Searched High & Low!

I had pics to show off, I did.............pretty things I made today and now I can't find my camera cable!!! I expect one of the boys has had it, wait until I catch up with 'em........My ipod cable seems to disappeared from desk also and I'll have the hump if I have to go to bed with a flat battery (ipod battery girls!)

We must of had an advert placed in a craft magazine, the phones calls I've had today....

Me: Good morning/afternoon, Bijoux BEADS, how can I help you?

Caller: Do you sell Balser wood?

Me: Eh, no.....We're a bead shop, we sell glass beads etc.....

Caller: So you don't stock those little tins of enamal paint then...

Me: No, sorry!

I've been asked for: Knitting wool, model aircraft, sculpting blades, dolls eyes, crayons & stickers and best of all.......knitting pattern for an egg cosy!!!! I'm not kidding!

Sleep tight x

A Very Special Award!

The very lovely Jo of Gem Heaven has awarded me the "True Blue Award" and I'm thrilled, really really thrilled!! She's such a sweetie, kind, talented, I want to buy all her jewellery (there's one bracelet in particular which I especially love, I really love it, really, really, really love it!) and she also makes me giggle and smile, particulary this last month which has been a bit difficult for me....so thank you Jo!

I'm going to think really hard on who I pass this award onto (think Jo may have got everyone first, lol) but to everyone who has befriended me over the last couple of months this is for you!!!

Permission to rant!

FINALLY, I've managed to pick up my pliers and make some jewellery, what bliss!

I'd forgotton I could do this with wire, its been ages since I've had a little play with my drill and I was chuffed to bits so made another for myself and sold both today, perfect excuse to do some more tonight!

Moan time.........I'd like to say a really big cheers and thank you to the total waste of space who drove me off the road tonight on my way home!!! I drive 22 miles of country lanes, some are only just wide enough for one car with those regular little pull ins so you can pass.........I'm no lightweight with the gas pedal but he (i'm assuming) roared up behind me, lights on full beam and sat on my bumper pushing me to go faster for 9 uncomfortable miles, eventually forcing me onto the verge so he could squeeze past..............all this while chatting on his (sorry, assuming again) mobile.......mile or so later there he is again stuck behind a tractor and still on his mobile.................Don't you just love 'em! Rant done, promise.

The above necklace is a commission, not one I enjoyed doing, its so heavy, so full, I'd imagine its going to be a bit uncomfortable to wear, saying that the client was thrilled with it, saying its exactly what she wanted, big sigh of relief! She must have been nearly 6ft with a bust to match, masses of hair and she'll carry it off but I couldn't imagine wearing it...

Anyway, off to play with wire and drills..........

Noooooooo Jewellery

I've not made a piece of jewellery for nearly a week, been so busy with shop, interviewing new staff and all those mundane things that I've not had time and it just doesn't feel right, something is definately missing from my day, so despite the hour I'm going to pop my glasses on the end of my nose and make some earrings!!

Phew!

After much fuss, the photo is taken, its not a good picture or maybe it is and I just don't like looking at myself, anyway, project is done, photo is done, I can let my grey hair take over and my eyebrows run riot again!

A lady came in today with a small envelope filled with beautiful Rubies. Now, strictly speaking we don't do repairs on jewellery in the shop unless its our beads but we can take jobs on privately and as these are really really really old I've agreed to do something with them........She didn't really have an idea what she wanted so half an hour later we're still working on design when it became apparent that she didn't want Sterling Silver rather silver plated. Mostly in the shop we work on plated metals and lets be fair, the quality of plated is very much improved in recent years, findings from Menoni in Italy are fantastic but they are still plated, I prefer Sterling when working at home or on semi precious. I wondered if she was worried about cost so explained the difference, that Sterling only costs a little more than the plated, pence really, and still she went for the plated................I was dumbfounded..........So plated its going to have to be.....Strange, hey!

I've only been blogging for a short period and in that time I have met some wonderful people, friends, I've been warmly welcomed and truly inspired by the most talented people.

Thank you to Laura of Beads by laura who has bestowed me with the "You Make My Day" award, you will find it on the right hand side of this wee blog, now I have to pass this award on to 5 others and here I may struggle a bit, you see I'm still getting to know everyone. Here goes.....

1. Jo @ Heavenly Jewellery........Incredibly talented, beautiful jewellery, lovely person, thanks Jo for sort of taking me under your wing!
2. Kara @ Innocent Charms..........Kara, is such a sweetie, kind & funny, talented and an inspiring crafter, oh and an amazing blogger!
3. Brandi @ Catieblue.............Amazing, how she finds the time, totally inspiring!
4. Caroline @ Crafted Gems......I've just met Caroline and would like to get to know her better AND I want to own her beads!
5. Bev of Unique Jewellery For You.....I've not spoken with Bev yet but I love her blog and her jewellery

To pass the award on, here are the details :
1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make me think and/or make my day.
2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3. Display the “You Make My Day Award” logo
4. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.

So hey, thats it, I've done it, thanks again Laura, love your beads!

Na nite peeps xxx

Eyebrows

Well, the yellow project is done and will be winging its way to the magazine tomorrow, being that I hate yellow I have to confess, it was damned hard. I'm reasonably pleased with it, can't show you yet until its in print, sometime in May............

So, now I have to have a photo taken, which I hate more than I hate yellow. I've dyed my hair to get rid of the grey, tonight I have to attack my eyebrows, which could take me sometime with tweezers, mirror and my GLASSES on, not easy and lets be honest here girls, it really hurts. They have for a number of years been entrusted to someone who knows what there doing but thats not in my budget anymore so its a DIY job for me......

What if I do something wrong, I might only have one eyebrow tomorrow............ or have one bushy one and the other neat and tidy, how do you get them both the same, will I have to shave them both off................ ;)

AND, a spot appeared this morning, which I keep touching to see if it has somehow disappeared, its now a huge red sore spot, right in the middle of my forehead, just how much foundation is that going to take to cover.....

Hair We Go

I'm dying my hair, all a bit of an experiment.....................

Usually, because I'm quite a vain person, I'm off to the hairdressers on a regular basic to have my hair dyed, not because I like to change the colour frequently but because of the GREY!

I just can't afford it at the moment (poor DH's job etc) so it was off to boots for a homekit...... (sounds like one of those beer making kits, hey). Blimey, what a choice you get, there are some really scary shades out there. Took me ages to make a decision, should I go gothic or ditzy blonde.

Well, here I'm sat with gunk all over my head and a fair amount down my neck and ears, fingers crossed it will scrub off without the use of a brillo pad....its not quite so relaxing as a trip to the hairdressers I can tell you!

What if it goes green or all falls out, I didn't do the recommended strand test.....

Wasn't it a lovely day, well it was wasn't it, we had blue skies and it was warm enough to have the big windows open for a while, it was nearly lovely enough to mow the lawn but not quite. I woke with good intentions, grand ideas of a little light gardening and a bit of housework but.....................spring is coming, boys were out all day doing boy things on bikes and with a little persuasion from my bead table couple of bits of jewellery were made, blissful!

Now, I know what you're thinking, is this the same bracelet as posted before, well, no its not, I made another one, just so I could show you a better picture than the last, well slightly better anyway. At least in this one you can see all the pretty pinks, the Rose Quartz and the lovely Czech glass beads, I do like this one and may keep it for myself.

Yep, elephants again, last year it was seahorses and shell, this year I'm putting elephants on everything, I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I've gained a little weight (and then some), I'll let you work it out for yourselves.................

Well, its late and I have a date with Henry 8th and my duvet!

Queen Of Charm.........

Its been a strange week of highs and lows and I've had a lovely time reading everyone's blogs, but I've come to realise that I'm having such fun reading that I'm neglecting mine!

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of Laura's beautiful beads, the red hearts, you can see a lovely picture of them on her blog.............................But WOW WEE, they were so gorgeous and beautifully packaged!! I was going to post another pic of them here but my camera is a bit hopeless and I just can't do them justice.

Somewhere on my blog is the "worst week ever". My poor husband had been made redundant and after a bit of a struggle he had found another job, a lot less in salary but still a job........well, update...............he was laid off again (from the new job), Monday morning, the company, whose parent company is in the USA decided that due to the recession in the USA to let go of everybody who had been employed in the last 3 months.....wonderful hey...

I feel so sorry for him, he is so downcast and its so difficult to comfort him, to find the right words to say..........He has gone through all the motions this week to find another job, its fingers crossed today but if he gets it, its a 90 mile round trip everyday.

I really must apologise for the quality of these pictures, aren't they hopeless, but only had a few minutes to grab my camera before they were whipped off to be sold in our Bath shop.

Four commissions this week have been charm bracelets, I feel as if I've been making charm bracelets for ever, as much as I love making them a necklace would be good too, a pair of earrings maybe...............And we have new beads arriving, wonderful new beads, think these are possibly the best beads we've had, of course I've HAD to buy a few, when I get a bit of decent light I'll take a pic and show you.

My friend who had cancer lost her battle on tuesday and passed away. She was so brave and inspirational, she leaves an enormous hole in my life................

Anyway its off to bed for me, with good book, small bar of chocolate and ipod, have a good weekend peeps.....

My boss rang today and gave me a project...............YELLOW..........and I only have a few days to complete this task......

On behalf of Bijoux Beads, I'm to be featured in "Beads & Beyond", which naturally I'm thrilled about, they have asked for a chunky bead necklace in YELLOWS..........

There are plenty of yellow things which I love, Daffodils, Lemon Quartz, the sun, butter, to name but a few, but YELLOW beads and these are really really YELLOW, almost a fluorescent citrus YELLOW and they just don't talk to me..

AND, it will require me to have my photo taken when this morning I woke with two great big spots, one on my chin, the other on my nose, any of you seen "Nanny McPhee", well, need I say more..........and the step by step photo guide is going to look elegant with not one fingernail left intact on my hands!!! Thought about hiring a stand in, wonder if Myleene Klass is free for the day?

I am really thrilled to be asked but a little worried that I just won't do the yellow justice.

I was lucky at the weekend and managed to buy some beads from laura, they look absolutely beautiful, stunning red hearts, so very excited and will be waiting to snatch them out of the posties hands when they arrive!

Anyway, I'm off to bed now, have busy day ahead of me tomorrow with the YELLOW beads.

Huff & Puff!

Have you ever had one of those days when everything you touch is rubbish? I had set today aside for beads, so there I'm sat with a big bead soup on my desk and my brain is MUSH....I can't decide which beads to use or even what to make, every loop I turn looks rubbish and my wire is mis-behaving, its a lost cause me thinks!

The big heart is a pressie from my mother in law, its one of those dreadful "Trimit Delux's" and sadly she bought me a number of them in various hideous designs.........problem is, I feel duty bound to use them somehow. She tries very hard to find me little treats and I just don't have the heart to tell her but the collection of "Trimits" is growing ever bigger!

I seem to be obsessed with putting elephant charms onto everything, they are quite nice little charms but I've got a box full of other very nice charms that are getting neglected.......

Well thats it, its back to the bead soup on my desk and see if I can't come up with something.