Something Warm!

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Brrr hasn't it gone all cold and stormy outside - walking Elli to school this morning was a battle and a half ! I felt like tying a rope around Elli's ankle just in case she did that Mary Poppins thing and took off! When Elli was about 3 and at afternoon nursery I remember walking to school with my brolly up. The wind was so strong it kept tugging it and I remember saying to my friend "Ohhh I'm gonna take off" with that a little hand came out and took my hand - tight and I mean so tight I could feel the blood leaving lol then another little hand and took hold of my coat. Looking down I saw a very worried 3 yr old and asked her what was the matter - "I don't want you to turn into Mary Poppins Mummy - she never came back!" Bless her - Mary Poppins was her favourite film - maybe she had overload;)

The above bracelet is with Carolines beautiful beads and mixed with deep Carnelian and Bali silver give a rich and warm looking bracelet don't you think?? The earrings of course are Isabelle Anderson beautiful simple earrings with a touch of Bali silver.

Happy Birthday Nan!

Today my lovely Nan is 85 shhhh don't tell her I told you - you see its a secret she tells everyone she's 39!!! Ever since I was little my Nan has been 39 and yes it took a few years to sink in that she wasn't really - trusting little soul I was!

My Nan has always been an inspiration to me - life is always happy and full of fun - we not similar except I suppose I am a morning person ;) and I have her black hair but you see my Nan was beautiful - pictures of her as a young woman I see her as glamourous in that 1940's way - like the movie stars - I have heard she caused a stir when she moved down to Mevagissey after meeting and marrying my Pops - she was born and raised in Tunbridge Wells. During the war while my Pops was stationed in Kent (thats when they met) my Nan worked in an aeroplane factory - building parts for the aircraft- she said she never understood why she couldn't have been sent to the chocolate factory!!

SO I made these pieces for my Nan - she loves purple which is why I chose the Amethyst and I thought the pearls have that classical beauty about them! We are all going out on Sunday to celebrate!
Oh and a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kara - one of the loveliest ladies on the blogging world I know - see her HERE

On the mend!

Thank you so much for the Get Better soon messages I have - it was lovely:D I did mean to post yesterday but ended up collapsing on the sofa instead - sorry! I did before that catch up on some commissions outstanding so the pressure is definately off now (well only my own pressies to make and do - hahah is my own sisters read this I wonder if they are rolling their eyes!) I have also been in an earring mood and have made a few pairs - maybe because my attention spane doesn't have to be for too long??!!

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Elli had her testing today with school for swimming - now I think she is a beautiful swimmer - she swims with her hands by her sides flipping her feet like a mermaid ( head under water *very important) she glides through the water so gracefully .... and then she needs some air so she doggy paddles while she gasps and phew back down for more graceful swimming - I guess you can get the picture - if we gave her a snorkal I think she would do just fine lol!! Needless to say she only managed 9 metres - yep 1 metre too short for her badge and certificate - but well done for getting that far - if you read back on my blog you will see the magical moment she suddenly could swim - it wasn't that long ago!

Tomorrow is a special day for my family so I will be writing about someone special .....

My first commissioned work

I've just finished my first commissioned piece. Usually a necklace takes me 2-3 hours, I was working on this necklace a month LOL! (not full time of course)
My friend wanted a very specific mix of stringing with chains and with wire works as well included, quite asymmetrical, so here is the (finally!) final piece!! :)

Some things I've learned in the process:
With commissioned work, you do not always do what you think the piece should be like, but what is requested of you. You need to follow certain specifications - which sometimes change in due course, add certain materials as what you had before as per Murphy's law was either too thin (and it cut the piece) or too small or just not right (thank god for internet supplies shopping). Then you need to alter it a lot of times, and it tends to take much more time than a regular piece.
Having said all that, I quite like the final piece. It definitely stretched my abilities and made me learn a few additional things. I always thought simple stringing is quite 'simple'. I learned herewith otherwise! Never take again bead stringers for granted!
Now I only hope my friend's mom will like the necklace!

Man Flu

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Yes I caught my husbands Man flu - I felt yucky all day Friday but had my final party of 2007 to prepare for so had to soldier on (whose playing that violin!?!) party was fab but when I got home this stinking cold piled in and on Saturday I took to my sofa (caught up on some tv lol) and didn't really move off it all day - yesterday I pottered but still feel awful BUT because my lovely husband kept working through his I can't go hibernate I'd never hear the last of it ;)

I've nearly uploaded all my new pieces onto the website but this month I will try and add something as soon as its made - as much as I can anyway!!

The charm bracelet is with of course Caroline Hannon's charm beads in black and silver with black agate, onyx and crystals, lots of silver and some jingling bells - Elli says its sounds like Santas sleigh!!

Swarovski for the Holidays and a Happy Birthday!!!

First, I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my younger sisters (twins) who turn 50 today! If you don't have a least one sister, you don't know what you are missing. Sisters are the touchstones for who we are; they are our past, and good sisters are our encouragement for our future. So a big Happy Birthday - and a cliche, but it's true nonetheless - you're not getting older, you're getting better!

I've been working on Custom Jewelry this week, but some new Swarovski caught my eye (I made the mistake of opening the package) and I just had to do a little with it. I've been know to get Swarovski shipments and leave them untouched until I had the time to work with the crystals, since when I open any Swarovski crystals I am immediately entrapped by its sparkle.
The first Swarovski that really caught my eye in this package were the Galactic pendants (shown at the top). But, I thought, why use them as pendants when they would be so much more striking and beautiful as earrings? So that is what they ended up being (also a picture of the pair at the bottom of this post). The Galactics have wonderful movement and of course, their sparkle is gorgeous. Perfect for these oddly shaped crystals are these modern looking earwires from the Karen Hill Tribes, so that the result is a very modern earring. I put them in the Holiday Gift Ideas section.
Below the Galactics are earrings made with Swarovski's new green opal crystals. It is a great Christmas green.

Alexandrite Swarovski crystals in their changeable colour are featured in these Swarovski crystal earrings. These earrings have earring posts made of sterling silver; these domed posts are great if, like many of us, you have unsightly holes from years of wearing dangling earrings.
The earrings below are created from huge 12mm bicones, then hung from sterling silver earwires with a flat diamond shape on the front. They are wonderful for a holiday party.
Below those is another picture of the Galactic earrings from the first picture in this post. Most of our other Swarovski crystal earrings can be found on the website in the Austrian Crystal Earrings page or on our Swarovski Bridal Jewelry page.

I hope that everyone is getting on with his/her Christmas shopping. I'm trying to order a few things online, trying to get a head start this year! I adore shopping online, avoiding the crowds, aching feet, and that long drive from this small Arkansas town to Memphis (where most of the Christmas shopping in this area is). While I like people, it's sometimes much easier to keep the Christmas spirit intact when you don't have to circle mall parking lots 3 times to find a parking space scrunched next to someone who is probably going to dent your car or wait for a salesperson who decided to go to lunch just when you were ready to pay for 15 items that you've painstakingly shopped 4 hours to gather together.


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earrings

Few more earring designs (earrings on the left - SOLD)

I've picked up Moods in Wire by Ellsworth 'Ed' Sinclair and tried out a couple of things from the book. I couldn't get his single wire cabochon for the life of me - and I've read in various forums that several people are having troubles following those instructions. So I let it be - and instead focused on making some earrings. Starting from something very simple in the books, I've twisted and turned the wire until the earrings became something quite different. I like specially the second pair, it looks very cool in the ears :)

I'm a bit pressed by time as Dec. 13th I have my first small jewelry 'party'. It's actually a party for somebody selling cosmetics to a group, and as he has already bought from me some pendants, she showed them and they liked my stuff. So now I'm also invited with my jewelry. Of which I have not too much! So I'm feeling a bit stressed as I don't have much time and I need to make and make and make pendants, earrings, bracelets, so I have something on that table :)