Mice, sparkling gems and an award!

Yet again, I continue with my very poor blogging habits. I seem to remember blogging each week up until recently – how did I find the time!? I must be lacking in organization at the moment…

I thought about posting about the mice we have here on the farm. There is one in particular that consistently steals food out of the cat’s bowl. A fat, glossy little mouse he is ... and very careful to come out ONLY when the cats aren’t around. And when there is only one, a mouse can be pretty darn cute.

But some mouse stories aren’t so nice when they’re at, whilst not quite plague proportions, at least far too many of them. And the rats! Luckily we have bush rats, which I’ve found, at first hand, look just like massive mice. (And along with huge Bogong moths last month, I secretly started to wonder if something very strange was going on that was growing monster wildlife!)

So instead, I thought I’d stick to the jewellery front and what I’ve been up to.

I’ve been busy recently with a show and orders, but have also been sidetracked into my box of special gems. "The box" is getting so full that I decided I either needed a bigger box or had to create some jewellery to share these beauties around. Since shops are few and far between out here to find a larger box, I went with the latter choice and made some pieces with the sparklies!

Th pink amethyst, pink topaz and rock crystal quartz sterling silver necklace at the top of the post is one. Scrumptious, isn’t it? Rather springlike considering we’re in full winter here, but that’s the muse for you – she takes you where she will!

I made a wintry necklace too – with smoky quartz, petro tourmaline and vermeil. Rich and luxurious.



Then I got started on earrings ….

With everything from muted shades of pink and blue with rose quartz, pink topaz, pink tourmaline and iolite...



To rich red garnets and pink topaz reminding me of cool days and warm fires...



To colourful amethyst, peridot and blue topaz ...



And more ... like my favourites - these one made with swiss blue topaz, peridot, pink topaz, green topaz and apatite ...




See why I like my “special box”!? And, it’s a much nicer post than one about mice!

In other news, I was recently honoured to receive The Versatile Blogghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifers Award from the wonderful Kelly of Vital Traditions all the way over in Washington State. I had the pleasure of being the roomie of Kelly at a conference a couple of years ago in Queensland, and she is honestly one of the very nicest people you could ever meet! Oh, and her all natural body products are THE BEST!



As part of receiving this award I need to pass this on and I've selected some of my daily reads for the award (check them out, you may find a new favourite!):

BushBelles
Gifts of Serendipity
Write Expressions
The Laurel Hedge
Cattle, Kids & Chaos

And, lastly before I sign off, I want to give a shout-out to Paula K and her new Smart Woman venture. Paula started the amazing and popular Connect2Mums site a couple of years ago and I've known her since those early days - she's a fantastic mentor and businesswoman, so if you're in small business (or thinking about it), pop over to her Facebook page and say hello!

Hot Weather, Sydney, Shops, Peaches and an Award.

It has been so hot the last few days - everytime I moved an eyebrow I broke out in a sweat. (I could say perspiration, but, no.... it was sweat). I'm really not made for the hot weather but this last week has been a scorcher.

We were in Sydney for a few days and I don't think I've ever felt that hot in the city before - usually there is a sea breeze, but not this week. The skies were constantly blue, the sun was hot and the humidity completely did me in. I can take the heat if there is relief in the shade, but with humidity there's just no escaping it. When we got home to the farm on Thursday night, the house was so hot it was like walking into a dry sauna. Apparently it had been 44C that day and with the house locked up it was STILL 44C.

Sydneysiders seemed to be enjoying the hot weather on Australia Day and the city - in particular Circular Quay and Hyde Park - was packed with people enjoying the entertainment. After our satisfying walk around the city in December, we decided to do it again. Here's a pic of Centrepoint Tower, taken as we just got out of the train station at St. James.



Now that all the Xmas decorations were down and the need for pressies was less, I came to the conclusion that there were too many shops in the city selling 'women's stuff' (as my husband so eloquently put it) and the prices most were charging was astronomical. Obviously people in the city get paid better than farmers. I do envy Sydneysiders their access to choice - often in regard to furniture and so on but I can happily say that our country shops do a sterling job on the 'women's stuff' front.

Naturally, we can't always GET to these shops regularly. I need to travel over 100km to get to a clothes shop, but when I do, these boutique owners really have to buy well - they can't afford to purchase and then not sell it. Of course, I do still use online shopping - it's so easy, always open and I don't have to drive an hour or more to get there!

We are fortunate in our little town to have a nice 'stuff' shop though - I have watched the owner expand and refine her range and move into larger and larger premises as people appreciated her selections.

On the farming front, things are drying off with the successive hot days. I've even had to resort to watering the roses and some trees! Our peach and plum trees had some gorgeous fruit this summer. For the last couple of weeks, we've been going out every morning and picking a few pieces of fruit for the day. The blood plums have been huge and so juicy. The peaches have been the same - making one peach a nice handful.



I've been keeping an eye out for parrots, waiting for them to find the fruit trees - so that I can leave them on the tree for maximum ripening but save enough for us! It appears that they took advantage of our absence for a few days as I've returned home and hardly a peach was left. This one managed to be missed by both the parrots and the children.



I did manage to get back to my bench for a couple of days last week and now that the kids will be back to school this coming week, I am looking forward to creating again. After I've covered all the school books of course. Not looking forward to that one.

On a high note, the gorgeous Julia from BushBelles awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award last week. As part of accepting this award I need to share 7 things about me that you probably won't know and then pass the award on to three other stylish bloggers ^^.



So, here goes:
1) I'm starting piano lessons next week. We have a gorgeous grand piano that we bought for the children and frankly I'm completely jealous that they can play and I can't.
2) I'm allergic to most cats - they make me sneeze. Of course, that doesn't stop the children owning outside cats - that I pat and feed and worry about.
3) Snakes completely freak me out. Totally. Even seeing them on the road makes me cringe. (Yes, I know, I make such a suitable farmer's wife).
4) My son, at age 12 has just pipped me in the height stakes. How am I supposed to be a disciplinary force when I have to look up at him?
5) I'm a voracious reader and love the classics. I started reading Austen at age 9 and Dickens at age 11. Hmmm, must give them to the girls to read.
6) I often break out in song, much to the disgust of my son and the amusement of my daughters.
7) I dreamed about my hubby about 2 years before I met him. Fate?

Now, to the new award recipients!
Millie from The Laurel Hedge. Her blog always has gorgeous photos - I love to hear about her renovations and enjoy her view on the world!
Melissah from Scrapbook who, even though she is only a new blogger, is inspiring new people every day.
Melanie from Whimsical Creations - this is one talented woman, have a look for yourself!

Well, look at that, they're all M's!

Till next :)
Annette

What a week - school is back, a nasty virus, the Grammy's and an Award

Wow, what a week. Not only have the munchkins returned to school, my computer mysteriously slowed up and I wasn't able to use a browser, so couldn't get online!!! It ended up being a nasty Trojan virus that snuck in somehow and wasn't picked up by my anti-virus software :( Thank goodness for the helpful soul at Microsoft Answers who gave me great advice that I followed and consequently seem to have solved my problems. Of course, what would have taken 15 minutes to do without the virus, took over 3 days!!! Very, very frustrating.

The children have settled into their new school brilliantly. They have made lots of new friends, are liking their teachers and overall are quite thrilled to be there. Such a difference to the end of last year, when they were dragging their heels at anything to do with school. My eldest is now in high school and I think the set up of lots of different teachers and subjects suits him down to the ground.

I managed to watch the Grammy's this week - as we all know I love to look at the jewels, although I rarely sit through a whole awards presentation. However due to a small mishap, I spent the evening on the floor in front of the TV.

(OK: this is why: the children were making up their jigsaw puzzles and had them all spread out on cardboard sheets on the lounge room floor. The door was open, a big gust of wind came in, lifted up the cardboard and puzzle pieces went everywhere. So what's a mother to do? Make them all up again so then put them away complete!! Do you know HOW LONG it takes to do a dozen or so jigsaw puzzles from 50 - 300 pieces each when they're all mixed up!!! No wonder I had time to watch the Grammy's!)

Anyway, I must say I really enjoyed it, particularly how they matched some newer faces with older established artists. It was quite spectacular and on the jewellery front those gals are certainly into bling. Lots of wow-factor diamonds!!

I've also been checking out the fashions at the Paris couture shows when I can. Of course, it's mostly unwearable-by-mortals clothing, but the jewellery was pretty amazing. Galliano (Dior), Lagerfield (Chanel), and Armani had big statement pieces, particularly for evening wear, that covered all the major types of jewellery - necklaces/chokers, earrings, bracelets/cuffs, rings and brooches (the latter worn in the hair or as a jacket closure).

The Tuscon gem shows are also in full swing and I keep hearing about tantalising new things being shown. I would just love to be able to go one year *sigh* but till then, I'll keep living vicariously! Have you ever noted how many events are held in Tuscon? I also saw a reference to the Tuscon Quilt Craft and Sewing Festival later in the year on the Road Home Quilting blog. THE destination for shows and festivals it seems!

Back down to earth, however, I have my first show coming up in less than a fortnight - the Dunedoo Show on Saturday, 13 February. This will be my second year there and I will be in or adjacent to the ladies pavillion. I don't know what other artisan/craftswomen will be there - I could hope for a lovely turnout as mentioned by Elena at her recent Handmade Show, but maybe that might be stretching things a bit! I will be taking lots of my new pieces along so the ladies will have lots of pretty things to look at. Pictured above is one such piece - amber, carnelian and pearls in wonderful shades - apple green, fiery orange, beaten bronze, cranberry and mauve. It makes me happy just to look at it :D

While I've been off the air, I received this award

from the lovely I am NOT a VOLCANO and other such stories. I am to pass this on to newly discovered lovely blogs...enjoy!

The Laurel Hedge
Escapade
Dustjacket Attic
Dress Design Decor
Plush Palate

Handmade and an Award

I’ve had a busy week! The end of last week was flat out as I prepared for my first spring show at the NEGS Spring Fair, Armidale. The co-ordinator of the fair was very helpful and after a looooong drive, we got set up quickly and for once I was actually ready BEFORE the show started! I even got to do a quick tour around and see the other booths quickly.

I was surprised to find that I was in the vast minority with a handmade product. There were only two other noticeable stallholders with quality handmade items there – a milliner with fun hats for children and women and a fibre artist with the most incredible felt objects d’art. The rest of the stall holders were resellers which was disappointing.

Although I have clear signage that my jewellery is handcrafted one woman got a huge surprise when I told her I was a gemmologist and she realized my jewellery was ‘real’ and handmade. Another vendor later informed my husband that I need to get some lower priced items to sell – he told her that that is difficult since I make everything at the lowest price I can already. She was shocked into silence for a moment before stuttering….’she makes ALL of that????’ LOL.

When you visit a show or fair (not necessarily a market), what do you expect to see – resellers, imports, handmade/artisan goods?

On to other things, I was pleased as punch to receive The Uplifting Blogger Award from Shraddha and April at the The Self Love Project. Thankyou!



I’m passing this award onto

Keri at Life of Logan for sharing her wonderful family days.
Jennifer at It’s a Beauty Filled Life for posts that always making me smile.
Veronica Lee of OF MICE AND raMEN for posting great pics of amazing things all the time.
Julie at Momspective for making me laugh out loud, even when I shouldn’t !

I must point out a fantastic pic – if you like pink and dogs (yes, I know, you don’t normally consider both together) check out the photo on this post at The Tall Poppy! :D

On another note, I’m still working on my new wordpress blog behind the scenes and will tell you where it is soon (or you can go looking !) but I’m having dramas with technorati and can’t seem to log a help call with them. I noticed that Robin at Sweet Little Memories has been having issues too - anyone else feel like they’re banging they’re head agains a brick wall over there at Technorati?

Pic for today is a pair of lemon quartz 12ct goldfill earrings. These wondrous gemmies have been hiding in my special stash box which is getting a bit full since I've been hoarding them! A cut of gem that is not commercially available they are half carved and half faceted they are stunning quality! Feminine and delicate.

Gosh, look at the time! I must dash – I’m going to be at Merriwa Show tomorrow and Saturday and have to finish piling things up at the door to pack the car at dawn! Wish me luck :)

Till next
Annette

Gardening, cooking and renewable energy...

Another week has flown by. I'm getting worried. I'm sure I'll turn around in what seems like a couple of weeks time and Christmas decorations will be up! Someone told me the other day that it was only 130 days till Christmas. Since that wasn't TODAY, its even less now....

We have continued to have quite glorious winter weather here - lots of blue skies, sunshine, soft breezes and mild temperatures. I have spent more time in the garden planting gazanias (I think that's what they are - ask my neighbour - I just do as I'm told!) underneath my roses to help keep the weeds at bay. The knowledgeable neighbour assures me that they will form a thick mat and choke out the weeds. BUT I have to be very conscientious for the next few months and water them regularly (not my strong point, I'll admit). Oh the responsibility! LOL

I also seem to have spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking - brought on by an abundance of eggs from my mother-in-law's very happy chooks (chickens). Everytime she pops in, she brings another couple of dozen eggs so I was up to NINE dozen and really had to step in and do something with them as the odd boiled egg or omlette just wasn't enough. So I've made an almond and carrot torte, a mega-sized chocolate mud cake with chocolate glaze and two slabs of chocolate brownie. That used up two dozen. Then we had a crustless quiche one night and I made double to have for lunches so there's another dozen gone. The torte and cake have already been eaten, so no doubt the family will want me back in the kitchen cooking as soon as the brownie is polished off!

What do you think of renewable energy? Specifically wind power? We have two companies in our town at the moment attempting to sign people up for wind turbines. The turbines are an impressive 80 metres high - and that's just to the hub - plus the blades on top of that! Massive. They came out to visit us today and we find that we're not quite high enough, although we could be considered for a secondary development once the main wind farm is established on a nearby ridge line. There is lots to consider though, one of which is our very scenic views will change quite radically to very scenic views with masses of wind towers. I like the idea of green energy but I'm not 100% about having it surrounding me every time I go outside.

I have also spent some time at my bench although I haven't got as far as taking photos of the new pieces yet. But there are some bright and fun pieces for a lighthearted touch of summer. I really struggled doing the first one - it is a completely different mindset to doing 'bright and fun' compared to 'understated elegance'! But after hours upon hours of moving stones around I achieved the first one and the rest just happened :)

I've been busy loading some recently made stock onto the website now that spring is just around the corner too. AND I've been on facebook, but I'm keeping it under control. I only pop in for a half hour in the morning. I'm happy to say I've already exceeded 100 fans in a week which I'm pretty impressed with!

Today's picture is of a very pretty bracelet - I try to avoid the word 'pretty' as it is just so easy to use for so many things, but it just suits this piece! Palest pink faceted rose quartz and mauve-pink freshwater pearls linked together with 12ct goldfill.

Holidays and vacations seem to be in the air in blog land - two new blogs I've started to check in on recently - Critical Mass and Shwanda.com have both been away and there are lots of wonderful holidays snaps to admire. I love seeing what people go to see and do in other countries!

I also saw on the Michabella Creations blog that she won a print - it's just the most adorable little dachshund picture! I've seen old family photos and recall stories from when my parents had one of these cute (if somewhat strange looking) little dogs.

And continuing the "green" theme - Cherry Mag has a great articles Top Tips for Keeping Green Around the House which has some great, sensible advice.

Ooops, nearly forgot again!!! I have been very remiss in not mentioning a recent award I received! Thank you to Super Mommy to the Rescue for a Friends Award :)


the Rules:

This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. deliver this award to six bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. I will pass this award to some of my bloggy friends that I find exceedingly charming…

I would like to pass this award onto:
Julie at Momspective
JenJen at Gotta Love Mom
Jackie at 3 Little Ones
Tess at Six Feet Under
Jennifer at Its A Beauty Filled Life
Tammy at Cappucino Confessions

Till next :)
Annette

Winter mistaken for spring - but not for long!

I did it, I did it! I spent two whole days in the most disorganised room in the house (see post last week) and it is now pristine! I threw A LOT of stuff out, re-organised and moved things around and I feel so much lighter in myself!

Hubby is really pleased as he finally has his table back in his possession and although he hasn't finished re-organising that little area it is well on its way.

Of course, the rest of the house is suffering somewhat in comparison now...but I think I'll attack that another day.

The weather has turned very icy here - although the skies are a vivid blue and the grass is green due to rain we've had over the last month. So it is easy to lull yourself into a sense of spring from the warmth inside the house - until you go outside of course! Then you feel the wintry bite and retreat inside very quickly.

The springlike looking weather has inspired me to work with a burst of soft, pretty colours so I thought I would share these delicately coloured earrings that are of new jade (serpentine), freshwater pearl and rose quartz.

I found a great group - Unique Women in Business at the by Earth Expressions blog. I love the idea behind this group - it's fantastic to see women banding together to help each other towards success!

Recently, I received the same award from two fellow bloggers - Miriam from Angelshair and Terry from Magicalbeadstalk gave me this:



The rules of the award are:
Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award."

So here are my 15 newly discovered 'lovely' blogs!
thirtysomethingLand
Theta Mom
Mommy Words
5 kids, 2 labs, 1 lizard and a hermit crab
Piece of Cake Decorating
I'm Still Standing
Shabby Chicks
Paris Couture Antiques
My Insanity
Inca Kids, Fair Trade & Sustainable Living
Keeper of the Cheerios
Click Here
The Crazy Suburban Mom
Sweet Serendipity
Witchetty Art

Gosh, that's a list and half!

Cheers for now,
Annette

The Patter of Rain on a Tin Roof

As I type this I hear the patter of rain in the background. Rain against a tin roof - there's nothing like it, especially when you really need it! Australia is such a big country - and while the central part of the eastern coast has been literally submerged in wet weather we have remained dry. Living on a farm makes you attuned to the weather and what it can do - and the lack of grass is having an effect, with the need for supplementary feeding. Changing the stock into new paddocks is more to give the cows a change of scenery than more feed! So, I am enjoying the raindrops for as long as they last and wish those affected on the coast could blow some more this way!!

Have you ever looked at where your web visitors come from - I've been watching my blog visitors lately and its amazing the way they find you, the most random searches - albeit for me it is something to do with either gemstones or jewellery. And the locations! There are some places I've never heard of (which I actually find rather embarrassing!). In the last week I've had lots of visitors from the UK, whereas my visitor list is usually dominated by US or Australian locations. I wonder why? Where do most of your visitors come from?

I must thank Anne of The Tall Poppy for a recent award - the Welcoming Blogger Award! She reckons I'm always popping up and welcoming newbies along and I must admit that I do like doing that - after all, you never know who you could meet!



Of course I've been doing the rounds of my arts/crafts online buddies and this week I must draw attention to two outstanding artists.

The first is Carol of The Blue Cat. Carol stumbled on my blog a few months ago, followed me over to Creative Bloggers and has been a stalwart supporter there. I love popping into her blog and seeing her gorgeous artwork - she has an affinity for our feline friends and imbues such personality into them that they are just adorable! She sells on various online marketplaces and they're certainly lucky to have such a talented artist on their books!

The other talented woman is Sayo - a fellow maker of jewellery and I just love her big silver rings with a lovely big fat natural crystal! It really appeals to the gemmologist in me I guess!!! Do check out her blog where you can see her great work - bet you buy a piece ;)

I would also like to urge any ladies downunder to join the marvellous Connect2mums network - I have already made some wonderful friends there and I'm sure I will find a lot more. It is so wonderful to have such a network for those of us down here in Australia as usually our only option for such camaraderie is based overseas. Of course, in true spirit of my above award I'm welcoming everyone aboard!

OK, I had better include a picture of something I've made recently. Ah yes, a torsade. I only make these occasionally as they are very time consuming - getting the colours just right and not just the combination, but the percentages of each colour. The last one I featured here on my blog sold the first time it was seen in real life, so I decided to make another. This one is a little more subdued in the colour, but very delectable! Made with freshwater pearls in sage, bronze-copper and cranberry, rich red garnet and some sparkling smoky quartz.

Till next :)

Blue Diamonds and less momentous things!

All across the gem news this week was the sale of the 7.03ct rectangular cut internally flawless vivid blue diamond over the past week? Extracted last year from the Cullinan mine in South Africa it went under the hammer in a Sotheby's auction held in Geneva to an undisclosed telephone bidder. The price hit a new high (per carat) for any gemstone sold at auction, eventually selling after some harried bidding at 10.5 million Swiss francs ... that's almost $9.5million USD or $12.2million AUD! Wowsers!!! Apparently the new owner gets to name it for prosterity as well. (Well, you'd like to get some sort of kudos for paying that much for a stone - albeit one of the world's rarest gemstones).

This led me to read about other blue diamond sales. I found that London jeweller, Laurence Graff, paid just under $5 million for an oval vivid blue diamond of 3.7ct in mid 2008. He followed this up at the end of 2008 by buying the 35.56 carat Wittelsbach diamond for $24.5 million! The really interesting thing is that he outbid the Bavarian government!!

Well, back to reality and even though I have a sizeable stash here, no blue diamonds I'm afraid, not even a little one *sigh*. The closest I have would be blue topaz - so above is a picture of some blue topaz and aquamarine earrings. They're still pretty, even if they're not diamonds!

Onto other things.... I wanted to tell you about two jewellery artisans that have really taken my attention lately. Andrew of Chainmaille by MBOI makes some amazing chainmaille pieces and he photographs them so beautifully as well!

The other is Jenny of J. Mack Gems, who I recently met through Creative Bloggers. She has made some outstanding beadwoven pieces - check out this piece call Gladiator - isn't it extraordinary! I just love it!!

I know Mother's Day is past, however slow little person that I am, found this great gift that would be appropriate for any work at home mum from the Business Mums Network.

Now I have been very remiss in not putting up the recent blogger buddy award I was honoured to receive from Jenjen at Gotta Love Mom. I love sitting down with a cuppa and catching up with what she has been up to (and admiring her wonderful pics), so really appreciate her giving this award to me!

First show for 2009 and an award

My first show for the year has been and gone and I had a great day out. The occasion was the International Women's Day in the Warrumbungles Shire, and they had an amazing number of speakers - all interesting women from within the Shire. Speakers included a local doctor, a resident originally from South America, an aboriginal elder, a herbalist, a previous shire councillor, a local choir ... and more. There were a small collection of booths from local concerns, all run by women. Everyone was extremely friendly and I was glad to see the men had been put to work in the kitchen ;) - they were profusely thanked, after all, we don't get them in there very often!



Do you ever wonder what you actually do in a day, a week, a month? I frequently ponder and occasionally get a bit distressed at how much time I spend doing 'nothing', or at least 'nothing productive'. At least I'm not alone. In my regular visits to my favourite blogs I see that Nicole of the Modern Goddess Online is wondering where the last two months have gone, and Terry of Magical Beadstalk has actually dissected her day to try and work out where the time goes LOL. Of course we all really do achieve things - they're just not always glaringly apparent! That's my story, at any rate, and I'm sticking to it!

I've feel very honoured to have been awarded the Kreativ Blogger award twice in the past week - once by Theresa of TiLT creations and by Jennifer of It's A Beauty Filled Life! Thank you so much ladies :)


Now, the rules of this award are to list seven things that I love, and to then pass this award on to seven bloggers that I love. I must also make sure to tag them and let them know they have won. So, here we go....

7 Things I Love:

1. chocolate - I'm sure I've mentioned this one before, but nevertheless...it deserves to be said again!
2. the colour green. I can't help it. Long term readers will know of my penchant for green jewellery. Maybe I need help.
3. my herbalist
4. blogging friends
5. warm sunshine on a cold day.
6. Jane Austen
7. Trinny & Susannah

7 Bloggers that I love:

1. Mariam of Angelshair. I have only just found Mariam's blog - she has some beautiful images of her work and some profound thoughts.
2. Ann of Ann Again...and again - always an entertaining read
3. Trisha Funky Food Allergies - because she HAS to be creative with toddler who has multiple food allergies.
4. Andrew of Chainmaille by BMOI - a new artist I have met who creates beautiful handpainted glasses and incredible chainmaille.
5. Elizabeth of La Toriana - beautiful quality children's wear - its enough to make me wish my children were younger!
6. Giggle Smile Designs - children's wall decor - another blog that makes me want to wind back the clock.
7. Lori of Pretty Things - because she always has great pictures and something interesting to say!

Today's picture is a necklace of lava and silver that sold at the show last weekend. Full of contrasts - rough/smooth, dark/light, matte/shiny all added up to alot of impact even though it wasn't that large a piece.

Golden Globe sparkle

Well I finally had time to check out the jewels that the stars wore to the Golden Globes recently - wow! I'm so glad to see a return to the necklace. Fashion forecasts have said for some time that they were back and it was brilliant to see the stars embracing them again too - after all, where they go, a lot will follow!

Beyonce wore a diamond fringe, Christina Applegate a vintage yellow diamond flower necklace, Eva Mendez wore a stunning turquoise coloured neckpiece and Elizabeth Banks a three strand pale blue necklace. Marisa Tomei was resplendent in a glittering array of chain necklaces.

Bare shoulders were very much in evidence, and those that decided to forgo the necklace, wore some great earrings - Kate Winslet, Eva Longoria, Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams, Kate Beckinsale and Freida Pinto were on to some winners! And of course some statement bracelets were seen - such as those worn by Sandra Bullock, Debra Messing and Megan Fox.

Ahhh, so much sparkle - it was great to see!

I was interested to read on Heart Harmony of an article in the New Scientist that reveals that many of your choices and behaviours are influenced more than you think by your friends, their friends and even their friend's friends! And not just taste in clothes or design, but things such as happiness, obesity and depression were all found to be profoundly influenced by this ring of people. Apparently the saying that you will only be as successful as the average success of your seven closest friends is ringing more true than ever. It makes you think, doesn't it!

I was also very kindly given a blog award recently, by the lovely Elaine at Commotion from the Ocean of Life blog.



The rules are:

1. Put the award up on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog

I have selected the following well-deserved blogs that I regularly read to receive this award:

1. OF MICE AND raMEN
2. It Flickers Dimly
3. Julie Chats
4. This is my World
5. Flora's Blog
6. Wisdom Begun
7. Just Your Everyday Blessed So and So

Oooh, forgot about the necklace at the top of my post.... in the spirit of statement necklaces, this is one that won't go unnoticed! Freshwater pearls in a myriad of colours along with peridot, amethyst and rock crystal quartz and a wonderful big sterling silver clasp.

Some of my favourite blogs

I can't believe it's already Friday! Just like Christmas is creeping up on me, so the weeks are flying by.

I was warmly received in Tamworth last weekend and there was a lot of interest in my work. A number of ladies have asked me to come back to the next handcrafted market, so I hope that I will be able to return for the last market of this year on the 21st December.

I am in the midst of packing to go to a private showing in Orange. And then next week on Thursday and Friday I have my open day in Coolah. It will be held at the Dream Dance Academy - Thursday is a special preview for existing clients from 11.30 to 2.30pm with some champers and nibblies :) Friday will be open to all from 10am to 6pm.

As well as preparing for these two shows, sending out orders, preparing flyers for the open day etc. I even managed to get some new pieces made! Creating really is the best part of my job and its even better when you don't have to push yourself but it just flows. I was lucky enough that the flow went beautifully and I have some new pieces to show for it. If they don't sell this weekend I will be sure to put them on the site next week!

I also received an award from my good blog-friend Michelle of Michabella Creations. Michelle and I met on the great little site, Skwiggazine, and we seem to hang out on some other sites too as we keep bumping into each other!

Anyway, Michelle, very kindly, awarded me with this:



Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate other blogs for this award
4. Add links to those blogs
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs
6. Give a reason why you consider their blogs cool

Now I'm not going to leave meme notifications for these blogs as I just admire them and want to share them with you!

Here are my Cool Blog Picks:

Bent Objects - this blogger creates the most amazing critters and scenes using not much more than wire!

Collective Creatives - This is a group blog that I participate in and some very talented artists and artisans talk about various facets of their work and the challenges they are confronted with.

Lights Camera ... History - This blog is about period dramas - new films, tv shows and actor/actress profiles.

London Daily Photo - See London in a different light - a different look at the non stop city.

Luann Udell - This is the story behind the artist. Lots of great advice for anyone in the art/craft field.

Three Channels - Elizabeth is a mum of three whom she homeschools. One of her sons is gifted and gives her life an interesting twist or two!

Unearthed Tees - This is a great little blog with a geologic/rockhound twist.

Jane Austen Festival - For lovers of the author, downunder. Experience regency life at the yearly festival.

I'm Living Proof that God has a Sense of Humor - The hectic life of a mom with 2 sets of twins!

Christa Taylor - Fashion smarts, hints and tips.

Bronte Blog - All things Bronte!

Todays pic is a beaut necklace done this week and one that I could actually keep for myself with VERY LITTLE prompting! Lovely big nuggets of turquoise (stablised), separated by little droplets of almost pure silver and a wonderful slightly oxidised silver bead as a feature on the side. Yum! I would of course love to use completely natural turquoise, but until I win the lottery will just have to be content with natural turquoise that has been treated *sigh*. It is pretty, isn't it!?

Have a great day!

Coolah Spring Garden Festival and a tagging game

Well the Coolah Spring Garden Festival was wonderful! I was at the delightful "Pilca Butta" garden and my hosts Ian and Liz were wonderfully accommodating and helpful. Both days were bright and sunny (the second day got a little too warm!), the garden was in full bloom and really couldn't have looked better, and all in attendance had a marvellous time. Here is a pic of my set up on part of the homestead verandah:



I had beautiful old-fashioned lilac and snowball bushes right near my display - can you see them? Here was my view from my 'perch':





Don't you wish you were there!!!!?

Now last week I mentioned I was tagged and given an award :) Firstly, thank you to Commotion from the Ocean of Life for this award!



Now how special is that!!! I love reading this blog - always something different to read about! Thank you so much - I guess that will make me comment some more ;)

Then Olivia from Piktorize tagged me. Do check out Olivia's blog - she has a photo of the week which is often amazing and she honoured me with featuring my ring photo from last week too!

Now the tagging game rules: Share 7 things your readers may not know about you and tag 7 others to do the same thing, then include a link in your blog back to the person who tagged you.

OK, 7 things...(having done this a couple of months ago, this isn't so easy....)

1. My favourite pets have been golden haired dogs. The first one, when I was a little girl, was an Irish Terrier called 'Goldie' and the second, as an adult was a labrador x red cattle dog called 'Sunny'. Yeah I know, original names, lol.

2. We have a very bad record with keeping cats. We're up to number 5 in about three years. Mostly they just disappear one day although the last one we think met with a snake :(

3. I HATE snakes. Like REALLY HATE. They make me squirm and scream.

4. I hate spiders. Not as much as snakes but then again, they're not as big!

5. My Dad took me out of school at the end of year 6 and we travelled around Australia for a few months. They were going to make me repeat since I was too young to go to High School, so he thought travel would be better than doing the same work twice. Go Dad!!!

6. I travelled around Europe for 8 months in Year 7 with my schoolwork never quite catching up with me! When it did though, all I did was WORK! The trip prior to that was fun though and I saw a lot of the world from the window of a Bedford van!

7. A young man tried to buy me in Morocco for a camel, a donkey and something else I can't remember. I was 13 and the perfect age for a bride (!). My father kept reminding me for a number of years that he turned down a camel that would have been worth a fortune!

OK, this time I'm going to tag my Skwiggazine friends:

1. Designing Hilary

2. Tulip's Talking

3. Michabella Creations

4. Inspired Designs by Teresa

5. Daydream Art Studio

6. Cherished Dreams

7. Who Says 8 Is Enough?

Speaking of number 2 above, check out the pics from Lily's fishing trip and sequential sunrise shots.

Ooops, almost forgot about the pic at the top of the page. Don't you just love the sparkle and the impact of the black onyx and the red jade. Yum! Definitely a statement piece.

I made this one after a client had asked me to make an asymmetric necklace of red white and black (by the way I don't do asymmetric easily, so it was a real challenge!). The strength of the contrasting colours encouraged me to make this necklace - all the sparkle you would need for a night out, don't you think!?