Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Friday tea time

We’re nearing the end of the half term hols, and you’ve guessed it, I haven’t done half of the things I planned for the week. Partly because we (my daughter and I) have been going to a kids club every morning, her to take part and me to help, apart for today when I laid languishing in bed this morning with the stupid cold I seem to have acquired yesterday. We have managed to do some baking together, lovely Rainy day Biscuits from Nigellas’ ‘Feast’ and we even got around to decorating them too. I’m really enjoying the challenge of colour mixing with the food colours available, another bit of fun for the mistress of colour (that’s me by the way), it reminds me of the lovely time I had this summer colouring numerous sheets of aluminium.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, we did do all the things I’d planned up to and including Wednesdays activities, I just think my daughter’s going to have to wait a bit longer for her handmade pink cushion covers to go with her new bedroom, sneakily made from the bottom of her curtains that I also have to shorten, and I’m going to have to tidy my bedroom when I can fit the job in. All that’s left to do today is to find bits to help make one of the 2 Halloween  outfits that my daughter need for the 2 parties she’s going to, this should be fun!

Saturday evening

I’m sitting here on the settee again, enjoying ‘Swarovski Fashion Rocks’, unfortunately no white wine tonight as I still have my cheese headache (well, it’s more of a migraine actually). The fact that it’s fashion rocks again means that I’ve been blogging for 2 years now, oh yes, It’s my 2 year blogiversary tomorrow, yay! I have to say though about the fashion show, that I’m disappointed not to see the crystal catwalk, although this year they have crystal beaded curtains, glitzy.

Thursday morning

I went out last night! I never go out, or at least hardly ever. We went and scoffed Pizza with a group of friends and then I stayed out and went to the flicks, yay! We saw Atonement, and I have to say ‘what a film’, it was a work of art, much nicer than the location of the pizza place and cinema.  It’s been ages since I last saw a film (I think it was Narnia) and I really love watching films on the big screen, but last night the whole leisure park felt so alien and bright. All the restaurants had bright lights, obviously to get you in and out really fast, and they all seemed so American and ……I hope I’m not offending anyone here, but you would have been forgiven for thinking you were not in England.

Don’t get me wrong, it was all good value and tasted nice, but where was the identity? What I mean to say is, everything has gone so global now, you see pictures on the news of people in other countries, and you’d struggle to tell where they are, and the same fast food places are seen the world over. Maybe I’ve just moved on in my culinary and cultural expectations? I like the differences you get when you travel around, and I like towns and shopping centres to feel different, but all the same shops are everywhere, which is obviously great for the chain of shops that is doing well, but one shopping centre or town centre could easily be confused for another. It’s the shopping mall and out of town stores thing.

Anyway, I am pleased we have a good cinema in Crawley, we used to have to travel to Brighton, or Lakeside to see films before Richard Branson stopped over in Crawley one night on one of his many trips to visit his Virgin offices (I followed him in to the Virgin Airlines office once, boy he was tall and walked extremely fast, which was unfortunate for me because I was going to tap him on the shoulder and say ‘gi’s a job’ only I couldn’t keep up and probably wouldn’t have been able to reach his shoulder) (that was a long bracket) and decided to go and see a film, only to find that we didn’t have a decent cinema, so decided he’d build one.

Talking of tall celebs I’ve seen on my travels, Chris Evans, he’s one, and he walks fast, also Jonathan Woss (sorry….Ross) and he talks a lot, I had to wait 20 minutes for him to stop yakking so I could get served in a fabric shop in Soho once. Trips to London are good places to see celebs if you like doing that, we used to spot at least one wild one each trip.

I’ve rambled on a bit this morning, but in true Sarah stylie I still have a shed load of ‘stuff’ to do (don’t I always?) so I’m going to get on with it and try to get past my cheese induced headache.

Tuesday morning…one week later

Morning chaps! Phew, our washpile has decreased in size, not completely mind, but significantly. It’s now all safely in the basket, rather than cascading jauntily over the edge and up the bookcase. Now we have to finish tidying up after decorating our daughters bedroom, although Rick still does have the door to paint (hint hint).  We were going to progress to doing our bedroom, but I’m starting to panic about the Christmas sales, so I reacon that might have to wait until the spring.

There’s lots to do, getting my stock of jewellery ready for the few sales I’m attending, attempting to plan ahead for our Christmas so I don’t get in the usual rush, Christmas cards and letter to do (I said I was going to do this early last year but failed miserably….we didn’t even send any cards….mind you we were actually entertaining Christmas day for the first time and organised a Christmas Carol Service), our present shopping and all the commissions I get at this time of year. I’m also planning an exhibition at the moment that will take place in February next year, so not long to go. This will be my first posh exhibition that I’ve organised, and I’ve invited a couple of friends to share the space and time with me. Most of this needs to be done before Christmas as I usually end up doing my tax through January, so I need to get as much jewellery made as possible before then. Oh dear, what have I let myself in for?

Tuesday morning (just)

It’s official……..the washing has exploded all over the floor and the wash pile on top of the wash bin is now greater than the amount inside the bin. I heard Rick snigger the other evening as he tossed another pair of used kecks onto the pile and wondered what was up. He was trying to get the top of the pile higher than the bookcase it was beside! Honestly one bead event or a show and the housework system goes up the spout (housework system? do we have one?) ha ha, although talking to other beaders on Sunday it seems they have the same problem. One even commented that if they were burgled that the theives would probably leave the house tidier than they found it! lol.

It’s nice to have a little breathing space to get my work (and the house maybe?) sorted for the Christmas rush, oh, famous last words, I just know that even though all feels so calm today that it’s all going to get mega busy again and I’ll revert to headless chicken mode sooner rather than later. Speaking of which I should go and do some more jobs. Ta ta.

Saturday evening

Harrow Bead Fair, The bead event of the year is tomorrow, Sunday, and I’m packing my luscious new beads and goodies at the moment. Details of the Harrow Bead Fair are on my events page.

So we have to get everything ready tonight, including our lunch and drinks, although I think we should do the flask in the morning ‘cos the water will get too cold. tee hee. It’s the usual last minute scramble here, I did try to get well organised, I even didn’t make beads on Friday, but progress got somewhat hampered today due to the fact that we had a prior commitment which meant we were out all afternoon and evening and only just got home a short while ago.

I’m looking forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends again, it’s great having a stall because loads of people come and say hi. So if you’re reading my beadlog and coming tomorrow, do come by and make yourself known, oh and don’t forget your elbow pads, the crowds were 4 or 5 deep last year. See you tomorrow.

Thursday teatime

What a day, it started off so well, was rubbish in the middle and for the last couple of hours has been good again. So what’s that all about? Well, after watching Nigella Lawson on Monday I was inspired and decided to get organised with our meals, so by 10am I had this evenings meal all ready in a bag, marinading, so I could just tip it out onto a baking tin. It was after this that things went downhill. My beadmaking was average to say the least today, nothing went right, even the simplest of spacer beads, which I decided to make because everything was so rubbish, turned out average. Somehow it just wasn’t happening for me in the studio today. Oh well, it’s at times like this that it’s better to go and do something else.

I’ve managed to plough through cleaning all the beads I’ve made this last couple of weeks, and they’re drying as we speak, ready to be put into sets for Sundays bead fair, or made into my popular ‘shades of’ series of jewellery. Part 2 of this evenings meal is also ready to go in the oven when it’s time, in fact I’ll just go and do that now……done. Oh I can’t wait for dinner, we’re having Nigella’s roast Lamb Shanks with Delia’s roasted roots, and some fresh veg. Yum. Off to tidy my desk now and clear the table.