End of an era!

As some of you may be aware I've decided to finish making lampwork beads.  It's been so sweet of everyone to email me so I thought I'd better do a post to let you know my reasons.

To be honest over the last few months I feel that I've lost some of the enjoyment I used to get from making beads.  I don't always have the desire to create and at times it's become a bit of a chore.  It was different when I first started back in 2004 as it was all new and any money I made from selling beads was a bonus.  However over the last couple of years that I've been relying on bead sales for my income it's taken some of the fun out of it and at times it's been quite stressful.

The recent economical situation hasn't helped and sales have obviously suffered.  I appreciate that it's a knock on effect - if my customers are finding it harder to sell jewellery then of course they won't be needing to buy as many beads.

I also have the additional problem that I get a lot of pain in my neck and shoulders which results in nasty headaches lasting a couple of days at a time.  The position that I have to hold my arms at when making beads seems to aggravate this.

It has been a hard decision to make and to be honest I'm still not 100% sure that I want to leave it all behind.  I know what I'm like - I do tend to flit in and out of things so I couldn't say for definite that I wouldn't ever want to make beads again.

So what will I be doing with my time?  Well I have plans to take my jewellery to the next level and I need a little capital to do this.  I know the jewellery market is hugely competitive but I'm going to give it a good shot - I like a challenge!!

I'd like to thank you all for your custom over the years and I hope that you have continued success in your jewellery making.  You never know I may be back in a few months!

Rachel xx

Designer - Angela Smith

I'm always thrilled to see what my talented customers have created with my beads.  I absolutely love what Angela of Angela Smith Jewellery has done with these Pistachio Shingles.  I love how she has picked out the earthy tones in the beads with her choice of crystals and pearls.

Angela also makes stunning wedding jewellery including these fabulous knitted crowns - isn't this amazing?

Congratulations to.....

........Jessica from Jessamine Designs.  Yay - well done!!!

Thank you to everyone that entered and I'm sorry you weren't lucky this time.  Keep an eye on the blog as I'll have another draw in the next couple of weeks.  As way of a little compensation here is a discount code for use on the Earth and Fire Beads website.  This code will give you 10% off your order (before p&p) and is valid until midnight on Friday 18th June.  Just enter 10JUN18 at the checkout and the discount will be applied.


Jessica - please could you email me to give me your address and I'll get your goodies sent out to you tomorrow.


Bye for now - Rachel x

Giveaway time - win a set of Fritties.

I thought it was time for a competition.  I have one set of Fritties worth £7.50 up for grabs - you can choose from either the Mulberry Fritties (top) or the Cottage Garden Fritties.  So who would like to win a set of these lampwork lovelies?

Well all you have to do is leave me a comment saying which set you like to win and I'll choose a winner at random.  The draw will take place on Sunday (13/6) evening at around 7ish.

Good luck and I'll announce the winner on Sunday.

I Love Handmade

No new beads today but I just wanted to say thank you to Kevin from I love Handmade for featuring my Aegean Islands beads on his blog. These beads have sold but I may make some more when I next have some torch time.

New additions

More beads have been added to the website this morning. There are some beautiful Blueberry Marble beads. I'm pleased with these - I think I managed to capture the look of marble in them - what do you think?

I also added a new colour to the Organics range - Lava which is a fiery yet organic blend of mango and orange. Flame Organics coming back soon!

Another new addition to the Frittie range is Mulberry which is a really gorgeous mix of creamy pinky purples.

Last but not least are Aegean Islands which are beautifully organic with rich ocean turquoise and teal and ivory 'islands'.

I hope you like them - Rachel x

Fritties and Organics in stock.

I've just added a couple of sets of Cottage Garden Fritties to the shop as promised. Also there are some lovely Plum Pie fritties which have been etched. I don't normally etch these but they look really nice with a matt finish. Lastly there are 2 sets of Lavender Organics. Hopefully I'll get some Flame Organics back in the shop soon too.