blog give away - read on!

ebb and flo will be taking part in a blog giveaway leading up to Christmas

check back for details!

check out sweet figments blog for more info

PS: my give away is top right, a mod dots bracelet in purple.

freshly picked

freshly picked, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Made these at last night's silversmithing class. They are (in case they are so fugly you can't recognise them) handdrawn and cut daisies (as usual with four petals - i'm not sure if i can draw any other flower) in sterling silver with fine silver bezels (one needs a little more soldering to complete the seam). The centres are these awesomely fresh fused dichroic glass cabs from willowglass which have been waiting in my stash for a cute project.

Still not sure - earrings or pendants? Any votes (they are around 2cm diameter for size)?

Anyways, stay tuned for the 'after' pics soon.

new marketing ploy

garden brooch with mohair scarf, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I've just finished adding photos of the wire brooches with the handknit scarves to my flickr gallery. They'll be in all their glory at PortobelloWest this Sunday (12noon to 6pm at teh Rocky Mountaineer Train Station just off Terminal Avenue in Vancouver - free shuttles from Main Street skytrain).

Perfect for gift giving - shop early for christmas!

inventory check

heaps of wire crochet, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Yesterday evening I worked thru my inventory in preparation for a craft fair next weekend. I'm trying to get everything ready in advance for a change as I'll be quite busy most evenings this week. I checked all the pieces had price tags and that my displays were up to scratch .... and I added a lint roller to my list (a must have for dark blue table coverings).

This morning I packed all my equipment, jewelry, cloths, etc. into a giant pull-along suitaces and voila! ebbandflo is good to go.

So this afternoon we (The Wee Guy and I) have a playdate with a neighbour. I'm taking pumpkin bread and himself will be taking along his best smile and funky T shirt to impress the ladies. I'll also be turning up with some knitting. I want finish off this mohair scarf and start on another crochet neckwarmer. I have great plans to display (and possibly sell) my brooches in situ on neckwear at the craft fair ..... and that's about as much marketing and prep as I've done so far!

Wish me luck.

just off the pins

just off the pins, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I've not been doing that much jewelry work recently (though I am setting up another batch of ACS leaves - see my portable crafting blog for details) but have been getting heavily into the knitting/crochet world. A new yarn shop, Black Sheep Yarns has opened locally and it is a goldmine of the most incredible yarns, including some from one of my favourite handspinners/dyers, Yummy Yarn.

Anyway, Just finished this last night (and oh boy did I stay up late just cos I was getting to the end of the ball) drop stitch scarf in Noro Silk Garden Lite (silk/kid mohair/lamb's wool) on 6mm needles.

It was a dream to knit up, the pattern is gorgeous and I love the texture formed by the thick/thin ply of the yarn with the drop stitch 'waves'. I am also totally in love with the colours (colour no. 2027 if anyone is interested).

I'm going to be pairing this with one of my flotsam or wire crochet brooches.

Fallen leaves

Fallen leaves, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Went for a very wet walk today after dropping off The Wee Guy at school (and cripes! it's nearly time to pick him up again already!). The leaves are really turning on some trees so it's a good time to go pick up some ornamental maple leaves to coat with art clay (ACS) slip.

The marg tub lid is smeared with vaseline (!) to keep the leaves in one place (hint: don't get any on the surface you want to coat with ACS slip) and they are placed face down so the nice veiny side is uppermost.

They were really wet so while I and they dried out I prepared some slip. Slip is "mistakes rehydrated in a jar" plus scraps so I really do upcycle my work.

Once the leaves had dried out they were painted with a few coats of thinnish slip, then left to dry at room temperature. I find that if I put them on the candlewarmer they crinkle up, and with a hairdryer they blow away. Slow is definetly better at this early stage.

Once coated witha few layers of slip I can relax a bit. They're good to go which means that I can slap on some thicker paste whenever I'm passing.

Once about 10 layers or so have been applied and dried then I can fire them.

Patience grasshopper!

mode of conveyance

mode of conveyance, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

The Wee Guy is very proud of his trailer bike. He gets around all over the place on it. This time we're cycling around the vastness of Greater Vancouver Zoo. It's the best way of traveling around here - walking IMO is far too dull and you're less likely to witness the excitement of being 'buzzed' by the cheetah chasing you!
Depsite all the criticism of the place, they really have started working on improvements in signage and animal welfare. When we first visited, about 4 years ago, there was very little signage and the animal enclosures were pitiful. Conditions are slowly improving and I like the extensive nature of many of the habitats. SIgns now tell a little about the residents and, more importantly, their position on the endangered list. The zoo is becoming more educational but still lags a long way behind, for example, the aquarium.
Whatever you feelings on zoos are, I think they are a necessary part of conservation these days - and thankfully most are recognising their responsibilities.

Thanksgiving cycle trip round the Greater Vancouver Zoo

off at the deep end

OK ... so maybe I did rant a little at a blog last month.

It was a mummy blog.
and it was about organic food
.... carrots
.... and whether they were indeed good to feed your precious little package
... and maybe this was the final straw for the camel's back?

But I haven't seen that blog post in a while.

Maybe there's a way to remove yourself from someone's Google Reader?

I don't know. Not sure how I feel about silencing a voice (potentially) ...

.... but I do fell glad that I spoke out about the utter crap that some mummy bloggers seem intent on foisting on the rest of us struggling mums. Honestly! Why try to make us feel any worse that we usually already are by voicing 'concerns' about possibly the only organic food that our children will eat willingly? Snacking carrots are a mainstay in my house. I love it that The Wee Guy will eat them willingly and pack them for his healthy school snack.

So maybe I'm just a little touchy about an attack on my dwindling nutritional powers?

Life as a mum is difficult at best, there's no real feedback or job appraisal and most of us just Try Our Best. Suddenly mummy bloggers seem to have taken it upon themselves to heap our already piled high plates with a whole host of extra work orders. When was the last time you heard a dad being encouraged to check out the BPA content of a sippy cup, or to tally up the organic-ness of the shopping list? When were dads last encouraged to boost the earth-friendliness of suitable developmental toys, or blasted because their little 'uns weren't in sustainable fibres? Yup - never!

As well as running the household, having responsibility for the majority of the housework and childcare, and overseeing feeding the masses, mothers are suddenly expected to also keep the faith as being the social and environmental conscience of the family.

In translation, yet another bloody thing to do!

No thanks!
and PS: carrots always go slightly white on the surface if you peel, wash and keep them damp. I know that from when my parents used to grow their own veg.

ready, set, tumble ......

ready set tumble, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

The copper and glass earrings are finally assembled and ready for tumbling. I tumble most finished pieces in stainless steel shot to work harden the metal and bring up a shine after intial polishing. In the case of ear posts it also helps to smooth the ends (all my handcrafted earwires are tumbled to make sure there are no snaggy bits left).

I made some copper jumprings for the connection - the surplus is going thru the tumbler too to stabilise them. I make a few extra each time then add them to my stash.

Once the earrings are tumbled I'll be adding them to the new Fall jewelry section in my Etsy shop.

I added this copper pendant this morning.

Autumn is here and you need new jewelry!

I've started the new Fall section in my Etsy shop and will be listing some great new items for updating your autumn wardrobe.

I'll be focusing on copper, either contrasting with hot pinks or lavender or blending it in with warm ambers and citrine.

I've been working on some copper wire crochet sets as well as some of my new metalwork pieces.

Stay tuned (and don't forget to check the sneak peeks too)!

hot pinks copper constellation cuff
copper wire with pink
interweave and glass beads
buy it here!

sweetheart copper ring

sweetheart copper ring, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Evening class update!

Finished this off last night - OK it only needed hammering out but I don't (as yet) have either a steel ring mandrel or a rawhide hammer.

Dear Santa,
My wishlist this year is for a raw hide hammer, a square steel ring mandrel and a round steel ring mandrel.
Many thanks, lots of love
ebb
PS: I will be updating this list so please check back frequently ......