Not The Year For Blogging

I really haven't kept this blog updated very well have I??

Truth is, I don't really think about it so much these days.
My girls both had their birthdays in May. The eldest now 7 and the youngest now 2!
I don't have a whole lot of time on my hands for 'me' anymore. And blogging has taken the last spot on the list for now.

Not a whole lot has happened since my last post in March.
Though I have been back at my bench a lot more. I feel that dabbling in Pottery somewhat helped me back to it. I definitely feel at home with jewellery making. Pottery is great fun and I do intend to keep up with it, but right now I just don't have the time.

With jewellery making you can begin something and then leave it for a while to see to the children, or dinner, or answer the phone etc. But with throwing clay, you have to be there for the duration and you have to see the project through and you can't leave the wheel - you must be really focused and almost fixated on the clay or it just doesn't work out. And I rarely get that kind of time, at least not until 10/11 at night and by then, I'm spent and ready for bed.

Here are some pictures of what I've made on my wheel at home:

So they are just a small part of what I have thrown on my wheel at home. My pottery teacher says I am ready to move onto glazing now, or I can continue to learn how to throw - I haven't tried to join two pots together or to make a teapot and so on. Right now I feel to move onto glazing would be the ideal thing. So that will be happening in the near future I hope.

I've noticed being at my bench certainly feels very comfortable for me and so I have been trying to spend a lot more time there - which means being there when my little one is running around. I have set up a blackboard/whiteboard in the garage where I work so she can draw whilst I try and get little things done. It never really works for long, but I try :)

Lately I have decided to try and push my designs further and I am constantly on the quest to be learning/teaching myself new things with jewellery techniques.

Pictures below are of things I have made in the past month or so:

The Turquoise piece above was for a giveaway I recently had on Instagram, which I will be sending off today if I get the time. Again I am playing with backgrounds for my jewellery. It seems to be something I can never settle on and am constantly changing, but I can't help it. I am probably going to change it again soon..........

I think we are looking to move again very soon. I would love to move to a single level home to make life simpler. There are definite postitives to having a double storey home, but there are many negatives too - especially for me. The one problem is getting a good home within our budget that has all the things we require and being able to be in a good area too. I love change, but I'm not a fan with all the work that comes with moving.

So that's what's been happening in my neck of the woods.
Sorry that I am not really here much anymore. It can't be helped right now.
Off to have a nice hot cup of tea - yes! it's actually a little cold here now!!  :)

Em ♥

Where for art thou Autumn?

Well it sure doesn't feel like Autumn round these parts.
And frankly I'm disappointed.
Every year I look forward to the cooler months. We don't get the serious cool weather like some of you (on the other side of the world) are getting right now.
But it's still nice to have a change of season and be able to rug up in cosy clothes and have the choice to wear boots (for 5 minutes) and to warm up with a hot drink.

What I like about it even more, is I get to work at my bench and use the torch.

I finished that custom order:

And then I finished off my first ever piece with 3 stones:

That piece had been sitting on my bench for a couple of weeks waiting to be LOS'd and set. So other than those two pieces, I haven't done much else. The head is still filled with plenty of ideas. But again I'm going through the whole 'my work is crap and not good enough' phase again. We all go through it and come back around out of it again, so I'm not too worried by it. I've a few things on my mind.

There is a custom order to be done in the next week or so and I've a follow up appointment for an echocardiogram on Wednesday. Once that is out of the way I will do the custom order and perhaps that will help me back to my bench to make new things.

School holidays are just around the corner again. They're for a whole two weeks too! I hope it's cooled down by then, as I would love to take the girls out for some day trips.

Okie dokie then, this was just a short post. Hope it finds you well :)
Em ♥

Muse

For once my creative muse is visiting.

I'm hoping this isn't a fleeting visit, that she will actually find a comfy seat and settle in for a while.

I think though I am filled with a new batch of ideas, I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm working on one of the largest pieces I have made (it really isn't that large, but for me it is) and of course, even though instinct told me to anchor things down, I didn't. And so now the bezel has soldered on slightly askew.

The perfectionist within says 'sorry, but you are just going to have to make it right, it's not good enough. Fix. It.' Though I worry if I do go in again and try to realign it, I might just ruin it altogether. I hate that part about soldering. I have some Yellow Ochre powder which I might have to slather all over the parts I can't have reflowing. Hoping with all hope that I can fix it, or it is going to be a very expensive scrap piece :(

Below are the latest things I have finished:

My favourite things to make would be the pendants you see above. I've always loved pieces with some weight to them and these all have just that. And the piece I am working on right now is even heavier, so I must make it work!!

Well that pendant isn't going to be fixed with me sitting here now is it?! Must get on with it :)

Have a wonderful day
Em ♥

Aaaahhchooo

Yup, I'm sick. 

That's the one thing about having a baby in Winter time - a) you don't want (but would love) to go out in case of catching something, b) you can't do much about it once you have caught something!

I have been wearing a mask when I feed Poppy. I don't know if it would really keep much of my germs at bay, but I have to at least minimise them. I haven't been sneezing much and have only coughed a little, most of which I try to do away from baby and into tissues. I have the disinfectant spray out and ready to spray down the computer area etc when I'm finished here. I can't take anything to help with the cold either - neither can Poppy for that matter :( 

Anyway on a brighter note, I finally finished and listed my first collection. 

It wasn't an intentional one, it just sort of happened whilst I was making something and I couldn't really think of a cool name for the collection, so I went with 'Vintage Lace' as my work kind of reminded me of lace:

*Rabbit & Owl are sold*

Unfortunately the earrings I won't be able to list, as whilst setting the turquoise in one of them, a little piece broke off the top. It's very minimal, so it's not really noticeable, unless you were to say something. I was thinking of offering them heavily reduced on my fan page, as I would hate to see them go to scrap - they're still sweet :) or, I could just keep them for myself ...........

Poppy is now 5 weeks old and is alert and awake for longer periods of time. She isn't afraid of me when I wear the mask whilst feeding, so that's a good thing. She has a good stare at me, but there's no change in her expression. 

Summer starts back at school next Monday - thank goodness! So I may be able to get my creative mojo back on ... though I'm honestly not feeling it right now. I really hope this cold is over tomorrow (for more than the obvious reasons), I really wanted to drive up to visit my parents for the day, they haven't seen Poppy since she was a few days old. And once Summer is back at school I can't go up as it's too far away to get back in time to pick her up. Maybe I can go Saturday - here's hoping!!!! 

Time to cut my nails down I think ... they're getting to that 'could really scratch baby up' length lol

Em ♥

I'm tired this morning.

But the house is fairly quiet, so I thought I would do a quick little blog post, whilst I can. 

Summers arm is finally all good to go. No more cast/brace. Which I'm sure she is enjoying. Baby is doing well. I'm doing o.k.

I've been getting to the bench a little - only 3 months till baby comes, so I really want to enjoy the time I have to myself before then. 

I have spent a little while searching for an anvil. 

I thought I had found what I was after, but it turns out it was Iron and not steel and that's not any good. Finally I decided to take the plunge on one from RioGrande. It's costing as much for the postage as it is for the actual anvil. Hubby has lovingly and generously offered to pay for the postage so I could have my anvil. 

Isn't he fab?!! ♥

So hopefully some time this week I will get that :)

I know I don't overly NEED an anvil. But a steel plate isn't going to cut it for me anymore. It jumps around on my stump and it isn't big enough. 

I want to do some fold forming this year and the anvil will be great for that to begin with. I'm hoping it will absorb all the noise when hammering too.

Below are a couple of pieces I have finished recently that I had a lot of trouble with:

Sold

 

Sold

I have a few new things I am working on at the bench right now too. Just need to do the bails and clean up and set the stones etc. 

I did finish this on Friday:

 

Just felt like doing something simple and out of silver only. I'm not really loving my stone collection at the moment. I find it so hard to find really good ones. Everyone else seems to be finding them :(

Well I'm waiting on a friend to come over - but who knows if/when she will. Either way, I've got lots to get done today, so I should probably make a start :)

Em ♥