***SPECIAL OFFER FOR CHRISTMAS***

I am running a extra special promotion in time for Christmas...buy your loved ones an extra special handmade piece of jewellery that is as unique as they are, and any order exceeding £40, if you enter coupon code EXTRA20 when checking out, you will get 20% off the total cost of your order.....hurry now before items sell out!!!

Christmas Craft Fairs

Well, having had 3 or 4 weekends of Craft Fairs I have just 4 more fairs to attend before Christmas, and am now in the need to make more items as my jewellery has been such a success!!!

I can't believe how well I have done, everyone has been so nice about my items, saying they are beautiful, unique and good value for money - thanks everyone, I always try to do my best and don't believe in making so much profit that it puts you off buying.

Anyway, haven't got time to sit around as I have to get making before the weekend!

Thanks once again to all the people who have bought my items xxx

2 New Bracelets – Hot Off The Pliers!

I have made 2 new bracelets – one is really a bangle and the other is a cluster bracelet and if loaded with lots of beads etc..

Here is the bangle, which has lots of pink glass beads including lampwork beads, and silver tone spacers and the bangle itself is made from silver plated wire….

And here is the cluster bracelet – just look at the amount of beads on it!!!  There are also some lampwork beads, crystal rondelles and a couple of charms to give it a bit of “bling”!

Why not book a jewellery party in time for Christmas?

What can be better than shopping in the comfort of your own home with friends?  Well I am now offering the jewellery parties in the comfort of your own home, providing you are in my local area.  Just email me for more info, but you will get a discount off your order which will vary depending on the amount of orders placed by your friends and family on the night.  Also if anyone else books a party on the night you will then get a coupon to spend on more items as soon as the party takes place.

Lou's Hand Made Jewellery And Crafts: FREE PRIZE DRAW FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

Lou's Hand Made Jewellery And Crafts: FREE PRIZE DRAW FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: "I am holding a free prize draw for Wear It Pink Day 2010, in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness....Just add your name as a comment to this pictu..."

FREE PRIZE DRAW FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

I am holding a free prize draw for Wear It Pink Day 2010, in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness....Just add your name as a comment to this picture on my facebook page  and I will get my youngest daughter Edie May to pick a winner from the hat on 30th October....


This is the pendant that the winner will win....

Coupon For Lou's Hand Made Jewellery And Crafts

Now that my website is up and running with all items on there, how about an extra special deal to help banish the autumn blues and helping you with the Christmas shopping as well....

When making a purchase on Lou's Hand Made Jewellery And Crafts, enter the coupon code XMAS10 and you will receive 10% off your total order plus free P&P within the UK...

Come and have a look and see what takes your fancy!!!

Website now completely operational...

At last I have finally got all my items onto my new website / shopping cart - it only took me a week and a half to photograph everything and put them on there!!!

I have new bracelets, necklaces, watches plus lots more - why not come along and have a look...
www.lous-hand-made-crafts.co.uk

Here are a few pics of just a few of the new items....

Gift for a very good friend....

This idea was originally going to be a Christmas present for a very good friend, but I changed it as a gift for her as she had recently had an operation and she had done so well since the op.  She loves her G&T's so when I saw that the lovely Trudi Doherty of Glittering Prize had made some beautiful lampwork beads with the glass from a Bombay Sapphire Gin bottle I knew it was the perfect combination for my friends bracelet.  I contacted Trudi and she very kindly made me the focal bead and 4 more beads from the gin bottle. Within a week she had made them and sent them to me - you can't get better service than that!!!

I then purchased a few more lampwork beads made from the same kind of gin bottle but dotted with sterling silver.  I them made up the bracelet using sterling silver findings and clasp, swarovski crystals in a matching colour with AB coating, and added a little PMC textured heart charm and a dangle to finish the bracelet off.  Here is a few pictures of the end piece....I am very pleased with the end result and hope she is too!

New copper sheet jewellery - an experiment!

Well lately I have been having a go with copper sheeting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  After cutting out the pieces, sanding them smooth, hammering them and then stamping them with words I mixed them with lampwork glass beads to make a couple of bracelets.  Here are some pictures of items I have made...

This bracelet has copper ovals with the words "PEACE", "HOPE", "LOVE" and "JOY" stamped into them.

This bracelet has just the one focal rectangle with the word "HOPE" stamped into it.

The Purple Cow Jewellery - RIP

We have decided to put The Purple Cow to rest as we are all going our separate ways, so I have changed my blog name to Lou's Hand Made Crafts which is just myself, selling items which I make myself and I will also be putting any hand made items by my friends and family who wish to sell them on my website.  My new website is www.lous-hand-made-crafts.co.uk but is still under construction at present so there are only a few items on there at present, but please bear with me!

If there is anything which you have in mind which you don't see on my website but you would like, email me and if it is something that I can create for you I will let you know.

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish both Sarah and Kathy, of The Purple Cow, all the best in wherever their new ventures take them.

Lou
xxx

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Autumnal Pendant

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Autumnal Pendant: "Purchased a bead from Trudi Doherty (www.glitteringprize.co.uk) as I fell in love with it when I saw it in Beads & Beyond Magazine in which ..."

Autumnal Pendant

Purchased a bead from Trudi Doherty (www.glitteringprize.co.uk) as I fell in love with it when I saw it in Beads & Beyond Magazine in which she was showing how to make it in a tutorial.  I them made some PMC silver leaves and hung them from chain - hopefully complimenting her gorgeous bead...let me know what you think!!!

I have also found a new love in my life....marmite coated cashew nuts!!! They are gorgeous!!!  I guess they are a love em or hate em product, but I love em!!!

The Purple Cow Jewellery: New PMC Designs

The Purple Cow Jewellery: New PMC Designs: "Well I made a few more pieces yesterday and fired them all this morning. There are a few pendants, a focal piece, a pair of earrings and so..."

New PMC Designs

Well I made a few more pieces yesterday and fired them all this morning.  There are a few pendants, a focal piece, a pair of earrings and some charms which I made to use up the last of the clay.  Unfortunately I had a mishap with the ring that I was making. :(  When sanding it and getting it ready for firing I sanded it a little too much and made it quite thin, but hoped that I could get away with it, but after firing I started polishing it but I was polishing a little heavy handed and it broke :( Oh well, they say you learn from your mistakes!!!

Anyway here is a montage of the new items and also a picture of the broken ring....

The Purple Cow Jewellery: More Designs Coming up!

The Purple Cow Jewellery: More Designs Coming up!: "Been 'playing' with my PMC again...2 more pendants and a ring coming up - can't wait to see what they look like! This will be a pendant - t..."

More Designs Coming up!

Been "playing" with my PMC again...2 more pendants and a ring coming up - can't wait to see what they look like!

This will be a pendant - the browny stuff is actually badger balm which I use to make sure the clay doesn't stick to anything - including the texture mats - hence it is in the same pattern as the texture will be, but this will burn off when the pendant is dry and is fired.

This again, is going to be a pendant, I am just hoping that the little balls stay on in the firing process or I will have to do without them :(

And here is the base of the flat band ring which I will engrave a pattern onto when it is dry, it will also need sanding as the edges are not quite straight at the moment - but practice makes perfect :)

The Purple Cow Jewellery: More pendants made.....

The Purple Cow Jewellery: More pendants made.....: "Made 3 new pendants last night and fired them this morning, and again I really love them - just wish I could keep them all....What do you th..."

More pendants made.....

Made 3 new pendants last night and fired them this morning, and again I really love them - just wish I could keep them all....What do you think?

This pendant has 3 cubic zirconias in and I made the bail which a chain can be threaded through instead of using a ring.

This pendant has three layers and has a lilac oval cubic zirconia in the centre.

This is a smaller heart pendant which has a light lilac heart shaped cubic zirconia in the middle.

The Purple Cow Jewellery: New Beads

The Purple Cow Jewellery: New Beads: "Had some new beads turn up today - can't wait to play with them, but first I have an order which I have to make up - its a good job I like m..."

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Precious Metal Clay - New Hand Made Pendant

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Precious Metal Clay - New Hand Made Pendant: "Yesterday I made another pendant from the PMC, and I am really pleased with the result. This has spurred me on more, now all I have to do se..."

New Beads

Had some new beads turn up today - can't wait to play with them, but first I have an order which I have to make up - its a good job I like making jewellery!!!  What is so appealing about making hand made jewellery?  Well to me it is something which helps me relax, as well as creating something that is beautiful and something that other people like as well as myself.  If I could wear all of the pieces I create I probably would and then wouldn't sell a thing but there are only so many necklaces and bracelets etc which you can wear...

Precious Metal Clay - New Hand Made Pendant

Yesterday I made another pendant from the PMC, and I am really pleased with the result. This has spurred me on more, now all I have to do sell some of the pieces so that I can buy some more clay ... its a vicious circle, albeit a nice vicious!!!

Here is the pendant I made yesterday, it has a cubic zirconia in the centre to give it a bit of bling!  What do you think?

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Precious Metal Clay - Completed!

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Precious Metal Clay - Completed!: "Wow I love PMC!!! Here are the items which I made... Firstly a large pendant, and a focal piece. I also made a pair of hearts which I wil..."

Precious Metal Clay - Completed!

Wow I love PMC!!!

Here are the items which I made...

Firstly a large pendant,

and a focal piece.

I also made a pair of hearts which I will make into a pair of earrings but as they are just plain didn't bother including the photo.

Now I can't wait to get on and make some more!!!

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Precious Metal Clay - Step 1 Completed!

The Purple Cow Jewellery: Precious Metal Clay - Step 1 Completed!: "Ok, so I have had a play with some of my Precious Metal Clay (PMC) this evening and have made a pendant, a focal bead, and 2 pairs of earrin..."

Precious Metal Clay - Step 1 Completed!

Ok, so I have had a play with some of my Precious Metal Clay (PMC) this evening and have made a pendant, a focal bead, and 2 pairs of earrings.  Now just have to let them dry out overnight and will then be able to fire them tomorrow - I can't wait!!!

I hate to say it but it was really enjoyable and can't wait to see what the finished result will look like!!!

Lampwork Glass Bead Making

As you may or may not know there are 3 Purple Cows, Sarah, Kathy and myself (Louise).  We all make jewellery but most of it is different, but of course there are only so many designs you can come up with before some pieces may look similar, hence we are branching out...

As per my previous blog, you will know that I have got myself some precious metal clay (PMC) to make some jewellery, and Kathy has been on 2 lampwork glass bead making courses to enable her to make her own beads which we are all very excited about - as well as Kathy!  She did an introductory course and recently has completed a second course in which she began exploring different decorating techniques.  She has shown me the beads she made and they are brilliant - can't believe she hasn't been doing it for longer - I am sure it would have taken me more than 2 courses to have achieved what she did!!!

So, next step?  Well Kathy has to now clear out her utility room so that she can fit in a kiln, torch, glass rods etc so that she can then start making the beads with which to create more wonderful pieces (hopefully she will sell a few of her masterpieces to us!!!)

Precious Metal Clay

As some of you know, I have recently completed 2 courses on precious metal clay (PMC) and how to turn it into 99.9% silver with which can create some fantastic pieces of jewellery.  Well, I now have all the kit and can start playing with it to make some of these fantastic pieces, can't wait!

You may see a bit of a common pattern to start off with as I have only got a few cutters....but as I get better with it I will get some more- so watch this space!!!

New Blog!

So here goes!!

This is my first ever blog and after having just been to a conference all about how to publish yourself using social media website etc I thought I had better get started.

My name is Louise Snell and I have been making jewellery for many years, but gave it up when I was about 15 as there were "better" things to do with my time, but after my youngest child was born I started my hobby again.  I found out that it was great for relaxation but as I was making so much and couldn't wear it all I started selling a few bits and pieces on ebay - without much success.

I had a few friends who also made jewellery and as I worked on website as my "real" job, I asked them if they would be interested in getting up a website to sell our jewellery, and then The Purple Cow Jewellery was born.

We have now been going for just over a year and as well as selling online on our website www.thepurplecowjewellery.co.uk we also attend local craft events, fayres and fetes to sell our jewellery.  On top of this we have now started organising jewellery parties to take place in your home or a public place, including pubs, village halls etc.  So if you are local to us, please email us or contact us and we will discuss these parties with you and the benefits you could get from hosting a party and then you can decide if you would like to host one and we can set a date for you and will produce the invites etc for you to hand out to your friends.  What could be better than an evening spent with friends in the comfort of your own home and being able to shop to your hearts content?

Well that is the end of my first ever blog, hope you enjoyed it!

Lou
xxx