I seem to be hampered by a lack of swarovski crystal
I made the Lucrezia bracelet but ran short of 4mm bicones. I only need four more....
I started making the butterfly but on nearing completion of the first wing, I realised the drops I have are way to big. They are out of scale and they weigh the wings down.
I still need a navette for my Cleopatra's Eye.
I am still avoiding my scond enchanted lake
I still need to put a clasp on my necklace to go with my snake print top
I still need to put legs on the beetle brooch
I still need to put feathers on the red dream catcher.
Lots going on but not much to tick off....
Except the occuli bracelet, one enchanted lake, a berry necklace for the multi coloured dress and the lariat for the black top with the waistband in purple and blue.
Lots to do...
Also waiting for the ingredients list for the Athena bracelet...
Sunday 19 June 2016
Sea Time
So I have been visiting beaches. Last weekend we went to the Lizard, ate food, wandered the shops. Then we took a wrong turn on our way to Kennack Sands and decided to explore Church Cove.
Part way down, there is a sign saying no parking or turning further on down the hill, please park here. So of course we did, quite a few others didn't though. We walked down. Past cute character houses, some of which probably cost a fortune to do up. Near the bottom we crosed the coast path and we could see the little cove we had come to visit, down a very steep incline that somehow or another peaople hauled boats up.
The old lifeboat house was there and part of the rail that the boat would have launched down. It was a beautiful little cove, perfect for swimming and larking about in. I felt a bit sad because most of the houses are probably holiday lets, or second homes. Maybe a few older people who have yet to move on. I doubt many of those who stay here have kids. The sort of cove that half a dozen children of assorted ages should have been playing in on a hot day like that.
I didn't go all the way down the slope but I did climb all the way back up again.
Then we went to Kennack Sands. I was looking at rocks, serpentine and I was really surprised to be able to identify shiny white veins of chrysotile, one of the types of asbestos. I could see the little fibres. Talking to geologists, although it is known to be down on the Lizard, it is pretty unusual to actually find any... Bit scary really...
Friday night I went to Mousehole and walked round the harbour. Inside the harbour are two small sandy beaches. The far side of the harbour is a rocky beach that looks like it has had stone added to keep it eroding away. While there I met a ferret out for an evening walk and ate chips. :-)
I got an impulse on the way home to go track down the merry maidens, a stone circle of 19 uprights. When I started walking up the hill, there was a magpie between the two entrance stones ad on the way back down the hill there was a magpie sat at the field gateway. I took photos, one of which is a bit strange, very overexposed, white.
I sat in the grass and enjoyed the sun
Part way down, there is a sign saying no parking or turning further on down the hill, please park here. So of course we did, quite a few others didn't though. We walked down. Past cute character houses, some of which probably cost a fortune to do up. Near the bottom we crosed the coast path and we could see the little cove we had come to visit, down a very steep incline that somehow or another peaople hauled boats up.
The old lifeboat house was there and part of the rail that the boat would have launched down. It was a beautiful little cove, perfect for swimming and larking about in. I felt a bit sad because most of the houses are probably holiday lets, or second homes. Maybe a few older people who have yet to move on. I doubt many of those who stay here have kids. The sort of cove that half a dozen children of assorted ages should have been playing in on a hot day like that.
I didn't go all the way down the slope but I did climb all the way back up again.
Then we went to Kennack Sands. I was looking at rocks, serpentine and I was really surprised to be able to identify shiny white veins of chrysotile, one of the types of asbestos. I could see the little fibres. Talking to geologists, although it is known to be down on the Lizard, it is pretty unusual to actually find any... Bit scary really...
Friday night I went to Mousehole and walked round the harbour. Inside the harbour are two small sandy beaches. The far side of the harbour is a rocky beach that looks like it has had stone added to keep it eroding away. While there I met a ferret out for an evening walk and ate chips. :-)
I got an impulse on the way home to go track down the merry maidens, a stone circle of 19 uprights. When I started walking up the hill, there was a magpie between the two entrance stones ad on the way back down the hill there was a magpie sat at the field gateway. I took photos, one of which is a bit strange, very overexposed, white.
I sat in the grass and enjoyed the sun
Wednesday 8 June 2016
Make Believe
So after Duran Duran, I spent the rest of the weekend sore and not doing very much at all...
I made a lariat. It has an Octagonal donut made of delicas to which many long strands of beads are attached.
I have nearly finished my beetle. It just needs some legs.
A beady friend posted some pins of jewellery which combine folded shibori silk with bead embroidery. They were very beautiful and I decided to follow the link to their etsy shop. It turns out there were lots of tutorials, not just the embroidery stuff which I would find pretty tricky but beadweaving patterns too....
I fell in love.
Seriously... go see....
I brought three patterns. Cleopatra's Eye, Lucrezia and Sea Waves. So beautiful. And not beyond my ability either... Lucrezia will go with a blue and pink flowery wrap around tunic I have. Cleopatra's Eye will go with a lot, I think I will wear it endlessly... Not sure about Sea Waves yet.
I also decided to make Heather Kingsley Heath's Butterfly as a hair comb to go with my butterfly top.
I also signed up for a workshop to make Shona Bevan's Athena Mauve bracelet....
I made a lariat. It has an Octagonal donut made of delicas to which many long strands of beads are attached.
I have nearly finished my beetle. It just needs some legs.
A beady friend posted some pins of jewellery which combine folded shibori silk with bead embroidery. They were very beautiful and I decided to follow the link to their etsy shop. It turns out there were lots of tutorials, not just the embroidery stuff which I would find pretty tricky but beadweaving patterns too....
I fell in love.
Seriously... go see....
I brought three patterns. Cleopatra's Eye, Lucrezia and Sea Waves. So beautiful. And not beyond my ability either... Lucrezia will go with a blue and pink flowery wrap around tunic I have. Cleopatra's Eye will go with a lot, I think I will wear it endlessly... Not sure about Sea Waves yet.
I also decided to make Heather Kingsley Heath's Butterfly as a hair comb to go with my butterfly top.
I also signed up for a workshop to make Shona Bevan's Athena Mauve bracelet....
Duran Duran
Both himself and I love Duran Duran and we were aware they were playing at Eden. We looked up the date and it fell in the middle of his relief weeks, which meant we had no idea when his shifts would fall until the tickets were gone. So we both forgot about it.
Until last week when two very excited colleagues were talking about it. By this time I knew we could actually go. Then they said there were some tickets on the company website for sale. I woke J up to see if he still wanted to go and he was really excited. And then equally gutted when I discovered they had been sold....
Later, after work, I stayed on to have a look, having remembered how great our company site is, when it has lovely blue leather sofas and Duran Duran tickets. I was very startled to discover that another pair of tickets had appeared! I rang up and went to get them pretty much straightaway.
So Friday. BBC Music Day. We found ourselves at Eden. We sang along to the Beach Boys for the One Show. Generally stood around for a very long time. But by the time they came on stage we were in a great spot - and pretty unable to go anywhere...
It was an amazing show. Not much else I can say. He can still sing. Their songs are great, even the new stuff. Amazing night.
Absolutely great.
Like really, really....
We even found our backs on TV.
Until last week when two very excited colleagues were talking about it. By this time I knew we could actually go. Then they said there were some tickets on the company website for sale. I woke J up to see if he still wanted to go and he was really excited. And then equally gutted when I discovered they had been sold....
Later, after work, I stayed on to have a look, having remembered how great our company site is, when it has lovely blue leather sofas and Duran Duran tickets. I was very startled to discover that another pair of tickets had appeared! I rang up and went to get them pretty much straightaway.
So Friday. BBC Music Day. We found ourselves at Eden. We sang along to the Beach Boys for the One Show. Generally stood around for a very long time. But by the time they came on stage we were in a great spot - and pretty unable to go anywhere...
It was an amazing show. Not much else I can say. He can still sing. Their songs are great, even the new stuff. Amazing night.
Absolutely great.
Like really, really....
We even found our backs on TV.
Trip Away
So, on the Monday I found myself looking up things to do in Plymouth. Himself expressed a desire to go and look at a bike there.
I realised that I really don't know Plymouth at all. I went to college there, commuting daily. I have been on a couple of works courses. Shopping twice and the National Maring Aquarium once.
In order to get to Plymouth from Cornwall, you either go on the Torpoint Ferry or take the Tamar Bridge. I have never been over on the ferry either.... Plymouth sits surrounded by water. In this part of the country, a number of river valleys became flooded by the sea as sea levels rose after the ice age. The Tamar is one such river that got flooded. Plymouth sits on what would have been hillside, overlooking the river valley, with a good view downriver. Now Plymouth has a good view out to sea, many harbours and lost of tidal water.
Despite the stunning location, Plymouth isn't a hot tourist destination. It has to compete with the rest of Devon, including Dartmoor and Exmoor, as well as the wonderful Cornwall. A large part of Plymouth was bombed in the war as it was a valuable target given the dockyards. The Navy still has a heavy presence there.
That said, there are areas of Plymouth I have never visited that look pretty cool. Royal William Dockyard, to the Hoe then the Barbican and Sutton Harbour. While looking all these up, I discovered that right in this area there is a grand old hotel called the Duke of Cornwall. It happens to be a Best Western, which got me thinking.... Our tesco clubcard vouchers have three times their value if transferred into Best Western vouchers.
Tuesday, a colleague started talking about staying in Plymouth for theatre trips in the past. That was enough synchronicity for me. I rang the kennels and discovered when the next available weekend was, compared it with the shifts of my working man, and Bob's your Uncle. Two days in Plymouth with an overnight stay in a very grand hotel.
There doesn't seem to be anything on in the theatres that night but that might change. What they have got is Wimbledon final on a big screen on the lawn at Royal William Yard and the boats for the La Rochelle Revival Race docked at Sutton Harbour.
So I have some more things on my list of possibilities...
63) Take the Torpoint Ferry
64) Watch Wimbledon at Royal William Yard
65) Visit the Hoe
66) Visit the Barbican
67) See the La Rochelle Revival Race boats at Sutton Harbour
68) Visit Smeaton's Lighthouse
I realised that I really don't know Plymouth at all. I went to college there, commuting daily. I have been on a couple of works courses. Shopping twice and the National Maring Aquarium once.
In order to get to Plymouth from Cornwall, you either go on the Torpoint Ferry or take the Tamar Bridge. I have never been over on the ferry either.... Plymouth sits surrounded by water. In this part of the country, a number of river valleys became flooded by the sea as sea levels rose after the ice age. The Tamar is one such river that got flooded. Plymouth sits on what would have been hillside, overlooking the river valley, with a good view downriver. Now Plymouth has a good view out to sea, many harbours and lost of tidal water.
Despite the stunning location, Plymouth isn't a hot tourist destination. It has to compete with the rest of Devon, including Dartmoor and Exmoor, as well as the wonderful Cornwall. A large part of Plymouth was bombed in the war as it was a valuable target given the dockyards. The Navy still has a heavy presence there.
That said, there are areas of Plymouth I have never visited that look pretty cool. Royal William Dockyard, to the Hoe then the Barbican and Sutton Harbour. While looking all these up, I discovered that right in this area there is a grand old hotel called the Duke of Cornwall. It happens to be a Best Western, which got me thinking.... Our tesco clubcard vouchers have three times their value if transferred into Best Western vouchers.
Tuesday, a colleague started talking about staying in Plymouth for theatre trips in the past. That was enough synchronicity for me. I rang the kennels and discovered when the next available weekend was, compared it with the shifts of my working man, and Bob's your Uncle. Two days in Plymouth with an overnight stay in a very grand hotel.
There doesn't seem to be anything on in the theatres that night but that might change. What they have got is Wimbledon final on a big screen on the lawn at Royal William Yard and the boats for the La Rochelle Revival Race docked at Sutton Harbour.
So I have some more things on my list of possibilities...
63) Take the Torpoint Ferry
64) Watch Wimbledon at Royal William Yard
65) Visit the Hoe
66) Visit the Barbican
67) See the La Rochelle Revival Race boats at Sutton Harbour
68) Visit Smeaton's Lighthouse
Monday 30 May 2016
Hideaway
So this week has not been great, I have had a bug and it has made me really sensitive so my IBS has been having a field day. I spent three days at home doing nothing instead of working.
I intended to do lots of tidying and sorting this long bank holiday weekend but I knew I was not up to it so I went to the bead shop Saturday and set myself up with some projects instead. So I had a productive few days crafting.
I made a necklace from a free pattern using pinch beads, which were handily on offer this weekend. They make little round berries. The necklace is to match a multi coloured dress I have. It feels summery.
Having finished that, I set about the Beetle pattern. I just have the legs to do now. I couldn't get the back to go right. The delicas I had just were not sitting snug with each other and it really bugged me after the snug precision of the rest of the design. So I redesigned the back. It does not irritate me now, but it took up a lot of time, reworking and tinkering.
Next I have beads to make a hexagonal donut to which a lot of strands are attached to make a lariat. This is an old favourite. I never made one for me though. I have a black top with gold edging and a waist band with gold, silver, purple and turquoise. The donut matches the purple and the strands will also pick up all the other colours.
I also have all the feathers now for the fire dream catcher, so I can finish that.
My boss leant me a rock mill! I don't know if it works yet.I am almost nervous to try it. I also need to collect enough rocks of similar hardness to do a load. Somehow it is worse playing with someone else's very old toys.... It doesn't come with instructions. lol
I have some things to add to my list of possibilities though.
60) Play Crazy Golf
There is something about crazy golf. Not pitch and putt. I like the different things you have to do , like get the ball through a building or bounce it off walls etc. I think hubby and I played it maybe ten years ago in lanzarote, certainly not since.
61) Go to the National Marine Aqarium
We took my stepson when he was young but have not been since. If J wants to go to Plymouth to look at bikes, he can bribe me with something I will enjoy :-)
62) Go to Rogue Kitchen
We were going to go to this last year but there was no way with my stomach as it is. They tell stories and you cook food over an open fire. It sounds pretty cool. Next year....
I intended to do lots of tidying and sorting this long bank holiday weekend but I knew I was not up to it so I went to the bead shop Saturday and set myself up with some projects instead. So I had a productive few days crafting.
I made a necklace from a free pattern using pinch beads, which were handily on offer this weekend. They make little round berries. The necklace is to match a multi coloured dress I have. It feels summery.
Having finished that, I set about the Beetle pattern. I just have the legs to do now. I couldn't get the back to go right. The delicas I had just were not sitting snug with each other and it really bugged me after the snug precision of the rest of the design. So I redesigned the back. It does not irritate me now, but it took up a lot of time, reworking and tinkering.
Next I have beads to make a hexagonal donut to which a lot of strands are attached to make a lariat. This is an old favourite. I never made one for me though. I have a black top with gold edging and a waist band with gold, silver, purple and turquoise. The donut matches the purple and the strands will also pick up all the other colours.
I also have all the feathers now for the fire dream catcher, so I can finish that.
My boss leant me a rock mill! I don't know if it works yet.I am almost nervous to try it. I also need to collect enough rocks of similar hardness to do a load. Somehow it is worse playing with someone else's very old toys.... It doesn't come with instructions. lol
I have some things to add to my list of possibilities though.
60) Play Crazy Golf
There is something about crazy golf. Not pitch and putt. I like the different things you have to do , like get the ball through a building or bounce it off walls etc. I think hubby and I played it maybe ten years ago in lanzarote, certainly not since.
61) Go to the National Marine Aqarium
We took my stepson when he was young but have not been since. If J wants to go to Plymouth to look at bikes, he can bribe me with something I will enjoy :-)
62) Go to Rogue Kitchen
We were going to go to this last year but there was no way with my stomach as it is. They tell stories and you cook food over an open fire. It sounds pretty cool. Next year....
Sunday 22 May 2016
A Helping Paw
After last weekend I have been feeling perkier again.
This was the weekend of the Cactus Show! long awaited.... It gave a chance to meet up with Cactus Man, who I have not seen in quite a while. It was good to catch up.
I wasn't sure what to expect (apart from cacti). The hall was full of cacti and succulents and some of the specimens on show were very very old. A lot probably spend their pampered lives in greenhouses. The variety was abslutely astounding...
And yes, they had a stall selling them and yes I did purchase a few. They truly are wierd and wonderful.
And they had some really good homemade cakes on sale to.
I also spotted a second hand three piece suite for sale.
Our Lounge has long been my craft refuge and things had piled up while my energy was low over the years. I hadn't wanted to get a three piece suite because I didn't have the energy to deal with everything that doing so would entail. But I saw this one and it was time.
So it has been in the back of the van since Friday night as we have tackled the behemouth that sits below. We are not done yet, really but we are done enough to get the three piece suite in - once himself gets back from the tip.
It is pretty astounding that we have done this.... A real indication of the change in me. A huge deboning process. We have let go of an awful lot.
It feels good.
It will feel even better when I am sat there tonight on a sofa, with my feet up on a recliner, watching TV, with a dog snuggled next to me, stuffed between me and my man.
I will try not to think about the small dog I managed to trap in the recliner while trying it out, before buying it....
I was mortified.
(We wondered where he had gone and he was gone a while. I spotted these two paws stickingout)
This was the weekend of the Cactus Show! long awaited.... It gave a chance to meet up with Cactus Man, who I have not seen in quite a while. It was good to catch up.
I wasn't sure what to expect (apart from cacti). The hall was full of cacti and succulents and some of the specimens on show were very very old. A lot probably spend their pampered lives in greenhouses. The variety was abslutely astounding...
And yes, they had a stall selling them and yes I did purchase a few. They truly are wierd and wonderful.
And they had some really good homemade cakes on sale to.
I also spotted a second hand three piece suite for sale.
Our Lounge has long been my craft refuge and things had piled up while my energy was low over the years. I hadn't wanted to get a three piece suite because I didn't have the energy to deal with everything that doing so would entail. But I saw this one and it was time.
So it has been in the back of the van since Friday night as we have tackled the behemouth that sits below. We are not done yet, really but we are done enough to get the three piece suite in - once himself gets back from the tip.
It is pretty astounding that we have done this.... A real indication of the change in me. A huge deboning process. We have let go of an awful lot.
It feels good.
It will feel even better when I am sat there tonight on a sofa, with my feet up on a recliner, watching TV, with a dog snuggled next to me, stuffed between me and my man.
I will try not to think about the small dog I managed to trap in the recliner while trying it out, before buying it....
I was mortified.
(We wondered where he had gone and he was gone a while. I spotted these two paws stickingout)
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