Quietude...

As the year end approaches,

I find myself in a quiet place...

a state of rumination,
reflecting and letting go.

Gosh, what a year.

2011 has been the hardest year of my life.

Hands down, the hardest.

Hope and heartbreak has been the recurring theme,

with December bringing more heartbreak than I thought I could possibly bear.

But if there is anything I have learnt this year,

it is that no matter how tattered your soul may feel,

there is always a chance to heal...

if you allow this of yourself.

~*~

This week Anthony and I clocked up six years of wedded bliss...
(and I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that we will still be blissfully married in 60 years time...the health Gods willing!)

Despite the turmoil around us this past year

(and really, just about every year of our marriage)

we are stronger,

more in love,

more devoted

than ever.

When you marry the man who has a heart as expansive as the sky,

and as warm as the sun...

the man who knows just what to say,

just when you need to hear it...

(or when to just be silent)

the man who worships you for all your shortcomings,
yet never makes you feel as though you are anything less than perfect...

the man who takes the heart you have entrusted him with,

and cradles it away in his own stronghold of flesh and blood...
(where you know it will be safe, cherished, always...)

the man who tells you that you are beautiful,

when you are feeling anything but...

the man who makes you feel like a queen,

every day,

yet who you would still be utterly content to spend the rest of your days with should you ever become paupers...

...then you will never, ever spend a day unhappy in your married life.

If you know a man like this, ladies,

grab him and never let him go!

But sorry, this one is already taken ;-)

(Of all the anniversary gifts I received this year, I cherish this one the most...)

~*~


In other news,


India is still a princess...





and Jett still loves dirt...








*le sigh*


Such a girl.


Such a boy.





Oh, and let me introduce you to Bruce...





He is our resident water dragon...


he hangs around in the yard (or the pool),
and jumps up on the window sill outside the lounge room when he wants some dinner...





I love his armour...





And if you ask India, Bruce would make the best pet *ever*...


~*~


And finally, in studio news...


My Etsy shop has been closed for a few weeks,


though I hope to re-open sometime in January.


I won't be accepting any custom orders,
at least not in the immediate future.


I just don't have the heart for custom work.
(Nurturing my family and caring for the terminally ill is just about all my heart can bear right now)


Though these two hands of mine cannot remain idle,


so there will be new work...


...soon.





~*~


Good bye, 2011...


...see you on the other side, my friends!


Much love,

Babes and bracelets...

The thing about babies

is that they are loved long before they take their first breath...

...I know with my own two,


I was head over heels before I had even cradled them in my arms


or delighted in their newborn scent...





...and I'm pretty certain I was smitten with the *thought* of them before they'd even been conceived...





The anticipation of a bub's arrival is almost too much excitement to bear...





...and not just for the expectant parents,


but for expectant extended family too. 
including besotted aunties! :-)





This bracelet speaks of a love that extends beyond time and place,


a perfect, permanent reminder to a precious baby girl that she is loved now and always.





Welcome to the world, baby Annabelle


♥


~*~


Bracelets have been popular lately!


Here's a few more I have made recently as custom orders...





A stunning faceted prasiolite takes centre stage, 


perfectly pretty in pastel green...





...and six hand fabricated charms of sterling silver leaves and 9 carat gold pebbles adorn the chain...





I also made this variation of my *Nomad* Bracelet...





Completely hand fabricated from sterling silver sheet and wire, with nothing more than my jewelers saw and needle files...





I enjoyed every moment of every detail of this bracelet...








...including stamping the phrase 'go your own way' on the reverse side...
(it's proving to be a popular phrase, and I'm delighted that it resonates with so many souls!)





An exquisite faceted aquamarine nugget completes this special piece...





And speaking of aquamarine...





How I adore it raw!





The stone takes on a whole new beautiful energy when it is left in its natural state...





~*~


Loads more custom orders to come,


and honestly,


it's probably all I will have time to create for the remainder of the year.


I'm not taking on any new custom orders for this year,


and I'm already booked out for January.


I'm just finalising the details of my new system for customs, so I'll write all about it soon.


I'm going to steal back some more time for me and my Muse...


...we are (quite literally) spilling over with ideas and have not time nor energy to bring them to life.


2012 will be all about stepping back and finding balance, I think :-)

This day...

...is all about him...

...and her...

...and these...

Mangoes!

I know that the warmer weather is here to stay when I find myself feasting on mangoes on a daily basis...

*nom nom nom*

There has also been plenty of outdoors time,

thanks to the warmer weather...

I'm having fun getting to know my new camera :-)

~*~

These little snippets of happy are a nice (albeit brief) distraction from a difficult and emotional few weeks...

a way to stave off the sadness that keeps trying to take hold...

The heaviness of heart over an empty chair,

a reminder of the absence of a certain old soul...

I don't know whether he'll come home ever again...

...I hope he will.

He is missed...