My Daemon

My eldest son and I read the Dark Matter Trilogy by Phillip Pullman and absolutely loved them so we excitedly await The Golden Compass on DVD. He found this on the Internet and had great fun with it, let me introduce my daemon.

So far those that he has been introduced to think he's uncannily accurate!

How Many Days............

Is it till Christmas...................

Not one card has been written yet, oh well, save me buying more cards next year hey. I've still got presents to buy, wrap and label................................................and I'm still not talking about my ironing pile which seems to have doubled in size over the weekend.

I asked my hubby nicely, even sweetly to get the Christmas tree, a nice tree, not too bushy, not too tall (last years effort had to have 3 foot sawn off) and one that hopefully doesn't look half dead already. When I arrived home from work on Saturday evening I was speechless, there in the corner of the lounge stood the old ARTIFICIAL tree that we bought when we were first married, he had found it abandoned in the loft. He decided (without consultation) that as we are away for Christmas there was little point in having a real one, it would quite possibly be dead when we returned, a naked skeleton of a tree and a pile of needles on the carpet.........................Here's the best bit............We're only away for ONE day!

Isn't Leon from X Factor a real sweetie and I've bought the single on itunes, how SAD is that? Its the pressure of Christmas getting to me!

Good news, with 3 days to go till the super posh Christmas party, I've finally found an outfit that I really like, I can wear it more than once and it just scrapped into my budget, just!

I sent this picture to Bead Magazine months ago and they kindly included it in the last edition which pleased me immensely as you can imagine. I've had so many compliments and requests that I sell the materials in kit form, I feel so honoured that it should inspire other bead artists to have a go.

Rainbows & Rain

I think I might of mentioned this once or twice, but I love weather. I love it hot, I love it wet and windy and I especially love it when a storm is brewing.

This is my drive home from work, lovely isn't it? :-)

This wee corner of Dorset is always stunningly beautiful but more so with that rainbow and aren't the clouds a wonderful colour, it made a fantastic storm!

I'm not very good with a camera and mine is more bottom than top of the range but despite that and a shakey hand, it turned out ok, thought I'd share it.

I've Lost My Mojo

The last couple of days have been pants! You know, when nothing seems to go right! Its been sooooooo busy at work, everybody wants beads for Christmas and on top of that we are getting ready for our first ever bead sale to start on the 27th December, hundreds of beads to be bagged up ready for eager beaders hot for a bargain.

My eldest son braked too hard on his bike and went over the handle bars, broken nose, black eyes, stitches in his chin and worse still, too broken front teeth, the dentist, reassuringly tells me they can be rebuilt (sounds like something they would have said to the Bionic Man), my poor handsome lad..... :-(

Christmas is upon us and I've not written a card out yet, let alone get the tree up and presents organized, a small amount of panic is beginning to set in as I realise I've only got 2 days off work left before the silly season kicks off and I just can't tell you about my ironing pile!

And today I went to visit a friend who has been ill for sometime with Cancer, the bravest of ladies! 3 weeks ago we mucked out her horses together and today I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that she may not see Christmas. She's not a young lady, she's 76 but 3 weeks ago you wouldn't have put her a day older than 60ish, energetic, vibrant, funny, kind and I'm going to miss her dreadfully. I realise I don't know how to deal with death.

As if things couldn't get worse, the little black dress that I spent a day hunting down to wear to our amazingly super POSH Christmas do, looks absolutely horrendous, its going back and its back to the drawing board. There seems to be a huge gap between what my budget will allow for an outfit that I will only wear once and the lovely lovely must have dress that I want to buy! I have less than a week to get myself sorted..................

All inspiration has left me, the beads aren't talking.........................

Off to bed now I've got all that off my chest, feeling a bit better!

Na Nite

Oh, and one more thing to grumble about, someone (and I know who) has copied one of my designs and have it for sale in a shop in the same town as mine!

Lucky Girlie!!!!!

Woooooooooooooohoooooooooooooo!!!

I'm a winner, check out this fantastic blog, innocentcharmschats.blogspot.com and thanks to Kara!!!!!!

I'm so excited and can't wait to see what arrives in the post, I lurve surprises!!!

I've BeenTagged!

Oh gosh, I've been tagged, big hugs and thanks to Jo of heavenlyjewellery. Not sure which is the most scary, thinking of 5 things of interest about myself that won't bore you to death or getting this "tagging" thingymajiggy right! So, here goes................fingers crossed..........

1. I'm a weather freak! If it's windy, rainy, thunder and lightening you will find me outside in it somewhere, the more extreme the better I like it!

2. I worked in Windsor, Berkshire for 21 years, opposite Windsor Castle and watched that evening as it burnt down. I love Tudor/Plantagenet history, I blame my mother who took me for picnics in the castle grounds every Sunday with sandwiches and tales of intrigue and be-headings.

3. After a life time of cutting my really really really curly hair really short, I've been growing it for 2 long years and its driving me MAD! I'm convinced I look like Billy Connolly.

4. I'm a dead fussy eater and I can't (hate) cook.................................So girls, its Chocolate all the way for me :-)

5. I'd love to know who Jack the Ripper was!

I'm going to tag: Karen of geminidesigns, Steph of glassygoodies, Kelly of kebojewellery and Liz of the-crimson-moon.

Phew...........................................................

Nature or Nurture

No jewellery today. Today was devoted to teaching a class of five the joys of basic bead jewellery and despite having been teaching for two years I still get incredibly nervous. No need, five ladies turned up excited and desperate to get started, palms sweaty in anticipation at the thought of making jewellery.

I'm always asked how I started and who taught me and today it got me thinking. I'm self taught, lots of practice, patience and years of trial and error. I can teach basic and some more complicated techniques to anyone other than the completely ham fisted but where does the creativity come from.

Can you teach someone to be artistic? I come from an "arty" family, so is it genetic or being surrounded by colour and craft was it training. I was always (and still am) a dreamer!

AleAle

I really love these lampwork beads, I've mentioned the company before, AleAle, but aren't they just lovely, I just wish my camera did them justice.

Earrings to match!!!!

Crystals, Greys And A Rain Storm

Black, grey and crystal are not my colours and I avoid them if I can but customers who commission me through the shop are encouraged to pick their beads and take an active role in the designing process, this lady was not going to be persuaded from her choice. Inspiration came after (much sitting with a bead soup on the mat and head in hands) a rain storm. I love rain, I love the colour of the clouds, the smell in the air, I love to watch the surface of puddles as the wind whips across, I love the aftermath when the air is clear and clean and I love to be out walking in it!

Oh, feeling a little old today!

Today is my eldest sons 18th birthday, time seems to have flown by and I'm not sure I've kept up with it, it feels like just yesterday that I bought this small scrap home from hospital and now he's taller than me. He's the one on the right just in case you're wondering, handsome isn't he! I'm a proud mother today.