It's oh so quiet...

Wow, it's quiet around here today.

The dog seems a little depressed too.

But at about 3.25pm it'll all go crazy again. I can't wait to hear all about their days, and how incredibly different Year 4 and Year 2 are to last year. No really. It's so much harder.

In the meantime I've been keeping busy, I've finished these bold brass beauties off.. how shimmery are they!?

And I'm making another of those lovely garnet rings... (nearly finished!)

Also, big thanks so much to everyone who entered, and spread the word about the blog end of summer giveaway. What a phenomenal response.

The winner is Sarah Louise Gray.

Sarah, drop me a line at hello@beckypearcedesigns.co.uk and I'll let you have your prize.

Hope all the other kids (and of course, teachers) out there have had a good return to school.

September birthstone - Sapphire

A maiden born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze, 

A Sapphire on her brow should bind; 
To bring her joy and peace of mind.

The birthstone for September is Sapphire.  And the most famous of sapphires is known as the Princess Diana ring after .... well I'm sure you can figure that out. It's now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. Not really my usual style if I'm honest, but I wouldn't say no. 

Did you know that sapphires come in all sorts of colours, ranging from clear to brown (except red - that is the closely related Ruby!). The most popular colour however, is that lovely, deep cornflower blue that we all think of when we think of a sapphire. One of the hardest gemstones next to diamond, the sapphire is perfect for use in jewellery. 

Sadly my sapphire jewellery isn't in the shop yet (school summer holidays put pay to that.. but I'll edit this post later in the month with some additions) But in the meantime I do have some sapphire blue crystal jewellery which is a beautiful alternative.

Enjoy!

The big end of summer giveaway

I always feel a little sad in the last week of the summer holidays. I love the girls being home so much . But it's not just that they won't be sharing their days with me; back to school marks an end to those long lazy summer days in the garden. Dinners outside because it's light until late and that delicious warmth of the sun on your skin.

Don't get me wrong I love the onset of autumn too. I love lighting the wood-burner, the colours of the leaves, the fact I can wear my big boots and tights again and I'm also looking forward to devoting more time to my business again whilst the girls are at school, but still I will really really miss them.

So to cheer myself up (and anyone else who needs it...) here's a lovely giveaway for £20 to spend at the becky pearce designs shop. Voucher will be valid until the end of November, so will be perfect for you, or for stocking up on pressies for *youknowwhat*.

The winner will be chosen on the last day of our school holidays (4th Sept) but in the meantime there's still a week and a bit of fun to go, (yay) and I intend to enjoy every last crazy, lazy, sunny, fun-packed minute of it.

And don't forget I also do a giveaway EVERY SINGLE MONTH for just being on my email newsletter list - sign up here.

Ooooh by the way I spotted this giveaway gizmo on another blog and thought I would give it a try! I'd really love to know what you think of it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And we're back....

We've just got back from a week away in France. I thought I'd ignore the piles of washing and post a few pics.  

We've been doing a lot of just beach holidays recently, and being a red-head that's not ideal for me. I'm not one for sitting on a beach all day everyday anyway, so this year we mixed it up a bit. We stayed in a hotel by the sea, but hired a car for day trips as well as having a few visits to the nearby beach. Being on the atlantic coast the sunsets were breathtaking.

We were near La Rochelle (remember that from your Tricolor textbooks at school? Monsieur Dupont & co?)

(view from the tower)

 La Rochelle was an amazing place to visit, and has the best aquarium! The girls were entranced and we spent hours on the one rainy morning of the week exploring the under sea world. And by the time we emerged, the sun was out again.

 R had a big birthday whilst we were there, and we had a day out in Cognac at his request. Such a stunning old town. But all good things have to end, and it's always good to get back home again.

I can't believe how much darker the evenings are since we've been back. It feels like autumn is really on its way. 

But on the plus side side the garden was full of goodies when we got back...

Lovely lavender

As you might have noticed from my product pictures in the shop, I am very fond of lavender.

The dried flowers tend to be my go-to background for all my pics, as I reckon the lovely pale grey looks great against my silver goodies.

This years crop is doing well, and our buzzy friends are going wild for it. I try and leave it until the bees have had their fill before harvesting it! It still looks pretty in my book.

I can almost smell that fantastic scent as I write...

Peridot - the birthstone for August

Wear a Peridot or for thee, 

No conjugal fidelity, 

The August born without this stone, 

`Tis said, must live unloved; alone.

The birthstone for August - Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one colour; green. Although the intensity and tint of the green hue is dependent on how much iron it contains and individual peridot gems can vary from a sparkling pale yellowy green to deep olive. 

Whilst the most valuable peridots are usually the less common deep olive shades, I prefer that zingy fresh pale green and tend to go with that for my designs. And yes, it does help that it keeps the cost reasonable!

It looks perfect with sparkly sterling silver!

Peridot is the gem form of the mineral olivine, and it is formed by extreme heat and pressure in volcanoes and is then forced to the surface in the lava. It is also, (less frequently) found in meteors that land on the earth’s surface. It's amazing to wonder what that little shiny stone on your earrings has been through and how long it took to form. 

Peridot is also a great stone for weddings in August, and is the gemstone for 16th wedding anniversarys.

These gorgeous handmade calla lilies hold a teeny faceted peridot stone within.

I must get some more peridot designs up in the shop, as it really is a gorgeous gem! 

All the fun of the fair...

It's that time of year again, last weekend was our village fair. 

This year the weather was perfect. The weekend starts off with an afternoon of funfair rides and stalls. 

Littlest had a dance show to perform, I wish I could put a piccie up of her Ms Hannigan in "It's a hard knock life" from Annie - so funny. And eldest was helping out on the Brownie tombola (so grown up!).

To celebrate the imminent royal baby there was babygro bunting all around the green, which looked amazing. All the babygros are going off to charity this week.

But most fun (for me anyway) happens in the evening the whole village turns up for a mass picnic, with bands, bagpipes, and a cheesy disco for entertainment. Lots of embarrassing mum dancing on my part. 

Sadly this year the ground was too dry for the firework display. But by 10pm, we were ready to go home anyway, and the kiddos certainly were. Cue tears and cries of "But I'm NOT tired!". Hmmm really?

Sunday = the fun dog show. Kipper was entered for waggiest tail, best young handler, and bonniest dog. We didn't get a rosette, (and how could this pup not win bonniest dog - we was robbed I tell you!) but it was definitely a giggle. A quick go on the swing ride, and that was enough for us - home for a barbecue, paddling pool fun, and a DVD. 

What a fun packed weekend but I was glad when Monday arrived so I could have some much needed recovery time, and luxuriate in the last 2.5 days before school's out.