Bits and Pieces

Ok, now that i am finally back at uni (yes, i really have been on holiday that long) I probably won't be able to make as much jewellery as i'd like to, but i'll still try and put up a post as regularly as i can. I've been trying out a couple of ideas recently that i've been meaning to for a while, but never got round to doing, like making a heart shaped, bead covered window hanging like this one:

I decided to use pearls rather than the crystals that are more normally used, to try and be a bit more unique, and i think it worked pretty well. So well, in fact, that before i had even finished making it, my sister had decided that, somehow, it will end up in her house, whether i liked it or not. And she was right, it did. I was also asked to make a bracelet in 'whatever style i liked, as long as it was hot pink'. So, i used some pink pearls, with smaller cream pearls and silver seed beads and threaded three bracelet strands, one pink, one cream and one silver, then joined the three together and loosely plaited them to come up with this:

I wish i'd taken a better picture, but never mind. I also managed to finish another Christmas order (Sorry for springing Christmas on you, you're probably hiding behind the couch screaming 'IT'S NOT EVEN HALLOWEEN YET!!!').

Every year, i think to myself 'I'm going to be really organised for christmas this year!' and every year i end up buying most presents on Christmas eve. So this year i'm going to think 'I'm NOT going to be organised this year!' You never know, a bit of reverse psychology might work...

WARNING: Rubbish Photos Approaching!

Firstly, i need to send out LOTS AND LOTS of apologies as it's been well over a month since my last post. You may be thinking 'Well, we can forgive her for that. She's probably been really busy.' But no, i haven't! I have been doing a few things, like going to a wedding, making jewellery for a fair and catching up on some jewellery orders, but that's it! That only takes up about a week of stuff, so that's about four weeks of nothing! Luckily, i have the excuse of 'I'm a student!' to fall back on, but in a couple of years i won't be able to use that anymore. SCARY THOUGHT!!

Anyway, as you can tell from the title of this post, it's going to be full of rubbish photos. Generally, my photos aren't great but they are in focus most of the time, which is about as much as i can hope for. However, on the morning of the fair, i didn't feel well and had about thirty seconds to take photos of all the stuff i'd made before we left. So, here's what happened:

I did take more photos of all the other jewellery, but you are probably ripping your eyes out in horror at the moment and screaming 'Look at that last one! You can see her shoe at the bottom of the photo! How could she take such rubbish pictures?!' so, i'll stop there. (Bet you looked back at the last photo just to check!) But don't worry! I'll try and sort myself out before my next post which, HOPEFULLY, you won't have to wait until next month to read!

A Catch Up!

I haven't posted for a while, so here is a catch up of all the stuff i've been up to (Don't worry, it isn't a long list. I've not done much):

1. After talking about it for AGES, i finally made an attempt at some macrame and, surprisingly, i managed it! Unfortunately, I'm a very impatient person and wore the bracelet before the glue dried fully and a bit of it has started to unravel, so now i have to fix it but NEVER MIND, i still count it as a success, if maybe only a partial one.

2. I have started making a dress, which i think i mentioned in my last post. It's going really well so far! OK, that might be a bit of a lie. Actually, it's a big, fat LIE! I started it about two and a half weeks ago; i haven't finished the bodice yet, or done anything to the skirt; I've had to unpick it several times because i kept making mistakes; I bought new bobbin things for my sewing machine, then discovered they don't fit and, finally, I decided today would be the day i finished it! Then ran out of thread. I think that was because i've had to unpick it so many times. I doubt i'll ever have a future as a dressmaker, but at least the colour is nice!

3. Some gardening antics: I have, for the first time EVER, managed to GROW SOMETHING EDIBLE! Well, that's not quite true. I did attempt this last year, but only managed to grow one tomato, and i didn't even eat that, as i don't like them. Anyway, this year we have potatoes and (questionable) onions (they are a bit on the green side and not at all like the brown ones you buy in a shop).

4. I have just had to throw out my very lovely, comfy slippers. This may not sound like much, but in my little cottage, which is nearing it's 200th birthday, not wearing slippers is like wandering around with your feet strapped to some ice-cubes. Very cold ice-cubes. However, i couldn't justify keeping them for a moment longer, considering they were very misshapen, full of holes, a different colour to what they were when i bought them and pretty much falling apart. This may be because i wander around the garden in them. I may have to invent some off-road slippers to wear outside. Or maybe i'll just put some shoes on next time. But that doesn't sound as fun.