Peanut pincher!

OK, so this isn't related to art or anything even close....but I guess it's a story - but not one I will be making into jewelry :-D

Work started today on our kitchen remodel. It was just the demolition work and the workers have just left so I wandered in to see how far they had got.

I looked on the floor and asked John if one of the workers was particularly partial to peanuts - but apparently not!

When they took out our cabinet, underneath one of them was this big pile of peanuts!!! It appears that peanut eater and storer was a mouse! We thought we had a mouse a while ago so we got the pest control people out and they lured him outside and we saw no further sign of him. Looks like he left his little nest and his big stash.

I find it amazing that a little mouse would go to all this trouble to get the nuts. The nuts are from Harold, our parrot. I've haven't told him yet, as he may be upset. Anyhow, we store Harold's peanuts in a closed container in a drawer in the living room - which is adjacent to the kitchen.
This little mouse obviously would climb into the drawer, find his way into the container, take a peanut, climb out again and run all the way back to his under cabinet home!!! It seems alot of work for a tiny mouse! Guess he likes peanuts as much as Harold does!!!

"just for you"

Well, as I mentioned yesterday, I haven't been showing any new pieces for a little while, as alot of them are Xmas gifts for people and so I don't want to ruin the Christmas surprise!

However, I heard from one of my friends today thanking me for her gift! She had opened it already!!!! It arrived today and she opened it! Gosh - what happened to 25th December???!!!!! :-D

Well, I guess I may as well show it to you now!!!!

Here is "just for you" that I made for her:
She has a cat called Dickie and he loves to bring her little presents - dead birds or other creatures from his haunt. Well, I could hardly make a piece with a dead bird in it - so I made a little cat who has caught a mouse and is holding it under his paw - ready to give it to you - "just for you"!!!

My friend doesn't wear jewelry as she reacts to quite a lot of different metals so this little guy is a desk buddy for her. I suspect he may well sit on her computer to keep warm!!! Cats always know how to find the best spots!

My family and other animals

A few months ago in the spring, we went back to England to see our family. We go back twice a year and spend a couple of weeks catching up with everyone. On this last trip we met up with my sister and her family at her new holiday home at Windrush - Heronslake (be sure the check out her website as I built it!!!). Anyhow, the first evening there we went to the local brasserie with my two nephews, Matthew and Peter.....and so this charm bracelet came about.

I had had the idea of making some silver animals - whimsical animals but wanted them to all have individual names. I'd begun naming a few - but then mentioned it to my nephews and sister as we were sitting over dinner - and the rest of the evening was then taken over with coming up with animal names for all these different animals. I think I could spend a year making animals and I would still not use up the names.

We decided on two names per animal species so that if they were earrings, each would have a different name.

I think the first name that came up was Matt the sheep and Ted and sheep - ie Matted...as in wool???....
Now I'm not going to explain all of them to you - you have to read it and figure it out...... My eldest nephew is Matt - or Matthew - and so after all the naming, and creating the animals, this bracelet became "my family and other animals"!!!!

So - the names - we have:
Matt and Ted the sheep
Curdle and Cud the cows
Trotter and Truffle the pigs
Wattle and Comb the chickens
Welsh the rabbit and his friend Jack (ever had Welsh rarebit?)

and the not on the bracelet...and in many cases not even created yet....we have:

Ebony and Ivory the zebras
Mozzarrella the mouse
Greg and Gruff the goats
Bill and Trill the birds
Claude and Claudia the cats
Dig and Doug the dogs
Pete and Pilchard the penguins (Peter is my nephew!)
Cliff and Bob the seagulls
Gulp and Fin the goldfish (Fin is my brother in law!)
Over and Fore the bears (not my nephews contribution as you can imagine - but their dad!!)
Lionel and Lilly the lambs
Eg and Bert the chickens
Ee and Ore the donkeys
Spike and Needle the hedgehogs
Clip and Clop the horses
Giddy and Up the horses
Crispy and Peking the ducks
Tad and Pole the frogs
Incy and Wincy the spiders

You can tell that we have amusing times when we get together! I have yet to make Peter the penguin - but I was drawing him out yesterday...so he will be the next creation I think. I've sold Matt the sheep, and Matt and Ted the earrings...and Mozzarrella the mouse. And not forgetting of course, Quentin and Queenie the Quails...!!!

Do feel free to offer up more naming opportunities for animals... I'm sure there are plenty more out there....and all I need is more silver... or maybe there are some bronze animals waiting to come out in the new bronzclay????