23/08/2010 by Peter Sewell.

So I’ve moved. The new blog at the above addy is now up and running! It is so much easier and a lot more user friendly than this one, but I have this for another 5 months so it will stay up to then, although new stuff will go on the new blog.

If you want any of the ‘archived’ posts on here transferring over then please let me know  by leaving a comment on blogger, I’ll try to copy & paste from here to there. Right………………….I’ll get me coat. Tara!

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19/08/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I’ve started a new blog on e blogger - http://petersewell.blogspot.com/

The reasoning and plan of action are explained in my first post, but this is just to let you know that all future blogs will be on the new blog!  http://petersewell.blogspot.com/

I’ve put a link in my blogroll. Look forward to seeing you there!!

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17/08/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I’m just beginning a project, only this one is a joint project with the most amazing artist I know. If you asked me a year ago whether I would think someone who made dolls was going to be one of my heroes I would still be laughing today, but I’m talking about Nefer Kane - her link is in my ‘blogroll’. Nefer makes Art Dolls, something I had never heard of, but when I saw her work I was hooked…………………have a look at ‘Madame Butterfly’, I could have easily fallen in love with her! So, the next project involves me doing some bead embroidery, and Nefer making her next doll - ok, not quite an even partnership, but the idea of being a part of her next design is enough to keep me happy for a very very long time!

I also made a bridal piece of jewellery, way out of my comfort zone - this is the man who goes into a cold sweat walking past a wedding, and who won’t walk down the ‘baby’ aisle in the supermarket - however, I had to make one. Just because, as Nefer says.

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03/08/2010 by Peter Sewell.

 Thank you Lesley! It’s nice having a little sister who knows considerably more than me! I wouldn’t let her ’sign’ it, so it should read ‘www.lesleytheletterist.co.uk’ at the bottom - link is in my blogroll thingy on the left. So that’s it. Ta chuck.

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30/07/2010 by Peter Sewell.

So, I have three projects on my desk, two amazingly brilliant designs in my sketchbook, and a couple of dozen unformed ideas in the beady bit of my brain. It’s looking good after what can only be described as a particularly crap few months since I had this knee done - positivity wins over pain once again!

First project is ‘Isobel’ in a pale blue, made with Miyuki delicas instead of the original Toho Treasures. This came about because I was castigated by a client for selling a kit with ‘inferior’ Toho Treasures, causing her to deposit the said kit in the bin. I’ve just made exactly the same design with delicas, and there’s no difference, you can either bead or you can blame the beads - not someone I’d be dealing with again!

Second one is a stunning gold and cream necklace and pendant my cousin asked me to make for her - I have a feeling she’ll like it!

Third one is a secret. It’s for a publication, and it’s a stunner! Nothing like the original design I sketched - much better. I’ll let you know when I can broadcast her!

I’m in the process of arranging workshop dates with Lynn at Stitch n’ Craft in Shaftesbury for next year, some good classes coming up! I’ll keep you posted!

Don’t forget to buy your Oct/Nov issue of ‘Beadwork’ mag in September - instructions for ‘Sonya’ necklace are in it!

Sonya Necklace

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30/06/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I have listed ‘Eva’, ‘Maryshka’, ‘Katya’, and ‘Anastasia’ as OOAKs on Etsy. I won’t be making commisions of these, once they are bought that’s it! You’ve got the only one!

Other designs will be getting removed from Etsy, Zibbet, and Artfire, because I’ve made the decision to concentrate on ‘one of a kind’ designs rather than take commission work.

I did an exercise online the other day by entering the terms ’seedbeading’ and ‘beadweaving’ - hardly anything for the UK! We are a million years behind the US, France, Eastern Europe, and even Australia at this discipline of the Arts, I recently had an e mail from a lady who runs a bead shop and had seen my work saying that if I was ever in the area would I get in touch to arrange some beadweaving workshops - the location?…………..Cape Town South Africa!!

I appreciate that good bead stringing and jewellery making is an art, but we all know that there are thousands of self proclaimed ‘jewellery designers’ out there who are, let’s be honest, rubbish. This in itself is no problem, the problem arises when they are told by all around them that they are really talented and must sell at the next craft fair stall that becomes available. Nobody has the nerve to tell them how bad this stuff is, and echoes of ‘why doesn’t my jewellery sell?’ resound on every forum in the land!

Which brings me back to beadweaving. It’s difficult - sometimes bloody difficult, sometimes impossible, but always challenging. It has to be learned, either through trial and error - see above re rubbish - or at the hands of a good tutor. It isn’t an overnight craft, and has no shortcuts, but the results to the author of the finished work are stunning, think running ten miles - awful at the time, but you feel good at the end!  I’m hoping to begin teaching again next year, the legs have had me out of action for a couple of years, and I would love to believe there are people out there who want to learn a craft to achieve personal satisfaction, rather than have something to sell on at the end of the class. I’ll know whether I’m right this time next year!

I need a picture of me climbing down from a high horse don’t I?

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28/06/2010 by Peter Sewell.

There are far too many people who quote this and don’t understand where it came from, or what it actually means. From the book…………

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.

There. All cleared up now.

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24/06/2010 by Peter Sewell.

Well, where do I start? Father, it’s been a few weeks since my last confession…………………………? Nope - not going there. I have had mixed feelings about ‘culling’ my list of Facebook friends, on the one hand I hope I’ve eliminated the chance of me having another uncalled for attack by a so called ‘friend’, but on the other hand I have a feeling I’ve deleted a few people I shouldn’t have. I discovered I had deleted Betty Stephan - she’s in my blogroll - and if I have deleted her then who else has been kicked off by mistake? As I said previously, if you have been deleted and want back - tell me please!

The knee is still causing problems, main one is that the other one (which was replaced 6 years ago) is coming out in sympathy due to overwork. I think I’ll let them sort it out between themselves, I’ve had enough of it.

Not a lot of beading done lately, Nina managed to get me in ‘dressmaking mode’. I have done a bit of pattern design and cutting, so I know my way around a sewing machine, and the serger is totally my domain! Think we’ve managed to alter 6 or 7 skirts - lined - and a few pairs of trousers/ jeans…………………..and I still can’t be bothered to sew a button on my shorts.

Loving the weather, I have tanned cellulitis now - how cool is that? I also have a ‘chimp leg’ - the hairs have grown back exponentially on my right leg. I’m waiting a couple of months before I donate it to a wig maker, you never know.

Looking back on this I realise I have gone past the stage where you hit the ‘oh god I’m rambling’ button, although I know there’s something I meant to say and haven’t……………………oh well, time to go.

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15/06/2010 by Peter Sewell.

So, I’ve ‘inherited’ darling sister Lesley’s handbag camera. Panasonic FX37 if you’re interested. The thing is, when I used to regard taking photographs as a serious hobby, years ago, I always wanted a Nikon F5 SLR - this compact ‘handbag camera’ does as much as the Nikon used to! I am in great danger of becoming a photographic nerd again, and I only wanted a camera with which I could take close up shots for instruction sheets - here’s a few bits of playtime………………………

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13/06/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I’ve had a serious ’spring clean’ on Facebook - I have cut my friends list down to just over 100 from just over 600, deleted my ‘fan page’, closed the ‘group’, and generally streamlined the whole thing. If I have deleted you and it was a mistake, then please put a request in again, and if you are still there and wish I’d deleted you feel free to kick me off! Happy days…………..

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11/06/2010 by Peter Sewell.

The latest addition to Nina’s wardrobe! The original plan was to make something akin to the ‘Nina’ necklace with lots of russian leaves attached to a heart bail, but it looked so simple and functional after just adding one leaf that I left it where it was. Sometimes a design, or a painting, can be ruined by not knowing when to stop - I think this will do.

I can also officially announce that my ‘Sonya’ necklace will be featured in the Oct/Nov issue of ‘Beadwork’ magazine! Looking forward to seeing what she looks like in print!

Here’s ‘Kim’………………………

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28/05/2010 by Peter Sewell.

This is Tanya - simple, elegant, and interchangeable with my ‘Ophelia’ necklace! I’ve got another couple of things on the go, but this is where I take a rest, I need to sit with my leg up for a lot longer than I do.

I intend to be doing a few workshops & classes next year, so I’ll have to get a portfolio of projects together, don’t know what yet - but I do know I’ll be in the South West for a couple of classes, and then it’s down to finding out who wants me! It’s going to be fun!

Here’s Tanya…………………………

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26/05/2010 by Peter Sewell.

Everyone has something they may be able to do but don’t actually want to do. Ever. Again. For me it’s this, commonly called a ‘cellini spiral’ in beading terms, it takes an hour to bead an inch - if you’re fast. It’s taken me 2 years and a lot of nagging from Nina to even take it out of the drawer it was thrown into 2 years ago, however, it hasn’t turned out too badly. The lampwork beads were made by Tania Grey - http://www.tanofcourse.co.uk - and the solid grey bit is tubular herringbone weave, I will never make another one (this one is Nina’s) so I suppose it’s fairly exclusive! No name - it didn’t need one.

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21/05/2010 by Peter Sewell.

…………….a dilemma. As most of you know, I am a slave to Facebook. It has become my main resource for both networking and promoting my work, and I have met some very nice and inspirational people since I’ve been on it. The dilemma is, when is a Facebook Friend not really a friend? I have accumulated hundreds of ‘friends’, most of which I have little or no interaction with - that’s the networking bit, I have a core of ‘friends’ who I am constantly interacting with - they are the ‘friends’ bit of it, in the middle I have the people who I sort of remember friending, who have had little or no contact since then. Facebook does not cater for levels of ‘friendship’. Now, this brings me to the point of all this, what do you do when aforementioned ‘friends’ feel the need to post their political and personal views in public - which you strongly disagree with? The point in question is a strong US contingent who advocate the use of guns, hunting, and generally keeping the ‘violent society’ profile alive. I spent 12 years carrying a gun of some description, and I was certainly no stranger to the violence culture that existed in the 70s and 80s, but I grew out of it and embraced real life - as opposed to man created life. I do not like guns. I firmly believe the human race could manage without them. I also think I’m in the minority. So what do I do about the ‘friends’ who, by pasting their views all over Facebook, make me feel at best awkward, and at worst offended?

If my friends list goes down it won’t be too surprising.

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15/05/2010 by Peter Sewell.

Darling sister - Lesley the letterist - has discovered a new talent in addition to being able to make pieces of slate look beautiful…………………she made her own website. Big deal, said I. Then I realised how much had gone into it, and how surprisingly good it had turned out. It’s difficult to portray just how impressive this artwork on slate actually is - I have a couple of pieces obviously - and Lesley needed a more bespoke website to get as much information down as possible without detracting from the imagery. So I’ll shut up while you have a look - link in my blogroll, or copy & paste http://lesleytheletterist.co.uk

enjoy.

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12/05/2010 by Peter Sewell.

The latest, and the last piece I’m making with Swarovski navettes for a while! It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s more a case of enough is enough. The next piece, ‘Anya’,  is triangle based - which, incidentally, are harder to bezel than navettes!

Back to ‘Eva’ - the bail was the most difficult thing to work out, I didn’t want to do a ‘normal’ peyote bail, but I couldn’t do one of my russian triangles because of the centre fastening on the bar. It took an embarrassingly long time to figure out that I could just turn a triangle bail upside down! Anyway, here’s Eva……………………

UPDATE - ‘EVA’ IS NOW LISTED ON ETSY, ZIBBET, & ARTFIRE!

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01/05/2010 by Peter Sewell.

Here’s Izzy……………………..the first new kit for a while. Although I’m still making up instructions & photos, she will be aimed at the beader with a bit of experience in bending needles - all beads, crystals, & thread will be supplied in the kit! No price yet, but it won’t be too bad!

UPDATE! KIT NOW LISTED ON ETSY - FOLLOW THE LINK ON MY BLOGROLL!

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29/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

This is the Earth, taken from Mars.

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21/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

You know those moments when enough bells of realisation go off in your head it sounds as if a dozen alarm clocks went off together? I’ve had one. Helped along by some very good advice from aforementioned sister and a few of my beader friends. My previous post seemed to be all about me trying to justify charging what my work is worth, which I should not have to do - I did it because I am an Artist. Good excuse you think, until it becomes apparent that Artists through time, going back to  Ugg painting his first Mammoth on the cave wall have felt they had to do the same thing.

Artists, lucky artists, have agents for just this reason, after battling with a piece which becomes your whole life it’s damn near impossible to put a monetary value on it, so we need a fresh pair of eyes to tell us what it’s worth. I’m not even going to guess any more - I shall ask a panel of jewellery wearing ladies and the price will be the one in the middle!

I came across a post on a beading forum the other day asking about the difference between Miyuki and Toho beads, and the replies gave me a lot to think about. The general consensus was that Toho are the ‘poor relations’ of Miyuki - I would argue that. I use both Toho and Miyuki cylinder beads, and both Toho and Miyuki seed beads, they have such different characteristics that I don’t think they could ever be compared ‘like for like’. Miyuki are more accurately finished, but Toho have that ‘friendly’ feel because they are not as clinical, if I wanted to make a perfectly straight peyote band I would use Miyuki delicas - if I wanted to make an asymmetrical design with lots of rounds and curves in it I would use Toho treasures. As a designer I need to have the right bead for the design at my fingertips, otherwise what is in my head or on my sketchpad will not be the same as the finished piece. Treat Miyuki and Toho not as competitors, but as two different mediums capable of being great in their own ways.

In response to yet another piece of good advice from aforementioned darling sister I have surreptitiously begun to drop the ‘Beadsage’ from most of my selling sites. I think enough people know me now as Peter Sewell for me to be able to drop the stage name! I shall keep it for nostalgic reasons only.

OK, that’s it. Sorry it was so long. Oh, for some strange reason this blog is getting nearly 400 hits a day - thank you.

My grandkids Kyle & Sasha, just because I think they’re cool.

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16/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I have some work for sale on my ‘Etsy’ site, a site which  is best described as ‘E Bay for handcrafted work’ - no ‘bought in’ stuff, and all handmade. Lots of good stuff……………….lots of rubbish too, but that’s always the case. Anyhoo, back to the point. There is a constant bone of contention with jewellery designers about pricing work - there are lots of formulae, and lots of reasons for not listening to them, if I priced my work at an hourly rate it would work out at around £400 for a good seedbeaded necklace. If I priced as a calculation of materials used I would be selling some work for less than £5! Conundrum. So, what we tend to do a lot of is look at what our contemporaries are charging for their work, and try to use this as a benchmark. Another way of finding the right price is to do what I did and undercharge by so much that my contemporaries and friends wondered if I’d finally flipped and decided to give work away. In view of this, and the fact that replacing the materials costs a lot more now than when I started making some of these pieces, I am putting my prices up by 33% on 1st May 2010 - still doesn’t put them in line with gallery prices, but at the moment I’m not approaching any galleries!

To put things in perspective, it took me around 15 hours to make ‘Maryshka’, that doesn’t include the weeks of sketches, experimentation, and rearranging I did before I started her. The centre Swarovski peardrop came from France, the black Swarovski navettes came from Belgium, the irridescent seedbeads came from the US……………….see what I mean about not being able to use a formula now? I have decided I’m not playing around with reducing prices anymore - if it’s worth wearing it’s worth paying for.

The Etsy link is in my blogroll on the left.

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12/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

This outcutes anything I’ve ever seen that has been cute! I had to share it.

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11/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I have a little sister. You may have heard me mention her. Occasionally. I actually thought I’d mentioned her recently, but I am reliably informed that my last mention of said sister was over a year ago. Her attempts to educate the populace of Cornwall in painting pretty shapes on pieces of slate seem to have paid off - they love it! So much so that I have put a link to her website in the ‘blogroll’ bit on the left - have a look, she isn’t half bad. It’s ‘Lesley the Letterist’. Did that sound begrudging? Oh well, never mind. I will continue to be adored for my dedication to beadweaving with no obvious desire for payment, while darling sister sells her wares all over the bottom left hand bit of this England of ours.

She is also a pretty good photographer - this is one of hers which has had no enhancements or photoshopping……………………….

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06/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

This is a sketch which took darling granddaughter Sasha about half an hour to do! Some people got it, and some of us don’t!

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04/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

OK, it may not seem much, but I have just put the battery back in the car and she started first time without even a groan! This is after 6 weeks waiting until I could get my rotten leg in to use the throttle, I even had a little drive up and down to get the rust off the brakes - I love this car sooooooo much!! 1999 Toyota Rav4 for those of you who haven’t heard me raving about her! That’s Nina in the passenger seat!

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01/04/2010 by Peter Sewell.

In addition to my Etsy shop I have now listed a lot of my stuff on Artfire, which is a similar thing, but you get to see the price in £s as well as dollars!

Just listed are Natalya and Emma, a necklace and a bracelet. OK, it’s not that simple……………….a necklace full of Swarovski pearls and a bracelet made with sterling silver beads - I don’t do ‘plain’!

A quick update on the leg, the infection is going down slowly, and the knee still feels as if it was put in upside down. We’ll see how it goes.

Now, where’s a piccy for you………………………?

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30/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I have listed work on Etsy - at prices which my contemporaries believe are far too low. They won’t stay that low forever, if you are thinking of buying a piece of my jewellery then don’t hang about - I’m not happy selling this low, and will take them off soon!

On a lighter note, I became a talk show star on Sunday night! The lovely Mona Hair contacted me on Sunday morning to ask if I would take part in the show on The Jewelry Connection video channel that evening - well, it was lunchtime in Texas! It seemed to go well, I really enjoyed myself, and a few people - you know who you are(!) - found out I actually knew a bit about this bead lark!

The archived recordings of the show are on the Jewelry Connection’s website - bottom left - and the link is in my blogroll. I sounded a lot less macho than I thought I was, but nobody seemed to care!  Have a listen, it was a good show!

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28/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

A Brazilian Agate pendant bezelled with gold plated beads, and a Russian spiral necklace make Alice look a bit regal! One of my claims to fame is that I met Princess Alice - Queen Victoria’s daughter - in 1976. That is, fifty other squaddies and I met her when she ‘inspected’ the troops at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire - we did have the dubious pleasure of attending a ‘tea’ in the NAAFI afterwards, but I don’t think she recognised me from the earlier inspection.

Anyway, here she is…………………….

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25/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

……………….amongst other, less savoury, reasons, there were the ‘international’ posters who actually believed they were speaking English - I give you this morning’s example gleaned from my old stomping ground……………..

How To Catch Bass Super Fast

This is definitely a nice point you have conversed. I am defiantly up for trying to to give it a go personally and determine if I find your exact same conclusion.I may maintain an perspective in this kind of line and ideally I could get some extra tips!

‘Nuff said.

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22/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

A lot of broken and bent needles later, here’s ‘Maryshka’. All the stones are Swarovski crystals, with the necklace made of seed beads and Swarovski bicones. Unlike ‘Artemis’, she’s for sale, and will be going onto my Etsy site soon!

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18/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I have two projects on the go at the moment - a pair of Squivoli earrings to go with ‘Elinore’ for the lovely Jane, who is Si Easton’s wife……………..Woodtattoos…………….the arsonist who burns stuff to make amazing pictures…………….it’s on my ‘blogroll’!

The other one is ‘Maryshka’, a very avant garde necklace which I think is going to be a stunner! This one’s on hold because the main crystal is winging it’s way from France as I write.

How’s the knee? I’m glad you asked. It’s rubbish at the moment, if I take any more pain meds I’ll be beading on the ceiling - it does make for some scary designs though!

I’ll post something a little more substantial when I get more organised, oh, I knew there was something, I revamped my website - have a look, I think it shows a change in direction re selling my work. http://beadsage.co.uk

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10/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

When I was running an online shop I bought buckets full of Swarovski rivolis, baguettes, square crystals, navettes, etc., now, most of this I can use in designs - but the baguettes are awful to try and bead around, and the crystal AB rivolis are ridiculously overstocked. I’ve put both items on Etsy at a (very) knock down price, so if you can use ‘em now’s the time to grab ‘em! They certainly won’t be there forever!

These offers will be delisted on Monday. I’m not leaving them on forever at this price!

The link is under ‘Etsy site’ in my blogroll on the left……………..

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01/03/2010 by Peter Sewell.

As most of you know, I am home with a new knee. The euphoria of getting out of hospital in three days has worn off now, and most of my energy is going into staying positive. Without getting too boring, I have the pain of the operation, the pain of the added pressure on my already knackered shoulders by using crutches, and now the back has come out in sympathy. I am not feeling a very bouncy bunny.

On a lighter note, I’m working hard on the instructions for ‘Sonya’ - I’ll let you know why if I get ‘em done before the end of the month!

The next necklace will be called ‘Circe’ - I can’t remember why at the moment, but she’s down on paper, I have to see if the bits go together now!

That will do for now - it’s surprising how heavy a laptop can be when it’s pressing down on a bad leg. Next blog more positive - I promise!

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21/02/2010 by Peter Sewell.

My little sister sent me this - I take no credit, or blame!

Chicken Surprise

A couple go for a meal at a Chinese restaurant and order the ‘Chicken Surprise’,
The waiter brings the meal, served in a lidded cast iron pot.

Just as the wife is about to serve herself, the lid of the pot rises slightly and she briefly sees two beady little eyes looking around before the lid slams back down.

‘Good grief, did you see that?’ she asks her husband. He hasn’t, so she asks him to look in the pot. He reaches for it and again the lid rises, and he sees two little eyes looking around before it slams down..

Rather perturbed, he calls the waiter over, explains what is happening, and demands an explanation.

(You’re going to love this………………..
You’re going to hate yourself for loving this!…………. )

‘Ah! sorry,’ says the waiter, ‘I brought you Peeking Duck!’

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15/02/2010 by Peter Sewell.

This is Artemis - the goddess associated with the Dryads of the forest. Made as an anniversary present for Nina, after 19 years she deserves a gift!

The cabochon is a 4cm x 3cm Kambaba Jasper, and the shiney bits are Swarovski jet navettes. All hung on a St Petersburg weave necklace using Miyuki delicas and Toho seed beads.

I will not be making anything spectacular for a while, I have a project ongoing which will take most of my time, but I was e mailed a  very interesting design from my sister……………………who’s a better artist than me! That’s going to be the next piece!

Artemis

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13/02/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I’m not going to say anything about last night’s ‘Pop Star to Opera Star’ vote. Except that to get rid of Marcella Detroit - one of the most emotion instilling coloratura sopranos ever to hit a recording studio - in favour of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ Darius Dinesh/Campbell begs one question…………………do we have a new strain of flu that makes anyone voting by telephone tone deaf?

The ironic thing is that now Marcella’s been voted off I can watch the new series of The Mentalist next Friday at the same time as Bernie Nolan is wiping the floor with pretty boy.

See? I said I wasn’t going to mention it.

New design - Artemis - is nearing completion. I got talked into making it a ‘work in progress’ on my Facebook page, so it won’t be too much of a surprise when she’s finished!

New knee a week on Monday. It should be better than the left one was, there’s more to work with for a start!

Here’s some camels in Saudi Arabia…………………….

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26/01/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I now have a ‘fan’ page on facebook……………………how conceited is that? Anyhoo, it  seems to work better that a group, so…………please feel free to fan me and boost my already inflated ego to heights hitherto unheard of! I’ll put the link in my ‘blogroll’ on the left of the page. ‘Blogroll’………………….????………………has it struck anyone else that we are accepting words into the English language that we would have told our children off for saying a few years ago? Just a thought.

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15/01/2010 by Peter Sewell.

………………….before I get back to any serious beadwork. This stupid body has other ideas, and I also have to get as much done as possible in the remaining room of the house still under piles of building materials. New knee confirmed as February 22nd, then I have to a. get the left shoulder chopped and fixed, and b. try and tell my favourite GP that the left hip’s on it’s way out - after his last words to me were ‘how many spare parts do you think the NHS has?’. I might save that one for a bit. As always, if anything exciting gets made I’ll put it here first!

Here’s a photo of me looking like Leonard Cohen…………………..

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01/01/2010 by Peter Sewell.

I want to thank you all for reading this rubbish over the past year, and a huge thank you to the blog writers who have listed me in their favourites - I will get around to reciprocating the favour as soon as I can guys!

Lets see what 2010 brings shall we………………..? I’m quite looking forward to it! Here’s the graph for last years blog visits -

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23/12/2009 by Peter Sewell.

I am still around! I’ve had a lot of stuff to do about the house lately - the joys of having a Victorian house which has no sympathy for the fact that I’m getting my knee done in February, and still needs wiring, plumbing, and plasterboarding. None of which I am capable of doing for any length of time.

With the expert aid of Codeine, wheatbags, and frequent Lavender baths I might get the front room liveable by next Christmas - which is why this one has been cancelled. This could be the long awaited ‘white christmas’ as well - typical!

Happy Christmas…………………………..or if you don’t celebrate it - Bah Humbug!

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29/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

You wouldn’t think something so simple could draw so much blood, or cause as many beads to break, but still………………..

It was such a tight weave, and I was playing ‘how many times can I get a needle through this little glass bead’, that something had to give - anyway, she’s finished, and this one is Nina’s!

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21/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Here she is at last……………………..the first design since my shoulder went silly! I thought I might just go over the top and make something totally unwearable - suppose it depends where you shop really. ‘Ophelia’ is going to be much simpler!

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14/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Well, it was actually supposed to be one, but I started making a beautiful spiral necklace for ‘Ophelia’ which didn’t quite go with all the pointy sparkly stuff I already had planned, therefore the beautiful half made necklace will be the base of ‘Ophelia’ and the sparkly pointy bits will be ‘Katya’. Which means I’ve gone from being completely unable to bead anything to making two designs at the same time………………hence the title of this post.

I have also discovered beading is not like riding a bike - the first two rivolis had to be pulled apart, as did the triangle, because they looked as if I’d never picked up a needle before! So, after using fingers as pin cushions, breaking beads, and shredding Fireline, I’m back to normal - oh, wait, that is normal.  Katya is definitely looking good though, I’ll let you know when she’s finished!

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08/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

I have started a spiral using 15s and 3mm fire polish. If I can manage that I am considering telling myself that I’m all better. I am aiming to be back on Etsy with some new stuff in the New Year, however, if I keep recovering at this rate it may be more like in the new month! As we are 35 minutes away from ‘the long dark teatime of the soul’ - 4pm on a Sunday, it’s a Douglas Adams thing - I shall see if I can force myself to do some work! No more literary masterpieces for a while - Jabberwocky is lined up for the next one - so I’ll find a funny……………………..

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04/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

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02/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

This mag is the best on the market for seedbeaders, and has some serious eye candy in it - as well as a lot of US adverts, but, like Playboy, it’s the bits in between that are good! Anyhoo, if you remember, I sent three designs in on the offchance that I might get noticed, well………………….. ‘Sonya’ will be in the Oct/Nov 2010 issue! I am more than happy about being accepted, even though I said I wasn’t bothered about being published - this may be a change of direction! Bad news……….? I have had to buy another copy of Microsoft Office to put all the instructions onto Word files - I deleted the original shortly after I bought this laptop in a fit of anti Microsoft pique. That’ll teach me.

Here’s this year’s figures for hits on this blog - thanks for looking!

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01/11/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Now how will I get two hours of nothing to do every fortnight? Glad Brawn triumphed - did I say I told you so? However, tip for next season…………………?………………Alonso in the 2010 Ferrari. I have to be wrong sometime, but if I’m right you’ll never hear the last of it!

Now……………..have I got a Ferrari piccy……….? Nope, thought I had.

Aha!!!  found one!

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28/10/2009 by Peter Sewell.

There’s a Peter Cook &  Dudley Moore sketch where Dud’s only got one leg, and Pete says ‘ I’ve got nothing against your left leg……………….trouble is, neither have you’. Which brings me to getting a phone call from my knee surgeon’s secretary yesterday making me an appointment with him on the 18th of November. We sort of agreed last time I saw him that getting a knee replacement would be a bit silly if I couldn’t hold the crutches - shoulder thing - so this will be a sort of date naming appointment now I have a set recovery period, about 3 months. I would have thought with my experience of being poked about within, and the wonders of Google, I would be able to do my own surgery soon - I’ll let you know when I get a date.

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24/10/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Well, I finally finished the penguin I had started for Lesley’s christmas present…………………..last year. It took not being able to bead to get the blackwork stuff out again, and I’m quite glad I did! More stuff on the frame!

Shoulder healing very nicely, had a bath this morning and put a new dressing on, so as long as this keeps up I’m happy. Sketched and laid out the next necklace - sparkliest to date! I’m not starting until I’m up to it though, for once I’m going to do what the physiotherapist tells me instead of doing it my own way………………..which usually hurt more..

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18/10/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Told you. See the entry for 1st May 2009………………………..I wish I had money on it!

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07/10/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Got a date for the shoulder op - 22nd of this month………………..two weeks tomorrow. Nina’s trying to get me to do all the things I said I would do while I can still work both arms, I keep trying to explain that I wouldn’t be going in if it didn’t already hurt, the cats don’t really care as long as I leave instructions as to the rotation of assorted pouch flavours - beef?……twice in one week?…………are you mad?

I shall concentrate on finishing the blackwork penguin I started with the intention of it being my sister’s christmas present………….last year.

Looking at that last paragraph I may have a look at my Oxford book of English grammar when I get a moment.

Oh, and I beaded a ring - nothing fancy, but it’s a start…………..

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