Been a little "cray cray" around here ..

So, I got back from swanning about in Oaxaca and kinda hit the ground running. My house renovations (studio on its way!!) had gotten underway and there was a whole lotta chaos. The builders seem to have this fluid timeline so I still have a temporary wall dividing half the house and the contents of that half stuffed into every available space! I pretty much jumped off the plane and took myself off to the dentist and started root canal treatment - oh joy and a week later had a minor knee op. The op at least was a scheduled thing so I knew it was coming and I must say I am dead impressed with modern surgical techniques. They fixed up a heap of stuff in my knee and all I had to show for it was a couple of little holes! Remarkable! Hence, I haven't blogged at all because let's face it, my minor health issues are really not that interesting - I am just using them as an excuse to explain my absence in BlogLand!  What has actually kept me happily busy have been preparations for an Arts Bazaar that the art school I study at holds annually. So much fun! As soon as I could get off the couch I was in my little workroom beavering away like a madwoman ...

Here is my stall - with just a touch of Mexico! I couldn't resist!

I think Oaxaca has had an effect on my jewellery making as I just couldn't resist using lots of colour ...

Well, the influence is pretty obvious here ... I had the best time making these! They are cut from old silver plated trays and adorned with brass findings and their eyes are cut from old Tupperware lids. Joy!

These are a new thing for me. They are cuffs made from tea tins and biscuit tins. Again a result of my travels as I met a nice street vendor in San Fransisco who also worked in recycled materials - my take is naturally a bit different but I owe him a debt for the inspiration.

I think when I had a quick count up I hade made something like 35 neck pieces and scads of earrings. This is pretty much the only market type thing I do now and I really enjoyed the face to face contact with people and watching their reactions when I explained about the materials ... They are often very very surprised. And of course they tell me how clever I am (even when they don't make a purchase!) which doesn't hurt the old ego at all!

So that is me done and dusted for 2013 making commitments - now it is all about fun and development of new ideas. Oh and I guess I will be getting amongst the whole Christmas thing now ...