Please, somebody tell me that out there, somewhere, a lovely person has invented of found a program/widget/command/magic fairy spell that lets you highlight text you’ve accidentally written in CAPSLOCK and turn it back into lowercase. It has to have been done, right? How can it not have?
Seriously, if it hasn’t been done by now, why not?! I can’t be the only person who accidentally does this and doesn’t want to re-type everything.
Mini-tutorial (not even a tutorial really…just a random design addition to scrap clay beads) is up at my site here.
Luckily, I remembered to check back at my blog today to make sure of the end date of my little bead giveaway…and turns out, I said I’d draw today *G*
So, the first random number generated was…6! That’s Georgiebee – can you e-mail me your address please? 
Second is Amanda – you win the extra bead – again, send me your address and I’ll send it out 
I’ve accumulated a few beads that I haven’t bothered to put on my site for one reason or another, so I’m just going to put them up for a giveaway. There’s a set of antique gold shimmery crackle beasds with litte black abstract appliques, and a carved green and gold bezel bead. And I’m throwing in his mate, who has a slight chip on one of the carvings – it actually almost looks like it’s meant to be there, but I can’t in good consience put it up for sale.
All right, let’s see how this goes *G* I’ll draw names on the 22nd October, so check back then.
Have you heard of the FHFTeam on Etsy? It’s an awesome team comprising members of the Frit-Happens forum, and is designed to promote handmade glass art, glassy objects, beads, and jewellery in Europe. For the last year (give or take) I’ve been writing blog content and admin with other members here (the slightly weird Designs Ideas posts are mine *G*).
I’m pleased to announce a new feature that starts today, and which is written by Lynn Davy (you may have seen her name attached to many magazine tutorials). The purpose of the posts will be to help readers learn ways to use handmade lampwork, glass and components in their jewellery, and Lynn has done a fantastic job on the first post. So please go and have a look – the blog also has a handy set of glossaries, a guide to finding quality lampwork, and a whole heap of eye-candy!
For the last few weeks I’ve been making beads with mica powders and metal leaf…which means that running out of varnish to seal these surface decorations is a bad thing. (and the parcel containing the varnish getting lost so a replacement had to be sent was worse – I wanted to give the first pachage a good chance to turn up so I’ve been out of varnish about 3 weeks maybe)
I’ve finally got my hands on it now though, and so here’s a biggish eye-candy post. The beads are up for sale on http://www.continuumdesigns.co.uk/shop
And here are some random necklaces I made:
To be honest, I’ve been looking at all of these things for so long that I’m starting to feel very tired, and like I’m stagnating again. I don’t really like to use tutorials (I mean, I use techniques invented by others all the time of course, but I don’t like to have a tutorial in front of me), so I feel like I’m winging it a bit, and my work is not progressing. Another problem is I tend to like my work until I see it in macro (ban macro!) and I see how not-perfect everything is.
Any tips anyone?
