I am my own stepping stone

Spectre - chandelier crystals and vintage lace

My brain has started to let me in on a few details as to what it's up too. And I'm very pleased about them. It's given me strict instructions not to give you any clues to it though, until it's finished finalising the small points.

Wisdom is a circle - carved bone and oxidised metal

Anyway- the only thing I can tell you right now is that I'm having a sale!

Love bite - mother of pearl and vintage chain

Most of my shop is discounted so I can make way for new projects in the new year. And as a special deal for my blog readers, you can have a further 25% off the total order price if you spend $50 or more! Just write 'new year no fear' in the notes to seller and I shall refund you post-haste!

Mayan Sunrise - vintage textiles and carnelian stone

The merriment lasts till January 9th. By then I shall have had full consultancy with my brain and will know more about what's going on. Surely I can't be the only person who's mind operates solely without their input. It does all the work, I'm just here to say 'yes brain, whatever you say.' Even when I'm certain it's wrong. Sometimes you gotta let 'em make their own mistakes.

I wonder what the normal people are doing today...

Not good at words lately- communications, Christmas, blah blah- I have trouble with reality! Come back in a few weeks months, I'll be ready for Christmas then.


Taking a lot of photos lately. On a huge texture kick last few days.

Slightly manic in my mind- ending in panic attacks, low appetite or constant hunger...always thinking.

Can't get away from the damn thinking...

I feel like I'm done with so much, but I don't know what's next.

I spend most of my studio time looking at things, then I make something completely different.

Something is stewing away in my mind, taking little bits n pieces and mixing them up to make...I don't know. I wish it would let me in on it. Have you ever felt like your mind is up to something and won't tell you what it is?

stones and flowers

Today's update is bought to you by lace, rust and crystals...can't go wrong!

Roseblood - rusted metal and red glass comes together for a dark romance


Frozen - unusual rough crystal and 1930s lace


spectrum of war - a sweet little bullet case necklace with a 1950s Swarovski


Ghost stone - vintage generator quartz and vintage lace.

pretty beasties

Alderan - futuristic and simple, crystal clear glass and tarnished silver metal make a great couple.

darker paths - cluster pendant style with a sweet vintage lantern charm


whitesnake - another cluster pendant (becoming a favourite style!) with various found objects


Oz - a single vintage green bead in luminous green hangs with cotton shreds


Kew gardens - one of my darling union jack pendants with a fresh springtime feel


I am so effin' happy right now- Etsy has just implemented searchable favourites! I have been asking for this for aaaaaages- because so many of my favourite shops have 2039393 listings it's hard to remember everything I've hearted from them over time. But now finally I can make sure I get all the listings in one go! I'm a bit of a combined shipping freak. I figure 99% of what I buy comes from overseas, so you might as well cram it in!

At first sight

The small one-horse town near to where I grew up had a town garage sale today, it was advertised as '40+ households, church and community centre'. In reality it was more like 7 houses and the local hall. Admittedly we went on the Sunday and it was apparently on Saturday as well, which might have been more populated. However given that the newspaper were very limited in their information and that the town's monthly market was on today, we assumed the 'festivities' would be Sunday as well.

But not to matter, for bargains were still to be had and had they were! I'll get you some shots of what I scored tomorrow when the sun comes back and the rain stops, but in the meantime I can show you one thing I acquired...



...her name is Clara, she cost me the princely sum of $20. Shoved in the corner of the stall with a bad wig jammed the wrong way round on her head she might have looked worth less to most people, because I spotted her about an hour before I actually bought her. I didn't have much money in my wallet and there were no readycash facilities in town (that's how one-horse it is!) and I'd not yet done a round of the junk market. So I requested to the universe that if it saw fit, could they keep her there for me while I did the market.


The whole time at the market (where I didn't see anything good) I was worried that she'd be sold when I came back, but she wasn't! Breathless from the climb back up the hill I peeked in at the church hall to see her plaster face gazing serenely into space. I felt as an enormous sense of pride as one can have with a half-naked torso under your arm, and in my world that's pretty big.


The blonde wig was in mum's theatre costumes box (the bonus points life gives you when your mother is wardrobe mistress of the local theatre company) and suited her the instant I dropped it on her head. With false eyelashes she's a dreamy and romantic Dolly Parton, without she's modern punk-pop Debbie Harry. In her chop-do brown wig she's grunge and urban, if you flip it slightly around so it gets in her eyes she's boyish and fresh.


I originally bought her to hang my earrings from- modern earring mannequins are small in the head and slightly weird looking, and 60-70 bucks to boot. But with two quick flicks of the drill she had pierced ears- they stuck out a bit from her head, originally for clip-ons I'd imagine. She's from the 1960s judging by her Twiggy thin frame and solid construction, but looking closely at her face you can see a great amount of detail- skin texture, multiple eyeline shadows, highlights in the iris...she's no slap-up wench for the front window of a chain store. This is a quality fiberglass woman.


And she's all mine. 20 bucks!! As you can see, I'm in love.

A whole bevy of unrevealed beauties

Lilac wine - blush pink hammered metal and lace agate

Never without - cluster pendant of found objects

Grim old place - medieval buckle and clock number 12


tiny universe - simple and mysterious with indigo blue beads


ishtar - faceted orange Czech and reclaimed etched plates


blush - barely-there lilac and deep wine


forbearance - dirty white and grey lace with a big beach-combed cowrie

I really to need to remember not to forget to remember to update here when I list stuff...

Grounded

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I've always admired the way tribal and ethnic crafts are made with very little tools in sparse environments, I've never believed you need fancy equipment and expensive tools to make most things, just the skills and knowledge of thousands of years of tradition.

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I love images like these- people working quietly with their hands, usually sitting on the floor. I've always found the floor to be one of the more comfortable places to work actually, perhaps I'll get rid of my table...and get down to the ground.

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Closer to where it's at.

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And hey- at least when I drop something it won't have far to fall! You could probably make a whole bracelet with what's under my desk right now.

shopping for ghosts

Shopping for Ghosts

I've had this one almost finished and on private setting for a while now, I finally found the right things to complete it! I'm ridiculously fussy with treasuries, I have some that are months old that aren't quite right yet.

more creatures of a reclaimed nature

I made 200 sales! Well 201 now...but still yay for me! I can't believe I get to do this for a living- sometimes I sit and think 'wow I've sat and made jewelry for 3 days in a row, are you sure this is allowed?' :D Because you know, our minds are socially conditioned to think a job is something you hate. I'll have some sort of giveaway scenario sometime this week to celebrate. I'm about a week behind in my schedule still- and don't even think about that C word!! 3 weeks till I can stop caring about it. I'm not a big lover of Christmas. Of course I say that now, but come December 23rd I'll be mental for it, just wait.

Here's some new stuff!

Golden river - bold yellow metal and antique Tibetan mala

Miss Black - gothic industrialism with scissors and black tourmaline

Karma - grounding wooden bead bracelet and matching vintage bangles


Strike - hammered metal and recycled glass beads from Java


blood sugar - more of those delicious polymer clay beads from divineconsciousness!

I really have to stop making earrings, it's ridiculous. I have a few more to list, and I'm working on some necklaces and bangles, then I'm putting the beads aside for a little bit to get some wrist cuffs and brooches done. I feel ready to do those again. And as I know you chaps on the other side of the world are turning up the heat(ers), I'm putting together some fingerless gloves too, in recollection of a custom pair I made last year for the delightful leopreston. (Can't believe that was only last year!)

I'm also totally flipping my mindmeats over this Harry Potter trailer:

(you have to watch it, it's the law.)

I saw the first part last week- twice! I might go see it again this week too. Hands down, the best best BEST of the entire series. A real, proper, serious, awesome film. Even if you're not a completely mental Potter freak like me (ah see, I don't share everything with you!) you'll still enjoy it. Trusssst the spaaarrrrooww.....she has good taste.

new beauties

Fire of Nepal - commissioned poly clay beads that echo old cinnabar perfectly



burning grass- sea green and rusty brown with an art Deco buckle


Spring violence - new age rockstar territory with hammered metal and amethyst crystal


Gods of Rock - feather light charms and hefty amethyst crystal

...I also transferred some old girls from Artfire that I didn't realise were missing from the Etsy shop, hopefully I've got everyone covered. If there's something in one shop and you'd like it somewhere else, let me know!

Things to do while you wait for the internet to work...

...dig up the old veggie garden and plant it up with a few staples- then pull out the failed ones and put in something different (current babies- carrots, peas, beans, coriander, parsley, Vietnamese mint; coming soon babies- corn, beetroot, pumpkins, kale, chives, etc etc whatever the seed people have that I've never seen before)...

...sit in your studio, make earrings and watch the washing dry...

...go thrifting (even though you say 'no more stuff!!!!' every time you unpack a box)...



...eat a decent breakfast...


...and just generally sit around wondering what them thar city fellers is up to.

And I'm back online! I feel whole again. I can get on with things at last, though there's still more unpacking to do; mostly we're down to those little annoying things you can't get rid of yet seemingly never use. It's rapidly becoming one sweet little cottage though, I'll show you more pictures soon but I'll do so via my very dusty house blog.