A wee greet as we say up here

Every year Mikeys school has an awards ceremony at the end of the summer term...All the pupils get something as they make certificates for them all...This isn't so that no-one loses it's just so the pupils know how well they have done and get recognition for it...Being a special needs school they don't sit regular exams...When you see how disabled some of the pupils are and how much they have to overcome it is a very moving experience going to the awards ceremony...This year was even more poignant for me as Mikey is of course leaving...I deliberately put on some make up so i wouldn't cry (have a greet)...HAHAHAHA i was still dabbing my eyes very carefully to not streak my eyeshadow down my face...The school leavers all get a special book called 'record of achievement' and they work upon it themselves...They can take in certificates and other recognition awards from years past to put in it...Well Mikey has had a big surprise as unbeknown to him his report from the college was in it...You know in last entry i implied i didn't exactly endear myself with the head of the SEN dept at college last wed...Actually that's a bit of an understatement <g>  Well i told his school today and the deputy head just grinned at me, his class teacher gave a huge sigh and said 'oh no' when i said MrsK considers qualifications to be irrelevant...Well YABOO SUCKS to MrsK (new mrs hitler IMO) because on his report for Information Technology the tutor has said he has passed the access level 2 (he's already passed access 3 at school ffs) and that he should be doing a minimum of Intermediate 1 but preferably Intermediate 2...In Scotland we have Standard Grades and Highers but inbetween is these Intermediates...They were introduced whilst K was at school...Int 1 is equivalent to top pass at Standard Grade and Int 2 is between the top pass at Standard Grade and Higher...So yes YABOO SUCKS MrsK and i will do my DAMNDEST to make sure the tutors recommendation is put into practise...Oh and i will talk to the school better tomorrow...I can see MrsK taking over from MrsP in my most irritating and hated professional to deal with...Well hated is too strong a word but you know what i mean....Anyways i did cry and if i hadn't had make up on i would have blubbed my eyes out...My baby is all grown up and it's hard...What i have actually found hardest to deal with is both the boys leaving school at the same time...It's scary and it's made me almost begin to feel my age for a short while...But hey onwards and upwards and it's a new chapter beginning which will still take some fights and face downs with the so called professionals...Oh but when i start that 1 day a week course i am under strict orders to not let on i am Mikeys mother rofl.

I've finished mums jewellery and the jewellery my sis asked me to make for her...The pics are dire to be honest but i took them in a rush and i forgot to take better before i sent them off in the post today...I just hope my sis is happy with her stuff for my niece...I've still not come up with a price for her though but i will before end of the week...Mums is same as Kerrys except mums has 3 purple shades of swarovski to go with her purple outfit for the wedding on sat.

Toodle pip tc xx

Not a lot

G as you may or may not know has a serious phobia of buttons...In the past this hasn't been too much of a problem but at the age he is now it is big time...He can't wear a shirt or a dressed mens jacket...I have managed to buy a shirt today that studs up and will look ok with a tie but in the main studding shirts are very casual looking...For trousers what i have managed to do since he was 13 is to replace the plastic button with a jeans type one...So trousers aren't a problem but a jacket is a serious problem...So today i have enrolled on an occasional wear design course at the local college...It's one day a week but the aug-jan one is full up...I have managed to get the last place on the feb - june one and put my name on the waiting list for the earlier one...Sounds awful but fingers crossed someone will drop out...I have asked some tailoring places here but they're not interested or going to charge an arm and a leg...I had phoned to see about the kilt making course and my name is on waiting list for it now...The woman i spoke to is head of the fashion & textiles dept...She said the woman who takes the occasional wear course is a very experienced dressmaker and is interested in things like this...The occasional wear course is the one where you learn about pattern cutting and pattern designing...Now am thinking a design similar to double breasted gents suit jacket but with a zip instead of buttons...I do think i would rather do this myself than get someone else to do it...You never know he may get asked where he got his jacket because it is cool LOL...Then he can say 'it's designer' but i can get the 'designer' to do one for you LOL

My youngest niece has a 'prom' next week...They're doing them now for moving from primary to secondary school!!!!...So my sis has asked me to do some jewellery for her to wear...So i need to get cracking on that tonight...Apart from that things have been pretty quiet...Next week is M's last week at school...Mon is their awards ceremony, tues sports day, wed street jammin!!!, thurs they are going to climb a local hill and fri is his leavers lunch/party thing...He starts college full time on 25th aug...Well full time isn't what it used to be as they have at least 1 full day off a week...Am still concerned about the level he will be working at and i don't want him getting bored...At a meeting last night i more or less demanded that he does Int 1 maths and Int 1 information technology or whatever computing is called...The woman in charge was saying some can move on to mainstream courses after the 1st year of the SEN course...I asked and how can they do that when they don't do proper qualifications that are needed to do the courses...Actually i find her extremely patronising and said this to another mum i knew at the meeting...Honestly you'd have thought we were all 2 year olds the way she spoke to us...Now it doesn't matter what level of ability the students have they shouldn't be spoken to that way...I find that so condescending...Anyways going to watch more tennis and do necklace, earrings and bracelet for my neice

Toodle pip tc xx

For Kerry

 

 

 

I've added this into the body of my journal so you can see the opal chip beads better...I used some paler pink, aquamarine and AB swarovski crystals with them as i thought they went well with the opals...It's a toggle clasp as the chips are fairly heavy when worn and toggle is better to cope with that...In a shop in town there are necklaces similar to this one on sale for between £145 and £189!!!!!...They have a murano glass heart instead and no crystals just chips...And they are selling!!!! Now i know how much this cost me in materials to make and i would be making a heck of a lot even including time and all the other stuff...I think it is ludicrously expensive for an item like this...This is for K as her birthday is in oct and opal is her birthstone...Am going to make one similar for my mum as well even though she is going to be 76 this year...I may use purple shades of swarovski's in hers though as she is going to a wedding in july and her outfit is purple...Basically i would like mum to wear as an advert LOL...But she may think it's too 'young' for her but i think an item like this could be worn by someone of any age...BTW i do like this material as the background for the pics and it is what i bought to use as background for a table to sell from.

Toodle pip tc xx

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This one is mine :o)

Well i've finally made a necklace for myself...It's approx 20 inches in length excluding the heart...The boys like it and it and the one i made for one of my closest friends for her birthday on mon is only ones they have willingly commented on LOL...Typical men eh!!! No sarky comments Stuart <g>  I don't have a pic of my friends one yet because i redid what i showed on the last pic of a jewellery item...I've not given up on that particular design just i decided on sunday night the wire i used is really too thin...So i took it part and changed it on sunday evening quite late...Now it is same designISH but strung on beading thread instead and with a heart on it also...She loves it...So much so she was a bit overcome about it...Both her and her daughter told me a price they thought it would cost in a shop in town and i was a bit flattered and like 'you really think so naaaahhhh' Not going to say what that price was here though...See i think i need some lessons in pricing my wares...And to learn to NOT be embarassed at asking for X price and be more confident within myself that i can do it and can ask for X price and get it.

Anyways i ordered a pile of stuff on fri off ebay...I so loathe the auction thing...Before i used this ebay shop i used buy it now...But they had some stuff in auction same as buy it now and in some cases the items go for a lot cheaper...I got one item for £11 cheaper than the  buy it not price :o) 500 4mm swarovski crystals in 20 different colours...I looked upon that as checking out samples of some of the myriad of colours they do...There's about 4 of the colours in that pack i really don't like much at all and won't be buying again...But i will use them and make one off unique items from them...2 of the colours i can't pronounce the name of so perhaps they won't be bought again either lol...Thing is i do really like them both...The butterflies i bought are rather teensy and don't look the size they were supposed to be but i'll keep them...Jeannette you don't like danglies too much but if you would like some small dangly butterflies in clear AB crystal then get in touch and you can have them with pleasure :o) They are actually ideal for earrings or for a bracelet but not so much good for necklaces...Anyways that is it for now...Am going into town see if someone will chop my hair back mega short cheaply so i can dye it purple again for sat...And yes i am going to the soiree for champagne on the lawn LOL.

Toodle pip tc xx

Some pics

Above are some pics from the party M had last sunday morning...They did the indoor golf first then went on the XD theatre thing (M didn't) then the dodgems then had their food...They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves but i was not impressed at all with the service when it came to the food...I did complain about it on my way out to the manageress...The wimpy bit get given a time when your party will be there for food so that they can have the juice ready and the boxes ready to get filled up with the food...Our juice was ready but there was no boxes and the food took 20-25 mins to arrive...By which time most of them had drunk the juice and were getting bored waiting...Now ok it was a teens party BUT they were informed that they all had special needs and even then the wait was ridiculous...People just going up to buy a meal were served quicker...After food me and M went to the asda across the road to see if they had a pair of their el cheapo black trousers in his size...They did :o) but he went and bought the jacket to go with them EEKS...So he went off to school on his taxi to then walk over to his work experience wearing a suit, shirt and tie...Rubbish pics above...I feel OLD NOW...He's my BABY he's not supposed to be all dressed like that yet <sobs> It was worse on tues as he came home with a large gents umbrella they had loaned him because of the downpour...All he needed then was a flipping briefcase to complete the look...He didn't do the work experience today he went to college instead...Must say he does actually look very smart in his attire though :o) He enjoyed his time in the office which is good.

And G had his last day at school today (WAILS) ...See i am getting very OLD now...He bought a large box of thorntons chocs for the base staff and small box of heroes and big one of maltesers for the boys...He also went and bought a packet of haribo star mix for one of the boys as he has a nut allergy...He gave a thank you card to the base that i made...Which i hand sewed last night but more on that another time as i don't want to give away all my secrets yet <g> Suffice to say for now that i am particularly chuffed with these ones and how i did the wording...It wasn't the wording that was sewn on btw...Am going to stick to this way of doing the wording from now on though :o) I also made a card for his taxi escort and he gave her thejewellery from me and a small box of thorntons from him...His escort was almost in tears when he was dropped off...She's been ordered to stay in touch though :o) Actually she was in tears just not letting them fall for him to see.

Am well pleased with the opal chip beads i bidded for on an ebay shop and won...I've bidded for another string today so fingers crossed...I also bidded for 3 other items today and 1 has been outbid...Going to wait until last minute to see if i bother with upping my bid for that item...They have it on buy now as well and am not willing to pay close to the buy now price as what is the point...Apart from that there's not been much going on that i can write about on here...We have had glorious weather apart from tues when it rained cats & dogs...That was the first real rain we have had for a few weeks and was much needed...Oh am not sleeping well because am burning up again so i think i need to see my GP...The heat at night doesn't help like.

Toodle pip tc xx