Catching Up - and Thinking About Jewellery Tutorials

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Beginning Again

Goodness, the sun is trying to shine. Well, of course it is shining constantly and that’s always been a reminder to me that the clouds, metaphorical and actual will pass, eventually.

Ah, everything seems magical through my window. The condensation, which is always there because it’s caught between the double glazing panes, suddenly makes its presence worthwhile, as each drop is a prism of colour and if I tilt my head they shift and change through the spectrum briefly. 

Little things mean a lot.

 It’s been a funny year so far, as we say when things are really hard going. My daughter had a near fatal car crash at the end of January, when a very drunk driver hit her at 60mph in a 30mph village as she was driving home from work. Her car was a write-off but miraculously, she was more or less ok.

Twelve hours later we got a phone call to say that my husband, as in ex-husband of 50 years ago, had suddenly had a heart attack and died.

 

I think we were already emotionally primed or at least on guard as we all seemed to navigate the journey without falling apart. In family terms we were the only ones left standing to pick up the pieces.

 

He was my son’s father and we were all very, very fond of him. We loved him and we certainly didn’t expect him to have a heart attack, as a year previously we’d been told by his doctor that he had a very strong heart.

 

I have been exhausted in a way I didn’t realise would happen. My memory has visited a thousand places. So lovely and sometimes so confusing, so sad… and everything in between.

 

Plus, we had only a short time to sort out all his things. There were a lot. A lifetime’s. Things I had no idea about, and memories shared and kept.

 

Life in perspective. Again.

 

So, I’m trying to rebalance my life and, as I have a wealth of collected inspiration and beauty and ideas to share, and because technology has changed so much since I started this blog, I thought I would try to divide my time and rebalance my life.

 

In the last year I have been writing full time, as I had previously been writing part time for 25 years, and there was a lot to sort out and work with. That’s all going well, but I can see I need more balance now.

Different things I do need different sorts of energy and, as I have had a habit of going all out on whatever I’m doing, some 

  are overlooked. Things that I really want to do.

 

This morning, I thought about tutorials. I don’t think I have done enough. I love making them and as I’m going to be exploring more of the U.K this May and sharing that I want to see if I can link them.

 

It’s all going to be on my terms, as I’m the one doing it.

 

Does that sound rather bolshy? Probably. But it’s true.

 

Papier-mâché beads. Also including pendants, brooches and rings, plus bracelets. So, we keep it in the jewellery arc at least.

 

They can be worn and they can be sold. I have done both.

 

Nowadays I like to make them into objet d’art.

I have had a Wordpress for years that I haven’t really used called The Golden Acorn that I am going to use for a new venture.    

 

Walter’s Way, Lewisham

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London - January 2026.

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The Bus Pass Diaries. 

 I’ve been preparing for 2026 in a few gentle ways. Reconnecting with old friends and family members who I haven’t been in touch with for years. Testing the waters really. Nothing to lose. We will see if there are any responses. So now I have this sense of a little gently pulsating beat, an extra pattern in the background, like a new life forming. It’s really quite exciting. The wise old owl - does that represent me?

                                                                                                

Yes. I see kindness and wisdom there and patience, independence and the ability to survive and thrive. The gifts of age perhaps. I’m going with the flow. In December I also finally got around to applying for a bus pass and apparently I can travel all round London with it for absolutely nothing, so, my plan is to discover London by bus - by travelling on the top deck at the front if possible and taking photos, making videos and sketching, writing down ideas etc. I’m already writing every day and sorting out the stories and thoughts that accompany me wherever I go,  but now I’m giving myself more time to focus. To get into the flow. I’ve decided to create something along the lines of My Bus Pass Adventures or Diaries though diary implies everyday which I doubt they will be as ideas spill over into lives of their own and take over. As usual I’m doing this entirely for myself and for anyone who might find them of interest. I hardly ever travel by bus as I have a very reliable and comfortable car but I do remember the excitement of looking down as I took the No. 6 bus to Warrington Art School and the way the seasons and the weather changed every journey into an adventure. And going to school on the bus way before that too. Yes I do have a love for public transport that needs reviving. And people talk to one another on buses. Or do they? Certainly not on the Tube which I am really fed up with. Almost everyone is on their phone in the underground. I’m hoping being able to look out of the windows changed that somehow for people. 

My first destination will be The British Museum on Monday 5th January. It’s going to be a pretty cold day.  Tomorrow I return to London with my daughter and will stay with her for a week. Hopefully I will do one journey at least every day. I want to get the feel of the place and meet people. And learn and see what is happening. Of course the journey is actually inside ourselves. Step by step. 

April 2025. A New Garden in Devon.

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Yes another garden! My 49th house move. Not all those places had gardens. I’m really enjoying getting up before dawn and sitting in this new garden and getting to know it. Thankfully there is a great deal to do, so I’m in a kind of personal heaven. 

Once upon a time the garden, which I understand goes back to around 1893-1920 when the first area of a new residential suburb for the wealthier and the more upwardly mobile residents and newcomers to Kingsbridge was built. It also needed to accommodate the railway workers at the new Kingsbridge Railway Station. 

This house is a small terraced and by today’s standards it  seems to me to be very upmarket but maybe not in its time. There used to be an iron foundry nearby and I would love to find out who decided to add very decorative and beautiful railings and gates to all the properties in Westville at the time. I will take photos of some of the remaining ones and delve deeper. 

The area has undergone many changes and I’m interested to know who lived here in the intervening years. 

At some stage the garden was redesigned and four garden rooms were built plus there is an old workshop at the far end, so five distinct areas to work in. 

This area has been divided with railway sleepers to make raised beds, all of which are overgrown and neglected. I’m trying to use whatever I can and to compost as much as possible. I have a few photos and videos I have taken to introduce you to the garden. This is the first part which is paved with moulded pinky grey concrete slabs that are made to resemble square stone blocks. 

The warm terracotta brick wall has been covered by a once pretty turquoise blue wooden shed no more than four foot high and five foot wide but now completely rotten and ivy by the ton. This little corner catches the morning sunlight and is ideal for breakfast, reading or snoozing. 

The Bay tree had gone wild and I’m cutting back the lower branches to give a sense of architectural depth. Then I can shape the crown which is way out of reach. The shredder has been earning its keep and the results are building up next to the compost heap.

In fact a lot of twiggy branches can be put on one side for support sticks. 

Sunday and Monday are  technically my days when the shop is closed. All I can think about is the garden of course but I know I do need to curb my enthusiasm or else I’m completely exhausted. Sleep restores me and by 5.30am I’m ready to go again. The gardening is making me stronger every day after the lull of activity in winter. 

Because it’s only the beginning of the second week in April, I feel a sense of urgency which I’m trying to ignore. I would rather just relax and take my time. It will be what it is bit by bit. The decking is obviously calling out to be removed as it’s really had its time now. There is a layer of what looks like roofing felt acting as a waterproof membrane on the ground which must be the weed suppressant. 

Having discovered that my favourite nearby walk was once a pathway along a medieval strip farming system, I am imagining the garden may also have been cultivated in this manner. It doesn’t take much to get my imagination going. Immediately considering all the different people who have cared for this land since medieval times. A story or stories in the making. 

So, as I bring pots of plants in, I am also taking old and rotting wooden palettes out. I think they might once have been part of the compost bins but for now I’m making a heap. And I have managed to make a first rough cutting of the lawn which is mainly dandelions and moss but has to be done and helps the compost heap.

There are trees in the garden on the left that effectively block out all the afternoon sunshine. A problem.

I can see signs of herbaceous borders and fixings for wires for roses. This is always what I have in mind when bringing a garden back to life. I’m very English and traditional when it comes to gardening. It might be a kind of security blanket. It definitely reminds me of my childhood home which was very stable and where my family lived for 70 years.

This is a quick look inside the workshop/potting shed. It gets hardly any light and is cold. However the roof has really started to sag as some of the timbers are rotten, thankfully only the ones that run horizontally across the windows and door frame so can easily be replaced. This makes me think of replacing the roof or part of it with corrugated clear plastic sheeting and effectively creating a sort of greenhouse. 

At this stage I have cleared out a lot of stuff and removed all the cobwebs which resembled a horror movie. My hammock waits for the right moment. The potting shed has electric light and a couple of power sockets. I have given the rusty garden tables and chairs a preliminary coat of masonry paint - not that it will stop the rust but lends a little charm at least. 

Preparing seed trays though they will all have to come indoors for warmth.

And this is the view a few weeks ago from the paved area in front of the workshop. I have removed masses of ivy. I really do not like ivy. It has all started life in the neighbours garden. That is a rented place and they are planning to cut back all the trees that prevent them from having the sunlight in the mornings! Solution.

P.S - I have had a long break from updating my blog and have always found the operating on it a bit tricky. With a new iPad  and time passed I had thought it would all be easier but no, the same inexplicable quirks remain. I think this is one reason why I suddenly stop. I tend to use this as a sort of diary not as a finished piece. For example accessing photos suddenly becomes impossible and a few minutes later it’s not a problem. 

4th March 2025

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I have been very busy even though I have been silent on my blog. Briefly, I spent most of last year travelling around the South West of England and the Home Counties looking for shops for my son to sell his beautiful jewellery. I had a wonderful time and discovered hundreds of new places, people and shops. So the first photo shows the shop as it looks this morning. It changes often and is soon to be showing a complete range of resin jewellery. 

This year marks another change as I am looking after our shop in Kingsbridge in South Devon.

Kingsbridge is an old town at the head of the estuary that leads eventually to Salcombe and the sea. I have known this area from family holidays since my childhood so feel quite comfortable here. 

Whilst I am in the shop I have set up a studio at the front in the light where I can paint and write.

I have brought my own jewellery making years to a close now and it definitely feels the right thing to do. I have been writing a series of novels behind the scenes and sketching out ideas for paintings and now is my time to focus. I am also in the first stages of possibly living here in Kingsbridge, at least thinking about it. I am house sitting for a while here and now Spring is here I am beginning to create a cottage garden in a somewhat neglected garden that was once magnificent, then decked out as in covered in wooden decking and now overgrown. A blank canvas. The idea is that I will move here to live, garden the abandoned garden and transform it into an cottage garden - it could look rather like this.

Then, I can run the shop/studio whilst adding the extra dimension of my own gallery space in town too. This is exactly what I love to do. All of it. Every year, along with many I dream of spending my winters in the South of France. This year it is looking like a real possibility. A place where I can write and paint, walk and keep this blog going. A time for some new adventures.

So for the next few months will be sharing some of my life from the past few years, this year and preparing for next year.

Paper-Mache 'Flowers' - 2

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Air dried Paper-Mache 'Flowers' almost finished. Ready to have findings added. You can scorch and gild paper mache quite easily. I am playing with the colours of winter when the colour has gone and we are left with dried stems and seed heads - burnt in sooty carbon with a Pyrography tool or with a light touch to give various shades of Burnt Ochre and Umber. Then gilded with Imitation Gold Leaf or the real thing if you prefer. It will echo the glimmer of sunlight breaking through on a cold January morning - perhaps. They resemble seed heads and sea shells in some ways. Memories and hope for the coming of spring again. Apologies for the sound level - listening through headphones seems to fix it. These are quite old videos now though I think that they are still well worth watching. Either way you are all invited to Subscribe - if you wish - I wish you would - it helps me enormously.

How to Make Papier-Mâché 'Flowers' - Drying in a Microwave Oven

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How to make papier-mâché 'flowers' by drying them out for 20 seconds at a time in a microwave oven. This method really speeds up the process. Do work out for yourself exactly how long the paper mache actually needs to dry out. Start with 5 seconds and see how your microwave and your paper mache responds. My suggestion of 20 seconds is only meant to be a guide. These components can be made into jewellery and as additions to bowls etc. Plenty of room for experimentation.

0.00 Intro 0.15 Porzella papier-mache clay by Rayher - other ingredients 3.50 In to the microwave for about 20 seconds or less - try less first to gauge your microwave 4.35 Out of the microwave 5.20 Using the pyrography tool to scorch marks on to the surface of the 'flowers' 6.40 Applying Acrylic Gold Size 7.30 Applying Gold Leaf or Artificial Gold - Silver or Copper Leaf 8.00 The central disc or flower whorl 8.30 Adding epoxy resin - describing how to briefly

Papier-Mache Bowls (etc) Tutorials - 2023.

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Making a Modroc Bowl.

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Modroc also known as Paris Bandage is so good for building form and structure. I am re-structuring my YouTube Channel one video at a time and  as I have a few working with Modroc I will bring them here on one Blog Post.

A very simple way to either make a bowl or to begin making on. 

I often use this method to make the form and a surface to work on to with more delicate layers of white tissue paper - I use the best quality tissue paper I can fine rather than the thin grey/white variety as it holds together for the time I need it to do so whilst working. I buy mine by the ream from Amazon nowadays.

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Making a Modroc Bowl. 2

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