Welcome home ....

One of the more interesting aspects of having your semi-adult (in this case 20 year old!) children move back home is the amount of stuff they bring with them. Of course their pets have to come on home too!

Let me introduce Mooshoo - the bearded dragon!

" Oh yeah - work it Baby!"

"Blue Steel"!

"Look at me, look at me..."

"I told you this was my best side!"

Generally, he lives in a vivarium in the lounge room - so I really do have a Lounge Lizard now! Now that the days are sunny and warm we have been taking him out for a spot of earwig and slater hunting - he is pretty fast! He really seems to enjoy catching his own lunch - well it is a bit more challenging than being fed a dozen crickets in a confined space where they have no chance of escape! When he is in his house he provides endless amusement for the kitten who likes to keep a close eye on him!

Let there be Light!

How hard do you think it is to find a lamp that is groovy, funky and at a price that doesn't require a second mortgage? Well let me tell you, it is REALLY tricky! I had a big old hunt for one to give to my 16 year old friend (who has just revamped her bedroom) for her birthday and there was just NOTHING about that I liked. Well I did what any self respecting crafter would do do - I decided to make one myself! I hunted up a stand at a second hand store and luckily for me my darling father-in-law who is a retired carpenter was happy to give it a proper sand and undercoat! Then it was out with Jo Sonya paints and it was slowly transformed. I couldn't resist some gold highlights for a bit of extra ooomph!
I bought a white shade from Target and recovered it by joining lots of different lushy fabrics and then embelishing with braids and ribbons! Some of these fabrics were from things my Mum had made and are over 30 years old. The final touch was a beaded ribbon around the bottom. I think it looked great - just right for the new BoHo look my friend was aiming for! Unfortunately I didn't get to see her unwrap it but the feedback was good and she is just the kind of girl to really value something that has been handmade. Yay for DIY!
Why bother shopping really?

Here are some before and after shots!

I'm baaaaack ...!

It has been a little while - I have been unwell - but now I am on the mend I hope to keep up a bit more regular blogging! A few week-ends ago we trundle off to the beach with a bunch of dear friends for an annual get together. We have so much to catch up on - kids, families, jobs, endeavours etc because we are all only in the same place at the same time once a year! Add liberal amounts of alcohol, great food ( have discovered new found love of Arancini balls - sorry waistline!!), music, and crazy games and you have a recipe for a memorable week-end! My face ached from laughter! The lovely Jan made us all yummy Liqueur Coffees and the menfolk provided great bbq brakfasts! It reminded me of just how important it is to nurture those relationships that are with people who make you happiest!

Ah! Good Times!

Hang it all!

Last week a friend was wearing a lovely pair of ear-rings that she bought in Tassie. I was fascinated by the hanging mechansm as it was a single piece of wire and had a secure closure as well as a great shape. Naturally, I had to have a go at making a similar one. It took a few goes to get it right - glad I didn't launch into the sterling wire straight away - and I am pleased with the result. I have quite a few applications for this style of hanger burbling away in my brain now! Sadly the pics don't really demonstrate the lovely curve of these ear-rings - you get a better idea of the shape from the last photo.

The discs are some I cut ages ago from a brass planter and were close at hand!

I love that the back closes securely. I will probably make some kind of jig to form these in the future, for the sake of uniformity. Despite this pair being a little odd, I am really happy with the way they turned out.

Acid test!

Despite having a self-prescribed sanity break from the studio I just had to have a little play ...I actually popped this piece in the acid to see if there was any life left - I thought the old ferric might have lost its juice - and promptly forgot about it for two days! It etched beautifully over this extended time so I guess the acid is on its way out but at least I was able to recover this! The last thing I forgot in the acid was a brass washer and it disappeared completely!

Pixie boy.

Today I was dropping some stuff off to the op shop for a change and came across this little guy. At first I handed him straight back to the op shop lady 'cos I thought he was just too malevolent looking. Then I reconsidered because I thought this sprite might be offended by my attitude and would really haunt me! So he has come home with me. The family are less than impressed - they think he is an evil little gremlin ( thanks son!) I am reserving judgement - if I wake up tomorrow and he has moved about the room he may have to go back to the Oppie!

Oh I am really not sure ...

Creepy or cute?

Here he is - put to use !

So, I haven't posted for a while ...

I have been chained to the leg of the chair in my studio for so long I had almost forgotten I had a blog! I have been madly preparing for a bi-annual 3-day event as well as the regular making for the jewellery parties! So I have been a slack blogger I'm afraid!

My darling pal Melissa was on hand to help set up and run the show over the three days as well as feeding me ( gotta love all those home grown vegies!) and giving me a roof over my head! It was great to hang out together for the whole week - big thanks to her and her darling hubby who took the invasion in his stride!

This was my stall at the Paskeville Field Days - this event takes place in the middle of an enormous paddock! Being a rural event there is often a predominance of navy, khaki and pink - my little stall looks quite exotic in comparison!

I had a lot of "repeat offenders" who had purchased goodies from me two years ago and sought me out first thing! They sent hubbies off to gaze longingly at enormous farm equipment whilst they gave their credit cards an airing!

All these pics were taken on the first day - after that the stock dwindled and we spread things out - at this stage though it was a riot of colour and choice!

This was my favourite pair of ear-rings - in fact I think it was the only pair of "fancy" ones I made for the Field Days ( well the trouble with ear-rings is that you have to make two!) and they were snapped up really quickly! The new owner was dead delighted with them so that made me happy too!

I caught up with people that I literally only see at this event every two years and I met loads of new and interesting people too! All in all it was a great week - heaps of fun and succesful to boot!