New Year's Bead and Blog Resolutions 2017

I'd already given my New Year's Bead and Blog Resolutions quite a lot of thought for 2017, so although making some of the decisions has been more difficult, as I've not known what I wanted to do for sure until recently, by contrast writing them down once I'd decided has been fairly easy.

• To blog less, but with more intent - this has been something I've been mulling over for most of the year, but especially since April.  I've been so busy in 2016, that I've blogged less and often at times when I didn't have much to say, or rather I had too much to say so I didn't say much about any of it!  I even considered killing the blog in 2017 rather than carry on in such a haphazard fashion... however... as I also enjoy writing along with everything else I do - I've decided to blog much less, but with more intent...
• So expect fewer and/or shorter posts overall during the year, as I'll only blog when I have something I definitely want to write about, not just because it's a new month!

• To make a "thing" with metal clay - I've been sent 4 sample metal clays; this is a material I've been fascinated with, ever since Tracy over at Black Boots Long Legs started to make her own beads and designs!
• I want to make something in metal clay but from a definite idea, rather than just playing, as I only have a little of each of the four.

• To spend the same or less in 2017 than I did in 2016, but to consider more - Last year was the first time I've come close to being comfortable with the amount of money I spend on jewellery.  This is something I definitely want to repeat this year!
• My goal for 2017 is to spend the same, or a bit less, but with more intent on what I'm buying.  So going for the things I really want, but to think more about the things I buy out of habit or because I "collect", do I really want or need those? This might be a hard habit to break!

So that's all from me for now... I'm starting as I mean to go on,with intent!

I look forward to our chats in 2017 and I hope you have a very Happy New Year in 2017.

Do you set yourself any resolutions, bead or otherwise?  Feel free to share!

Happy 4th Birthday!

I almost missed my blog birthday again!

I feel like a very neglectful blog mother.

It's not that I don't love my first born (the blog, I'm not actually neglecting any human children), it's just that I seem to have acquired a whole brood and it's hard to devote enough quality time to all of them at the moment.

They are all latchkey kids by necessity right now, which I try (and often fail) not to feel guilty about, which is crazy... as I'm under no obligation to look after them at all, but my first born, well she's special - and she is a she for some reason.

So baby, Happy 4th Birthday, you're always in my thoughts even if I don't make it home in time to write you a bedtime story these days.

Help me share the guilt...

What would you love to devote more time to that you're not at the moment?

Happy 2nd Birthday to Curling Stones for Lego People!!

Curling Stones for Lego People has reached it's 2nd anniversary of being in existance and I can't believe how much the blog has grown since last year, let alone this day 2 years ago!

Blooming Sunflowers from my trip down South earlier this month

In the last year I've collected some of my long term wishlist beads (and ones I thought I'd never have), I've had the pleasure of live blogging a Fashion Show with a lovely group of bloggers, met and worked with some amazing jewellery makers & retailers, completed the AtoZ challenge, pimped my bead box, attended my first blogger meet, finally stopped buying jewellery long enough to replace my boilers (yippee and boo all at the same time) and worked to showcase some great new brands whose jewellery just happened to fall into my shopping trolley... oh yeah and in case you were snoozing yesterday, I also bought a bus!

Sunset from the Bus

As you're reading this, I've actually headed off to experience another sunset on the bus, complete with my bus bracelet from yesterday and the number of the breakdown firm!

So raise a glass, a mug or a bottle of water and see you on the other side for the start of Year 3!

What are you most pleased about from the last 12 months,

stop by a while, share a tale or two and spread some joy around!

B is for Budgeting, Beads & Blogging

Beads, bracelets and blogging are expensive, at least the way I do them they are, therefore you definitely need to budget.

I've tried a variety of approaches to this one, dig back into my blog and you can find most of them sprinkled about like a scattering of dropped pennies from a broken piggy bank.

People who collect jewellery often refer to the Bead Wagon, which is essentially the cold turkey method and denying yourself any new beads.  This doesn't really work all that well for me although I once managed 30 days straight.

I've also tried setting myself a monthly limit, both financially and in quantity of beads to buy, I've not had much success with these two approaches either.  I'm a voracious bargain hunter so sometimes there's an unexpected sale or an opportunity to get a rarer bead at a very fair (rather than inflated) price.  Miss out on some of these and you may not get the opportunity again.

My latest method is to say that "I won't spend more on jewellery than I save in any given 6 month period" - essentially hoping to promote a win win situation, if I spend more on Jewellery then I need to save more money for practical stuff.  So far it's looking good, but then again we're only in April... a lot can happen in 3 months!

Any advice gratefully received!  Do you budget and how on earth do you stick it?

P.S.  B is also for Bali Clicks

Happy 1st Birthday to Curling Stones for Lego People!!

I knew I'd been having a busy few weeks.

It's been so busy that I've accidentally missed the 1st Anniversary for Curling Stones for Lego People!!  So, a'hem, a few days late...

Happy 1st Birthday to my blog! 

(Which technically was on Friday in case anyone was wondering)

I really couldn't have imagined a year ago how much the blog, my jewellery and my lovely group of friends and readers would have grown in just one short year.

So thank you to everyone for reading and commenting on

and in some cases writing for Curling Stones for Lego People

and thanks to all my trollfairies, friends and trusted retailers for making

my wrists and now my neck so sparkly!

Now where's the cake??

Whatever the Weather

Whether the weather be fine,

Or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold, 

Or whether the weather be hot,

We'll weather the weather,

Whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not!

In the UK this week the weather has been all over the place in the figurative sense, I've baked in the car, been awash in the car, gone out in a mac with an umbrella and been looked at very oddly when I've returned much later on to a hot balmy summer's eve...

Apart from being British, and my natural inclination to discuss the weather, what is the point of this intro?  Well it makes planning blog photos very difficult indeed!  I want to show you my Summer Stones in much more detail, especially as I've had my final delivery this week *excited squeak* but as I blog on the fly, well photographically at least, it's made it a bit difficult.

So to tease you... a bangle combo from earlier this week!

Summer Stones Bangle: African Amethysts with Lucky Knot Trollbeads