As I have a holiday coming up, it's completely standard for the temperature to drop several degrees, and for me to be walloped with the illness stick.  Nothing serious, just a really irritating cough (ask my hubby) and a lovely thumping headache to accompany it.  After several nights of sleeping on the sofa, hacking away, I actually managed a whole night without a coughing fit last night, so things are looking up!  I'd never realized before, though, that tickly cough medicine is just liquid sugar.  Which explains why a: it doesn't work and b: it only comes in 'non drowsy' and doesn't help at all with the sleeplessness ...

Anyway, what with the coughing and trying to iron enough holiday clothes to allow for every possible variation of English weather (believe me, we've experienced them all), I haven't got too much done on the jewellery front.  I did manage a commissioned bracelet for my stepmum (which I shall be delivering whilst on holiday), a necklace using a lovely lampwork focal bead by Beverley Edge, and another filigree pendant.  Oh, and I was lucky enough to win - yes, I actually won something! - some fabulous polymer clay beads by Hazel Ward of Continuum Designs, which of course I had to make into a bracelet for yours truly.  Hey, trust me, I never win anything!  Check out Hazel's Etsy shop - her beads are truly beautiful.

So, I'll be back soon with some holiday photos and possibly the odd bead (I've heard there might be a bead shop in the vicinity, but shhh - don't tell hubby ... ) - until then, ta-ra! :)

Isn't it funny how just one extra day can make such a difference?  I think I'll start campaigning on behalf of all the workers who would benefit from a four-day working week (on full pay, of course) - I'm sure the surge in employee satisfaction could only benefit all concerned - after all, surely a happy worker is a productive worker?  Right?  And that, my friends, is why I'll never be prime minister.  Or any kind of politician.  Or a boss.

Anyway, I spent most of the weekend not making jewellery, but I did manage to sneak in enough time to make a few pairs of earrings.  The only challenge I set myself was that they all had to be quite different.  Have a look on the earrings page to see what I came up with.  Earlier in the week, I made another filigree pendant, and an autumnal one named after Nicky Wire (of Manic Street Preachers fame) - made whilst listening to him on the radio.  The Manics were my favourite band for a long time, and I still love all of their early music, so I'm tentatively looking forward to the release of their new album.  Nothing will ever equal Scream To A Sigh, though, for me ... ah, those were the days ...

This week I've completed a commission, and been playing with beaded fruit and wire filigree flowers.  It has been said that at times I have the attention span of a gnat - not true, I insist, but I do like to try out new things.  It's one of the things I like most about making jewellery - there's alway something new to learn, and some fresh idea zipping around my otherwise fairly empty skull.  So at the moment I'm still playing with wire, but by next week it could be something else. :)

Fortunately, I'm not so mercurial in all aspects of my life, as my long-suffering hubby (he of the 20 years not out headline) can testify.  It was 20 years last week since we met on the eve of the 1990 Monsters of Rock festival, and we still haven't killed each other - although maybe if he'd known that 20 years down the line he'd be picking seed beads and pieces of wire from the soles of his feet, it might have been a different story...

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for my next wirework project, they'll all be gratefully received - hubby has suggested a skull and crossbones, so I may give that a go...

Well, the good news is I'm much better now, so toast for every meal is hopefully a thing of the past.  I still felt pretty rough last Sunday, so I indulged myself by watching The Neverending Story, and making myself a bracelet and earrings from some of my sickbed beads, to go with the Abby necklace I made a while ago.

This week I've also made a sterling silver teardrop pendant, which you can see for sale on the Pendants page.  I was quite pleased with how this turned out, but believe me when I say I find wire-wrapping laborious and finger-punishing in the extreme (never mind the damage to my poor fingernails!).  It wasn't strictly intended to be a Christmas (sorry, it's that dreaded 'C' word) pendant, and it doesn't look especially festive, it was just that the flowers reminded me of Christmas roses.

I have also started my ongoing project of making Christmas presents (yes, I know the mere mention of it makes people shudder in August, but I have a lot of presents to make and only one pair of hands, so I have to start early), but for obvious reasons, I won't be able to post piccies of those until after the occasion.  I should warn the festively phobic among you now, though - I LOVE Christmas, so you can expect lots more references to it in the coming months... sorry about that... no, really...   ;D