Hello, folks, and welcome to the Caprilicious Blog. I received a fabulous email from someone yesterday saying how much they loved the jewellery and reading the blog. It was great to read that, as I often think I'm totally wasting my time and that all these words are going out into the ether to be forever lost. Just that one kind soul has given me the will to carry on - if nothing it keeps the writing muscle in my brain from going rusty. I used to blog every weekend until I took up a management post at work alongside the clinical work I still do. I haven't much time to play with beads and metal, but when I do, it is just as much fun as ever. This week I pulled out a number of strands of coral, lapis and turquoise dyed howlite, to go with a bunch of artisan created Nepalese charms that I have had in my stash for nigh on 6-7 years. They were amongst a bundle of beads I picked up at an exhibition - ever so pretty, but I didn't have a clue as to what I was going to do with them - until now. NavyaBright and pretty, this necklace is strung onto a toggle clasp so that it looks like the layered necklaces that are so popular, without giving the wearer the dilemma of working with multiple clasps and tangled up strings of beads. It will go easily over a white shirt, or in its neckline, just as well as it will brighten a roll-top collar in the winter. A necklace for all seasons, then - there can't be too much wrong with that! Our fridge has died (well, it's getting aspirations beyond itself and has decided it is actually a freezer - everything is frozen solid, including large containers of milk) so we have no fresh food in the house. We decided that until the repair-guy can bring the part back to sort it out, we would eat out. We're off to Pestos for a nice Italian 'small-plate' Sunday Lunch today in a few minutes. It would appear that the Universe is conspiring to sabotage any diet or weight loss plan I might have - every time I even think the word 'diet', people invite me out, my social life picks up immeasurably and now, even my fridge is working against me. Woe is me! Thrice woe! It would appear that I'm destined to remain a roly-poly for a while longer. That's me for today, folks. Thanks for dropping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I'll catch you shortly,
Until then xx
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Hello everyone, how are you all today? I'm just getting over the food coma that was Christmas and now that I'm fully awake, it seems like Covid strikes again with Omicron running rampant all over the place. The hospitals just now are heaving, fit to burst at the seams and it would appear that lateral flow tests are the new toilet rolls and have become very scarce. Once again, it won't be possible to count the number of cases accurately during this spike - how can we, when there aren't enough lateral flow or PCR tests? Oh well, ce'st la vie, I guess. I've been doing my best to stop the chattering noises of alarm going off in my head by trying to murder my eyesight. The project I've embarked upon can only be made a couple of inches at a time as it consists of glittery faceted haematite beads which are black, with a black central hole, sewn together using black nylon thread in a pattern called the Cellini Spiral. I made a piece approximately six to eight inches long, and found that I had run out of one of the sizes (my eyes heaved a massive sigh of relief) and had to send for more beads. I'm hoping to make an entire circlet that glitters all the way around the neck - it will look absolutley stupendous. African QueenThis is a necklace for a woman who want's to feel like a queen - the soft sea green African turquoise beads at the centre of the piece are gently faceted, and are offset by the vinyl trade beads that came to me from Ghana, via the USA. Vinyl beads are made from vulcanite, a vulcanized hard rubber and traces of vinyl. Older ones were made from recycled records and added a splash of colour to many African necklaces. I added a melange of colourful beads on either side - coral, faux amber, turquoise and lapis all went towards raising the colour quotient of the piece until I thought I'd achieved a perfect balance between regal and vibrantly playful. The clasp is made of a piece of moss agate, carved into a rose. Siren TooI have started to put together pieces of jewellery that have been comissioned by ladies in India who are part of the Caprilicious family. I had two of these silver comb pendants- I picked them up in India in 2017 and it took me a whole year to be able to bring myself to release one of them into circulation. Being a bit like Gollum, I sat on the second precious beauty till 2021 - a lady in India saw this photograph and wanted a similar necklace. Now that the day grows nigh, I thought I should make the necklace up, ready to travel in February (fingers and toes crossed).
The little birds on either side of the comb are gilded - if you'd like to read more about the original piece, here's the link to the blog post related to it. It's always a compliment when people like the pieces enough to request another made to order, but I'm always careful that there shouldn't be too many of the same - I like the cachet that being a one-of -a-kind/limited edition jewellery designer brings. Well, folks, it is time to draw the line under 2021 - a something and nothing of a year. Perhaps 2022 will be better? Have a wonderful New Year celebration, even if it is a sticky bun and a glass of sherry in front of the TV - stay well, and stay safe. Have a wonderful week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place. Until then xx Hello people, how are you? In the UK we are back in lockdown and in the US of A the map is depressingly swathed with red, although it would appear that as I type, Joe Biden is emerging the victor. I'm not sure what's up with central USA that they can't see through their Potus, and I fear the bloodshed and craziness that must inevitably follow. In the meantime, there are 50 days to Christmas and (drumroll) it is Caprilicious' 9th birthday today, the day I originally registered the website. I was meant to be in London all week, but that got cancelled, which meant I had to go back to the day job. I do so look forward to my jaunts in London where I work hard all day and have the evenings to meet up with friends and have myself a load of fun. Unfortunately it was not to be and of course, Bonfire Night and Diwali stand cancelled as well. Now that I've given you my sob story, I can get on with the rest of the show! I've been working up to my next opus but have a few details to work out yet in my head. In the meantime, I made another Bohoglam Neck stack. I love pillar box red, it's my favourite colour (except when it paints the map of the USA) and chunky coral is my favourite too. When I was growing up, my mother had a graduated string of pale orange coral beads and she would try to convince me to wear them to parties - I refused firmly. That's not my way of wearing coral, all prim and prissy, no siree. My beads would have to be vibrant, wild and have their own personality - and I think you'll see that in what I'm about to reveal. HollyI love the vibrant reds, the shiny haematite, the black enamelled rectangular clasp and of course the pièce de résistance is the beautiful lobster clasp, studded with micro pave set diamante'. The jasper and onyx flowers are lovely too. Of course there are three necklaces for the price of one, and they can be worn singly although the best effect is when they're worn together. In the open neckline of a shirt or over a jumper is how I see them - and they are certainly appropriate for the season that's about to hit us in 50 days time, Covid or no Covid. That’s me for this week, folks. Have a fabulous time and I’ll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then XX G'day, people, how are you this fine morning. OMG what a fabulous week it has been - it was criminal that I had to work through it and missed most of the rays, but I did catch the tail end of each day and that just had to do. Ah well, I made my own sunshine - some that is pretty portable and is guaranteed through the year. Bring Me SunshineNamed after Willie Nelson's iconic song, these are one more pair in my little growing collection of Shibori earrings. I love the colour of the silk with a pale yellow hidden in the depths of the accordion pleats and a vibrant orange visible at first glance, the 'gemstones', the copper flowers, and the little diamante hoops are to die for. I saw them somewhere, and simply had to have them on your behalf. Sacred SeedThe Bodhi tree is well known in Buddhist circles as the tree under which the Buddha meditated and gained Nirvana. These seeds are called Bodhi seeds in South East Asia and used to make malas and bracelets. However, they are not actually seeds of the Bodhi tree, which is a fig tree whose seeds are tiny inside the little fruit. Perhaps the Buddhists decided they didn't like real Bodhi seeds as they were too small to represent anything, so they picked the largest seed they could make into a mala and transferred the name to give it significance. That's just my theory - who knows the real reason. A Moroccan amulet, gaily enamelled in blues, green and red and coral beads make this a very pretty mixed media piece, light and easy to wear. Cara (2)I made Cara (1) out of slices of solar quartz, and the second one is also made from the same material, although it is dyed a fabulous blue. Teamed with freshwater pearls, it is very summery necklace. Midsummer MelangeI've been collecting these little potato nuggets for a while - aquamarine, peridot, green aventurine, amethyst, citrine and yellow jade which is a more opaque yellow than the citrine, little peacock pearls and tiny, shiny crystals. I have probably ended up with enough beads to make half a dozen of these necklaces, but it is quite exhausting, stringing seven strands of beads - tiring but fun, but not something I'd want to repeat in a hurry! The clasp is a mother of pearl flower and I've connected the strings of beads to it randomly so that they are all entwined, and can be worn all twisted into a rope, or loosely slung around the neck as in the first picture. That's me for this week, folks. I'm working at the weekend and by the time I emerge from the dungeon the summer will be over (oh, no!!). It's a wonder that I haven't got a Vit D deficiency. Have a fabulous week, and I'll catch you next week, same time, same place.
Until then xx Hello, my lovelies, thanks for joining me again today. I hope you've all had a good week - I have been preparing for my annual appraisal at work, and attending various yearly statutory and mandatory training without which my paperwork cannot be signed off. This has meant a relatively easy week at work and I've had time to play with beads and baubles. On last weeks blog I told you about the pendant I had begun to make around a focal of jasper Intarsia. I finished it during the week and proceeded to make up the necklace using a string of Sea Urchin spines in my stash. Sea urchins are found on rocky shores and shallow, sandy areas as well as coral reefs. They have a globe shaped body that is covered with large number of long spines. Bony plates form the shell that provides protection for the soft inner parts. They hide in the crevices of rocks and reefs during the daytime, and at night, they wander out to feed on floating food particles and algae. A sea urchin’s spines are its first line of defense. The length and sharpness of an urchin’s spines vary from species to species. Some species have stubby, blunt spines, while other species have long, sharp, venom-filled spines. The roe of the sea urchins, called Uni are edible and are a delicacy eaten raw as sushi and sashimi. I love the spines, once cleaned and turned into beads they are hollow and light, and tinkle gently when they move. They have a fairly tribal look when strung into a necklace, but I wanted to soften that effect by adding some colour to the piece. SeascapeThe Intarsia pendant stone looked like a seascape to me and I decided to make a triangular pendant with a beaded beach scene with sand and sea, and long fronds of beaded 'coral' with loads of colour, textural interest and shimmery movement, and hang it on a strand of sea urchin spines. There was almost half a strand of sea urchin spine beads left over and I had a flash of inspiration - I took the dull, matte brown spines and jazzed them up with loops of chain and shiny titanium coated quartz and crystals. I was inspired to do this by a photograph I took of the beach opposite the hotel when we were in Nice a few years ago. The chain represents the moonlight rippling over the waves. I love the contrast it makes. What do you think?? Plage La NuitThe Intarsia Seascape pendant was a delight to make, with its coral fronds and beaded texture, and it took ages to put together. I've also been putting together a number of beaded circles, of different sizes, around Swarovski Rivolis, a bit like a little old lady knitting patchwork squares for a quilt. I arranged them on a tray and started to connect them invisibly. I will have a necklace made up with my patchwork circles next week. I can't wait to see how it turns out, that's half the fun of an unplanned piece. That's me for this week, folks. Have a fabulous week and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place,
Until then xx Hello people, I hope all is well with you today and that you've had a good week. We had a Bank Holiday this Monday and of course, this means guaranteed poor weather in the UK - that's almost a given! Time off is not to be sneezed at however, and I took full advantage of it. Hubby and I vegged out in front of the telly watching movies back to back, me with a bead tray in my lap. True bliss, and just my kind of relaxation. I started a Goddess pendant a few weeks ago, but put it aside as I got too busy for a while. I decided that I was going to finish it over the long weekend and started to channel all the Goddesses I know of into the piece. It will soon be time for the major celebrations in the Indian calendar, marking the triumph of good over evil in one form or another. The first one is the Durga pooja, which marks the battle of goddess Durga with the shape-shifting, deceptive and powerful demon disguised as a buffalo, Mahishasura, and her emerging victorious (well, of course - did you really think a demon who could only think of a buffalo disguise could be allowed to win, over a woman with eight arms, each one carrying a Lethal Weapon?). The festival epitomises the victory of good over evil, but it also is in part a harvest festival that marks the goddess as the power behind all of life and creation. It lasts for ten days and is both a social and religious event. Soon after this comes Diwali, another popular festival, which spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. This celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities where it is observed. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period. Those of us who are non believer heathens still enjoy the over the top colour and craziness, and the fifteen days of the holiday period are a time when families bond over food and sweets, children set off firecrackers and a lot of fun is to be had - you can tell I'm looking at this through a retrospectoscope! In reality, all government offices are closed so official business ceases and if you cannot get your work scheduled between the end of Diwali and Christmas, you are royally sc%&%ed and have to wait for the next year when everyone is back at their desks (also through the retrospectoscope!!). My Goddess is non denominational, and has a beautiful crown of Czech dagger beads, and a halo of individually wrapped crystals. She is over embellished, as goddesses are with shiny crystals and fringes and is delightfully over the top. I call her Shakti, which means strength and have her on a simple necklace of yellow agate beads. The Xian Kun NecklaceThis week was a week of symbolism, runes and icons. I bought a medallion from a Tibetan trader - this is a man's waist amulet with Bagua symbols. Bagua symbols are used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts representing opposing forces or elements - Yin and Yang. The Bagua is an essential tool in the majority of Feng Shui schools. The amulet was rather large, so to balance it I added three strands of chevron beads, yellow agate and turquoise to make a necklace that would stand out a mile - definitely one for when you want to be noticed. The Siren's SongI saw images of an Indian silver comb used as a pendant on various sites and I made it my goal to track one down when I was last in India. I researched it earlier, and apparently the combs are reproductions of Rajasthani hair or beard perfume combs. "The top of the comb is hollow, and contains a well which may be filled with perfume or perfumed oil. This is closed off by a decorative finial, which acts as a stopper. It unscrews so that the chamber may be filled. The central chamber is pieced by small holes, set between the fine metal teeth. By this means the perfume is then dispersed in small amounts as the comb is drawn through the hair." Ruby Lane Unfortunately this replica is not hollow and cannot hold perfume, however, it is just as pretty as the real thing. I held on to it for ages and then decided the time had come to set it free and strung it with bright red coral and silver beads in a very beautiful necklace. Sirens were beautiful women, with long hair who sat on the rocks, combing their tresses and singing sweet songs, luring unwary listeners who passed by in their ships onto the rocks. This is a painting by John William Waterhouse who was an English painter in the early twentieth century. His artworks were known for their depictions of women from both ancient Greek mythology and Arthurian legend. I can imagine this siren combing her long tresses with the comb from the necklace, singing soulfully while she perfumes her hair. I'm not sure what the sirens had against thee poor sailors, and why they didn't spend their time more gainfully, but they sure looked pretty in spite of being murderous at heart. That's me for this week folks, I'm now off to pack for my pre winter holiday. Have a great week and I'll be back with you next weekend, although a bit later than usual,
Until then xx Hey folks, how are you? Thanks for joining me today. This week I received an email notification that I was on the London Jewellery Schools blog as Student of the month for June! Well, I've never been proclaimed student of any month, at any time in my life; so I was pretty pleased to receive this accolade. In India where I grew up, my report cards always read 'Could do Better' - it was almost as if any risk of praise falling from the lips of the nuns who were responsible for schooling me was regarded by them as worse than casting pearls before swine, so they never handed any out. Fortunately for me, I thought that 'could do better' was a kind of perverse compliment ( I'm a cup half full type of a girl) and that they were really saying to me that I wasn't a total duffer. I spent my childhood content with that. The London Jewellery School even sent me a certificate, how fabulous is that? There is a school of thought that truly believes that reinforcing good behavior while discouraging disobedience and anti-social behavior, generally produces positive results in children. Positive reinforcement helps children feel good about their choices, which motivates them to increase the behaviors that bring rewards. Either the people at my school didn't know this theory or, to be fair to them, perhaps I exhibited no such positive characteristics, who knows? MartiniqueSo, now that I'm 'Student of the Month' I decided I'd better make a piece of statement jewellery to be worthy of that title! I picked out a bunch of abalone teardrops and put them together in a multi strand necklace. When I'd put the necklace together, I wasn't satisfied with the heft of the piece, so I added strands of iridescent blue glass beads to the mix so that they shine gently behind the abalone without necessarily being seen as one of the main entities, and then an added pop of colour with a few fronds of bamboo coral in a bright red that will sit on top of the other strands. The whole piece sits close to the neck like a choker and most definitely makes a statement. My first thought was that it looked like molten lava running down the side of a volcano, but my husband named it Martinique, so that's what I called it. I told you last week about the pearl lariat necklace I made for Lisa, and that she wasn't too happy with the hooks on the earrings as she prefers studs. I sent off for some studs and when they arrived, I made this pair up for her. I hope she likes them - I can, of course remake them with just the pearls as dangles if she wishes. The studs are pretty and set with a single CZ and the earrings are light, so every box is ticked, or so it would seem! I also made up her strand of corals - she wanted a simple choker necklace, but I couldn't resist adding a beautiful, oversized lobster clasp - what's the point of going to a jewellery designer to have a necklace made up if there isn't a designer touch added to it? Anyone can string beads, but the addition of a beautiful clasp really brings a necklace to life - what do you think?? The weather has played ball all week, and I've spent a lot of time outdoors, replanting the pots and filling in bare areas that have appeared here and there in my borders. This has meant less time to play with beads and baubles and clay, but who cares?? I'm having too much fun. That's it for this week folks, have a lovely week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place. Until then xx Hiya good people on the internet, nice to catch you again today. As you read this, I am girding my loins (what an old fashioned expression; to gird one's loins!! Not sure I even know what it means) to start packing my bags to fly to India tomorrow. I would have normally been flying out today, but it is Friday the 13th and I didn't want to travel - stupid, I know, but there it is! Paraskevidekatriaphobia, or a phobia of Friday the 13th comes from the Greek words Paraskeví, meaning Friday, and dekatreís meaning thirteen. It probably originates from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion, in which there were 13 individuals present in the Room on Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday. A study in the British Medical Journal, in 1993 concluded that there "is a significant level of traffic-related incidents on Friday the 13th as opposed to a random day, in the UK." However, the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (2008) stated that "fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur on a Friday the 13th because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home". So the day is almost upon us, when my mother turns 90, fortunately able in body and entirely compos mentis. My sister in law and I have been working to set up a credible party and give her a good day, and the WhatsApp lines have been smoking hot with phone calls, invitations and messages! We will have a weekend of celebration, and horror of horrors, I am to make a speech - not sure how that happened, but it seemed like a good idea at the time when I first agreed to do it. We have a week to fine tune the party plan, and then it all happens. Oil SlickI made this necklace with three strings of titanium coated druzy agate beads. I bought them for a completely different project and then changed my mind and left them lying in the drawer until inspiration struck this week. Tibetan brass beads inlaid with coral and turquoise chips and a golden sunstone clasp complement the beads in this very pretty necklace and it has already been snapped up. The palette of indigo, purple, emerald and magenta gives the impression of an oil slick, indeed this is well known in hairdressing terms where people colour their hair in blended streaks of these colours to produce this very effect. The Silver SufiLast week I mentioned a Sufi necklace I made to order with lapis nuggets and coral. I had to send away to Istanbul for the pendant and while I was doing this, I noticed another fretwork Sufi on their website, and I simply had to have him. Whirling is a form of Sama or meditation involving physical activity, which originated among Sufis and is still practiced by Dervishes or Semazen. It is a customary meditation practice performed within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which Semazen aim to reach the source of all perfection through abandoning one's egos and personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one's body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun. The billowing skirts of my Sufi are beautiful in fretwork, and I teamed him with titanium coated black quartz nuggets and coral as an accent and added a brass Turkomen bead as an extra point of interest. A lovely vintage Kuchi coin dangles from the back of the clasp. Plenty to look at, then! I haven't the time to organise a show in Bangalore this year, but if any of you reading this are interested, I will be carrying some of my jewellery and you are welcome to message me via the Caprilicious Facebook page and arrange to come and look at it, I'll be only too happy to see you.
That's me for this week folks, I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place. Until then xx Hello everyone, I'm glad you could join me today. We are bang in the middle of summer and at last the sun was shamed into showing his face - but who knows what next week will bring? Rather than worry about what is to come I decided to make the best of what we have and spent every day of the week splashing paint onto my garden furniture until it was all painted a uniform shade of sunlight yellow. I'll bet you're thinking what on earth I was doing painting the furniture a 'Hi-Vis' colour. Well hold on, and I'll tell you. There is a method to my madness, I promise. We were about to have a retractable poly tunnel like pool cover installed and I wanted to draw the eye away from what I thought would be an eyesore in our little garden. We needed the cover though, cleaning the pool was becoming increasingly a chore as the trees in the surrounding properties shed their leaves and seeds by the lorry load on a daily basis. It was quickly becoming a nuisance rather than a pleasure and something needed to be done, and quick. This was the end result, and I think the two go well together. We will be able to extend the number of days we can use the pool and reduce the heating bills besides keeping it clean. Petite FleurI bought a string of coral fossil slab nuggets - I'm not usually one for beige and brown, but these beads are so pretty I couldn't resist them. Corals are invertebrates that are made up of colonies of tiny polyps, which secrete calcium carbonate to form an outer skeleton. We only get to see the exoskeleton part of the organism, eventually left behind once the coral dies, and turn these into pretty beads and jewellery. Most coral is beige, cream, yellow or black and very occasionally pink or red. . Millions of years ago, coral lived in warm shallow water. Over time, as plates below the ocean floor shifted, the coral became buried under layers and layers of sediments. As the temperature and pressure changed, the coral eventually fossilised and turned into rock. Fossil corals are actually natural stones that formed when ancient corals were replaced by agate, their hard skeletons fossilising when they were saturated with silica rich water bubbling from limestone. Coral remains were gradually replaced with agate, a variety of naturally occurring chalcedony, or micro crystalline quartz. The fossilised coral typically appears as small flower-like patterns in the stone. You can read more here, if you are interested. Hand carved bovine bone flowers, copper spacers and a pop of colour with turquoise beads were added to the piece ( I simply couldn't resist adding a bit of colour to what would otherwise be a very sombre necklace) and I think the necklace is very fetching. A couple of copper beads were left over and I added some bone flowers to make little earrings to match. As the necklace is pretty striking, all it needed was an unobtrusive pair of earrings. That's me for this week folks. Next week I have a bit of time off and hope to play with a bit of fold forming and metal smithing. I will probably end up with lumps of twisted misshapen metal, or I might surprise us all and make something really interesting - who knows? I will keep you posted, as usual.
Have a fabulous week and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place. Until then xx Hello folks, how lucky I am that we can meet like this today - and I mean this quite literally!! I'm sure you've noticed that my blog posts have all suddenly gone pale this week. I've had so much trouble with my website over the last couple of weeks, I was almost ready to throw in the towel and go to another web host. Weebly, the people I am currently with suddenly decided to update their software and it no longer supported some of the changes I had made which were working perfectly before they tinkered with it. My site suddenly disappeared from view and no matter how many times I refreshed it, I could not see any of the content. I couldn't think what happened and eventually, over a number of emails, late night phone calls to the USA and a bit of hissing and spitting and lot of alterations, I finally ended up with this new look website and blog. The problem here is that I am a one woman show - apart from designing and making the jewellery having sourced the components, I take my own pictures, edit them and upload them onto the Caprilicious website, writing descriptions of each piece along the way. However, I am semi computer literate and mainly self taught. What they say about the maternal proclivities of 'Necessity' is quite true. I changed the 'theme' of my website thrice in the last week, which meant that all the headers and fonts disappeared each time and yet another phone call had to be made. I now know the number to the Weebly help line off by heart and can recite it in my sleep. Hissing and spitting, and of course swearing under my breath, I repeated the boring task of uploading all the pictures onto the headers over and over until soon, I was no longer doing it under my breath and the air was blue around me. I used the word for intercourse more times than the good ladies in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I arrived at the point where I have a website and a blog and could spend a couple of enjoyable hours making up a necklace that I had designed in my minds eye while lying in bed last night. XanaduXanadu is the summer capital of the Mongol warrior Kubla Khan in a poem written by Coleridge - he thought it up one night whilst lying in an opium fuelled stupor - I thought it a fitting name for a necklace I conjured up in bed while lying in a Weebly induced coma! Xanadu was thought to be a luxorious place of great beauty, riches and contentment. I bought the sterling silver pendant while in Jaipur a year and a half ago and it is so pretty, I've been sitting on it like Gollum and his 'pretties'. Only recently I decided it would be a shame to hoard it and brought it out of my stash to turn it into a piece of jewellery. I added slices of bamboo coral, turquoise beads, silver beads and some pretty blue brass beadcaps to make Xanadu. It is longer than I usually make, about 25" long, and meant to be worn over an outfit with a high neckline. I love the combination of coral, turquoise and silver and the little silver box clasp finishes the piece perfectly. Last weekend, I spent the days scrubbing my cast aluminium garden furniture with bleach, pressure washing them and sanding down all the paintwork - I used my Dremel here and was so pleased that at last I had a multipurpose piece of kit that actually worked well for me. Mike and I painted the table with some trepidation, I had chosen such a bright colour, but I think it looks good. We have done bits of the chairs, and will have them done by the end of this week, I hope. I don't mind admitting that I am exhausted this week folks, I've had a busy time at the day job, as well as the mind numbing evenings with Weebly to contend with. I hope that this will be an end to my tale of woe. I apologise for crying on your shoulders, but Hey! what are friends for?? I'm going to settle down this weekend with a good book and a cuppa tea, I think I deserve a rest! That's me for this week, take good care of yourselves and do keep your fingers crossed for me and the Caprilicious website. I'll catch you next week, same time, same place Until then xx |
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