Les Dawson is Alive & Well.....

And living in Leeds

So....the piano exam......all a bit of a blur, and a trembly-fingered, mortifyingly bad one at that.  You just never know how these things are going to take you until you're there, and I just went a bit more pear-shaped than usual; fingers shaking so much I just couldn't really play my pieces (at least I had an excuse).  Anyway, I think the scales were ok, although I have a sneaking suspicion I mistook D minor for D major, and hopefully I managed to tell my left from my right (it has been known, before you ask - turned the wrong way in my driving test).

Blog day is going to be a moveable feast, I've decided.  It was definitely a decision, not my inability to remember when I was going to do it.  And anyway, no point writing if there's nothing to say (ahem).

I've been busy on the Craft Soup Facebook group I'm part of (and now one of the admins too), trying to gather members' opinions about what direction the group should be taking (apart from exponential growth).  Not surprisingly, this has sparked quite a lot of debate, and I can never resist sticking my oar in.  So my plan to tidy up my workspace has been gradually 'rescheduled'. 

Soon I am going to injure myself tripping over all the storage solutions I bought to organise myself and have left on the floor in their shopping bags, so it really must be done. 

Remember the studs I talked about a couple of weeks ago?  I know, the excitement has been unbearable, but here they are:

Dah 

  Dah

                                                                                                                 Daaaaah

I'm pretty pleased with them and they have generated a lot of interest (and a sale - woohoo!).  Just goes to show you need to get out of your creative rut occasionally and think about what other people may prefer - hard not to take it too far and start trying to cater for what seems popular...but that's a whole other topic!

The Pavement of Good Intentions

It leads to Hell, so I'm told......

Anyway, Thursday was going to be my blogging day, I was sure, that would work out pretty well. Until I was ill of course, and last Thursday became staying in bed watching ITV3 day, although even I draw the line at 'On the Buses' (why, oh why, oh why?).

At the ripe old age of 41, I am going to take my Grade One Piano exam tomorrow, and I've only been learning for three years.  To be fair, I didn't start the pieces for a year, then I had an operation, then my lovely teacher had a stroke and made a miraculous recovery....so, I'm quite looking forward to getting the blooming thing behind me at last.....and moving on to Grade 2.  My Grandmother started late and passed her Grade 8 when she was in her 60s so I suppose there's hope for me yet, but I think, if I ever do attain those dizzy heights, I'll be a tadge older.

In the short respite between constant practising on the Grand (erm electric piano in the dining room) I have been working on some new samples for a wholesale catalogue I'm planning to do in the next few weeks.

Here's an online preview of my fabulous reversible earrings.  When I looked online I was amazed that there aren't more of these around as they seem like a great idea, and give you so many options.  I think they're especially good for my sort of work as it means you can actually have.......a pair!  (If you want to, though why on earth you would, I don't know).

Dipping my foot in the muddy waters.....

Well, hello there blogosphere.......

Ah, the poor folorn parasol gathering mildew in the gloom......

A rainy half-term holiday afternoon finds me driven finally to start blogging.  When you see the to-do list you will understand why:

Amuse the kids, or they will amuse themselves

Clean the house (that stair carpet is a disgrace)
Finish jewellery for the craft fair on Saturday
Look out the baby things from the loft in preparation for tearfully giving them away on Sunday
Practice the piano (Grade 1 exam in 2 weeks)
Finish off the samples I'm supposed to be making for my wholesale catalogue

I should add, in my defence, that I took the kids bowling yesterday, to a friend's house to play today, and am planning a nice day out with friends tomorrow. So I'm not that much of a terrible mum....really, I'm not.


I'm making my first foray into making some stud earrings - I know, 20 years of jewellery making and it's my first attempt...but bear in mind I spent the first 15 years avoiding soldering as it caused me great distress and many melted pieces of silver...until I discovered extra-easy solder and my life was transformed.  

I suppose you ('one') usually make things you like yourself, and I've always been a dangly kind of a girl.  I'm trying to restrain myself and make them nice and simple, but I have to resist soldering a bit of copper on, or doing another layer of etching.  I need to price them quite competitively as I'm finding some of my pieces are just too expensive for people at the moment, and the less work involved, the less I need to charge.  

I like to be able to price things so that people can buy and wear them - that's why I make them - but I also have to make a bit of profit to plough back into the business.  The days when I will be able to pay myself are quite a way away I fear, but I have to keep telling myself that any new business takes a while to get off the ground.  Trouble is, in my mind I've been doing this for so long that I have to remind myself that I've only been really concentrating on it as a business since Minipickle 2 started pre-school last September, and even then it's had to fit round his half week there, and other commitments.

Well, if I manage to finish them off and not ruin them I'll post a picture next time.  Meanwhile, here's hoping for a little teeny tiny bit of June.