Welcome
to EJR Beads!
Are you looking for beads, findings
and craft supplies just that little bit different? EJR Beads is home to my
handmade art beads plus a host of other jewellery making and craft supplies. I
pride myself on stocking the EJR Beads online store with the unusual.
You can find my latest lampwork,
polymer and ceramic art
beads plus masses of other things-we-like for sale in
the online store.
Not sure you want to click yet?
Don't you like antique beads, freshwater pearls, copper, sterling silver &
hypo-allergenic beads & findings? Not interested in vintage buttons, craft
supplies and tools - polymer clay and art clay silver supplies?
See, I knew you
were bluffing. Now stop teasing me and just go take a look. You won't regret it.
Here you go, here is the link again, all nice and big. Please add me to your
faves because I am always adding cool new items to the store, so you need to
check back regularly!
Click here for the
EJR Beads online store !
We ship
throughout the UK and beyond, have an easy-to-use shopping cart and very reasonable
shipping rates with a quick despatch.
Oh, and you
can use the store to
join to my mailing list too.
Subscribers get
regular emails about new products, competitions and more. Simply set up an
account in the online store and tick the box for the newsletter to subscribe.
In the meantime,
thanks for visiting ejrbeads.co.uk today. I hope you have enjoyed your visit, if
so please do spread the word! You can scroll down the page now to read more of
my waffle. I waffle almost daily on this page, so you can always see what is new
- in the store and in my head...
Best wishes, Emma Ralph
Studio Update:
Monday 21st July
Furry-Faced
Cheek!
Some of you may
remember me showing you a picture of the very tame fox cub living in Mr Man's
garden?
Well foxy is
growing - both physically and in his bravery. He comes and sits every
morning outside the kitchen door, waiting for his brekky . Of course this means
we will have to feed Foxy forever I guess, but don't worry - he is very good at
hunting too. Too good if you ask me since I found a clump of something that was
obviously once a bird on the patio this weekend!
As you can see,
breakfast wasn't served quite quickly enough for him the other day, so he
decided to walk into the kitchen and have a word with the chef! What bare fared
cheek his has. Or, I suppose that should be a fur faced cheek.
He is very sweet
and still loves sultanas above anything else. He will sit by our feet in the
garden making puppy eyes at us until he has had his fill!
Of course, I am
assuming that it is food Foxy wants. But maybe I got it wrong? Maybe all he
wanted after all was the latest issue of Bead magazine?
If so, fear not
Foxy. All you need to do is to log on to the EJR Beads
online store and
check out the
Books and Magazines section.
The latest issue of
bead is in stock and apart from a whole bucket load of really cool projects,
it also contains a feature on British Lampwork artists, including muggins here!
Also in stock now,
the latest issue of
Jewelry Artist. If you ever wanted to learn how to solder, well it's a great
issue - lots of top tips and projects to get you started.
Studio Update:
Thursday 17th July
Long time, no
speak!
 Yes,
these pages have been a bit bare haven't they!
Sorry about that, I
have just been busy in the studio the last week or so making
lampwork beads,
polymer clay beads and working on a new series of ceramic buttons too.
Most of the beads
listed in the
online store over
the last couple of days have sold now. If you want to get advanced notifications
when new beads go up, make sure you are on my mailing list. Check the FAQ on
this site for details on how to sign up, and remember just setting up an account
at the online store will not subscribe you. You have to opt in to the mailing
list. So if you haven't been receiving email updates, why not log in at EJR
Beads and check your account email notification settings (or just email me and I
will check your account for you)
Meanwhile, as I
type this set of lampwork beads is still available, but hurry! I am sure it
won't be for long. (Oh and those are not whopping great bubbles, just a trick of
the light and my poor photography skills I am happy to report!)
Studio Update:
Friday 4th July
Caution: Purple
Distraction Ahead!
There you are, driving down the road and you see a sign by the roadside.
"Caution - Purple Distraction Ahead".
Is it a killer
grape on the loose? Alice Walker doing a book signing? No. It's a lavender
field. A beautiful, purple, fragrant lavender field.
Apparently the area
around here was quite the world's hotspot for lavender production in the 18th
and early 19th century.
Over the last four
years, Mayfield
Lavender have revived the tradition by setting up their English lavender oil
company, growing all their lavender organically at their Oaks Park field.
Now as you
know, lampworkers such as myself spend our days melting glass with big hot
flames to make beads. Lavender oil is fantastic for the inevitable minor burns
that we all get.
Lavender is also a
well known for relieving stress. Actually, this morning I was feeling quite
panic-attackey. After half an hour of walking around the lavender field taking
photos, I was feeling a lot more relaxed and mellow!
So, if you are
looking for anything to do with Lavender - do visit Mayfield's website. They
have an online store too!
Studio Update:
Friday 27th June
Read all about it!
I took off for a spot of birding today. I probably should not have, since I had
a kiln's worth of
lampwork beads needing cleaning and photographing. But all work and no play
makes Emma way too grumpy so off I went, picnic in hand.
We saw some very
cute baby Lapwings and other stuff too. I think Mr Man got a photo of them, so
will show that off later in the week if he ever remembers to get the photo off
his camera and give it to me.
Of course, all too
soon it was over and we were back on our way home to get some work done. So what
can I tell you about the online store today? Well, some new reads are in. The
latest issue of
Step-by-Step beads and
Stringing magazine have arrived.
I think these are
both awesome publications.
Step-by-Step Beads just seems to get better and better. There is such a
great mix of projects in each issue from stringing to beading. What I also like
is that there is a good mix for different abilities too. Beginners will like how
there is always something in there they can magage and learn new skills too. But
with some magazines, more advanced beaders can sometimes get left out.
Publishers are so often afraid of "scaring people off". Not so with Step-by-Step
Beads as they always seem to have some meaty stuff in there too!
Stringing is a very different animal, but equally good. It is a magazine to
inspire and provoke ideas in you rather than teach you techniques. So each issue
has literally hundreds of different earring, necklace and bracelet designs. You
can use them to inspire new designs in your own collections, plus get a really
good feel for any new directions jewellery-making is going or see hot new
trends.
If you do
jewellery parties and take custom orders, Stringing magazine can be invaluable.
Customers can flick through it when discussing commissions and give you ideas of
what they like, what they don't like etc. So you can both arrive at the desired
design and be able to show different design concepts to your customer rather
than trying to describe them. A really useful selling tool in itself since a
picture really does paint a thousand words!
Find both these
magazines and more in the
Books and Magazines section of the
online store.
Studio Update:
Tuesday 24th June
Amber-cadabra!
 The
Baltic Amber section has been re-stocked and undergone a little facelift. I
wanted to show the current colours of amber chip beads a little better in some
spanking new photographs. Old favourites such as the River Rock are back in
stock and there are also some new colours: Cola and Light Cola.
You asked for the
chips to be a little smaller - so you got it! They are a tad cheaper than
before. Well, as they say on the telly "every little helps!"
Don't forget
Baltic Amber screw clasps are also available. Containing no metal at all,
these clasps are completely hypo-allergenic and make the perfect finishing touch
to your amber jewellery. What is more, they come in a multitude of different
colours!
"Wah, but I want
lampwork. And cheap lampwork at that!"
Ok. You got that
too! Just keep an eye on the
lampwork beads section of the
online store. I
will be adding a few caboodles over the course of this evening and tomorrow.
Please remember though, it is "first come, first served" on all my art beads. If
someone else's order comes through before yours, they will get the beadies and
you will get a refund. Even if they are first by just a minute or even a
fraction of a minute. We is very democratic at EJR Towers. So the moral of this
story is - you snooze, you lose!
Studio Update:
Friday 20th June
Just Chillin'!
It's Friday
evening, my work is done, the dogs are walked - I'm just chillin' and looking
forward to the weekend. Ok, who am I kidding - I will be working again tomorrow
if not this evening. It seems there is always *something* to be done when you
work for yourself. Not that I am grumbling. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Although (like most
self-employed people) I do end up working pretty much every waking hour, there
are many benefits. Because that does allow me to have a little time out at
off-peak times. On Tuesday we went out for a spot of birdwatching. It was bliss.
We trotted off down to our nearest nature reserve and sat in a hide eating
cheese and onion rolls and watching the birds over the lake. I have never seen
so many Kingfishers in my life. It was like a buy-one, get-one-free on
kingfishers. I even saw kingfishers doing it, so we know a whole new generation
is in the making ;-) They really are gorgeous birds. If you get a chance, get
out birding this weekend. It is super-relaxing.
But back at EJR
Towers - what is new here? I am still working on getting this weeks art beads
finished up. Lots of beads are made, just everything seems to need sanding or
polishing, cleaning or photographing.
Meanwhile you might
be interested to know that the new issue of
Jewelry Artist has arrived. There are some fantastic
Art Clay projects in this issue, plus so much more.
Studio Update:
Wednesday 18th June
They is gone!
Sorry folks, the
freebie beads have been snapped up now. Do keep an eye out for future giveaways
though!
Studio Update:
Wednesday 18th June
Wot No Freebies?
My apologies to
everyone waiting for the freebie beads I spoke of in my email newsletter. The
trouble was, I couldn't get a nice photo of them the other day, so today I tried
scanning them instead.
This set of
freebies consists of a nice focal heart bead, in pale pink and clear. Plus a
trio of scroller beads, all accented with palest periwinkle and blue. As you can
see, it's not the best photo in the world - but it will do! These beads are just
such a pale pink colour I couldn't really pick them up with the camera at all.
But trust me they look a lot nicer in real life.
So, do you want
them?
The first person to
email me their full
name and postal address will get them.
But let's say you
miss out on the freebies - or maybe you are one of the people who likes to pay
for your beads instead - what to do? Don't panic. I have another set of lampies
to list in the
online store later
and hopefully the
ceramic beads will be up tomorrow or the day after. Oh and did I tell you I
have been working on some more
polymer clay beads too?... I am so all over the place with my mediums this
week
Studio Update:
Wednesday 11th June
What's New
Pussycat?
If you are waiting for new art beads, I can only apologise and promise you there
will be some new sets up for sale soon in the
online store.
I have a kiln full
of
lampwork beads that I should get cleaned and photographed over the next few
days. Also I have a whole slew of ceramic beads that I am working on. It will be
a few days yet before those are ready I imagine, but just keep checking the
online store won't you!
Meanwhile, do take
a wander around the
Books & Magazines section of the store. New issues are in for many of
your favourite reads. There are still some copies left of
Wire Jewelry and the new
Beads & Beyond issue is out too.
I think this latest
issue of Beads & Beyond is the best yet. Especially if you are a lampworker,
since they have features on both the major glass bashes of the year (GBUK's bash
and the Flame Off conference). Plus a whole host of stringing, wirework, art
clay silver projects and more. Me like.
Studio Update:
Friday 5th June
They're up!
New
lampwork beads,
polymer clay beads and even some
earrings too are now up in the
online store!
Amongst the polymer
clay goodies, I have also revisited one of my favourite designs - my Pod
Pendants.
I haven't made one
of these pendants for absolutely ages. I don't know why I stopped making them
actually, since I really enjoyed doing this one. I teamed it with some great
dyed silks which you would have thought were custom-dyed, the colours match so
well!
Studio Update:
Wednesday 4th June
soon...
I will have some
new lampwork and polymer beads ready soon, I promise. Just gotta photograph them
and list them in the
online store. So
hopefully you should see some new stuff up in the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, look at
this beautiful card that my friend Jennifer Blunden sent me for my recent
birthday. This card is another of her stunning original designs.
I just love
Jennifer's characters. I am sure that she MUST have modelled this one on me. In
my head, that is just what I look like when I check out the mirror (of course,
you only have to scroll down the page a little to see the reality though ;-)
You can see more of
Jennifer's talents in the
customer gallery, where some of her jewellery is showcased, featuring her
beautiful art on
Fimo polymer clay.
Talking of Fimo - I
am afraid I have a little bad news. I have heard from the manufacturers that the
prices across the Fimo range are to rise at the end of this month. I will
endeavour to keep my prices as low as I can, but please be aware that price
changes are coming. The current prices are only good whilst stocks last.
Studio Update:
Thursday 22nd May
And now for
something completely different...
Here is a new set
of
lampwork beads, up in the
online store
today.
The shape is my
all-time favourite - Flamenco tabs, but the colours are very unlike me. Muted
earthy stone-like colours throughout this set. They remind me of agates. I can
just see these beads working beautifully with
sterling silver, can't you?
Studio Update:
Monday 19th May
To bid or not to
bid, that is the question!
I have a
new auction
up on eBay. I have listed on the US eBay site this time around.
The UK eBay site
has really messed around with the search function and the way they show
listings. Why can't they just be happy enough with the millions they were
already making? Why do they have to squeeze any extra bit of money they can out
of that site at the expense of the sellers who made it what it is?
They now sell
advertising space to outside websites. So when you search for something on ebay,
you just get spoon-fed their advertisers' sites rather than easily being able to
see all the store and auction items that might be suitable. It has become
impossible to find anything on eBay UK lately.
So far the US site
seems left un-changed. Since that is where most lampworkers list anyway, I
thought I would go back to listing there. So for this auction, the price is in
US Dollars don't forget, not GBP (which makes it a pretty sweet deal given the
current exchange!) Also, postage and packing is free on this auction.
Studio Update:
Wednesday 7th May
Argh NOT Cute!
Don't you hate it
when you are walking in the woods, busy being in a foul mood and someone takes a
photo? Mr Man took this awful photo of me yesterday. I was wracking my
brains trying to remember what it reminded me of. Yup - I'm Bigfoot!
Separated at
birth?
If you are
wondering what I was pouting about, I was moody about having to go to the
dentist today! Never mind, all over with now. And yes, I was brave.
Studio Update:
Monday 5th May
Aw Cute!
 Ok
then - how about a cute fest?
What about this
little guy then? Isn't he adorable?
He is one of the 6
fox cubs currently using Mr Man's garden as feeding station and training ground
(especially for those important night-time missions!)
This photo was
taking in daylight however. With three of us sitting on the patio only a couple
of metres from him, talking to him all the time. He sure does like those
sultanas put out for the birds. He just laid on down and gobbled them all up,
looking up obligingly for the camera each time I called to him.
I just don't think
anyone has told him yet that he is meant to be a bit more wary! His mother is -
she kept a much greater distance when I was in the garden. But this little guy?
No, those sultanas are obviously worth being a bit braver for!
The EJR Beads Archive - don't miss my waffle - see
what has been and gone!
All text and images © Emma Ralph 2006
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