Gem 'n' Bead Show in York

Hi everyone,

We all recovered from the latest hit of snow this weekend?!

Yesterday I went to the Gem ‘n’ Bead show at York Racecourse. I managed to get there about 20 minutes after it opened and stayed for around an hour and a half. It was getting really busy by the time I left, with the usual crush of people around tables, so I was glad i got there early. I didn’t go too overboard with my purchases – most unlike me! – I just got a few nice glass crystal beads to make a necklace for my cousin, lots of little charms and a few magazines. The show is in a large U-shaped room, with a little under half allocated for bead stalls.

The rest of the space had sellers of crystals and gemstones, hence the ‘gem’ part in the show’s name. There were some really beautiful crystals on show so it was nice to have a browse around there for a little while too. When I was younger I used to collect tumbled, smooth gemstones so it was nice to see names of familiar stones such as rose quartz, carnelian, amethyst and see some more unusual gemstones too.

I’ll leave you with a picture of Hef enjoying a hop around the garden yesterday :)

Animal Farm

I thought that I'd introduce you all to the 'face' of Glamourpuss Jewellery today - Barney! He's the puss you see on my folksy and twitter banners. Barney was a rescue cat that came to live with me around 4 years ago when I lived in a flat. Because it was a first floor flat, I didn't want to force a 'normal' cat to have to live indoors, so I went looking for a deaf cat. As they can't hear cars, it's best to keep them indoors for their own safety. When I moved in with Paul, we bought a house with a garden and a little shed. My dad built Barney a run at the side of the shed and fitted a cat flap, so now during the day Barney can still go outside and get some fresh air and watch the birds, but I know he's safe in his run and can't escape. Some days I feel cruel keeping him enclosed, but it really is for his own safety. He wouldnt hear a car approaching and be able to get out of the way in time and...well ,it doesnt bear thinking about.

The day I took the picture above, Barney was out in his run enjoying the sunshine whilst I was taking some photos of the jewellery I had made. With Barn being deaf, he can't hear himself miaow - believe me, he has a LOUD miaow! So, I let him sit on the chair with me for a few minutes and have a bit of a fuss. Here he is inspecting the cat rings I had made that day, checking they are up to scratch. He informs me that if I'm going to use his image for the business, he wants to ensure standards are kept high!

We also have two rabbits that live with us - Hef and Poppy. Yesterday was the first time they were allowed a run around the garden together. Hef is nearly a year old and Poppy is 6 months. As Hef is a boy and Poppy a girl, Hef had to be 'snipped' and we had to wait a few weeks before it was 'safe' to let them out together. We love rabbits, but two is enough for us really! Here are a few photos from their first encounter. It was love at first site! Hef (the white rabbit) was completely smitten and followed Poppy everywhere:

Today wasn't quite such a romantic tale. I think the novelty of having a playmate had quickly worn off for Hef. When I let them have a run around the garden this morning the tables had turned - it was Poppy who was following Hef! The poor lad couldnt get any peace. Even when he jumped into his hutch for some privacy she would follow him. Everywhere he went, she followed. Eventually I had to put him in his hutch and close the door to give him a chance to escape. He looked exhausted! Poppy's obviously never heard of 'playing it cool' around a guy.

We also have two coldwater fish - a Shubunkin called Seamus and a Goldfish called Gary. (We also used to have a Comet called Cuthbert. Are you getting the theme here....?). We've also got a pond in the back garden with about 20 more fish.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed being introduced to our little menagerie!