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

Just a pic of another necklace

 

One of my closest friends has a birthday next month...So i've made her a necklace...Birthstone for June is pearl so i used some freshwater pearls and fire opal swarovski crystals...I love the fire opal crystal the colours are gorgeous, yellows, oranges and reds all mixed together on same crystal so it does look like fire :o) The background is material i have bought for using for displaying on...I thought it was really pretty and appropraite with the silver glittery bits on it...I still have some tweaks to make to it...Well i have to file down some bits but that won't make any difference to the finished effect hence the pics above...Think it would make a pretty bridal necklace myself...It took me ages to make (approx 3-4 hours) and well after having a look around some places you already know my conclusion is that prices i was considering are way too cheap...So am not sure but possibly around £60 - £70 maybe??? Am flipping useless at pricing things...When i make this one for other people i will use slightly thicker sterling silver wire...My left thumb is a wee bit sore with it getting poked by the wire i used on this one LOL...Oh well they my fingers and hands used to get burnt and scraped and pricked with holes all the time when i was at art school many moons ago so no change really...I phoned up the number on the invite and have accepted the invitation...The degree show is actually open to the public that day anyway so if am feeling a bit scaredy cat then i'll just have a wander round the show and not bother going to the lawn in the quad for the afternoon soiree of champagne LOLOL...I've emailed and had a reply from someone recommended to me who makes his own glass lampwork beads...When he has more in stock am now on his mailing list so am definitely going to buy some from him...Of course each bead is unique so that will add something else to the jewellery i do and you can charge for that LOL...Rule of thumb from all those many moons ago since i went to art school was that the person we sold on to marked up by 100% then whoever they sold on to marked up by same again...So say in a shop depending on how many middle men there were the item could cost 200% more than the jeweller who made it got for it...So selling for yourself you could add that on yourself...Which i think is possibly a bit cheeky but then again if people are willing to pay then why not...Besides people pay for swarovski because of the name even though they are not always that expensive as such to buy...I have found a site that sells wholesale packs at around the same price as the factory shop itself...That's IF i got my calculations converting euros to sterling right for the factory shop prices LOL...So to save the flipping hassle of converting i'd rather just buy from the place where the prices are in sterling...That place also has an ebay shop and they do auction some of the factory packs as well as buy now...Thing is having watched a couple of the auctions the bidders ended up paying either same or more than the buy now price...So what's the point in hassle of keeping an eye on the auction i ask myself...I've also made a necklace, bracelet and earrings set the same as the set i made for the Wobbly miss Moo but in the sapphire crystals instead of aquamarine for G's taxi escort...Apart from 1 term he has been with the same taxi escort for the whole 6 years he has been in the base...Also she was one of the playground supervisors at his 2nd mainstream primary school...So he's known her for nearly 8 years...She is going to miss him something chronic...I wanted to give her something special as a present this time hence the jewellery set...I do hope she likes it

Toodle pip tc xx

My baby is 17!!!!!!

Well the birthday boy is off to the cinema with the Triple A team to watch the new Indiana Jones film...To be honest i didn't have a clue what to get him until this afternoon...Me and G went out to buy his cards and pressie from me when i suddenly decided to get him a digital camera...So he's actually well chuffed with it :o)  G had bought him the Futurama film on DVD and i got him a pressie from K which is high school musical game for the DS...So far he also has £100 in birthday money with more to come...I'll be asking him for a sub LOL

Yesterday G had an appointment at the disability support bit of RGU...Student only and not parent going in with them...Ok he is 18 and they speak to the student rather than parents as it isn't school BUT when they have a disability i do think it would be better if the parent or someone else was allowed in with them...G came out after 15 mins and had promptly forgotten everything she had spoken to him about <sigh> Basically it was to discuss support and him being assessed for support both in person and for aids he may need...He has to have a letter confirming his diagnosis and stating what he can and cannot do...So G had thought our GP would be able to do it...WRONG he doesn't see the GP about his aspergers full stop...In fact he doesn't see anyone anymore as there has been no need to...He mumbled something about diagnosis within last 2 years...So i gave up and went in and asked to speak to his disability officer...I got impression off him that meant we were going to have to have him rediagnosed again but no we don't need to...This confirmation for SAAS has to be from someone medical...Which is a bit cack as he doesn't see anyone medical...It's not really a medical condition as such where you see people regularly...She said educational psychologist would be ok...Hmmm the ed psych at his school hasn't even met him as they change so regularly LOL...The head of the base isn't good enough for SAAS which is so so so STUPID...She is the one who knows best about him academically and what support he would need for university FFS...Anyways we drove out to the base and lightbulb went ping on way there...School GP could do it for us...Spoke to Mrs P and she is going to ask the school GP and have letter for next week...Today another lightbulb moment so am going to phone Mrs P tomorrow...Going to ask if she can get together with the school GP and dictate what she writes <g>  Which am sure the lovely school GP will be more than happy to have happen...That way we can get what is needed written down for SAAS...He will be seen next in july by the disability officer and get assessment done then...Speaking of RGU i have my annual invitation again to private viewing of this years degree show from Grays school of Art...Now i have never gone along to them in the past but i am tempted to this year...A) because the lecturer i had left at the end of last year and B) because it sounds frightfully posh this year...These invites i have only received over the last 7 years and they always came in the post...For an evening where you were given one glass of wine and one strawberry tart...This year the invite came via email and (puts on best posh voice) it is for a champagne reception on the lawn in the quad on a saturday afternoon...Thing is i won't know anyone and i bets those who go along are all recent graduates...But it might be a bit of a laugh and does sound ever so posh, says she who will pop along wearing jeans and a T shirt <g> As one friend said i may be able to network at it you never know...So should i say yes to champagne on the lawn or not????

I had M's last ever parents night at school last night...I came away very pleased with how he has done and so is the school...His teacher has given him extra work on IT skills to prevent him from becoming bored...Have to bear in mind that it is a SEN school and some on his class are still unable to read or write...They probably will never be able to read or write very well at all...She is concerned as am i that he could end up repeating a lot of stuff at college and end up bored witless...We also say the head teacher and the deputy head teacher as this was his last ever parents night...They both game me contact details to go above the person am supposed to contact for college <g>  The head teacher asked what he would eventually like to do as a job and he said working in television...And there are courses apparently at college to do with that...Not just the media course but other ones specifically about television industry...M had read about them in the prospectus...Which i didn't know he had because he never told me grrr...So even though college are the same and wish to speak to the student only they ain't going to get away with that from me <g> Oh no i will be going in and demaning (politely) to talk to someone who can put us in the right direction...And fingers crossed they can accomodate him doing some work from these mainstream courses to see if he can cope with them...He certainly knows a lot about filming, editing, adding in sound and special effects and so on...I know of kids who have gone to the special needs course at college from mainstream school who have done standard grades or intermediates who have then had to sit and do work well below their academic capabilities...And that is just plain STUPID and POINTLESS...Ok have them do practical life skills but not repeating or going back to academic work they did several years beforehand...We'll see i don't take things lightly anymore and i certainly won't kow tow to any so called professional and take what they say as face value...Am far too long in the tooth at this now to put up with stuff like that.

Mum has hospital tomorrow about her wrist and should get the plaster removed :o) Oh when out shopping for M's pressies i went to Staples for an SD card as i knew their own brand ones were fairly cheap and actually quite decent...Well up until the 5th of june they have 1gb sandisk ones for £3.99...That is a real bargain and i bought all the ones they had left today...And i will be going back and seeing if they have more in and buying them as well...Asda are about £14.99 for exact same SD card lol...Anyways going to go make and watch the rest of the tennis in peace and quiet :o)

Toodle pip tc xx