End of an era. Probably.

So - I think the time has come.  It's time to put Venerable Bead to bed.

For those who don't know, I've been making jewellery for the last 12 years under the name of 'Venerable Bead' (yes, there's a website and everything...) and for the first five or so years things were going pretty well.  I was never really going to make enough money to make an actual living from it but it was encouraging to pull in a few grand every year.  People seemed to like my stuff and were willing to pay me a reasonable amount.  I enjoyed designing things, and resourcing interesting stones.  I learned how to fuse glass to make my own dichroic glass bits and pieces - it was fun.

Then the economy collapsed, and people reined in their spending.  My sales started nose-diving.  As my mother said (she also sells handicrafts and also suffered) 'we're not selling sausages', and you can't deny that she's right.  Sausages, we were definitely not selling.

What she meant was that jewellery (mine) and decoupaged items (hers) are not essential household items like food, mortgage payments, utilities, etc. and given the choice of being able to feed your kids or hang some trinket from your ear'oles, the sausages are going to win.

Things have slowly gone from bad to worse.  Last year I experienced my first ever craft fair where I sold nothing.  Not a single sausage (see what I did there?)  My mother tried to gee me along, saying motivating things like 'don't worry, the economy will pick up, it'll come back...'

But it hasn't.  And the reptilian Cameron pronouncing last week that we're heading for a second market crash hasn't exactly helped.  Thanks, Dave.

For example, the last three craft fairs I did I sold a grand total of £10, £16 and last Saturday saw me go home with the princely sum of £12 in my pocket.  Bearing in mind the pitch cost £16 and there was petrol costs involved, it means I'm actually paying to attend the fair.  Plus I haven't sold anything at all from the website in over a year, where I used to sell a few bits and pieces a month.

This is not good business practice.  Admittedly I don't do any advertising/marketing at all, but then I never did and always managed to sell stuff.

I was chatting to Janet, the organiser of the craft fair I attended on Saturday (which I've been doing regularly for about 7 years now) and she said that many craftspeople are giving up, and it's the first time she can remember that she doesn't have a waiting list of people waiting to get a table at her fair.

My heart has most definitely gone out of it.  If people don't buy your stuff then there's absolutely no incentive to continue adding to your stock, so you stop looking for new stones/beads/whatever and you stop designing.  No point making more if you're not selling any - it's just that much more to cart around. Plus I'm far more excited about painting and making art these days and, to be honest, selling more of that than my jewellery anyway.

So The Lovely Husband and I have come to a decision that this will be the last year for Venerable Bead.  We're committed to doing 6 more craft fairs in Alresford, Hants, which will take us up to December 2015, and then that's it.

God knows what I'm going to do with all my semi-precious beads and pearls - I'm thinking I'll probably eBay them in bulk next year.  And, of course, I have my lovely little kiln that I fuse glass in, but I think I'll hold onto that - I'd like to try and incorporate dichroic glass cabochons into my paintings somehow, and I'm quite keen to have a go at using powdered glass to make seascapes or other art pieces.

It's sad, but times change and events conspire to make you alter your plans, and the time has come to bid Venerable Bead a fond adieu....

That's Handy (Part 2)

(The last pictures I showed you, way back in October last year, were of some life sketches I did at Frensham Pond in September.  I've produced a few things since then so this is the first of a few catch-up posts.)

Back on 2 September 2013, a most astonishing book was published - "Heavenly Bodies" by Paul Koudounaris, an American photographer who had previously published a book of photographs of ossuaries and charnel houses called "The Empire of Death".  Being both a bit of an old Goth and an ex-archaeologist, I've always been fascinated by funerary rites and how humans process death and physical remains.  I bought these books as soon as possible.

'The Empire of Death' is a photo-essay, basically, of architecture built with disarticulated human skeletons, usually within some kind of church or chapel:

Isn't that extraordinary?

"Heavenly Bodies" is even more mind-blowing.  Skeletons were discovered in the Roman Catacombs
 in the late 16th century. Believed to be the remains of early Christian martyrs, they were treated as sacred.  Sent to Catholic churches and religious houses in German-speaking Europe to replace the relics that had been destroyed in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, the skeletons were reassembled and richly adorned with precious jewels and costumes.  Because the Catholic Church can't let a money-making opportunity pass it by, and pilgrims will pay good money to see 'genuine' saintly relics.

And you won't believe how blinging the skeletons are:

And I started to get an idea about the subject for the end of last year's art classes.  I would do a 'portrait' based on one of these skeletons and would add real pearls, beads and dichroic glass cabochons to it for the bling!

I wasn't sure if it wasn't going to look okay, or if it was going to look crap, so decided to do a trial run, as it were, by doing a skeleton hand and adding 'rings' and a 'bracelet'.  I had a spare canvas that was a little smaller than A4 sized and therefore more or less life-sized so that would do.  I also make jewellery so have easy access to any amount of pearls and beads.  Additionally, I fuse my own dichroic glass so have plenty of spare cabochons of varying sizes knocking around that I could use.

I started by printing off a picture of a skeleton hand and took it from there (clicky for bigger):

 I wanted there to be a darker centre behind the hand itself, so decided the easiest way to do it would be to do the dark smudginess first, then draw the outline of the hand over it, which I would then paint white.

Then I start adding the shading on the bones to make them more three-dimensional:

I then decided on which dichroic glass cabochons to use, and positioned them where they would sit if they were actual rings:

It needed something a bit more, so I added gold lined glass beads to the one on the index finger, and freshwater pearls around the cabochon on the ring finger:

I'm pretty pleased with the final effect.  Then it dawned on me that this was kind of the culmination of things I've been doing over the last 10 years - making jewellery and painting, and that was pretty cool.

I posted some photos of the final picture on my Facebook page and people seemed to like it - I even had two offers to buy it, but I don't really know how serious they were.  Even if they weren't serious, it was still a very lovely ego boost.

It also proved that it was a viable concept and that I could move on to planning the much bigger painting, but you'll have to wait to see that one (I'm such a tease!)

Achievement unlocked - half century attained!

 **Warning - gratuitous overuse of the word 'lovely' in the following post.  Apologies in advance**

Yesterday was eventful at Jones Towers.

I turned 50.  I'm not entirely sure how it's happened but I don't seem to have done anything more than just staying alive for the requisite number of years.  And there's been at least one occasion when that might not have happened.  But here I am, made it to 50 years and one day.

I don't feel 50 at all, more like 25.  And, rather gratifyingly, there was more than one Facebook comment yesterday expressing surprise that I'm as old as I am, which was rather lovely and good for the self-esteem.

A friend asked me how it felt to have reached half-a-hundred years old - I told her I wasn't sure yet but the beautiful weather has helped a lot and, frankly, being 50 is better than the alternative.  Sadly I know a few too many people who didn't manage to make it this far, through illness or stupidity, so, on the whole, I'm really quite pleased to just keep buggering on.

It was a quiet birthday - about a year ago I was pondering whether to try and have a 50th birthday party, but then realised (and this isn't a self-pitying whine, I'm just stating a fact) that I don't really have that many friends and most of my relations live a long way away and just wouldn't be able to afford hotel accommodation, etc., so there was no point in having a bash.  Which, actually, I'm okay about, because I would have only stressed about it to an enormous degree and, consequently, not enjoyed it much!

Yesterday was, of course, a work day which meant that The Lovely Husband was out at meetings all day, so I would have to entertain myself.  My mother rang to sing 'happy birthday' down the phone at me, which was lovely - she and my step-dad are off to visit relatives in Holland so I won't be seeing her until the beginning of May when she'll give me the incinerator that she got for my birthday!

Yep, that's right - one of those shiny galvanised metal dustbins with a small chimney on the top.  Absolutely awesome for burning garden prunings in.  The one she bought me for my birthday several years ago (do you detect a theme here?) has now practically rusted into dust and I really couldn't think of anything that I absolutely needed when she asked, apart from a new one of those, so that's what I'm getting!

She did, though, also get me a surprise orchid which she gave to me last week.  I collect orchids as I seem to be able to keep them alive quite successfully by pretty much ignoring them - always useful in a plant, I find.  I'm now restricting myself to only getting unusual colour combinations because I've got white ones and pink ones and pale purpley ones and scented ones, but she found a very pretty pink and green striped one that I found a purple glass orchid jar to put in, and it's now happily with the others on my windowsill:



.

I had a few birthday cards in the post, my very favourite of which came from The Lovely Husband:



And, as I mentioned, lots of lovely birthday wishes from Facebook friends and relations, which made me feel very smiley.

As it's a 'big' birthday, this means a 'big' birthday present from my beloved.  For my last big birthday, 10 years ago now,  I got the most stunning 5-stone diamond ring.  So, for this one, and knowing my love of sparkly bling and that diamonds are always the answer when asked 'what do you want for your birthday?', my fabulous man got me a pair of diamond solitaire stud earrings, totalling 1 carat (i.e., half a carat each).  *screams*  I KNOW!!!!  How utterly, gobsmackingly wonderful is that?

For the last 10 years or so I've been wearing a pair of Diamonique (i.e., good quality cubic zirconia) stud earrings but now I've got the real thing!  Plus this means that when the Zombie Apocalypse arrives and the Petrol Wars cause civilisation to fail, I've now got portable wealth that can come with us when we flee to safety!  Hooray!

I've also bought myself a Fuggler.  Yes, that's right, a psychotic, flick-knife wielding 'teddy bear' with fake human teeth.  Because who could resist this face - I know I can't:

Should you decide you can't live without your very own Fuggler, then hurry on over to Mrs McGettrick's Fuggler Emporium on Etsy, and adopt one of your very own!  I first saw the Fugglers on the intertubes about a year ago and they touched my blackened, stoney heart so much that I decided I would order one for my 50th, and so it has come to pass.  I'll show you pictures when he arrives.

Birthdays also mean a good meal out and we decided to try somewhere we've not been before - a rather fancy Italian restaurant in Godalming called La Luna.  We're not massive fans of your usual Italian food - far too much emphasis on tomatoes, pasta and pizza for our liking - but we're aware that there is good Italian food out there, you just have to find it.  And La Luna has the reputation of being a really good restaurant, if a little pricey, but, hey, you don't turn 50 every day!

I'm going to do a Katyboo here and give you a restaurant review!

We were surprised to find the place about three-quarters full, which isn't bad for a Tuesday evening, when we got there for 7.30pm.  Nice interior, dark wood floor and tables, mushroom coloured walls, lighting not too bright.  Proper Italian waiters too.  Only slightly odd touch was that the music being played was Nirvana!  But the menu was fantastic.

This is the sort of proper Italian restaurant where it's naturally expected that you will eat four courses - Antipasti (starters), Primi (pasta), Secondi (main), and Dolci (puds).  Which is exactly what we did as it would've been rude not to.

We had a couple of gin and tonics to start off with.  Then for antipasti I had the Calamari Fritti (squid rings in tempura batter) which came with a little pot of parsley pesto and mayonnaise for dipping.  It was good - the calamari rings, although quite chunky, weren't at all chewy.  TLH had beer battered zucchine with a tomato guazzetto dip - this was long thin pieces of courgette which had been battered and deep fried, with an utterly delicious tomato and basil dipping sauce.  I have to say his dip had more flavour than mine, but as we tend to eat communally and share everything, we each got to enjoy both dishes.

For our Primi course, we ordered small dishes of pasta - I had the orecchiette (ear-shaped!) pasta with pancetta, broccoli, chilli & garlic.  It was ok but the flavours could have been a bit more robust, I think.  Beautifully cooked and the pasta was properly al dente.  TLH had the Neapolitan spaghetti with king prawn, courgette, and basil pesto - his tasted quite basil-y to me, which isn't a bad thing at all, and he said his king prawns were yummy.

For Secondi, I ordered the Pan fried halibut supreme, with capers & Amalfi lemon sauce and steamed samphire but they didn't have halibut that day, it was Turbot instead, which was fine by me.  TLH had the South Downs rump of lamb, minted broad bean & courgette, with Bagna cauda (Piedmontese hot dip sauce).  The lamb was cooked using the sous vide method which involves putting the meat into an airtight vacuum sealed plastic bag and cooking it in a hot water bath for many hours in order to retain as much taste as possible.  It did look amazing - lean and slightly pink in the middle, soft and easy to cut.  The Bagna Cauda sauce was a belter too.  My fish was very nice but, again, I think I somehow managed to order a dish with subtle flavours rather than something a bit more gutsy.  We ordered a side dish of steamed spinach with chilli and garlic (no spuds for us at the moment) which was, frankly, the best spinach I've ever eaten (and we always order it if it's on the menu).

Finally, for the Dolci course, I had 3 scoops of homemade Italian sorbet; one each of lemon, raspberry and pear.  This was utterly orgasmic.  Strong, zingy flavours and the pear sorbet was totally to die for.  TLH had the Madagascan Vanilla Panna Cotta, with rhubarb compote which he also thought was incredibly good.

We were very good and only had one bottle of red to accompany the lot, and didn't bother with coffee because, well, TLH doesn't like Italian coffee very much and I don't tend to drink very much coffee anyway.

We were right royally stuffed and agreed it had been a very good meal indeed, and I expect we'll be back.

Then, to top it all off nicely, I got home to find that The Guardian had liked a photo I'd sent in to them in response to an assignment they'd issued to the general public so much that they wanted to publish it in a picture gallery on the front page of their online edition!  Bloody hell!  The link to the picture gallery is here and my photo is number 9, of a woodland waterfall and a pond.  It's credited to Boudicca23 in the text underneath and Kaz Jones in the bottom right - they're both me!!

And with that, we went to bed, having had no room left for the cake I'd bought earlier in the day (and which we won't now be touching until Thursday as we're both on the 5:2 Fast Diet - and doing very well - and today is a Fast day).

It was a really lovely day!

My Desk

Hello!  Been a while, hasn't it?

I'm not very good at keeping up a steady flow of writing.  I'll post something long-winded on the blog and then be quiet for weeks, then post a few shorter ramblings, then be quiet again.  It doesn't mean I'm not doing stuff that I could turn into a blog post, it's just I can't be arsed.  And I'm finding as I get older, I can't be arsed even more.

There are some 'ta-dah' posts in the offing, as I've recently started doing cross-stitch and am enjoying it very much.  But I'll post more about that later as, today, I want to introduce you to my desk.

I was reading Belgian Waffle's post about her newly-excavated desk and, at the end, she asked "What do you have on your desk?" and I thought "You don't wanna know" and then changed my mind because, well, someone might be interested plus it's a record of what I was doing at this time on this day, so this is a post about my desk(s).  With pictures.  Lots and lots of pictures.

In our house there is a tiny third bedroom upstairs.  It will take a single bed and a chest of drawers and that's about it.  I use this as my 'study' although it's known as 'the Jewellery Room'.  Because this is where I make my jewellery.  My husband is Welsh and very literal and very logical, which, I'm sure you'll agree, are admirable traits to have, and which I am trying to emulate.  I do other things in the Jewellery Room apart from making jewellery - I keep my lovely saxophone in there so it doubles up as a music practice room.  We keep most of our DVDs in here too, as well as my wool stash, so it trebles up as a storage room.  We have yet another computer and printer in here so this is where I do my 'serious' typing, i.e., "proper" correspondence, blog posting, etc., and where I fiddle about with my photographs online as well, so it quadruples as, um, a room where that sort of thing happens.

Anyway, some pictures, I think:

This is the view from the doorway.  As you can see, I have two desks at my disposal.  The one to your left is my main desk, where I construct jewellery.  The one on your right is used for cutting and gluing glass.  It also has drawers that have collapsed as it is an old crappy desk that is falling apart (a bit like me, really).  The eagle-eyed amongst you will also notice my lovely sax sitting in its stand.  It's a lovely, lovely thing *wistful sigh*.

Behind the door is hanging pouchy thing that contains various stuff, such as old jars, a rolled up poster of a Dale Chihuly glass exhibition that I really must get round to framing sometime, my old Pentax ME Super SLR camera that I got from my mum for my 21st birthday and hanging on the wall is a framed poster of an album cover from one of my favourite bands of all time, Magazine:

Signed by the band, no less (this says 'Howard Devoto'):

Moving round, we have an Ikea spice rack that makes ideal shelving for small jars for beads, pearls, etc.  It's not terribly clear but tucked into the top is a postcard of Mnajdra Temple in Malta, built in 2800BC, which I visited a few years ago, and hanging from the shelf is a papier mache, black and white painted mask from Singapore, given to me by an old boyfriend.  Oh look!  There's the computer screen with Belgian Waffling's actual post about her desk!

Then we come to the actual work surface of my main desk.  Oh lordy. Yes, I know it's cluttered, clutter is what I do and I do it very well. There are two lamps, a bead design board, tools in pots and glasses, jars and pots full of pearls and semi-precious stones, and tucked in the far right is my mini hi-fi/DAB radio with my iPod perched atop.

On the wall above my main desk is a monthly calendar and various images that I like comprised of birthday cards, postcards (from the Royal Academy and Sedona) and photos that I've taken.

Above the photos are a couple of shelves that house my ring binders, magazines, speakers and other stuff.

The top shelf has a couple of my very favourite things, an Elvis Cow and my 50p stuffed Piranha:

This brings us round to the windowsill which, you'll be pleased to hear, I recently spent several hours tidying.  There's a money box in the shape of a lady's head that I've had since I was about 9 years old and is one of only two things I've still got from my early childhood (everything else someone either threw out or gave away), there's a Mexican votive candle in a tall jar with a Union Jack flag, a large flat curved bean thing from Hungary and another candle stuck into it, a small picture of an Andy Goldsworthy installation, four empty jars, a plastic dinosaur, some old business cards and a tape measure. All most useful, I think you'll agree.

In the middle of the windowsill is my badger skull:

And now we swing round to the other desk. This is where I cut little pieces of glass that will then go into my glass kiln down in the garage to be fused, so there's a cutting mat, metal ruler, glastac glue, various other glues, cutting implements, small sheets of glass in plastic containers.  When I took this picture I had also just been sorting out some necklaces in preparation for my next craft fair - these don't usually live on this table.  There's also a sort of black metal tree display unit thing which currently has some of my fused glass window jewellery hanging from it, and leaning against the wall is a photo I took at Avebury in the winter of 2009 of a standing stone viewed through wintry trees: 

In the picture above you can just make out my earring stand, here's a better picture, including some pieces that I'm gluing together, ready to go into my stock - earrings, rings and brooches:

Next to this desk there is a tall set of shelves that houses boxes of necklace/bracelet boxes on the top shelf, more pots and stacks of containers full of beads:

And then lower down are our DVDs and CDs, and on the floor in front is the bag that I cart all my jewellery around in, with a toolbox perched on the top.  And, no, I'm not going to explain the NSFW card of Gay Biker Jesus on the wall (I would just say, though, that you can double click on all the pictures in order to get a really good, close-up view...)

And finally, looking back through the door, on the left there is a large square wicker basket which I use to store my old hard copy photographic prints, on which is a framed photograph of my late father, a birthday calendar above that, and above the light switch is a painting I did.  On the door of the cupboard are photos (of TLH) and postcards (of engravings by Norman Atkinson).

Finally, and as if I haven't crammed enough stuff into this room as it is, there is often to be found a large, elderly, grumpy, arthritic cat, usually in the most awkward places possible, either behind the chair where he's in danger of being rolled over:

Or right under the desk where's he in danger of being trodden on:

So, then, that's a tour of my desk(s), I'll bet you're feeling a lot happier about your so-called 'clutter' now, aren't you?!?

Fair Trade Earrings

You guys know I make stuff and I'll occasionally refer to something new I've come up with.  I don't like to use my Mrs Jones space for overt and obvious advertising - I reckon I've put the links down the sides, if you visit and you like something there, you'll buy it.  I'm not naturally pushy when it comes to 'selling' my things, even though I am very proud at how something's come out (if I don't think it's good enough, it doesn't go on the stall or the websites).

But a few months back I was wandering around a few of my favourite online bead shops (where I get my supplies) and came across Acholi Beads and I thought they were lovely.  I didn't know what they were so read up on them.

These beads are handmade by Ugandan women of the Acholi tribe.  They fled civil war in the north of Uganda and ended up in refugee camps in a hillside slum just outside the capital, Kampala, where the only money they could earn to feed their families and the orphans they cared for was $1 a day crushing rocks in a quarry.

A young chap called James A Pearson came along, saw that he could help and set up Acholi Beads.  The women now make these lovely beads by recycling paper (tearing them into strips, rolling them up and then soaking them in varnish).  It was something they were already doing, but he advised them on microfinance, investing, design, collaboration and setting up working co-operatives.  It is both Fair Trade and socially proactive business.

The women are now no longer working in the quarries.  The beads (and the jewellery) they make are bought from them for a fair price and then made available to retailers.

I have bought some of the loose beads and have made three pairs of earrings so far (I have more beads but haven't made them into anything yet - I'm thinking perhaps a bracelet.....).  Actually, I've made four pairs but I liked the orange and blue pair so much I've kept them. The beads are fairly large but because they're made of paper they weigh very little.

The three pairs are online now and available from www.venerablebead.co.uk.  You can click on 'Latest Things' and they'll be there, or put 'Acholi' into the search box.

I hope you'll have a look as I think this is such a truly worthwhile project. If they prove popular, I will buy more beads which will help the Ugandan women.

Thank you.

Mrs Speccy Four-Eyes updates

 Been a while, innit?  It's not that I've been lying around, wanly demanding bonbons, gazing out the window at the leaden skies and not really feeling in the slightest bit guilty about not being able to get to the allotment in order to start planning the next season (although there has been a certain amount of that).  I have, actually, been, like, really busy, yeah?

First of all, my rather wonderful mother paid for a new pair of glasses for me as a Christmas present.  I've worn glasses since I was 18, and toyed with contact lenses about 6 years ago but I just didn't really get on with them.  I have one eyeball that's attractively shaped like a rugby ball so I had to have a toric lens for that eye which had to be put in and then manipulated around until I could see in focus.  But it would move about so I'd have to poke myself in the eye to shift it about, and it would dry out and there was the increased risk of introducing germs due to the increased pokage and, in the end, it was all just too much of a faff, so I stopped using them.

I don't mind wearing glasses but, it would appear, and contrary to my personal life's gameplan, I seem to be growing older (I know!) and when you get to my age, i.e., forty-mumble, the lenses in your eyes apparently harden.  I'm not an optician so am not entirely sure what this means but what happens is that you end up needing bifocals or varifocal lenses.  And I now need them.  This means there's graded lensey-ness from the top to the bottom of the lens.  So, at the top of the lens is my long-distance seeing bit (for telly-watching and driving), the middle of the lens has my middle-distance seeing bit (for when I'm using a computer) and the very bottom has a close-up seeing bit.  What I had been finding with my previous, single lens specs, was that, although I didn't need them for close up stuff, like reading, or making jewellery, or doing crochet - so I'd take them off - if I then wanted to look at something a bit further away, I'd have to put them on again.  Made it a pain to read books or crochet in front of the telly, constantly putting them on and then taking them off.  What I really needed was some reverse lunettes, with just a lens on the top half of the glasses frame but no-one's been imaginative enough to develop these yet.  I'd wear them, probably even in public too.

So, here I am in my new specs: 

Yes, yes, I know it's out of focus and opinion might suggest that my specs aren't doing their job and I need better ones, but this was taken on my iPhone so there was a bit of a wobble when I took it.  But I really like the effect.  I don't generally look great in photos but this one makes me look really quite acceptable and non-horse frightening.  Perhaps I'll have to carry a clear plastic vaseline-smeared shield in front of me at all times in order to look this good.

At first the new lenses were dead weird.  Because I favour a narrow lens from top to bottom, the relevant distance bits are extremely small and, bizarrely, if you move your eyes (rather than moving your head) to look through the far sides of the lens, it all goes out of focus.  To be honest, I'm not sure this is a good thing to experience when you're driving so I may take my old single-lens glasses with me when I drive anywhere.

They were also eye-wateringly expensive, which is the downside but, realistically, I do need to be able to see in order to function in this world (and I'm not letting anyone stick a laser anywhere near them), so I have little choice.

I've also been crocheting like a demon.  I really, really enjoy doing it.  I've now finished a scarf for myself in a fantastic ripple crochet design which is so simple but stunningly effective, especially when using bright colours:

It took quite a long time to do and there's about 15 different colours in it, but just look at it:

 

I'd like to make a blanket for our double bed in this stitch but I found it quite tricky to hold the scarf on my lap while adding new rows so god knows how I'd cope with an enormous (by comparison to a scarf) blanket.

You may remember that I've also started a circles and stars blanket/throw/shawl/whatever, that I'm adding to slowly when I want a change from doing ripply lines or granny squares.  This is also coming along and currently looks like this:

It's quite psychedelic.  I realise it's a bit clashy with my Gudrun Sjoden tablecloth, but I do like me a bit of colour in my life.

I've also been doing a bit of baking too (damn, who knew I could be so domesticated?).  A friend in America commented on her Facebook page that she'd made Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for the Superbowl and I demanded the recipe off her.  I made them.  They were fantastic albeit extraordinarily calorific and liable to give you instant diabetes the moment the crusted, yielding frosting and crumbly sponge touches your lips:

 

Peanut Butter Cupcakes just out of the oven

 

 Peanut Butter Cupcakes now with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

This is what they look like out of the case...

 

 Inside....mmmmmm

The sharp-eyed amongst you will notice the pots and jars of pearls and beads in the last two pictures.  The photos were taken in my jewellery workshop where the computer I'm using to type this is located.  Which reminds me I have a new jewellery design to show you.

This is a brooch based on the Ancient Roman fibula (from whence our safety pins arose). 

 

Please ignore the little clear plastic box which is being used to prop up the fibulae.  I can make these in any size and in any colours (if I've got the relevant beads, that is).  They're designed to be worn on the right hand side with the swirls pointing downwards and can go on knitwear, hats, scarves, etc.  I'm rather pleased with them, and they're available at my jewellery website.

Hmm, it's lunchtime now, and I can hear the last of the cupcakes calling to me from the kitchen (if you want the recipe I'll post it next time)....