My crazy business ideas in my 100th blog post.

Of my crazy business ideas over the recent years here is a selection:

"Hungry City"
A late-night humous, Rizla and snacks delivery service for impromptu 3am parties when even the kebab place is shut (for Greater London, inner London has 24 hour shops)

"Pop Craft"
A big van full of beads and craft materials that unpacks into a big tent full of beads and craft materials to tour festivals and offer a pop-up Make Space for parties etc. Pay as you go crafts or one-off charge for parties.

"Felt Money"
A help-to-do-fundraising non-profit website that sells rock-bottom priced packs of complete ready to use ideas for things to make and sell at craft fairs, school fetes etc- complete with instructions. Would also sell tablecloths and have a blog of display suggestions that are easy to make from recycled items, pictures of school fetes etc

"Bead Box"
A monthly subscription where each month for £6.99 including postage one is sent a jewellery project to make, complete with beads, parts and instructions, and some samples from various companies who would like your trade. Also available would be a starter pack, gift pack, optional Vintage Bead upgrade and Xuron pliers. (I hate those cheap pliers)

"Made By Real People"
A print on demand T-shirt/laser cut jewellery service using existing local businesses that do print-on-demand, that helps disadvantaged talented artists make a living from home by doing the exhausting part (promoting, picking, packing, selling, describing, posting and customer service).

"Austerity Handbag"
An online (or print?) magazine for those affected by cuts. A bit like MoneySavingExpert but less dry and less focused on financial products. Focused on the fun parts of life: not a scrimping make do and mend magazine but full of useful things like reader's stories of overcoming adversity and cleverly making the best of a nightmare situation, where to find your local food bank, opportunities to help people, I Found My Husband on Freecycle type stories, how to make luxury bath salts for 55p and generally uplifting stuff.

These last two ideas came from a Facebook group I've joined called "5 Years of Kindness"
The next 5 years are going to be pretty tough, but especially tough on those who can't work through illness and disability.

Anyway.... one day maybe, one of these crazy ideas will be the one to help me to help the most people in these cruel times and do the most I can in society. With beads/feathers/glue gun in hand. Colouring in the world, one bead at a time.

A post about tea

Proper tea. Loose leaf. I'm inspired to begin blogging again by Art and Tea who writes so eloquently about tea, beads and other things.

I'm trying out BRUU, a company that send loose tea monthly. So far it has been very good: I was blown away by their First Flush Darjeeling and excited to find big lumps of edible pineapple and coconut in their Tropical Green tea at the end. Yummy! Nice to know that the tea is made with real fruit and not just flavoured.

I don't have any fancy equipment: I just sprinkle a little into a cup and pour on hot water. The leaves sink and when I've drunk the tea I can usually make a second cup by re-using the leaves. Once the leaves are unrolled and have gone cold, they are easy to scoop into the bin (sorry- no compost where we are) with a teaspoon. Job done, teabags be gone. Refreshing and (I'm told) good for the "health" whatever that is taken to mean.

I've had a huge period of personal growth over the last few years (mainly through therapy and being married) and recently I've been working with Clara Francis the brilliant jewellery designer and with I-Beads the Europe-wide bead website. I've had my designs for Creative Beadcraft  published in magazines, I've gained weight, lost weight, tried to become a Peer Support Worker in mental health (still trying) and I've touched a BAFTA. That was Jason Watkin's BAFTA for his role as Christopher in the Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, he was brilliant, watch it.

Happy tea drinking and bead hoarding everyone.

Mini Diamond in London - now in Park Royal

Hello everyone
Today I am finding vintage clasps in Mini Diamond
What a lovely shop - they've now moved to Park Royal
http://www.minidiamond.com




Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Beading in a new way

Welcome back to me! Blog posts are like buses, you wait ages for one, then.... never mind. I love using tiny beads. Recently I've been exploring the technique of beading around a stone in order to set it. I specially like the potential of beading around unfoiled Swarovski crystals becasue of the way that the crystal reflects the light and the way that the beaded edge can be seen inside the stone like a kaleidoscope.




Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rocks n shells

Foot better, now fully self employed making delightful things and I have finally turned to the wonderful box of rocks and shells sent to me by my good friend Clym. Wow. I can't wait to work with them. I think some of the shells will become part of a mirror, along with some glitter, and the rocks have holes! Natural beach beads how exciting. They will go really well with my enormo collection of pebbley semi precious beads. Ooh *claps


hands*


From my mobile ;)

Post-op Bunion operation picture (look away if squeamish!)

I thought I'd put this up because I completely failed to find any pictures on the internet of the exact operation I had. So- here is before, and of 3 days after and a picture of my cyber-boot. Its a lapidus bunion surgery operation, or base procedure, more "serious" than the scarf osteotomy (when you can walk a week later) and involving screws and a plate and 6 weeks on crutches. I thought it would be clever to take a picture of my foot with the dressings off in hospital, and promptly almost faintedl. Feeling faint on crutches is NOT wise. I felt most embarrassed! Anyway, here are the gruesome pics in case you are about to have surgery and wondering what it will be like. The answer is- you won't feel very much because modern nerve blocker injections and pain pills are excellent. But not being able to go anywhere without crutches and stonking great cyber-boot is frustrating in the extreme. So there you are. Today I am mainly missing the codeine, it was ever so floaty and nice!!

Happy Feet

I've just had a bunion on my right foot straightened- indeed, removed. General anaesthetic was fun and I'm now zonked on codeine and writing this in a bit of a haze. It hurts but not much. See pic. I'm very excited to to see the foot itself when the bandages come off briefly tomorrow. Meanwhile its a somewhat epic journey up and down the stairs to the bathroom. Everything seems to be an effort......can't wait to wear normal shoes though....zzzzzzz

It must be May

It's pouring with rain today but yesterday it was perfect Mayday Garland weather


From my mobile ;)