Nothing doing.

I'm in a funk.

Creatively speaking.

Below are pictures of my bench:

Beading. I have been playing with my beads and knotting. The first picture is a mockup of a knotted necklace with an old skull pendant. I thought it looked quite nice, (Faceted red jade and rose quartz) but when I showed my other half, he said the beads look like plastic. Well basically now I can't get that thought out of my mind when I look at it, or any of my other beads for that matter.

Since having Poppy, my work at the bench has dwindled down to almost nothing. My head is choc full of ideas (as always) and desire to work on something, but my body just won't follow through. I go out to the bench, look at a few stones and half made things and don't feel motivated enough to stay. So I leave and then don't seem to get back for days - to 'look' at stuff lol. Obviously I don't have the time I used to before Poppy arrived, plus I'm so behind on sleep right now.

I did get some ferric chloride yesterday in the post, but I am waiting on buying a second hand bottle warmer so I can warm the chloride, so I won't try any etching until then.

My Father in law has found a nice jewellers hydraulic press locally at a tool shop I've never heard of - it's also a nice price too $1000.00. Not sure that I am ready to part with that amount of money just now, not on something I am not sure will be used enough to justify that price tag.That being said, I do have a disc cutter that cuts up to 2" discs that I can't use without a press ..... so I will have to work something out one day.

I caught this photo of Poppy 2 days ago:

Is it any wonder I don't get anything done lol?? ♥♥♥♥

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 ♥

So not in the flow.

I'm struggling to finish my little collection. And I have a small custom pebble pendant to do, but I just can't seem to get it happening. Doesn't help that it's now day 2 of the 2 week school holidays. I'm keeping up with everything domestic/parental. Just not jewelry.

I have to get my backside to the bench today to finish that pendant so I can get it posted. I have been enjoying getting my groceries delivered, so that is something I don't have to contend with, spesh with having the baby to take and a 5 yr old ... not my idea of a good time.

So jewelry wise, here is a piece I finished not long before I had Poppy:

My first ever attempt at a hollow form piece. I love it. It has a nice weight to it and it's a great simple -go to- go with everything pendant. I wear it with another long necklace with a feather, being that it's all silver, it goes with other necklaces. Not that I have any others lol

Below is a picture I just captured:

I absolutely LOVE it - I managed to get her to look at me just for a split second, enough to capture her beautiful little eyes looking right into the lens. This will be one to frame!

*sneaking away to make a cuppa*

Okay, I ended up going to the bench to get that pendant happening too lol.
I am going to make sure I have my collection complete and listed before the 1st of July too! I think it's so hard for me to get on with it, because of that little bundle of cute above. When she finishes her feed I want to continue to hold her as she sleeps or just lays there looking around taking the world in, it's so hard to put her down sometimes. But if I were to hold her all day long, I would get nothing done - at least nothing done that requires both hands/arms :)

It's time now for me to enjoy my cup of tea and a chocky biccie or 2! Then it's back to the pendant, by then I'm sure my little one will be awake again.

Take care
Em ♥

Poppy ♥

My little girl Poppy arrived on the 27th of May.

I was induced again and it was a strange experience this time around. I experienced contractions for most of that day between 2-5 minutes apart for most of that time and eventually had an Epidural - which in the end didn't work - so I may as well not have had one! (I remember hearing another lady in agony in another birthing suite and saying to my husband that she sounded like the cookie monster and how I hope I never sound like that! In the end I sounded just as bad lol) I was in 'labour' for about 7 and a half hours, but Poppy came into the world in about 3-4 pushes.

I had both my mother and my husband as my support team this time. With my first it was just my husband. It was great to have them both there, especially considering how it all went down this time around. So now Poppy is 3 weeks old and sleep deprivation is starting to catch up to me. My hubs has been a great help again (just as he was with our first). I really have myself a great man!

Summer has taken to Poppy as though she's always been here and loves her greatly and loves to help out. I feel sorry for her having to go to school (when she just wants to stay home with us), but I'm grateful that she goes. I don't think I could handle them both just yet. Although, school holidays are next week :(

So all is well here right now. I love my little family and feel content. I am almost finished my collection:

But I am finding it hard to sit at the bench right now as I'm so tired and there are always so many other things that need my attention, not including Poppy! Hopefully will have it all finished and listed by this weekend :)

Em ♥

......

I probably should be at my bench right now, enjoying what little time left I have to myself. I was motivated to do so ... but that was yesterday. Today was the first day all week I've had to myself and I realised there was much to be done about the house. So my 'me' time has to wait. The housework is almost done. Just a small section of my floors left to mop. There are towels in the dryer - too tired to hang them out, or maybe too lazy, you choose. The dishes have just finished washing in the dishwasher. I have cleaned all my daughers toys up - really need to go through them again. Half of the baby's things have been washed and neatly stacked ready to hang/fold and put away. Everything else is pretty much sorted.

I am working on a very small collection. My first ever collection. Not sure if it will turn out or not, but I'm having fun trying.

Here is a piece I managed to finish for the shop over the weekend:

Kingman Turquoise and Red Coral

The leaf on the pendant is my 3rd (2nd silver) attempt at fold forming. My first try was with copper and my second was double the size and thickness in sterling silver. The one above is in Fine Silver. I tried my hand at a little wax carving last week and it was a pitiful attempt. So much harder to do than I'd imagined. I mean I knew it wouldn't be super easy, but I honestly thought it wouldn't be so hard either. No, I've not given up. But I've put it aside till another time. Fortunately I haven't put up a large sum towards it, the most expensive part so far has been buying the wax - which didn't cost very much at all.

Well, I've a hospital appointment this afternoon. They won't tell me when my induction will be, until a few days before they want to do it. It's a little frustrating that they can't tell me a little more ahead of time, as I have to let my mother know and my husband, so they can schedule what to do with work. But it is what it is. Really not very far off now. I pray this time that everything goes well. The birth of my first was an absolute nightmare and I am going to be well prepared this time that things go differently - at least with the things that are part of our control. I cannot, simply CANNOT go through what I went through the first time.

So until that time, my hospital bag is almost packed and ready to go. We are waiting on a change table to arrive and then we will start putting everything together. My Blood Sugar Levels are all over the place, which isn't good. I'm getting put on higher and higher doses of insulin every few days, but it isn't bringing them down at all. I know this baby is going to be bigger than my first - I just hope it doesn't get TOO big - Ouch! lol. Baby and I will have a couple of weeks together before Summer's next school holidays! Hoping I will have some sort of routine in place by then ..... but that's a big hope :)

That's all I have to write about for now. I will hopefully do another post or 2 before arrival of baby, as I'm hoping that my little collection will be finished soonish.

Hope all is well in your world!
Em ♥