The Wrap-Up of May 2012

At the risk of sounding repetitive... Wow, I cannot believe May is over already! And what a jam-packed month it was for me.

On the work front, I have so many fabulous commissions! My clients really are the greatest people. Diamonds are the flavour of the month and I have a record number of impressive engagement rings on the go at the moment. I also have a little exhibition running in the Museum of the Riverina's "Makers' Space" Wagga Wagga. My exhibition runs until Sunday 5th August and I promise to do a blog post to tell you all about it soon.

This month saw my little blog discovered by the editor of Australia's 'Jewellers Trade Magazine' and in the June issue, one of my stories will be published. May also brought with it an invite to 'Bowerbird Bazaar, Adelaide's Design Market' and I am very much looking forward to my July trip over to South Australia.
My personal life was full of joy and excitement this month too. I successfully pulled off a surprise 30th birthday party for hubby. A swag of his school and work mates made the trip to town for the party which included a weekend of paintballing, delicious food and more than a few drinks. It was great to catch up with some old friends and now I can tick paintballing off the bucket list too.

I am continuing to take a photo every day with the 'Instagram' app (for those who want to play along, find me under user name the_jeweller). Compiling the photographs at the end of each month is a source of great enjoyment for me. Here is my May in photographs.

And finally, after countless hours of work, my bathroom IS FINISHED! *little happy dance* I will do the grand reveal here on my blog in the coming week.

So what is on the agenda for June? Work, work and more work. Yes, I know that this goes against my whole 'balanced work and personal life' ethos. But in saying that, I have A LOT to do. There are plenty of commissions to get on with and I desperately need to build up Japonicity's stock levels. I also need to work on continuing to keep clean and orderly living and working environments. Last but not least I am determined to shift some more of that excess weight. Amongst all of that work, I am sure I will find plenty of joy and I look forward to sharing it all with you. Bring on June!

Love from The Jeweller. xx

The Wrap-Up of March 2012

March is gone and with a busy April on the horizon, I am home in Australia and ready to get back into my studio. Before I get back to writing my promised stories of jewellery and travel, here is my wrap-up of the month that was March 2012.

With flights booked to leave on an overseas trip on March 7th, the month started in absolute chaos. I always seem to bite off more than I can chew, and that week was no exception. I had a large volume of work to complete, that three jewellers working full time would have struggled with. So I worked day and night running on an average of three hours sleep a night like a crazed jewellery making machine. My poor assistant Tania was working ten hour days in the studio, a big change from her usual ten hours per week. At the end of it all she promptly said to me, "You and I should not work together tired and cranky, that really sucked!" I couldn't agree more. The first week of March did really suck. But by the time March 7th came around I had somehow managed to finish all the important jobs and this very tired jeweller was winging her way across the globe.

The rest of the month was filled with adventures around the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh, returning to Australia just in time to be at the wedding of one of my closest friends, textiles designer Amy Kerr from "Moyou". I won't go into the details of my trip or Amy's wedding today; there is so much to tell you that I will have to spread it over several blog posts in the coming month.

So how am I going with all those new year's resolutions? House isn't bad, a little messy but nothing that a good day of cleaning and tidying won't fix. The studio is coming along too (*little happy dance*). I spent a big two days working my way through some of the mess as soon as I arrived home from my trip. On the weight loss front, well, you all know how hard it is to diet whilst on holidays. I am quite proud to say that I only put on half a kilo during my trip. Not a bad effort really! I do admit that I totally ruined my no-stress-new-year hopes during that first week of March. But if I only have one or two weeks of that hair-pulling stress in 2012, life will be much improved on previous years. Oh, and for those waiting on further bathroom reno info, there is none. Still no word on an arrival date for my vanity, and until that happens progress is at a standstill.

Last but not least, I am still enjoying my photo-a-day challenge. Those with an iPhone or iPad are most welcome to follow my images from day to day by downloading the free "instagram" app and searching for me under the user name the_jeweller. Here is my March in photographs.

Sorry again for my lack of blogging over the last month. I couldn't bear to spend too much time in front of the computer writing when there were so many exciting things to see and explore on my trip. All the stories of my March adventures and plenty more jewellery tales are coming soon, I promise!

Love from The Jeweller. xx

The Wrap-Up of February 2012

It doesn't feel like it could possibly have been a whole month since my January wrap-up! But here we are on the last day of February and it is time for another one of those personal-progress-updatie-kind-a-posts.

February has been nowhere near as chilled-out as I had hoped my year might be. Upon deciding to take an un-planned overseas trip next month, I have had to somehow squeeze March's workload in with my February jobs. My home is still looking quite good, although I can feel the clutter creeping its way back in at the edges. I must get back on top of that! The cleaning schedule that I was so good at sticking to last month has gone out the window. In the face of endless renovation dust and mess, I have simply lost the motivation. My crazy busy workload has not helped the situation either. Hopefully a completed bathroom late next month will renew my housework enthusiasm. Don't even ask about the state of my studio. It's not a total lost cause, just one that I continue to push to the back of my "Things To Do" list.

My photo-a-day challenge where I am taking one iPhone photograph each day using the "Instagram" app, is still going strong. I will continue to show my pictures at the end of each month, but if you'd like to follow my images from day to day, you can download Instagram free from the App Store. I am posting under the user name the_jeweller. Here is my February in photographs.

On the weight-loss front, I am now 4kg down. That is exactly one third of the way to meeting my goal of 12kg. I would like those numbers to be moving southwards a little faster, but at least my weight is heading in the right direction.

So what's next in the chronicles of the adventures of The Jeweller? I'm heading overseas! My very good friend and fellow jeweller Sinead Buckney is currently living over in Bangladesh and I am ducking over to visit her. On the way, I am visiting another old friend, Mike, in the United Arab Emirates. Ok, I'll admit, Dubai is really more of a detour than "on the way". I am very much looking forward to exploring these foreign lands and taking you along for the ride. Thanks again to my readers, bring on March.

Love from The Jeweller. xx

The Bathroom Renovation Update

I keep getting messages from my Facebook readers asking how the bathroom renos are going. The answer- SLOWLY. The problem with the fact that we are doing so much of the work ourselves is that weekends are never long enough and the spaces in between weekends are far too long. In saying that though, it is really coming along well.

The ground work for the plumbing went in first, then we put in new walls, ceiling and a concrete slab. After waiting for the concrete to cure, the waterproofer came in and did his part (stinking us out in the process- resin smells horrible!). Another few days of waiting and we began the LONG process that has been laying the tiles and fitting the bathtub. An estimated four day job has turned into eight, but is almost done now. Here are some pictures, all taken from the same vantage point. The first is the 'before' picture, the middle one is the state of my bathroom last time I wrote of the subject and the third is a current view.

The gorgeous oak vanity that I have ordered from overseas will be here some time in late March/early April. The project is an on-going one until that final part arrives to make our room perfect. In the meantime we'll be putting in the toilet, painting walls, putting up a shower screen and accessorising. I'll do a final bathroom reveal once it is all completed. Until then, you just have to be patient. Not having a bathroom in my home is certainly testing mine!

Love from The Jeweller. xx

The Jeweller is Getting a New Bathroom!

In my very first blog post, "New Year, New Resolutions, New Blog!", I stated (rather loudly) that this year I am aiming to maintain a more healthy balance between personal and professional life. So, I think it is about time for a personal blog post or two.

My life is currently being consumed by a complete bathroom renovation! It is very exciting you see, as I have been living in a home with an outhouse for the last two and a half years.

We purchased our little shack in April 2009 for a bargain price which was barely more than the value of the block of land. The home was one of those real "renovator's delight" kind of properties. Although, we were attracted to the price and location, rather than the idea of fixing it up. The home is just one block away from a lovely lake and great little shopping centre, whilst still being only 15 minutes from town and our workshops. Before moving in we stripped the walls, painted, laid new carpet in the bedrooms, and put some doors on. Once these minor improvements had been made, the home was at least liveable. The minimal mortgage has meant we have been able to live rather luxuriously, with overseas trips, dinners out at the best restaurants, and nice vehicles to drive. I'd much rather live in a shack and have a high quality of life than live in a mansion and be constantly worried about cash flow.

BUT, in saying all that, our bathroom was TERRIBLE! Ugly, unfinished, cramped, impossible to clean, and with no toilet. I have been dreaming of ripping out that bathroom ever since we moved in. Here is the OLD bathroom, as it was when we purchased the house.


Last week, it was with great pleasure that we demolished the bathroom. Everything came out, floor, walls and all. Here are some images of the bathroom de-construction and the CURRENT state of my bathroom.

It is the first time that I have ever had the opportunity to design an entire room from the ground up. I have enjoyed choosing all the fixtures and fittings from tiles, to taps, the bath tub, and a TOILET! I will proudly reveal the results of my renovating when the bathroom is complete. Unfortunately that is some time away, as whilst the rest of my bathroom will be complete in a matter of weeks, the gorgeous vanity that I have designed my room around is being made overseas and won't be here for some months yet. In the meantime, enjoy this little concept montage that I have created for you using bits and pieces from my NEW bathroom.

Love from The Jeweller. xx