Tired

Feel shattered & want to go to bed but today I sold 1 necklace:


And had 3 bracelets ordered:


So instead I need to get working!

Tomorrow I have a meeting with BDJ in the morning and then work afterwards & I'm delivering the necklace nicely polished and boxed up to it's new owner.
I might also sell some earrings and a ring tomorrow, bringing samples to be looked at.

But right now I have problems looking passed the fact that I want to sleep!

On the west front...

Not making as much jewellery as I would like at the moment but that's because I'm just to busy getting ready for my once in a lifetime trip :-)
But when I have had the time I've been making brooches. Took some pics of the once I have at the moment...











I am trying to get as much of my jewellery as possible sold before I go so if you're interested let me know.
The brooches are £8 ($13) and £1.5 postage in the UK. If you live abroad let me know and I will check how much postage would be. I take paypal or cheques.

I've got a couple of shops I want to go to and see if they would be interested in displaying some of my brooches before I go, but need to print a catalogue of the brooches off first and I accidentally kicked the printer over last week and now it generally just coughs at me!

One of the shop I want to try is Moondogs who already display some of my silver jewellery.

Otherwise I am being very busy! Someone at my job is interested in buying 4 ring for her friends. So if she orders I only have until the 18th to make them since I'm moving out on the 19th and inbetween working over 40 hours a week, packing for trip, packing to move etc I am starting to run myself very thin indeed :-)

Sketches

So here are some sketches from my sketch pad. Sadly my artistic side is limited to jewellery, my handwriting is atrocious and my sketches aren't much better!

This pendant is supposed to be similar to one I've already made but with more gold on the front.


AKA this one.


This is also a square pendant but I've been playing with the idea of making a silver pendant with some resin "flowing" thru it as well as some set gemstones.



This idea I like the best but will also be the hardest. Its a silver ring (considering making it in gold) made out of loads of thin pieces shaped in different ways and then adding small gemstones. The sketch is of the ring before shaping it into an actual ring.


This is obviously a heart (one of my few sketched were you can see what I actually intended to make :-)) and the lines running thru it is supposed to be melted gold.

Travel blogg: http://lina-johansson.blogspot.com/

Bespokes jewellery

I haven't made jewellery for what feels like ages (and that's not counting the small beading project's I made at home because that's not really making jewellery now is it), but I just don't have the time with me working as many hours as possible & getting ready for my trip.

Adding in the normal hassles of live (cooking ,cleaning, sorting out bills) I just don't have the time!

And I'm starting to miss it something terrible, it appears I really can't go that long without making jewellery so I will just have to figure something out to be able to squeeze it in. Especially now when I need to make some extra money so anything I have time to make and sell would definitely help.

And working as much as I am is slowly melting my brain into this big pile of guu!

But on a happier note!
I have received a bespoke order on a ring! Will order stone today the when receiving it will work out material cost. That's because the customer in question is interested in having it in gold and I generally don't work in gold. This is for 2 reasons.
1: I prefer silver.
2: Gold is more expensive.

But if someone wants gold I will definitely look into it (because I can work in gold, that's not an issue).

Anyways once I've made it I will probably post some pictures. The customer made up the design herself so I hope it will turn out OK. :-)
Hopefully this will be start of me getting more time to make jewellery!

Monday

So now there is yet another monday and yet another week at work!
Weekends always feel to short, miss having summer holiday like you did in school. Worked a bit on my jewellery during the weekend. Going home next week. Can't take that much stuff with me hope but will try and sort some kind of beading project out to keep me amused also will bring scetch pad and camera so will hopefully get inspired. If I wasn't so rubbish at scetching I would share some with you, as it stand I might show some photos instead when I get back :-)

New blog

Have new blog now : Rants of a mad woman

Resin brooches!

Here are some resin brooches I've done that I could finally take pictures off since I bought both new batteries and a memory card.
Also if anyone knows how to change the white balance on an Olympus camera please let me know!


This one has paper flowers in it. It looks really nice but is really hard to take a decent picture off, no matter how I try it wont show the leaves properly on the picture but it does loo really goo in real life.


A glitter flower and a glitter butterfly




This Butterfly I tried adding colour to and then make it in certain areas so it looked like the colours on an actual butterfly. It went quite well but isn't perfect. I like the paleness of the colours. Also if you turn it around and look at the back the colours are for some reason really vivd there.


And this one is my favorite. I used some bead flowers that I'd bought once becuase they looked pretty, but had no idea what to use them for. The look great inside resin.

I know I haven't been posted lately. That's because I've been so busy, mainly working. My jewellery making is suffering too.
Feed up now thou.
It's one thing working for the money but it's so frustrating when you give it your all and completely knacked yourself but get nothing in return.
I've probably said this before but I really miss my old job. At least there I got the feeling people would notice if I suddenly disappeared.
Don't get me wrong, people here are nice and all just not as close as in my old place. And the work and un-appreciation is driving me nuts!
Not that it will matter for that long I guess. Since probably not here in a couple of months. Still will need to cut down on my hours and spend more time doing what makes me happy!

Wanted to take jewellery pics for my webpage so I can update it, but Jeff lost the memory card so I can't...
Really pissing me off!

Another blog?!

I am planning on creating another blog to run beside this one. One where I can be a bit more random and post whatever I feel like. Thought about doing both on this one but I think this one is best suited for my jewellery rambles.
I do have a super secret blog too (which I have had for far longer then this one, infact even longer then my sister the blog master have been blogging) but it would be nice to have a more open blog with general rambles. Can't decide what to call it thou...

Family tree

I was looking around my sisters blog, and it kind of hit me how detached I am from my relatives. I know I have relaitives but if you ask me to give you some name I would more then likely just stare blankely into space.
I'm just not the family type.
Now I'm not some strange kind of recluse, I send Xmas cards to my direct family and go home approx once a year. But I don't see everyone when I do go home and most of them don't keep in touch with me. My sister talks about our cousins and stuff but I've probebly meet them all less then five times in my whole life. And it's not like I get invited to weddings or funerals.
I'm not complaining, I just find it a bit odd.

Hugh Jackman on Twitter

So far I haven't succumbed to the pressure of joining Twitter, but when I found out Hugh Jackman uses it I no longer had a choice.
And see he's even charitable!
What a man :-)
Hmm...I wonder it Angelina Jolie might be on there to...

Amazon shame on you!

Apparently Amazon has decided to drop books of there search lists as well as the best selling lists just because they have "adult" material in them. Such as any kind of homosexuality.
That's just wrong, so I've joined the google bombing: Amazon Rank

Pieces I made, post 1.

OK this is me having a stab at my idea about writing about designs I've made.

This is one of my favorite rings. I think the Amber goes really well with the thick twisted band.

I came up with the design a couple of years ago. It actually came about as a bit of an accident. I'd already made the setting for the stone and was planning on adding it onto the setting of a large square piece of Malachite, but then the malachite feel in the floor and broke into loads of small pieces.

So I had the setting but didn't know what to do with it and then I saw one of my silver rings.

Like this one

And thought that might look good with a stone setting. So far I had only ever made this ring plain.

Most of my jewellery is based in fairytales and memories of the forests where I grew up. I'm sure that sounds strange to many people but that's what my jewellery makes me think off. I think the chunky band and setting seems earthly somehow and Amber is after all a piece of nature in itself. I have a vivid imagination and lived in an imaginary world growing up. Probably just lucky that I never got locked up for being a nut job. In fact when I don't make jewellery I write stories, but it's not my strong point.

It's hard to explain but when I make a new piece of jewellery I also see a completely made up person with a made up life that goes with the pieces. Sometimes it's something extraordinary such as a goddess but other times it's someone more likely to walk in and one day buy the piece. If I could draw I would make a drawing of the woman i think off when I look at this ring.

This is probably why I like making small custom jobs. It gives me another perspective when I already know what the person that will wear it looks like and what they are like.

One day I will make the Malachite pendant that I was originally planning to make with an Amber set on it. I think my imaginary person would like both together :-)

Neeeeed Internet!

Been thinking I'm going to write about pieces I made, like what I was thinking when making them, how hard they were to make and what I like about them etc. Just small little posts nothing mayor. Would be easier if I had Internet at home. Running out of things to do in the evening (except making jewellery of course). So need to get it sorted ASAP.
If I don't come back on the net until after i hope anyone reading this have a nice Easter! :-)

Today has been OK

I am tired but content, it has been one very busy week.
Saturday went so so I made enough to cover my cost but someone nicked a pendant so I made no profit :-(
Worst thing is I think I know who nicked it, it was these two old ladies. I don't know why but that makes me sad.
Yesterday was busy and long and things kept going wrong but when i finalyl got into bed I still feelt I'd achived something.
Right now I am looking forward to the private vieuing on Thursday and then a long weekend off. Hopefully i will get to take some pictures and make some jewellery!

On another note, if I don't get internet soon I will go berserk and start killing people!

Peaceful!

Things are quite messy and stressful at the moment. I'm busy with my jewellery and working. Also still settling in where I live, and getting used to living on my own again. Not to mention me and my landlady don't get along and I will need to start looking for another job soon (as well as planning on getting a evening job too). So things are a bit crazy.

But the thing is I'm actually feeling really Zen about the whole thing.
I'm trying not to get stressed out and to focus on whats important, and that's exactly what I'm doing! Im enjoying being busy with my jewellery even thou it means I'm not getting much sleep lately and it's nice to only be in charge of my own mess for once.

Even thou life is unsettling and confusing I am neither. At least not at the moment,I do hope It stays that way. :-)

Busy bee

This Saturday I have a jewellery stall at The Oxford literary festival :-)
I'm hopeing for the best and then on Monday i am going to Norden farm to set up for BDJ's Exhibition there.
So busy busy busy.

And no I still haven't got internet :-)

Just to let you know...

I wont have an Internet connection for a wk or so, so wont be around much (not that I am anyway) I can still check my blog at work (but not my email) so shouldn't die from withdrawal symptoms :-)

BDJ Exhibition!

I am doing an exhibition with the Berkshire Designer Jewellers in April. If you live close, do come by and have a look.
Also if you are interested let me know and I will send an invite for the private viewing on the 9th of April between 18.00-20.00. :-)

Having a shit day!
To many bad news in to short period of time!
Think I will go and pull the duvet over my head, hoping tomorrow will be better.

Anita Blake and Carpathian's!

If someone reading this lives in the UK and want to by some cheap Anita Blake books in perfect condition or some books from Christine Feehan's Carpathian novels (also in perfect condition). Let me know because I have a bunch I want to get rid off before moving.

Moving

On the 25th of march I need to be out of my house. So far I have done no packing whatsoever.
But most importantly I have no idea where I will be moving to!
Great!
:-P

St George's Church Surrey

Since my last post about made it sound like I was becoming a nun I thought I should elaborate a bit. Also I added some pictures of the church that I found on the net.

The church was built around 1540 and it's looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust and supported locally by the Friends of St. George’s Church.

I don't know how long they have been doing it for but during the summer months they use the church as as workshop for artist, they also do open days with the artists and the public doing art together.

I've applied for this year, 3 months with my own workshop and doing regular open days for the public!

It would be great fun if I got it, thou there is a couple of things I need to see if I can get past first. For example I don't know if they offer any living arrangements or if they could help me find some.

Also most importantly I don't know if they will pick me, I thought I would know by now but so far nothing. If I haven't heard anything by Wednesday next week I will just assume I wasn't picked. Thou I would be quite miffed if they don't at least send me an email telling me I wasn't picked.

I found out about the residency thru Benchpeg

Also the church has a website

Nooooooo......

My computer has a virus!
A big evil wont let me do anything kind of virus. Stayed up late last night trying to get rid of it and I definitely seem to have done something but it's still there, lurking...
I can tell by the fact that something still don't work, thou other bits that wasn't working now are.
Hopefully another bot of virus detection programs tonight will fix it, but I really hope it hasn't got as bad as it was yesterday because it was trying to block all my virus programs from running and wouldn't let me download any.
I have sooo much to do but can't do anything until virus is gone. If I don't fix the computer tonight I will call some of my computer geek friends and beg for help, because not being able to check my email is murder! And the only reason I can do this blog is because I am posting on my lunch break. Sadly work computer wont let me check my mail thou.

And my big thing was...

I have applied for a 3 month residency as St George's Church in Surrey.
I have no idea if I will get it, but thought I should share anyway.
I do hope I get it because it would be fun if I did. Fun, exciting and useful. 3 months just working on my jewellery! What could be better :-)

And if I don't get it that's fine to, because atleast I tried.

Anything you can do I can do better...

I can do anything better then you!

When I grew up I was a typical girl. Scared of spiders and the dark and wouldn't touch anything slimy. As time when I grew up realising being feeble didn't suit me and that I hated the idea of not being able to do everything a guy could. So now at the tender age of 28 I'm reflecting on the last 15 years or so, realising I did well!
I can fix things that break, I know what the off side rule is even thou I hate football, I can change beer barrels and anything a guy can manege to carry I can carry, I can change the tyre on a car even thou I can't drive and if someone tries starting a fight I wont back down.
So I actually did what I set out to do! And I am really happy about this, being able to match any guy is a great feeling.
Only thing is I suddenly realised, me trying to be capable in everything a guy can do meant it left some holes on the female front.
For example I can't suffer a pair of uncomfortable shoes for very long even if they are really pretty, I can't iron to save my life and don't even get me started on sowing.

Oh, and I hate shopping for clothes...yeah I know, I am a disgrace to female kind everywhere ;-)

A rant in Swedish about a news article!

Vem får jobbet?
Skitsnack! Om någon är korkade nog att anställa folk efter hur dom ser ut så inte är det ett företag jag skulle vilja jobba för!
Dom sendaste 6 åren har jag haft 2 jobb och eftersom jag gick genom en agency båda gångerna så hade ingen på företagen ens sett mig innan jag började, och inte ville dom ha kvar mig för att jag ser bra ut i kort kjol, nejdå. Dom vill ha kvar mig för att jag är duktig!
Att vara ren och välklädd är en sak men att man måste vara "vacker" tycker jag är skitsnack.
Och nog tycker jag Sverige är värre på detta än England. Varje gång jag kommer hem så stör det mig hur mycket svenskar bry sig om sitt utseened. Dom flesta är så besatta med att se bra ut att det verkar som om dom inte har tid att var glada över att dom lever!
Om en karl inte vill gå ut med mig eller ett företag inte vill anställa mig eftersom jag inte är en storlek 6 så är det inte en karl som jag vill gå ut med eller ett företag jag vill jobba för.
Det är självklart inget fel med att vara vacker, men om någon är så korkad att allt dom ser är mitt yttre och inte hur smart eller rolig jag är, varför skulle det vara några som jag skulle vilja vara sammankopplade med?

Wish me luck!

I'll tell you all why next week :-)

Valentine's day suck!
Just thought I'd share :-)

Patience is a virtue...

I wish I had more patience when making jewellery. I'll start making something and then I get frustrated when it doesn't turn out the way I want.
If I don't learn how to be patient I will never be able to make really tiny, delicate and time consuming pieces.
I'm good at making bigger bolder things but would like to make some small delicate pieces too.

Also I've been thinking about doing a college course in sketching. My jewellery design sketches are absolutely awful because I really can't sketch! And I think this is something I will need in the future. maybe there is a book I can buy...

Like I promised...

Took some pictures of some of my jewellery today. Some pieces I've posted pictures off on here before but they where really blurry so hopefully these are a bit better. They aren't perfect thou because I couldn't get any good light, I prefer natural light but it's all grey and dull outside.

This is just a silver pendant, but one of my personal favorites.

Butterfly resin necklace with blue and pink glitter. Really girly! I wore it to work one day to see if anyone noticed and the pretty girly girl at my job made a comment about it straight away :-)

Pink and pearl coloured pearl bracelet.

And this is an older version with hematite as well

A red flower resin brooch.

A silver pendant set with four different gemstones.

Pics!

Will post jewellery pics soon! I mean I really should, this being my jewellery blog and all.

Music!

I consider myself an artist. I might not paint or be a photographer but I believe jewellery is an art form.

I was thinking about it thou and I feel that the most amazing art form of all is...music!
Music makes me feel sad when I am...well...sad (and just feel like wallowing in it a bit).
It makes be carry on when things are unbearable.
And it makes me smile when I'm sad (and don't want to wallow in it no more).

Most importantly it make me Happy!
Happy in a way nothing else can. If feel lonely and miserable, music just helps somehow. To be able to create something that can make people feel like that is just extraordinary.

Everything is unstable in life. People we love die or just leave us but all thru history we seem to have been making music. It's constant, and ever changing and reliable. Everything that's contradicting rolled into one.

I've often wondered what would be worst, to go mute so I could never sign again (I always sing along to what I'm listening to, albeit badly) or to go deaf and never be able to hear another tune again.

I think that if I went mute so I would be able to listen to the music and would have to feel that overwhelming desire to sing along but not be able to, that would probably drive me insane eventually. But if I could never hear another song again. Well that might actually kill me!

HM Revenue...

The inland revenue is driving me nuts! How can something so unorganised be in charge of how much taxes I pay?!
They wont help you no matter how much you keep calling and writing, in fact they just ignore you.

When you have a revenue question and the only way you can get the anwer is by putting the question on Google so you get normal people answering it, well that just seems a bit wrong to me.

Tired!

To tired today! Has been a busy wknd.
Which reminds me I need to take of my brightly coloured nailvarnish before going to work tomorrow....
Tried doing some work today but feel to tired. I have done a little bit of jewellery stuff thou. Mainly finishing touched on a couple of pieces and I also started a new project.
Yesterday I was in town and ended up buying some jewellery books that I've want to look thru properly.
But since I was busy all day yesterday and went out in the evening I feel todays efforts wont come to much! Was going to update my website a bit but can't log into it for some reason to change anything.
Oh well atleast the thought where there.
Hope everyone is having a nice wknd!

Webpage

I really really need to do some work on my poor neglecter webpage! I just don't know how to get the time! Wont be today thou...

I wonder...

If you know you're insane, does that mean that you're not?
And in that case, does the same thing apply to if you're doing something insane whilst being aware that what you're doing is insane?

More resin...

Just felt I should post a picture of some resin pieces that turned out the way they should, just so you don't all think that it all goes in the bin ;-)

ofcourse these aren't finished pieces, I still have to file them into shape and make them in to actual jewellery pieces. But atleast they are halfway there!

Oh buggery!

Been working all week, when you work and you get home all tired and you still have to do the cooking etc it's hard to keep up with making jewellery. So try to have small jobs that I can either do quickly or easily. This week I've manily been doing resin peices. Been trying mostly to make brooches and it all looked well until I took them out of the moulds. For some reason the bottom layer (which is the front of most pieces) have ended up cloudy on a whole set of pieces.

So nothing to do but throw them away...

If you look closely at the pic you can see the cloudyness I'm on about, especially in the flower and the butterfly!

Luckily not all the pieces I made had to go into the bin, just the once above. I'm still trying to figure out what did it.

I think I either didn't mix the resin properly or mixed up the amounts (I do always seem to use to much hardner). Or it might be the vaselin I put in the mould to stop it from sticking (you are supposed to, I didn't just put some in for the fun of it ;-)).

But I'm already trying again!

I've also bought more glitter today so that all my pieces don't end just looking purple & gold. Also the reason they have so much glitter in them is beacuse I was making brooches and didn't want the brooch pin to be visible thru the pieces.

Oh and just for randomness I added a picture of where I sit at the dinning table making Resin, it's the best ventilated room in the house so it's better to use then when I normally sit. I try to not take up to much space. Oh and yes I am using the hammer that you can see in the background. I'll let you guess what it's for thou.

Yeah!!

Look what I finally bought for myself :-)

My own Ipod nano!

Now I just need to buy a speaker system for it and a iphone and a laptop and I will be all gadgety and happy.

But for now I am content sticking with my old Nokia mobile and my shiny new ipod!

I do love my music so the ipod will be well used :-)

Today..

Got home around 18.00. Now it's 20.00 and I have had my dinner, done the dishes, and a load of wash.
wooho! How exiting ;-)
But aside from that I've also been making resin jewellery. I'm really getting into using resin. It's such a fun media to work in and you can make such a vide range of things, or just make things look really different.
Today I was making pieces using glitter. They aren't finished yet since I need to add atleast one more resin layer before it's finished, but now I need to wait for it to dry.

Oh how silly of me! For people reading this thinking what the hell is Resin? Well it looks like plastic and you make it yourself. And you can put stuff in it or colour it etc.
I'm still quite new with resin and is mainly just enjoying finding out what I can and what I can't put in it. Also trying to figure out why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Made some really cool necklaces and brooches with it thou.
Hmm will need to take more pics...

Awards

I have been given two awardes from other bloggers but as usual I am being a bit slow sorting it out, but here comes the first one:


I was given the this award by Cherridwen on her blog : http://cherridwen1979.spaces.live.com/

Do check it out. Her blog is far more personal then mine, probebly making it way more fun to read. :-)

The rules of the award is you make a link to the person that nominated you (look above), add a pic of the award (also above), and then nominate 7 more people, make links to there pages and inform them you gave them an award.



Now I don't like annoying people so if you're nominated don't feel you have to do this. Especially if you're on of these people that are so funny that you get nominated all the time anyways.

Hang-on: A site for artist especially living in the Berkshire area: http://hang-on-artists.blogspot.com/
Carrie harris (ninjas and batman eyebrows): http://carrieharrisbooks.blogspot.com/

Karin (my sister's site all about her life)http://svenssonliv.blogspot.com/

The poisoned apple: http://fright-fest.blogspot.com/2009/01/years-best.htm

And that's all I could be bothered doing. Atleast for now. :-)

Home sweet home!

Back in England again! Came back yesterday evening, to a very dirty and messy house which seems strange since I cleaned before I left (will strangle "step"-daugter at the wknd).

Back at work today which is a pity but it's still quite nice to be back home I guess (though if I'm completely honest I would't have minded staying in Sweden a bit longer).

Jewellery thing on sat went rubbish! Almost everyone called my sister and cancelled (including my sister) so in the end I only ended up with 3 people. But the 3 people that came where lovely and great fun. But moneyvise I went with a loss since I had arranged sets for 8 people to make jewellery (and only used 3 of those sets) and was hoping to sell some jewellery. But what can you do!

Oh look it's a new year! How did that happen?

So 2009 is here! I'm kind of exited because I have loads of plans for this year but also worried because you know what they said about the best laid plans.
Things always go wrong! Also time keeps ticking on and I'm not keeping up! But except for this slight hysteria, I am feeling cyked! There is so much to do and look forward to and I just can't wait. Being on holiday and not being able to actually do anything has given me loads of time to plan and work myself up about things I need to do when I get back home.
Anyways just thought I should share...