Beads and Bead Shops

I've been collecting unusual beads for many years, with most of them coming from the Brighton Bead Shop where the selection is good, if a little stagnant, and staff are very friendly and helpful. Earlier this year I finally got to the Covent Garden Bead Shop - which is brilliant! Although it's a bit pricey, they do some amazing, unusual beads and have a large section of oriental-type beads.

I also found another little jewellery and gift shop called Tizzi's in Lewes which also sells some unusual individual beads. If anyone knows of any other really good bead shops or bead-selling websites, please let me know :)

As I have a really big stash of beads, I haven't photographed them all, but here are a few of my recent buys:

From top:
Large Kingfisher bead - Covent Garden Bead Shop.
Frogs perched on beads - Covent Garden Bead Shop.
Range of brightly painted wooden bird beads - Tizzi's
Tiny ivory-esque animal beads - Tizzi's (these really are very small!)

Belle and Boo

If you haven't already encountered the adorable Belle & Boo then please allow me to introduce them to you. From the imaginative mind of illustrator Mandy Sutcliffe, Belle is a bright-eyed, curious little girl who always wears the cutest vintage clothing. Boo is her bunny rabbit confident and companion. Make sure you take a peek at Mandy's blog.

This is from the website and sums up Mandy's work perfectly:

A contemporary twist on vintage charm...
Mandy’s deceptively simple and stylish images capture vividly those precious moments in time enjoyed by children. Whether it be feeding the birds and animals, hugging a tree or simply sharing a story with a friend, the experience conveyed is always pure, and often set in natural environments.

I came across Belle & Boo on Etsy at the end of last year and was incredibly tempted to purchase a couple of prints but decided to wait a while - then, much to my delight, I came across a number of my favourite Belle & Boo images in postcard form in Paperchase! So I am now the happy owner of these two images (below) which are set to be framed in mismatched old frames and hung in a collection of my favourite prints/images/photographs when I finally get my flat in the city! (I think my favourite is the first image here...) They feel much more like proper prints then just postcards as they are printed on thick, ever-so-slightly rough card (I'm sure there's a name for it!). Keep an eye out for them in Paperchase if you like what you see...