Farewell 2011........... it was nice spending time with you.  But I am glad to say goodbye to you and to welcome Two Thousand and Twelve! Or is that Twenty Twelve? I have trouble saying that.... it just doesn't seem to roll of the tongue the same way. At some point we will have to switch to saying it this way..... we can't, after all, get to the end of this century still saying Two Thousand and Ninety Nine, let alone Two Thousand One Hundred when we begin the next century. I guess it will slip into every day usage without us really noticing the change. But right now it takes a conscious effort to say it. So here goes, (whilst I am in New Year's resolution mode!): Welcome Twenty Twelve.....  Happy New Year! And may it be a good one! Here's one of the last things we did before the end of 2011.... family and extended family all seated around the dining table ready to share our gingerbread house. I got to do the honours! Apparently I look mighty mean holding a rolling pin. ...

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas Season filled with fun and laughter and getting to enjoy a bit of down time between Christmas and New Year. I'm taking a bit of a break from the studio for a couple of days to spend with my family who are all home this Christmas. But I promised you pics of the resin cuff links I made for the men in my household, so here they are. These are for our cycling enthusiast. He's always been interested in what makes things work so a steampunk theme with cogs and gears was perfect for him. For the well dressed and more formal man in our household, this variation on a monogram theme was the perfect choice - the lower case letters are a fun twist! And for the sophisticated man who likes the look of mixed metals: silver, pewter and gold Friendly Plastic cuff links. I can't tell you how impressed each of the men were with their new cuff links - so much so that at first they didn't realise they were hand made! Each pair was present...

December has been frantically busy in our household. Between Christmas Parties, 90th Birthday celebrations, University Graduation Ceremonies, a trip to Adelaide and two trips to Lismore we also managed to slot in some time in the kitchen preparing our favourite Christmas treats. You saw some of them here in this post . Because of our busy schedule we decided to use a kit for our Gingerbread House this year. It came with everything you need including the pre cooked gingerbread, presentation board, icing and sweets to decorate it - what a time saver! This kit is from Create a Treat and it even gives you a web address to view a video on how to construct the house - so easy that even a child can do it!  The board comes with channels that you slot the walls into. Just fill with the icing mixture and insert the wall. I loved this idea - it made construction really easy. So does the pre-mixed icing which is the perfect consistency. My younger son loves working on this project each year an...

Welcome to day 12 - the final day of the Twelve Days and Counting Earrings Spectacular. When I started out on this journey, 12 pairs of earrings didn't seem such a daunting task, but when it came to the crunch, creating 12 unique pairs of earrings, all Christmas themed, was more of a challenge than I'd anticipated. But a challenge like this always pushes your boundaries and I think you get more creative the more you are pushed. So without further ado, let me show you the final pair of earrings in the Earrings Spectacular. O Christmas Tree To make the O Christmas Tree earrings, you'll need: 2 x 14mm red miracle beads 2 x centre drilled opaque red teardrop crystals 2 x two-into-one silver end connectors (if you can't find 2-1 then try these 3-1 and cut off the middle loop ) 4 x silver bead caps 21cm 4mm anodised green aluminium curb chain 6 x 4mm green jump rings 2 x silver ball head pins 2 x silver regular head pins 2 x ball end silver earring wires. Thread a tear drop ...

If you've been following along with the Twelve Days and Counting Earrings Spectacular you'll know that there are just two more pairs of earrings to go. Can you believe how fast this Earrings Challenge has gone? Today's earrings are long, detailed and ornate - very appropriate for ornaments, don't you think? They have a certain style and elegance about them. I love the luminescence of the red miracle beds - it's almost as if they are glowing! If you want to create a pair of Elegant Ornament earrings, this is what you'll need: 2 x 14mm red miracle beads 2 x 4mm Siam Crystazzi crystals 2 x double ended crystal rondelle beadcaps 2 x 6mm crystal rondelles 2 x silver four-sided lantern shaped beads 2 x 16mm Silver Filigree Leaf Bead Caps 2 x 14mm Silver Filigree Open Leaf Bead Caps 2 x miniature petal shaped bead caps 2 x silver 3mm beads 2 ball end silver earring wires 2 head pins On one end of the double ended crystal rondelle, gently push the prongs in........ ......