Hello, lovely people, how are you today? It's freezing out doors and I am tucked up under a warm fleece, watching TV and playing with wire and beads. Mike and I are off to India soon, to my neices wedding, and I'm really looking forward to the warmth of the sunshine and the fabulous colours and food back home. I'm sure I'll have many photographs to show you when I get back. In the meantime, I had a few pieces I decided to make to take back with me, so that is what I've done all week. I have some people in mind for each piece, so I haven't put them on the website yet. However, if they do not get picked up in India for one reason or another, I will put them on when I get back. I bought some mother of pearl leaves a few months ago - I've been meaning to make them up, but something else always got in the way. They are weightless and shine with an ethereal inner light. Cutting through the shells is a laborious process and the dust is toxic, which makes them relatively expensive, but still, oh so beautiful. Have a look and see what you think. These are the larger pair of the two, and are approximately 3" long and 2" wide - the pearls are a bit heavy on the ear, so I put them on stud findings so that they don't tear the earlobe. These are 2" long with tiny garnet teardrop beads, all in silver, with silver ear-wires. I also had a pair of dried red rose buds, dipped in resin - I put them on long kidney wires made of hypoallergenic stainless steel, and wrapped tiny labradorite beads onto the ear wires themselves. Red and grey is a fabulous combination, especially if the grey has unexpected flashes of light when you move your head. I thought that this was all I was going to make, when a parcel arrived from Hong-Kong with the prettiest beads I've ever seen. The manufacturer cut amethyst beads into tooth like nuggets and heat-treated them - the final treatment was a turquoise blue dye. I'm always a sucker for the combination of turquoise and amethyst and simply had to make this into a necklace as soon as I opened the package, it was too compelling to wait any longer. Tiny 2mm pearls and pyrite beads space the beads out, and a 'lost wax' cast Kenyan sun bronze bead is a focal point. I am really looking forward to my holiday - work has been hard, but enjoyable, and now it's time for a break. A wedding is always fun and it will be great to see my family again in happy circumstances. Missing three weeks of cold weather in the UK is an added bonus!
That's me for now, folks. Have a wonderful week, and I'll catch you soon. Until then xx
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Hello everyone, it's lovely to chat to you again after a busy week. I was invited out to lunch last weekend and was able to wear the Kandinsky necklace - I must say it felt really good and I got a number of compliments. I realise that it looks much larger and more intimidating until it is worn - and then, it just feels like a piece of fun around your neck. Just right for a dull November evening and a simple outfit. I received a strand of faux turquoise teardrops in the post and wanted to use them straight away. I've tried to control the bead buying sprees I used to go on and consequently only pick up componenets that I fall in love with at first sight. Once I have them in my hot little hands however, I can't control the urge to use them straight away. The amethyst I used in the necklace are light in colour, but they are plump and juicy cylinders that have been gently faceted to reflect the light wonderfully. The combination of turquoise and amethyst is classic and beautiful. Sea SpriteChristmas is coming, and the goose is getting fat - that is if it hasn't been affected by Avian flu. I'm not celebrating this year, but for those of you who are, remeber that Caprilicious offers a free service - I will pack and send your gifts out for you if you message me. I'll even include a card from you and any message you care to send. That's me for this week, folks. Have a wonderful week, and I'll catch you next week, same time, same place.
Until then xx Hello folks, hope the Bank Holiday weekend finds you well and out and about, having yourselves a load of fun. I am working tomorrow so that's taken a bit of the shine off of it, but equally, I'm not in the mood for a good time just now, so it's OK by me to have to work the blues away. I've been making a necklace with a number of bezelled elements, and every evening, I sit in front of the TV after work and sew tiny beads onto a felt backing. The piece isn't ready yet and I'll probably carry on sewing well into the next couple of weeks before I have anything to show for all the effort that's going into the piece. In the meantime, I have a little necklace that is very pretty and very versatile for you today. Kiara was made to carry a little mandala pendant that is set with abalone, turquoise, amethyst, garnets and carnelian. The amethyst beads have a matte finish and have been spaced with turquoise and electroplated ceramic square beads. I think this one is very versatile, it can not only quite easily be worn to the office, but will easily go to dinner of an evening and bring in the compliments. The turquoise beads lift the colour quotient and echo the blues in the pendant. That's me for today folks. I hope you have a wonderful week and I'll catch you next Friday/Saturday, same time, same place.
Until then xx Hello folks, how are you today? I'm a happy bunny - I've never been busier at work and that makes me enjoy and appreciate my leisure time much more. I was in London for a couple of days at the brand new Royal College of Obstetricians and Gyaecologists - the building is new, not the College itself. Well, actually, the building isn't new either, it is a refurbished hop storage facility connected by an atrium to an office block. I'm told the architects won awards for the refurbishment and they deserve it - it is rather nice. It's in a rather seedy neighbourhood, though, compared to the original building opposite Regent's Park and our spirits were all dampened by the 'park' opposite which looked more like West Side Story was about to erupt at any moment. I was stuck in one of these little booths for two days examining junior doctors, and although it wasn't fun, I met some interesting people, including the actors who were there as make-believe patients. As we were very close to The Shard, my colleague and I decided to go to dinner at T'ing, the restaurant on the 35th floor. I wore 'Sunshiny Day' to dinner, and here are some pictures from high up in the sky. Blackberry KissesI've been planning this necklace in my mind for a long time. The amethyst cylinders are interspersed with handmade glass beads in a deep purple, embellished with peach and purple coloured floral motifs. The faceted pyrite beads between the amethysts brighten the necklace, and the piece would be perfect to wear to work or in the evening to a tea party in the park. That's me for now, folks. Have a good week and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place,
Until then xx Hello all, hope everyone is well and happy. I certainly feel the joys of spring with the sun shining and the air warming up. If only we could lose the slightly chill wind that is coming down from the North, we'd be laughing. I've been spending time on an old unfinished project- I was making this beautiful beaded woven necklace using faceted haematite. I ran sort of a couple of strings of beads and sent out for more. Now the necklace is almost finished. It has a pleasing weight due to the gemstone beads and I think I'm going to finish it off by running a grosgrain ribbon through the centre and a large bow at the back. Have a look at some pictures of the piece as I've gone along. I've also beaded around a few cabochons - I will use them in an ensemble piece when I've finished my haematite spiral necklace. I like to have something on the go at all times when I'm in front of the telly of an evening catching up on a film on Netflix. This necklace was designed by a Caprilicious lady who liked a pendant I sourced, but had her own ideas about how it should be worn. I have one on the Caprilicious books, on a very different necklace - they are both delightful, perhaps you will make your own mind up which one you like - have a look at both of them. And here's the one I put together for her this week. I've been busy this week, haven't I? I shall take a well earned rest this Bank Holiday weekend - apart from Sunday when I'm due to work at the day job.
Have a fabulous Bank holiday my friends, and I'll catch up with you next week, same time, same place. Until then xx Hello folks? I hope all is well with you. I, for one have put the trauma of my non-holiday behind me and the week has been so busy with the day job that it's almost as if it didn't happen. Except for the gaping hole in our bank balance, that is - the hotel have agreed to honour the booking if we go to Amsterdam in the next six months. As for KLM - apart from an acknowledgement of my initial message, I have heard nothing from them about a refund or compensation for all the money we lost from the activities we booked online. Now that those of us who aren't suffering from Covid are out and about and things are back to 'normal', we have to dig out our clothes and accesories - putting a clean shirt or top over trackie bottoms or PJ's won't cut it any more. Everyone's body shape has altered - sitting in front of a screen at home all day cries out for snacking on comfort food - cheese on toast, crisps, and beans on toast staving off the underlying anxiety of dealing with an unwelcome microscopic enemy that has the capacity to make life altering changes. Legs need exfoliating, and new diets are beginning all around us. Of course, some sickening people decided to go the other way and exercise and go for long runs and actually lost weight and emerged from the chrysalis of lockdown looking their best (three guesses where I belong!!). Whatever we have done with ourselves, life is cranking up again and it's time to review the contents of our closets - get rid of the deadwood, and begin anew. I'm on a newly begun diet - and hope to shop my own closet soon, so I'm putting off the charity shop run. But, a little retail therapy never hurt anyone, it's nice to pick up a few little bits and bobs to cheer us up, and why not? I read an article written by Jess Cartner-Morley, the fashion editor of the Guardian -the other day. In it she writes that we're back to a long lost time "where you’re going to walk into a room, and people you have never met are going to start to form an opinion of you before you’ve said a word." " think about what impression of your personality you’d like to convey when you walk into the room. Your personality, not your appearance – that’s the point. Maybe you want them to think you look interesting. Or fun. Or sophisticated. Or wild. Which is it? Because those are very different outfits, and that’s a very different rubric from thinking about which will make you look thin " There is a collective feeling that we can't take anything for granted anymore, and perhaps that's as good a reason as any to get dressed to the nines and go out to work of a morning, and put on our party frocks and dance the night away while we still can. I predict that party jewellery is going to get bigger and shinier - people on a panic stricken diet don't go out and buy clothes - they pick up jewellery that is larger than life to show off their personalities while they wait for the blessed weight loss to kick in. However, we spend a lot of our lives in work-wear and still need something to carry us through the day. This week's necklace is for a day when you want to look business-like yet understated, when a statement piece would be too in-your-face, and yet gives you that feel good factor. If you feel good, you exude confidence and that's what it's all about. GrappaThe pendant is of variscite set in silver and came from Bali - a mystic topaz sits at the top and a little triangular peridot dangles from the other end. I put it with luscious grape like amethyst nuggets separated by tiny seed pearls, punctuated every so often with oval abalone beads that reflect the light. I love abalone, don't you? A little box clasp set with a peridot finishes this beautiful piece which will go with loads of outfits in your closet. That's me for this week, folks. I hope you enjoyed the read. Have a wonderful week and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx Hello and good day, people, hope you're all doing just fine today. This week has had some of the best news I've heard in a long time with Naznin Zaghari-Radcliffe being released and back with her family. In the middle of all the terrible news from the Ukraine, this was like a little ray of sunshine. I thought I'd start with something simple but pretty this year. I have a few pieces of jewellery planned in a little notebook from 2021 and I made a start with the first one. It is made with little amethyst nugget beads, alternating with seed pearls, with a few diamante beads thrown in for good measure, all held together with the most beautiful diamante clasp. Shades of PurpleIsn't that pretty? There are seven strands of beads in this necklace and the effect is wild and regal, the necklace drapes like a dream around your neck in a careless manner so you never have to worry about twisting and untwisting it. While you're here, let me show you some pictures from Bangalore - from my 'home away from home,' the Bangalore Club - established in 1868 by Englishmen who wanted a little piece of home in a hot and hostile land. There were dress codes, regular dinner dances, horses, dogs and courtship of the little 'mem-sahibs' who came out regularly on the fishing fleets, looking for men in uniform to marry. Winston Churchill was a member once, and when he left India he left behind a debt of 13 Indian rupees, which was eventually written off - the reminder letter for this debt still sits in a glass fronted cabinet in the clubhouse. Indians were allowed to become members in 1945, once Independance was achieved - but the dress codes, dinner dances, racquet games and little courtships - they continue. My parents were members before I was born and I became one as soon as I was 21, which is when dependant members could apply for membership. Today there is a waiting list of over 20 years to join the Club - there are many other clubs in Bangalore, but this one is 'The' Bangalore Club. One can only buy food and drink by signing a bill, on presentation of a photo card issued to each member, and guests have to be signed in and paid for. The central clubhouse is a sprawling Raj bungalow, painted blue ever since I can remember. We grew up here - mom used to drop us off before she went to work in the school holidays and pick us up on the way back. We swam, went to the library and ate chicken sandwiches, ice cream and crisps by the pool, until it was time to go home, dog tired, straight to bed. Children weren't allowed in the main clubhouse of course, so it always feels like an illicit treat when I go in there now. That's my final instalment of my last holiday pictures - I was told by a friend long ago that the only way to live was to always have a holiday in the pipeline - accordingly, we have a short visit to Amsterdam planned soon - it is only an hour and a quarter away and I do want to revisit the Keukenhof gardens when the tulips are out - my last trip was in 1985 and I want to go again. That's me for this post, folks. Have a great week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx Hello people, how are you doing this week? Guess what? It's almot time to start using the 'C' word again - oh, yes, as sure as eggs are eggs! 77 days to Christmas - I think I'm rather looking forward to it this year. After the last couple of years, we could use some fun and festivity. We went to a wedding last weekend and I wore a 'The Heat is On' - it matched the outfit I'd chosen and loads of people came up to me to say how fabulous it was, which is always nice. It was wonderful to be out and about, meeting people, dressing up and enjoying the experience thoroughly. I'm not sure about the fascinator, though. I bought it a number of years ago for another wedding ad decided that I had to get value out of it by wearing it again. We went to a tiny village in Essex called Ingatestone - it was as if time had stood still - the tiny railway station, only 3 stops away from London had no signage at all, we couldn't find the exit and had to ask someone how to get out of there. Of course there were no taxis, in fact there appeared to be no one in the village at all. The houses were huge and when we finally managed to phone for a taxi to come and pick us up, the driver said the average house in the village cost over two million pounds as befits a village within commuting distance of the CIty of London. I had a couple of days off whenI got back and new goodies had arrived in the post while I was away. This pendant has 5 dragonflies aligned into a mandala shape, inlaid with tiny semi precious stones, abalone and little cubic zirconia radiating from a central turquoise. It reminded me of the kaleidoscopes we used to play with as children. I hung it on a necklace of rough cut rose quartz and amethyst separated by colourful semi precious beads to echo the colours in the pendant. Rose quartz is the stone of love, and there are many legends about how it came into existence. According to one, Cupid, the Roman god of desire and affection, was said to have bestowed rose quartz upon the Earth as a gift of love, passion, and happiness for all. The necklace is striking in it's simplicity and contrasts with the busy pendant. I let the beauty of the rough hewn nuggets do the talking. It was nice to design and make something simple for a change, although I have started on another embroidered pendant, which ought to be ready next week. That's me for now, folks. Have a wonderful week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx Folks in the ether reading this, welcome to the Caprilicious Blog. It's lovely to make contact with you again. The weather has been wonderful here in the UK and it is so nice and warm and sunny I almost feel the need to hold my breath in case it's a mirage and disappears, replaced by drab, drab drab! I hope you are all doing well and not finding spurious reasons to drive to the nearest beauty spot - remember, if you find that you're going blind, that is certainly not the time to put your wife and child in a car and take them for a drive - unless you're in a black comedy kinda life! (For those who are reading this from outside the UK, this is an insider joke and you can read about it and join in the laughter if you Google the words Dominic Cummings and Barnard Castle.) Last week I was just putting in the eye in my Hamsa as I wrote the blog post, and I told you all about its symbolism. Since then I put in some colourful beadwork around the eye, and a lotus above it. The lotus symbolises spiritual enlightenment and rebirth. Much is made of the fact that the plant grows in murky water, and yet gives forth a beautiful flower. The Secret Meaning of the Lotus Flower tells us more about this issue and it is the most beautiful flower from a plant that is actually ever so easy to grow. I grew some miniature plants in an old bucket once in my garden. If you fancy a go at growing them yourself, here's an article that will help you do it. Crystal and beaded fingernails, paisley and chevron patterns were added, the Hamsa padded out with felt, backed with ultra suede and edged. And then, all of a sudden it was finished! I almost felt a sense of loss when the last bead was put in, as if an old friend had left and gone away. I would have to perforce, put it away - and eventually send it to a good home. Eye Protect - a Hamsa NecklaceAnd then, how to hang it? One lady suggested citrine and pyrite - 'for prosperity,' she said. However, I decided that this was a playful piece and deserved a playful, colourful necklace to carry it. Frosted amethyst beads that appear like blue grapes with a bloom on them and are very pleasing to touch - they have a soft rasp to them - contrasting shiny carnelian rice beads and a couple of hand made fire polished Czech glass beads that I ran up - the packet of glowing, purple glass beads had been sitting on my work surface for the whole time and I thought it would be rude not to include them. A protective amulet then, in difficult times. The amethyst is thought to bring peace of mind and calm and the carnelian brings vitality, warmth of spirit and prevents illness. Fin! Finito! Well not quite, as the necklace still had to be photographed, the pictures edited, a blurb written and the whole thing posted on the website. And since then, I've sat out in the sunshine with the hubby and the cat, doing absolutely nothing during the Bank Holiday weekend. 'Hope Springs Eternal' was sold to a lady from Maryland a couple of days ago, and will be on its way later today. That's me for this week, folks. Have a lovely week in the sun and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx Howdy folks, how are you today? I've been crazy busy this week due to a short sojourn in London at the beginning of the week - well, it was more work than fun, although I managed to get some of the latter in as well. I only got back home late on Tuesday evening and was back at work the next day. I decided I was going to make something that would make use of my kiln, which has been lying idle for a while now through the winter. I broke out a packet of copper clay and gave myself a repetitive strain wrist injury from kneading it into a soft dough like consistency. Of course, when there have been long periods of time gone by between using metal clay - or any other technique for that matter, mistakes are made and boy, did I make them! The first pendant I made had to be broken up and reconstituted into clay as it looked terrible when I dried it overnight. That didn't do the pain in my wrist any good but I pressed on and created a smaller pendant, which I thought looked pretty good, so I went ahead and embellished it with little flowers and leaves, and then popped it in the kiln. Doesn't it look pretty? I thought so too. Unfortunately, when I took it out of the kiln after the first firing, the back had deep cracks in it. I should have gone ahead and put it back in the kiln in a carbon filled container, and filled in the cracks at the end of the second firing, but I decided to repair it straight away with wet clay - stupid, forgetful me. The leaf was still so fragile, it fell apart in my hands. I rescued the little CZ's and threw the rest away. I hadn't the heart to photograph it at the time, I was so depressed, as this has happened to me before and I should have known better than to make such a monumenta boo-boo. However, I was determined to make the blooming leaf, and so I cracked out some more clay and made another one. Third time lucky, as the saying goes, and so it was that I finally ended up with a finished piece on Wednesday. Phew! It was polished and work hardened in a tumbler with steel shot and then patinated to bring out the veins, and other hand carved embellishments on the leaf. I am so thrilled that it is entirely hand made, from drawing and cutting out a paper template, to carving out the veins with a wood micro gouge and hand making the little flowers and leaves. A couple of copper clasps also came out of the kiln, but these were cut using cookie cutters and textured with a rubber stamp. The patina was achieved by dipping the pieces alternately in hot liver of sulfur and ice cold water and although it cannot be seen quite as well as I would like in the picture, there is a deep coppery rainbow patina on the piece, very much like an oil slick on water. I made a necklace with frosted amethyst beads, it was commissioned by a lovely lady for her friend. I shall be posting it out shortly and hope the friend likes it as much as I do. The beads are in three different sizes and are striated amethyst, polished to a matte effect. I particularly love the little clasp that I found in one of the shops I buy a lot of beads from and I grabbed it before it was sold out as there was only one left. The clasp can be worn at the back, or to one side depending on how the mood takes her. I spent time at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists while in London, and we were locked away from 8am to 5pm, which was really sad as Regent's Park beckoned from across the road on a couple of lovely, sunny days. I took a couple of pictures from the first floor windows - I think the wistfulness of my mood as I took the pictures is quite obvious! However, I was there to work and that precluded sitting out in the beautiful sunshine. In the evenings however, it was another matter. I went out to dinner on two consecutive evenings, with two Caprilicious women, on both days in Covent Garden by coincidence. The first night was an interesting vegan meal at the Redemption bar, and the second provided a steak. I enjoyed meeting the ladies and chatted away till late at night - thanks to both of you, it was so much fun meeting you.
That's me for this week, folks. Have a wonderful week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx |
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