October 31st It's All Hallows Eve and I've been going batty trying to finish off the Xmas themed necklace I'm making. It really has been one step foward, two steps backwards today. Every time I soldered a joint an old one would ping undone; due to me not concentrating, and overheating areas I didn't wish to. (Or maybe the gremlins really were out?) I also decided when it was almost completed; that it could do with a little moonstone magic. So I made up a moonstone droplet setting and attached it. (I think a moonstone is a very apt stone to choose on a day like today). Did you know some people believe moonstones have special powers? (No, they can't get planning permission without applying). Romans believed that moonstones were born from solidified rays of the Moon. Moonstones are so very beautiful and I do love their iridescent rainbow hues. Moonstones definately should not to be confused with Mooning though; that is a very different thing...No butts! (Yes I know, that's really scraping the 'bottom' of the barrel...) N.B. I must apologise it seems to be Fright Night in the Pun Department. -------------------------------------------------------------- October 30th It makes me chuckle when I read facts online, that are half baked. Today for instance; I was perusing the website of a famous London based jeweller I admire. When I read that he claimed every ring he makes takes him two weeks to complete I was very confused. Now I'm sure that the original ring would have taken that amount of time, but his figures just didn't add up. If infact; it really does take him two weeks to make every ring, then that would make a maximum of 26 rings in total to sell over a year. The things is; on his website he's got hundred's of items for sale, and I know he is a very popular jeweller who sells a lot of his work to the rich and famous. I suspect he makes and designs his very clever articulated jewellery himself; then either, sends off the designs to a company which can replicate the parts for him to re-assemble. Or; he has the cleverest army of jeweller elves working for him at night time? The man is a genius; and I've got a brilliant idea for a new line of pendant for him. 24 carat gold articulated porky pies; fully baked, priceless!. --------------------------------------------------- October 29th I may have been on another planet yesterday; but today I came back down to earth, literally. I've been doing ground work outside. The brambles have taken over and now that the bracken has died back a bit; I've spent the day attacking the spiky blighters, in a cut and thrust manner with my brush hook. I managed to get a little bit of digital work done too, but felt I had better make hay while the sun shone (or rather bracken bales). I'd like to be more self sufficient; and next year I'm moving my veg patch to a sunnier spot, so I'll be laying down old wool carpet and cardboard to try and beat back the weeds. Like Jack; from the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, I bought some runner beans off an old man at a market. He said to me "These ARE magic beans; keep a few in a dry storage jar for the following year and you will always have beans", and he was right!. I like to slice them finely, add garlic and fry. Then add a little bit of soy sauce or peanut butter with a splash of milk, which makes a nice satay sauce. It's a great cheap and cheerful; as well as healthy, lunch. I've just realised how I manage to do all the list below...I'm full of beans! .......(or hot air-you decide?) ----------------------------------------------------- October 28th Time Shift Alert!....The clocks went back last night; so I had an extra hour in bed, Yay!. I love a relaxing Sunday and now that Dr. Who has shifted it's time slot from a Saturday to Sunday, it's even better! (You can't beat a bit of sci-fi escapism). Sometimes people ask me how I manage to fit in all the things I do; and to be honest I've no idea, (occasionally they ask me if I'm on another planet). Actually, a time machine would be a very useful bit of kit for me. In my head I kind of see all the projects I've got on the go as planets that are spinning. They are not going anywhere; just hanging there rotating on their axes. When one starts to slow down, I have to concentrate on it to keep it spinning. I feel that if I keep doing this, then one day all the planets will align and I will go stratospheric. Anything is possible? Although another possibility is that I will disappear into a Black Hole. I guess that's a better option than, (look away now Jennifer) ....disappearing into Uranus though? ... (See post from October 23rd) ---------------------------------------------------- October 27th I was rummaging through my jewellery box today, as I need to have a sort out. I occasionally do this and find pieces that need repairing; re-working, enhancing or binning. One of the nicer things in there is an old Pinchbeck bracelet I used to wear as an Art Student, which has paste stones. (See above pic) Pinchbeck is a really old alloy metal mix invented by Christopher Pinchbeck in the 18th century. I recently saw on an episode of the Antique's Roadshow that genuine Pinchbeck is now very collectable, especially in America. Prices for original pieces can fetch the same as if the piece were made out of gold, and sometimes far higher prices than gold. Funny how an impersonator can overtake the thing it was impersonating. I remember when I was a child and people were just throwing it away, as it was fake gold and thought worthless. I guess that's part of the reason the price has rocketed, the rarity of it? My Pinchbeck bracelet must be one of the first examples of 'Copy and Paste'? I do think it's a funny thing to happen though; as it's almost like, if in 200 years time a fake Rolex watch was more valuable than an actual Rolex. Who Knows?...'Watch' this space' as the saying goes... ---------------------------------------------------------------- October 26th I love soldering when the temperature has dropped like it did today. It's a nice little heat source. Soldering really is a fine art though. When you solder silver there are only a handful of solder types e.g. Hard, medium, easy, (I don't know why it isn't called soft) and extra easy. Each time a new seam is soldered you are supposed to chose a softer solder so that the previous seam doesn't come undone. It can become very tricky if you have a lot of soldering to do on a piece. (Like the chunky robot ring I made for myself a little while ago from sheet silver, which had 32 seams to solder if I remember correctly). Then it really does become like Solder Jenga. If the previous seams come undone; you have to start from scratch again, which requires re-sanding etc IF the metal is salvageable. Otherwise it ends up in the scrap tin ready for re-cycling. Then it really IS a case of soldering on regardless and as gingerly as my Ed Sheeran fabric. ----------------------------------------------------------------- October 25th Some days I feel like I'm swimming against the tide; but for today, I feel like I'm bobbing along nicely. I was really chuffed when I found out I'd won the www.printmepretty.co.uk Christmas Design competition with my Ginger 'Ed Sheeran themed Christmas Stocking (see below), judged by Christine Leech of Sew Yeah. So that definately added a little lift to the day. Then I decided to press on with the Christmas sterling silver necklace I'd started, and thought that the holly and mistletoe leaves would look better with a green torch fired enamel. (See above pic) I punched out some stars from the scrap sheet silver I had in my scrap box, and decided I like the effect of two soldered together. I added the carnelian and lemon jade beads to get a feel of what the necklace will look like when finished. I think the final item will look good, so all in all a satisfactory day. The winner of the competition wins two prints of the Christmas Stocking plus a £40 voucher. I think one of the stockings I will make up and send to Ed Sheeran. Wouldn't it be funny if he sang 'I'm in love with the shape of you' to it? ![]() ------------------------------------------------ October 24th Q. Do you know what the tool is in the above pic?. It's probably one of the lesser used tools in the U.K. A. (Here's a little pearl of wisdom)...It's for holding pearls when you want to drill a hole in one, or saw one in half for setting. It's very handy if you need to do this, as it's really difficult holding a pearl without one. I'm thinking that pearls and opals go well together and may work nicely in festive themed jewellery. I'm not even going to mention that some people like to get a pearl necklace for Christmas; because my sister may think that statement is a crude double entendre. But; if you do want a double entendre, I'll give you one... (Note to self... stop! just stop it!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 23rd So I'm trying to take advice from my lovely sister, (who's far more successful than I am). She rang to tell me that I'd slipped into my bawdy posting again; (my natural default setting I think?), and I needed to get back to posting about my art. Now basically; I'm going to stop fannying about and get on with the job in hand! Today; I was trying to think like a proper artist business woman, and concentrate on things I can make for Christmas which may sell. I was lucky enough to buy a load of Opals which were reclaimed from scrap gold. Opals are one of my absolute favourite gemstones and I think they will work well in Christmas themed jewellery. Most opals come from Australia, and did you know Aborgines believe that Opals are formed at the end of rainbows to create harmony on earth?. Here's some interesting facts about opals. Now I've just got to decide what I shall make with some of them, once I've stopped being mesmerised. (See above pic). Harmony on Earth would be pretty fab actually? In 2008 according to the above link, NASA reported detecting opal deposits on Mars! Harmony on Mars too? A very small amount of the opals I've acquired have tiny chips in them where they have been damaged, when they were leavered out of the scrap gold. I've watched tutorials on polishing and re-shaping these stones and am quietly confident I will be able to repair the damaged ones. It will be a learning curve though, as I would describe myself as a bit of an Opal cadet. (I was tempted to say I'd had a night of passion in one of those back in the day, but my sister may be reading this haha). ------------------------------------------------- October 22nd ![]() Yesterday I posted this selfie (see above pic) on facebook from the previous night, with the caption - Looking to gain a religious halo? just take a selfie in front of a round mirror. Eat your heart out Beyoncé. Halo, Halo Halo... It's the first time I've used a filter on my phone's camera, and it got so many likes I now feel like I need a permanent filter infront of my face. I can see why so many people get addicted to them. My camera is only 72 dpi so it's pretty soft focus anyway. According to the dictionary, to use a filter is to pass something through a devise to remove unwanted material. (Original pic left) So yep, that's wrinkles and pimples filtered. Now it's going to be, goodbye impurities and 'halo' filtered 'Face'book! ------------------------------------------------- October 21st Did anyone read Monday 15th October's report in the Guardian Newspaper about the £750 Fendi Vulva scarf/jumper? Fendi have accidentally managed to produce a jumper which makes the wearer appear to be being born. I bet despite this funny oversight, there will be label whores who still rush to buy them. The fashion for vulva chic is no new thing though. Take this picture above, of two Innuit women from Labrador photographed in 1916. The parkas they are wearing were a common design for women in the eastern and western artic. The inset fur patterns were there as a metaphor of maternity, representing the uterus over the womb. Maybe I'll have to think of a new design for some vulva art. A vulva hat maybe, for the fashion conscious Born Again Christians? Flip flop flaps for the trendy beach goer? Yes vulvas...there's gotta be an opening somewhere?... ---------------------------------------------- October 20th ![]() I read a very interesting article recently on Artsy, about why the male member was portrayed as being small in ancient Greek Art. Large penises were seen as vulgar and belonging to barbarians, whereas small penii were seen as much more aesthetically pleasing, (if not sexually). Funny how fashions change? Although; I've noticed even in the 1500's, on statues like Michel Angelo's David the penis is still handleable, as it were... It may have been enhanced in the Sterling Silver and Gold necklace I made entitled The Cameron David, (see pic on left) which was based on the Michel Angelo statue. It seems like it's only in the second half of this century that a larger penis has been seen as admirable. If the artistic interpretation of a penis was still seen to be aesthetically pleasing in a smaller todger; there would be a lot of happier men in the world, and I'm all for that!. So maybe in the future if I need to draw, paint carve etc. a male member I'll go small. The thing is how small do I go? A half inch Willy...well that's just bollocks! ------------------------------------------------------------------ October 19th Back once again, I'm the Renegade Master. Yep, with my ill behaviour. Mum's on the mend and I'm back in the saddle, riding high with this new fabric I've designed for Christmas with a Gingerbread theme. It features different types of Gingerbread including a figure of a Ginger Br'Ed Sheeran. It's for sale on Print me Pretty if you'd like to take a look, (also entered into their Christmas Stocking cut out and make Competition). What do you reckon....Is it melt in the mouth?...or is it really taking the biscuit? October 11th ![]() I will be having another short blogging break as of tomorrow. My dear mum has not been very well lately and I'm going to stay with her for a few days. I will also be going to watch my sister in 'Ladies Day' by the excellent Tanat Theatre Company which I am looking forward to, there's 'nun' better than watching 'sister act'!. I've made my sis a pair of sterling silver and copper Comedy and Tragedy earrings as a gift; alternating the materials in each earring, using silver for the comedy mask with a red Swarovski heart crystal drop. Then using copper for the tragedy mask with a golden tear Swarovski drop. The copper mask has silver hanging wires and the silver mask has copper hanging wires. My great-grandfather (who died in the 1930's) was a Tin Smith on the Welsh Borders; I sometimes think of him when I'm working and how he will have used a lot of the same tools and techniques I use for jewellery making. I will still keep busy though when I'm away. I will be taking the play that I'm writing with me, and hope to jot down another scene. Can you guess if it's a comedy or tragedy? I entered a scene of it into a competition called 'Page to Stage' and won a small prize for that scene. That was a couple of years ago and I'm still working on the play. Let's hope the rest of the play is a winner too and hopefully that is not a hard act to follow?....Mwah x --------------------------------------------- October 10th Hubble bubble; a bit of toil, but not too much trouble. Today I made copper hooks for the cauldron earrings. Then I made some sterling silver ear wires to compliment them. I've added a pic of the earrings before I blackened them, and after. 'Witch' do you prefer? -------------------------------------- October 9th Today I've been experimenting with some designs for Halloween Earrings out of copper. I've punched out the blanks from recycled sheet copper; heated it up to make it soft, domed it and etched it. The more I learn about silversmithing; the more I notice how even on places like Etsy, a lot of makers buy the jewellery parts separately and then assemble them, rather than actually make them. It feels good to be making things in a traditional manner, very often using the same techniques that would have been used in ancient times. I made some pumpkins with features which I cut out and this was a bit fiddly, and some which were a long chinese lantern style. I tried a reverse pumpkin style which I thought may look like a glowing pumpkin but they didn't quite work and a cauldron style pair which I didn't have time to blacken. It will be interesting to see them finished tommorrow; and which one works best. My initial feeling is I rather like the cauldrons thus far, (you never know maybe the Cauldron will turn into a hot run?) -------------------------------------------------------- October 8th They say it's the little things in life that bring the biggest pleasure; (although shaping a tiny penis for a silver ladyboy has been quite frustrating to be honest). But interestingly today, I remembered how much I enjoyed sharpening pencils with a scalpel. It's only a tiny thing but; it took me straight back to my first days at Art College when I was 16 and had just left home. As a new student you were given a long list of equipment to bring with you for personal use such as :- a set of Rotring pens...... (these were something my mother was horrified at, due to the cost) a Roget's Thesaurus...... (I remember this was expensive too and they insisted we had one as part of our kit; and to my knowledge, no one in my form ever used one). A good quality A1 Portfolio Art folder. (also expensive) Etc,etc, but the most exciting piece of kit was a Swann Morton surgeon's scalpel with interchangeable blades and packs of various shaped blades for differing jobs. At home I'd used a pencil sharpener for sharpening my pencils, but at college we could go native and slash away at the ends of our sketching sticks with such gay abandon. I really did feel like myself and my new student friends were the sharp dressers; with the sharp pencils, sharpened with our sharp minds. A very grown up feeling. On one of the first art lessons we had, we followed the tutor's instruction on how to sharpen safely. Even so believe it or not, one girl had to go to hospital to have two stitches in her leg! Why am I telling you this you ask? Is there a point to the story?...... Well yes, and it's on the end of the pencil :-) ------------------------------------ October 7th I had a bit of a balls up today while working on the final touches of the Glastonbury, Block 9 Necklace. I decided to add a curly moustache to the beard I had already attached. (See pic from 5th Oct). It was only a little thing but; the the sprung tweezers which I was holding the lady boy with, jumped when they heated up and the head and beard flew off the silver lady. It was so annoying, when I was so near the end. Now I'll have to spend a couple of hours soldering them all together again. The balls up under her dress?; well fortunately, they are still attached! -------------------------------------------------- October 6th How I feel today..... ( No, not a blinking twit!) I'm just spending the day observing .......... -------------------------------------- October 5th ![]() Apologies for the very late post tonight, I was caught up polishing knobs. (Oh, and I may have nipped out for drinks and nibbles with the most gorgeous gang of girls). Anyway; next year at Glastonbury Festival I will be having an Exhibition of necklaces I've made out of re-cycled silver which to me, represent various areas of the festival. Tonight I was working on the start of my Block 9 area necklace. So far; I've created a bearded lady in a flamenco dress with a willy, (which to me pretty much sums up the area). It is so difficult trying to craft a minature penis out of silver that is the right size, ( I wouldn't want to give her a chode, but then again she has to dress to impress). If you come to Glastonbury Festival 2019 I will be in the Croissant Neuf Field with my Exhibition of necklaces and you will be able to look under her dress and see what she has on display. If you can't make it; you'll have to guess what's under her dress?...(more or less?) ___________________ October 4th Seeing Christmas decorations in the shops yesterday, has made me think about making some seasonal jewellery. I flattened out some sterling silver sheet from an old battered cigarette case, and drew out some holly and mistletoe leaves to cut out. In my bag of scrap silver oddments I found an old angel pendant; but I didn't like the bail it was hanging from, so cut it off and added a ring on either wing. I soldered the leaves together and have the start of the, makings of a necklace. I remembered that last year I bought some small Lemon Jade beads to turn into mistletoe berries and some small carnelian beads for Holly berries too. Amazingly, I managed to find them in my chaotic studio. In the bag with the beads in though; there were quite a lot of misletoe leaves I must have cut out last year, and never had time to make up into something. I know it's a cliche but for a moment it did feel like Christmas had come early. I could have kissed myself! ------------------------------------------------ October 3rd ![]() Flip flops are flying out! Yep, it's that time of year when the prices are dropping rapidly on summer clothing and chunky mohair jumpers are making an appearance in the shops. I saw plenty of Christmas decorations in the shops too, today. Well; as that old medieval saying goes, "When the flip flops leave, it's time to weave!" (Or did I just make that up in my head?). Anyway; it's definately time to fold out my loom and make some wooly tartan as the winter nights draw in. Even with a good spotlight aimed at my solder station in the evenings, I still find it hard to to see the solder flowing once the natural light has faded. I tend not to make jewellery in the evenings. I will be weaving some cloth to make into hats for Christmas; and I fancy making some new styles too, so watch this space. Yep! Winter 'looming' in my opinion, is a great thing :-) ----------------------------------------------- October 2nd Whilst working away today, the Radio chat was all about Boris Johnson's back-stabbing Brexit 'Fringe' speech. It's amazing how much news coverage that man gets! I can see why it was called a 'fringe' speech; when he has got the most unusual of hairstyles for a politician. (I'm sure a 'Johnson' is the name for a 'Dick' in the U.S.A. which is pretty apt in his case too!) Boris who's never hidden the fact that he wants to be Prime Minister one day; was always called a 'buffoon' when I was younger. He was not looked on very favourably either, being a member of the awful Bullingdon Club. It's amazing how he seems to have a following?. I think he and Tony Blair should form their own political party, and they could call themselves the Back-stabbing B's. I know looks and charm are not a requirement for a politician, but both of those men give me the creeps a bit. Tony Blair with his 'Hills have eyes' eyes; and Boris with his albino sea lion, eating bloater paste face. Oh well; maybe when his divorce comes through, his ex-wife will be interested in buying my 'Boris Necklace'. (see above pic). Or maybe Boris with his huge ego would consider buying it for one of his future love interests, (who would possibly be a member of S.P.A.G ?) The Seal Protection Action Group.... ----------------------------------- October 1st October; or Winterfylleth as it was known to the Anglo Saxons, may be the month where I have to dig my thermals and winter woolies out.
We've had a couple of chilly mornings here in the shire so far, and I always find it eerily beautiful when there's a frost on the roses. I'm sure when I was a child that roses were not in bloom in October?. It's a topsy-turvy world...(As I'm typing this; I'm having to dodge a drowsy hornet that may have been awakened by the warmth from the woodburner tonight, I wish he literally would buzz off). As a child one of the books I read was Anne of Green Gables, written by L M Montgomery. In the book Anne gushes about the month of October .....October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths. Anne reveled in the world of colour about her. “Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.” I suspect if that book had been written in this day and age Marilla's response would have been : "Bitch, you 'ain't got no choice!" I am fortunate enough too; to live along a lane that's lined with wild cherry trees, so for now I will drink in the deep reds of the leaves. (Although the deep red of a Vin Chaud sounds very seasonal too!)
3 Comments
10/24/2018 11:45:26 am
It's a good thing that you are collecting relics from different places you've been to. Its a good thing because it serves as a remembrances of your travel; and what's good about this is the fact that the items you collected have been existing a lot of years ago. I suspect that the book was written a lot of years ago. I can also feel that there is something we should get from it, only if we are going the chance to read it. I will always be a fan of different relics from different places.
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Lolly
10/25/2018 02:49:34 pm
Yep, you've got me well and truly stumped with that one?????
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5/12/2020 10:20:43 am
make sure that the container or plate used to hold the food in the hot air microwave is microwave certified.
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Lolly GoldingThe day to day life of a Somerset Artist Archives
March 2022
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