New Projects For The New Year

So where has the time gone? I had a few days off work for the Christmas period and don't seem to have achieved much.

What did I get for Chrissy? Quite a bit. What do you get a jewllery designer for Chrissy? Well I got some much needed money, smellies, make-up and ..... "drum roll" ...... beads and 4 jewellery design books.

OK I was also a year older on the 27th, so what else did I get? Well more money, more jewellery design books and ........ "another drum roll" .................... The Twilight Series.

So!!! Before all the design and Twilight books I managed to create these beauties. Hopefully I will find time to get them on my website, beadsmeonline, before the end of this year (woops, don't have much time).


Now? I just can't put "Edward" down. Sorry, the Twilight series. What can you say? I love it.

My Claim To Fame

I actually thought that my last day at work before the Chrisy break would be easy. Must have been kidding myself. From arriving at 8.15am to 3pm I was non-stop. Almost everyone had left at between 12 and 1pm for the Chrissy party. Good job I didn't want to go.

Well the Chrissy spirit was not in me, after a bitchy comment and noticed whispers my day was spent totally depressed. I even spent 5 minutes to have a little cry. I couldn't get out of this feeling all day.

9.00pm came and I decided to relax with my hub with my Australian Beading magazine. I have had it sitting around for a while now and hadn't had the chance to read it. Well I just got to page 16 and it made my day. I was so excited, even hub was pleased for me. I had a 2nd look and yep it was my creation. I had sent photos in to them months ago and never heard anything and to just turn a page and there is my "vampires mistress" bracelet and earrings. How cool is that!

After a poopy day Australian Beading magazine Vol 2 No 6 made my day. Thank you very much.

Waiting For Christmas Cards

I just popped home today at lunch time to let the dogs out and grab a bite to eat.

Thought I would check the mailbox to see if I needed to pick up any packages from the post office.

Boy was I surprised!!!! This little (well compared to a dog) critter must have been waiting for his/her Christmas packages too. I managed with shaking hands and after 5 attempts to get a decent photo of it and run.

I wasn't sure what it was but have now been informed that it is a Banded Huntsman.

I Could Scream At UK Rules

I am really using this post to vent my anger and try very very hard not to swear. Can you imagine my eyes are wide, my lips tight and my stomach is upside down.

What a way to fill the government coffers. I can just see their bright eyes when this time of the year comes. Rummaging through all those big boxes with goodies. Greedy ~~~~~~!

Who am I on about?? The blooming customs & excise. Rules for gifts £37. Woopie doo dah. What can you get for a loved one for £37.00? Not very much!

I will keep this short but all I did was put my daughters Christmas presents, her partners Christmas presents and my daughters birthday presents all in one box. Logical isn't it?
For my daughter this was a kick in the teeth surprise. To receive her parcel she had to pay £32.27, £24.27 which was VAT and £8.00 Parcelforce clearance fee.

Now if I try to send her some money to compensate this I will be accused of money laundering.

My response to all this - what a load of crap. Lesson learned. Put presents for different people and different occasions in different packages and ship separately. Items that I purchase from the internet, request delivery direct.

Can you see me sitting here with gritted teeth and clenched fist.

Our Holiday In Koh Samui

For those that were following our holiday antics - I am sorry. I did get a bit carried away with new projects for my store

Anyway my last holiday post was about the trip my hub chose - quad biking.
Now the excursion I chose was to go snorkeling around Koh Nangyuan and Koh Tao. Well the heavens opened and it poured complete with thunder and lightening. We still went and we still snorkeled. We were going to get wet anyway!! Early in the morning we caught a ferry to koh Nangyuan, snorkeled for a bit, had lunch in the one restaurant and then another boat to Koh Tao and back. At the end of the day we were very cold and very wet and ready for our beds.It was a great trip and the islands were absolutely beautiful. I just wish we had gone diving instead. Never mind maybe next time.

New Additions to Beadsmeonline.com

Just added some new additions to my website - http://beadsmeonline.com
All three pairs of earrings are created with beautiful glass lampworks handmade by a fellow Etsian - "Imakebeads"Teamed with the lampworks are Swarovski crystals, great for that touch of sparkle.

You can purchase these or others like them from my on line store beadsmeonline

Sure Is Getting Hot Here

Well its hotting up here now and the aircon is on, dogs are panting and we can never sleep properly.
I had to add this clip as it must have been getting VERY hot just up the road from me.
And no, we did not have a clue that this was going on.

Two New Creations To My Website

I have been experimenting again by combining standard brass wire and antiqued brass findings. I just love the finished result.

Stones and findings are thread on to the brass wire which is wire wrapped to antiqued brass jumprings. The jumprings are then attached to the antiqued brass chain.

Doesn't this give you the "vintage" feel? Check out the clasp on the necklace. It's awesome.

If you would like to purchase these you can find them on my website http://beadsmeonline.com/

Black Friday Thru To Cyber Monday Sale

Sale? Where? My Etsy store. When? This Friday (Black Friday) all the way thru to Cyber Monday.

Just go to http://beadsme.esty.com to check out my goodies, make your purchase, pay by Paypal and I will refund your Paypal account with the 15%.

I am offering 15% off store wide (shipping charges not included).

Grab those holiday pressies with 15% discount.

It's Getting Near

It's now that I start to panic. I need to get everything off to the UK. Two are on the way and I need to get a third out next week. So the frantic shopping has almost finished for me and once this last package is out of the way I can concentrate on my husband and son (who just happens to be 18 tomorrow).

Anyway I thought I would help some of you guys out. This year seems to be hard, financially, for a lot of us. If you cannot afford a present go that extra bit with a handmade card which has been made with joy and love by the creator.
I always like to check out Southernscraps for her imaginative cards, totes, tags and now Christmas ornaments.

Practicng My Wirework And Wire Wrapping

I really enjoy working with wire but I have so many problems getting it right. Could this be due to the fact that I am left handed and find that when I look at instructions I have to imagine them the other way around. Or could it be that I am just a dumb blonde after all!!!

This is what I have been working on this weekend, in between doing housey things, nursing a cold and feeling absolutely poopy.I must say I am quite pleased with the outcome. I have seen so many great wireworkers and their wraps are awesome. Just look at this from Shazzabeth.

Isn't this absolutely stunning.

Vintage Clothes Store On Etsy

Well I found this store owners blog and had to click on her Etsy store, Tialeyvintage.

Maybe this is a sign of age but I just love the 70's clothes she has in it. Here are a few of my faves.

This black and white jumpsuit is totally my number 1 favourite. At $38.00 it is a bargain. Sadly, for me, it is small to medium.
This gorgeous, girly skirt is so me. Guess what? It's small/petite, so again it won't be in my shopping basket.
Now this is so sexy. What a great going out dress. I just love the lace, shape and soft colour. Again not my size. Now I am starting to sulk.Click here for more goodies from this store. I will be checking it out regularly.

My Wonderful Almost 18 Year Old Son

I just had to post these pictures of the aftermath of my sons Sunday.

He went out with friends and came home, or should I say his motor came home, like this.
Do I need to say anymore? Yes he went offroading and said to me that he had tried his snorkel out.

I must also add that it is now Tuesday and the vehicle still looks like this.

Beautiful Sky

I will eventually blog some more about our antics in Thailand.

Tonights sky, well what can you say. It's on fire!!!

Gift Idea #7

Thought I would have a short break from blogging about my holiday and pop another idea in for the oncoming holiday season.

I have now listed a few items on my new website beadsmeonline. Take a peek.

These are my favorites from the necklace section:

And don't forget you need those special cards. Take a look at the cards by Southernscraps and order before it's too late.

More ideas to come.

Our Activities In Koh Samui

Here we go again. Trying to keep you guys updated with our holiday adventures can be time consuming.

We have been back to work for a week now and what a shock to the system that is.

We decided that our 8 day stay on the island would be relaxing and no rushing about on daily trips so we agreed to pick one each and that was that. The rest of the days would be spent on the beach (definitely my kinda holiday).

First activity was chosen by my husband - ATV riding in the mountains. Oh dear, did I really agree to this? It's bad enough off roading here in Aus but dirt tracks on the back of an quad?

On arrival they make you do a practice run around a course. Hub enjoyed this and started stropping coz he thought that was it!! It sure looks as though he made a mess.

The quad and us were absolutely filthy by the time we got to the top of the mountain but it was fun. A few times I tried to look over my husbands shoulder and got a face full of mud (very gently wiping it off on the back of his T shirt).

But what a beautiful view once we got to the top. A great stop off for that much needed bottle of water.


After a little rest we went on to check out the Magic Gardens, only accessible with 4x4 vehicles. What a gorgeous garden someone made and all with beautiful ornaments and tiny houses. More riding followed then a lovely dinner after and back down the mountain. I really think going down is worse than going up!!!

The Next Adventure - Koh Samui

After spending 4 days of "shopping till we dropped" we headed off to the island of Koh Samui. This was definitely the relaxation we were looking for.

We stayed at Samui Laguna Resort right on the Lamai Beach and it was excellent. Loved the bungalow that we stayed in and the beach was great. One big problem was that we were not told that renovations were taking place so we were woken up to builders noises every day.

Here are the pics of our bungalow. The last picture just shows how close we were to the beach.


We thoroughly enjoyed the Aloe Vera massages after we got sunburnt.

Around lunch time a guy used to walk the beach with mangos, bananas and corn on the cobs which he would heat up and cover in butter. Refreshing and yummy.

This is where we had breakfast and lunch and on one occassion dinner. All the food that we ate here was fabulous and the staff gave excellent service and were always helpful.The massage ladies were just next to the restaurant so every day that we spent on the beach, by about 4pm, we rolled up red as lobsters for our dosing of aloe vera.












Here we are taking it in turns to have a massage.

On my next few postings I will up date you on the few activities we did on the island and our return back to Bangkok.

First Few Days In Bangkok

We arrived in Bangkok early hours of Monday morning, staying at the Wendy Guest House http://www.wendyguesthouse.com/evos/front/bin/home.phtml
The first room they put us in was so small we asked to be moved. Once we had got our suitcases in we couldn't move. They were very obliging and moved us straight away at no extra cost. I cannot praise the people that work here enough, they were fantastic. For just 1,000 BAHT a day, which includes breakfast, this is well worth staying in if you are in the area. It is a walking distance from the big stores, MBK and Siam Centre.
Talking about stores, we needed to have foot massages as we literally shopped until we dropped. Visited jewelry factories, had made to measure clothes and bought tons of clothes from MBK. MBK can get a bit tedious though, with five floors of shops and nearly everything is the same. Very easy to get lost in there too which we did on numerous occasions.

Even with all the shopping we did we managed to get a few trips in. Hiring a taxi for the day was great. You needed to bartar with them a bit but we managed to get our driver for the day for 2,000 BAHT. He took us to the Floating Market and to see and ride the elephants.
Floating market was a bit like MBK, everything was the same and the boat driver stopped at every stall.
Our elephant ride was an experience but I doubt if we will do it again. The trainer has a hook like tool that he waves in front of the elephant and we actually saw another trainer bashing another elephant very hard on the head. I know they have to be trained but this was upsetting for me.
I really did not like the city (I am a country lass). It was very polluted and smoggy, you could actually smell the fumes walking down the street. We drove around in a "tuk tuk" for our local shopping and that was an experience. They weave in and out of the cars - not for the nervous!

Just Got Back From Thailand

I will spend a little time over the next few days with posts of our trip to Thailand.

We have just arrived back in Sydney today (Monday). We should have arrived on Tuesday. We spent Friday waiting in Bangkok airport to see if we could get on our flight. The problem with flying "staff" is that you are on a standby basis. You can just imagine what happened!!

The flight home was fully booked and we ended up spending another 2 days in Bangkok and $2,000 lighter as we had to arrange another flight. We actually ended up flying to Vietnam and waiting 6 hours for a flight back to Sydney. So at the moment my head is still spinning.

I have plenty to tell you about our highs and lows, likes and dislikes of where we visited and stayed in Thailand.

So watch this space for updates.

Off We Go

Sorry to say there will be no more posts for a couple of weeks. We are off on our annual holiday, yayyyy.
We will be away from 12th October through to the 24th as I will be checking out the sites and loads of beads in Thailand. Here's hoping that we don't get stuck out there as things are not good at the moment.

Feel free to check out my stores. They will remain open but no orders will be delivered until I return.

http://beadsmeonline.com/
http://beadsme.etsy.com/

Also check out my brigade. There's some more pics of "moi". http://grosewold.com/

Ta ta for now and i will hopefully be back with stories to tell and pics to load.

Actually I think I will let you all drool over where we are staying. In Bangkok we are staying at the Wendy House http://www.wendyguesthouse.com/evos/front/bin/home.phtml On their home page in bold is "SEX TOURISTS ARE NOT WELCOME" LOL. This is only a place for us to lay our heads whilst we shop until we drop for 4 days.

This is the best part. Fly over to Koh Samui for 8 nights staying here http://www.samuilaguna.com/home.html I just can't wait for this part of the holiday.

Well over and out for me. Take care everyone.

New "Pleasure of Poppy"

Firstly I would like to thank all those that commented on my last post "The Lemon Detox Diet".

It's very reassuring what others think but you know us women - once we get it into our heads we are fat then we ARE fat. Thank you very much for all the compliments.

Anyway I have been drowning my sorrows on a new set for my new website, which has got a few items on it now - http://beadsmeonline.com/


Made from poppy jasper and teamed with Swarovski crystals and multi faceted czech glass it makes a winning combination.

Had to add this gorgeous handmade holiday card to this post by Southernscraps. Just shows that there is not long to go before the holiday season begins.