National Vegetarian Week

Loads of events and recipes over on the National Vegetarian Week's website. Am going to explore the recipes now!

Education and Fire Power

It's been a week with an education focus with a trip down to the midlands for some training for a job I'm doing. It was great to catch up with some friends from the school I used to teach at who made up for having to sit on a train for ten hours just to attend a three hour meeting!

I've also been preparing assignments and a short lesson as part of the PTLLS course. I felt nervous teaching a small group of lovely people for twenty minutes which seems a bit daft given I've managed to teach large groups of teenagers I've never met before!



My workbench has been a bit quiet with all this other work and I am awaiting the first delivery of recycled silver before I can crack on with new pieces. I have been fiddling with my blog layout and did manage a bit of a play with the copper foil a kind lady from the PTLLS course brought in for me. I made an absolute shambles of it but I now get how it works and think, combined with jeweller's silver solder, this has huge potential. The photo shows the light coming through the glass and deliberately silhouettes my messy soldering!

I've also come to the realisation that I need a bit more fire power at the bench and will be investing in a new torch to speed up the soldering process. My current torch is perfect for small jobs, it is quick and precise, however, on larger pieces I am struggling to get the even heat required. A more powerful torch may mean a move to the garage for safety reasons so now I just have to work out how to make the garage a more usable space. No electricity or windows poses the main challenge!

Crossing Borders

Last week both R and I were delighted to be accepted as members of Arts group Crossing Borders and now have a selection of our work on display in the Crossing Borders Gallery at Paxton House.


If you are visiting the Scottish Borders, North Northumberland area, and interested in the Arts, the Crossing Borders website is a great place to start with information on artists and galleries in the area.


Please excuse the poor photographs, they were a rush job and I had to use flash. At various times over the next few months we'll be working at Paxton House, I'll let you know when. If you come and visit do say hello, I'm the one who looks like this!

Weekend

Last night's dander up the road treated us to a hazy sunset, frolicking hares and twittering birds. Today, the lovely Naomi of Amelee Jewellery took me up to the Edinburgh Bead Fair which was a fab day out. I treated myself to a few small purchases so expect to see a wee bit of moonstone with my sea glass! There were some impressive demonstrations by the folks who teach up at The Little Bead Shop in Edinburgh and I had a very helpful chat with Jared Sanders with tips to help me speed up and improve my sawing technique.

This evening our kitchen looks like the picture above: cultivating alien life forms or attempting to grow wedding flowers? It's up to you to decide.

Goatscrag Hill and Roughting Linn

The Cheviots from Goatscrag; taken straight into the sun so do excuse the big sun spots in the sky. We went down to Roughting Linn last week on what turned out to be the last day of the lovely sunny weather. A bit of striding in the great outdoors was spirit liftingly splendid.

I didn't take any pictures of the markings in the rock as there was a man there informing us about the supposed connections with lady parts ('you'd know more about that than me, eh?') but you can see a variety of images here. Interesting to note the erosion in just the last thirty years and to wonder whether they are in any way protected?

Having a sit down and a drink at the top of Goatscrag and watching R taking photos I did think to myself that this beats the arse of being in school on a Wednesday morning.

Earrings

Green and white sea glass earrings on sterling silver earwires. Simple, pretty and recycled!

Hope you are all having a good week!

How to Remove Tarnish From Sterling Silver Chains

Read this great tutorial this morning for removing tarnish from sterling silver chains without using toxic chemical dips. You only need a small dish, baking soda, tinfoil and boiling water.

Click on over to the Etsy Metal blog for full instructions and many thanks to them for sharing this useful technique.

New Recycled Jewellery

A selection of new jewellery made using recycled glass, pottery and copper. Last week I finished the last of my silver wire which means my next silver order will be fulfilled with recycled silver!





Now to have a tidy up in the work room and perhaps make myself a wee pair of copper heart studs as I'm sporting the 'one stud' look today having lost the other one of my fave pair. Something needs to be done to rectify this!

Have a great weekend all!

David Hay

Well, the fair at the weekend was very poor on the sales front in that there were none. That's right - two days, no sales! I think many people were away holidaying as the turnout was very low considering how much effort had gone into advertising by the organisers. Still, I don't think I'll be booking another one.

Today has been a designated day off as we've been working hard on completing the PTLLS course, creating pieces for sale and attending fairs. This morning was the start of a much needed Spring clean and this afternoon we went over to an exhibition at Duns Castle.

River Walk David Hay
image courtesy of Art Amoria

There was some fine work on show and the stand out artist for me was David Hay. His layered glazes create atmospheric and absorbing landscapes and it was good to see a collection of his work together. I have only ever seen one painting of his before and was impressed that each piece on show today, from the very small to the very large, were all of great impact.

We paused down by the river when out on the bikes this morning and nattered about how much we love living here. Tomorrow marks a whole year since we moved and I can fully confirm it was a good move!

New Earrings

Only one day left to get all jewellery, display and directions sorted for tomorrow's Easter Fair in Galashiels! Yesterday I did some last minute drilling over at R's parents' and was treated to lunch in the garden and a sit in the sunshine, it was lovely! A bit of time off in a busy week is an essential I have decided.

Having thought I was out of teeny tiny drill bits with only tiny ones left I was delighted to find I'd left the last teeny tiny one in the work shop so was able to drill some pieces for earrings. I paired up some aqua sea glass with copper this time and have a pair like the copper circle ones above with a heart shape on the workbench to finish this morning. Then there will be another big tumbling session to get the last lot shiny and pretty ready for tomorrow.

Wishing you all a happy and blessed Easter.

Workroom Wednesday

Two pieces of sea pottery set in fine silver; they are finished now but the image shows them in a nearly finished state.

There are lots of new pieces on the go and they'll all be ready for this weekend's Easter Craft and Gift Fayre in Galashiels. If you are visiting make sure you come and say hello!

Gareth and John

Last year I heard the sad news that John Erwin had died within a month of being diagnosed with Leukemia. John used to live round the corner from us and was a school mate of my brother and his next door neighbour Gareth Crockett.

Gareth and Jez, a university friend of John's, decided to go on an epic fundraising mission in memory of John and to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research. They set out last week starting off with a marathon around Moira, cycling to Dublin, the Dublin Marathon and then the ferry over to Wales. The plan was to cycle to Bristol and then London before completing the London Marathon on Saturday.

Tragically on Wednesday morning, about half way throught the challenge, Gareth was knocked down by a car and died at the scene. It is unbelievably poignant and sad and my love, thoughts and prayers are with Gareth's Mum and Dad, Emma, Jonny and Alison.

I don't know if Jez is continuing on the challenge but the appeal remains open and the boys have done it as the £10,000 target has already been surpassed. If you can do please offer your support by donating here.

I'll leave you with words from Gareth's sister Emma:

“He had been so delighted with all the donations to the challenge and raising awareness of leukaemia in memory of John,” she told the News Letter last night.

“We are all trying to get through this, but it has been great to see all the messages of support which have been left online for him and we know that he achieved what he set out to do, even though he didn’t get to finish the challenge,” said Emma.

She added: “We will never forget his intelligence, his dry wit and his great sense of humour.”

Newsletter

Workroom Wednesday

Six slimline stacker rings ready for polishing; they are all a bit mucky from sanding in the photo but will come out lovely and shiny after they've been in the tumbler. On the 23rd and 24th April I will be at the Galashiels Easter Craft and Gift Fayre and there will be a whole host of new pieces ready for the weekend.

Bunting

A couple of years ago I bought a sewing machine. It is a nice, basic machine, good range of stuff and things to make stuff and things happen when you do other things.

The thing is, believe it or not, I hadn't used it until about two weeks ago when I decided I had to learn! Apart from whipping up a few costumes out of brown pillow cases for the school play and before that some experimental free machine embroidery at university and school I am not hugely experienced in the world of stitchery.

Thanks to my darling friend and her beautiful family I had a reason to learn: I wanted to give her new baby a gift before he turned eighteen! So, I thought bunting for new baby and big sister's birthday would be a good place to start.


It was fun! However, due to the aforementioned looming eighteenth birthday baby boy has not had his name sewn on! There are several gaping whoopsies and when helping her children open their gifticles I believe Mummy will realise why her suggestion of a 'Cameron original' for my wedding dress is not such a hot idea!

Blooming Lovely

It has been the warmest day of the year so far today, according to me anyway! Sunshiney delight and, after a fair bit of rain recently, the garden is actually dancing for joy.


Spring bulbs are blooming and new shoots are emerging, some expected and hoped for, others a complete mystery until we see a bit more emerging from the soil. It is a very exciting time!

This is our first time watching what comes up in the garden and, even though we've planted some bits, we weren't here this time last year so each day brings new and exciting discoveries.

At the end of this month we will be marking the first anniversary of living in the borders and my it's been a cracking year! Yesterday was the third session of the Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning course we've been doing which marks half way. It will be good to have the qualification and the people on the course are all really friendly but I'll be glad when it's finished as I'll not have to be working on assignments!

Last week I got an offer for a GCSE examiner position which I was delighted to accept as it brings a little financial boost and will be funding a new camera. After several 'camera not working at the wedding' nightmares I need to have a back up camera before photographing the lovely Kate and Andrew's wedding in October! So it's all go in a good way. Enjoying work with plenty of time to enjoy the sunny days in the garden. On this day when another friend has left full time teaching I wish him huge amounts of happiness in his next adventure!

Karine Polwart, David Tennant and Billie Piper

Yes, really.



We were really fortunate to see Karine Polwart, her wee brother Steven Polwart and Inge Thomson play at Peter Potter Gallery a few weeks ago. It was amazing. Between the beautiful voices, instruments, lyrics, fairy lit swan flight and Church bells I don't think I was the only one mesmerised in the moment.

If you get the chance to see the trio on tour, go!