Okay, I know it's a cliche but....

where on earth does the time go? I mean, this morning was only 1 hour long, I swear it was, and I got up early too! It's not just the individual days though. When I was teaching full time at school there were certain times of year where I used to keep myself going by counting down the weeks, days, lessons left even! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed teaching, I still do (especially now it's teaching people how to make their own jewellery!), but it was the paperwork, the meetings, the paperwork, the marking, the paperwork! Nowadays, friends who are still teaching will ask if I fancy meeting up when the holidays are about to start, and I'm surprised at how quickly they've come round again!

Today has definitely gone quickly. I was busy this morning packaging up a delivery of lovely shiney new jewellery for the Southampton City Art Gallery and writing descriptions for it and the time flew by. I left on time to deliver it and would have been there on time too if it hadn't been for a couple of cars in front of me in the queue at the traffic lights - let's just say that not everyone leaves as much space as I do between them and the car in front. I stopped to check that everyone was okay and gave my details in case anyone needed them for insurance claims, but left when people started swearing and having a go (verbally, not physically thankfully) - male hurt pride I think! Anyway, my jewellery is now in the City Gallery so go and take a look!

I made the earrings above while we were at T's mum's this weekend - look, brown to fit in with the theme last week! I've used smokey quartz and carnelian. I don't use carnelian very often, but I decided to have a change. I'm working on a commission using garnet this week, which fits in nicely. In fact, I've been a very busy girl, so I'm off now to take some photos to show you what I've made!

Hello....

I'm still here, and I have been working hard this week, promise! The problem is that until tonight none of my work used yellow at all, so I haven't done too well at the colour challenge so far. I've been busy sawing, filing, sanding and soldering in my lovely lovely shed, trying to get as many things done as possible to send of to be hallmarked. The assay office have a minimum charge, so to keep prices down as much as possible (which I'm sure you'd rather I do!) I want to send off as many pieces at one go as I can. The plan is to send off everything I've got by Tuesday so that it gets back to me in time to polish up to take to the Southampton City museum shop at the end of the following week. So far I've got a couple more cuffs, bangles, chain bracelets and a couple of pendants, but none in a fit state to be photographed - you'll just have to wait until they get back, sorry!

I think the closest I've got to yellow so far is this bracelet - one of the aquamarine beads is a creamy yellow I'm sure! I've kept the bracelet simple - beautiful aquamarine with my hammered silver rings.

Anyway, it's past my bedtime. I'll try and photograph the bracelet I've been working on tonight (lampwork and citrine) and show it to you tomorrow to prove that I really can work with yellow! in the meantime, go and see what Fiona's been making - she's had a very busy week!

Blue Monday!

Well, the Colour Challenge has started! It actually helped me get a couple of pieces finished in good time for delivery to Between Dreams this afternoon.

I sat and designed the necklaces and did the wirework yesterday evening and finished them off this afternoon while B was having his nap. I'd made the base of the butterfly earlier last week as I've decided to keep a couple of bases for each of my butterflies and daisies in stock, and decided to add turquoise to it to keep with the theme - oh, and also because turquoise jewellery usually sells really well in the shop! The first necklace is amazonite, smoky quartz and freshwater pearls by the way.

I'm in the middle of getting my stock ready for the Southampton City Art Gallery shop too. The exhibition they've got on when my jewellery first goes into the shop has a water theme so blue should fit in there nicely too! I've realised though that I'm going to have to break away from the colour theme at the weekends as I've got a couple of commissions to do. I don't think it'll go down too well if I put the pieces off until I get to that colour in the challenge!

It's been really hot working in the shed this afternoon as the afternoon sun streams in through the door. I am definitely not complaining though as the forecasters say it'll be much cooler by the weekend. I think it was too hot for B though - he didn't have such a good nap as usual. Unfortunately it is not too hot for mosquitoes. My face looks like I've got the mumps on the left hand side, or as if I've just had my wisdom teeth out. A lovely friendly mozzie decided that they liked my cheek this afternoon and as I'm allergic to them I've swelled up nicely despite lots of anti-histamines. Oh well! It could have been worse - it could have been a wasp!

I'm a happy girl today!

It's been a good day today! The sun is shining, and I've got a new outlet for my jewellery! I had an appointment with the woman who decides what the shop at the Southampton City Art Gallery will stock, and she liked my work. She's given me a rough list of what she'd like and they've got space available from the beginning of July. I know that seems like a while off, but it gives me time to get everything ready without neglecting other outlets and my website etc. Anyway, judging by the year so far the time will go very quickly!

I'm off to pick B up from his childminder's in a little while (we've swapped days as her little boy was ill last week and she's also got an appointment on Thursday, B's usual day with her), but there's just time to show you a couple of pictures. The first is the cuff that I made Mum at the silversmithing course - I can show you now as I've given it to Mum! The second is a set of 3 bangles that I finished last night. They're held together by bead 'charms' of freshwater pearl, blue fluorite and smokey quartz. I was trying it out last night and it's very tactile - I kept spinning the bangles around!