In The Garden - Backyard Blitz in progress

The onset of spring has prompted me to get out in the garden and start working on some goals and execute some plans I've had in my head for months.

My dislike of mowing grass has been one of the main motivations but I also love plants and by digging up some lawn and putting in a walk through garden I will have less lawn to cut and more space for plants!

It has involved laying some paving stones - easier than it looks.....the challenge being getting them all level.... here are some photos of a work in progress.

Laying out the paving stones to get a rough idea of their spacing -

 I've recycled a range of old paving stones - by the time they are dug into the ground and surrounded by plants their different sizes wont be so obvious....
I'll take a few more photos once backyard blitz has been finished... hopefully soon!

Sights on a Saturday

Over the past few months, I've been pulling together my photos from a holiday in Italy and there has been a fair bit of reminiscing going on!

With close to 3,000 digital snaps, the album is slowly coming together as the culling process is fined tuned.  Over the next month - I hope to show some highlights as I re-experience one of my favourite journeys..........

Here are some sights from the Tuscan town of Volterra.

 We spent a few hours in the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum which features an extensive collection of Etruscan artifacts - mostly uncovered from local ancient tombs. The jewellery was fascinating and a lot of the pieces were dated between 3rd Cent. BC to the 1st Cent.AD.

Do I spot a semi-precious gemstone? Isn't it beautiful.. and weren't those Etruscans clever skilled artisans?

Despite being over 2,000 years old and made with a lot less sophisticated tools and implements, the pieces clearly showed intricate and innovative design .... and displayed our perennial fondness for personal adornment and interest in stones, silver and gold throughout the ages.

Walking through Volterra, my radar also detected hand made jewellery in small artistic studios....(loved the little black cat who sat outside the shop amongst all the patient waiting boyfriends, husbands etc).

Going through my photos has got me thinking of new adventures that await......
More Italy shots to appear again soon on 'Saturday Sights'.

My Creative Space - Working with Green

A couple of weeks ago I put my head down in my creative space with a focus on the colour green - inspired by all the beautiful new clothes appearing in stores in varying shades of emerald. The result was a couple of necklaces in completely different styles using green glass.

This week, I managed to finish photographing them in preparation for uploading them online.

Here is a peek:

The first one is a double graduated strand named 'Emerald'

The second one is a longer strand named 'Hope in Green'

They should appear in either my Made It or Etsy store in the next few days.
Wishing you a very happy Friday!

My Studio Space - New Beads

There is nothing like new colourful beads to cause my mind to go into creative overdrive!

To me, shopping for new supplies is one of the best parts of the jewellery making process.

As I park the car, grab my bag and make my way to the door of the supplier... I'm already planning a whole lot of new projects.. but once I walk in the door... the 'kid in a lolly shop' analogy comes to mind. Can other jewellery makers relate to this?

Here is a selection of colourful Malaysian jade and chalcedony beads - some faceted to capture the light. Once priced, I often store them in small containers or plastic bags.  Keeping my little creative studio space organised and tidy through managing a gazillion small components is an ongoing challenge..but well worth it!!

What (..I'm watching) Wednesday - Italian Inspiration

Sometimes a piece of creativity can completely absorb and capture the imagination. I received this beautiful DVD and book as a gift and it combines my love of Italy and garden design....endless hours of inspiration and creativity:

My Creative Space - Working with Red

I've been busy this week working with my stash of red beads - particularly using lovely pieces of coral.
Red is often associated with love, passion, sacrifice or danger.
There as so many shades of red and I often search high and low to find the right shade - strawberry, scarlet, cardinal red, vermilion, rusty red, crimson, electric red, fire engine red, maroon, burgundy or ruby!

Here is the first piece using coral, silver chain and wire -

Another piece - this time made with chunky nuggets of coral and textured cinnabar beads -

The next necklace features ceramic and hexagonal shaped coral beads -

Inspiration on a Monday

 'He is richest with the least, for content is the wealth of nature'  

Socrates 468-399 BC