Afternoon Cycle

   I guess one of the perks of my job is that I get to be my own boss, I can take the odd hour off when I please and I can work longer hours if I wish to. This week has been no different, I decided to take a few hours off to cycle one of our local areas of interest, Ten Mile Bank. For me it's quite a long trip, just over 30 miles in total, I know those who cycle will laugh and say that's nothing but for a guy who is still over 20 stone it's not that easy, as one guy I know said, it's like some of those who cycle having another guy on their back while they cover the miles, which I guess is correct. Anyway I set off for Ten Mile Bank and Denver Sluice via Welney, of course the fen breeze was in full force as always but after cycling through the winter I'm now getting used to it.

   As I passed through the village of Welney and headed towards the Wetland Centre the sunshine was warming the air and for once I was happy to be away from my flame, nothing better than being out in the wilds of the fens with not a care in the world. The WWT Centre was busy with lots of children there, a great place for the parents to take them in the Easter holidays and the flooded meadows still looked like they held a wide range of wetland birds.

   Soon I was heading towards the small hamlet of Ten Mile Bank and the lovely open river that was the reason for this ride, this area always seems so peaceful to me, yes the small drove road follows alongside the river bank but hardly a car passes and the river holds so much wildlife, it sure takes your mind off of those aching legs. The odd family having picnics and locals out walking but apart from that it was pure peace and for once with the wind behind the ride was an easy one for a few miles. As I arrived at Denver Sluice the boating crowds were there, sitting on their floating weekend palaces, spring cleaning their little vessels and some just sitting enjoying the sunshine, I guess to them this place will be their weekend retreat for the next few months.

   After a drink break and 20 minutes watching the boats it was time to head home via Downham Market, around 10 miles and every yard would be against the wind. I could have picked  nice still day but I guess if I can do this trip in the wind then I can now do it at any time, plus the extra work can only be good for me.
   When I think of that first day on a bike and after just 20 mins how I had to get off being so out of breath, I'm now quite proud that I head off every day on my trip of just under 20 miles and these longer trips like Ten Mile Bank, it goes to show that even the biggest of us can get fit, we can lose weight and start to enjoy life again, we just have to want it. Hopefully this coming holiday weekend I might get to do my next longer trip and if so I'll post it on here.

Spacer Bead Prices

   After a full long day in the garden yesterday I've gained enough credit points to spend a few  hours playing with silver glass in my studio followed by a good cycle through the local drove roads, I can't think of a better way to spend a sun filled spring Sunday. As I grow older I realize just how much the turning of the seasons can effect us, for me the cold winters working in my barn studio seem to extend each year and the arrival of the warmer weather becomes a greater pleasure, of course it's more likely just old age that longs for the heat, either way it certainly puts a spring in my step.

   I had a nice message from a customer this week regarding the price of my spacer beads in the Etsy shop, she mentioned how much she had paid in the past to other bead makers for their spacers and couldn't believe what great value my beads were. I explained that the prices some charge for simple spacer beads had always been a bugbear for me and promised I would post my reasons why here on the blog. Having been a bead maker now for many years I have seen, met and known of many kinds of bead maker, I've seen them come and go and I've witnessed prices that range from great to unbelievable and none more so than with spacer beads. Now before I go on I have to say the prices that people place on their beads is completely up to them, if they believe their beads are of such a fantastic high standard then I guess they have every right to price them as such, but when it comes to the simple spacer bead then my thoughts are very different.
    A spacer bead is I guess the most basic of beads though some good jewellery designers know they are also a very important part of bead jewellery, they are the base to some wonderful pieces when used correctly and as a bead maker I know that to make spacer beads is probably the easiest of jobs and can take seconds rather than minutes, so why some makers charge what can only be called ridiculously high prices for them I do not know.  In just half an hour searching for lampwork spacer beads online I have found prices that range from a sensible £3.99 for ten beads up to the outrageously high price of £7.50 for just six beads, these prices do not include the postage, which I must add can be morally unacceptable too. I have even seen some claiming their spacer beads are replicas of ancient or medieval beads, come on, who the hell are you kidding, they are bloody spacer beads, no more no less!
   Now when I was attending bead fairs around the country I was often told by other bead makers how sales had dropped and people were using imported seed beds from India, China etc rather than lampwork spacers and my answer was always the same, price spacer beads at a reasonable price and more people will use British made beads. As you can imagine to some this went down like a lead balloon, their beads priced low, "oh no, I'm not doing that".
   This is the way I feel, by selling your spacer beads at reasonable prices you do two things, firstly it means your customers can afford to use your spacer beads and still have the money to buy focal beads or main bead sets, letting them complete whole jewellery pieces without breaking the bank. Secondly and more importantly by selling your spacers at sensible prices means more new people can afford to start using handmade lampwork beads, even the young can afford to start using British beads in their jewellery, now how can that be wrong, why on earth would I want to out price half the population, that's no way to gain more users of our beads.

   So, to the lady who messaged me, thank you for your kind words and I promise my spacer beads will stay at realistic prices and to those bead snobs who charge silly prices for the common spacer, stop moaning about sales going down when you know the answer, sensibly priced spacers can lead to more sales and more people using our lovely British made lampwork beads

Beautiful Signs of Summer

   This week the signs of summer have flooded the fens, the warm sunshine, the smells of cut grass and the sight of nesting birds collecting building materials, all a wonderful part of country life. As I cycle each day I pass the miles of blossom filled hedgerows and the once dark soiled fields that now boast those young crops of barley and wheat and the amazing scent of the flowering rape that welcomes the warmer season each year.

   The summer spacer colours are a great hit with customers in the Etsy bead shop,  https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/pebbledreams 
   I'm starting to get some wonderful pictures from jewellery designers who are using my beads, the picture below shows a piece made by Caroline Legg, Caroline has used a selection of my encased orphan beads to great effect, I often explain to people how good these lovely beads can look when used alone without the bling of other mediums and this I feel is a perfect example.

   Well for this old bead hermit a weekend in the garden calls along with the odd evening shift with my flame, more new spacers are to be listed this coming week and a lot more encased summer beads that I'm sure will find homes with some of the great designers who use my beads. Enjoy your weekend and embrace the signs of summer.