And the winner is........

Ok, so we now know who the winner is of the 2008 Swarovski Creative Beading Competition... drum roll please................."Caroline Fung" with a fabulous creation entitled "Dance of the Fire Phoenix".

Caroline is a member of our very own Australian Beading Forum, a talented bunch of Designers and Artists in their own right, these girls and boys are reaping prizes and publicity the world over.

Caroline's piece is an absolutely stunning work of art. She states that her inspiration came from some gorgeous Swarovski pendants which she found on the Internet whilst searching for information about Thailand as she planned a holiday there.

She goes on to add, having seen pictures of Thai dancers with their rich and vibrant costumes of red and gold along with their very unique posture, she set about working in an attempt to incorporate all those images gathered in her mind. The whole design has been constructed via wire wrapping techniques and using different gauges of gold filled wire.

You can view Caroline's masterpiece at http://www.crystalpark.com.au/

As well as in the next issue (Dec 2008) of Australian Creative Beading.
In the Jan 2009 you'll also find a profile of Caroline's work. Caroline has won a trip to Austria. Congratulations Caroline, fabulous effort.

The Five Stages of Jewellery Acquisition

1) Infatuation — "I want it."
2) Justification — "I must have it!"
3) Appropriation — "IT'S MINE AT LAST!"
4) Obsession — "Precious!"
5) Resale (usually after you're sick of it) — "Make me an offer."

Christmas Dog

Been messing about with the Nikon again, trying to decide on photos for my special Xmas cards this year. I managed to get the young fella to sit still long enough for me to snap off a few pics. As usual he got bored and starting yawning (well I think that's why he was yawning), then lay down with his nose between his paws, had to bribe him with a liver treat. Then he lost his Santa hat and looked at me as if to say "well come on and pick it up, so we can get on with it" He really does have the patience of a saint and is so very obliging whenever he's asked to sit for pics. It was overcast today, so lighting's not so good. I might try again when the sun comes out.

By the way, did you know that Border Collies yawn the most out of all the different breeds of dogs. According to a report in the London Daily Mail dogs yawn when their owners do, although I've never tried this with Remy. Yes indeed yawning is infectious, we all know that, but new research shows that dogs can apparently catch yawns, too. Scientists from the University of London's Birkbeck College found that 72per cent of dogs placed in a room with a yawning person would follow suit. And they don't do so out of tiredness or boredom, the researchers suggest, but as a way of empathising with their master.