Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Wednesday evening

Brrrrrrrrrrrr it’s cold out there.  Minus 1 deg C this morning in the studio.  I had to don my thermals again – oh yes!  It was so cold that I didn’t fancy going out again after lunch, but I was glad I did, you just can’t beat that feeling of melting glass, I find it so relaxing and theraputic, even if it was to do beads I had to do rather than play.

Oh that was too funny, the ending of Lost this week with the profiles of people sitting on the beach.  I was determined not to get drawn in, but ya know how it goes!  I’m still mourning the loss of Frasier and haven’t found anything that gets anywhere near the wit of that show (although Green Wing came pretty close – I’m a bit of a Tamsin Greig fan).  Friday night used to be good for comedy, but it just doesn’t hit the spot at the moment.  Oh well, more time to make beads.

Tuesday afternoon….

Hellooo.  I had a lovely steaming hot mug of tea in bed this morning, looks like my hint worked.  I also had pressies to unwrap, one of which said ‘Nah, not in here!’, and there I was thinking I might have Jamie Cullum’s new CD in my hot mitts.  Instead I received a cool book about making silver chains, and best of all a beautiful book about Chihuly and his glass.

Tuesday evening….

It’s been a lovely day.  We went down to Brighton today and popped in on Judith to collect my beads that had been to Newmarket.  We had a lovely chat and coffee and proceeded to Brighton for lunch.  We found this lovely juice bar and deli called Pulp Kitchen this time last November and decided to go there for lunch.  It’s lovely to have a break from the usual run of the mill Tuesday.  I’ve had a brilliant days holiday.   Pulp Kitchen, 31 Bond Street, North Laines, Brighton.

Monday evening

Wow it’s suddenly got real cold, and it’s all foggy outside.  I did brush off my thermals last Friday to wear while making beads in the studio…and yes I do wear jeans and T-shirt over the top…and yay I did get to make some snowmen and penguins.

I’m franticaly trying to top up my stock levels of jewellery to sell, it gets very manic at this time of year.  I am constantly trying to balance lampwork with making up jewellery and going out selling and trying to get a life.  It’s my birthday tommorrow so I may just take the day off.

Did anyone catch Peter Andre and Katie Price on Children in Need last Friday.  I’m not a fan of Jordan or her life, and wondered what on earth they were on this fundraiser for, but boy, as far as I was concerned they stole the show.   Katie sings really well, and I think they outshone even Madonna that night.

And so ….to bed (I wonder if I’ll get any pressies tommorrow, I don’t think I deserve any from Rick, cos I completely forgot to do the wrapped up pressy bit for him from our daughter or me).  He’ll either do tit-for-tat, or lavish me with pressies and attention to make me feel bad (I wish!)……although a mug of tea in bed in the morning would be nice, hint hint.

Found another cool site, literally,  Snowdays hours of fun.  Make sure to enter your name and location, or you’ll never find it again.

Talking of snow (it’s the weather chat again – well, I am in England) and all things Christmasy, they’ve been filming an Argos advert in Horsham town today and yesterday, lots of people wandering around with boxes made to look like Christmas pressies, no sign of Richard E Grant though.  It will be interesting to see the finished thing.  Photo courtesy of Rick.

 I think it’s time for more Chihuly photos today………..

I didn’t make it down to the studio today, too many other things happening.  Maybe tommorrow afternoon, after my coffee morning.

We had frost here this morning for the first time this autumn, time to go out and wrap up the delicate plants in the garden I think.  Talking of weather I just saw a stonking video of a twister on the ITV news.  I don’t think I would have stayed around to make that video, you wouldn’t have seen me for dust, even though I would actually like to see a twister.  Dust, anyone, dust?  High in calories, low in calories?  Dust…..

I’ve just spent a merry couple of hours reorganising my many links in my firefox bookmarks manager.  Phew.  Lets just hope my p.c. doesn’t crash again and lose the lot.

I’m looking forward to getting out to my studio tommorrow to make some more Christmas cuties, I feel a few penguins and snowmen coming on, and maybe a Christmas tree or two.  All this talk of snowmen is making me wonder whether I need to get my thermals out of retirement yet.  How sad am I, I invested in new ones at the beginning of the year!

I have to torch whenever I can now, because the local craft fair season has begun and I’m going to be out selling a couple of times a week from now on.  It’s going to be a hectic week this week.  I have four events to prepare for this week, including the Fair at Christs Hospital and the Newmarket bead fair.  I’m also heavily involved in organising the Christmas Display of Jewellery for Sale at the adult education centre I attend, and we set up the display this week.  I’ve done the majority of organisation, paperwork and accounts for the last 4 years, but this year I’m sharing the job fortunately.
I’d better go lie down and get some zeds…………………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 

He came at last, and now we are snug and warm, good job too because it’s suddenly got cold this weekend, it was 5 deg C in my studio the other morning.

Late Thursday (more like Friday am)

Discussions at my adult education class were fun again.  Topics up for debate were how they make these spreads that replace butter – are they better than butter or worse because of all the chemicals and chemical processes used to synthesise them.  That led on to battery chickens versus free range (don’t ask me how!), and how to spot Hock burns and what they are.  I also learnt that free range chickens have tough legs and thighs (she’s a tough old bird).  We then got on to the demise of my friends tortoise that they’ve had for 40 odd years, bought in the 60’s when their son was a kid, and now gone walkabout……or was he nicked?   Apparently they’re worth a bit now.  If the poor thing has gone walkabout we hope he’s found shelter or dug a hole, that way he may survive the winter.  So unfortunately he’s missing….presumed dead (or half inched).

Did any one else spot the reference to ‘The Office’ in last nights episode of Lost? 

Tuesday Evening

I’m just about to send Rick down to the studio to get my beads out and turn the kiln off (please), he’s reading this as I type!

11 deg c this morning when I started work, but at least it wasn’t raining.  I made several more snowmen, 2 penguins, Father Christmas and a robin.  I now know why I haven’t seen many robin beads, it’s impossible to tell the brown and red glass apart when they’re hot, I await my lopsided robin….And would you believe it, my gas ran out at tea time.  My plan to always have a spare available went Pete Tong today, cos I didn’t have my spare bottle full.  Rats, I now have to rush out tommorrow morning to get a refil before I can start.

Rick just brought my beads in, oh well, you can’t even see the red breast now he’s out.

More Chihuly photos as promised

Oh wow, I’ve just watched Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart performing, njhhhhhhhhh.
Perfect end to a perfect day.

click on the photos to enlarge them.
Oh yes, we managed to get to Kew Gardens to the Chihuly Exhibition today. What a stunning show of jaw dropping glass. The colours and forms collected into his installations were beautiful and breathtaking. I wanted to see his Persian chandalier, this was suspended in the Temperate House and lit up. We were able to walk below and admire the twirling lines that radiate from the centre of each form which looked rather like masses of lily pads. My other favourite was his grouping of Macchia (Italian for spotted). They were as beautiful in life as the photos you see in his books. Incidentally they are for sale at Kew for the small sum of six thousand pounds. I think I’ll nip back next week and get one.
More pickies another day…ahhh, I’ve saved the best!

It’s wet here.
No beads made today, couldn’t face the trot down the garden. Actually the boiler man was supposed to cometh, but was a no show. Instead I pottered and made roasted Pumpkin soup for dinner. Pumpkin head anyone??????????

I toiled late into the night cleaning a bazilion beads of their bead release and am now the proud owner of a hole in my finger, ouch.
A quick spell check of the word Bazilion tells me that it does not exist, and would I like to substitute ‘Basildon, Brazil, pavillion or gazillion’?

Saturday evening…
Of course we didn’t get to Kew today. Something rather more important came up and our plans had to change.
We did however manage to get the all important stepping stones laid down which lead to my studio at the end of the garden. So hopefully no more muddy boots and squishy lawn when it rains. I get to try them out for real when I will parade gleefully down to the studio Monday morning to turn on the kiln before a fun days play at the torch – yipee!

Hi there. Welcome back to the more appropriately named bead log. So much for half term being a break, I think I’m more exhausted from this week than normal. I’m looking forward to a rest when my daughter goes back to school next week.

We had another successful recording session last night, and just need one more session to get the tracks down, then it’s the final mix, a bit of mastering and we should be able to go into production of the new CD. I just love all this recording stuff, not as much as Rick, who whiles away many an evening tinkering on the computer with Sonar, but I really enjoy the recording and production process.

We’re thinking of going to Kew Gardens tommorrow to see the Dale Chihully Gardens of Glass exhibition. It just remains to be seen if we can get up early enough to go, we’re all so shatterred!

Well, I got my skid lid on Sunday, lovely flatering one in a sort of lilac purple shade, perfect for me as anyone who knows me would tell you. Actually it was the only helmet that fitted so the colour was just a coincidence, cool. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

This week is half term so I’ve thrown caution to the wind and not done any beading yet. Instead I was up till the wee hours last night with CE and some musical friends of ours, crammed into our back bedroom, otherwise known as the recording studio/CE’s office/spare bedroom. The aim was to finish off a recording we started 1 1/2 years ago, my, how time flies. We had great fun achieving a full choir sound and small baroque quartet with just 4 female and one male singer, a keyboard, cello and recorder. The wonders of modern technology!!!! Needless to say I’m a bit spaced out today but looking forward to our next session tommorrow night.

I’m lounging here on the settee enjoying a nice glass of white wine and enjoying a fab evening of music courtesy of Robbie Williams and the Fashion Rocks with Swarovski Crystal. What a stunning show of fashion and what a catwalk too… no, I mean it! The catwalk was a river of crystal under sheets of glass. I want one! Actually I’m wondering whether I can do a bit more with the crystals I own, after all I do have a bit of a vested interest being a crystal user myself (ooo,that sounds a bit sus!) …. should I customise the new push bike I bought today with rows of Aurora crystal along the wheel spokes so it sparkles as I ride along in my effort to get fit? Thank you Rick (CE) for so nicely pointing out how many beautiful women there are around (well there would be, IT’S A FASHION SHOW). We did notice that several of the male artists were rather distracted during their performances by the gorgeous babes strutting their stuff along the catwalk (no reference to a top make of glass press here!).

I have the unenviable pleasure of going out tommorrow to choose that most essential item of fashion for cyclists – a helmet – woohoo, not. I’m so looking forward to riding my new bike, but I just dread the helmet thang. When I bought my first bike 25 years ago we never had such stuff, and I have to admit I’m not really looking forward to donning said safety item. Ah well, better than losing my head, so to speak.

Hellooooooooooo,
welcome to my blog or should I say ‘My world’.
I’m sitting here typing this while I wait for my kiln to heat up. Why?
Well, maybe I should introduce myself…….my name is Sarah Downton and I make glass beads and jewellery for a living (or is that really for fun with a bit of dosh thrown in for good measure?).
You can take a look at my website sarahdownton.co.uk for an idea of what I’m up to.

So here I am, Friday noon (just), typing my first blog. I’ve been cowering indoors all morning cos of the rain that was tipping down earlier, but I’ve just squelched out to my studio (12 deg C in there) to fire up the kiln and will be popping of out there later to make beads – woohoo.

I thought I should make my debut today, or Richard, Mr Webmaster and Cybergeek Extraordinaire (otherwise known as my husband), who’s been champing at the bit to do my first entry, would loose patience with me and pretend to be cyberme (actually he has done everday but I caught him in the act and made him take it off…I mean delete it).

So what’s new? Well this blog for a start, obviously, and also I changed the blurb on the front page of my website at long last, now that I can – thank you CE (Rick – Cybergeek Extraordinaire).
There’s lots to do on my website which I won’t bore you with, but I will say I hope you’ll come visit my site regurlary as we change things and this blog again for my inane (or is that insane) ramblings on life, the Universe and everything (by the way the answer is 42).

see you soon……………………