It's been a busy month

What have I been up to?

Well, I've been brave and had a haircut. (Those of you who know me will maybe begin to appreciate how traumatic I find haircuts. Adding in the complexity of a foreign language actually makes it easier, because it's expected that I won't know the relevant vocab. Not knowing the vocab in your native language does tend to make you look like a bit of an idiot...)

I've started remaking my jewellery website, and been learning more about responsive web design, as part of my new web design venture. (Did I ever tell you about that? It's here.)

I've continued dealing with the unemployment centre - a post on how the whole unemployment system works here is bubbling away in my brain, since it's (I gather) quite different to the UK one, and I couldn't find any information on the process when I started dealing with them.

I've made a thing: a green variscite and copper pendant

I've seen lots of sunrises.

I've been to the Monaco Yacht Show, and watched the Red Arrows flying over the port. (As an aside, unless you own a yacht I think you would not believe the peripheral industries that spring up around yachts. I was certainly surprised - I guess defining a niche market is good, but I'm not sure I'd ever have imaged that the number of customers looking for a handmade mattress to go in their yacht is big enough to support a whole business. How wrong I would have been... I also liked the handmade furniture - the inlays on the dining room tables, with sterling silver finishes, were particularly stunning.)

Prior to the yacht show, Monaco also hosts a series of events with classic boats, like this one:

I watched a couple of those sailing around, and realised I love them. Maybe I was a sailor in a past life, or something. I certainly couldn't be one in this life, climbing rigging is probably not for me!

I watched the moon over the sea for a while one night. The photos didn't come out well, but this is a nice picture of the moon.

I've watched several firework shows. Last night's was nice - over at Fontvieille, rather than the big port, but still lovely. (You can see quite a lot of the skyline from our flat.)

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Wedding jewellery

I've finally started thinking about what wedding jewellery I want. So far, I've got as far as the necklace - it's just a simple labradorite pendant, wrapped in sterling silver and strung on a sterling chain. Since I finished it this morning and have some photos, I thought I'd share it with you all.

I'm going to make earrings and a bracelet, too; I'm thinking blue and silver, maybe pearls too. This is by far the most fun bit of wedding planning!

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Jewellery sale

I'm holding a sale on my jewellery - it's summer, the sun is shining, and I need to clear out some old stock. So, all of my jewellery in my Etsy, DaWanda and ALM shops is discounted by 40% until the end of July.

My Etsy shop has the biggest range of products, so go and see if there's anything you or your loved ones want/need/deserve. Go, now!

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More shiny things: new pendant

OK, so I know I'm being lazy by cross posting, and that the reason I set up a jewellery blog was so that I didn't have to bore you all with pictures of my new shiny things. But I've got nothing much to talk about except boring and depressing things, so you can have a post about shiny things instead. Hopefully I'll have some clarity soon on what's happening with my likely move back to the UK and then I will have something to talk about...

Anyway, so, this pendant has been quite a long time in the making. Every now and then, I get out this abalone square and wonder what to do with it. Then, inspiration struck.

Sticking with a sea theme, I've paired it with red and white freshwater pearls and argentium sterling silver. It measures 6cm by 6cm and the circle of pearls is approx 2.5cm.

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Pendants and Earrings - a productive day in the sun!

(Cross posted to my jewellery, but I felt like sharing here, too... Why yes, I am putting off going running. However could you tell?)

Yesterday was a productive day! I made some new pieces and took some new photos of older pieces - a vast improvement!

Sterling silver and amber earrings:

Sterling silver and rose quartz earrings:

Sterling silver and hammered copper earrings:

Sterling silver, hammered copper and white Akoya pearl pendant:

Sterling silver and labradorite pendant:

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Some shiny things

Just because.

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I haven't forgotten you all...

It was pointed out to me that I hadn't written here in a while. I'm sure you all missed me deeply... I'm not quite sure what I've been doing instead, but I hadn't forgotten you all. I just didn't have much to write about, obviously.

Wedding invitations are mostly sent out - at least all the ones I've written so far. Still a couple to do. Restaurant is pretty much sorted, though we need to go and get something in writing from them to look over and check we agree with it. (We ate there on Friday. They do good food.)

The weather's been lovely today - I might have some photos if I can get them off my camera. But I bet you're all bored of photos of sunshine on the beach - tough. The only downside is that the beach is overrun with tourists. Horribly shouty tourists.

Running: I've decided to do Week 4 twice, since it's knackering. Today was Day 2, Part 2, and I finally managed to do all the running bits without having to stop. I'll do another day of Week 4, then move on. Kind of dreading what Week 5 might bring. My technique to actually doing it is not to find out in advance what kind of intervals they put in, so that by the time I do find out, it's too late and I'm already out there and have no choice but to carry on... Working ok so far!

Jewellery. Easter being just gone, I've made some topical cross-shaped jewellery - pendants and earrings.

There's a larger steel cross pendant in the same pattern, but I've not got any photos I like of that yet.

And I've also made another fan pendant - the tutorial set this up to be a pair of earrings, but I modified it a bit, made it a bit bigger, and turned it into a pendant instead. I quite like it, though the wire could be neater.

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Running, part 2

I have continued running! I have run again, and am still not dead!

My story is still not any further. I've done the washing up and made this pendant instead:

But I ought to be doing writing. Or food shopping. *Shudders at the thought of walking to the supermarket*

What shall we have for dinner, loyal readers? If you answer early enough, I might actually take you up on your suggestions...

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Pendants

Today's been grey and bleh, so I've been ignoring it in the hopes that it will improve.

So far, not a lot of luck.

I've made two pendants this morning, while pretending today's not happening, though - so it's not been a total waste!

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Productivity continued

I amaze even myself, sometimes...

Instead of going back to bed, I had breakfast on the balcony, and then finished the below pendant.

Then we walked to Nice, via the coastal path - incredibly pretty, but best not attempted in flipflops. Learn from my mistakes, people of the internet. We finished our walk at Kookaburra in Nice, which is a fantastic Australian pub, and Nick, the guy who runs it, is brilliant. We go there when we've got spare money, the food is fabulous - today we had kangaroo pie. The chef deserves a medal, because it rocked.

Kangaroo pie:

Photos from the coastal path:

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A better day

Today has been productive! So far, I've made breakfast, done two loads of laundry, been to the pharmacy, half made dinner, hoovered, and taken lots of photos of jewellery.

New photos of old work:

New work:

All the new kambaba pendants are up for grabs, so if you want one, let me know... First come, first served.

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Fepabo

Today has been a day of crap weather. I know it's winter for the rest of you, but I've spent this week sitting in strappy tops on the beach. I'm unimpressed.

I got drenched today, since it started raining as I left the house and got worse. And the SNCF are on strike. Again. This time, they're on strike because a driver failed an exam and was asked to resit it before being allowed to drive again, to ensure passenger safety. This - to me, reasonable - request was met by the SNCF going on strike for 3 days so far. Who knows how long it will last?

And, once I'd finally climbed the hill in the rain to the bus stop, 3 buses went past without picking up any passengers. By the time one finally stopped, I was soaked - it took me an hour and a change of clothes to finally warm up again once I got home. Rubbish weather.

And the high winds mean we've had to fasten all the shutters closed so they don't bang incessantly, so the house is dark. That's my excuse for not doing much today, it's been too dark to take photos of it. I did make and list a new pendant, though; I quite like it, I may make more.



What do you reckon?

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A productive day

Today has been what passes for a productive day round these parts. I've done another load of laundry, another load of dishes, written 1600 words of my story sitting in the sunshine on the beach, got slightly sunburnt, and made a new pendant. And it's only half past 3. What miracles the rest of the day might hold!

(That or I'll go back to bed. It's a hard life.)

Pic of new pendant, made of argentium sterling silver wire and blue glass beads:

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TAD - Day 22: Larvikite and argentium silver pendant

Today's Thing is a pendant made from a larvikite slab, wrapped in argentium silver wire.

Wikipedia tells us that "Argentium sterling silver is a modern sterling silver alloy which modifies the traditional alloy (92.5% silver + 7.5% copper) by replacing some of the copper with the metalloid germanium. As it retains the 92.5% silver content of the traditional alloy, it is still referred to as sterling silver." For jewellery makers, the important thing about argentium is that, due to the modified alloy, it tarnishes much slower than traditional sterling silver.

Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010

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TAD - Day 8: Brass and Crazy Horse Agate Pendant

I've decided I don't like working in brass. The wire is too hard to work properly. Sadly, I've run out of copper, so needs must for today's Thing: a bead I was sold as Crazy Horse Agate, wrapped in square brass wire to make a pendant.

Anyone want it? It's not a colour I wear, and I've scratched the wire while making it, so I can't sell it. First come, first served...

ETA: Too late, someone already claimed it.

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Nicole - Thing a Day 2010

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