Birthday wish list!

It's my Birthday in 2 weeks :-) 

My boyfriend's pretty darn good at choosing presents and always picks up on what I'm lusting after - probably something to do with my (not so) subtle hints??!  In the past I've been lucky enough to get a leather Pandora bracelet, a silver and turquoise Monica Vinader Fiji bracelet and an Alex Monroe flying swallow necklace.  Not to mention a collection of fragrances including Marc Jacobs Daisy and Vera Wang Princess.   

So this year I thought I'd channel my wish list via the art of blogging!

I'd honestly be happy (not to mention extremely lucky) with anything else by Alex Monroe and Monica Vinader but if I really had to choose, then these are at the top of my list...

Alex Monroe: Apple & Green Peridot Necklace - £120
Alex Monroe: Little Peacock Earrings - £138
Monica Vinader: Mini Marie Pendant - from £80

P.S. Instead of buying the orange luna pendant, I would make a fastening for a little drop pearl I have and team it with the Mini Marie - trendy and personalised.

I've always known I am on the 'cusp' of star signs Cancer and Leo, but recently I found out this applies to birthstones also.  I always thought my birthstone was Ruby - which I'm not that fussed on to be honest (but I do love it in class when I call the register and sing "Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby...aah aaaah aah aah aaaahhh!!) but turns out as my date is at the end of the Month the next stone can also apply.  OK, this is not proven fact and I may have got this info from a totally unreliable source but hey, Peridot is next on the list... and I LOVE peridot.  So humour me will you!

I don't NEED new jewellery - when do we ever need jewellery?  That's why I think it is the best thing to buy for a present.  I know this post is very 'me me me' but what goes around comes around (good and bad) and I think I'm pretty nifty at choosing gifts for others too.  I love buying presents for other people and am useless at keeping it a secret - I always want to give them straight away!  When choosing something I try to a) buy something that they wouldn't normally buy themselves and b) if you like it enough that you want to keep it - then it has to be good!

I tell you what I do need though - a new wallet.  I noticed my friend had one of these Cath Kidston wallets the other day.  Although I'm not a huge fan (it's like in the music industry when a band verges on the side of 'too commercial') I really liked how compact it is.  So, I mentioned it - along with how there's a sale on at the moment - and I'm pretty sure said wallet is hidden away somewhere already ;-)

If money were no object then I would have been asking for this Rebecca Minkoff wallet.  I stumbled across this little beauty when I was looking at the little black book of style website, recently recommended to me by a lovely girl I got chatting to whilst shopping at Space NK in Bournemouth.  We got talking after discovering we had a mutual love and appreciation for Alex Monroe - she had the Dragonfly necklace.



Rebecca Minkoff: Large Zip Python Purse - £165 reduced to £99



 Of course, what I'm really hoping for is...a very special ring ;-)  xxx 

Silver & Gold



Chunky silver rings featuring:
Sapphire gemstone,
Opal in gold setting,
Trio of balls made from reclaimed rose gold



About a year ago I went on a jewellery course at Flux 'n' Flame - and when I say jewellery, I mean full on silversmithing.  It was AMAZING!  The weekend course was paid for courtesy of school as part of my CPD.  Teacher's don't get many perks (although I'm sure the word holiday's has sprung to your mind by now?!) but as I said in this post, going on courses is my favourite part of the job - I'm all for 'lifelong learning' me...

On the weekend course I made a chunky silver ring featuring an Opal in a gold setting.  I can't deny it was a challenge - especially setting the stone - but I enjoyed every minute of it.

So then I booked myself onto one of their evening courses (no longer funded by school unfortunately).  My boyfriend joined me and every Thursday night we would spend 3 hours totally engrossed in our work.  It was such a valuable experience on so many levels - obviously learning new skills, but also a great way to de-stress and forget about the woes of the day.

Below is a pendant I made for my Mum. It is based on some sketches of the groins at Sandbanks beach and the designs were originally for a brooch, but when my work began to take shape I decided it would be better as a pendant.  This piece was a really big test for me as I was totally out of my comfort zone - I felt for it to truly reflect the inspiration it should have lots of textures and be slightly uneven - normally I am all about straight lines and symmetry so I found it quite a challenge to be more organic with this piece.  That said, I love it!  It features both gold and silver - I adore working with a mix of precious metals and I hope one day it will be a trademark of mine.

In one of my next posts you will find out about two of my favourite jewellery designers - Alex Monroe and Monica Vinader.  At the time of embarking on my new hobby I was totally lusting after the Ava cuff by MV, but at £360 I couldn't exactly justify the spend.  So, I decided to make my own (actually I can't take all the credit - it was a joint effort with the boyf!).  It has a textured finish and features sapphire gemstones in high settings.

I finished the course last Christmas and since then the shcool has purchased some basic equipment as I have started teaching students some of the easier techniques - using copper and pewter as cheaper alternatives! 

Yr 10 Jewellery project based on 'cultures'
Processes include enamelling, laser cutting and delf clay casting

Having the equipment at work also means I can continue to practise.  This is something I really love doing - I only hope it can come to something more in the future...

LDN

The last weekend of every Month signifies two things - pay day and time solely dedicated to 'us'.  So last weekend we decided to go to London... 

Originally we were going to drive up and back in a day but then an amazing friend of mine offered the use of her flat whilst she was away for the night.  Bonus!  Talk about location, location, location - she lives right on the river just down from the Design Museum in Shad Thames.  We travelled up by train (always a treat as it's a rare opportunity to do absolutely nothing!) and were there by midday on Saturday all set for a fun filled weekend.

On Saturday we went to South Kensington and Chelsea.  We had a (dirty) burger in the Bluebird Cafe, strolled along the King's Road (where I saw Emma Forbes and can now add that to spotting Nigel Havers in Bath) and bought some goodies in Kiehl's.  I did venture into a few shops - namely Whistles, Reiss and Massimo Dutti but didn't actually buy anything?! 

We were both saddened to see that London Lighting on Fulham Road has closed down.  Thoughts of this shop bring back so many fond memories - as Designers it was an amazing source of inspiration and as a teacher it was a given that we would take A Level students there to look at the amazing array of products.  I am due to start teaching 6th formers again in September...where will I take them now???

We needed to pack light so I wore my most favourite dress - a midi by Earl Jean.  This is one of very few second hand items (a bargain and very lucky find a couple of year's ago) that I own and it is a great fail-safe.  It can be dressed up for the evening or down by day and people always comment on this dress - including random strangers!

With heels on the Saturday night...................................................with a Summer knit and sandals on Sunday

Oh my goodness - I just looked to find the Earl Jean website and look what's on there?!!.......

On Sunday we were true tourists and headed for Buckingham Palace!  We caught the tail end of the changing of the guards ceremony and then proceeded to the Diamonds Exhibition via a tour of the state rooms.  My boyfriend and I had a joyful time pretending to be Wills & Kate whilst walking to the sound of the very regal music playing through our (free) audio guide headphones.  We finished up with a nice cup of Earl Grey in the Garden Cafe before exiting after a short stroll through the beautiful grounds.  I have to say (and I'm not a particularly patriotic person) this is well worth doing and it felt particularly poignant - what with the Jubilee celebrations and all.  We even got a little inspiration for the colour schemes on our own wedding day (one day!)...