Hello my friends, how are you? It's been a lovely day and the sun is still shining at seven o'clock in the evening as I type this in readiness to put out first thing tomorrow as I go in to work. I'm working all weekend, and hoping for a quiet one so that I will be fresh and ready for the week to come. The garden is beginning to wake up and the Canterbury bells in the rockery are flowering - they come back year on year and last for ages, so they are a good investment in any garden. I started the piece I'm about to show you in December of last year. It has taken me ages to get it to a stage where it is wearable - part of the reason was that I ran out of beads and had to send away for more and then I had to decide how to finish it off and send out again for the grosgrain ribbon which makes a beautiful contrast to the haematite beads. The other reason was that sewing shiny black beads with a tiny needle and a fine black thread takes a lot out of the eyes. Added to that, I only had the time to make jewellery at night when already tired from the day job. I only managed to weave about an inch at a time before the eye strain told on me. However, I think it was entirely worth it - the facets on the haematite beads shimmer and gleam in the light and the necklace has a pleasing weight. I have left the ends of the ribbon loose, so that it can be worn at any length chosen, but I'm happy to set up a clasp if that's what is required. AnastasiaThe beads are woven together using a rot proof, fray proof, monofilament nylon thread using a technique called the Cellini Peyote stitch, and I've ended the ribbon with a fray proof paint so that it doesn't fall apart. I think I'm very happy with this one. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra. Along with her parents and young siblings, Anastasia was captured and executed during the Bolshevik Revolution. She is well-known for the mystery that surrounded her death for decades. In the years following the execution of the Romanov family, conspiracy theories began to emerge. Beginning in 1920, numerous women came forward and claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. There is something Russian , dark and mysterious about this necklace, which is why I named it after the doomed Grand Duchess. That's all I have time for this week, folks. have a wonderful weekend and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx
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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 people, how's tricks? We're looking at a heat wave apparently - and I'm thrilled - except that the UK Met Office says "A UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold." Three days?? Hmm!!! So, just three days, then - or more? Who knows. When I ring India, I'm told just how hot it is and how no one ventures out during the day; and I remember that Indian children are brought indoors when the sun is shining - and here I am, straddling two cultures, waiting for the sun, and yet having to be coaxed outdoors sometimes, because the memory of my childhood. The adage Mad dogs etc etc; still lingers in my psyche. I've been playing with tiny little beads for ages, but haven't a finished piece to show you. What I do have however, is a simple necklace of striking mustard yellow slabs of agate strung with a Kenyan brass Sun bead and faceted carnelian spacers. I love slab nuggets, and always have a piece on my books. They are not everyones piece of cake - they are large, in your face, and shriek 'look at me'. They are also beautiful, and deserve to be looked at, can be work with simple ensembles - T shirts, plain colours - however, because the necklace is ostensibly so simple, it can easily be worn with multicolour prints - the piece is at home anywhere, anytime with any outfit. Sunshiny DayEach slab is a beauty in its own right - I buy strings of agate nuggets in many colours and enjoy wearing them myself. I'm having a little break - I will be in London for a couple of days as an examiner for the RCOG exams. Mike and the cat will take care of each other and I shall meet old friends, network, and meet a couple of Caprilicious ladies. I am really looking forward to it after my disaster of a holiday to Amsterdam that never happened. Have a good week folks, 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 everyone, how are you? It's Friday again and I'm happy to be back with you. The week has been sunny and bright - plenty of time for the garden to grow and flowers to bloom. This week, I spent time finishing the piece I started over ten days ago, and I think it looks lovely - see what you make of it. My friend and Caprilicious lady Danielle came up from London and we had a bit of a photo session. She is such a fabulous model and enjoys striking a pose that it is so much fun to take pictures of her. That's me for now, folks, the weekend beckons and promises to be long and lazy with nothing planned apart from lounging around. Have a fabulous weekend and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then xx Hello people, it's good to find you here again today. It's wonderful that the days are growing longer and the sun is beginning to show some signs of warmth. Once Christmas is done and dusted, there's not much left to say about living in dark and cold conditions for months on end. I manage to cut out three weeks of it by going to India, but not many people have that luxury. Before I forget, a Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it. May your Easter Day be fun, memorable and happy! May you fnd lots of Easter Eggs and hopefully you don't eat them all at once. I've been out and about in the garden and the plants are all popping shoots, especially the ferns. There's only so many times you can look at the same thing over and over without it becoming imprinted on your subconscious. I had part of a string of beads left over from a necklace I once made, and planned that I was going to make another similar one. The ferns got inextricably tied up in the design. This is the original necklace, made a couple of years ago, worn by the lovely lady who picked it up. I set out to make a similar-but-different pendant with the remaining beads. I haven't finished it yet, but have a series of photographs of the piece as it is being created. The stone at the centre is a dyed solar quartz in rainbow colours and the first step was to make a bezel and set it into the felt. And, here's where I am - no doubt I'll have it done by next week.
That's me for this week, folks. Have a lovely Easter holiday and I'll see you next Friday, 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 people, how are you today? Last week we thought spring was here, the daffodils were out and life was looking rosy. Seven days later, there are flurries of snow and we are plunged into mid-winter all over again. By the way, can you see the 'holes' in the bush to the left of the photograph? We have a number of sparrows nesting in that bush and those are the windows they have made to get in and out of the greenery to be able to get in and out before the cat can get at them - I see them coming out of that bush every day to the nuts we have hung on the branches of a tree opposite. I had a week off work, and we were meant to be in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, we didn't actually leave Birmingham Airport - our flight was stood down at the very last minute, after we'd checked in and were due to board. We were then herded into the Arrivals hall, made to pick up our luggage and get back in line to book onto another flight. The flight that they offered us was the red eye to Amsterdam, the next day - this would have meant that we went home, and got back to the airport at 330 am. Having stood in queues for the best part of six hours, we declined the offer and got a taxi back home. The winner? Wilfred the cat got to come home from the cattery three days early! I was sick and tired of the whole thing by the end of the day, and it will be a cold day in hell before I venture into making plans for another holiday - I have now the unpleasant task of recovering all the money spent on the various activities I had booked in advance - jazz concert tickets, bus tickets to the Keukenhof Gardens, etc, etc. Oh well, that's that I suppose, except that the hotel insists that they will not refund us, but give us a voucher to stay with them at any time in the next six months - I guess that cold day in hell will come, after all! We licked our wounds for a couple of days and eventually ventured out into Coventry, to an exhibition we had wanted to get to for a while. Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken - Daniel LismoreDaniel Lismore is a 37 year old artist who has been dubbed the 'most eccentrically dressed man in Britain' by Vogue magazine. Brought up in Coventry, he ended up in London where he worked as a photographer and model. He is known for living his life as art by wearing elaborate and extravagant ensembles that combine haute couture with vintage fabrics, found objects, chainmail, ethnic jewellery, millinery and more, in an expression of eccentric, creative energy. Inspired by art in all its forms. We went along, well ok, Michael was dragged along because I was intrigued by his style and the jewellery he was wearing, not knowing what to expect. Wham! We were confronted by several rooms of eight foot high figurines, all with his face, wearing the most elaborate costumes, a lot of them with a political message to them. I then read that he had been inspired by the Terracotta Army of Xian, which I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of years ago. This exhibition plays homage to Daniel Lismore's earliest inspiration - the Chinese Terracotta Army. Much like the warriors of the Terracotta Army, each one of Lismore's sculptures is unique, but together they form a united cohort, standing in solidarity in a regimented fashion. These sculptures are some of Lismore's most embellished works, comprising metals, jewels, armour, chainmail and more. Lismore incorporates the idea of clothing as armour into his sculptures as a symbol of protection. He was the first person to wear armour to Parliament since it was made illegal by Oliver Cromwell. In his 2019 TED Talk My Life as a Work of Art, Lismore says "Picture yourself in a giant jewellery box with all the beautiful things that you have ever seen in your life. Then imagine that your body is a canvas, and on that canvas you have a mission to create a masterpiece using the content of your giant jewellery box. Once you've created your masterpiece you might think 'Wow, I created that, this is who I am today'. Then you would pick up your house keys walk out the door into the real world, maybe take public transport into the centre of your town. Possibly walk along the streets or even go shopping. Well, that's my life every day. When I walk out the door, these artworks are me. I am art." I guess all of us who like nice clothes, and wear make up and jewellery are doing just that, to some extent. He is known for living his life as art by wearing elaborate and extravagant ensembles that combine haute couture with vintage fabrics, found objects, chainmail, ethnic jewellery, millinery and more, in an expression of eccentric, creative energy. Inspired by art in all its forms, history and his travels, Lismore seems to combine and amalgamate multiple inspirations from around the world into vibrant expressions of cultural appreciation. The one on the left is Michael my hubby, who was made to stand there to show perspective. I love the use of jewellery beetle wings, masai necklaces, Afghan jewellery, pearls, Miao neckpieces, boomerangs, Balinese jewellery, and feathers, among many other elements to embellish the outfits. We left the exhibition with a sense of awe - the creativity of people never ceases to amaze. We rounded the corner and went into another room at the gallery - and couldn't have found anything more diametrically opposite to what had just excited our senses!! Well, at least that brought a smile to our faces and we drove back in a suddenly sunshiny afternoon, feeling that we had been somewhere interesting. I've finally decided what I'm going to make next and have sent off for beads and crystals. I also have a beaded necklace to complete - I misjudged the number of beads I required and had to send for more before I went to India, but haven't picked that piece back up yet. 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 everyone, how are you today? Spring is here and the daffodils are out in the garden, my camellia bush is blooming and the sun is shining, resulting in an immediate uplift to everyones outlook! It feels like we might be able to cope with almost anything if the weather meets us halfway. I know I'm late to the party, but the Indian festival of Holi was with us last week. Holi is a festival that celebrates spring, love, and new life/fertility, and as with all Hindu festivals, the triumph of good over evil. Although Holi has religious roots, not much religious activity is involved in its celebration. I took this picture in a market one year - these are the coloured powders that people smear over each other - by the end of the evening, everyone looks a fright, but no one seems to care as all of them are in the same boat. The intake of alcohol and other inebriants at these parties help with the rose tinted spectacles too, and a lot of fun is had on the day, followed by a lot of scrubbing of the skin to get the colours off - I don't mean to sound like a killjoy, it is most definitely a lot of fun. I hated getting so dirty, though and my memories are all of scrubbing brushes and scalding hot water. Holi, the NecklaceI usually make an extremely colourful necklace around this time, and this year is no different. This one has a handmade pendant from Nepal, and I picked out all the beads I had in my stash to mirror the colours of the pendant. I've used turquoise, coral, carved yak bone, lapis, lava and resin beads to concoct a colourful piece worthy of its name. We're off to the Keukenhof gardens soon - that time of year is here! Every day the sun shines brings the tulip bulbs closer to putting on a show for us, and I can't wait to take hundreds of photographs. I'll share a load of them with you on these pages as soon as I'm back. That's all I have for you folks, 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 |
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