Friday 24 June 2011

Sorry I've been AWOL

I know it's been ages since my last post but I am having issues with my laptop atm and it's making life difficult.  It seems to have a mind of it's own and works when - and if - it feels like it!  I feel a shopping trip coming on, I think.  In the meantime, I'm hoping that Steven will be able to retrieve all my files and stuff.  I'm gonna be one very sad girl otherwise. :o(

Anyway, since my last post nothing much has changed with the studio conversion.  Steven and Kieran spent a week in Spain and apparently had a great time.  I sat here, watched the tennis from Queen's Club (great win for Andy Murray!) and beaded. :o)

Here are some of the things I've made recently:

From my last demonstration at the shop



For a challenge on the Bead Buddies forum.


Adapted from the Mad Rings 2 pattern by Heather Collin.


For my SIL.


For my Niece.

For meeeeee :oD

The last two are patterns from Threadabead.  I've got a couple more bangles to do now for my other Nieces.

My big news is that I've handed in my notice at the shop.  I've decided it's time to concentrate on my jewellery/beading.  My last day is July 2nd and I can't wait.  Now I've finally made the decision I'm really looking forward to it!

Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon. :o)

Thursday 2 June 2011

Work In Progress

Not a lot has happened in the 'studio' since my last post because we've been out or the weather has been bad but yesterday it was lovely out so Steven decided to get in another day of clearing the rubbish.  He's hoping to get it all cleared before next Tuesday when he and Kieran are off to Spain for a week - leaving me here with peace, quiet, tennis on the telly and beads! :oD  Bliss!

Well, you asked for pics, so here are a few:


Would you just look at the state of that!  You can see my new bathroom suite on the left behind Kieran's jeep.  Hopefully we can get it fitted soon 'cos it's taking up an awful lot of space in there.  You can also see Steven on his way to the skip with some rubbish.  On the very left of the pic is the wall of my house, while to the right is my neighbours.  We are joined by the garages so it creates a 'corridor' of the drive which incidentally, is also full of junk.  Mainly old plant pots.  Some still with the remains of plants in.  They're going in the skip too.  There is also a tree of some description which has self-set into the drive.

This is the skip full of rubbish he'd cleared when he packed up for the day:


We are at the very bottom of a hill, it's not a dodgy camera angle.  Honest!

It has been nice out today too so off he went again (this is most unusual as any of you who know him will know already).  This was the garage this morning:


It's a lot less cluttered than yesterday.  Even more so now!  Hopefully tomorrow he will be able to get the last of it out and into the skip so they can come and pick it up. :o)

Last night, while I was trying to post this, my laptop died on me.  It's been off for a check-up today and they said it's pretty much terminal.  The wi-fi card has gone and it's overheated and cooked the insides.  We've downloaded all the files onto an external hard drive so thankfully I still have everything important.  The wi-fi problem can be temporarily solved by plugging in the dongle I have for when I'm away from home and connecting it to our modem (or so we were told).  I just need it to last long enough to get the studio sorted out then I will have a pc in there and won't need it as much.

In other news, I have been playing with a bracelet design for Saturday's demo at work at come up with this:


I'm not particularly happy with the strap but I don't have enough rivolis to use them all the way round, which is what I think I will end up doing for the kits I'm planning when I get round to making them up.  I'll try and get a better pic of it tomorrow if I can.  Let me know what you think. :o)