Family Circle

A friend with the most beautiful family ordered a pendant from me recently.
She requested the pendant not be shaped but rather remain flat.

The beads are high quality glass pressed Czech beads, hung on handcrafted sterling silver head pins.

Perpetual calendar

So over the break I decided to make a perpetual calendar to go on our fridge, something we could use to track the days etc.

The project encountered a few hiccups, and after I laminated it to protect it, it turned out the magnetic sheet wasn't strong enough to hold up the markers any more.

Anyway, plan B worked and our calendar is up. Although I forgot that small children never ever use anything for what it's actually for and they keep moving and swiping the markers, so our calendar is constantly on the wrong date...oh well, at least they're having fun...lol

Book Review: An Amish Love – 3 novellas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Long

The first novella in the book is A Marriage of the Heart, which starts with Abby “tricking” Joseph into a marriage within the Amish community. As the story continues their relationship blossoms and you learn that some things really do work out for the best.

What the Heart Sees, is about Ellie who lost her sight in a tragic car accident. As a result she loses her betrothed and has little reason to believe she may find someone else romantically interested in her. However she wasn’t the only person wounded by the accident, and when Chris returns from the outside world he finds himself drawn to Ellie, but first he has to make peace with the past.

Healing Hearts is the story of the Lapps, rather than new love theirs is one that’s withstood children and the inevitable sacrifices a marriage makes when raising a family of small folk, but will their marriage survive the break Naaman Lapp enforced upon his wife & children? Not to mention that his return to the community is shortly followed by a law man in search of him!

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I’ve not read a lot of fiction set in the Amish community, and didn’t know how the romance would be conveyed, but I found the stories romantic and sweet.

As the book consisted of 3 short novellas there was not as much “depth” to the stories as I would have liked, but it certainly made for an easy & enjoyable read.

Of all the books I would have liked to have followed the story of Abby & Joseph, in A Marriage of the Heart, more in depth, the story really left me wanting to know more about them.

Word of the Year

Susan contacted me about creating a piece with her word/s of the year.

Besides enjoying creating something for her it was also interesting to consider what my word of the year would be?

There's lots I think would be appropriate and it's very hard to choose just one, but I like the word "Possibility"

...which also puts me in mind of one of my favourite Bjork songs & music videos, Possibly Maybe

Here's just a few of the lyrics

"...uncertainty excites me
baby
who knows what's going to happen?
lottery or car crash
or you'll join a cult

possibly maybe probably love

mon petit vulcan
you're eruptions and disasters
i keep calm
admiring your lava
i keep calm

possibly maybe probably love..."

So what would your word for 2011 be? Leave me a comment & let me know!

And after all that, here's your pendant Susan, and I hope you have a phenomenal year!

NOTICE - closed from 29th Jan - 21st Feb

This is just an advance warning to anyone planning to order in the early half of Feb, please place your orders before the end of this month cause Whatnots will be closed to any new orders during the above dates.

You are more than welcome to still contact me during that time, but I will only be able to respond to e-mails and fulfill orders from the 21st Feb again.

We are off to watch some waves roll on by...

Name Disc

Finished this handmade pendant today, it's a 25mm sterling silver disc with 2 swarovski crystals, all the findings are sterling silver, including the clasp on the cord it's hung from.
The disc is slightly cupped.

I hope the recipient likes her gift!

A Little Deer to Fawn Over!

So I made a little deer pendant...hee hee hee, get it...fawn lol

But I'm so undecided, which do you think looks better, just the plain silhouette, or more detail?

Don't be put off by the first photo, it's before the pendant has been finished and polished.
Here is the finished product with detail
Hmmm, I'm thinking maybe the plain is better...maybe with just a little heart on the side?

Let me know what you think?