rocknwrap's stuff about stuff

The year of the Pendant

2010-01-17T16:51:00.003+10:00

I was in the paper!

Apparently this is the year of Online Shopping, contrary to the Chinese calendar which says it is the year of the Tiger. Who to believe, who to believe.

I particularly like the way the text bleed came through when I scanned the article - I've got text freckles! Who needs makeup?

And off to market again!

2009-12-11T18:20:00.003+10:00

See you on Saturday at The Handmade Expo, Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Rd, Bundamba, 8-2. Free parking and free entry.

Repeat after me: Best Market Ever!

2009-12-09T10:44:00.004+10:00

This post has been delayed due to broken-nosedness. Ouch.

Well, I'm still recovering from Saturday's BiDM, but in the best of possible ways. Yes, I'm absolutely pooped but it was a beautiful day, great customers and everyone out doing their Christmas shopping! This was my view from my stall:

It was lovely to be at the frontline and able to chat about what I do, rather than hiding behind a rather stuffy internet profile. The girls who organise this event are ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS and I am awe of their friendly professionality (I believe I may have just made up a word there).

And then, after a wonderful day out on Saturday, my Etsy shop has been absolutely bonkers this week, and I've been wearing my little calluses to the bone organising all those orders. And the Handmade Expo is on on Saturday, so got to geared up for that also. Busy, busy, busy, but I'm loving it!

I did find time to indulge myself in some goodies on Saturday though, as the wonderful Meera came and helped out all day. By far my favourite purchase of the day comes from the enchanting Sandrine. I got one of these, but in scarlet red!

(picture comes from here)

Going to look stunning over my black evening dress for my next concert performance. My husband just shook his head (as this is the second of my gorgeous tops from SMBoutique, I think he might be worried that I have an addiction).

I was on such a high all weekend, thank you Brisstyle! I'm enjoying being a member so very very much.

Best....Market.....Ever!

2009-12-03T09:58:00.003+10:00

This weekend!

Come and find me, I'll be residing in the hall. Come and get all your Christmas shopping done (I certainly intend to!)

Glad the weather is looking to be not too hot!

Finding it hard to stay awake?

2009-11-29T18:55:00.007+10:00

Well, this should keep you going for a while! Created by my husband to roast bigger batches of coffee than your standard household needs. And why should we want this, you ask?

Well, rocknwrap is going to be selling its special blend of home-roasted coffee beans at the BiDM on Saturday. Going to have a busy night before to churn out all we need for the day. Hope they're a hit!

So come along and get your hit of freshly roasted coffee, medium roast with floral, citrus and cocoa flavours, smooth and creamy and chocolatey. Mmmmm!

Missed it

2009-11-29T11:51:00.002+10:00

The flying foxes got this one, but graciously left us half. How kind!

And my climbing Double Delights continue to delight and delight and delight! HOT day today. Hope you're keeping cool wherever you are.

Bead reamer arrival

2009-11-28T14:07:00.004+10:00

Whoopee! My bead reamer arrived today (well, actually yesterday - it sat on the front step all night) and I finally got a chance to make those pesky holes in the labradorite beads big enough to put wire through. Huzzah!

One week until the BiDM, and things are happening, but I haven't got anywhere near my table setup yet.

I have a small child on my left, in her highchair, gumming a slice of vegemite/cheese toasty finger into submission, and a husband on my right installing a light for me under my little shelf to light my little workbench. Life is good.

Double Delight

2009-11-26T20:33:00.002+10:00

Climbing roses are in full bloom today! This photo is taken from the ground, but the best view is from the Moo-Ma's window! Hope she appreciates it when she's older!

Just can't seem to focus!

2009-11-25T19:54:00.006+10:00

With the Brisstyle Indie Designer's Market coming up in a week and a half, I should be building up my regular stock, right? But nooooooo, now is the time that I decide to experiment. So contrary is my creating mojo. I also want to make sock monkeys. The days are too short.

I finally got a ring mandrel, so I just HAD to try out a ring.......
And some hooped earrings...................... put some of those littler stone beads to good use!

Pearl

Facetted garnets

Aquamarine

And my first ever facetted stone pendant. 10ct of ametrine. I'm pretty darn proud of my claws. Even managed to get them even, what a miracle!

Well, perhaps tomorrow I'll get back to my pendants. There's this new ornate ring idea I have though.............

And the winner is.....

2009-11-19T09:34:00.004+10:00

Well, the deadline has fallen and thanks to The Hat, the randomly picked winner is Sarah! I'll send you an email and you can pick the style and the stone!

To all those people who entered, thank you so much, I have got some wonderful insight and ideas from your comments. Thank you for letting me pick your brains!

I hope you all have a great week, I've got to get all my goodies ready for The Handmade Expo this Saturday. Pop in and say hi - Ipswich Turf Club, Bundamba Rd, Bundamba 8am-2pm. It's shaping up to be a lovely weekend, not as hot as the original forecast (phew!).

Come down and get your Chrissie presents wrapped up.

Obsessed

2009-11-12T15:26:00.003+10:00

I've been obsessing about this earring design over the last few days, thinking about it when I should be sleeping, blah blah blah. It's the same basic idea, but has endless possibilities.

In the studs, I want them the drop to hang just below the earlobe, so they're contained and elegant.

These are my favourite, little ruby drops.

And amazonite drops, certainly not as little as the rubies, as you'll see in the pic where they're all together.The hooks hang a lot further down, but are still quite contained. These ones are carnelian.

These are all prototypes, and some won't get further than that. But I'm hoping to get a heap up in this style up and running for the BiDM. Gosh, so close!

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Crunchy

2009-11-11T20:11:00.005+10:00

Today was granola day. Homemade granola, a la Nigella.

Mmmm, golden syrup, almonds, hazelnuts, honey, oats, seeds - soooo much delicious crunchy goodness.

Great for snackies by the handful. And with yoghurt. And on icecream. And I suppose you could use it as intended for breakfast cereal, but I can't say that I've ever tried.

I think I hear some calling me now.

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Mammoth effort

2009-11-10T10:39:00.005+10:00

Well, due to a paltry amount of rain, my garden has put out a mammoth effort and Spring has sprung!

The hippeastrums have new growth and flower spikes. I thought we were going to miss out this year.
The walking lillies are flowering in abundance. Their flowers only last one day, so I've got to get out each day to catch them.The bromeliads actually have water in their core. And teeny tiny flower buds ready to rise.The worms are munching their little butts off in the worm farm.Mr Frog is keeping a close eye on the garlic chives, which are green instead of wilty and pale.And his little monster (I think it's a spider, I wasn't going to poke it to find out, it's fierce-looking) has taken up residence in the roses. Rain makes everything good.

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

First ever giveaway, yippee!

2009-11-07T10:44:00.004+10:00

Well, to celebrate my new-look blog, I thought it was definitely time for a giveaway! My ear candy earrings have been immensely popular, so why not win a pair for yourself, or as a gift to give away for Christmas? Perfect!

Here's what you need to do to enter:

Write a comment below, telling me what you look for in a piece of jewellery (eg simplicity, bold colours, etc)

For an additional entry, blog about my giveaway and spread the bloggedy blog love!

And if you're keen on a third entry, follow my blog! Surely that's no hardship ;)

Make sure you leave a comment below to let me know what you've done, and links to where you've done it.

Then the winner (yay!) can choose their own style of sterling silver ear candy - stud or hook, and whichever semiprecious stone you wish featured. There are plenty to choose from.

This competition is open to all countries, so tell one, tell all!

Ends Wednesday November 18 2009, at midnight AEST. Good luck!

Million Gazillion Hours

2009-11-07T10:39:00.002+10:00

I wanted a look for my blog that I was happy to spend time looking at. And after spending, yes, a million gazillion hours yesterday I believe I might have it.

I am the yellow ball.

Really annoyed!

2009-11-06T11:33:00.003+10:00

I've got to figure out how to use this damn blogger thing. The post on november 2 was actually finalised and posted today. Why does a draft backdate to the date you started it? Grrr.

So for today's post, visit here.

Delicious yummy gemmy beads!

2009-11-04T13:05:00.004+10:00

My ship came in yesterday, and brought me lots of lovely, lovely beads! As we'll have to watch our spending very carefully next year, this will be my last big buy-up for a while.

As I was cataloguing them, my 'helper' enjoyed herself immensely!

What are these?

Ooo, sparkly!

Can I eat them?

Plum-tuckered out from rolling around in my lovely lovely gems.

No beads were harmed in the making of this photo series.

The Handmade Expo Giveaway Extravaganza!

2009-11-03T10:02:00.003+10:00

The lovely ladies at The Handmade Expo are doing a giveaway to celebrate 100 followers of their awesome blog!

Now, you need to get over there and put a comment on the blog, because the more comments on the blog, the higher the monetary prize!

Come on, click here all you south-east Queenslanders, what would be better than having $100 to go towards Chrissy presents (or yourself ;)!!!?!!

Babushka and bushki-minis

2009-11-02T13:45:00.002+10:00

I saw these recently on the Brisstyle blogpost, and I think they're just adorable. Mumma and Bubba Bushkas by mygirl

I have to find some way to justify buying them, and getting them into the house without my husband finding out.

Actually, I have a plan: When Moo-ma goes fish shopping with daddy to restock our aquarium, she waves in the general direction of a tank, and voila, those fish are our new pets. I intend to try this technique with the Babushka dolls. Only trick will be getting said husband to go to the markets.

I'll work on it.

I want those dolls.

For my Moo-ma of course.

Not for me.

Creativity mojo is running amok

2009-11-02T10:08:00.008+10:00

I'm loving being a stay-at-home mum. Before, by the time I'd get home from school, my brain would be sucked dry by all those kids' needs, and I'd have barely enough brain power left to put one foot in front of the other, let alone to create something new and exciting.

But now, I'm finding I can't sleep because my brain is so full of designs and creations that I want to make. This is so exciting! Like the cuff in my post yesterday, it's inspired by the Twilight bracelet, but it's design is entirely my own.

My shipment of beads came from the US, and I'll be making some more of my necklets with the double-terminated focal stone. And I've got some new earring designs that I'm trying out. This one is earringsbyerin design, from this tutorial. Click here to see what they 'should' look like. My first attempt was with square wire for the curls, and it was a slightly bigger gauge than it should have been.

This unfinished pair are with the correct sized wire - I think I prefer the bigger square gauge, myself.And the pair on the left are designed by silverknuten from this tutorial. I don't plan to make any more of these, I just wasn't fussed by my end result. The pair on the right were an experiment. Not sure about them either.I'm also playing around with my market table for the next Handmade Expo. Lots to do, lots to do.Oh, oh, before I finish up, a creature strange is having a giveaway of one of her fabulous new iphone holders. They are in gorgeous colours and materials, I really love her style. Pop on over to her blog and have a look.

Twilight Inspiration - Can you sparkle in the sun?

2009-11-01T15:01:00.008+10:00

I was approached by a friend to make her a bracelet/cuff like the one Bella wears in Twilight. It's very pretty - simple and charming - and I can see why it's so popular.

However, unfortunately, what I made could only be said to be loosely inspired by this bracelet. It's gothic, to say the least. It is far from simple, but still charming, I think ;) The stone is labradorite - everyone's favourite - and everything else is sterling silver.

As this one isn't really her cup of tea, I'll have another go at a simpler version when I get some more of the correct gauge wire, and try to sit the stone inside the front of the cuff, rather than on top.

Gorgeous red orbs

2009-10-30T20:30:00.004+10:00

Made this one a couple of days ago, but only now have I got around to photographing it and listing it on Etsy.

It's such a beautiful stone, with red orbs which is not common for ocean jasper.

Ooo, oo, almost forgot, it's been a while since I was featured in a treasury but my little ocean jasper fishy is out and about at the moment.

He's in good company, don't you think?

New style pendant

2009-10-29T09:30:00.008+10:00

Well, the tax is done (bleck!!!) and as soon as I could shove all the receipts into a folder and hide it at the back of the filing cabinet, I bought my first tutorial from Jewelry lessons. I'd been salivating over Earrings by Erins gorgeous style for a while, and I thought I'd try her way of wrapping cabs. This is her beautiful pendant, click the picture to follow the link.

So, me being me, I read through the tutorial, got the basics, and like a bull at a gate, off I went. Well, it wasn't as much of a disaster as it probably should have been (I did follow the basics, after all ;) and here's what I came up with.

For starters, symmetry and I aren't really great mates so I chose an asymmetrical style. The amethyst cab I used was muuuuuch smaller than the one she had pictured so the designs over the face probably look a bit heavy, but I'm happy with it.

Here's the back - as pretty (if not prettier) than the front!

I also got her gorgeous earring tutorial, so I'll keep you posted when I try those.

Taxtime aargh!

2009-10-25T20:28:00.007+10:00

Well, I've put it off and put it off and it's almost the end of October and I want to KEEP PUTTING IT OFF!

In fact, I've put it off and made these earrings, and photographed them and listed them on Etsy all in one day (something I never do). I normally drag the process out for about a week. But procrastinating tax can do that to a person.

How I hate tax time - I'm sure everybody hates it. This is what my inbox currently looks like

and I've got to go through it and make some sense of order. And stop my 8 month old from eating the receipts. She has this thing about receipts.

But order shall prevail. And hopefully I shall wrench some of my hard-earned cash back off of the tax man. We shall see.

Swirly Sculpted Earrings

2009-10-25T10:44:00.006+10:00

I had a pink lampwork version of these on sale at The Handmade Expo and they sold before the market even started. I left them up on display and they generated HEAPS of interest, so I'm doing a selection of earrings in the same style. I need coin-shaped beads for these, and I don't have many so I'm definitely on the lookout.

These ones are American art glass, a beautiful blue and red.

Hey Big Spender!

2009-10-24T10:14:00.006+10:00

I went to the Craft and Stitches Show this week, and I was all set to buy a heap of semiprecious beads to feed my new fancy of making complete necklaces out of my pendants. But I found nothing that I wanted, I was so disappointed, so I came home and spent an absolute fortune over the net. I just hope I can hide the credit card bill before my husband finds out.

But I couldn't resist these -

I just have no idea what to I'm going to do with them! Just look at them lots to begin with, I guess.

But aren't they absolutely delicious?

Gorgeous gorgeous malachite chrysocolla

2009-10-24T09:52:00.006+10:00

Well, I've got to go off and do some more score study on the Coronation Mass before this afternoon (which is also making me miss the latest Brisstyle catchup - booo!)

but before I do that I want to show you my latest pendant.

and matching earrings

Problem solved!

2009-10-05T15:27:00.004+10:00

I'd been trying and trying to find a safe and cheap way to post my earrings that also kept the whole package slim enough to stay under the 20mm mark for the lowest postage price.

And lo and behold I've done it!

I used to make origami boxes for

my pendants, with reinforced sides for the mail.. Well, this is the mini version!

And I don't even need to make a lid, because the padded post bag protects the rest! Fantastic!

Ear Candy

2009-08-27T17:29:00.006+10:00

I'm very excited to add these gemstone earrings to my range, I looove making them! They're so bright and colourful, don't you think? I'm particularly partial to the yellow tiger-eye ones, myself.

They can be done in sterling silver, 14k gold-filled, square or round wire. Oh, and as studs or earhooks. So versatile, and in every colour of the rainbow.

Now, I've just got to get my act together and add them to my etsy shop. Stupid photo taking. Such a pain!

Here fishy fishy!

2009-08-05T21:15:00.001+10:00

What do you think of this fellow? I'm so proud of the way he turned out, I can't stop looking at him!

Mmm caramels

2009-08-02T11:01:00.003+10:00

This pendant reminds me of caramel kisses. Mmmm.

This particular style of wrap (suspension in silver, whatever) is an absolute bugger to achieve. For starters, I have to use half-hard wire, and I HATE half-hard because it get harder and harder the more you manipulate it until it's as hard as a rock! At least with soft wire, you can get it into position and then polish it into hardness!
No pain no gain, hey? Aargh.

Love lapidary shows!

2009-08-01T19:08:00.004+10:00

Well, it's obvious that I don't get out often enough when the highlight of my week was the Ipswich Rock Show. But honestly, the tailgaters are so friendly and helpful, and I get to rifle through lots and lots of rocks. Heavenly! I got a few things - some bargains and some not.

I'll be able to get a couple of cuts out of the queensland agate pebble, so I'm excited to get out on the cabbing machines soon.

I also wrapped a fantastic piece of ocean jasper - this should tantalise those OJ lovers!

Calling for donations

2009-07-31T18:27:00.004+10:00

Well, I spent Moo-Ma's nap times today making a pendant and earring set to go into a prize hamper at Handmade Heaven, and they turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

Not the usual sort of stuff that I do, but certainly nice for a change, and it meant I had to dig into my bead stash and see what has been lurking there.

I also love what my schmickeroony lightbox does for my photo-taking ability, which frankly, is rather crummy.

The blog's return

2009-07-27T17:17:00.004+10:00

My goodness, I really have neglected my blog! But as I now have no-one to talk to bar my almost six-month old gurgler during the day (and such scintillating conversation that is), I thought I might return to blathering into the web-sphere.

Sat down today and made two pendants - yes two!!

My Millie Moo-Ma slept so well today during her naps that I had ample time to (no, not clean the house!) construct some jewellery. How exciting! I have yet to list them on Etsy, so maybe they'll go into my little collection at Handmade He aven. We'll see.

A bewdiful gemmy piece of rhodochrosite!

Looks like frog's legs to me!

2007-11-13T22:33:00.000+10:00

Just finished this one up tonight! I love the way it turned out (don't you like it when that happens?) The ends of the wire look like little frog's feet.

And it blows my mind that this stone is actually fossilised algae! Cool hey? (I know I know, got to get a life!!!)

Prehistoric cuteness

2007-10-25T22:50:00.000+10:00

I'm trying my hand at squishy dinosaurs. Don't know if there'd be a market for them, just thought I'd try them out for fun - I know, got to get a life! What do you think? They're about as far from my wirewrapped pendants as you can get!

Vietnam - We made it back alive!

2007-10-16T20:09:00.000+10:00

Well, we've been back from our holiday in Viet Nam for a couple of weeks now, but I've only just now had enough time to go back and look at the photos and share them with my blog.

What I want to tell the world is 'GO NOW'. Viet Nam is still charming, with friendly people and just enough Westerner comforts to make it comfortable, but not fake. But there are some massive developments in progress, especially in Nha Trang (a seaside resort), and I was very sad to see it happening.

It's hard to take a photo that doesn't tell a story in Viet Nam. It is a photographer's dream. However, these photos are my family, and not so much the place. But we went together, Mum and Dad, me and Brett, and that in itself was pretty amazing.

Three goofies - Mum, me and Brett (yes, he's the one with the big-arse camera that just says 'I'm a tourist, steal me!'. That was when the pickpocketers weren't targetting the man carrying a lonely planet guide around in his hand. Yes, that was my father. Hmm, spot the tourists.

This is how life looks when you're on a train for 14 hours and the beer runs out. However, as the beer costs less than $1, and the beer cart finally came back down our end of the train, that frown quickly turned upside down.

We ate a lot of icecream. And it was so pretty! And cheap! And mum and dad behaved themselves when they were full of creamy goodness, so bring it on!

I, on the other hand, quite enjoyed the fact that pina colada's were about the equivalent of $3, AND the coconut milk was fresh and creamy and delicious....! Mmmmmm, I like da pina colada.......

You'd think from looking at this that all we did was eat! Well, actually, that's probably true! Well, we did a bit of sight-seeing to. But the food was amazing! Didn't try the dog though. Next time.

Synergy

2007-10-11T22:19:00.000+10:00

Well, that wild chick firechicktick sent me some of her gorgeous fused glass cabs to wrap, and I wrapped and I wrapped until my little fingers were all bleeding and numb! That's dedication, that is! (or stupidity, you decide!)

But I've FINALLY got them done! Keep your eyes peeled on her website and mine to see how our collaboration turned out. More coming soon.....

http://www.firechicktick.etsy.com/

http://www.rocknwrap.etsy.com/

Here's a sampler:

Trying an Aussie site

2007-09-13T22:33:00.000+10:00

Well, I've finally managed to upload two pendants on Madeit

It was a damned sight more difficult than Etsy, and I wish my sales would take off there, but I'm looking into other avenues closer to home (madeit.com.au is an Aussie site). But the sheer painfulness of putting items up on madeit will keep me faithful to my first love Etsy! Plus I lost $3 listing fee because I put in $446 instead of $46 as the sale price, and the site DOESN'T LET YOU EDIT IT! That's right, and you can't edit your categories either. Hmmm.

I love you Etsy! Now make me rich, damn you!

Here are the two pendants that I put up on madeit.com.au

DAY OF THE BIRDS

2007-09-04T18:24:00.000+10:00

We have bird feeder out on the deck and we put seed out for the native birds. But this weekend............dah, dah daaaaaaaah.......... it was a little TOO exciting!

First one sulphur-crested cockatoo came and squawked a little, so we put some seed out.

Then another came...........

And another (this cheeky beggar appeared upside-down from the roof!)........not that we couldn't hear him coming - clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk - not the daintiest of birds. No, we don't have to be dainty, we've got beaks that'll take your finger off. Just try us! Go on, wave your finger at us and say 'Pretty Polly'!
We're wishing that we'd reinforced the chains that hold the birdfeeder to the deck.

*SWINGING BACK AND FORTH*

But this is not the end of it......oh no! Now the whole flock arrives! Quick, put out some more seed before they eat the deck (or the camera-wielder)! Cockatoos are reknowned for stripping wood in no time flat!

Even the cats didn't stick around after the first two arrived. Ran away to hide under the bed. And you said they don't have any brains, Mum! HAH!

At one point, there were 12 cockatoos fighting for seed on the deck. I must say that I prefer to see them ONE AT A TIME. From behind a screen door. Or from under the bed with the cats.

Spotlight on SHINE!

2007-09-03T21:41:00.001+10:00

Featuring another stone that I got dad to buy for me on Ebay. Once again, I had to very firmly inform him that it was NOT disappearing into his collection box.

Isn't this just the coolest stone ever!? It's called Pulsite, and is a combo of lots of different metals - silver, copper, iron, magnesium, nickel and zinc.

I can never get over how very very amazing nature can be.

I've wirewrapped the pendant in sterling silver to match the silver sheen on the top of the cabochon.

OMG there's a durian in the house!

2007-09-02T10:41:00.000+10:00

For my beautiful husband's birthday, my folks gave him a day at a Vietnamese cooking school. Last night, he decided to show off his prowess for our guests. And it was absolutely delicious!

However, when one of our guests decided she was going to venture into the kitchen to have a go, look at what happened! See how much attention our guest pays to his threatening manner! Ooh, such a dufus!

He also brought home a durian from the shops. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Why did you buy that?

Him: Because it was there.

Me: What are you going to do with it?

Him: I dunno, make icecream or something.

Me: You remember when we went to Singapore, durians were banned in the hotels?

Him: Yes.

Me: When is bin night?

Him: *no response*

Me: I'm going to stay with my parents until bin night.

The durian is still sitting ominously downstairs in its plastic bag.
It can't be as bad as all that! Can it?

Hey I've been featured! And customs took my soap :(

2007-08-30T18:25:00.000+10:00

It's always exciting when someone else decides to promote your work! Killer krafts is featuring my multi-coloured jade bracelet on her blog! Check it out! http://killerkrafts.blogspot.com/2007/08/jade.html

Now onto customs. I know they protect our borders and everything but I'm very cross because they decided that they wanted my beautiful soap that I had ordered from soap. I only got 4 of my 7 soaps that I had bought, so the transaction has ended up not as good value, but of course that's not soap's fault! Mind you, if I'm willing to wait 60 days and fork out $43.50, I can have my taken soaps back. I'm sure it doesn't cost that much to nuke a soap! Extortionist bastards!

Oh well, at least my 'stroke me' bar of soap, which is my absolute-would-pay-the-extortionist-quarantine-fee-to-get-it-back-favourite! Small mercies, right? *sniff*

I want my soap. I feel unclean without it.

Muppet down under

2007-08-26T11:40:00.000+10:00

My muppet from Tel Aviv has arrived and on our first day of sunshine after a week of long-awaited rain, I toddled outside into the garden to find him enjoying the beautiful wattle flowers that are in bloom (a little presumptuous they are too - it's not even spring yet!).

Because I will be confining him to the inside by his mobile attachment, I allowed him this one merry jaunt outside. But don't fret, he'll love it inside! I'll put him near the window so that he can look out and everything!

If you'd like your own mischevious muppet to grace your home, raisinlike at Etsy will be sure to help you out! Be careful though - I think that they're addictive. Like sock animals.

Etsy is providing me with a great deal of fun and empty pockets! If you haven't heard about this great site, pop over and take a look! You will be glad you did!

Wrenched from his warm hands!

2007-08-25T19:27:00.000+10:00

Well, it's been a little while since I made anything as life has been fairly hectic. I went down to Sydney on the weekend for a voice competition, and life hasn't slowed since then.

The good news is is that mum and dad came to visit, and dad brought me more stones! I get him to do most of my Ebay bidding, as he's retired and appears to be permanently attached to the computer. So I use this to my advantage! It does mean that I have to wait until they do the big trek down to us to get the majority of my cabochons though. And dad starts to get a bit handsy about the cabs that he's supposed to have bought for me! They often disappear into his own collection.

However, this one I wrenched kicking and screaming from his warm hands! And I knew it would be an absolute stunner.

Presenting: The prettiest piece of pink lepidolite that you ever did see, hand-wrapped in sterling silver wire. It's long and slender, and so so so elegant.

Hmm, I wonder what else he's 'put away'?

One more step towards certifiable Crazy Cat Ladyhood!

2007-08-13T17:55:00.000+10:00

Well, Reggie the sock cat arrived today and after an initial period of disorientation, he seems to be fitting in quite nicely! He appears to be very friendly, and Tinker the ditsy Devon has decided that he'll do fine! The other cat, Simba, on the other hand, is not quite so sure. In fact, she's conspicuously absent. But don't worry, friends, she'll come around.

If you'd like a 'Reggie' of your very own, I'm sure that uppitywomandesigns would be more than happy to provide you with your own bundle of joy! For those amongst us who aren't crazy cat ladies, she even has sock dogs and bunnies!

Go on, you know you want to!

'A house without a sock animal is a sad house indeed' - from one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays.

Crikey, she's a beauty!

2007-08-09T21:08:00.000+10:00

This is a beautiful and unusual piece of Australiana: a piece of Yowah nut opal.

Yowah nut opal comes from one place - Yowah in outback australia, and is actually a hollow ironstone boulder with an opal matrix.

The opal can be mixed in with black or red ironstone, vitrified clay or silicated sandstone to form the most beautiful patterns and pictures. There are some truly beautiful picture stones that have the look of aboriginal paintings The reaction of most people when seeing these stones is, I didn't know opal could be like this, its beautiful!

So now you know! I loved this stone so much that I attempted my first combo wrap - both sterling silver and gold-filled wire. I think that it was very, very, very, very good choice! So happy with this piece!

Click on the picture if you are interested in seeing the absolutely fantastically detailed 'picture' on the stone up close and personal.

I decided to suspend the stone through a hole that had been drilled from left to right (intended for a thong or chain). This means that the stone swings free at the bottom, and I just love that!

Bunch of lunatics for hire

2007-08-09T17:49:00.000+10:00

Well, we've just come back from the Gold Coast Eisteddfod, and the choir didn't get anything this year! I'm severely annoyed because they sang VERY WELL, even to my never-quite-satisfied ears, and though that should be reward in itself, it is always galling to come home without a trophy, especially as we have won (sometimes deservedly, sometimes not) in the past.

And it's not as though they didn't deserve to get a place! The adjudicator gave the place trophies to choirs who pushed their voices, shouted, or just simply sang out of tune! Now to endorse this sort of singing is just asking for vocal problems (probably nodules), and to advocate a 'white noise' type of sound (clear straight tone) over a full, rich sound is just plain wrong to my ears. But.........every adjudicator has different criteria. Some like to see movement, even at the expense of the singing. Others will sacrifice tone for the sake of word enunciation. This one wanted light and shade of sound, even at the expense of vocal quality and tonality. Me, you start by singing the right notes, and then build the rest on from there. No wonder there are so many burnt-out singers out there if this is what the 'Australian Choral Sound' is!

Oh well, eisteddfods are the opinions are one person. Not much you can do about that. The kids felt very good about themselves after they sang, and that's what counts! And they had a number of people (even conductors of other choirs) go out of their way to tell us that we were 'robbed'. So there!

Peachy-orangy lace

2007-08-07T21:11:00.000+10:00

My latest pendant is made of Java Lace Agate from Queensland, Australia and is wrapped is sterling silver. This cab is a lovely, lovely colour, unlike any that I've seen from Indonesia, and the sealed pocket of quartz crystals just makes it that bit more special.

I find this design so much more difficult to balance up around the stone than I do the cage technique. I tend to waste A LOT of silver each time I try this design because when it doesn't work, I snip it off and start afresh and the old wire goes in the bin (oh that hurts to say - all that precious metal down the drain). But it was worth it, I think!

You're not getting it!

2007-08-05T22:35:00.000+10:00

I made this last week, got all ready to list it on Etsy tonight, but I just can't bear to part with it! I had a great deal of disappointment today when I lost everything I bid for on Ebay, so I deserve something nice!

I went to the Ipswich rock and gem show yesterday, and left with one cabochon. ONE! There just doesn't seem to be many people out there in Australia who cut cabs. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'd love to find someone to source stones from locally! I hate having to deal with Ebay, but it's the only place to get stones of any diversity!

Ok, rant over.

Poke-a-belly!

2007-08-04T22:58:00.000+10:00

Meet Tinker, the stupidest but most adorable Devon Rex in the world. She will happily lie on you upside down, belly exposed, for hours! She cracks me up when she not seriously p***ing me off!

What does this button do.......oh!!!

2007-08-04T19:57:00.000+10:00

Well, I've got a blog, and now I have to learn how to use it!

I really want to keep a record of my pendant-making, so let's see if I can figure out how to put a picture on.......

Hooray!

This is my latest pendant, made from a ceramic tile I bought on Etsy from ArtfulMosaicsByDana. I'm so pleased with him, he's unlike what I normally do. He's got lots of interest too, but no-one wants to give him a home yet. I admit, I'll be sorry when I have to send him away!

Well, I think this will do for a start, see you soon! Over and out.