It was difficult to capture the

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-88605626718945948162009-04-23T00:25:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.285-07:00

My new artisan lampwork bead purchase made yesterday from America. Yummy yummy colours! I just love searching for, and buying artisan lampwork beads. I can't help myself, the more I look, the more I see, the more I buy. Then the exciting wait for my lovely purchases to arrive in the mail. Eagerly waiting for the mail to arrive, then driving down to check my mail box. Yes, you read correctly....

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-29415183490349532412009-04-20T00:21:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:35:36.262-07:00

More of Cristie's beautiful lampwork beads. The different colours of glass that she uses in making her beads always look fresh and jewellery made out of them is fun to wear. They are also a delight to work with. The blue beads are the colour of robin's eggs and contrast perfectly with the bright red. The contrasting scrolling pattern in the blue beads is the same red as the red beads, for some

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-45469973784939288352009-04-19T03:06:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:36:50.661-07:00

If you live in America you may be wondering why on earth I can't spell the word 'Jewelry' correctly, since my blog is all about the 'Jewelry' I make. Some of my American friends have contacted me because they were worried about my terrible spelling mistake. So I thought I would write an explanation.Hopefully I can put your mind at rest, both spellings are correct. Jewelry is the correct American

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-9090707949694562662009-04-18T01:19:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:37:14.474-07:00

I made this cute little lily pond themed bracelet for my mother when I first started making charm bracelets. The glass beads reminded me of lily pads and water lilies, so I went in search of little sterling silver charms to go with them and found little frogs and dragonflies. With further hunting I found the cheeky little glass frogs. I had some sterling silver flowers, so I sat the frogs ontop

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-26573402520971256872009-04-17T03:13:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:19:50.285-07:00

I am often asked why the glass beads I use in my jewellery designs are called lampwork beads. Originally these beads were produced by melting glass in the flame of oil-fuelled lamps which is where the name lampworking came from. Nowadays lampwork beads are made from different coloured glass rods which are melted in the flame of a torch fuelled with a mixture of propane gas and oxygen at

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-28629867524453000952009-04-16T00:55:00.000-07:002009-10-27T23:48:03.855-07:00

Autumn has finally arrived, one of my favourite times of year. It still feels strange to me to celebrate Easter in the Autumn, even though I have been living in New Zealand for 31 years now. The days are still warm, and the mornings and evenings crisp. Daylight saving means we get to sleep in an extra hour which is great for me as I am not an early morning person. My Siamese cat Guido thinks it

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-82128533054900262332009-04-15T02:23:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:35:36.263-07:00

This bracelet has the feel of Easter in spring. Lovely fresh pastel blue and green colours set off with little sterling silver disc beads. These lampwork glass beads were handmade by Jodi, a lampwork artisan in America. Each bead is different, I never tire of looking at them. However my design assistant Guido exhausted himself trying to think of new ideas for my jewellery and he was caught

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-14804924270581517652009-04-13T23:02:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:21:35.015-07:00

The colours of the beads in this charm bracelet remind me of our New Zealand beaches in spring with the rich turquoise and peacock blues of the sea and sky and the sandy taupe of the beach. The bracelet has four sterling silver charms (a starfish, conch shell, seahorse and a sand dollar and the chain dangle has a little silver shell as well. These are interspersed with Swarovski pearls and Czech

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-71531153129862872912009-04-11T22:28:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:39:49.237-07:00

I love making these romantic charm braclets. This one reminds me of blushing rose buds ready to open. I have added sterling silver leaf charms among the lampwork and Swarovski pearl beads and a daisy charm at the end of the chain dangle. The chain dangles make the bracelet easy to adapt for wrist size and add that "something special" to the bracelet.I have had great feedback from people who have

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-39845420750899091562009-04-10T19:03:00.000-07:002009-10-17T15:40:11.804-07:00

After many hours of searching for pictures to represent my blog I decided to use a heading with velvety red roses. They look so luxurious you can almost smell them and I love the little dew drops on the petals. Roses are my favourite flower as you may guess from my blog name. I may use a more stylised heading font when I learn how to do that. The rest of the page is going to be left white. I

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428818056412865769.post-44085910284472690232009-04-09T21:50:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:35:36.263-07:00

I finally plucked up the courage to create a blog about my favourite pass-time....making jewellery. You will have to be patient with me while I learn all about customising my blog layout. I know how I want it to look, but it is a very steep learning curve for me to try to get anything to work. Fingers crossed that I don't obliterate my whole blog while trying to add a customised skin lol.In the

Rambling Rose Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12998936212351555661noreply@blogger.com0