I'm back :-)

Hellooooooo my lovelies :-)

Have you missed me, go on admit it you have! Who else have you had to twitter on at you in your ear and no your mum doesn't count!!

Ok so I am going to fess up I know I haven't been here for aaages and on my FB page too!
Don't all form a line at once to slap my wrists please, you are supposed to be my friends :O

Anyway where have I been you may be wondering??
Well I have still been here making things but on a much smaller scale. I have also been changing a few things behind the scenes mainly my day job.
I was a childminder but it wasn't quite meeting our needs at home any more so I was off on the search for a new job. I did manage to find work for 6 weeks with an agency and boy was that an experience!! I am a qualified in childcare I have spent the last 16 years in the childcare field so I told the agency this and they then must have decided to place me in every setting away from that.

My first job that I was doing was waking night shift looking after an elderly gentleman. The gentleman was lovely but me and waking nights were NOT friends at all. My body was deeply unhappy with being awake when it knew damn fine well it should be sleeping!!
So that was something to never be done again, I then got placed in some other various odd places always miles away from where I live too but still not relevant to my experience and qualifications so back to the job search for me it was.
I applied for a children's residential support worker job and whoop whoop I got it. So after all the references and DBS checks (new name for CRB checks that the police do to make sure you are a suitable person to work with children) were done I was set to go.
I started last week and have my rota for a while which is good so I can figure out when I can be creative and make super cool things for you all to buy :-)

Yippieeeeee ! ! ! ! !

I haven't been totally idle in all this time I have still been making bits and bobs and also coming up with new ideas too :-)


First up is a new style of handbag. It is still the same kinda shape that I like to use but I have made my own flower and finished it off with a stunning antique button in the middle :-)
Each petal is cut out individually and sewn on on by one to make the beautiful flower that you see here.
I will be making some more of these soon but I need to order some more black cotton, it seems to almost all have vanished somehow!!

This is a brooch that I made for one of my very good beading friends.
I made a similar one as a hair clip with a crocodile clip on it so it could be easily shoved in my hair and nobody would know that I hadn't been to the salon to have my hair done!
Anyway she asked for a brooch back on which I could easily do for her and she promptly put it on one of her favourite cardigans when she did the school run and it is happily living there making her smile when she wears it :-)

At the moment I only have black, purple and dark red in to make these with so these will be made to order, I will be expanding the colours that I have in stock as soon as I can but you know money and stuff.
They are quite big and cover most of the palm of your hand when you put them in but ohhhh they are soo pretty :-)


I have been a little bit busy with some things for myself.
Well you know if you know how to do something being a test subject for things is part and parcel of the whole package. Well that's what I will keep telling myself when I have made yet another beautiful piece of jewellery.



 

This first picture is a simple short necklace featuring a very cute little bird from Blueberribeads and the uber cute little heart is from Wild Strawberry Seeds.
The little star is just so delicious I shall be back for more as soon as my bank balance is a bit happier with me.

This super sweet bracelet was made using a variety of suppliers.The bulk of the beads were from a supplier I have talked about before Smitten Beads. The amazing clasp is from a shop I have been exploring a bit lately and you know road testing some of the beads as I would hate for any of them to explode on you or anything.... 

The Curious Bead Shop and it was handcrafted by the lady that owns it too, how talented is she :-)

Next is the best bit, the sleeping bunny! Eeeek I am totally in love with her, she is soooo damn cute!!!
I have wanted some of Tree Wings Studio's work for soooo long so I treated myself to this bunny and one of her sleeping foxes. I am going to get a sleeping squirrel next that's for sure :-)

 





Lastly before I bore you to death is a necklace and bracelet I made at the weekend using some heart shaped beads.
I must tell you I am not a red kinda gal at all, like ever! I am a purple and black gal, but these beauts have won me over, I am totally and utterly head over heels in love with them and I can't wait till I can get some more of them :-)

So enough about my ramblings, I will be back soon I promise and it won't be as long next time.

Take care and speak soon

Catherynne

Catherynne's Treats

I am still here I promise!!

Hey lovelies :-)

I am sorry I haven't been keeping up on my regular blog posts again have I!

My day job has been burning me out really bad lately and I have been feeling really run down so any energy I have had has been sucked up by my girls, hubby and pooch which hasn't left me with much get up and go to keep up with my Treats business.

I am just one woman that likes to be creative in my spare time. I do like to make all sorts not just jewellery hence the name Catherynne's Treats as all the things I make are pretty treats for you :-)
The time I get to make my treats is on an evening when my daughters are in bed in the land of the nod and if I have just done an 11 hour day being creative tends to be the last thing on my mind.

I am not one of these people that can sit and watch endless soaps and reality tv shows on the telly and neither is hubby treats so we are both usually doing something interesting. He loves computer games, he will play on all kinds of consoles and has his own website with computer game 'stuff' on it.
Go and check him out if you are interested in anything computer gameish Karlosmorale.

So on an evening in our house we have some music of some sort playing while I am normally making things and hubby is doing computer game stuff. Although lately I have just been a crumpled tired lady almost asleep on the sofa before 9PM!
I have however managed to get through almost half of a book a borrowed from my dad about a year ago, whoops sorry dad you will get it back soon!

So I don't have any new pics for you or even a great excuse for being so absent other than just mega run down. I am hoping to try and get back on my feet properly soon it just seems to be taking quite a while to get back into a good routine of work and me time but also time to be creative and make beautiful things for you all :-)

I do however have a fabulous treat for you though. If you like beautiful things and I know you all do I have got an online Christmas Catalogue for you to look through :-)
I am very lucky to to say I am in a fabulous group on Facebook called Bead Smitten. I have told you about them before. It is a fabulous group of the most amazingly talented customers from an utterly beautiful website called Smitten Beads. 
We all have different talents and make a variety of different pieces of jewellery and components for making jewellery and every one of them are utterly dribbleworth and are just the most fabulous things you will ever see.
So go and check out the catalogue here!!
Be prepared to be totally amazed by every single page :-)


Right I am off to put the kettle on, I have had another long day at work and I took our daft dog on a lovely three mile walk today before work so am a bit pooped!

Here is said pooch today on our walk, it is lovely and there is hardly anyone else up there too so I can bop along to my iPod without feeling too silly if someone will see me :-)

Take care and speak soon, I really will try to keep on top of my blog this time I promise!

Catherynne xxx

Catherynne's Treats

Honeymoons, birthday's and stuff

Hey lovelies,

I know, I know I have really neglected my blog lately. I mean to write one every week but the days are just zipping past at the moment and before I know it another day has been and gone and I haven't managed to get the things done I wanted to.

I have been very busy with my day job lately which has not left me with much energy left to be creative on an evening when I have the time to make things. Also two weeks ago we all went away for a few nights to Torquay for our honeymoon and we had an amazing time and last week it was my birthday!! So as you can see we have had a lot on lately and the time to be all crafty and creative has been pretty much ziltch. Oh and me and hubby treats have started watching Supernatural season 7. So shhh no spoilers or I will get really cross/sad/upset and cry!!

This is a view we found that wasn't too far away from where we were staying, pretty huh!!

So anyway we get to where we are now, fingers crossed we should be settling back into some kind of routine of day jobness and then evening crafting which is the next part of this that I have tried to keep down for as long as I can.

Pricing, I make sure the things that I do make are as beautiful as possible using beads and components that I source from literally everywhere. I try to only buy a few of the same beads so the things that I do make are all unique one off pieces. So the piece of jewellery that you are wearing that I have made is the only one out there in the world which should make you pretty darn happy!
I love what I do. I have financed the whole thing myself. The money that I make when I sell anything goes straight back into buying other new beads, toggle clasps and what ever I am running low on. I love what I do, I have a corner in my bedroom where I keep all my beading things. Tiny treats loves to come along and have a fiddle and normally quickly put what she has just picked up down and pretend that she wasn't playing with my beads!
Anyway what I am trying to say is that everything I make has been made with a lot of care, attention, time and well myself. I really take time to make sure what I have made is the best quality. But this is coming at a price and at the moment the prices that I am selling my pieces at are not covering my costs and I am loosing money as I always send things with free postage. I was at the post office today and to send one small envelope was £2.80 because I had used a very pretty little box to protect what is inside.
So you can imagine if I sell a bracelet at £10 and I have to take out £2.80 for postage that doesn't leave me with much left for the buying of the pieces that make up the jewellery and then the time that it takes to make them.
So unfortunately I am going to have to raise my prices a bit, but I am sure you understand.


Right that is enough talking, I do hear you saying where is the jewellery woman???
 
Here is a necklace that has a fabulous polymer clay bird threaded through the flower making a fabulous statement necklace. This is £15 plus £3 postage.

 This is a fabulous triple ribbon wrapped bangle set. It has on a stunning red polymer clay bird on one bangle, one of the other bangles is left plain and the last one has two beads wrapped onto it.
These can be worn all together as a set or each buy themselves the choice is yours. Either way this is a stunning set just waiting for the right person to come along and love them.
These are £15 and postage is £3.

Lastly we have got another new bracelet this time a super dooper special one. This has a fabulous over sized toggle clasp that is just fabulous, it has some very pretty cream glass faux pearls and also again (they get everywhere these birds) a red polymer clay bird with two very special made by me ivory lampwork beads.
These beads are the first ones I have actually made into some jewellery so this is a piece of Catherynne's Treats history!
This bracelet again is £15 with £3 postage.

So there you go, what I have been up to pretty much for the last month.
I know some of it is pretty serious but I hope you will understand. If you do like the jewellery in this blog they are all ready and waiting for someone to snap them up and love them as much as I did making them. Just give me a nudge and they will be yours.


Right I will push off now and let you get back to doing what you were doing before I interrupted you, and I am off to make a cuppa I am dying for a cup of tea!!

Take care and speak soon

Catherynne
Catherynne's Treats

Giveaway time whoop whoop!

Hello lovelies :-)

I said it wouldn't be long till my next blog, I have kept my word :-)

Just the other day I reached a fabulous milestone of 900 amazing people that have hit that like button on my Facebook page Catherynne's Treats and I said when we got there I would be doing a giveaway :-)


So without further adoooo here is a picture of some goodies that I am going to make into something fabulous for the giveaway :-)



I have got in there some amazing gold, brown and soft buttery coloured lampwork beads. There are some fabulous jasper coloured beads some cream wooden beads and one of Bead Me Up Buttercup's uber cute polymer clay bird hiding in there too :-)

Now this is a giveaway but I am going to make you work for it though!
Mwahhh haaa haaa haaaaa!!

I have yet to make the giveaway piece, or pieces I haven't decided yet, I will have to see what comes to mind when I sit down with them all!

So anyway it will be something beautiful I promise.
I do hear you say 'what do I have to do to win this yet to be made jewellery'?????

Well my lovelies, I would like you to give me a reason why you would like to win some of my jewellery :-)
It can be a wild wacky response, it could be a super long sob story, it could be just coz I wanna win!
It could be a zany story about how your life would be enhanced by having some of my jewellery in your life but and yes I hear you groan. I want the reason to be inventive, like super inventive and the one that is the most fun to read is the winner :-)

So there you go to win the jewellery you have to give me the best and most amazing reason of why you want to win :-)
Oh and follow my blog too! That bit is dead easy all you have to do is hit the 'follow' button on the side of the blog :-)

So get to it, get your thinking hats on and comment at the bottom of the blog down at the bottom of the page :-)
Simple, now go, go, go..................................................


Take care and speak soon
Catherynne

Catherynne's Treats

Some utterly amazing handcrafted things that I own yay!!!!

Hello lovelies :-)

I need to say a huge massive sorry, I have totally neglected you lately time has just been running away with itself. It is the summer holidays and eldest treats is here and we have been spending loads of time together doing cool stuff so that is a big reason why you are all so neglected!

We are now however nearing the end of the holidays which is utter pants as I love having eldest treats here as she rocks, but it means I can get back to some sort of routine with work, treats and just normal life as it is so topsy turvy at the mo!

Anyway yes it is the holidays so I haven't had as much time to make things as I have wanted to this blog shall all be about sharing all the amazing things that I have bought from businesses on good ol Facebook, Folksy and Etsy :-)

I like quite funky crazy things. Our house isn't a crazy museum of all things weird and wonderful (it is mainly filled with toys for my daughters and work) but I do have some uber cool areas where I keep my stuff :-)

So to no further adooooo here are some of my all time favs in no particular order as I love them all :-)

First up is my Miss Purple Grumpilicious Scrumplebottom from the uberly talented lady over at Odd Sox.

She is THE most grumpiest thing ever, ever, ever and never smiles and is only ever happy when other people are miserable! She does however utterly love burnt fish fingers for her tea!

Next up is a business called Always Alternative, I love seeing what they will come up with next and I was super lucky to win this amazing little dragon. He is soooo tiny and fits in the palm of your hand :-)



Next is a keyring I have on my handbag with my daughters names on and their birthstone (good job they are both December babies) This comes from a very talented lady whose link is Ems Jewellery.




Up next is a super happy page called Happy Bunny, I am very lucky to have met the lovely lady behind the bunnies and she actually lives not too far away from me too and has the most cutest three children :-)
I have this bunny and it is so well made is is fully CE tested so is safe for even the tiniest cute fingers :-)

Next is a super cute penguin from a page called Little Penguin. They are currently closed but do keep checking back with them as I am sure they will be open again soon :-)
This penguin literally fits in the palm of your hand eeek!!!
 

More cuteness this time with Hambals and Friends, these little chicks are actually smaller than a 1p coin!!!!!!!!!
 Hee heee cute!!!

Next up is a business that I am totally and utterly in love with :-)
It is a lady that is so clever and can actually do magic, like real magic non of this pretend stuff I tells ya!
She makes the most amazing things from rods of glass. I have a few of her little creations and I will be expanding my collection over time I promise. It is a business called Izzybeads. Feast your eyes on this lot (polymer clay creations by me, not Izzybeads).


The most cutest tiny glass lampwork animal creations, a bee, a ladybird, two pigs and a mouse, of which I just had to make some things for them as they were begging me for their own little things to be made :-)

Right next is a lady that makes me laugh ALL the time, she is always up to something crazy but makes the most amazing things including this bot girl that is all mine, mine all mine I tells ya!!!
The zombie rabbit I made because we had a lack of zombie rabbits in our house (well you never know when you are going to need protecting).

 

This next picture is actually what looks over me when I sleep, it is quite a rabble and is a mix of some of the things from above but it is also the only picture I have of the zombie rabbit from fionaT (note to self, must take more pictures). It also has Miss Purple and her side kick zombie babbit guarding her burnt fish finger made by the fabulous Crafted Whimzies, Bot Girl and my zombie rabbit complete with dangling eye (obviously).

 

Ooooo this is a needlefelted lollypop that came this week from a super clever lady Cherry Obsidia!
Yes tiny treats did lick it when she saw it the daft sausage she is!
WOW is all I have to say for this one!!!!!




Ok I just has a quick interlude to play Party, Party, Party with my girls but I am back now, you hardly even missed me didn't you tee hee hee :-)

Now these are totally mine and they are made by the queen of hair accessories Alternate Normality :-)
They are hair clips and I totally NEEEEED some more as they are sooooo cute when in my hair :-)

Eeeek another zombie bunnie (another one I hear you cry) yes another one although this one is different to the others I promise!
It is an amazingly hand drawn with the finest pens ever invented from Little Black Heart, you also get a sneaky other business in here as in the corner of the picture I have hung two teenie tiny bird beads from Beadie Eyed Bunny as they are a pair of cheeky birds that just felt like hanging around as you do :-)

I really need to put a larger piece of card behind the picture but to be honest I was like a little kid when it came and was too excited to find one when it came and put it straight into the frame and have not tinkered with it since it came!

This is another teenie tiny (can you see a slight pattern forming here??) mouse this time from Quernus Crafts. I bought this not long after I had started sewing as it seemed very apt at the time, plus the little mouse has purple thread and button and purple is my favourite colour :-)
How cute is she???

Now that is a lot of pictures, links and uber cool things for you to look at!
I do hope you will check some of these out and help them as they are all run by individuals doing what they love and are good at so go forth make new friends and buy all their things and make them happy but also fill your house with super cool items that are lovingly handcrafted, handmade and most of all totally individual and special :-)

I really hope you have enjoyed this blog, I love all my things and I hope I have introduced you to some fabulous new businesses :-)
Let me know what you think and also if you have bought anything from and super talented businesses you can recommend to me, I am always on the lookout for new things to brighten up our home :-)

Take care and I promise it won't be as long before I am back next time :-)

Catherynne
Catherynne's Treats

Catherynn'e Treats is evolving and expanding

Hello lovelies :-)

Gosh it has been soooooo long since last time I blogged I am so sorry.

Finally though after about 8 months of planning and working my little bot off making things, arranging things and hardly sleeping properly as I had a million things all bumbling around my noggin at daft o clock two weeks ago I married Mr Treats so I am now Mrs Treats :-)

The day was amazing, the sun was out and everything went perfectly.
Everyone loved the day and can now say that I am a very happily married woman :-)
Here we are before we almost melted in the sun!!!


So after all that had passed and I had sort of returned our house back to normal and had put away all the wedding bits and bobs we brought back I found the last little bit of money I had been saving up for my lampwork kit.

A while ago in April actually I took myself off to SilverStone Circuit, not to see the Formula 1 unfortunately although I did see some very swishy cars that made my little heart race.
I went to an event called Flame Off see this blog for more details Lampwork beads and silver stone circuit.
Anyway (yeah I know I am good at talking and getting sidetracked, aren't most people???????) I have been saving like mad to buy a kit to make my own glass beads and whoop whoop last Saturday it came!!!!!!
Some of you may have noticed I have been a bit quite over on my page well that is because I have been super dooper busy with work but also having a play with my kit making some beads :-)

Until I can save up again and buy a shed to work in and keep everything set up all the time for now I have to keep it all packed away until my daughters are in bed and then put it all away again when I am finished.

So your next question is what does all this look like. Well I can answer that for you!

This is where I work.
The long things on the black slate is the glass rods I melt. they come in a million amazing different colours. The silver thin things in the green vase are called mandrels. They are what I wind the molten glass onto to make the beads.

 This is my torch lit. It is soo noisy when it is on, it honestly sounds like an aeroplane taking off!!!

This is one of the rods being melted ready to make a bead. You have to melt the glass into a blob at the end of the rod and when you think you have enough you pop onto the next picture :-)

Here I have wound the molten glass onto the mandrel ready to be made into a bead.











Here I have ( here is a technical term, are you ready ) 'squished' the bead to make a tab shaped bead.
This actually turned out to be the spikey middle monster bead below.

 

What tends to happen is that so far because I am just at the moment playing about with the glass seeing how it moves, how it reacts in different places of the flame and just generally having a play and figuring out what I am doing. I start to make a bead and then it totally changes from my original idea. I suppose that is half the fun as I never know what I am going to end up with :-)

I do know that I am having the most fun ever making these beads and I promise that my jewellery will be filled with my own beads really soon.
I have a few techniques I need to perfect a bit before I can introduce them onto my work but soon I will be selling the beads in sets as well as making them into beautiful jewellery for you all to buy!

So on that bombshell I will leave you with one more picture, last one I promise.

This is one of the beads I made today that I have made into a necklace for myself using some crystals and spacer beads and a fabulous polymer clay bird from Bead Me Up Buttercup a fabulous artist that I love and have now 4 of her birds in my own collection of jewellery at home!
I love this necklace. It is simple and perfect to wear as it is light and is quite long so hangs beautifully on the waxed Irish Linen it is strung onto and oh so pretty :-)

So that really is it for me for this week.
I promise now our wedding is all done and dusted I will be able to keep up with my blog :-)
So till next time take care and speak soon 


Catherynne xxxxCatherynne's Treats

Hey lovelies

Hiya my lovelies :-)

Gosh has it really been 3 weeks since my last post??
Time is rapidly running away at the mo what with our wedding now only being two weeks away eeek but yay :-)
I am busy beavering away doing loads of different things for that as well as my normal day job and being a mum oh and going up to my dads for a lovely weekend and squishing in my hen night too!
Honestly the days are just flying away with themselves at the moment!

I have however still managed to squeeze in some time to make beautiful new pieces for you all.
Here are some of them now.

 First up is a beautiful double strand bracelet with some deliciously striped beads and a strand of contrasting teenie peanut beads.
I still have 4 more of the striped beads so I will have to see what I can come up with by using them.
This is £10 and is available now all you have to do is give me a nudge and it is yours!

This is a lovely green necklace using a fabulous square hollow bead that has some Czech beads dangling from it.
It is very sparkly when the sun hits it and is also only £10.
All my jewellery prices always include postage so the price you see is the price you pay!
 

This has been an utter pest to have a photo shoot with.
I have really struggled to get the lighting right so you can see the fabulous purples in it.
I have had it outside, inside, lights on, lights off and so far this is about the best I have been able to get, I will keep trying I am not totally out of ideas yet!!
It is quite a long ish necklace, finishing mid tummy ish and looks really fabulous on.
This is a true timeless piece that you can wear again and again and always get compliments on :-)
Oh whoops nearly forgot to say this is £15 as it also includes earrings, don't fancy the earrings it will just be £10!

Right I think I am going to push off now as my dog has just jumped on me for a cuddle so I shall go and give her a rub behind the lug before she knocks my laptop off my knee!!!!!!

Here she is our red collie dog Li Lou having a chill out on the sofa a while ago, not climbing on top of one of us wanting a cuddle. She thinks she is the size of a lap dog by the way and always wants to jump on you for a cuddle, not realising that actually she is bloomin huge and takes up half the sofa!!!

Right till next time, take care and speak sooooon

Catherynne
Catherynne's Treats