2013 in pictures

I'm afraid my friends, I was no better at blogging in 2013 than in 2012.  I started off well, but then, as always, life got in the way.

As you will see from the photos that follow, I did plan to tell you about my exploits, but only got as far as collecting the evidence.  So, to give you some idea of what I got up to in 2013 I have created some collages for your perusal - I hope you enjoy them...

Is a change is as good as a rest?

As some people are aware baking is my passion, but I have also been known to make the occasional greetings card and am a great fan of beading – or more specifically making beaded jewellery.  In view of this and my desire to get back to doing more of it, I have been thinking of re-naming the blog ‘7^th Star Emporium’.

Now it’s not, at this stage going to be an ‘emporium’ in the true sense of the word:

Emporium (medieval Latin from Greek emporos = 'merchant') is a term used to denote a store which sells a wide variety of goods as well as a marketplace or trading center in ancient cities such as the agoras found in ancient Greece. 

However, if I can get my act together and you see anything that takes your fancy, I will be more than happy to sell it to you or even custom make something for you, so don’t be shy, please ask.  I may well set up an online ‘emporium’ at some stage, which has always been my plan, so keep checking back if you are interested.

What inspired me to make this change?  I went on a wrapped loop workshop a little while ago with a lovely lady called Carol at the Brentwood Bead Shop.  

It turned out to be a one to one session, which was great as it meant Carol had the time to show and re-show me how to make some lovely wire loops and shapes without disturbing anyone else!  I’m a bit heavy handed you see, so I kept snapping the wire, which was really irritating, but I did get the hang of it in the end.  

We made a bag charm, which I was thrilled with, so I bought some new wire from the shop and will take my new found skill and play with some of the trays and trays of beads that I have in my craft room – hah, get me!!  It’s actually a cabinet in the spare bedroom, which is where I do my crafting, but a girl can dream!

Mandy xx