Charity

Its Charity Tuesday on Twitter. There are Charities like and The British Red Cross, Help For Heroes, Dogs Trust and various others and they are great causes to support and help.

Then there is being Charitable. In my opinion being charitable does not just mean donating money to a Charity. Being charitable is being kind, understanding, co-operative and showing respect and empathy towards others. They don't necessarily have to be less fortunate people than you... just people like you and me working hard at whatever it is that they do.

I am increasingly finding that the charitable spirit is disappearing amongst a lot of people I come across. We are increasing becoming a society of "I want" but "I can't be bothered giving back unless there is something in it for me" Selfish? Stressed? Too Busy? I don't know. But I just find it very sad.

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7th Bead Soup Party: Shalini's Sparkly Serving Revealed!

So the day is finally here! Its PARTY TIME! My parties are always "Bring a Bottle" kinds so help yourself to your favourite tipple and enjoy! Part 1: This is my first entry into the world of Bead Soups. Be gentle lovely people... It all started when I signed up for the Pretty Things 7th Bead Soup Blog party on 26 January. I have since blogged a bit about it. My Partner Sarah Goode from Pookledo sent me a lovely stash of shiny things! A handful of Swarovski disc crystals / Some metal glitterballs in various sizes / A length of silver plated chain / Some Swarovski glass pearls / a magnetic glitterball clasp Yummy I hear you say! It is! But apart from the silver chain these are things I have NEVER worked with before! My pieces tend to have a lot of colour in them! And here I am looking at lots of grey (OK shiny silvery grey but it is shades of grey, maybe not quite 50 but near enough!) HELP! This is totally out of my comfort zone! You set me a chal...

Beadsoup Blog Party: Shalini's Soup is Served! Finally!

The chef is a lazy sod but I do hope the servings have been worth waiting for? For a while it was Will she, Won't she, Can She? Yes she can! :-) I didn't get to use any fancy tools like the torch, saw, drill or add ingredients like solder but I did what I could with the lovely ingredients and I think they did not need any extra embellishments to be honest! The fantastic Bead soup from my partner Susan McClelland had enough ingredients in it to just add a bit of wire, a few findings to create this! The main piece! Sari Silk Ribbon, Ceramic Pendant Focal, Hand etched Copper Clasp, handmade glazed ceramic beads and plenty of copper wire. All joined together with my trademark spiral links. YES Fabric! Not really my friend! But it was too beautiful not to use! Thanks for the challenge Susan, I quite enjoyed playing with the sari silk to make it part of the pendant. Tools: My hands, Flat and round nose pliers and dodgy eyes....

Bead Hoarders Blog Hop Reveal

So its time to reveal what I have been hoarding. Well this does not even touch the surface of things I have stashed away but its a start! Let me begin by introducing fellow Stamford Artisans Guild member DL Designs of Rutland . Diz makes the most amazing jewellery, charms and lanyards in different types of cords and threads and I admire her work a lot. So about two years ago I bought a handmade hemp macramé cording knot necklace from DL Designs. And then I promptly put it in safe keeping because I wanted to make something special with it. And I have been hoarding it all this time. I also had a beautiful Labradorite Cabochon cut and polished in house in our Lapidary workshop . This beautiful stone has a magnificent Labradorescence and I have had it on my board for almost 6 months! Because of the angle its been cut at it needed a special wrap on it for the colours to be seen in full glory. I have wrapped it a couple of times and then taken the wire off because the Labradorescence w...

It's not just a hobby!

It is our Livelihood, it is our Business, it is what helps to pay the bills! Yes, this one's going to be a bit of a rant! One of my artisan friends recently mentioned her experience at a (fairly large) Christmas craft market where a lady spent a lot of time looking at her work and then said "Hmmm Nice Hobby" and walked off. And then I saw this on facebook "Well you must have a lot of time - you obviously don't work!" on a page called Kirsty Elson Designs - another crafter. Probably not spoken by the same person but it's this attitude from a lot of people that really gets to me sometimes! It's not just a hobby! In my case it is a part time business, but its a part time business that keeps my dogs fed and pays my monthly utility bills! And occasionally allows me to go to the pub and have a drink with my friends. I work hard for it and I earn it!... AND pay my taxes on what I earn! [UPDATE 01 October 2014: It is now my full time job! So al...

Labradorite! Lots of it!

Its been a while since I posted here.... been a busy few months with motorhome enquiries picking up. But even more important - the weather has improved and I am spending more and more time in our little workshop having fun with Rocks. At the moment the two hot favourites are Flin t and Labradorite. I'll talk about the Flint later..... Labradorite - one word - WOW! This is the most beautiful Semi Precious stone I have ever seen! I love Rose Quartz and Carnelian but Labradorite is a whole different world. I could spend hours and hours just looking at it from different angles to try and find the flashes (known as Labradorescence) of Blue, Gold and Green that show up when the stone is held at a certain angle and the light is right. In fact I have spent so much time admiring the stone that I have not made any jewellery from it yet! Dave has made some beautiful Labradorite Cabochons: And he wrapped a couple of them in Sterling Silver Wire and made these beautiful Pendants. I th...

Jewellery By Shalini

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