Happy New Year

I know I am a day early but I am working a night shift tonight and have a party tomorrow evening so I am not sure if I will get to the computer or not!

It is that time of year when we like to reflect on things done and not done and set goals for ourselves for the coming 12 months!

For those of you who follow my blog you will know I have had a bit of a rough ride this year. Leaving the security of my university job was a massive step but essential for my health and well being. I took 6 months out and got myself well again and am feeling fairly ok now! For the last 2 months I have been doing agency work as a nurse at my local hospital and have surprised myself with how much I am enjoying it. My initial thoughts were to make a go of the jewellery business and whilst that is still something I am striving to do reality has bitten and I need to be earning a regular decent wage which with the best will in the world the jewellery business is not able to provide me currently.

So my goals for this year are as follows:

1) continue to work in the hospital to ensure a regular decent wage (no more eating food at my parents cos I can't afford to buy my own!!!)

2) find the balance between working as a nurse and making jewellery ( this is gonna be tricky as I am working shifts again but where there is a will there is a way

3) save up enough money to do my level 1 silver metal clay certification

4) be happy and well and a decent mum to my kids and a good wife to Tony.

Maybe that 4th item should be 1st in my list as this is the ultimate aim of my life. I did not write it in priority order but as things came to me. I am smiling now as this is classic of my mind I really should learn to put myself first a bit more and stop pressuring myself so much.

I am off now to see what I wrote last New Year (and to go to work shortly) so I will leave you all with hearty good wishes for a Happy New Year. May 2010 bring you everything you want, health, happiness and with a bit of luck some relaxation from money worries!

Here is to 2010........cheers xx

TTFN xx

Asymmetrical lariat

Asymmetrical lariat
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

Is this my second post today???My memory is awful LOL. Anyway I wanted to share this with you. I have been practising my soldering over the last week or so and made a chain of 8 links in 1.5mm silver wire. I have been playing with these 8 joined links for a couple of days to see what I may make with them and my initial idea was a bracelet. I included the glass beads into the design but could not think of a clasp to finish the piece so I was left with 8 links and no real design. I then thought of my favourite necklace - the lariat...and wondered if I could make an asymmetrical lariat and ta dah here is the result.

What do you think??
TTFN xx

Earrings

Earrings
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

I have been practising my soldering skills and am quite happy with what I am able to do now! These were the matching earrings for the lentil pendant I made. As you know I love the pendant so I have kept it for myself but I am very happy with these as well so they will be up for sale in the New Year once my shops reopen.
I am going to get into my shedio tomorrow as well as I have a few orders for beads that are not urgent. I am actually looking forward to making some beads, will have to see what I can make.

Anyway must be off I have a few more presents to wrap and I need to do some kind of inventory to see what else I need for the festive season.
What are your plans for the holidays? Wherever you are and whatever you are doing I wish you a peaceful Christmas and best wishes for 2010. I am sure I will blog before then but just in case LOL.

TTFN xx

Beads and Beyond tutorial

I mentioned a little while back that I thought I had a tutorial in this month's Beads and Beyond....well I do. It is a bumper silver metal clay special and I have a fantastic flower necklace with purple pearls in it. I must hunt a picture out now and put it up here to show you. This is my 4th tutorial and I have also done 2 readers challenges so this year has been fab for getting myself known in that arena. I hope to continue in 2010.

Belita Beads

Megan
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

One of my collections of beads has gone quiet lately. I was making quite a few of these for a while but sales tapered right off. I was going to re launch this year but even in the sale I simply could not shift the last few of my Belita beads. I am not sure what to do now with them. As I have not been making them lately my success rate is fairly poor the last 4 I tried to core all broke :o( So anyway one of the things I am thinking about over Christmas is do I carry on making these or shall I leave it to others who make gorgeous ones! I think I know the answer but I do have a few of these for sale still. They are 4mm cores so fit the Troll bead system feel free to shout me to see what I have and they are only £10 each!
TTFN xx

A bird on the hand....

Bird Ring
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

....many of you will have seen this little guy already as I have been showing him off loads lately. I originally soldered him to some 1mm wire to see if that would work and it did but the 1mm wire was not suitable to wear as a ring.
The ring he is sitting on now is a silver metal clay ring I made some time ago (my first and to date only attempt at making a ring I hasten to add). it was a bit out of shape so I have tidied it up as much as I can and then soldered the little guy to it. Whilst I was soldering he sat back a bit so his beak is up in the air but actually I prefer this to how I was going to have him so I left him there.

He is now proudly sitting on my ring finger of my right hand is is very comfortable. I can see a range of these after Christmas but I need to practice ring making first.

Other news: I have shut my Etsy shop and my website for 3 weeks until 4th January 2010. Things have been so hectic with the silver clay jewellery that I have not made any beads for a few weeks and also my mojo is off so I thought a few weeks off would recharge the ole batteries. I am still around tho so feel free to chat to me on email, through here or on Facebook!

TTFN xx

Lentil pendant

Lentil pendant
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

Here is a little something else I have been working on! I made this silver metal clay lentil and then placed it in liver of sulphur to antique it. I love it so much I have decided to keep it for myself and I have hung it from my macrame choker which has an interchangeable bail on it so I can wear different pendants according to my outfit.

TTFN xx

Robin

Robin
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

So my bead mojo is still somewhat lacking but no such problem in the silver clay department.

This little guy is inspired by my friends Christmas decorations she has doves in cages trailing from her banisters and I thought I could make that! Or something like it! So here is my bird. He still needs a bit of finishing but I am very pleased with him! I don't think I am gonna make a cage but I think I will solder a ring to his back and string him from a necklace!

What do you think?? I hope all your Christmas plans a re going well. I think I may have finished the girls presents but you never know what you may stumble across.

Oh and finally before I go to work I think I have a tutorial in this months Beads and Beyond! I will get it tomorrow so can let you know then if I have or not ;o)

TTFN xx

You won't get customers if you don't advertise!!

Yesterday I did a market in Margate Old Town. It is supposed to be a 3 day market and last night coincided with the turning on of Margate Christmas lights. This has cost me £50 for 3 days and yesterday I made £20 and apart from one other lady I was the only person to make a sale. Why is this??? Because it was really poorly advertised. There are posters around and I saw some posters at Imogen's school but there was nothing in the local press I even checked last night in case I had missed it.

Please don't get angry with me and think I am putting down the guys I worked with yesterday because I am most definitely not. They are a great bunch, enthusiastic and keen to promote Margate Old Town but at a higher level they are being let down. There was a torchlight procession last night with 2 local schools being involved and I knew nothing about it. There were fireworks and carols with the Salvation Army. I knew nothing about it. There was a mini market with local craftspeople selling their art and craft. I only knew about it cos I was involved.

The torchlight procession was lovely so nice to see all the kids dressed with christmassy LED lights all over them. This has happened for the last 4 or 5 years maybe more and I have lived here all my life (nearly 40 years) and I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT. You would have thought that even by osmosis it would have got around the Thanet grapevine is a wonderful beast but not with this little snippet! Everyone moans about Margate says that there is nothing going on well last night there was and how many people were there??? I know for a fact that people stumbling across the market probably totalled a maximum of 100 if we were lucky.

How to advertise? I am no expert but there are some very simple and free things that can be done to raise the profile of someone or something. I should know I have done it with my own business!

1) Facebook fan page
2) Twitter
3) Blog
4) Join forums on the internet and promote yourself.
5) Local radio may promote you

No money involved in any of these and not a great drain on time a group can quite happily work these things together and raise profile instantly.

Come on Margate sort it out and stop being so apathetic.

BTW I am back at the market today from 11 til about 1.30 so come along if you mention my blog you can have a 10% discount on all your purchases.

TTFN xx

Christmas Sparkle

Christmas Sparkle
Originally uploaded by aurorabeadz

I made these last year and called them Christmas Sparkle cos they remind me of baubles that you hang on the tree. I am hoping for some torch time tonight so I will make some more of these I think! Very festive
TTFN xx