Quick update

To prove I have no intention of going radio silent again I thought I better do a quick post with some updates.

1: I got an FB page now :) Its called  Lina's Silver Linings but I wont post a link as I've not yet set the name in stone (so not decided on the actual page address).
2: I've applied for one Christmas market and am about to apply for one more. If any are confirmed I will obviously post about it *fingers crossed*
3: I'm looking at returning to Etsy but am cancelling my old account and starting a new one (it felt like a good idea considering my RA hiatus and all).

In other news I've finally been given notice at work (the whole team, not just me) :( so need to decided what on Earth I'm doing next. Hiding in bed and pulling the duvet over my head sadly doesn't seem like an option. I'm hoping this turns out to be a good thing but currently it doesn't really feel likely.

I'm still making stuff...

just not as much.

I am aware that since 2010 I've made 2 post on here and one of those was very depressing (true but depressing). Which likely also means not many will be reading this (as you'd probably thought I was gone and deleted me, which I completely get), but it still feels nice to write it. And this one is hopefully a bit more upbeat :)

Since my last post I've done a bit of jewellery, not a lot but at least some. My RA is going up and down but my fingers seems to be faring fairly well (knees, wrists and ankles are the main issue these days but still a lot better). I had as I was worried forgotten a lot of what I learned so not as smooth as I used to be but hoping it will come back as I go on. Also life & work has been taking up a lot of my time (I'm a bit of a workaholic) so the jewellery making has fallen to the wayside a lot due to that, which is bad but at least I'm honest. However it looks like my team might not have a job soon which is making me think about the stuff I want to do outside of work which I've been neglecting, and obviously making jewellery is a big one of those.

On the jewellery and family front I've found out that as well as my travelling great grandfather KnivKalle (text in Swedish) who I've known of all my life, I also have a closer (and alive) relative, an Uncle who makes a living out of making jewellery together with his missus. The are both exceptionally good and incredibly lovely and I'm very happy I've gotten to met them  :) As a jewellery maker without close friends that make jewellery its nice to have someone to talk to and they are very supportive. Also I guess this means Jewellery making really does run in the family... 

Anyway, my current plan is to give jewellery making a go again as I haven't tried to sell any of the pieces I've made since I got sick but just been giving them to friends. I don't have anything I've made recently to show but I do have some bits I'm working on to show I'm not lying.

I'll try to stick to it whilst I can (hopefully for years to come) and not get too frustrated when I fail and also figure out where to try and sell (start with Etsy I think). And I shall attempt to update my blog more than twice a year, thou I know even twice a year would be an improvement :)

Questions questions...

If you want to start up on your own (so to speak) who can you ask or where can you go to find out if you need any certificates such as health and safety and/or insurances?
I mean it's easy enough to just go along with an idea but then you don't want to be buggered because you find out you needed something that you didn't have.
I Know that if I do start my own business idea I need to register and I need public liability but other then that I don't have a clue.
How do I find out?

Christmas Craft Fair

I've just created a Facebook page for the Christmas fair I'm arranging on the 27th of November. It's the first event page I've ever done so still getting the hang of it! If you are interested in seeing what will be for sale etc please check it out and tell your friends too :-)

Christmas Craft Fair

27th of November 2010
All items handmade.
Coffee and cakes for sale.
Come in from the cold and support local artists whilst buying Christmas presents!
Above RISC and the Global Café in Reading

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!

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.

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...

Work!

Oh yay I have work tomorrow and all of next week!
I am bit disappointed in how they called me just before 6pm to see if I could start work tomorrow at 9am. I mean a bit more waning would have been nice! If someone had gone sick I could see it but it's actually a holiday coverage.
Both looking forward to it and not, like I said more notice would have been appreciated, so I could get used to the idea, after all I am really enjoying this whole not working thing.
Plus since i haven't gone to bed before 4 in the morning all week I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight.
Oh well, wish me luck for tomorrow!

Lazy lazy lazy

I think I am enjoying this being out of a job just a little bit to much. The last couple of days I've been up til 4 in the morning because... well because I can!
Not that I've been terribly lazy in the morning I've still been getting up at 10 which is about as late as I will get up.
I've been to a couple of agencies and I'm not to fussed about what they find me but it's not so many jobs out there so we'll see. Also I've been looking for jobs on the web but haven't really found anything interesting. I'm not worried or anything it's not like I can't afford to be off for awhile I just feel slightly guilty about being lazy!
But all things aside I'm not being that lazy! I've been seeing people that I haven't seen for ages, making jewellery and even been to some meetings that's led to me having some exhibitions next year. In fact I made a pendant I really like the other day. I need to take pics of the stuff I made but it's too gray outside...

When I grow up...

Right, it's time to start thinking about a job and I have decided I want to go for something I actually want. Problem is I don't know what that is, so I decided to go thru my mental list of every job I ever wanted and why I wanted it and see if that leads me anywhere.
And I have no idea why but I decided to do that on here! Not that I think it's all that interesting or anything but please just humour me.
When I was little all I wanted to be was a singer. I was dead intent on this until I was about 13 and my mother told me I was rubbish so I needed to come up with something else (my mother is not one to mince her words). Thing is I still sing, everyday all the time! And it says quite a lot about my now previous workmates that they never had me killed over this because I'm sure it's annoying as hell to listen to.
I did secretly keep dreaming about becoming a singer after my mothers harsh words but I did also come up with a plan B.
Plan B was that I wanted to be a journalist! And not just any kind but a war correspondent. The idea of reporting about a war somewhere whilst actually being there just strikes me as the perfect job. The thing is I grew up in Sweden and to get into journalist school I actually needed to have straight A's in every subject. Sad to say I didn't (nowhere close in fact).
So instead I went for travelling (which I've wanted to do since I was about 5) which is how I ended up here.
After doing some waitressing and stuff here, I started making jewellery and got a decent job as an admin clerk. I discovered that jewellery really was one of my passions in life and also that I was a natural at being an admin clerk.
One day I can hopefully live of being a jewellery designer but at the moment I can't so will need another job to. The thing is I think that even when I can be a jeweller full time I will need to do something else too because I enjoy being bossy and organized. So really what I want is a job where I get to tell people what to do and organise things.
Oh and I want to help. I mean I want to do something useful that actually helps someone so maybe so kind of charity work?
I'm thinking about moving again, maybe to another country this time and as I've already mentioned before I am thinking about travelling for awhile. It would be nice If I could afford to go around the world but it looks more like I might go for a couple of month and travel around America. Maybe I can just split it into parts and do America first?! Who knows!?
*Gah* this is not going anywhere! I don't know what I want to do! I want to make jewellery and travel and write and help people and organize paperwork and be the boss and oh so much stuff! Can't I just be leader of the world?! That would fill all criteria except for the jewellery one but I can do that in my spare time.
*sigh* there just isn't enough hours and years in a lifetime to get all the living I want done into it.

Bye bye work!

Last day at work today! It felt really strange. After all I have been working there for the last 5 years!
I think it would have been less strange if the place wasn’t closing down and I was just leaving because I had another job or something, but seeing the place so empty and saying goodbye to everyone was just odd.
I kept altering between feeling sad and ridiculously happy. I mean I am getting some money for being made redundant so if I don’t spend it that will sure come in handy when planning the future!
I just realised that this is kind of the first time ever I’ve had a large sum of money that’s not meant for anything special…how strange!
Don’t worry I am not planning on going spending mad or anything, in fact I’m spending as little as possible until I have a new job.
Yeah yeah I know I should have started looking already but technically I am still employed for another 4 day (which just happens to be my roted days off) so I don’t have to get to stressed about it yet and I have signed up for an agency.
I just feel that this is my chance at getting a job that means something to me, or should I just get one for the money?
Wouldn’t it be great if I could find one that fills both criteria!
But I’m not thinking about that today! Today is a day for feeling a bit sad that I will never see so many people that I have seen almost everyday for the last 5 years and the knowledge that I will miss them…