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...

Dia de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead...

This yearly festival and traditional Mexican holiday is a time for families to gather together to remember those who have passed.

And it was also the theme for the very first challenge for the Etsy Best Kept Secrets team!

You can view all of the diverse creations for the challenge by my fellow team members on our blog post.  Amazing work by everyone!

And here's my contribution,

a sugar skull immortilised in sterling silver...

Every component of the skull was sawn, stamped and textured by hand...

A sparkly 3mm faceted ruby rests on the skull's forehead...

It is a bold ring, not for the faint-hearted!

As soon as I'd created the ring,

I immediately knew what I was going to use as a prop for the photos...

...an authentic headhunter's trophy skull from Papua New Guinea!

It's a rather macabre piece...

...you can even see the fatal blow mark on the skull...

We have all kinds of weird and wonderful trinkets in this house! ;-)

Oh, and before I forget, the ring is available here!

~*~

Do you celebrate Dia de los Muertos?

What have you been creating this week?