Clay

I think I know myself fairly well.

And I think I am quite realistic about the things I can and can't do. I am practical and can use what is at hand to fix or mend things. I can't sing. No. I definitely can't do that. I hate following instructions and am rubbish at any sort of paperwork. I dread it when BigBean says 'Have you seen the bill for...?' I hate being wrong but I know I am fairly often. I have a good eye for colour. I am fickle. And I am good at making fiddly little things- jewellery, papier mache, modroc owls (don't ask), in fact, crafty nasties in general.

So it has been a huge source of frustration to me that I have never got on well with silver clay. I have tried. I have tried again. And then I gave up.

But my stubborn streak got the better of me and just before Christmas I ordered some more clay and paid attention to the instructions and got busy.

I made a large disc with a tiny cookie cutter.

The teeny discs were made with a straw and I stamped out initials in them with SmallBean's printing kit.
Then I strung them onto a chain but didn't fix them to a link. I left each little disc and gem pairing so they could move freely along the chain. I'm still not sure if I will keep them like that- I might fix them so they don't swing along and then bunch up.

So. I proved to myself that it is possible to read instructions and not hate what you are doing. And I have made myself a new necklace that I haven't taken off since December 19th.

Feeling a bit neurotic...

Mmmm.

I decided to do a giveaway to celebrate one thousand people visiting my shop. However, no one, nobody, not one single person, has left a comment saying that they want to be included. This is either because

1. The necklace is not actually very nice.

2. I am not yet very good at blogging and therefore nobody is really following or reading what I am wittering on about, which leads onto

3.They are reading but do not find it interesting in any way.

Maybe I am being a tad delicate and over-sensitive but I thought that I would at least be packing this sweet little bird (with a pearl and howlite and gorgeous, gorgeous amazonite) up as a treat for someone on June 6th. If this silence continues, I will end up keeping it for myself.

Here is a final peek at the necklace. Next time you see it, it will probably be strung around my neck...

Please give this bird a good home.