In an attempt to get a little more local business, I’ve done something quite adventurous (for me, anyway) – and have placed an advert in the university newspaper. It’s their Valentine’s Day edition, which is coming out next Tuesday. Now, I don’t have any expectations – but nevertheless, it’s the first time I’ve paid to advertise my shop – so I’m still entitled to be just a little excited about it. It will be fun to see it in the newspaper, anyway! I’ll probably post it on here next week.

Other than that, there is not much news. My cat has taken to sitting on the back of my chair, right behind my head. As a result of this, the chair is slowly being destroyed by her little claw marks. Poor chair. Doesn’t matter how much I make her wobble by moving about in the chair (not intentionally, of course), she’ll continue to lay there as if it were the most comfortable place in the world. I guess she must like me.

So, February is finally here. Yesterday, we had a gloriously sunny day. I felt great. I’ve also been listening to some new music lately, which has helped a lot in lifting my mood – including this song by Blue Roses (below).

I have to admit, the weather here in England is really getting me down right now. I’m trying to remain cheerful, but day after day of dark grey skies and rain are making it difficult. Every day I walk in the grey rainy weather to get the bus to college, which is mostly built out of dark grey oppressive concrete. I’m not joking, either – I guess grey concrete was the preferred choice of building material back in the 60s, when my college was built. I’d post a picture of it here, but… I’ll spare you.

Instead, I’m choosing to try and think about something nice (see photos below). When we lived in the south west of England a few years ago, we used to go to Cornwall in the spring time. In case you don’t know, Cornwall is the most south-western county in England. It’s the little pointy bit that sticks out – quite out of the way from all of the big cities in the UK. It’s kind of a lost little place – it used to be its own country, too! We used to have its flag stuck on our old car. And what a glorious place it is in the spring! And now, every year around this time I start longing to go there – I really miss it. But unfortunately, that’s not likely this year… argh. Oh well, I guess I’ll just pretend that I’m there again (see last photo).

This is my final week of freedom before returning to school for the spring term. I won’t deny it, my stomach is churning just thinking about it. This is an attempt to take my mind off it!

Some of these photos are from before Christmas, when I went to visit my parents who live in the Norfolk Broads. It’s a big network of rivers and lakes – very nice there. These aren’t great photos, but I thought I’d post a few anyway.

This one is just a boat by the river. I’m more interested in finding out what that strange bird is. It had weird fluffy legs and a strange face… Never seen one of those before.

This next one was taken as I faced the other direction. On the right is The Swan Inn, where we later went to eat that day. Very enjoyable. It was all cosy inside and decorated for Christmas with lots of twinkly lights. It also had a fire going, and I loved the building (lots of wooden beams inside) – I just loved it. I’d go back there now if I could!

And for dessert, we had sticky toffee pudding. Now, if you haven’t had sticky toffee pudding before, you are missing out. Having said that, I’m pretty sure it’s not something that’s available in the US – perhaps it’s just a British thing. But OMG, it’s so good. Mike loves it. Here’s a pic of him about to eat his sticky toffee pudding. Argh. Now I want some.

Anyway, I took the Christmas decorations down yesterday. One other big improvement I’ve recently made is that I’ve cleared off all the crap on my desk. All of the little things which I think I need but really don’t need are now in a little box under my desk. That way, I can still get to everything quickly, and it doesn’t have to all just be laying out on my desk in the open, collecting dust. I just have my computer, keyboard, lamp, mouse, mousemat and a box of tissues on my desk and THAT’S IT. I love it. I can’t believe I’m posting about this, as if I’m letting you all in on some amazing tip: “Put stuff you don’t need in a box under your desk”. Yeah. Great tip. I really wasn’t trying to make it sound like that. I’m just genuinely surprised that it’s so awesome.

I’ve always struggled with keeping a tidy desk. But for some reason, I’m actually sticking to it this time, I’m keeping it tidy. Perhaps it’s just that this is one little thing I have complete control over, in a house where things are constantly getting messed up by other people. Y’know? Yeah, I need help… lol.

Anyway, happy new year to you all. Hope you have a good one!

Here in England we’ve been enjoying some pre-Christmas snowfall, which is almost completely unheard of! What’s even more shocking is that the snow has stayed for around four days now. Firstly, we usually only get snow in January or February, and secondly, it’s almost always completely gone by the next day, and replaced with that lovely brown slush. But this has been lovely. I’ve really enjoyed having some snow, and I love that every day I’ve been out to walk about, there’s been that lovely crunchy sound of walking on new snow. I almost fell on my arse a few times, but that’s to be expected. I think it’ll start to melt tomorrow. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

It made me really miss going to the US. I’ve been there several times in the winter, visiting my in-laws who live in Idaho. And I love winter there. It’s so snowy, and makes the already beautiful scenery even lovelier. I love all the evergreens and the mountains – it’s gorgeous. Before that, I’d never seen proper mountains or proper snow in my life. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been, and I definitely miss the feeling of winter I get when I’m there. But thanks to the snow we’ve had, I’ve managed to get that feeling back a little bit. And I’m grateful, because most of the time, winter passes in a depressing grey blur and I absolutely hate it. So I’ve been really thankful for the snow. I just wish it would stay like this and not all melt away. It’s a little bit magical.

But I’m sure most of the population disagrees with me. The tiniest amount of snow causes absolutely chaos here in the UK. People don’t know how to drive in it – that’s the main issue. Oh, and for some reason there’s always a huge grit shortage for the roads, and everyone complains about how we’re never prepared for wintery weather. But it’s okay, because as a nation, we’re never happy unless we’ve got something to complain about… lol.

Anyway, time for sleep.

The last couple of weeks have been insanely busy for me! It only finally came to an end about thirty minutes ago, when I returned from the post office after sending a huge amount of packages!

And now I can finally begin to acquaint myself with my 4 week Christmas break. Hello there! It’s strange for me, because before I went back to uni and before I started my Etsy shop, I didn’t have much to do. Ever. I had quite a slow pace of life and I felt very lazy. It had been like that for several years. I guess I’m just in a reflective mood right now, and I’m thinking about the year that’s almost gone. I feel good about it, because unlike many of the previous years, I feel like I’ve actually achieved things this year. I’m on my merry way to actually being able to make something of my life. So woohoo, go me!

Anyway, the point I was making is that I have 4 weeks before I have to return to uni for the spring semester, and I’m feeling like it’s going to be difficult to wind down and relax. Whenever I get a spare moment and I’m just trying to do nothing, it’s a mixture of guilt and panic – I start asking myself what I could be doing that would be more productive – and I do that instead. That is so not me… lol. I guess it’s the new me. But I will try and chill out – but I’m very aware of the fact that my Etsy shop currently only has 17 items in it! Argh! I was featured in the Friday Finds promotion last weekend, and that kept me very busy! I’m almost grateful that the item the Etsy admin chose to feature was one with a not-so-great photo, because I don’t think I could have coped with all the orders if it had been one of my super-shiny-awesome photos! Last time I got into a Friday Finds promotion, the admin chose one of my favorite items with a really good photo I managed to take (somehow!), and I got *extremely* busy with orders after that.

I’ve definitely realized that I need to be better prepared for Christmas on Etsy next year – I really made it hard on myself by not ordering enough supplies in advance. Like, jewelry boxes. Never run out of jewelry boxes! Or ribbon. Or tissue paper. Or actually *anything* you need… lol. Great advice, huh? But yes, it has been a little stressful, but everything’s done now… and I only have one order to send out tomorrow.

Oh – and if you’ve ever been a customer of mine, I’d just like to say thank you. And give you a big hug! I never thought I’d be able to make or sell anything, but this year has changed everything. It’s given me a big confidence boost, and I’ve met some lovely people through my shop and have had so many wonderful comments. So yes… thank you!

I don’t like to have photoless blog posts, so here’s a photo. It was taken in the summer last year, and it’s of Norwich Cathedral. They began building it in 1096 and it wasn’t completed until 1145! Norwich actually has two cathedrals, but the other one is much more depressing and grandiose – I like the one above much better. Anyway, now there’s a nice photo, I can go and try to relax. Wish me luck!

Wow, look at me go! Two posts in two days, what an achievement! Here are some earrings I made recently – I love how they turned out!

Golden Dusk Earrings – made with golden rutilated quartz and antiqued brass

I think I’m feeling a little more willing to post because I finally got rid of the ‘Featured Posts’ thing at the top of the page, and put my own modified Etsy mini block there instead. So, I think my blog is looking better. I’m still not really satisfied with the header, but I’ll have to work on that some other time. So anyway, now that I can tolerate looking at my blog, maybe I’ll post a little more often!

In other news, I finally charged the battery for my little point and shoot camera, so I took some photos. The first one below… well, Snuffle demanded to be in the photo, so there she is. The second photo is of a mirror – which you might (but most likely not) recognize as one of my photo backgrounds for my jewelry! So yeah, that’s where the magic happens. Well, not exactly there, because that would be impossible. (I take the mirror down and put it on a windowsill to get better light, and that’s where I take my photos).

Also of note is the Carrotbun Bunny Brooch, currently pinned on the side of my bag. I bought it from Sherry, a fellow Etsian who has a little shop called y0omii! Love that bunny. He sends out studious vibes when I’m at school. Well, that’s what I like to think, anyway. (Please send more, though).

I’ve become obsessed with roasted chestnuts. I’d had one or two before in previous years, but this week, I discovered that in a previous life I was probably a squirrel. I love those nuts! And they’re so good when they’re roasted. There’s only one place to buy roasted chestnuts in Norwich (that I know of), and it’s called The Nutbarrow. £1.60 for a little bag of deliciousness. My brother tells me it’s usually there until around February, so there’s still at least another two months of nutty goodness to be had.

I love that it’s actually a little barrow-type thing. Very Dickensian!

My brother and I have started to get into a little routine of going to get chestnuts, and then walking over to the coffee place across the street to eat them. It’s a good routine.

Anyway, at least that means there’s one thing not to be miserable about in the winter! Chestnuts.

That’s Snuffle, who likes to sit in the waste paper basket by my desk. She has nothing to do with this post, but she’s cute… so I had to post the picture.

Anyway, the semester is almost over. A week and a half to go, but it’s not a winding-down-relaxing sort of thing, it’s a OMG-I-have-so-much-crap-to-get-done sort of thing. I’ll be so relieved when it’s over, because I get four wonderful weeks off. And then it all starts again…

I’ll end this post here before it turns into a fully fledged ramble.

P.S. I’ll be working on my blog soon. I’m going to get rid of the stupid ‘Featured Posts’ thing at the top. Yes, it’s snazzy, but it’s not really working for me and those posts are OLD, and the options are very limited for it. So yeah. Excuse the ancient featured posts talking about sales and amigurumi shops (definitely no time for that right now!). I expect I’ll be making the improvements in a week or so, once I’m done with school. Done with school. Ah, those are beautiful words.

It has been a while! So, I’m halfway through the first semester of my computer science degree. Thankfully here in the UK, we get a week off halfway through each semester, for which I am very grateful! I’ve been somewhat managing to maintain my shop since I started school, but it is definitely not easy – so that explains the slight lack of new things in my shop recently. But I’ll be working on it this week, now I have a little free time. Here’s something I made a week or so ago – it’s made with natural undyed Turkish chalcedony – and I love it!

Haunted Moon Necklace – made with natural chalcedony and oxidized sterling silver

Anyway, not much else is going on with me. I expect this is how it’s going to be for the next four years while I’m at college – the thought of that is exhausting, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Hooray for getting an education (finally!).

Oh… and happy Halloween!

Hooray! Today I got my 100th Etsy sale, and my 900th heart on there, too! If that’s not worthy of a blog post, then I don’t know what is!

It’s been a very hectic month for me so far, which is my first attempt at making excuses for not posting much on here lately. I’ve started school, I’m in the middle of moving house and I’ve been very busy with Etsy thanks to a couple of lucky breaks – I was featured in a Weekend Deals email and in various gift guides, and I even managed to get on the Etsy front page a few times. I’m so grateful for everything. I certainly need to spend a lot of time replenishing stock in my shop, but right now I just don’t have much free time.

But I have made a few new things lately, including the necklace below. I just love the colors in it, they’re so oceany! And I love making those little kinds of necklaces, I feel like they’re *my* thing that I make. If you know what I mean. Hehe.

Enchanted Sea Necklace – made with blue topaz and tourmaline on a sterling silver chain

Anyway… thank you to everyone who has bought something, or had kind words about my shop, or who has given me advice on Etsy – I appreciate it!

Autumn Berries – a pendant made with vesuvianite and garnet, on a sterling silver chain

Hope you’re having a lovely Saturday, wherever you are!

This afternoon we went to the Baby Buddha Teahouse – a new Chinese restaurant we discovered last week, which is only a few minutes from our new house. It does dim sum too, which is so exciting because it’s the only place we’ve found in Norwich that does good dim sum! It was goooood.

Anyway, the photo above is one of my newest pieces in my shop – and I have to say, I love it! It came about completely by accident. Funny how sometimes I’ll be wrestling away with gemstones and wire for hours and never make anything that I’m satisfied with, and then sometimes I’ll sit there and make something that I absolutely love and it seems to happen so easily… That’s what happened with the Autumn Berries pendant – I just love it. Well, you have to love what you make, right?

I’m still in the middle of packing. I say middle, but really I’m estimating that I’ve done about 5%. Or less than that. That’s one of the reason I haven’t been updating as much as I’d like. And I’ve been neglecting my poor ‘Friday Favorites’ segment, so sorry about that! I’m sure things will settle down soon what with the house move and starting college and trying to do my first craft fair and trying to build up stock for the holidays… yeah. I’m going to be busy. But I’ll do my best to keep updating. It seems like blogs are so easily neglected. You know it’ll always be right where you left it so you never bother posting. I’m sorry, blog. I’ll try to be kinder to you.

That’s all for now. This has been yet another long and rambly post. I need to work on producing better ‘content’. But I’ve always just blogged like I’m writing a diary, and it’s a tough habit to break! Anyway, have a great rest-of-weekend, and don’t forget to stop by my shop and take advantage of the free worldwide shipping until the 13th! *cheesy wink*