A Quick Note

Just a quick note to say 'hi', I'm still here.  I have made some beads but my poor oxycon is still not 100%.  In case you're wondering the oxycon is a reconditioned NHS oxygen concentrator which is rigged up to my torch with propane to give a nice hot flame.  It is essential to the bead-making process.  I am going to poke around inside it tommorrow, and if I have no joy I think I'll have to invest in a new one - Yikes!  And yes, I would love to include a photo of said beads but we seem to be encountering technical difficulties with the camera!!!!

I went on a jaunt around the countryside on Tuesday with my OH, we finished up in Bradford on Avon which is a very pretty town on the edge of Bath.  We visit BoA periodically, but haven't done so in a while.  We went on wander up Silver Street and stumbled upon Jumble Jelly Oh my goodness!  What a fantastic shop, it is eye-candy to any yarn and fabric addict, even the OH was impressed.  Beautiful products, beautifully displayed, it was so hard to walk away without making a purchase.  I am currently working on a blanket which I am determined to finish before I move on to the next project.  They do hold a 'Knit and Natter' session, which I am definitely going to attend, along with some very tempting workshops.

If you are ever passing Bradford on Avon it is well worth a detour to visit, there is also a fab-looking ice cream parlour which I will definitely taking the children to.

Hang out the bunting

Its back!!!!!!!!  Finally my oxycon has returned.  I did have it back before but it stopped working during the first session.  This may be a premature celebration but I have every faith that all will be well and I can get melting some glass again.

Meet Wonka

We haven't ventured into the world of pets until now.  There has been much talk in the past about getting guinea pigs, but we totted up the cost of hutch etc... then we decided we would move house so it wasn't a good time.  Anywho, a friend of mine takes in tortoises that people can no longer look after and then finds new homes for them as part of the work the British Chelonia Group do.  We joined the Group and then I took Reuben to pick a tortoise for re-homing. 

Wonka, which is the name he came with, seems to be settling in nicely.  I'm sure he must think the garden is 10 times bigger than it is due to the fact that he wanders so far then Reuben picks him up and turns him around to go back the way he came. 

Its a great feeling to have a pet, I didn't have any growing up because we moved around alot.  I will confess though it is similar to bringing home a new baby, especially the first night, we were fretting about he was ok, was he going to be warm enough?  But all seems to be fine so far.

Wonka is rather partial to lettuce, freshly picked from the allotment ofcourse! 

Something for Girls

I still don't have my oxycon so no new beads to share.  Instead I have been focussing my energy on using the beads I have in my stash.  Just thought I would share these really cute girls' bracelets with you.  The bangles are made of nickel free metal, incorporating my own lampwork beads and buttons.  They are fastened a bit like a safety pin with a hook on one end and a ball on the other.  I will be getting around to listing them in my Etsy shop over the next couple of days.  I hope you like them!

I also had some bits and bobs to use up from a previous workshop.  These are lovely little bracelets made with cotton cord.  Again all the metal components are 100% nickel free.  Here is a sample, I have a few more in different colourways.  These will also make their way into my Etsy shop, unless they are sold in the meantime!

Learning New Skills

I have had a fantastic couple of days annealing, bending and soldering silver.  My hubby bought me some vouchers for birthday and christmas to use at Urchfont Manor.  We are so lucky to have such a wonderful facility on the doorstep.

I signed up for the silver jewellery making course with the brilliant Pauline Payne.  We started by learning how to make a ring.  How to anneal the silver, add texture to the silver, bend it into shape, get a good join and solder. 

Next lesson was how to cut a shape from sheet silver.  I cut the flower shape to mount on my ring.  I also mounted the turquoise in the centre, so I made a bezel etc.. I have always wanted a couple of silver bangles so they were my next project.

I still had a morning to fill so I decided to make something for my little ones and came up with an initial pendant each.  (I did one for Fay too but she was out wearing hers when I took this photo).

I learned so much I can't get it all down in words.  Pauline was a fantastic tutor, so patient with us, and has a style of teaching that made us all feel at ease.  The company also made for a very enjoyable couple of days, with 9 other ladies to chat to and compare notes with.

I'm going to start saving for another course next year!

Have I Been Cursed?

I only ask because nothing seems to be going right at the moment.  This isn't going to be a 'woe is me' blog entry but my oxycon still isn't fixed, which is so frustrating.  So, I decided that I could use up beads I have already made and get busy with some more work on Etsy BUT the camera decided to break - some problem with the memory card.  We have ordered a new memory card, which was despatched over a week ago and we still haven't received it.  I know we have had a bank holiday but there are other letters we should have received by now but they haven't turned up either!

We had a lovely Easter break but that wasn't without drama.  My 3 year old son Reuben fell over during a walk in the woods. He was clutching a handful of leaves in one hand and so fell right over onto the other hand.  It turns out he has a green-stick(?) fracture on his right wrist! 

I'm not even going to go into the trauma with the two cars - brakes, tyres, exhausts and the MOT's are due soon...... did I mention redundancy?

Anyway, that's it, rant over now.  It's not all bad.  It's great to have hubby home to take over with the school run.  And I'm off to have coffee with friends later this morning, the sun is shining STILL so life aint that bad...

I hope to able to post some good news soon, with photos!

Target Update

Things went a little quiet last week....  But, I have added two new Beau Bangles to the shop today.  I am also encountering a slight techincal hitch - my oxycon (very important piece of kit in bead making for all the non-lampers out there) is broken.  Hopefully not beyond repair *puts hands together for a little prayer*.  I have opened it up to see if I can see anything untoward... who am I kidding?  As if I can work out what does what.  I am really hoping this doesn't hamper progress towards the target as I do have a stock of beads I could be using.  Its typical of me though, when I can't do something I want to do it all the more.....