Someday I'll have money....

Just finished reading a really interesting book by entrepreneur George Frew. It is his autobiography and chronicles the ups and downs of his fortunes over his lifetime. He was one of the earliest hotel/motel builders and it was a very interesting read because a couple of the hotels he developed were ones which I frequented in my youth and which are still operating here in Melbourne - the Village Green and the Matthew Flinders among others.
He had some interesting things to say and the last words in the book are "And, remember, there's always a way to make a quid" (or a dollar as the case may be). He also talks about the benefits of having "the fire in your belly" which drives you to try and make something of yourself and your business, without which it is difficult to succeed.
The book is a good read and has a lot of lessons for budding businesses, especially in the areas of who to trust. I wonder what George Frew would make of the way internet business is growing these days?

Daffodil Day August 22

Here in Australia today is Daffodil Day, the major cancer fund raising day in the southern hemisphere. As a cancer survivor myself, I know how important it is to keep fighting cancer so that more people survive this horrible disease. Almost 17 years ago, I was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy during a very harrowing time in my life.
I was determined that I would not die, although the prognosis was not good. My children, Fraser and Catriona were just 12 and 8 respectively and I wanted to be around to watch them grow up. In fact, it never really entered my head that I wouldn’t be. My determination to beat cancer, despite the odds, paid off. As you can see from earlier blogs this week, I have managed to live long enough to see Fraser become a father and marry the love of his life, Dana, last Friday.
Unfortunately, too many people still neglect the signs that all is not right with their bodies and allow cancer to overtake them. Ever since my diagnosis, I have tried to impress on my family and friends the importance of checking up on puzzling symptoms. Get them checked early and the rate of cancer survival is much better.
None of us likes to talk about those embarrassing signs of things that may be going wrong. Especially with bowel/colon cancer. Signs of bleeding, changes in bowel habits, pain, loss of weight – don’t put it off! Get yourself off to the doctor and insist on being properly checked over.
Have a colonoscopy if necessary. Yes, I know how awful having one is – I still need to have one every two years just to be sure. There have been lots of changes though and the colonoscopy preparation is much better than the drinking of four litres of Glycoprep (UGH!) that I had to go through twice in two days when I had my surgery the day after having the colonoscopy. Unfortunately, I had lunch in between, or I could have missed the second batch!
To my great regret, talking about the symptoms and encouraging people to speed off to the doctors did not save my beloved sister-in-law (my husband’s twin sister) from being taken from us by Colon Cancer. Now all of my family – all my blood relatives and also her blood relatives have been checked and are now clear. My father discovered he had polyps – a precursor to cancer – just months after my diagnosis. These were removed during the colonoscopy and now at 82 he continues to enjoy good health. For Fraser, one of the joys of turning 30 next year will be a reminder from his mother that he too should now join the ranks of those in the family undergoing regular checks.
If you are in the situation of having a few niggling little worries about some health issues – DON’T DELAY! Get yourself off to the doctor now. Give yourself the chance to beat cancer, if that is what it turns out to be. The minor embarrassments suffered are all worthwhile in the long run.

Can't believe it's all over!

After all the preparations, our son's wedding went off like clockwork. This is a picture of the happy couple and their seven month old son, after the wedding. We were lucky the rain stopped for enough time to get some lovely photos in the garden of the venue, Nathania Springs, in Monbulk. It is a really beautiful place.

For more gorgeous wedding photos, Elise (our photographer) has put some photos of the wedding up on her website:

See link in my favourite websites to Elise's blogspot.
(You may need to page down a bit to see the photos. They are listed as August 19.)

Yet again she's done such a fantastic job! Can't wait to see the whole album.


Now I need to settle down to some beading as there are a couple of exhibitions coming up here in Melbourne.

Kerrie Slade - Awareness Pins

Promoting a good cause.... Fellow EBW Team and Beading Forum member Kerrie Slade has designed an Awareness Pin to raise funds for two very worthwhile charities.
The instructions for the project will be available to purchase from Beading Daily and all funds raised from sales during August and September will be divided between two international charities - The Wellness Community and the American Institute for Cancer Research ( a member of World Cancer Research Fund International).

There is also a competition to win one of her lovely ribbon pins. For more information go to Kerrie's website.

Wedding Week already!

I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by. There has been a lot happening, not least on the family side of things, with my son's wedding happening next Friday August 15. Today is Dana's Hens' party and I am sitting waiting for the others to arrive so that we can set off for the winery where we are having lunch, and hoping that the rain stops soon.
We are all thankful for the rain, as we keep getting told what a dreadful drought we are in..... But please could we have a bit less of it at the end of this week? Today the rain has been bucketing down with a forecast of 12 Deg C and possible snow in the mountains, so it is a bit chilly here.

Back to beading and I have made a set of goodies to wear to the wedding which I thought you might like to take a look at.



There is a cuff, ring and pendant all in Right Angle Weave, with bicone bead embellishment. The fabric for my outfit is purple/mauve/silver and I wanted to try and keep the jewellery complementary rather than taking over. Hope I have succeeded.
The cuff is based on my Elegant Bracelet Instructions (just another couple of repeats of the main pattern). The clasp is something I dreamed up and works really well with the cuff.
Don't forget to vote in the EBW Challenge! Voting started yesterday. See previous post for the website link. There is another great treasury west as well http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=21105. The EBW team members work really hard on their Challenge pieces so I hope you enjoy them.

Etsy Beadweaver Challenge for August

Voting starts soon for the EBW Challenge. Please visit the EBW Blog from August 9 to cast your vote.
Here are some of my favourite pieces:

ebwc Treasury

Clinkscalearts has very kindly included me in the EBWC Treasury which she set up today.

All the pieces are amazing and it will be hard to choose who to vote for. Make sure you vote after the 9th August at the Etsy Beadweavers Blogsite.

Isn't it surprising how many variations there are on a theme? I love the loom woven necklace on the right hand side of the third row which is by High Desert Beadscapes and also the Egyptian inspired set in the first row, right hand end, by Beadcatcher. They both must have spent hours working on their entries.

One nice thing about this group is that everyone appreciates how much time and effort goes into making these very intricate beaded creations.

Art Deco Challenge - Etsy Beadweavers

This is my Art Deco challenge piece for August. It is a brooch constructed in right angle weave and was inspired by a design originally made by Cartier in 1925. Whilst the Cartier piece was made from Coral, diamonds and emeralds, I have chosen to use coral coloured seed beads to make the "D" Shape, and crystal AB Japanese seed beads to make the bail for the large blue bead. Crystal AB beads have also been used to represent diamond loops, and two other larger faceted glass beads hang below the "D".
A brooch pin has been attached to the back. This piece took many hours to construct in 3D RAW and I have used Fireline thread throughout.
Hope you like it.
I found my inspiration from looking through a beautiful book on the Cartier Museum in Russia, showcasing some spectacular pieces of work.
As an Art Deco bead woven piece I think it has worked out well.