The Shizuku necklace...

Shizuku is my 2nd necklace from this week. It was also made from recycled Antica Murrina beads, also from a bracelet, as my previous Wagashi. The original bracelet name was called Kiruna, and included light aqua blue Murano beads, very pretty.

I turned the bracelet into a necklace, as before, and it became Shizuku, name which means droplet, a "drop of water" in Japanese. The association with this element is more than obvious, due to the texture of the main beads, their colour and transparency, making them look like real water drops, or splashes, or even ice. Two different aqua tones are present here: a light aquamarine tint similar to the sea in a sunny morning, and a darker, grayish kyanite shade, similar to the sea in the afternoon, after a rain shower.

Or at least, that's how I feel about it, anyway! The name I firstly decided on was Asatsuyu - meaning "morning dew". Then, I changed it to Shizuku, which sounds prettier and easier, and is more generic as well. In my mind, an Asatsuyu necklace would rather be shorter and with more delicate components, in the end!

For Shizuku, I used:

- Six large Antica Murrina glass beads in different aqua shades and irregular shapes, slightly crackled and smooth. One of them however, is round and has a crispy, sugar-coated finish like the beads used in Wagashi;
- Ten small aqua-gray Murrina beads with a smooth surface;
- Seven small Kyanite beads;
- Two faceted Czech Fire beads in silver-gold approaching the clasp;
- Several stardust silver-plated round beads;
- Several flat silver-plated Heishi spacers for the Murrina large beads;
- Several Swarovski elements such as bicones, cubes, small briolettes, stars and an octagonal pendant, all in complimentary shades of light Azore blue, aquamarine and different Sapphire shades and effects;
- One large silver-plated lobster clasp and ring.

Details are shown next. As usual, please click on thumbnails to magnify...

These three pictures show the Antica Murrina irregular glass beads in dark and light shades of blue (aquamarine and grayish), as well as the small round Murrina ones with a smooth surface. Swarovski bicones and cubes can also be seen, in different shades, sizes and shapes, interspersed with the Murrina beads. The sugar-coated dark sapphire blue Murrina is also visible on the 1st shot...


The 1st thumbnail shows the silver-plated lobster clasp and ring. It is a big clasp, since this necklace is quite heavy. It was threaded on sterling silver wire, thus very resistant to breakage. However, it is always safer to use large clasps in the case of a heavy piece. One of the faceted Czech fire beads is also visible. The 2nd picture displays the only sugar-coated Murrina bead, surrounded by some Swarovski bicones and the flat Heishi spacers, used as bead caps. Finally, the remaining shot shows the upper section of the necklace, with the stardust round balls and some of the kyanite beads and, of course, the main Murrina glass beads once again.


I added these screenshots since we can appreciate how beautifully the light is refracted by the Swarovski elements. Cubes, bicones and an octagonal pendant can be seen throughout, especially on the 3rd shot. As for the Murrina beads, with their smooth irregular surfaces, we can also see how the light appears reflected, making them look like pieces of shiny crushed ice.

And to end this post tonight, some more views of Shizuku. I hope you have enjoyed this one!

The Wagashi necklace...

This week, I re-started making the jewellery, and it was about time! This first necklace, which I called Wagashi, was pretty much inspired by my friend Sapphire pictures and posts on her fantastic blog, for both Wagashi and mochi . And also, because I love eating them myself!

(Sapphire, I hope you will enjoy this one! The flavours available here today are: plum, green tea and Sakura!)

The main beads are brand new Antica Murrina ones. I bought two bracelets from them some months ago (including the "Sweet" one from the link), and I recycled them to make some necklaces, one of them being Wagashi. You might ask why did I bother buying them in the first place, just to end up by recycling everything? Well, they were elasticated bracelets. The problem with this kind of bracelet is that the beads get to close to my skin, and I dislike that (makes me itchy). I much prefer normal, non-elasticated bracelets where you can adjust the length with extra links, for example. Also, mind you, the beads were too big and I have the clumsy habit of bumping my hands (and myself) into everything, not to mention getting stuck on door knobs, for example. So, even if I decided to use them, it would sooner or later end up in disaster. Really.

The problem is that I fell in love with the beads, so... Murrina says these beads, that have a "crispy" appearance, are like "sugar-coated", and it's true. They look edible. I think I already bought it with Wagashi in mind, adding to the fact that they called it "Sweet", so, just could not avoid it. Sweet, yes, but with a Japanese twist (in my mind at least!). As I said before, the colours are very appropriate: pale pink for Sakura, acid green for matcha (green tea), and purple for plum, all on a delectable yokan base!

Here is Wagashi:

For this piece, I used:

- Nine Antica Murina sugar-coated beads in shades of plum, pale pink and acid green;
- Two rose quartz pebble beads;
- Two Murano-style stripy beads, one cylindrical and one squared;
- Two Czech glass flat swirly flat beads that look like mini-lollipops;
- Small Chinese glass pearls in green;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes and colours;
- Several stardust silver-plated small, round beads;
- Four ornate Tibetan Silver large spacers;
- Tibetan silver S-hook clasp.

Note this is my first asymmetrical necklace. I used different shades, sizes and shapes, and tried to spread them over in a quirky pattern. Well, almost! There is a bit of symmetry there, now that I look at it closely, but not as severe as in my previous pieces. It is also longer and bulkier, pretty much on the current trend of chunky, statement necklaces - although not as much maybe. I've been seeing much bigger pieces around lately.

Some details follow... Please click on the thumbnails for magnified views.

The 1st picture shows some of the Murrina beads in detail, along with Swarovski bicones and Tibetan silver spacers. The 2nd one on the right displays one of the rose quartz pebbles, one Czech glass lentil bead, a small Chinese glass pearl and more of the bicones and stardust round beads.

Here we can see the Murano-style stripy beads, with a lovely layer of silver foil, as well as some Sakura-coloured Murrina and Chinese green glass pearls. A Tibetan silver spacer can also be seen, as well as the stardust beads.

And, finally, some extra pictures showing different views. Enjoy!

Of Flowers and Bees Pt. 3 - Farmleigh (again)

Some more pictures taken on a different date in Farmleigh, Pheonix Park (circa 2 weeks ago)... Click on thumbnails to magnify!

(I don't know which species these are, but they certainly look like anemonae, in a deep blue sea, and not something you would usually expect in a garden!)


(There is a rose garden in Farmleigh, and I love their texture and the spiral formed by the petals, like an ephemeral, colourful mandala)



(Once again, my favourites: bergamots and cute bees. I have included magnifications of the bees on each photograph. You can clearly see their shiny coats and beady eyes)


(This is a different, skniier type of bee, working on a yellow flower whose name I ignore. Not as cute as the bergamot ones...)


(Mark certainly took this picture, for I would be unable to focus here. If you magnify it, you will clearly see the spider webs shining at the sunlight. I think it is very pretty...)

Of Flowers and Bees Pt. 2 - Farmleigh

I love spending an afternoon in Farmleigh, Phoenix Park. We usually go there in the weekends, looking for lovely flowers, herbs and trees to photograph. I enjoy that a lot.

What I love the most are the bees. They are always flying all over the bergamot flowers, which they seem to especially enjoy. One may even call them nasty bugs, since they sting and so on. But I could not care less, for they are always busy buzzing carelessly away, oblivious to my presence and the camera, with their light little fluffy bodies and delicate wings. At least in those moments they seem absolutely harmless, flying around in their yellow and black stripy furry pyjamas, so focused in their feeding activities that photographing them may even seem like an easy task - as if they were striking a pose just for you! Yes, they are cute. And yes, bergamot flowers smell really, really sweet...

As before, click on thumbnails for a magnified view...

The yellow flower is a begonia...


Sunflowers...



Lots of pink dahlias...




The one on the left looks like artichoke. Could that be it?

And finally, the bergamots with some of my beloved busy bees!

Of Flowers and Bees Pt. 1 - Ballina

These pictures were taken in Mark's parents Caravan park, Belleek Park, in Ballina, co. Mayo, just some months ago. Now, I am obsessing with taking pictures of plants. Flowers. Bees (these, whenever possible!). Nature in general. Most of the time (98% of the time, to be precise), I don't even know the name of the flower. Or even if that insect is a bee or a bumblebee or a wasp. But I enjoy it nonetheless, in all my ignorant bliss.

As always, click on thumbnails for detail...

(The above are from the chestnut tree in the Park, so, chestnut flowers!)


(The bright purple one at the left is a pansy for sure!)


(This baby looks like a hydrangea, but may not be one...)

Back after 3 long months...

I am back again, after a long hiatus of 3 months or so, namely, since I moved to the new house. Why is that, one might wonder... Moving to a new place really messed me up: new surroundings, stairs to climb all the time, getting used to it... It takes some time, really, to settle in, and the whole process is quite tiresome for me. I am not very fond of changes.

But now, I am OK. Mostly OK. I am settled, yes, but starting to feel a bit depressed: it's one year since I went to Rio last, and I miss it a lot. We will go there for Christmas, true. But whenever I stay more than 10-11 months away, I start to feel depressed and anxious. So, that's why.

The house is now looking great (I think!), but of course there are still some bits and ends left (hanging pictures, for example).

I still haven't restarted the jewelry though, but at least all my stones and beads are well-organised and in the right places right now.

What have I been up to, during these 3 months then? Well, not much, really, except for the usual: watching DVDs, reading manga and books, organising my little things (Kitty collection, stationery, perfumes, magazines etc) and playing with Super Poke Pets on Facebook. I must say I turned out to be quite an addict, for the pets and objects you buy and collect are so lovely, that it's really very hard to resist!

The manga I've been reading lately are: Nodame Cantabile (Sapphire's recommendation, really great), Inuyasha (yes, yes, still!), Chibi Vampire (which just ended in a rather abrupt/hurried way), XXXHolic (which quickly became one of my favourites), and some others. As for the books, mostly Japanese authors: Natsume Soseki, Natsuo Kirino, Yoko Ogawa. Special mention of course goes to Natsume Soseki, a wonderful Japanese classic. I started by reading his "Kokoro", which is very moving and very hard to put down. I was wanting to read him for some time already, since I read Murakami's (indirect) praises of his work in "Kafka on the Shore" some years ago. At the time I thought: well, if it's something Murakami (his characters, in this case) waxes lyrical about it, of course I am bound to love it. And I was right. It's not a light reading, but one that really makes you think and consider a series of things. And if you enjoy Japanese culture, even better, however the chore of this specific work was rather universal , global, ie, things that anyone (in spite of cultural differences, backgrounds, religion, gender etc) can feel, live and why not, die for. But that was his first book I read, and quickly bought some others: "The Three-Cornered World", "The Gate" and "I Am a Cat" - but am only starting the former tonight.

Talking of books then... Our Play Room (aka library, aka computer room, aka...) is finally ready. Mark finished the book shelves that we bought in Ikea (my favourite place for house stuff, for sure!) and I am very happy to report that our book organising issues are all sorted (for now, ha ha! Nah, just kidding...)...

If you want to have a better look, please click the thumbnails for a magnified view...




And some details here...

The new house

We moved last Wednesday. It was very, very stressful. I don't want to go into details, really. The moving company was OK, but not as brilliant as they claim to be, and once the insides (of the old apartment that is!) arrived, it was not like everything turned out to be completely right. Well, most of it was great actually! Minor issues of course, but these can be fixed. If not now, over time.

Kitchen is great, garden is lovely and, overall, the place is bigger than it looks! The negative points? My shower door is broken, the showers themselves (both bathrooms) have to be either fixed or replaced, and we are running out of bookshelves. A wall unit had to be sacrificed (put to recycle) since it would not only fit in the stairs (1st landing being a bit narrow for the curve and so on), but it was mouldy underneath, as a result of a flooding some years ago in our former apartment. Since it was cheap, not great looking and has already served its purpose, we dumped it.

I feel that I am not completely settled yet, and the house is still in the process of becoming "ours". We still have to unpack lots of things and organise it in their places and so on.

Yesterday we have our friends around. Monica discovered some lavender flowers in the front lawn. They smell wonderful! And today, while watering the plants in the back garden, I found a small kiwi tree! Now you may ask yourself how do I know it's a kiwi tree. Well, it has a tag stuck to the trunk with its Latin name and other specs, simple as that.

We took some pictures (actually, lots!), and here's some of them. Please click on the thumbnails to magnify...

Sunset at our back garden...

View from inside the living room...

There is a Buddha in the garden! The former owner gave it to us as a well-wisher! I love it!

Partial view from the play room...

Moving!

This week is a (very) stressful one. We are in the process of moving house, since we just bought one off Navan Road, more convenient for Mark. And it's a house, it's ours finally, and has a pretty garden!

And, since I am currently addicted to the RockYou Pets application in Facebook, I have decorated my pet according to the occasion. My pet by the way, is a female raccoon and is called Ta-chan (from Tanuki = raccoon in Japanese).

Well, here is Ta-chan then, as lost as me, and desperately wanting to go home!!!

As you can see, she is impersonating you-know-who, and ready to be "abducted to Navan Road".

Now it's back to cleaning and organising for me!

See you soon!

a.

My little JList haul...

I have ordered some goodies from my favourite Japanese supplier, JList! They arrived today and I am super-pleased...

Matcha diet Coke... Probably the best diet Coke ever! The subtle matcha (green tea) taste makes it a must-drink for Summer. This diet Coke even tastes less sweet than normal, and much nicer with that refreshing hint of green tea. I only ordered two bottles to try and will have to get some more:

A gift for my Mother... It's a banana holder! She always complained that the bananas she brings to her shop get all mushy and bruised on the way... This is a cool, albeit a bit weird, little gadget for protecting bananas "in motion":

And finally, we got a present for our new house and these oh-so hot Irish Summer days (ha ha...). This is a katori buta, a ceramic pig where you burn mosquito coils inside. You can hang it to a tree or leave it outside in a Summer day and the burning coils (pretty much like incense, that is) will keep the nasty biting bugs at bay. It looks very cute and is a very traditional object:

My Russian lacquer boxes...

I love Russian lacquer work, and since I arrived to Dublin, I got some here and there, but mostly Matrioshka. I have only four boxes, though, and I think they are quite pretty. My Mom and Mark gave me one each and, when we visited Prague, I bought two more in Celetná. It is not really like I collect them, since I have only those few, and I just get them when it happens to be, anyway. Or when people give me them as gifts. I also have two books on the subject, from an American collector. Unfortunately, I don't have their names right now, since they have been packed already (we are moving in 2 weeks!).

Here they are...

This 1st box was given to me by my Mother. It is an old one, from 1964-1965. It still has the certificate above, which says:

Artistic Foundation of RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic)

Palekh division of the Artistic Foundation of RSFSR

Material - papier-mache

Number of the work - 1964

Theme of the painting - Scarlet Flower

Author - Televinova

Name of the article - ??? (this abbreviation is not clear)

Size - 10 x 10 cm

Quality - Highest

Article of the AF - 193

Price - 9.10

Date - March 23 1965

The above box, depicting a scene of the Fire Bird, was given to me by Mark. I am not sure if he brought it from New York, or bought it here in Dublin. It' s a lovely two-tiered one, with a little mirror inside.

When I saw this one in a lovely shop in Celetná, I could not resist. I was mesmerised with the amazing transparency of the veils and details of the brocaded dresses. I am not sure if it depicts any scenes of a fairy tale, or if it's just a portrait of two young ladies.

Lastly, some pictures of my remaining box, with a scene from the Russian fairy tale "The Gold Fish", which is not quite the gold fish of our imagination, but a large, regal sturgeon. This is another lovely box bought in the same shop in Celetná, with very bright, vivid colours.