And the band played on ....

Blimey, it's hard getting back into a routine after Christmas and New Year.   As I work from home, it's not like I have to go back to an office or anything - but still.     I have had a little creative spurt though and listed a bunch of new items in the shop.  

I've really enjoyed putting these necklaces together, combining the various textures and colours.  I'm particularly pleased with the coral pendant, I love the grey and red together. I've vowed to find an alternative to the stainless steel wire which I used on these necklaces though- it's really tough, which makes for strong jewelry but tired hands.  Generally, I'm happy with copper, particularly after it's had a dip in LOS,  but  sometimes you need silver. I would love to use sterling but the price is prohibitive.  I've got some aluminium.  It's a good colour and incredibly easy to work (can't solder it though) but I'm not sure how robust it will be.  I'm always terrified of my jewelry breaking (I refuse to use beading wire or thread and prefer to wire wrap instead for this reason) and want it to last for years years.  

I haven't' listed this next piece yet.  I found the wooden scoop at a great local market,  It's in  a teeny tiny village about an hour away from us.  They have great vintage stalls, a lady who does the best curry, live music and, relatively unusually for these parts, decent coffee.  We discovered it a few years ago when hardly anyone knew about it and now it's hugely popular.  The woman who runs it, Jane, has the best memory for names I've ever known.  She remembers me, my daughter, the whole family ... amazing.

Oh, by the way - Stregata if you read this post, thanks so much for your comment.  I follow your work on etsy and just joined your blogs.  Really lovely pieces - they have a beautiful atmosphere about them.   I know atmosphere is a weird word to use in this context (not sure if it's grammatically correct) but it just seems right somehow.

'til next time.