Today's work

More show preparation tonight. Sunday's show is being made all the more tense (dare I say stressful?!) by the fact that I am due to work for a local opera company, Sawn-Off Opera, from Monday - Friday next week. Needless to say this is very exciting; however it's contemporary classical music, and I am meant to have it all off-copy (from memory...) by Monday. It's getting there but memorising is a slow and painful process for me, as I have mentioned before. I've recorded myself numerous times singing through my part for each one (there are three short operas) but it's hard to imagine how it will sound with thte other performers as well. As they are brand new pieces - just written this year - there are no recordings available to help me....anyway, I just keep chipping away at them! But balancing show preparation and opera preparation is difficult challenging!

So, here's what I've been up to today. For The Handmade Show, I must have a notice announcing who I am, on my stand. That task was ticked off my list today.

I also am not totally happy about my bracelet and earring display. So yesterday included a trip to Hobbycraft to pick up an easel, to prop up my newly laced pinboard! I'm not good with a needle and thread (unless there's a pile of seed beads next to it :-)) so (shame-faced) I have taped the lace onto the board. It also means that I can very easily remove the lace when I need it to be a pinboard again. If it looks good on the stand (which I think it will), I'll invest in another board, and affix the lace somewhat more permanently. What do you think? 

My plans are to cover this with earrings, with my bag charms along the bottom, on dressmaker's pins. My usual earring boards (lace in mint green picture frames), I plan on repurposing for bracelet display. Of course, it looks a little bare now, but I think it'll be great once it's covered. (But not too cluttered. Always a challenge for me!)

Whilst looking for a reasonably priced table-top easel (harder than you might think!), my sister spotted these for me. 

How cute! Each mini canvas is about the size of my palm. A little spray paint (thanks Helen :-)) and sticky tape later, and voila! Some individual earring pair displays. I've got four; don't know that I'll put them all out but it's good to have options, right?

On a side note, my friend Heidi and I were having a conversation today, on the perils of the Etsy circles and checking out folks' activities....I love seeing what everyone in my circle has favourited, but it can on occasion be rather expensive....

And these beads are one of those occasions. The colours look a little harsh here, due to the evening light, but trust me, these are stunning. I think it was Janna that favourited them....and then I bought them. Oops. They are from Carolyn Saxby, who lives down in Cornwall, one of my dream destinations, where I have never visited but have vague dreams that I might like to live there one day...I'm sure they will come to nothing and that I may well visit someday and be completely underwhelmed(!) but for now, it exists as a perfect haven in my mind. I think I might try and make something, perhaps just a simple pair of earrings, with some of these prior to Sunday. Tell me, what would you do if they were yours??