May 25, 2014 by jackmaybenimble

Ridiculously tiny

I’ve been on an unsuccessful bunny buy two weekends in a row. It’s not good for the soul. Today, the world tried to make it up to me, by having this ridiculously tiny chap appear in my garden. He’s having lunch by the path under my window.

It’s not usually that weedy, but that’s where Mama Partridge decided to build nest number two, amidst the pampas-type grass, so I’ve not been able to weed it for three weeks. (Seriously? Best excuse ever.)

For a sense of perspective at how Ridiculously Tiny it is, how about atop a standard sized brick…

Pretty tiny.

I was creatively inspired….a brooch maybe? Or a key chain if done in thicker wire? Pretty happy with it, for a prototype.

Thanks, little chap.

May 18, 2014 by jackmaybenimble

What was old is new again

Jewellery’s a funny thing. It’s one of those things that you really do react to instinctively. Maybe you’re out shopping, and you pass by a jewellers. Some days you’re indifferent to anything in the window. Other days you may see something you think is awful – gaudy, tacky, whatever. And sometimes you’ll just know that one piece is your piece, as if fate has finally brought you together. I felt that way about my unofficial wedding ring – we weren’t shopping for one, it’s not a traditional ring, but then again neither am I (hence being unofficially married).

So it’s not a great surprise that, no matter what, we find it hard to let jewellery go. A necklace with a broken catch, a bracelet with missing links, the earring that has no matching partner. We can’t wear them, but we can’t let them go either.

I’m guilty of hanging on to all sorts of things that I’d probably be better off letting go – both material and emotional. Jewellery, letters, photos – things I should probably just keep in my head and heart. But decluttering is just the practical side of letting go. And that can be cathartic. So my mum and I gathered some old jewellery

and with some earrings and a bit of necklace and some of my stash

made a key/bag charm. Old to new, upcycling memories.

May 13, 2014 by jackmaybenimble

A matching set

It’s quite hard to type while lying down, but here I am, trying to bring a little sparkle into a day that’s had me laid up with backache. My day did brighten a little when my sister texted me to say thank you for her present – a necklace and bracelet matching set.

The problem with doing these bracelets as a surprise present means you have no idea what size to make them, and as my sister is a tiny greenfinch to my golden eagle, I had to come up with a fastening that would allow for flexibility of length. It’s not the prettiest, but it works. Plus the tie is underneath, but you know what? I’m actually loving the soft suede texture against the hard wire…..

And there’s the fact I actually had cord that matched the colour of the beads I’d used, which was unplanned but serendipity!

The necklace was a cheat recycle; I’d originally designed it as a ring, but the gauge of the wire was too low and made it bulkier than I liked, but adding a drop bead made it more pendant-like and I strung it on the same suede cord I’d used for the bracelet.

I even managed to get them to her 350 miles away on time for her birthday, which is pretty good for me! She loves them and really, that’s all that matters, because that’s why I make things.

May 4, 2014 by jackmaybenimble

Not the bunny I’d planned….

I thought this weekend’s post would be introducing you to our new addition…but it’s just not felt like right time to see if there’s a bunny out there with my name on him/her. I’m a little worried that the longer I leave it, the less right it will feel, but I’m trusting in kismet. Or trying to.

However, I do have a little chap to show you, courtesy of my newest follower, The Green Dragonfly, and you can follow her excellent tutorial here – https://thegreendragonfly.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/nibble-nibble-hop-hop/

I’m relatively new to crochet but am pretty pleased with my efforts…tho I had to make do with google eyes!