Whisper of a Memory

Amber Heart of the Finch did me the honour of including my Ravens of the Mist necklace in her lovely soft misty treasury. 
Thank you. 

My Heart of Gold

After my winge about the uncooperative nature of the Universe I was sitting pouting, no wait, this was a full-on sulk when my DH asked what the matter was.
Well he probably regretted that instantly, cos I told him.
Next day my Heart of Gold took me to town.
We had real coffee and cake, scoured the local hardware store and newsagent for essential supplies and had an ice cream on the way home.

What to try first??? Ok enameling. The clamp I was going to use was not a success, so did I pout - no I went to the doesn't-have-a-home box and found a water pipe saddle, that fitted the torch neck and screwed it to the front of my table.

Just put the torch head through the saddle and screw on the canister
Then I had fun melting stuff and made lots of little samples. 
Ya wanna see?

Can't see? Told ya they were little - here borrow my jeweler's loupe.

Woooooah earth shattering stuff eh?
Still have to sort out mandrels for beads but this is going to be soooo much fun and I think I can use the torch for bronzclay as well.
BLISS




On Beginnings and Patience

The Universe seems to be intent on teaching me a lesson in patience and beginnings

The first beginning I would like in my life is the connection of power. We have tried to have this done for the last 2 months, but rain keeps interrupting and just when it seemed that all our stars had aligned, major flooding occurred to 3/4 of Queensland.
It would be churlish of me to complain when so many people have lost everything. Their homes, businesses, in some cases, wives, husbands, children, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers and friends. 
The floods have been devastating and I would not dream of thinking that my very slight, little, paltry inconvenience was important.
It's OK Universe I am patient, I can wait.

The next beginning I would like to take place is starting our house. The Universe is not ready for this either and the legal situation is yet to play to it's conclusion.
Its OK Universe, I am patient, I can wait.

On a less cosmic scale there are several jewellery beginnings I would like to take place too.
I have some bronze and copper clay, but I need power to run the kiln.
I could do some polymer clay, but would need to run the big generator to power to oven, which seems such a waste and I would feel guilty.
I would like to try enamelling, but I don't have a bracket on which to mount the MAP gas bottle, or any vermiculite.
I would also like to try etching, but my Sharpies have dried up and the creek is up too high to cross and to make a 100k round trip up and down the rough back track to buy 2 sharpies a small bracket, an some vermiculite is also wasteful and again I would feel guilty.
It's OK Universe I am patient, I can wait.

So, do you think that it would be pushing it if I got a sharp stick and gave the Universe a quick poke and yelled 
'Get on with it'??

Ravens in the Mist

With all the rain that we have had, mornings  can be beautiful. Silver, silent and still with only the gentle drip of water falling from leaves and branches.
The misty colours of early morning inspired me to make this necklace in a soft limited palette.

 Green Girl Studio focal
 grey cracked agate rounds
 vintage lucite
 polymer clay round
 agate cubes
 shaped wood
 faceted czech glass
 Vintaj Brass chain

A Long Time Hidden

Just before we left, a little package appeared in our letterbox. I was nearly not going to open it but how could I resist?
Shannon from Miss Fickle Media gifted me this delicious array.
I briefly held it, then packed it away for a time when my life was less chaotic.
When I set up my grunge studio, I found the package again.

It whispered The Sea as softly as a silver wave breaking on the shore. 
Not tropical seas of pearlescent aqua and coral and tiny brilliant fish. 
This spoke of colder waters. Of rocky shores, tide pools, starfish, periwinkles, limpits, the pylons of old wharfs clustered with waving seaweed and the long tendrils of kelp swaying and coiling in the ocean swells. 
Focal, copper chain and handwrought clasp - missficklemedia
Patinaed starfish
Lampwork bead - nomadcraftsetc
Freshwater pearl
Wire wrapped biwa pearl
Gunmetal spiral
Czech glass tube beads
Tiny seed beads and wire wrapping

Beading by Candle Light

True Dinks!
It is so dark at the back of the shed I thought about putting a candle in a head band and beading like that, but the though of all that hot wax melting and horror of horrors dripping onto my beads was quickly rejected. 
So, I resorted to a torch.

YEP  
I made earrings by torchlight!

p.s. Got sooo carried away with my cleverness I almost forgot . . . 
Two lovely beads gifted to me by MaryAnn Carroll
Soft dusty pink czech glass peanut beads
and
two tiny puffy filligree hearts