It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks! Huge decision making and lack of sleep and rest because of it, overwhelming joy with everything falling into place later, and finally a quick getaway to Stockholm from Sunday to Tuesday in order to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday.

The snowstorm that hit Finland and Sweden on Monday almost beat us but we still managed to have a great time. After fighting the snow all day the weather finally settled down in the evening and we were able to enjoy a peaceful stroll in the lovely, quiet streets of Stockholm’s Old Town where our gorgeous hotel Lady Hamilton was also located. To anyone who would enjoy a dose of old world charm and a fantastic location, I can warmly recommend this hotel! This mini trip was my birthday gift to my boyfriend and he also enjoyed the hotel very much. It wasn’t too girly at all but indeed very romantic.

Picture captured from Lady Hamilton’s website. This was our room!

This time of year is in many ways quite difficult for jewellery making. The days are short and there’s hardly any daylight for decent photography. Also the work itself is hard as lack of light makes me tired and making fine tuned colour combinations always requires daylight. I still have many unfinished projects but have at least managed to take a few basic photos of some earrings. So let’s see at least those…

In Autumn Flower we see the last of these smoky quartz pebbles. I haven’t come across the same size, shape and quality since I handpicked just one strand of these over at Bead Empire in New York last year. Sigh…

Autumn Flower

The Dancer in “blush” earrings were made ages ago but I had forgotten to photograph them. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of these particular Swarovski crystals, so this is a style I’ll definetly be remaking every once in a while…

The Dancer in “blush”

Can earrings ever be too long? Not necessarily. These simple sparklies measure about 8 cm in length. Czech firepolished glass beads at their best .

Le Concert au Salon

Now back to work. So many things, so little time, and yet another party on the way! See ya!

I have a lot of unfinished projects on my hands and still have no new jewellery pictures to show, so blog-wise I’m now finally taking part in the music tag that I got from my boyfriend months ago already. It seemed fitting since I’ve been listening to such fantastic music lately! Music is also related to my jewellery making: I always listen to music when I’m working, as I’m certain lots of other people do as well.

The idea of this tag was quite simply to name five songs that are currently playing in your head, no matter what genre they are or weather they’re old or new. For someone like me who’s absolutely crap at choosing and deciding anything, this is quite a difficult job but I’ll go for it anyway.  Out of all the hundreds of current favourites, here are five random choices…

1. Stephanie McKay: Jackson Avenue

I’ve been hooked on this track ever since I first heard it on my adored Radio Nova Paris in August. There’s a pureness in this woman’s performance that really appeals to me. And I miss New York. Listen to “Jackson Avenue” on Stephanie McKay’s MySpace.

2. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons: Beggin’ (Pilooski re-edit)

Sometimes re-edits of good old classics are horrible and other times they’re just totally spot-on. The talented frenchman Pilooski made a version of “Beggin’ ” in 2007 that falls easily into the latter category. I’ve been listening to it practically on repeat for the last few weeks, it’s absolutely hypnotic!! The video is available on YouTube and Pilooski’s MySpace can be found here.

3. Mulatu Astatke: Yegelle Tezela

I very recently rediscovered ethiojazz and particularly the music of Mulatu Astatke when I heard “Yegelle Tezela” on the radio. Mulatu and his band would be a joy to see live! I can’t believe I missed their gig in Helsinki two years ago!! Listen to the album version of “Yegelle Tezela” at Mulatu Astatke’s MySpace. In this video he’s performing with his band at Cargo in London just last Spring.

4. Thom Yorke: Analyze

The Prestige is one of my biggest favourites when it comes to movies from recent years. This song marks the ending of the film. It always gives me goosebups (in a good way) when I hear it. Listen to “Analyze” on Thom Yorke’s MySpace.

5. Ananda Project: Cascades of Colour

My undying love for deep and soulful house music is no secret. This song represents true bliss. Brings me to tears at it’s best. And although it’s not a new track, for me it became the undisputed anthem of Summer 2008. Listen to “Cascades of colour” on Ananda Project’s MySpace.

We had some computer trouble a while ago and as a result I’ve recently had to completely recreate my iTunes library. It’s been quite a bit of work but also a lot of fun, searching for my own favourites from the thousands of tracks that we have tucked away on an external hard-drive. There’s just so much great music out there in the world it’s just crazy! Sometimes I really envy the people such as deejays who are not only passionate about music but actually get paid for playing and listening to it.

I hope at least someone has enjoyed some of the music introduced in this post, but if not, that’s ok as well. Because, as we all know, it’s all a matter of taste…

P.S. Does the title of this post happen to ring a bell to anyone?

I’m wide awake and biting my nails over the upcoming results of the US election, so I thought I might as well make a new post.

I’ve not much new jewellery to show because I’m mainly working on remakes of my recent pieces. I had a little jewellery party about a week ago and the feedback I got from all the fantastic girls that attended was mindblowing! Thank You to each and every one of you, it was such a fun night!!

When I’m working, the mess can’t be avoided. So why not post a realistic photo!

Well, to prove that I’m doing something I’ll post a few odd photos of my dear old working table. My “studio space” at home is tiny, but I cherish it. I’ve had my beloved 19th century table for about a year now. Before that I just moved my bits and bobs around the flat wherever there was light…

Old bottles. My favourite jewellery displays.

The pictures aren’t taken in the best possible light, nor with a stand, so… But well, the light is what it is this time of year. The dark days are coming, yes they are…

When beads touch wood they make a lovely rattling sound…