DONE: No.47: Design and Carve a Silver Ring

Made By Hand contemporary craft fair takes place each year in Cardiff City Hall.  It's a huge affair!  Hundreds of exhibitors showing off exquisite crafts and also there is a lovely range of workshops and masterclasses to take part in.  

This is my first visit to the Fair and I chose to take part in the 'Design and Carve a Silver Ring' workshop.   It was a lovely, small workshop with 8 people taking part in total.   All materials and equipment were supplied.  We each had our own workmat with the basic tools we were going to be using.   I had no idea what to expect before the workshop, I knew we would be carving using jewellers wax but what on earth is jewellers wax?  Think I was expecting a cross between plasticine and play doh but in actual fact it was more like a piece of hard plastic.  Here is my mat!

That blue 'thing' is the jewellers wax.   The other 'tools' include a craft knife, two types of sandpaper, a thimble so's I wouldn't slice my fingers with the knife, and a tealight.   Must admit when I sat down initially I couldn't work out why there were so many lighters but then when I saw the tealight, the penny dropped.  The jewellers wax is hard, really hard, so to make it more pliable you can hold it over the tealight.

To start with you have to take the jewellers wax and place it on a very phallic looking tool - I have no idea what the official name is so I'll just call it the ring sizer.  There's so much potential here for double entendres!   One 'side' of the ring sizer has a really sharp blade so you basically just keep turning the wax on the sizer until you have a ring which fits.

Once you were happy with the size, you basically got going with the craft knife and started carving away.   The flat bit
 at the top took a lot of work to fashion into a curve but holding it over the tealight really helped.  I really enjoyed the carving/whittling bitty but to be honest it was quite difficult to know when to stop.  I was desperately trying to keep it all even but if some parts were thinner than others you had to keep going to try and even it up.   I did get a bit too carried away here and my piece of wax actually split, but thankfully Maggie, the tutor was able to solder it back together. 

Because I now had a ring with a pretty delicate part that kind of gave me inspiration for what to do next.  I was going to melt some extra wax on top to create a fake stone!!!  They had previously discarded bits of wax that you could play with - thankfully there were tongs that you could use.

Eventually, it started to take shape. I was quite happy with the shape and it did look like a ring.  Amazeballs!



So, once I was happy with it, I handed it over and after labelling them, Maggie sent all our 'creations' away to the jewellers quarter in Birmingham so they could cast the rings in solid silver.   We were told it could take two to three weeks and yep, today, I got my ring back through the post.   I'd quite like to describe it as rustic, organic and from the 'naive' school.  Stewart kind of said that it looked like something you'd get out of a Christmas cracker, a bit of silver with a blob on top.  Well, I made this, it's shiny, and I am perfectly happy with my bit of silver with a blob on top.





DONE: No.31 Cardiff Mo Run 5k

Sunday 12th November myself and Stewart took part in the Cardiff Mo Run 5k race which was held in Bute Park, Cardiff.   Before I begin, I should quickly explain the sudden appearance of my facial hair which will be seen in photies throughout this post!   The 'Mo' Runs are events which are held as part of 'Movember' month.  This is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mens mental health issues etc.   Why did we take part?  My father-in-law, Welsh Dad, had testicular cancer when he himself was quite young and Stewart and his brother were still only teenagers.  So, Stewart watched his Dad go through the intensive treatment at quite a young age.  Welsh Dad was a survivor though and lived 30 odd years beyond his diagnosis.  But, it makes you think.

So,  as if by magic I developed a lovely and bushy ginger beard, moustache and eyebrows.  I find it quite hard to look at these photos as with facial hair I have become the double of my Dad and it's quite freaky!

We turned up early to Bute Park and although it had threatened to rain, thankfully the rain stayed off and instead it was beautiful, but freezing and chilly November morning.   We received our race packs, and waited.   There were prizes for best fancy dress and there was also a competition for the best grown moustache for men.  Stewart entered, as he grows a tache each year, but he didn't win. He's told each year that when he grows his movember he looks like Heisenberg, a character out of Breaking Bad, dunno myself.   I was a bit miffed that there wasn't a similar competition for ladies with facial hair as although there were a lot of brave souls with moustaches I believe, but I may be wrong, that I was the only bearded lady.  I'm sure that I'd have been in with a shout.  I'm never going to be in with a chance of a prize for my running, but my beard.....

There must have been around 500 of us beginning to gather ahead of the race starting.  While we waited, we watched the Mini Mo race finish as there was a mile race for youngsters.  Then, as it was Remembrance Sunday, we all observed a two minute silence.  Then, a quick warm up and the 5k runners were asked to go to the start line.  Unfortunately we were late to work this out as Stewart went looking for a rubbish bin so we ended right at the very back of the 300 or so runners.  This slightly scunnered me when the race began as normally when I run I go off fast - too fast to be honest - and then when I start to panic that I can't breathe because I've started too fast I slow right down and get into my natural slow and measured pace. 

Unfortunately, because we were at the back I couldn't do this as I was too busy trying to pass folks slower than me, folk walking, and a few folk running with buggies.  It's also the first time that I've run without the Couch to 5k commentary so I had no idea of timings or distance.  I tried my best though to start with but I just didn't get into my 'groove' or into my 'zone'.  Stewart keeps saying that my struggle with running is all psychological and I don't entirely disagree.   Because of all this I properly felt that I was doing rubbish, was going to be really slow and get a really crap time so I kind of gave up trying with a couple of kilometres to go.  I did keep going though.

Stewart himself is a natural runner so we didn't run together, he shot off and managed to weave his way through the crowds and actually ended up a top 100 fnisher.  Good for him, I'm in awe, but thankfully, even although we're normally both highly competitive I'm happy to accept that he can literally run rings round me.  I'm happy just to do my own thing.

So, the end was getting closer, I really didn't think I'd run well at all so was slightly disheartened but, as I got close to the finish line there was a group of kiddies all lined up to offer us 'grown up's high fives!  They themselves all had medals so they'd done their own race and then waited around to encourage us oldies.  I thought that was delightful.   I might not be smiling as I'm high fiving them but believe me, I was smiling inside.  Either that or you just can't see the smile cos of the beard!

So, I finished, and met up with Stewart.  And immediately my race result came through on my phone.  I did the 5k in just over 34 minutes!  I couldn't freaking believe it!  That was my goal and the time I was hoping for - and I should be really chuffed - but -  I was gutted and kicking myself!  I know I didn't try my best and kind of gave up so now I'm left wondering, what time would have I got if I'd applied myself!!   I AM chuffed with the time but I know in my heart of hearts I could have done better.  Still, when I got the whole comparison thingy I discovered that in my category of Veteran Females 40-49 I came 20th out of 66 runners.  I'm seriously pleased and shocked and stunned with this.   This is really encouraging as when I started running - only 3-4 months ago- I always assumed that I was only every going to be at the back of races.  I'm not as crap as I thought I was :)

Anyways, I earned my medal, and so did Stewart, and we had a really nice day together.   When we travelled home we went via our favourite pub and I kept the beard and tache and Jimmy hat on.  The looks I got were hysterical.   So, only a few weeks till my next 5k.  Wonder how I'll be dressed for that one.