Christmas is now just 90 days away and already the Christmas creep is showing up in stores, mentions of Xmas laybys, a few decorations here and there, and in no time flat we’re all going to be living in a land of tinsel and fairy lights!

With Hercules due to arrive any time in December I’m not making as many hand made gifts as I normally would, but one of the things on my to do list is making some bird nest pendants for my three sisters, they’re inexpensive, easy to make and also easy to personalise with each of their favourite colours and gems.

Sarah Ortega has a simple, easy to follow tutorial for creating your own pendants using 24 gauge wire and some beads, I can’t wait to get started on mine and knock them off the to do list. These would also be great for teachers gifts as they would be perfect for knocking out in front of the telly in the evening. If your recipient isn’t keen on necklaces, just add them to a ring blank to create a bird nest ring.

• See Sarah’s tutorial here

Based in Sydney, Denise of DKS Lampwork makes and sells a variety of beautiful handmade lampwork large-holed beads which will fit on any brand charm chain. Each bead is handcrafted in her home studio, kiln annealed, then cored with sterling silver tube which adds that extra professional touch. Denise also creates lampwork sets and focal beads for those who are into creating their own pieces of jewellery. And for those who don’t feel up to the creativity to make jewellery at all, don’t feel left out as Denise also offers ready-made jewellery at very affordable prices. Denise uses her own lampwork beads in her jewellery so you be assured that your purchase is one of a kind.

For more on Denise and her work, visit her website at DKSLampwork.

Did you know that Australia produces 97% of the world’s opal? When we think of opals, we usually associate them with sparkling little gems with colours coming in from different directions of light. Naturally, it came to my surprise when I discovered Peruvian opals. Peruvian opals are nothing like the traditional precious opals that we are familiar with, instead they are translucent and are usually blue in colour. These gemstones are stunning because of their milky and translucent property but what surprised me even more was the fact that I had also found them in pink!

The pink Peruvian opals are even harder to source than the blue ones but the effort in finding them is more than satisfying. It seems that these pretties are very rare, so rare that today when I searched for it on eBay Australia, there was only one store which brought up a search result. I also tried hunting them down on Australian beading supplier websites and they were nowhere to be seen. My advice? Hold on to them as soon as you see them! They’re pretty cheap for what they are at around 90c for a 10-12mm round opal bead, but their beauty is absolutely divine and in my opinion, a very big bargain buy!

Team these babies up with some rose Swarovski crystals, and gold-filled findings, and you’ve got yourself an instant girly accessory. You could also take a few of the smaller sized beads in 6-8mm and string them on Nymo thread with a knot in between each bead to make a very special Rosary necklace.

Or, do what I did! String some of the opals with some Czech pressed glass maple leaves, irregular freshwater pearls, some smokey grey Czech glass rondelles, then finish off with a bali silver clasp. The beauty of the opals will stand out against the freshwater pearls, and the glass leaves will add the extra contrast to provide you with a girly-girl bracelet or necklace. You’ll be receiving compliments in no time!