Blah

Blah is how I feel right now :(

The heat is still here and it just won't go away (to put it politely). It's kept me from my bench all week so far.... it is supposed to cool down by next week - one can only hope.

Just writing here to share my latest works, below is the biggest silver piece I have made to date, she challenged me, but I won. In the end. I think I am going to have to make myself something just like it - as my favourite kind of jewellery to wear is big chunky stuff.

Above is a ring with a nice chunky piece of turquoise. Recently I got myself a nice Snowflake Obsidian and a piece of Parrot Wing - sadly (as always seems to happen to me when buying on the internet - mostly on etsy!) the Parrot wing isn't half as nice in real life as it looked on the listing. It's not nearly as bright and colourful and I am getting really fed up with that happening. I bought a big piece of Sonoran Sunrise (on etsy) and it was $40+ and when I received it - well lets just say now I won't buy from that particular lapidary artist ever again.  They should know better.

This is why I wish we had good gem shows here, man I would even fly to one if there were any, just to be able to hand pick my own stones. That's just something I don't see ever happening :(

Well that was my whinge for the day - be happy you who have those nice gem shows to go to!

Em ♥

Stinky day ahead

stinky hot that is. It is set to hit 36 Degrees here at some point today. Not going to be fun for those that have to be out in it. Unfortunately, this means no bench time for me. It's just going to be too hot to use a torch.

I purchased myself some Opaque Thomsons enamels a couple of weeks ago. And I finally got my hands on a small sifter for them - they're sold out everywhere round these parts.

Seeing as I've a heap of copper sheets, I can practice enamelling with my torch and not have gone to too much expense to do so. I really do want to incorporate enamel work into my silver as I love the colour pop you can get. (plus I'm almost out of sheet and funds for it too :( - that's what you get for buying everything else under the sun and not what you really need - smack on the wrist!) So's I can have fun playing with the enamels and such till I've recovered my supplies fund.

Finally I have my newest Moo.com order (as pictured below). Now I have a cohesive look across the board. From business cards, to packing stickers, all with my logo. This is my first time trying the mini cards. I splashed out and got the Luxe ones.

The stickers for my jewellery boxes, I print myself on our laser printer. The little stickers are for my tissue wrapping inside the box. Overall I am very happy with them.

I received a nice bunch of labradorites in the mail yesterday and I have another big lot coming as well. Got myself some nice Broken Arrow Variscite too, which I haven't ever had before, must say I really really like it and think I will be investing in some more in the future. (see, this is where all the funds go ..... )

There are several pieces almost finished on my bench and one piece I finished setting the stone in yesterday, I probably won't get that listed till the weekend some time and who knows when I will finish up the other pieces. I'm a procrastinator at the moment (nothing new there) and just can't seem to get it together out there and get things done! Makes things even harder when you are down to that last few inches of silver sheet and you don't know what to do with it!

Well little Poppy is waking up now, time for some milk I guess. Better get to it!

Take Care
Em ♥

Picked up.

I have picked myself up since my last post.

Still feel somewhat the same, but it resides at the back of my mind as I push on doing what I enjoy.

I am enjoying making rings at the moment.

This is the latest one I have made:

And I am working on 3 other rings.

Below are some pendants I have made:

And I finally made another Silhouette lady:

♥ SOLD ♥

All those pieces above will be available in my Etsy store sometime towards the end of this week. I think I will try and finish my other rings first.

I have been feeling a bit sick lately, so that hasn't been helping me get to the bench. New stones have arrived - Jaspers, Labradorites and Birdseye Rhyolite. I am focusing on making simple settings at the moment, at least until my creative flow comes back. It's hard to come up with new designs all of the time, but to still keep with your 'look' if you know what I mean???

Think I will sign off here and go get started on finishing those rings :)

Till next time 

Em ♥

Cloudy with a chance of Cabochons.

Now wouldn't that be awesome!!

LOL

Well it is cloudy today and it smells like rain. The weather has been a bit like that for the past few days. I love it. But it's frustrating for the hubby who has to try and work in it. I haven't been getting to the bench as much as I'd like this week. 

The flu dropped by (to visit me only) and has almost left :)

I got a couple of parcels of cabochons this morning:

And I have about the same amount coming soon :) 

I'll probably buy more again this week. Going through the cabochon buy up phase...you know what it's like!

I went to the Gem show on Saturday and dragged hubby along. It was pretty much pathetic. Thank goodness we didn't have to pay to get in, would have asked for our money back - it was that bad.

But on the flip side, I had met someone who is going to fix some labradorite cabochons for me. Though I haven't heard from him yet, so I'm getting a bit antsy about it. I left him with 3 gorgeous ones that cost me over $100, so you can see why I'm a bit antsy. Anyway when I got them, they weren't completely flat on the bottoms and I didn't want to try and set them like that, so I needed them ground down a bit. Here's hoping I don't have to ring him........

Below is a picture Summer drew of me :) - I've never seen her draw anything before - though I've tried a million times to encourage her to draw.

and here is another smiley face she did this morning. I'm so proud! lol as I type this she is reading it out aloud.

I'm working on a custom order and a present for a friend who has just had her baby girl. I had no idea what kind of gift to give her, then I figured I would make her some thing, I prefer to hand make things as gifts whenever I can. But I didn't fancy sewing this time, so metal was the next best thing!

And I have made a little fern pendant to put in the shop, it's in the tumbler now :)

The wind has died down and the sun has come out. Wish the weather would make up it's mind! :)

Em ♥

At the bench :)

Yes that is what I am doing this morning :)

I haven't been at the bench for the past week, so I headed in there this morning to tidy up my bench and get on with a few pieces that are sitting there, waiting to be finished. 

It's a beautiful day. 

Yesterday it was cool(er) and breezy and just the perfect weather for enjoying life :)

This morning seems to be following suit.

I'm just back at the computer to put some new stuff on my USB stick for my laptop and I thought I would do a quick post.

I went to the Gemshow on Saturday, by myself. 

It was horribly hot and the hall where they have the main part of the stalls was absolutely crammed, which made it worse heat wise. I did nab a few faceted stones and some small cabs:

There was a lot of rough available...which if I were able to cut my own stones, it would have been fab. But The cabochon side of things wasn't that great. There were a few that caught my eye, but honestly for the money, I would rather buy the better ones I have found on good ole Etsy.

As I made my way to the end of the stalls, I thought it was all over. Till I looked outside and noticed a whole load of other stalls outside on the grass. There wasn't that much for me there either....but I did manage to grab these:

Some lovely Boulder Opal cabochons.

This little parcel of goodies made it worth my while going to that show!

A few of them have the most gorgeous flash of purple. I can't wait to start setting these. 

There are lots of other shows throughout the year. I will try and get to a few of them. You never know, if you never go.

And I would like to know.

Must get back to the bench!

Em ♥

Lunch time :)

and I am making myself a lovely Triple smoked ham toasted sandwich with cheese and onion, with a nice iced bottle of water on the side. Yum ♥

Well I haven't made anything since my last post. 

I did however buy up some gorgeous stones, this time though they weren't all colourful, they're more on the natural side. I bought some nice Moss Agate and some Plume Agate. I can't wait to get them...they looked pretty damned nice.

I had started to make a few little loveheart charms for Valentines, but haven't had the energy to go and finish them up. The weather has been so all over the place, I don't know if I'm coming or going!

My head is full of other nonsense at the moment..but I am hoping that when my new stones arrive, I will be inspired to make some new pieces. I want to get my hands on a couple of new tools, but stupid me went and bought some shoes in the sales and now those tools will have to wait.....why did those nice shiny new shoes have to look so good??!!!

We have been hiring a couple of cars out lately to test drive them for a day to see how they go on petrol and comfort etc....who knew choosing a new car would be so difficult. We both thought we had chosen what we were going to save for.....but for some reason we are back at square one. Sigh. 

 

lol well this was a boring post...nothing really interesting to write about.

hope you are all having a wonderful week thus far 

Em ♥

She's gone again!

My creative muse/mojo. 

Gotta say, I'm getting a bit tired of her disappearing on me.

I have tried to make my first bezel setting for a faceted gemstone, it's sitting in the pickle right now and if it works out, it'll be a miracle. I've got some earrings in the pickle too, they've been sitting on my bench for some time now.

As I wrote in my last blog, the weather has been 'bench' friendly lately. So this afternoon, I thought I would take advantage of it and see what I can do...but I'm just not feeling it. And when I don't feel it, negativity starts to creep in....thoughts like 'oh no, am I just not into this anymore??' - 'my designs suck and I'm not advancing enough'.

None of those kind of thoughts help.

But how do you stop them creeping in??

I'm wondering if a batch of nice new stones would help some. I haven't bought any cabs in a while now and I'm a bit sick of looking at my old ones lol.

Probably should be at the bench more.

I wonder if trolling the internet for inspiration will perk up the creative juices....or will it just hinder me?

There has been something on my mind the past couple of weeks too that isn't helping, but I can't really do anything about that right now.

Does this happen to you often?

What do you do to combat it?

I've walked away from the bench for now. Let the things in the pickle sit a while and I'll get them out and take it from there. Maybe finishing a simple piece will help some. I don't know.

Maybe I'm forcing myself to be something I'm not....

Em.

Procrastination

Yes. That title describes me down to a tea at this point in time. 

I have pieces I need to get finished. 

It's too hot.

I've some new materials I want to try and techniques.

It's too hot.

The days are going by too fast.

And it's too hot.

Did I mention it's hot??? lol

Yeah it's getting pretty gross out by my bench. Like I said in my last post, I really need that screen door. Last night hubby found a small toad hopping around in the lounge room....YUCK!!!!! And it probably came from the garage :( 

So now we need to be extra careful. I've no idea how it got in the lounge room unseen though.....

I woke up to a sale this morning :)

I am working on something beaded for myself....I haven't beaded in years. I'm not really enjoying it either haha. But I know it'll look nice when I'm done, I've been working on it in the evenings whilst watching the idiot box. It looks so simple, but it's been a bit of a pain in the bum to make - for me anyway.

The desire to buy new stones is scratching away in the back of my head. It's been a while since I really bought any - if you don't count my stash of little faceted stones...I have bought quite a lot of those. And I do have a lovely larger faceted stone on it's way to me.....actually it should have been here by now, so kinda getting worried about that. 

Anyways I haven't really purchased any cabochons in a while. I do not need them. Not at all. But I fancy looking at new stuff. As much as I love the bright coloured stuff, I fancy some more natural stones now. Though to be honest, right now is probably not the best time of year to be waiting on parcels from overseas as it tends to get slowish.

Well that's about it I guess. I'm so grateful for the airconditioning we have in this place and the great insulation and extra high ceilings!!

Have a wonderful day all 

Em ♥

Woohoo! It's Friday :)

It's an absolutely gorgeous day again today. I adore Winter time for days like this. If it were to stay like this forever I would be so content.

But if you know me, then you already know this and know it well haha.

It's almost 11am and I've finished all my housework, I have washing in the machine and my daughter is making an awful racket out in the lounge room and it's driving me CRAZZZZY!!!!!!!!!

:s

Below is what's on my bench today:


The ring at the back is my first custom order, it's almost finished.

I finally got my parcel of Turquiose cabochons. I am never going to get things posted with USPS Priority again if I can help it. It took almost 2 weeks more to get it and the tracking they do is DREADful. So I am going to get things sent with Express like I was going to initially. It costs more, obviously, but it's peace of mind and reassuring. I love the stones :) I got some Kingman, #8, Crow Spring and Pilot Mt. And I think I am going to get some more lol. You all know the disease that seeps in when you buy stones hahaaha.

Below is a pair of mismatched earrings that my mother generously gave to me. They are natural Emerald and Rubies set in sterling from India. I have already popped them out of their settings and am realising I will probably need to teach myself a pronged setting for them. They're gorgeous :)


And below is a little glass/wooden case that I purchased at a furniture shop last weekend, whilst browsing for a bed for Summer.
It needs dusting out and I am thinking of putting in some felt on the bottoms of each square.....if I ever get round to it!


I ordered myself some new packs of PMC3 yesterday, which I probably wont' get until Monday now, but I am looking forward to making some new embellishments with it for my jewellery. Hubby told me to get some as he thinks it's a nice touch to make the little decorations by hand as well :)

On a completely random note, my birdie is having a yawning attack out in his aviary and it looks so funny (that's if birds yawn?) lol he's still going....
We bought him and his little girlfriend a new cage this week and we put it together last night. I was afraid he wouldn't take to his new surroundings considering he's had the other one for his whole life with us....like 10 years now. It's his bed cage. He comes in every single night and he sleeps in it till morning, when I put him back outside in his aviary...spoilt much? His girlfriend is a bright yellow budgie - he is an Indian Ringneck Lutino (bright yellow). Strange friendship I know, but it works so well. They're just like a little married couple :) Anyway, they were a bit bewildered in the new cage at first, but by the time morning came, they were loving it!

Okay, I think Summer and I are going to go and get some lunch as a treat and sit at our new fave spot at the duck pond to eat it as it's such a nice day in the Sun. Have a wonderful weekend everyone! :)

Em

Brrrr

Yes it's certainly Winter here now and I'm loving it!
There is nothing nicer than being able to be in the full sun at the park or outdoors somewhere nice, without breaking out in a sweat or getting super burnt and dehydrated. I love being able to take Summer to the Park or Beach and rug up in a nice warm Cardi or Jacket.

I can't seem to keep up with my blogging these days :( I don't have a lot more on in my day, but Summer is a very full on little girl and constantly demands attention. It's making it hard for me to get to the bench too, as I don't want to plonk her down in front of the t.v (not that it holds her attention much anyways).

We just had 3 tradesmen in our house for the morning, finally installing 2 air conditioners :) That is hopefully going to make Winter/Summer much more comfortable around here! Though our Electricity bills are getting bigger and bigger....which kinda makes me hesitant to use heaters etc. So I try to use them only when I'm desperate.

Below is a piccie of the little Deco cabinet I blogged about some while back. It's not actually Turquoise in colour, it's Teal. My camera won't pick it up :( But it's gorgeous and I love it to bits!

Below is a piccie of a new mirror I got a hold of last week. I LOVE IT! I have been searching for something very ornate to go in our dining area and when this came up on Ebay, I knew I was going to make it mine. I almost didn't get it into my car....but I would have found a way to get it home no matter what. I am now searching for an antique sideboard to put it on to finish the area off nicely. I'm watching one that needs a resto, hopefully it will go for a decent price, as I'm noticing more and more antiques being snapped up here.

And below again are pictures of jewellery that I made a couple of weeks back. Some shoulder dusters (name??) and a pendant.

Whilst the tradesmen were here, I took advantage of getting to the bench whilst Summer followed them around and chatted with them. So I have a few pieces I am currently half way through. Oh and I have purchased some gorgeous pieces of Turquoise and I cannot wait! to get a hold of them! Yum!!

That's about it for now. My floors are a mess from the guys coming in and out of my house and my hubby is on his way home and it's lunch time. I had a pendant featured in the Etsy Finds Email too :) Thanks Amy for letting me know :)

Have a wonderful day all!

Things to do...things to do....long post ahead.

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, not a whole lot has been going on.
I have rejoined 'Twitter' this past week...I tried a long time ago, but didn't really click with it, so I'm trying again under 'littlecherryhil'.

I have a busy weekend ahead of me. My hubby and FIL are clearing out 'stuff' from our garage and we are having a bit of a 'throw out' session and taking some rubbish to the dump. Then we are going to reorganise the garage and then I want to start on my new antique/deco cabinet (pictured below)

I have no idea what colour I am going to do it yet....I am leaning towards a duck egg grey kind of colour. I'm not one for making quick decisions :(

I am getting a new table today that I want to do up. I will do a post on that another time. And then I have to find some new dining chairs to go with it...I sometimes love Ebay!

Only 2 months now till our lease here is up. That will go quickly! So in the meantime I have to pack and replace some furniture and have big clear outs and find a new place to move to!! Some of the reasons we want to move are, it's a 2 story house and there are only 3 of us...it's too big. It's high maintenance because of it's size...and I just don't want to waste time looking after space we don't use, I can think of many things I would rather be doing :)
I hate the tiles!
I hate the carpet!
And because we rent, we cannot change those things. (I'm not fussy, I just want both the tiles and carpet to look clean...and they don't.....ever....no matter how many times a week I clean them)
And last but not least, the main reason is money. I don't think we have ever had a year since we have been married that rent hasn't gone up. And I'm sure this year will be no exception. So we want to downsize and save some money to boot! Trouble is...I'm kinda picky with lots of things, like I said before, I'm not fussy, but I do like things to be a certain way. So it's not going to be easy to tick all the boxes for the price we want to pay. Another reason we need to move is petrol. Petrol is going up allll the time and we live out of town. Not super far out, but far out enough that if we moved closer, we could save more money just from not using so much petrol.
I will miss it here. I love the high ceilings and the ensuite and the indoor laundry and the bush/rainforest across the street and the space we have downstairs and many other things, but I would be happier to simplify my life.

Below are a few things I have made this past fortnight...I'm not sure of the second piece...I think I might scrap it, I'm undecided. And the last picture is of some of the cabochons I just received yesterday. I have a few more to come and I want to buy more again, but am going to wait....

Well I guess I will leave it here for now. If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading :)
Have a great weekend everyone!

A Lovely Day...

Or at least I think it is. It's certainly not as humid as it was a couple of weeks ago. And the nights are cooling down enough to need to wear a light cardi, so I'm happy :)

It's been raining a bit today, though the Sun is out right now.

I am working on a couple of new pieces at the moment. But I've kinda lost my mojo again. I need to learn new things, but trying to get a hold of the supplies to do so (at a reasonable price) is a little more challenging. As I've written before, we kind of get ripped off for things over here. I don't know if it's because of supply/demand issues or because that's just how it is. Either way it's frustrating.

I want to get a repousse set, which seems to be cheaper to get from the USA and I seriously need to source some nicer new stones. It is super hard to find any here. There are a couple of gem shows coming up I think, so I might try and get to one of them to see what's available. Right now, Etsy/Ebay is my only supplier, which sucks because of the wait time and the cost of postage.

I found out this week that I can't post to the Czech Republic. I've had someone ask me if I could send a particular piece to them and when I looked up online, "Precious Metals" was on the prohibited list....

I am having a hard time sawing things lately. I don't know if it's my blades, or me?? But it just doesn't seem to happen smoothly anymore. I've never used any type of bur stuff and it used to be just fine...but lately it's harder and it puts me off. I want to get a decent saw, like one of those big red ones I've seen on a few other's blogs recently. I am pondering a decent size disc cutter and a rolling mill and a new bench. Want much???? LOL :)

There's a lot on my mind lately too. We are moving again when our lease comes up for renewal in June. Not far to go now. As great as this house is, I'm over it, for lots of reasons, which I'll blog about another time. I also want to bring more colour to my home. If you were to walk into my home now, you would think I was boring (till you saw my shoe collection lol) I don't really like our furniture. So I am on a quest to sell on what we have and replace it with stuff that I actually like. I won a nice deco cabinet on the bay last night and I have a nice colour in mind to redo it with. It's going to be a lamp table.

Wow that's been a long talky blog....
Potty training has been going well.....ish.
Time to get back to looking at cabochons :)

Creative Block, Unblocked.

Finally my creative dry spell has passed me by. The last 2 weeks I have been back at the bench having fun making new things. It was kinda boring there for a while....wanting to make things, but not being able to, for the lack of ideas.

It's 8pm here and Summer is in the lounge room playing a game, so I thought I would get this post started, then I will finish writing it up when she goes to bed.

(off to sit with my daughter for a while)

Okie dokie, below are pictures of what I made last week.

I'm having a blast using the new findings I got from RioGrande. I am going to have to order larger amounts next time...but the cart always mounts up so quickly dollar wise, I have to be careful not to go over the importing amount. Did that once and it wasn't very fun....

I have my eye on new tools and a nice script stamp set. I am also hoping to have a Rolling Mill by the New Year. Just have to stop buying anything else..but it's so hard...there is so much to buy for this hobby it's kinda hard not to spend.

I have made a few new things this week and over the weekend and have a nice shiny new tool to show off, but that will have to wait for another post, I'm still yet to take photo's.

I enjoyed a nice style cut at my hairdressers this afternoon, I got the 'relax' package. The hairdresser massaged my head and I got to sit in a massage chair whilst she did that. I was sooo looking like a dorky daggy mum and I'm so glad I finally got it all chopped off again! It was nice to get outta the house for a half hour by myself too :)

till next time....

bye :)

....No Title....

Right now, my daughter is running round and round making lots of noise and it's kinda sending me loopy. I just took her to the beach...but it was way too windy, so that venture didn't last long :(

Not a whole lot going on (as usual). I got some new small stones for once

I also got 'bout 17 more Turquoise Cabs this week, but I didn't get a piccie of them. Below is a piece I am working on and some earrings for myself:

I finally got myself an Apron to protect myself/clothing whilst I solder etc. Unfortunately, the weather is getting warmer....or rather, the humidity is back on the rise. Which in turn (same as last year) effects my desire to go to the bench and turn on my torch. So add to that now, wearing a heavyish apron.......yeah I can see I won't be getting much done. Though today is a veeerry cool breezy day, so maybe I should take advantage of that.
That being easier said than done of course, when you have a 2yr old on your tail to entertain.

*insert big sigh here*

Anywho, even with all the lovely new stones I've accumulated, my creating mojo has taken a back seat again. I'm kinda frustrated with lots of stuff right now, so I guess that's not helping.

I will leave it here, before I start whinging.

Finding Findings.....

So I have been searching the net on and off for some of the sterling silver filigree findings I see in so many other jewelers work. And I would like to incorporate them into my own work, to give me some more choice and variety. But I cannot for the life of me find the damned things!!!

It's really frustrating me. I have googled my butt off and have only found maybe one or two of them. If anyone out there feels generous, can you please share with me where you buy yours from?? Puleeeeaase??!!


Anyways, today's weather is really annoying me. It's that gloomy overcast drizzly weather. I did manage to get my floors cleaned, but it took about 40 minutes for them to dry, so Summer and I were confined to the lounge room whilst we waited.

Now I am sitting with a nice mug of hot tea and a shortbread biscuit. It's school holidays over here now for the next 2 weeks, which I am not looking forward to, for several reasons which I won't bore you with.

I haven't been making a whole lot lately, only small stuff, cuz it's quick and simple and I can make it affordable. I am waiting on a parcel of Turquoise cabs, not that I needed them of course.....I just wanted them!

Below is what I have made recently. Of course if you follow me on my FB page, you will have already seen these pieces.

I find resin loads of fun to play with. I hope to incorporate some with some of my PMC, or at least try to anyway.

K, well, I hope everyone is having fun and has their creating mojo with them. I don't at the moment...again....but I hope that will change soon :)

Time for a post me thinks...

First off I just want to say a big thank you to those of you who read my blog and give me encouragement and some very uplifting comments, you know who you are and it means a lot to me!

I haven't really been keeping up with my blogging. We all go through it.

So I figured now is as good a time as any to try and get back into it. It's such a nice day today, warm (but not too warm) and nice n breezy. I have just been to the store to buy some things and of course I came back with much more than I intended on...I hate that! Right now I am cooking dinner (it's almost lunchtime). I have gotten into the habit of trying to get dinner made early, so when it comes to the evening, I don't have so much to do, just dishes etc. I am cooking Shepards/cottage Pie. Yum. One of the hubby's faves and mine too.

I got some supplies today, some much needed wire and some brass and copper sheet. I also got a new bit of PMC3 and some new resin. I sold my heart necklace that had a PMC flower in it and it's been sent off to a customer in the USA. I was so happy!! I did on the weekend stumble across some Degradable Bubble Packing stuff at the hardware store, so I bought myself a big roll of it.

Below are some pictures of my latest work. I decided not to keep the black patina on the 3rd necklace after all.

Well that's all for now I guess. We have some new neighbours that moved in this weekend and the lady knocked on my door this morning (I had noticed her wandering up and down the road this morning) and she intro'd herself and then asked if I had seen her cat. It's a 5 month old Siamese and it's been missing since this morning. So I have to keep a look out for it...though being that there is bush across from our houses, the kitty may not come back....

Hope everyone is having a lovely day like I am :)

A Whistle in My Nose.

well that's what it sounds like when I sniff. And yet again, it would seem like I am getting sick again with allergies, in fact it always seems like that now.

Right now I am just sitting playing on the internet, soon I should have my groceries delivered and will have to put them away. I have some laundry on and then I really should be cleaning the floors, but it will all depend on how I am feeling by then.

My hubby and I spent the weekend in 2 specific areas, looking at houses. Summer spent that time with her grandies. We think we have pretty much decided on where we would like to move to, provided a place that fits our needs is available. We are both ready and excited for a change. So until I have moved, I doubt I will be listing much at Etsy :(

I hardly get any time at the bench. I would like to start making earrings, as I haven't really made many and earrings can be made easily and faster than large pendants/necklaces & rings.
Plus since they are made easily, they can be more affordable.

So though I have my jewllery now in the cube store in Town, I do intend on filling up my Etsy store. Just right now, I can't manage the time to include much being spent at the bench :(

Anyway, here are some pictures of my latest stash of stones:

There are lots of Peachblow Jasper and several Labradorites too.

I did manage to pick up some other stones I haven't worked with yet. I can't wait to get into it all again one day soon! In the meantime I have been trying to take Summer out more, to nice places, since the weather has become nice and comfortable.

This is a picture of Summer at the duck pond last week.

That slice of bread was kinda meant for the duckies, but she wanted to chew on it instead :P

I have made a new chunky PMC3 piece and I fired it last night. I need to solder some jump rings to it, then I can tumble it for a few hours. I'll take pictures when it's all done.

Well that's all for now folks. My bird is making an awful noise outside and it's driving me crazy!!!

Have a great day :)

A little Bit Cool.

the weather that is. Which is great!

Sitting at the computer having a nice hot cup of tea :)

Seems many other bloggers are a little bit on the quiet side at the moment. So thought I would write a post tonight. Hubby is in bed....little one is in bed. It's just me and the t.v I have on in the corner of the computer screen. That suits me just fine right now.

Well I have finished a couple of pieces this week, but will leave those for last.

First I thought I would share a little trick I use when making jewelry with cabochons:

As I keep all my stones in bags with the measurements on them etc, I can use this to my advantage when making bezel settings for them, I keep the stone in the bag and once the setting is made I can sit the stone (whilst still in the bag) on top of the setting and push it in ever so slightly to make sure that it's still going to fit right and I can go ahead with my piece....here is a picture for an example of what I mean:


This means I can easily pull it back out and don't have to fiddle with floss or any other 'tool' to remove the stone once fitted. As it's easily removed again.

I would only suggest this with quality bags, not thin easily ruined ones as you could end up with the stone stuck in the setting :( It hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm sure it will one day!

Oh and it looks like I have finally chosen a new look for my shop and business cards too. More on that when I have it all happening.

So here are my latest pieces:

A very large Labradorite Ring for me and a Green Sea Jasper & tinted concrete pendant.

That's all for now folks :)

Rain & Itchy Eyes.

It's been a little while since I posted, but honestly, not a whole lot has been going on. It's just after 8:30 in the morning and it's raining! It is slowly starting to get cooler in the mornings now. I can't wait till I can be back into snuggly jumpers and jackets again!

I have only made a couple of pieces since all my supplies arrived :( I just haven't had the chance to get out to the bench much. And my mojo has left the building! I would love to be able to go out there and spend a few hours uninterrupted, cuz I know I would get a lot done. But by the time night time rolls around and my little one is in bed, I just can't be bothered to go out there and play...I want to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. Plus its usually when I catch up on everyone else's blog posts etc.

I have 2 of the 3 parcels of cabochons now, so I have plenty to work with.I am just waiting on an order of more Turquoise and Chrysocolla etc, can't wait to get those too!



I got all my hair cut off yesterday. We got a leaflet in our letterbox last week, for a mobile hairdresser, which is awesome cuz it means I don't have to wait until I have a babysitter for Summer and I don't have to go out. She did as good a job as I would have gotten in an actual salon, only you don't get to watch her cut your hair or sit in a comfy chair etc. But hey she charges half the price. So for the convenience/price, it's well worth it!!!

I have just listed this on Etsy: - Natural Kyanite Pendant


And I will probably list this tomorrow sometime: Natural Apatite & CZ Pendant (love this one!)

I wish I could have put my rings up in my shop, but I have sent them back with my mum (she stayed for 2 nights this week) to go into her shop, as people can try them on there, so it doesn't really matter about having to size them. They will either fit or not fit. Simple.

I think for now I will just make rings with the whole ring soldered together and not have an open band, that way I will know what size it is. At least until I have some spare cash floating round to buy a flat sided mandrel.

Well that's all folks!
Have a great day/night where ever you are! :)

LITTLE CHERRY HILL - finally open on Etsy!!

Hooray!
I finally took the plunge and opened it this morning. Though I cannot list my rings just yet, I do have about 10 things or so I can list in the meantime. I feel like such a tool about the whole ring thing. I will get to the bottom of it though!
Next week I hope to dabble in a bit of gold work for the first time. I am looking forward to it, but I am also anxious as gold is way too expensive to make mistakes with...but I have to try one day.
And on top of that, we are looking to move from this house. Which now I have this hobby, has made it a little more difficult as I need somewhere that I can work, without any worry that I may damage/ruin anything. We mainly want to move so our daughter can have a big back garden to play in during the day though. I am scared to move as I am very comfortable where we are now and am kinda made uncomfortable by change of this kind, where I don't know the area or people etc. But it's exciting too!


Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of things I have made this last week and listed in my shop:


Now I just have to work on sorting those rings out as I love them and want to put them out there!

:)