T'was the night after Christmas...

Well boys and girls, I'm a bit sad that this post is a little late tonight. If I'd posted it before midnight, I could have mentioned the fact that MY BLOG TURNED TWO ON CHRISTMAS DAY! Awesome right? It really doesn't feel like two whole years since that fairly boring Christmas night where I decided to start sharing some of my ramblings and some of my creations.

Speaking of creations, now that some gifts have been opened, I can tell you all a little bit about what I've made!

Remember when I made that ear-warmer thingy with that amazing turquoise wool? Well, I made something else with that wool too... A cowl for my long lost, amazing friend Jess! 

Pretty woolly and warm!

I think she likes it!!

I actually bought the wool for Jess months ago, the second I saw the colour I knew it was the one for her! I hope she feels good and toasty on many a chilly day because of it.

On that very same day, I spotted some wool that I knew my dearest Anneka would just love, so I could hardly leave it behind, so I made her a similar, but slightly looser cowl!

I'm so sad I didn't get some of this wool for myself... It was so cosy!

Look how flipping cuddly and warm it looks! She threw it on as soon as she opened it, just like Jess, which really made my efforts feel so worthwhile!

I really do love making stuff for people which I know they'll really love. My most recent project was only a half assed one for myself - a Christmas jumper!

Possibly not my finest effort, but it did the trick. I think people understood that I was vaguely excited about the festive season.

I'm sorry that this is a somewhat brief post, but I've to get up early tomorrow to do lots of making and do-ing for a very important event! I'll hopefully get to post a few pictures over the next week or so, fingers crossed it all goes to plan now too! 

Hoping you're all having a cuddly and warm week surrounded by those who mean the most, because, after all, isn't that what this time of year is really for?

xx

Long Time No See

Apparently that saying is an imitation of  pidgin English, along with "no can do" and many others. So there. I thought it was fitting since I have seriously neglected my blog this year... And it's not that I haven't been making stuff, because I really have! 

I might as well start with a disclaimer: if you don't have any interest in home made things, and dislike cat pictures, it's probably for the best if you close this tab now. Don't say you weren't warned!

Right, I don't think I even know where to start! It's been a funny sort of summer... Hang on, I keep talking like it's still summer time now. The fact that I haven't had college to go back to this year has been seriously strange. While I'm thrilled to be finished with all of that, graduation at the start of the month was seriously good craic.

I got a new camera this summer (ish) too, so you'll be seeing much less of my blurry BlackBerry photos from now on! I might as well start off by telling you that Benny had kittens back in June...

I'll have to give the credit for photo-taking here to Jess, this picture featured in part of her 365 project, really chuffed that me and one of the wee wans made the cut.

I've mostly been making bracelets, jewellery-wise, over the past few months, and in particular, I've really been feeling the plaits! Now, I haven't got very good pictures of all that I made as some were gifts and are already with their new owners...

I initially made this one for Jess (of aforementioned 365 fame) as she strikes me as a very purple person...

... But then I decided that it worked well enough to give another one to Sarah Jane as she's got a bit of a thing for purple too! Apologies for the truly awful pictures, the bracelets themselves are much nicer. 

I don't do modesty.

I've still got a bit of a thing for fragmented bracelets with some beads, some chain, so I thought this pattern worked well. I used the same general template, but I changed factors like bead and chain size.

Snazzy picture taken with a snazzy camera. Amiright? I always love red and gold together.

Personally I prefer the chunkier chain. 

I didn't just do the plaited thing on bracelets either, oh no. You'll all be delighted to hear that I branched out as far as necklaces and (wait for it...) A HAIRBAND! Crazy, right? Right.

So this is a necklace that I made back around July I think. It's quite a loose plait as I just wanted to add a little interest, and didn't like the idea of 3 stand alone strands of similar length.

This was actually intended to be a necklace. The evening I made it, I was trying it on, trying to decide if I liked it. When I was taking it off, I didn't judge the size of my head relative to the necklace correctly, and I realised it was the perfect size for a hairband that stays put on my giant head perfectly! Winner.

Before I continue, I should really tell you what else I've been doing with myself. I finally made it to Electric Picnic this year, after years of heartbreaking repeats at that time of year, and it was so worth the wait. A fantastic weekend with fantastic company. Not only did I get to see some INCREDIBLE acts, but myself and Jess also managed to fit in a small bit of jewellery making. 

See those swirly silver ones? Yep, we hammered and soldered and beaded and pickled that silver until it was perfect! The gang at the ForGotten Silver stall guided us through the entire thing, while having a bit of a laugh too. Just what we needed on the Sunday morning!

As a result of EP, I've become absolutely obsessed with amazing music such as The xx, Bat For Lashes and Wild Beasts among many others! Thanks to a few of the girls I'm completely hooked on Revenge now (come on Emily, kick Victoria's skinny ass and run away with Jack!) and I'm mostly reading Kathy Reichs books. She's the lady who inspired the series Bones, and who the character is loosely based on. They're pretty easy reading, but interesting at the same time. Plus the chapters are super short, I love short chapters.

The kittens continued to be cute and grow as the summer went on...

I don't understand how people don't like cats sometimes... They start out as cute wee kittens WHO WINK AT YOU for crying out loud!

The credit for this one must once again go to Jess and her fantastic 365 project.

This was around the time we had to start deciding which kitten was most awesome and cute. One of them was too lazy to join in with the pose-off.

And it totally worked in his favour... Lads, this is Harry! Deadly name, I know.

Right, that's the cat section over and done with, for now at least. Believe it or not, I don't just arse around with beads. I also (as you will have seen in previous posts) enjoy arsing around with wool! When it came to deciding what to dress up as for Halloween, I came up completely blank. I hadn't a clue, but I knew I couldn't get away with my Princess Leia costume for a third time.

Then it hit me. What do I like other than cats? Yep, that's right... Owls. I mostly enjoy the kitschy, retro, colour-block owl images that are in all the shops at the moment, so I decided to take a few ideas and run with them. So, I crocheted "feathers". I'm pretty sure every single person I mentioned this to thought I was absolutely not well. 

This was the top in the middle of the process. Loose ends were later snipped off, and the "feathers" were ironed also. The top itself was made out of the lower portion of an old gypsy skirt. Remember gypsy skirts? Ah yeah, those were the days.

I felt the most important part of this costume would be the mask, and I was actually thrilled with the finished product...

Pretty sweet, right? I mounted the mask on a pair of frames from 3D glasses so it would sit nicely on my head when I didn't want to wear it. 

Twit twoo!! Yep, I look like an idiot.

So, moving on, I didn't just focus on plaits over the last couple of months, I also had moments of inspiration where I made some pretty cool stuff!

My take on the recent collar trend. I plan on going further with this idea, but for now this is all I've got!

Earrings. A huge departure for me... And I love them!

I've had this pendant for years, I actually made a necklace using it when I was about 17, but the chain subsequently broke, and the cross was lost for years.

Have you had enough? I told you guys I've been busy. I was crocheting again at the weekend, and with the end of one of my reams of wool I decided to make one of those headband, ear warmer thingies.

Isn't the wool just to die for? Aldi's finest!

Fancy effects with my snazzy camera.

The finished product. Ridiculously cosy.

I forgot to tell you guys about my first (unpaid) model. Well, I made a bracelet for Caoimhe B. I'd been trying to figure out what to make her for ages, cos she deserved at least one gift from me! Anyway, I knew I wanted it to be pearly, but after that, I hadn't a clue. I took pictures of the finished product before I popped it in the mail to her, but the photos were, quite honestly, rubbish. So I took more when I went to visit her and the rest of my ladies in Dublin.

Yay Caoimhe! I was well chuffed when I spotted this on her wrist at graduation too... Whoop.

While on this Dublin trip I was given a graduation gift from Anneka that I can't not mention. Bunting! Incredible! 

Badassery at its finest!

Right. As crazy as it may seem, I think I might actually be finished talking. Or typing. You catch my drift. Once again, I must apologise for the giant delay between posts, I'll try to behave a little better in future! 

Oh, and just in case you'd forgotten what Harry looks like...

Aiiiiiight señoras y señores, buenas noches.

Back to basics

It's been a very long time since my last blog post, and for that, I'm sorry! It was a hectic few months with exams and such, but all of that is in the past now! At least until the results come out next week... Oye.

I've been unpacking all my belongings from Dublin for the last two weeks. Turns out I have a lot of stuff. And I've hoarded SO much over the years. What was I thinking? I've been holding on to utter rubbish! No more of that sentimental fluff, minimalism all the way... For the most part. I still want my room to feel a little cosy. Shouldn't be too hard. It's fricking tiny! But despite how brutal I'm being at the moment, one of the things I still refuse to throw away is old jewellery... It's the best! I dismantled many pieces this evening, both stuff I'd bought, and stuff I'd made yonks ago that was, quite frankly, awful.

I've been watching episodes of The Office end-to-end... I secretly wish my office was like that, but it really isn't. At all. To scare away the boredom, I decided to make myself a super simple bracelet, something dainty and understated that I can still wear when typing at a computer all day! Seeing as it's Summer (according to the calendar), I decided to go for a nice bright yellow.

I'm back to using my trusty bead board for modelling stuff, my desk has been dismantled in recent weeks.

So, that was me sorted anyway. This brightened up my day no end. Which was awesome, because my day was pretty dull! Turns out I miss the auld engineering job I had for the last few summers. If nothing else, I kind of had my own office... Although it was referred to as The Creche. Now I'm back to hopping desks on a daily basis. It's cool though. Keeps things fresh. Also means that I get to sit opposite loads of different people, and maybe take a few ideas with me!

One of the ladies in my office is turning 60 tomorrow. She's one of the super nice ones, always makes a fuss of everyone. She even bought me stuff and decorated my desk for my 21st. So I figured the least I could do is to make her a present that hopefully won't break before I finish this job again in September. That would be embarrassing. So far I've only heard of one piece of jewellery I made biting the dust. And I'm sure Gordonka wasn't being as careful with it as she was leading me to believe... Quite the little imp so she is! Replacing that red number from a few months ago is definitely top of my to-do list this summer anyway.

Back to the birthday present though. This lady tends to wear really bright colours, and she always coordinates her jewellery to her outfit. Again, I'm trying to make pieces simple so I can keep colours strong. 

www.blogger.com is being a bit of a pain this evening and keeps rotating this image. Truth is, I'm a little too tired and disinterested to be bothered figuring out how to make it not do this. 

Apologies.

Right. So, I'd made two pieces and I was feeling good. I get a bit lost in all the pretty colours after a while, and time sort of flies by, but at some point this evening, not quite sure when, I decided to fulfill a promise I made to one of my friends at work that I'd make her something. I asked her what colours she liked, because as you well know, I have a list. Must take a picture of it sometime, but not tonight Josephine. Anyway, she said I was to surprise her. Initially I put aside some sea-blue and turquoise beads, but I think I'll save those for another day. Instead, I stuck to rounded shiny beads. With the exception of my earlier lemon creation, I'm feeling the tendency to steer clear of seed-beads. Instead I'm opting for chunkier, and again, stronger colour palettes. Based on what she tends to wear on a daily basis I came up with another multi-strand bracelet (I'm really feeling the bracelets this week, I hope you'll forgive me. I've got earring plans in the works, I swear, and I've already found myself an ear model.) that I think will work quite well with her other wrist-wear. 

Wahey. This website has redeemed itself. 

I hope I'm not boring everyone with this post. I'm trying to ease myself back in to the jewellery game. I know I'm kind of playing it safe, but I find, when looking through the pieces I wear most, that simple is best. I used to love fancy, sparkly stuff, but now I find I prefer to wear classic, unadorned things. Less patterns, more colour blocking. But, for my last piece this evening, I decided to go nuts. Sort of. I had these beads, they're a bit mad looking, and I found they were far too heavy to thread onto the standard nylon that I tend to use, plus the clasps were getting lost in them! So, I salvaged a hoop of wire from an old item, and bundled them on to that. Despite the mad, fussy colours, I think I might wear it. For one of those days when I'm feeling a little wild. Which, in Kerry, should be any day now. 

Unfortunately the colours haven't come up as vividly as they could have... I might try to take a fresh picture in day light one of these days. If those grey clouds ever clear...

This has been about the extent of my creativity of late. Although, there is one exception. All my Facebook buds will have seen this already, but I'll throw it up just in case any strangers happen to stumble across this some day. I got a canvas as part of a watercolour set (I think!) yonks ago. I painted lots of girlie swirls and patterns on it a few years ago, and the 'rents liked it so they hung it up in my room while I was away at college. I was looking at it when I came home, and my new, simpler tastes, required something a little different. So I channeled Mr. Rothko himself, and threw a load of slightly shimmery acrylics down... 

Don't forget about Prize Bonds... The risk-free money investment! Stay frosty guys. 

I'll be Bach...

I've been doing lots of little bits of bead organizing over the last few weekends, stripping old bits of jewellery for parts etc so I haven't made a whole lot of stuff hence my silence on the blogging front. But I'm back! I've mostly been making for others lately, I figure there's nothing like a wee little bit of jewellery to brighten up ones week!

I've been listening to new music lately, some nice chill out stuff like a bit of Bat for Lashes care of my friend Jess, some of my cheesy pop like Nicki Minaj, and nice classics like Fred Astaire and Tony Bennett. Gotta love the oldies.

Anyway, back to business, bracelets!

My gorgeous buddy who made sure I will go to the ball this year got this one...

I've made a list of peoples names, and colours I think of based on what they wear, their colouring etc. I just thought RED when I tried to figure out what to make for Katie. The beads actually look slightly purple in the picture, but in reality they're quite a gutsy crimson. 

I actually made a necklace for Jess a few weeks ago, but as I hadn't given the gift I decided to keep the pics under wraps. They're not great pics either, I will have to invest in a camera rather than using the rubbish one on my phone, but for now they'll do!

The necklace is quite long, but just right for the wearer. The heavy white bead is from a FairTrade bracelet I shortened for her!

All this jewellery making is really chilling me out and just seems to make third year a little less awful. Despite the sore neck aspect, just sitting over a box of beads for a few hours is making me look forward to the weekends. I must actually go to a bead shop this week, I've got a few projects in mind for the next few weeks. 

I was in Penneys on Friday night, loitering while waiting for a lift to a houseparty. A heavy charm bracelet with a brassy gold chain crunched up with elastic caught my eye. I loved the colour scheme of the beads attached, but I felt it was far too clunky for my personal tastes. Unfortunately I ripped it to pieces before I thought to take a Before picture, but I might as well show off the results so far!

This one's another gift, hopefully she won't see it before it's given to her!

The last two have a few of the coral/rose coloured beads from the original bracelet. I'm really loving these sort of neutral colours at the moment, and I felt the wooden beads I already had fitted the colour scheme well.

I'd best be off, there's a room that needs to be tidied, some clothes that need washing and a hell of a lot of study to be doing! Let me know what you think of course...  :-)

Live long and prosper??