Oops! Perhaps Posting Once a Year Isn't Quite Enough?!

I really hadn't planned to leave it so long. But I should have guessed that as soon as I put into print my plan to write more often that it would be the kiss of death.

So what's been happening in my world? Well in February I went back to my 'old' job and having been away from an office environment for a few years, I found it exhausting. Consequently my creative activities took a bit of a back seat which lasted most of the year.

In May I welcomed a new member to my family. And he's just the best.......

This is Harley and he has proved to be all I could ask for in a cat and so much more. He's a rescue cat and no spring chicken but he has settled in very well and is a great companion. He's very fond of cuddles and loves falling asleep in my arms which has further hampered the creative process but who could resist such a cute face?

Things have finally settled down and I'm back in the thick of ink and all things domino. Here are a couple of my latest offerings:

The first one features a circle of patinated brass which is a technique I have been experimenting with since attending a Silver Jewellery making course. The process involves some strong chemicals and many, many days but I love the results. The second one uses a circle of copper that has been subjected to the same process. The greens and blues are amazing. The third pendant is one of my favourites using a mixture of coloured resin as a canvas to display the inner workings of an old watch. With a bit more practise, I hope to be able to show you my silver creations but they're not quite up to a public display just yet!

Well that's all for now, hope to speak again soon but I've learned not to make any promises!! Sorry it's so short but I decided 'short' was better nothing!!

New Year, New Resolve!

Crumbs, I can't believe I haven't written since September. In my defence my world has been very chaotic. This blog is primarily about my crafting ventures but as there has been very little of that happening just lately, I thought it might be an idea to explain why.

Way back in October I moved house. Not a unique experience but fairly traumatic for me!! Mainly because I moved back into a house I hadn't lived in for 5 years and unpacked all my worldly goods which had also been hidden for the same length of time. This is when I remembered that I have a LOT of STUFF and a fairly small house!! And now I have also added all the gubbins that I have collected for my crafting pursuits. It was a bit like an early Christmas, re-discovering many things which had long been forgotten but finding somewhere to put them was not easy. Indeed, I'm still trying to sort things out 3 months later. As a result, I haven't had a free worktop/table. So that is my excuse. I would show you a picture but seriously, I don't need to publish such a mess!


But I can show you a garden visitor I had just before Christmas:

This little hedgehog is pictured being weighed. They need to be about 500g-600g to be able to survive hibernation and should not be seen running around the garden in daylight unless they are VERY hungry. Well this little chap is only a baby and weighed 250g, far too small. After a few phone calls there was a dash to the nearest rescue centre where he will stay until spring. If I hadn't caught him he would not have survived.

So now Christmas is over and we are into a New Year so I have resolved to pay a lot more attention to my crafting activities and I will hopefully have some exciting things to show you. I am also doing a short silversmithing course and would love to be able to incorporate precious metals into my designs but I think I may need a longer course first!

So I'd better go and get creating, speak to you again soon.