Chris Parry -Bespoke Jewellery

My BLOG has now moved

2011-06-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

This blog will cease to be, although I shall leave it here for surfers to read at their leisure.

MY NEW BLOG is now located HERE

Why the move?

Well, I was fed up of having tow seperate websites. One my website which incorporated my shop and my blog which was here. I have been struggling to find a way to combine the two and I am really, really happy with the result.

Please pop into my new blog and have a look around the new website.

Thanks for visiting here, but do pop over to my new place

Many thanks

Chris

Erin's Fingerprint Guitar Plectrum

2011-05-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Just completed Erin's fingerprint guitar plectrum. Hope you like the video.

Laura's fingerprint ring.

2011-05-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Just finished Laura's ring.

The video kinda says it all.

Laura's fingerprint handengraved onto a sterling silver 8mm handmade ring. Complete with hammered texture.

New website welcome

2011-05-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Been having fun creating some video's. Here is my latest one, this will be going into my new website which is nearing completion.

Please let me know what you think. Any comments welcome.

Thank you

Chris

Test post

2011-05-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

just a little test post

Mr & Mrs Coat Hook

2011-05-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mr & Mrs Coat Hook, a photo by Chris Parry on Flickr.

Who is getting married in the morning?

Took this little photo in my shop using my phone. I used a little app which creates these quirky little polaroid snaps.

This is a delightful little coat rack in this "letterpress" style font.

Mr & Mrs

i don't sell these on my website, so I am afraid that you are going to have to come in to my little shop in Gravesend to see this and all the other goodies that I have for you.

Wednesday Website.....

2011-05-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have been fiddling with my website some more today.

Embedded a Flickr feed on the "about Chris" page.

Changed this main page to take the feed from my blog.

I kinda liked the idea of having a main page that is fresh and up to date. Nothing worse than visiting a website that was last updated in 2007 !!!

So what do you think? Do you like to see this blog feed so prominantly on my website?

Does it interest you at all? Do you like the idea of knowing what I'm listening to in the workshop, or what tickles my fancy. Feel free to drop me an e-mai and let me know. chris@chris-parry.co.uk

Tuesday Tip......

2011-05-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm currently finishing off a PDF file for help with marketing your "Independant Crafting Business".

Called "Crafty Marketing."

I will announce details of its release on twitter and here on the blog in due course.

Hugh Laurie......

2011-05-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Just realised I like blues music.

I was so intrigued by seeing Hugh Laurie's album in iTunes, I thought I would read some reviews. It is fair to say they were all rave reviews, so I took a punt and downloaded his album.

It is great. I have had it playing in the shop today and I have added it to my week's playlist. I don't have a set genre of music that I follow, having said that I just haven't got around to listening to much blues. Or more accurately, I haven't got around to listening to any blues !

So if you are feeling curious and wondering what Hugh Laurie sounds like, nip over to iTunes and have a preview listen.

If you are wondering what this actor is doing knocking out a real album, then here is the back story. According to Stephen Fry's autobigraphy, when Stephen met Hugh at Cambridge University as twenty somethings, Hugh was playing his guitar. Apparently he was very good at the time, according to Mr Fry.

So this latent skill of Hugh's has been there all along, we just never knew. So rest assured, this is not some pathetic excuse for an actor to try and earn a few bucks off their current popularity.

He can actually strum and hold a tune.

Hand Engraved Cufflinks - New Daddy

2011-05-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hand engraved cufflinks. The lettering here is about 2mm high and hasn't been oxidised.

The cut of the engraver leaves a beautiful high mirror cut on the letter which sparkles in the light.

It is a shame that a photo can't capture this stunning effect.

I can of course engrave any message onto cufflinks, so feel free to drop me an e-mail if you would like something similar.

If you would like to have a look at my cufflinks on Flickr, then please CLICK HERE.

Fingerprint Rings

2011-04-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of recent commissions. Two fingerprints hand engraved onto his and hers wedding rings.

One of the rings is 4mm wide and the other 7mm wide. These rings are in platinum, but I can equally make these rings in gold, palladium or silver.

If you are interested, please drop me a line.

Monty Python Trojan Rabbit Cufflinks

2011-04-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like Monty Python?

I hand carved these in jewellers wax, then cast them in sterling silver.

A great tribute to one of the funniest films ever.....

Quest For The Holy Grail.

More details can be found here...

If you like these and want to see some of my other cufflink desings, then please visit my Flickr page here

Hand Engraved Inscriptions

2011-04-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

First thing to say, is that I hate (with a passion) machine engraving.

You have to compare a machine engraved item next to a hand engraved item to fully appreciate how awful machines are at engraving. Or should I say, how wonderful a hand engraved item is compared to a machine engraved item.

The two forms of engraving are just not comparable and whilst at first glance they may look similar, the machine just can't replicate a bright cut letter, as created by a hand engraver.

Of course, I can say this, because I hand engrave my own work. I could of course pop out and buy one of these machines, train a monkey to use it and sit back and drink latte's.

To begin with a hand engraved line, carves away the metal, leaving a line of character. By character, I mean a line that can start thin, flare wide and finish off in a neat whisper. The kind of detail required when engraving an old script such as Palace Script.

You can, then of course go for a more modern block lettering or a funky typewriter font.

In short a hand engraver can engrave most font styles, even your own hand writing.

When hand engraving, the metal is removed via a special engraver steel, sharpened to core blimey sharpness with incredible geometric accuracy.

The best way to describe or compare the depth of cut you get with hand engraving, is to liken it to a stonemason chiselling away stone to reveal a well crafted letter. Because most people have seen and can see with ease such techniques, it is then easier to understand what is happening on a much, much smaller scale. Some of the letters I engrave are nothing more than 1mm high, and some of the letter strokes are sometimes nothing more than a tenth of a millimetre.

The other noticeable difference between machine engraving and hand engraving, is that a machine simply scratches at the surface of the metal, and doesn't create depth of cut.

So of course, not being very deep, the machine engraved lettering will wear away many, many , many years before a hand engraved letter would show signs of wear.

I will be adding another article on letter styles on another post. I hope you have found this somewhat illuminating.

Here is a link to some other pictures of my hand engraved work

Thanks for stopping by.

Barcode Date Cufflinks

2011-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my most recent offerings.

Custom date cufflinks. All hand engraved.

Shown here is the date 29.04.71

These are great fun to make. More details can be found here...

Diamond Wedding Band

2011-04-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

A recent commission

Six 0.10ct diamonds flush set in an 18k white gold ring.

Rocket Cufflinks

2011-04-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

A young lady came to see me.

These are the cufflinks she commissioned for her husband to be.

The cufflinks are hand engraved and oxidised black to help give definition to the artwork.

The lettering is about 1.5mm tall.

Hope you like.

10% OFF on Etsy - Easter Sale

2011-04-24T01:41:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the Easter weekend, I am offering 10% discount on all Etsy sales.

Simply visit my Etsy shop , select one of the items there and at checkout enter the code EASTER10

Chris Parry Etsy Shop

Offer applies to Etsy sales only

Offer ends midnight 25th April 2010

The Crown Ring

2011-04-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a new image of one of my existing designs.

The Crown Ring.

Handmade from scratch in sterling silver. There are seven seperate components in this little ring.

More details can be found here...

Fingerprint Charm

2011-04-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Really enjoying my hand engraving at the moment.

Here is a recent commission of Violet's fingerprint on her mum's charm.

The charm is 18mm across.

More details can be found here...

Barbed Wire Earrings

2011-04-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here is another piece in my barbed wire jewellery range

A pair of barbed wire silver stufd earrings. Full details can be found here...

Barbed Wire Cufflinks

2011-04-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

A third item from my babred wire jewellery range

You can see full details of these barbed wire cufflinks here...

New UK handmade website....WOWTHANKYOU

2011-04-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

So hopefully this new website will launch today.

WOWTHANKYOU

I have set up shop there, so please pop in and say hello.

It promotoes UK only handmade quality gifts.

100,000 ....gosh that is a fair few.

2011-04-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, I was over on my Flickr page and was looking at my stats on picture views.

I've had over 100,000 views across all my pics over the years. Then coincidentally, my blog, you know the thing you are reading now, has also had over a 100,000 views.

Now, I know only too well, that some of those didn't bother to stay around and take in the scenery, but it is still a fair few.

Strangers, complete unknown surfers who have happened upon my part of the interwebernet.

The one thing I do know for certain, is that a fair few of them have turned into customers. They often start off with,

"Saw your pic and I would like something similar....."

Every day I get e-mails from people who have found me via some obscure, long since forgotten photo or blog post. Quite a few of those contacts then progress into clients.

so the whole point of this little blog article, is twofold. a) thank you one and all, who have been nosey enough to stop by and have a gawp. b) if you, like me, are an independant artist, don't underestimate the power of the web. Things as mundane as Flickr and Blogs.

If it weren't for the web, then I would not be working for myself. I wouldn't have my own little shop and get to drink lattes all day whilst I listen to my music. Instead I would be working for someone else.

What a horrible thought!

This is a recent commission. 9k white gold and set with a bunch of stones that came from the clients old battered rings.

Barbed Wire bracelet

2011-04-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here is another pieces in the barbed wire jewellery range.

You can see more details about it here...

Barbed Wire Ring

2011-04-18T13:41:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to make a series of barbed wire jewellery for years now. Here is a little stacking ring. If you would like to see the full details, then please visit my shop here...

18K yellow gold diamond engagement ring.

2011-04-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

Jayne came to me with an old ring that she wanted to have re-modelled.

Here is the result.

A beautiful yellow oval diamond flanked by two brilliant cut white diamonds.

Handmade from scratch just for Jayne in 18k yellow gold.

Hand engraved letter opener

2011-03-28T11:05:00.001-07:00

letter1,
originally uploaded by Chris Parry.

A recent commission. A sterling silver letter opener. The pattern and inscription was all engraved by hand.

Whale Tail with fingerprint

2011-03-13T09:45:00.001-07:00

Whale Tail with fingerprint,
originally uploaded by Chris Parry.

A recent commission for a local young lady.

An existing pewter pendant had broken and the young lady wanted a similar whales tail made in sterling silver. We also added her fingerprint to make it even more special and a small bulbous heart charm.

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

Indeed, a belated Happy New Year.

Things I am working on this year.

a) a secret project that I can't tell you about yet.
b) a jewellery making book - more details to follow
c) a Ring A Week project (RAW) - more details to follow
d) I have resolved to read more this year, so my aim is one book a week. Currently on Stephen Fry's biography. Very good indeed upto page 130
e) run more and my overall health......
f) to completely re-take all my photos for my website.
g) to blog more often (starting today!)

I think that will suffice for the moment.

OK, by for now

Lot of hard work, but here it is...

2010-11-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

I have been working this week on my new website.

A slightly easier format for me to update and add new products. Whilst I loved my old website, it was a beast to try and update.

So hopefully this new site will be easier to navigate, feel free to drop me a message to tell me what you think.

Always trying to evolve my website, so your feedback will be read with much interest.

www.chris-parry.co.uk

Gosh, a long time with no blog...

2010-11-13T17:05:00.001-08:00

Here is a recent commission of a local couple.

A 6mm pearl set atop a 9k white gold ring ,set with 19 x 2mm diamonds.

The design was sketched out by the young man and I had great fun in turning it into reality

..and the winner is.....

2010-07-15T16:13:00.002-07:00

I had a wee competition, a give away of a fingerprint plectrum.

To find the random winner, I asked on a forum for someone to pick a number at random

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?page=1&thread_id=6575592

The number was 7, so the winner is Jax from the comment section, being the 7th comment.

Congratulations Jax. thanks to everyone for entering.

Win your own fingerprint plectrum.......

2010-06-24T08:55:00.001-07:00

Win your own sterling silver fingerprint plectrum.

This is a free to enter competition, and all you have to do is leave a message here on this blog entry, telling me why you would find this the perfect gift.

The winner will be picked at random on July 10th 2010, 17.00 GMT.

I will then require your fingerprint via e-mail or through the post and I will engrave it and a name onto one of my handmade sterling silver plectrums and send it to you , wherever you are in the world.

Couldn't be more simple, good luck.

Angel wings in sterling silver.

2010-06-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

I was asked by a lovely lady to make a pair of Angel wings in stelring silver to serve as a pendant in memory of her mother.

This was a delightful commission to create and I do hope that this bespoke design brings much comfort.

Fingerprint keyfob.

2010-06-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Joanne came into my shop and ordered this funky present for her hubby. A set of sterling silver discs, with her kids fingerprints on. Each fob is hallmarked and on the reverse side carrys the childs name and date fo birth.

This was great fun to make and great fun to get the kids to sit still to take their prints. In truth, they were all as good as gold, probably trying to work out why this strange man was taking their prints!

Fingerprint jewellery is certainly very popular at the moment. Personally I don't use precious metal clay (PMC) for this task as it is too soft. The fine silver that is produced is not suitable to the wear and tear that these items get and you would soon have the fingerprint disappear.

I recently had someone come into my shop with some PMC cuff links they had bought elsewhere and the prints had all but gone.

Part TWO. Hand engraving a wax seal (coat of arms or family crest)

2010-06-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

So the shield was engraved to a nice depth and an impression was taken to ensure it all looked OK.

This particular design, has a horizontal bar, which was engraved in and the depth checked with the plasticene.

Next to bew engraved was the three diamond shapes. Again, the plasticene is used to check the impression.

I missed aphoto, but you can see that I have now engraved a helmet from a suit of armour.

I use the plasticene by pressing it onto the surface of the metal. This leaves behind a film of grease onto the metal. You can now draw in pencil onto the grease and it leaves a nice crisp pencil outline. Once I am happy with the scroll, I then engrave the pattern on one side.

I then mirror the scroll pattern onto the other side and engrave that as well. Once I am happy that all the elements work, it is then ready to be burnished, polished and mounted onto a handle.

Here is the finished piece, mounted onto a handmade teak handle. I can hand engrave your own coat of arms or crest to make your own unique gift. Click here for details.

Part ONE. Hand engraving a seal. ( A coat of arms or family crest)

2010-06-15T15:34:00.001-07:00

This is what I am going to be engraving today. It is the Parry coat of arms. I will make some modifications to the artwork, but in essence I will be engraving my family coat of arms onto a piece of silver.

I will then mount this on a wooden handle, to make a "Parry" seal which can be used with melted wax. The tradition of sealing letters with melted wax, and using your official seal dates baack hundreds of years.

You can either engrave the entire coat of arms, just the crest. The crest is usually a helmet or an animal, or just the name with some swirling scrolls. Ultimately, your official seal, is whatever you want it to be. So nowadays you could have an X-Box and HD TV if you so wished it. These coat of arms however are just traditional.

These designs can be engraved onto signet rings, cuff links, wax seal stamps.....

So this post might take too long in one hit, so I will star and ight carry it over onto another day.
the picture above is my engravers ball vice. it is really heavy so it doesn't budge when you are working on it. It grips the piece you are engraving and at the same time, allows you to rotate the whole top section.

It is a bit like a bowling ball sitting on a ring, you can angle it, rotate it, and this version even allows you to re-centre it, but that is for the real engraving nerd!

The toothbrush in the picture, is because I like minty breath as I work. OK, it is actually just a really handy little brush to clean the piece as you go.

The picture above is a little homemade rack holding my different sized engraving tools. Each is slightly different in width and shape. I have colour coded the handles so I can tell them apart easier.

A close up of some of my tools, that I use to engrave. Top to bottom, we have a 1.2mm wide flat engraver, a steel burnishing tool with homemade ergonomic handle made from Jet Set from Rio Grande. A square engraver, used to do line work and script letters and finally an agate burnishing tool. used to smooth metal and give a high polish.

Here is the piece that I am working on. A 20mm circle of sterling silver. I have marked out a simple shield design and using the tools above, I have engraved a shallow depth of about 0.5mm.

As I progress, I use a piece of modelling clay (plasticene), to take an impression. This helps me to see how neat the edges are and how deep the engraving is.

Please come back to see the next stages and feel free to leave a comment.

Custom wedding rings.

2010-06-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Of course, one of my passions is making custom wedding rings.

For me, there is an absolute thrill in taking a clients brief, and creating and designing the exact ring that the client is after. As a designer, it is not about trying to predict future trends, it is all about teasing out of a client, what turns them on. What metal and what style they like.

Some clients are easier to workwith than others, that is a given. However, with enough help, most clients suddenly realise, what it is that makes their dream ring. Sometimes it can be as simple as a chunky band with a hand engraved Roman font.

It is the making of custom wedding rings that for me, eclipses all other aspects of a wedding. Of course, I am going to say that, I am a jeweller. But name anything else that has the longevity of a wedding band from a wedding day. Sure, pics hang around in an album. The dress will be packed away in the attic. The marriage certificate ends up in a shoe box, but it is the wedding band that quite literally grows with you. That sees the good times and bad.

You will not make any other purchase that will stay with you the entirety of your life. Cars and houses will come and go. So give your wedding band some extra thought, and have one handmade by someone who really cares.

Sterling silver golf ball marker

2010-06-14T07:07:00.001-07:00

A young lady came into my shop today. Just so happens she is getting married on Saturday. She was with her friend, and they both perused the shop. whilst they were looking at the jewellery cabinets, they happened across my sterling silver golf ball markers.

For those not in "the know", when you are on the green, waiting to sink your putt, you take turns. The ettiquette, is that he who is furthest from the hole, takes their shot first, and so on, until all balls are sunk. If your ball is in the way, you are supposed to mark where the ball lies, and temporarily remove your ball.

So these sterling silver golf ball markers are a touch of luxury, to give to that golf fanaticwho already has it all.

They can be personalised, and in this case, the young lady wanted just the date hand engraving onto the marker.

Now, it has to be said, that I love hand engraving. There is something really pleasing about gouging out the metal, from a highly polished surface, leaving a beautiful bright cut engraving. This is the sort of finish that a machine just can't replicate. God, I hate those machine engravers with a passion. The quality of line that a machine leaves is just so poor.

So, I simply rub some modelling clay (plasticene) over the shiny metal. This leaves a greasy film over the metal. Then with a crisp 0.3mm mechanical pencil, I draw the lettering on. The pencil line, stands out brilliantly on the greasy surface. If I make a mistake with the pencil, I simply rub my finger over the surface and start again.

Once I am happy with my artwork (it can easily be brushed off by mistake, so great care is now required not to accidentally smudge it). I then clamp th epiece in my ball vice and engrave away by hand. (For those who know the skill, I am a pusher, I don't use an air engraver)

So, this is the result of a young lady treating her future hubby to a little bit of luxury, just god help him if he loses it in the club house.

If you'd like to order one as well, please click here to visit my shop.

Hand engraved money clip

2010-06-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Another recent little commission. A fingerprint hand engraved on to a handmade sterling silver money clip, complete with "Rob" bright cut in an old fashioned script.

There is something really rewarding about hand engraving a piece of jewellery. If you have an idea, drop me a line of you can order your own version here.

Fingerprint on a silver guitar plectrum

2010-06-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Just completed this fingerprint, hand engraved onto a sterling silver guitar plectrum.

If you are interested, you can order your very own by visiting my shop here.

hand engraved money clip.

2010-04-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Really pleased with how this commission turned out. I have started hand engraving, having been practicing for ages. It is the kind of skill that requires methodical practice.

I am now finding it devilishly difficult to photograph, as the engraving is "bright" cut and the metal itself is highly polished. It is hard enough at the bestof times to take a picture of a piece of jewellery, but it is even harder when you are trying to capture the delicate engraved lines as well.

I shall continue to improve on the photos so that you can see the detail more clearly.

Frankie's footprint pendant

2010-03-29T10:45:00.001-07:00

Stephanie came to see me and commissioned this little pendant. A permanent reminder of her son Frankie.

I was honoured to undertake such a commission and to provide a pendant just as Stephanie wanted it.

Personalised silver ring with hearts.

2010-03-20T02:49:00.000-07:00

A recent commission in sterling silver.

An oxidised inscription sits inside the ring with the outer edge covered shoulder to shoulder in tiny hearts.

Wedding Ring Inscriptions.

2010-03-10T15:28:00.001-08:00

The one thing I am asked most, is

"What can we have engraved on our wedding rings?"

The simple answer is

"Anything"

I find most couples want something that is personal to themselves. So typically the inscription relates to their "pet" names for each other. Maybe a "cute" saying that they have. It might be a significant date, if not the date for the wedding.

In addition I find couples going , not for an obvious inscription, but something a little bit more cryptic. This might be a symbol, from the much used symbol for eternity (looks like an 8 lying on its side), to a musical note, a chinese word, or even a cartoon character, such as Woodstock from the Peanuts strip.

I have done the date in regular numerals, in Roman numerals and the most unusual is the date stamp in seconds from the dawn of the digital age (He was an I.T. guy)

Ring inscriptions have also used quotes from favourite films, lyrics, poems and novels.

I really don't hink it matters where the inscription comes from, as long as it has some meaning to you both.

Of course there is the more obvious statements such as those listed below

Yours forever.

I love you.

Faithfully yours.

You should also consider one of these quotes in another language, beit Latin, French, Italian or whatever. Sometimes, a rather dull English quote becomes that much more exotic in another tongue.

I have another page of quote inscriptions, that you can find here.

Have fun choosing your ring inscription, talk about what you both want or decide that you will each choose an inscription for each others ring and keep it a secret.

9k gold pendant

2010-03-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

A recent commission in 9k gold for Pamela. The inner hoop is in a hammered finish in 9k red gold. The outer loop and bail are in 9k yellow gold annd both polished.

Pamela came into to see me to discuss the design and the relevant sizes and scale of the piece.

Fingerprint cuff links witha wee heart.

2010-03-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

Mrs Silverton popped into my shop with her two lovely kids. They each did a fingerprint and I added a wee heart to each. Then I made these unique sterling silver cuff links for Mr Silverton.

I recently had an e-mail from a chap, who received a similar unique gift from his better half. In his words "I have thrown all my other cuff links in the bin, as I'll never wear a different set"

It is such a nice part of my job, hearing back from clients, and how much they have enjoyed giving or receiving the items.

Etsy Interview

2010-03-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to have been interviewed and "twittered" about by Etsy.

You can read the full article by CLICKING HERE

I have been selling on Etsy now for a little over two years and the exposure is of course great. It has bought me clients from all over the world and to date, I have sent a commission to each continent!!!

It is quite amazing when an order comes through from obscure far flung countries, and it is such a lovely thought, to know that my pieces are being enjoyed the world over.

I haven't kept track, but I reckon I have sent at least one item to each of the USA states and what makes me smile the most, is that I have exported goods to China. I have certainly bought enough from China in my life, so nice to send something back.

Thanks for stopping by.

Child's drawing onto cuff links.

2010-03-04T03:34:00.001-08:00

I love my job as I get asked to make all sorts of special commissions. Here a child's drawings of a cat and mouse were hand engraved onto some cuff links that I made for the purpose.

I'm going to do so more like this soon, so keep popping back to have a look.

Blog Carnival. 20 things to kick start your creativity..

2010-02-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

This is part of the infamous blog Carnival series.

The blog Carnival is a group of metal artists belonging to EtsyMetal who, on the first Monday of every month, share a blog post on the same topic. This month, the topic is

"Create an inspirational 20 things to do, to kick start creativity."

1) Draw a biscuit as you eat it, stage by stage.
2) Make a picture using some ink and only blowing through a straw.
3) Write a ten point instruction manual for something really mundane, like opening your car.
4) Draw a picture of yourself in a mirror using toothpaste.
5) Try to copy your signature using your other hand
6) Go outside and find the first piece of rubbish you find, then write a 200 word history for it.
7) Open a newspaper, point at a word with your eyes closed, then draw a picture to help illustrate that word.
8) Tap madly at the keyboard on google, then vist those pages it suggests.
9) Get a helium balloon, and write some instructions on a waterproof label for the finder to follow. Perhaps to contact you somehow. Then let it go.
10) Draw a can of food taking 10 mins to capture all the detail
11) Draw the same can of food, but only in 2 mins
12) Draw the same can of food with your eyes tightly closed.
13) Send a stamped blank greeting card out with each sale. Ask the buyer to draw a picture and send the card back
14) Draw a picture on some concrete using just water on a hot day
15) Point at a map blindly, go to that exact location and draw it or find some debris to take home
16) Take a book, read a page at random, then draw something inspired by that page
17) Take a shoe and two pieces of paper- draw two pictures of the shoe at the same time using both hands
18) Cut up a potato and use it to do some paint printing.
19) Scribble madly for 5 seconds in a round motion ona piece of paper, then create a monster from your sketch (See picture above)
20) Make a mad list of 20 things to do if your stuck for creativity, then pick one at random.

If you have enjoyed this post, please check out the other bloggers on the same theme,

1. http://www.chris-parry.blogspot.com/ - Chris Parry
2. http://www.sarawestermark.blogspot.com/ - Sara Westermark
3. http://www.kmjewelrystudio.blogspot.com/ -Katie Miess Kohlhagen
4. http://annhartleystudio.blogspot.com/ - Ann Hartley
5. http://www.amandaconley.blogspot.com/ - Amanda Conley
6. http://wildflowerdesigns.blogspot.com - stacey
7. http://www.evemmetalsmith.blogspot.com - Esther Eve
8. http://www.jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com/- 2Roses
9. http://www.fluxplay.blogspot.com - Maria W
10. http://cosmosmoonjewelry.blogspot.com
11. http://vtakahashi.blogspot.com/ - Victoria Takahashi/Experimetal
12. http://lunatic-art.blogspot.com [Berenice Schaltegger]
13. http://brookemedlin.com/blog (Brooke Arin Medlin)
14. http://metalriot.blogspot.com (Thomasin Durgin/Metalriot)
15. http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com - Beth Cyr
15. http://catherinechandler.blogspot.com/ - Catherine Chandler

Drumsticks

2010-02-25T09:03:00.000-08:00

I do enjoy mu job, as I get asked to make all sorts, not all of which has its photo taken, but I just snapped a quick photo of these.

Sterling silver drumsticks.

A tame squirrel

2010-02-21T04:46:00.000-08:00

Just had a very tame squirrel come and take a piece of bread from my hand.

I know they're just tree rats, but still quite cute.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

A custom handmade wedding ring....

2010-02-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

Chris and Sara came to see me about making a pair of handmade wedding rings. A lovely couple but Sara's problem was her "shaped" engagement ring.

Her e-ring design, meant that she couldn't simply go and get an "off-the-shelf" wedding band. so what to do? I handmade this 18k white gold band , set with 5 3pt (2mm) diamonds.

The result is a truly unique ring as it will only ever fit her ring perfectly. A bit of a Cinderella's shoe type thing. Sure lots of girls could have got Cinderella's glass shoe on, but it would only ever fit one foot perfectly.

Feb Blog Carnival - A Ring A Day

2010-01-31T07:58:00.000-08:00

mmmm, so what is a "Blog Carnival" and what is "A Ring A Day"? I hear you ask.

Well, to begin with I belong to a small group of metal artists where we set ourselves little challenges every now and again. the group can be found here etsymetal.com

There is a diverse range of techniques and styles and we principally are there to help one another in our craft. It is great to be part of. The group grows slowly when we invite anyone to apply to join twice a year (Jan & June). The group votes on those who we would like to join.

So that is the group, and within the group we set ourselves little challenges. It is not mandatory to join in, but just fun to do so.

We then also organise a "Blog Carnival". This is where those wishing to particpate, blog on the first Monday of the month, on a given topic.

So this month's topic is "What is you favourite from the Ring A Day?" Now before I go prattling on, the "Ring a Day" challenge was nothing more than a creative exercise to create and record the efforts of making a ring. The given ring had to be neither practical nor useful and any material could be used in the making of it. The exercise was not to produce a commercially viable piece, it was more about getting the creative juices flowing.

My personal favourite from my own creations was turning one of my jewellery books into a ring. As you have probably guessed, it has zero practical use but just makes me laugh.

I have tons of favourites from the other talented jewellers on Flickr, but I haven't worked out how to link to their pics from this blog, so suffice to say you will have to go and check out the Flickr page or more importantly at the bottom of this blog entry, you will find links to other bloggers. Go see what they are chatting about.

We then shared our efforts on a Flickr page.

The most interesting thing for me on the "Ring A Day" challenge, was the number of ideas that came to mind. I now have bags of ideas to make, but the practicality of running my business, creating commissions and being a family man, have meant that I haven't created a ring every single day, I don't see that a s a failure, as I kind of knew that life would get in the way.

Initially, I was thinking how on earth am I going to come up with a new idea every day, but as time progresses, it actually becomes easier.

I never got around to taking pics of some of my creations, but all of them are helping me to develop new designs. You can think of the process of as doodling with materials. Sometimes a texture, a pattern, or the scale of a piece will influence the design of a piece of jewellery that can be made into silver, gold, palladium or platinum.

It is Feb nd I have lots of ideas to make some more "Rings A Day"

I'll be posting those ideas here and on my Flickr page, so feel free to pop by and have a look or drop me a line.

So here are all the Blog Carnival participants. Please do visit and see what they have to say on this month's theme. " A Ring A Day." There are some fab blog entries out there.

Alisa Miller http://alisamiller.blogspot.com
Colleen Baran http://seeseebe.blogspot.com/
Danielle Miller http://daniellemillerjewelry.blogspot.com/
stacey hansen http://wildflowerdesigns.blogspot.com
Chris Parry http://chris-parry.blogspot.com
kerin rose http://kerinrose.blogspot.com
Sara Westermark http://sarawestermark.blogspot.com/
Victoria Takahashi http://vtakahashi.blogspot.com/
Su Trindle http://quercussilver.blogspot.com/
Nina Dinoff http://ninadinoff.blogspot.com/
Maureen "Cosmo's Moon" BZ http://cosmosmoonjewelry.blogspot.com
Thomasin Durgin http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Colleen Baran http://seeseebe.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewerly.blogspot.com
Caitlyn Davey/discomedusa http://discomedusa.typepad.com
Catherine Chandler http://catherinechandler.blogspot.com/

Valentines fast approaching.

2010-01-29T01:52:00.001-08:00

Only a couple of weeks until that big romantic day is here.

Pop into the shop to pick up a little gift for your dearest. Sometimes it's just the little things like the little ceramic gift tag ( pictured)

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

iPad - WOW

2010-01-28T02:17:00.000-08:00

So they don't need any more publicity, especially little ol' me mentioning it on my blog !!! however, I do think they are about to put a rocket up the bottom of the laptop/PC market.

They have created a cross between an iPhone, a laptop and soemthing you would see in Star Trek or Minority Report, or come to mention it, someone in Avatar was walking around with something similar!!

To think only 10 years ago, to have built something capable of what the iPhone can do, using the tech of 1999, you would have ended up with something the size of a couple of house bricks.

So just imagine what will be available and the size of such devices in 10 years.

I confess, I was a mobilephonephobe. I had one, but hated it. Then the usability and versatility of the iPhone now means I can accomplish , see and do so much with my little phone. I can twitter, blog, check my orders, reply to e-mails, check on the news, check my bank account, play a game, listen to my fav music and gosh the list goes on.

There will be a stampede to get the iPad and I will probably be at the front somewhere. So apologies now if I trample you in the rush.

Ring A Day 18/365

2010-01-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

Here is my "ring a day" for day 18.

If you are unaware of the theme, it is as simple as creatinga ring each day from whatever, in as much time as it pleases it you. The ring neither has to be practical nor serve a purpose. Think of it as doodling without paper.

So this one amused me. I was going to use a "how to make jewellery" book, then saw this on my shelf and had to turn it into a ring.

Marks out of ten for being practical 0 /10. Marks out of 10 for making me laugh 10/10

Ring a day 5/365

2010-01-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

Love the naive and non-uniform nature of this ring.

I created this silver ring as part of my "Ring A Day " series. This is 5/365 and came about after a little doodling exercise.

Sometimes it is rather relaxing to make something on a whim.

Bespoke fingerprint cuff links with a heart.

2010-01-17T13:18:00.001-08:00

Really pleased with how these turned out.

A bespoke pair of cuff links in sterling silver featuring the bride-to-be's fingerprint and a little heart that she had drawn onto her print.

This little pair went off to sunny America.

It is safe to say that this is the only pair in the world.

London day out.

2010-01-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

Have been at the Top Drawer trade show today looking for some exciting new products to sell in my shop.

I'm really pleased with the orders that I've placed and can't wait to take delivery of the new items. Some will be with me in a week or two and other bits will take a month or two to arrive.

All very exciting. I'll post some more details when I have some product shots.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Fun app for iPhone

2010-01-16T23:54:00.000-08:00

This is a fun little app."Lego" let's you turn a photo into a mosaic of Lego bricks.

All I need now is 5,000 Lego bricks !!!!!

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Avatar

2010-01-15T16:48:00.001-08:00

Gosh.

Went to see the film Avatar in 3D. Just "Gosh".

If you have seen it then you know what I mean. If you haven't seen it, then go and see it and I promise you will come out and say "Gosh"

This film will be a defining motion picture by which others will be judged.

It is just breathtaking.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Ring A Day

2010-01-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

This appeals to my sense of humour.

Part of my ring a day challenge.

Most people display their jewellery to show their wealth and staus in life. Why not just show everyone your spending potential!!!

Ring A Day 13/365

2010-01-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

Part of my ring a day series.

13/365

Made in sterling silver with a hammered battered finish. the ring is a deep 3mm round shank and has a free spinning 9k yellow gold ring on it. Perfect if you like fiddling with your jewellery!

Ring a day 10/365

2010-01-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Have I cheated? No, there aren't really any rules anyway!

I created this on my iPhone using the " Typedrawing" app.

For me, virtually all the rings I make start life as a drawing, so this is quite natural and I have dozens of books with drawings of un-made rings.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

iPhone app of the week

2010-01-06T17:09:00.001-08:00

Another useful little app for the iPhone " simplemindx"

It allows you to create mind maps quite quickly and is very easy to use.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

New iPhone app

2010-01-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

A fun little iPhone app called " shakeitphoto" that turns a pic into an old Polaroid type snap.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Ring a day 2

2010-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

This is great. Part of the ring a day challenge and carrying on with my " found" theme.

Here a very temporary ring made from bubbles.

It might not be practical. It might challenge what your perception of a ring is, but in essence , it is a ring.

I have got a cracking idea for tomorrows " ring a day"

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Ring a day 1

2010-01-01T10:30:00.001-08:00

Ring a day 1,
originally uploaded by Chris Parry.

The most important part of creating is the "play" aspect.

I am taking part in a ring-a-day challenge where the task is to make a ring from any material, be it practical or not.

The task is not to make a pratical ring but to explore form, texture, shape and ideas.

The paperclips were stolen from my daughters private stock. (She's only six so probably won't notice!!)

My new shop is open...

2009-12-31T07:05:00.001-08:00

It was all a bit of a rush and I still have some shop fitting to do, but my new shop is open. I opened on 4th Dec and it has been manic ever since.

I am actually looking forward to Jan, so that I can catch up on e-mails. I have a whole bunch that I simply haven't had time to respond to.

You can see more pics of my shop on my flickr page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris-parry

Signed today

2009-11-16T03:32:00.001-08:00

Things are gettingvery close to completion now. I have signed all the legal paperwork and I am just awaiting a confirmation of a handover date. Then we are looking at a couple of weeks shopfitting before opening hopefully early December.

A busy month is loming....

New shop getting closer

2009-11-11T01:44:00.000-08:00

All so very exciting.

I will be signing the legal stuff within the week and will take possession of the empty shop hopefully next week.

I am then looking at a 2 week shop fit before I move the contents from my current shop down to my new larger shop in town.

So I am working to a speculative opening date of 1st December.

On holiday...

2009-10-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

The school half term is here and I am away on a short holiday with my family. I will be travelling the roads in Wales but will be back to work on Monday 2nd November.

Feel free to drop me a message visit my websites or make a purchase.

All messages and purchases will be attended to upon my return on the 2nd Nov.

(The picture was a quick watercolour sketch that I did when I was last in Wales.)

Bye for now

Chris

It don't look much....

2009-10-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

OK. It doesn't look a million dollars at the moment. This will hopefully be my new shop once all the legal stuff is done.

Some shopfitting, a lick of paint, new signage and it will be my new home.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Alarm bells ?

2009-10-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

Off to meet with my Alarm company at my new shop premise. My business insurance requires the fitting of a state of the art, all singing, all dancing, makes you a cup of tea in the morning kind of alarm system. I still think my kids would be better !!!

So a quick chat with them at the new shop, where to install the trap door, the poisoned arrows, the 20 ton crushing anvil that drops from the ceiling.

I am slowly pulling together a colour/design board for the shop fitting which will hopefully commence in Novemeber. The shopfitting and then the moving into the new unit will probably take 2 weeks in total.

So I am very much hoping that I can move in by mid Novemeber, but this all hinges on the legal stuff being completed on schedule !!

Moving on…

2009-10-04T01:42:00.001-07:00

Very excited as I will soon be moving shop.

I am currently in a smallish shop which suited my needs 2 1/2 years ago, but I have now outgrown it.

I have been negotiating with the agent for the landlords who own the shop. The shop is located smack bang in the middle of town. It is in the primary shopping center and on the main drag along with the big retail boys.

Located just yards from the likes of Boots, Argos , Whsmiths, and the Post Office. Not to mention a gaggle of other high street brands.

The move will mean that my retail environment will more than double in size and that my workshop space will quadruple in size. It will be really great as my current workshop is really cramped. And having the extra room for all my tools will be just ace.

Now we have agreed the terms for the new shop, the legal stuff will probably start tomorrow. Unless there is legal complication, I should be moving into my new shop in November.

Tis all very exciting.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Off on my Summer Hols.....

2009-08-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog.

Feel free to have a look around and a gawp at my Flickr pages or personal website.

I am not around though. I am on my summer hols and will be back 4th September.

Thanks for stopping by.

Fingerprint Rings

2009-08-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

Been away from the blog for a spell. Just hectic with work and with the family, but I am back to my old routie, so a little time to spend blogging.

Here is my latest creation. I take the clients fingerprint and using some special magic, I make a ring using their unique mark.

I can make these rings to any given width and in any metal. Silver, gold, palladium or platinum. The golds, I can make it in white, yellow or red gold.

EtsyMetal Blog Carnival

2009-05-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

EtsyMetal Blog Carnival... So what is a blog carnival? I hear you ask.

A small group of Etsy Metal members with their own blogs write a short article on a given day subject. We will be doing this the first Friday of each month and our topic this fine May is

"What/who inspires you in making jewellery?"

I like drawing and I have more sketch books on the go than you can shake a stick at. Here are a couple of my brain storming sketches. These are largely derived from still life studies.

The whole point of sketching for me, is simply exploring ideas, whether they ever get translated into jewellery is a whole different matter.

I work largely to commission so I end up working on clients own pieces and therefore I am guided by their preferences.

I keep promising myself that I will get back to making one-off pieces that satisfy my need to play with materials be it platinum, concrete or wood.

Jewellery is about adornement but we get so hung up on perceived value by using precious items.

I have a whole stack of ideas and in all honesty I could probably make new items for a couple of years without taking a breath, but in the meantime bills have to paid and my commissions keep me off the streets.

So my inspiration for my personal work comes from distilling observational drawings.

That is my story...please go and have a look what the others have to say.....
http://ninadinoff.blogspot.com/
http://ninagibsondesigns.blogspot.com/
http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
http://deliasstudioinc.blogspot.com

2009-04-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Spent a cloudy day in Whitstable. It is nice to get out and unwind for a bit, even if you do have to go back to the workshop.

There is a great little coffee shop we always go in. "Rendez-vous. "

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

First time for everything...

2009-04-26T00:28:00.001-07:00

Got myself a new gadget. So far I like it a lot,as it allows me to access everthing online whilst I am out and about. So this is my first test post.

Here is an acrylic canvas I did with the kids when they were young. A surprise for my beautiful wife.

-- Posted From My iPhone. Blogging when I am not stuck indoors.

Your finger print on silver cuffs.

2009-04-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Is this the perfect gift for the groom on the big day?

How about a special anniversary or the next birthday?

You just can't get a more unique idea than your finger print on their cuff links.

Each pair is made from scratch using a print supplied by you.

For full details CLICK HERE

Your finger print on your own pendant

2009-04-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

I have been perfecting this technique. The process itself is my own little secret and I won't be sharing that here.

You can have your lover's finger print (or the kids, best mate etc.) transferred permanently onto a sterling silver heart shaped pendant. Complete with chain.

Click here to see more.

Not all that glitters is gold......

2009-04-07T01:43:00.000-07:00

A little story goes with this ring.

A customer brought this into me and asked me if it was real. At the time it was a very shiny gold colour. (It had been gold plated.)

Inside the ring, you can just make out two marks a 750 and a 18k. Both presuming to mean that it is 18k gold.

However, when he gave it to me, the colour of the gold was wrong and the weight as well. The spurious marks also made me feel this ring was a fake.

So I put it under my torch and as you can see the resulting black mess proves that it is just a brass/copper metal underneath.

It does infact look like a plumbers olive. Something used by plumber in the UK when installing water pipes in houses.

The client had bought this ring from a beggar in Lonodon for £5 and his own words, "it was worth a gamble".

You could probably buy a 100 of these olives for a £5.

So the beggar was no ordinary beggar, as he clearly had access to a gold plating unit, so he was in fact probably a scam artist.

Then about six months later, a lady bought an identical ring in to me and I gave her the same bad news, but she insisted it had been in her family for years (Probably just embarrassed that she had parted with good money for a fake)

Be warned you all, not all that glitters is gold

Please help me by answering a simple question.

2009-03-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

A sterling silver ring.

2mm wide and stamped with your own message.

Made just for you from scratch , to your own ring size.

These rings are great for stacking or just wearing on their own.

Please help me by honestly answering what you would pay for a handmade ring like this.

Loading...

Blog Carnival -

2009-03-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the Blog Carnival. A monthly topic is discussed by several individual jewellery artists. We all discuss the same topic and you can visit their blogs at the end of this short article.

This month's topic

" What was your biggest mistake or worst workbench disaster? "

I am struggling to think of a huge mistake that I have made. Lots of silly little mistakes, but nothing that couldn't be remedied and hardly ever costly.

I have probably melted the odd earring post, as I have soldered them onto earrings.

(The picture shows a recent acid etched design)

I remember acid etching a design once. The point of the exercise, is to paint a design onto a piece of metal using special paint. You leave the artwork that you desire as clear metal and cover everything else in the paint. The piece is then dropped into acid and the exposed metal is eaten away by the acid. You leave it in the acid for an hour or so until the acid has reached a satisfactory depth.

You then remove the item, wash it, remove the special paint and hey presto your piece is ready for the next stage.

However on one ocassion, I popped the piece into the acid and then promptly went home !!!!!

The next morning I came in and the metal had completely disappeared, leaving the thin membrane of paint behind. DOH !!

Tonya Davidson
Lorrene Davis
Marco Fleseri
Tamra Gentry
Lora Hart
Elaine Luther
Kirsten Skiles
Angela Crispin

2009-03-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just uploaded this little video showing one of my latest creations. Hope you like it. More photos can be seen here.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22509990

Repaired Rings - The result

2009-03-18T12:42:00.001-07:00

So here are the two rings after they have been repaired.

I am very pleased with how they both turned out. The wedding band required re-sizing up 4 UK sizes, so had to have 4mm worth of new metal inserted.

The half eternity ring required a new sapphire and for the setting which broke to be strengthened.

All in all a pleasing result.

Broken rings being repaired.

2009-03-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

A local lady bought two rings in for repair. The wedding band couldn't be removed as over the years her hands had grown in size. It therefore had to be cut off.

It now needs to be repaired and re-sized up 4 UK sizes.

The half eternity ring had simply broken across one of the settings. So a replacement stone is required and the ring needs to be fixed.

Some new pics.

2009-03-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with a new photo set-up. Basically a new backdrop and a new lighting set-up. It isn't perfect but I think it is a step in the right direction.

I will be taking some more shots and tweaking the set-up over the forthcoming weeks.

It is fun, but quite time consuming as well.

A great UK tool catalogue

2009-03-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

My father introduced me to these guys - Squires.

If you are based in the UK it is worth a look. If you are lucky enough to live near Bognor Regis, then I believe they have ashop there.

Their website isn't up and running yet, but you can ask them to send you a catalogue. Mine has just arrived and it is over 400 pages aand packed with all sorts of tools and some model and craft supplies.

Of course my interest lies in jewellery tools and there is a good selection to choose from.

I believe they are also bringing out some catalogues for other crafts, so drop them an e-mail.

Special Offer & Save $20

2009-03-08T09:48:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to bring you this special offer for this week only. Available until and including 14th March 2009.

My First Album Cover.

2009-02-27T14:57:00.001-08:00

Here is my first album cover.

Or what might be, if only I formed a band.....

Here is what you do

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

++++++

that's it, let me know what your album cover looks like.

Newsletter Winners....

2009-02-24T06:44:00.001-08:00

On the 19th January, I posted this thread offering all newsletter subscribers the chance to win one of three rings that were up for grabs

The draw took place the other day and the three winners are

Heather Purvis
Claire Shearer
Amanda Cusick

They have all been contacted, and I am awaiting their instructions as to how they would like their ring personalised.

Each ring is made in sterling silver to their given ring size and a short quote is added.

Each and every time I run such a prize draw, I include anyone on my newsletter mailing list. So for your chance to win on the next draw (which will be announced later this week) simply sign your self up for my newsletter.

I stumbleupon, do you?

2009-02-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Soemthing I use when I am a tiny bit bored is Stumbleupon.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

It is quite a neat little toolbar add-on for your browser.

In a nutshell, here is how it works. If you find a site you like, you can give it a thumbs up.

Other users of stumbleupon can then browse everyone elses favourites.

So you end up seeing some quite good websites which would have otherwise passed you by. You can also set it to show you only certain types of websites that interest you - like humour and weddings or perhaps IT and tennis. So whatever floats your boat, it is a good way for browsing the web.

Today is the last day of my hols and I am back to real life tomorrow. So any e-mails sent will be read and deleted then. This post was actually written 10 days ago when i was feeling all organised.

3D Art.

2009-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Simply beautiful and you can see their website here

http://www.deplastilina.com/editorial/ed2.html

Some brilliant work.

Just thought I would share.

you think you have troubles?

2009-02-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I received my passport in the mail. They got my birthdate wrong. Then I picked up my birth certificate that I had sent in with the application. Turns out my parents have been celebrating my birthday on the wrong day for 16 years. FML

OK, this isn't me, but a website where people post their amusing stories.

Warning that some are a bit crude as it is all about "how life sucks.."

http://www.fmylife.com/top

I am back from my hols in a few days, so will pick up any e-mails you have sent me then. This post was written over a week ago and scheduled for release today, so no, I am not a sad loser blogging whilst I am on holiday. I am a sad loser who blogged in advance before I went away on hols. LOL

Bookmark!

2009-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Quite a neat idea from this blog

http://dsharp.typepad.com/dsharp/

simply cut the corner from an old envelope and grab a biro to create your very own and lets face it, very cheap bookmark.

This is a scheduled post, written a week ago, as I am still on my happy hols, with my happy little family.

On a diet?

2009-02-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Using the magic of the internet, this post was written a week ago and pre-arranged to be published today.

I am actually away on hols, but I still wanted to publish something on the blog whilst I was gone.

Here is todays fab find

laurawallstaylor.etsy.com

Looking to update your crockery? Look no further.

quite a catch....nursery room perhaps?

2009-02-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

A sweet little print available to order form

GumballGrenade.etsy.com

now wouldn't that look neat on the nursery room.

So do you know anyone with a little one on the way? Plan aead and be prepared for the big day.

Anyone can buy some baby clothes , but only someone special will get soemthing this cute.

before you go sending me an e-mail....I am actually not here. I am away on hols and this is a scheduled post that I wrote a week ago. I am actually sitting by the pool sipping an ice cold beer!