Andorinha

Remember, remember..

It's Bonfire Night in the British Isles tonight, or "burn the effigie of the catholic guy", or, most commonly, "blow up your hands and face with fireworks night". This means it's about to get really noisy (as it did yesterday, only worse), and I have a very nervous cat hiding both under a chair AND table. Poor Crowley!

I am, apparently, the only person that finds it a tad bizarre that the British celebrate the not blowing of the Houses of Parliament with the blowing of things, sometimes with terrible results. But then, there are so many things I don't understand about the British...

Coming home today from some local foraging (i.e., finding food worth buying at our local Somerfields), it occurred to me that we always seem to go into hibernation mode in Winter in this country. This used to bother me, depress me even, but what Alan (my former supervisor and Cisco's supervisor now) said holds true - we built a cocoon for us, full of things we love, and where we are most comfortable in. We love having friends over, but (I, at least) have no patience for going out at night. I'm not naturally a recluse - when I'm in Portugal I'm out everyday doing this and that, even if it's just coffee with friends - but the combination of early sunsets (it's starting around 4 now, and it'll just get worse) and poorly lit streets (another one of those things that I simply don't understand) makes it so that I'm very happy to stay in. I have no real expectations that my jewellery business will support me (I'd have to sell 100 items priced at £10 per month to make enough money), but working from home always seemed like a wonderful thing to me. I just wish I had a way to do it.

My point in all of this is that I really don't care anymore that I feel happier when I'm home. I may not have a house like a lot of the beautiful people whose blogs I read, but everyone who comes here seems to love it, and it's very "us". I'd still like to move down to Didsbury, to in the middle of cafes and restaurants and shops, but my house is still my castle, and it makes me happy. Plus, we have a lovely cat. What more can I ask for?

WIP - Silhouette

I love Works in Progress, and for the 3 people who read this blog, here's one!

These will eventually be the Silhouette collection, after I paint and varnish them. They're smallish (for me at least - I usually like my pins to be big) but very cute and casual. These work perfectly just on a t-shirt or cardigan, me thinks.

I'm still deciding of what colour I'm painting each one, trying to stay away from the obvious. Which reminds me, note to self, I still need to purchase green paint.

The wonderful Mr. Cisco bought me the light tent I was whining about last post! He's such a sweetheart. It will be here on Monday (fingers crossed), and  I'm really excited about that (as you probably got with the glue situation, little things make me happy). Our apartment seems to have a lot of light to the untrained eye (skylights and so forth) but there's never enough to take nice photos with. When it's overcast (so, around 90% of the time), no amount of skylights in the world would make my living room properly lit to take some nice photos in. So, huzzah for light tents!

I'm going to pick some colours for the little buggers up there, maybe do a little embroidered brooch, and I will see you tomorrow!

(That, down there, is an Eenie Meenie called Polly)

So, as per usual, I decided that I didn't like the layout of the Luna Parc store anymore - so I redesigned it!  It's very similiar to this blog now - the colours, etc, and I quite enjoy looking at it now. It was a little bit wishy washy before, I guess.

Shipped two necklaces today to the U S of A, (first necklaces I have ever sold) and I can't repress a little glee at the fact that someone in Utah will be wearing a creation of mine. It's quite a special feeling, I must say. Another feeling is the fear that it will arrive and the person will go "meh" or, even worse, "blargh!". But I hope for the best (unusually).

Putting together the new layout also made me realise how many products I've actually made, or intend on doing, and how entire collections looked so good in my head and then in reality didn't work. I have 8 collections going, not mentioning vintage finds, and have new ideas every day. It's sick, I tell you!

I'm still having a lot of trouble taking photographs that properly show my things. I really, really want one of these but I don't have £20 to my name at the moment. It's very depressing. Next week though, next week!

Yum, lunch now.