In memory of Thelma 1916-2007

It's been a sad week - my mum in law passed away on 26th May.
A lovely lady and I feel privileged to have been part of her life and been with her on the start of her new journey....
Thelma was a fantastic mum, nanna and mum- in- law, she would do anything for us or any or her loved ones - Thelma was caring, loving and generous and would always put her loved ones before herself. She was one of those rare people that was loved by everyone that knew her. Much loved and sadly missed.
I didn't mention that she made a fantastic apple pie. Whenever we had a family get together it was always taken for granted that "Thelma will bring the apple pie" She generously shared her recipe with me but even though I followed the recipe to the letter it wasn't a patch on Thelma's. I guess that the love she put into it was the magic ingredient that made it so special :) Pin It

YOJ - Week 20 Bow Necklace

Not on theme again this week and I'm late as well. I had a play with the jewellery saw again this week. I really enjoy cutting out shapes from sheet metal and this week I went with a ribbon bow.
This is Mark 2. With the first one, I soldered a tube on the back and was going hang it on neoprene as I like the effect of the unseen bails. Unfortunately the soldering annealed the brass and made it too soft. Then when I was polishing it up I bent it. I managed to bend it back with out it being noticable but decided to work harden it with my rawhide mallet on the bench block to prevent it happening again.
What a pain! The tube on the back was getting in the way so I had it half off and half on the bench block. Then the edge of the bench block left a nice mark in the metal. That's when I gave up on that one and decided to start again!
This time round I took the easy way out suspended it from chain through a hole either side of the bow.
I'm pretty over ribbons and bows at the moment though ;) Pin It

I've been tagged

I've been tagged by Esta Sketch.

Rules Of Tagging!
1.List seven random facts/habits about yourself
2.Choose another seven bloggers to tag and list their names in your blog
3.Leave your seven tagged bloggers comments to notify them of their tagging and to direct them to your blog for tag instructions.

If I've tagged you and you don't want to do it - no worries. No obligation - you're allowed to break the "tag chain"

Ok Here goes..........

1. I'm left handed but do everything except writing and holding a fork the same as a righthanded person. Eating spaghetti with a spoon and fork is tricky because I want to hold them both in the same hand.
   
2. I can't cut cheese right through to the chopping block........I get most of the way through then twist my hand that's holding the knife, so the last bit of cheese breaks off. This is a family thing apparently - didn't realise I did it until a family member pointed it out - they do it too.
3. I regret the name we called our dog. We called him "nipper" because he's a little nipper ie: small/cute but people think he bites and got his name that way. I 've promised myself to give any pets we have in the future a more positive name with no negative connotations.
4. I don't eat seafood. I'm not allergic - just don't like it. People really can't understand that :)
5. I love tools - especially jewellery making tools. As soon as I get a new one - I'm deciding which one I must have next!!
   
6. I won't put my head under the water when I swim. Actually it has to be about 100 degrees in the shade for me to swim so it generally isn't an issue!
7. I wish I was as interesting as everyone else that has been tagged. I'm may have to come back and find some other people to tag as most of the people I was going to tag have already been tagged. But if you are reading this and want to join in - leave a comment and I'll tag you!!

I've tagged Feli, OrangeStarfish,
Pin It

Van Gogh Earring - YOJ Week 19

Well I've been busy making jewellery this week but not on theme. I'm still messing around with the Japanese weave chainmaille. I decided to have a go with some stainless steel rings I bought ages ago.
Stainless Steel is a whole different ball game from sterling. It is tough! My pliers kept slipping, my wrists ached, and generally, I decided it is not going to be my material of choice. So back in the drawer all those Stainless Steel jumprings go....
The result from my efforts was one earring, and no it's not going to get a mate. I may convert it into a pendant one of these days though. Pin It

YOJ - Week 18 Japanese Maille

This week's Year of Jewellery theme was Myths & Gods. I spent the whole week thinking about it but the creative Gods deserted me and I had to settle for a creation that was off theme. I'd been meaning to try some Japanese weave chainmaille ever since I got the Dylon Whyte Chainmaille book which was months ago. I used Sterling and teensy rubber rings for the earrings above. I love the industrial looking combo of metal & rubber - not that my little flowers turned out too industrial looking...........but well, you get the idea. :)

Pin It