27/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

At last! The squivolis have arrived…………………..along with the Swaro pearls for the Glasgow workshop……………..and more Navettes…………………and some other stuff!

I am going to be very busy now making Zoe in a couple of different colours for The Bead Shop Scotland, the Catherine in ‘Rosaline pink’ pearls for The Bead Company in Glasgow, and a design still going round my head using a very cool crystal indeed - but I don’t know what to do with it yet, watch this space!

Still no Facebook, I’m too old for Myspace and too straight for Bebo…………………so it looks like I’ll have to see what they do to fix it.

I shall now see if I’ve got a desk under all the beads.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

26/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

What a wonderful place Benton & Johnson was, not so much ‘archaic’ as ‘quaintly English’! We were entertained by a lovely fella called Neil Halford, who is obviously something to do with sales or management, but I’ve never thought  to ask!

The shop floor is full of weaving, spinning, and other things I totally missed, machines………………….made of wood and metal - although there was a computerised loom which, although cool, didn’t quite have the character of the rest of the family! I won’t pretend I understood anything Neil and Nina were talking about, I spent most of the time wondering if I could do 2 needle RAW with gold thread, but the whole experience of being in a place which was staffed by craftsmen and women, who took a fierce pride in how the work was finished - and how they are seen as a company - was refreshing in this age of quick turnover and lowest price!

I didn’t take photos, I wish I had now, but if you are into Goldwork, then, as Neil told me as we were leaving, you are more than welcome to arrange a visit and get the guided tour.

There is a ‘goodie cupboard’ where you get to buy stuff after seeing it first hand, such a difference from seeing it on the internet, and you come away from the place feeling as if you have learned a lot today.

Thanks for your time Neil, and we look forward to the next visit, hopefully when the roadworks have finished on the M1!

You can see their website at http://www.bentonandjohnson.com/

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

26/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

I’m going to look at Benton & Johnson this morning, they supply just about everyone in the world who does Goldwork, and it’s Nina’s thing! If I’m lucky, I might be able to afford the petrol home after she’s seen what they have……………if I’m not, I shall post my next blog from Leicester Forest East motorway services. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how they make these fine gold threads, so it’s not all one way.

I will, however, miss the postman, who arrives around noon. Which means I won’t get any beads until tomorrow. Which means all I can do is look at my sketch of ‘Zoe’…………………yes - she is designed, as they say.  I’m pleased with it, I hope Jo at The Bead Shop is when I send her the photo!

Oh, and Facebook is not playing at all, so any friends I may have had have all disappeared………………………….story of my life actually. I’m going to the goldie place now, I’ll let you know what it was like.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

24/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

OK, so Googlemail went down this morning. I can cope with that, even though I thought - along with everyone else - that it was me. In addition to that I couldn’t make this computer do a thing I wanted it to, so I assumed they were caused by the same problem - so I did two ’system restores’, did that help? No. AVG wouldn’t anti virus like it’s supposed to, de frag wouldn’t de frag like it’s supposed to, and all my passwords and cookies disappeared into the ethernet. I deleted just about everything, reloaded most of it, and it works. All except for Facebook. Facebook informed me that I had ‘reactivated my account’, but it still treats me like a stranger - I have no friends, it says, but if I try to add friends it tells me they are already there, presumably with the passwords and cookies at the restaurant at the end of the ethernet.

I did get a lot of beading done though…………………………right up to the bit where I ran out of beads and they won’t be here until the postman finally accepts the fact that we have a letterbox, and he doesn’t have to use next door’s at all really.

I also had a funny set of e mails on Sunday…………………..by a rather strange but obviously English inquirer who purported to be a French customer with a penchant for using Northern English terminology - ‘ecky thump!

It’s been a strange few days.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

22/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Have you noticed that now we shop through the internet we all want our stuff within days? Order it 10-15 years ago and it was ‘please allow 28 days for delivery’……………….and that’s how long it took! I put a wholesale order in about 8 days ago, and I am tearing my hair out wondering what’s happened to it. Everything has stopped. No sparklies. It hasn’t even been dispatched. I have a head full of design and no designy stuff with which to design it! I do, however, have lots of drawings and diagrams, and lots of small bugle beads that I keep ordering just to keep in practice. You will know when the aforementioned sparklies arrive - I will have made something. I just hope nobody else makes one first.

Here’s a plug for the most theatrical band in the world………………………..

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

20/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Back to the seedbeads for this one - Russian Spiral to be precise. I’ve got some 1.5 bugles in Diamond Black to go with size 15 black seeds, Metallic purple bugles and seeds, and some very small size 0.5 bugles in bronze, olive, and black iris to go with anyone wearing new glasses!

Anyone is welcome at the workshops, no matter what level of experience! Everything is supplied, just let me know if you want to come before the day and I’ll print enough instruction sheets off!

I can’t find a beady picture so…………………………

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

18/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

This is 2.5″ x 2″ and took 134 delicas for the first row! I am quite pleased with it, even though it took four strong men and a tyre lever to get it into the bezel!  This is supposed to be relaxing………………..Ha!

Back View

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

14/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

So far………………..Ossett on 28th February - Russian Spiral necklace, if and when I find some beads to do it with.

The Bead Company Glasgow on the 18th April - which will be the ‘Catherine’ in Swarovski rosaline pearls, The Bead Shop Haddington on the 19th April - design still in my head, but very sparkly………and The Bead Shop Edinburgh on the 20th April - design as before!

Here’s a Squivoli……………………….

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

11/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

Piccies of the Haddington ‘Sasha’ workshop………………………and thanks to Jo and Louise and their staff for making me feel as if I belonged there, and of course the ‘ladies who bead’ for being gentle with me - you did good ladies! I’m looking forward to going back in April for  ‘Beadsage 2 - the return of the Squivoli’ !

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

05/02/2009 by Peter Sewell.

I’m packed with enough stuff to a. Live for three weeks, and b. Open a fair sized bead shop. I have my shovel in the back of the car………………..to assist less fortunate motorists along the road, I have my tartan blanket………………….to wave once I get past the speed cameras of Northumberland, and I have a carrier bag full of cans of Coke……………………….to throw at the attacking Picts.

If I live, I shall tell all and sundry that my darling wife is from further up Scotland than most have travelled, and the last time I was in Edinburgh was with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in 1976 - Amazing Grace and all that. I wasn’t one of them - I just drove the transporter for their little tank.

I shall be without my pink laptop for the duration……………………….now that’s devotion to duty. I will rekindle my love affair with the Rav though. I shall go and pack some more stuff.

Here’s some sparklies……………….

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »