Celebrating Two...

We've come a long way, you and I...

I have watched two years of moments 
transform you,
shape you...

watched you grow,
and learn,
and thrive...

I have watched you find your feet to walk,

then run,

as they carry you into a new world which is opening up before you every single day...

I have laughed to tears along with you...

your laugh is hands down the best in the world,

the whole world.

Hands down...

I have felt my heart melt and my soul sing...

...whenever you bless me with a kiss...

You are all things to me...

my headache,

my heartbeat...

And you will always be my baby...

Happy 2nd birthday, darling boy.

Forever and always,

Mum

-xxx-

Do I look like Mickey Mouse to you?

Over the years, I've been told I look like anyone from Kate Hudson ...

*flattered*

... to Britney Spears from side on...

*hmmm*

...but I've never, ever been told that I look like Mickey Mouse ...


...until yesterday.


I was hammering away at my workbench, wearing my husband's very fashionable ear muffs, when my three year old daughter came out to see what I was doing...


...and this is what she saw...

Mickey Mouse?


India decided she wanted to look like Mickey Mouse too...

...and Jett decided that it would be the perfect time to steal my nylon hammer...

...and tripod...

...and make alphabet soup with my letter stamps.

*le sigh*

There is never a dull moment!


Amidst the chaos, I did manage a little creativity...

...an exercise in experimenting...


...and learning new techniques.

Many hours of soldering and pickling...


...and soldering and grumbling late last night...


...and I have a pretty little pendant that is ready to be given a pretty patina.


But you will have to wait until tomorrow to see it!


~*~


Have you ever been told that you look like someone?

My creative space...

...is all about new ideas and designs this week...

I'm not really very good at drawing...

...but I try!

The hard part is translating my wonky sketches into wearable jewellery.

Thank the technology gods for Adobe Illustrator!

I can re-create my less-than-symmetrical sketches into a perfect template...

...then cut and paste it to metal sheet, and saw it out...

Have I mentioned how much I love sawing?

I find it strangely relaxing... 

Nothing like having a little company whilst sawing...

...perhaps an apprentice in the making! ;-)

Pop on over to Kootoyoo to see what other creative people are up to today...and don't forget to add your link if you'd like to play along!

Happy creating :-)

My creative space...

Inspiration comes in all shapes and forms...

And sometimes, when I'm really lucky, it comes home in the form of pretty books from my ever-thoughtful husband...

The magnificent carved wooden doorframe on the cover of this Morocco book inspired me...

...to start working on a wide, but lightweight, cuff...

I've tried numerous ways to make this cuff by taking short cuts, but it just doesn't drape well.  So each little "X" and "T" shape is stitched individually and then they're stitched together. 


Time consuming?  Ridiculously so!  


I enjoy a certain amount of monotony, but this is just crazy.  Let's hope it works out...


~*~


My workspace today is all about terracotta and tangerine...

I can't get enough of these colours at the moment.  They just speak to me of Morocco.

And somebody else finds it all very inspiring too...

~*~

Head on over to Kootoyoo to see what other creative people are up to today...and add your link if you'd like to play along!

And now you are One...

It seems only yesterday we looked into each other's eyes for the first time.


Those beautiful, brown eyes that remind me so much of your Daddy.  Those beautiful, brown eyes that are filled with warmth, and humour, and honesty...just like your Daddy's.

And when you smile your goofy smile at me, with your four teeth....ohhhh, that smile....you know it melts my heart.  And it melts the heart of any girl or woman in the vicinity.  You're a heartbreaker in the making...

That head full of unruly curls is cute-as-pie now, but I know you will hate it when you're a teenager.  Just remember that 'curls get the girls', honey ;-)  You know all the old ladies who stop to talk to us while we are out walking...?  They wish their perms were as perfect as your curls, trust me :-)

I always thought you were going to be the quiet child, my zen baby.  How wrong was I!  But I love that you are boisterous, and engaging, and cheeky, and intelligent, and oh-so-boyish.  And your determination is like nothing I have ever seen...except perhaps in your Daddy...

So whilst my body will never be the same for having had you, neither will my heart...because YOU are my heart, walking around on two delightfully wonky little legs.


Happy birthday, my baby boy.  


I love you now and forever...


-xxxooo-

Look what I made! :)

Jett Cooper Saville - eight hours old

It is with utter joy and delight and love that I introduce you to my beautiful baby boy, Jett Cooper Saville.

Born at 1:17am on Sunday 12 July and weighing 7lb 3oz (he's so perfectly tiny!), Jett couldn't have had a more perfect entrance into the world! He was five days overdue, but well worth the wait ;)



After a rather long and tiresome pre-labour which began on Friday night, the 'real' labour kicked in at around 7pm on Saturday night. I laboured away at home until midnight when I told my husband that we needed to get to the hospital. Jett was born (whilst I was kneeling in the shower! LOL) just over an hour later, after six hours of established labour and only seven minutes of pushing! Gravity works wonders, eh! ;)

It was one of the most beautiful, pleasurable experiences of my life. I still can't believe how good it felt to push! I had the benefit of all of those wonderful hormones surging through my body, and I just surrendered to the process and let my body do the job it was made to do. And it did the job perfectly! To have a natural, drug-free labour was everything I had hoped for and soooo much more. Jett was alert and awake straight away and couldn't wait to have his first feed. And I felt so well that we were home just 12 hours after the birth!

I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband...he provided the most perfect support I could have asked for. It was a magical, surreal moment when we were both kneeling in the shower, having a little cry over our newborn son. Certainly a moment that we will never forget, and forever cherish.

So I am still on Planet Babymoon, enjoying every minute with our gorgeous little boy. Being a mummy to two is wonderful and to see our 21 month old daughter kiss her baby brother on the forehead ever so gently is enough to bring tears to my eyes. Life doesn't get much better than this :)