ARE Handmade Jewellery

A Festive Folksy

2011-12-18T20:40:00.005Z

Christmas is coming and here's a little sneak peak of some of the wonderful items available over on Folksy. I reopened my shop there recently as they have had a bit of a make over. You should check it out!

Full list of those featured can be found in the comments below.

Free Shipping Anyone?

2011-12-04T09:25:00.003Z

This weekend is the weekend when I really start my Christmas shopping. There was a lot of hype last week for Black Friday and Cyber Monday but personally I can't quite get into the mindset of buying Christmas presents until my calendar says December.

So, as I see it this is the week to be placing all those order and waiting for the Royal Mail to turn up with all those little packages. Because of this I am offering free shipping in my shop from today, Sunday 4th until Thursday 9th December. Just enter coupon code FREESHIPPING at checkout.

Happy Shopping!

Pottery - My First Piece

2011-11-15T18:44:00.002Z

I started a pottery course in September. I had been wanting to give it a go for quite a while and when I found that there were classes five minutes from where I live I signed up straight away. So far I am finding it quite tough. I have lots of ideas but not much idea of how to do anything! I am a bit of a perfectionist and the reality is pottery is rarely perfect or turns out how you expect.

Here is a picture of my first ever completed piece. As a first try I am relatively pleased. What I like is the shape and the cut out windows. I like the colour combination of the glazes which have come out pretty well. What I don’t like is where the clay joins – which could be tidier. The glaze is also a bit patchy. I also don’t like the green spots! Apparently this is iron in the clay which became visible after the second firing.

Anyway it’s all a learning curve. We have a project to make a bottle thinking about the decoration before the form. I started it last week and just had a nightmare and ended up ‘accidentally’ knocking it over and trashing it. I was hating it! Hopefully next week will be more productive.

2011-11-06T11:14:00.003Z

I am a little obsessed with Pinterest. If you haven't heard of it already - which I'm guessing most of you will have as it seems pretty popular with the crafting crowd - it's a great place to organise favourite things, inspiration and stuff I want to buy. Well that's what I use it for, I imagine others have different reasons as it's a very handy tool. Pinterest themselves describe the website as follows: 'Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.'

I have boards for my favourite handmade items, a board for fashion and style that I love and one for inspiration for my ceramics course, among others. I'm also following people with similar tastes and finding new amazing things all the time.

If you haven't signed up for an account yet then you really should!

Affordable Art Fair - Hampstead

2011-11-02T18:36:00.003Z

I visited the Affordable Art Fair at Hampstead Heath last week. Whilst 'affordable' is pretty subjective all I can say is that I didn't end up buying anything. Although I was sorely tempted.

My favourites were Jane Hayes Greenwood who was part of the recent graduates' exhibition. I loved her charcoal work and it reminded me a little of Vija Clemins.

I was really taken with a couple of photographers. Tim Hall's mountains were fabulous.

Andre Lichtenberg's vertical series appeals to my love of architecture.

Justine Smith's Old Europe print made up of old currency notes was also a favourite.

Origin - The Contemporary Craft Fair

2011-10-04T22:14:00.007+01:00

Last Tuesday I had a day off work and visited Origin: The Contemporary Craft Fair at Spitalfields Market. It’s taken me a week to write a blog about it mainly because I just couldn’t choose who to blog about! There were some amazing crafters. Lots of jewellers and potters but also furniture makers and milliners.

So to my favourites; Angela Cork’s silver and metal tableware was incredibly beautiful. Way out of my price range but seriously stunning.
Pauline Edie’s porcelain and silver jewellery also really caught my eye. I was very tempted to buy a necklace from her – perhaps for Christmas!

There was a lot of beautiful pottery -one of my favourites was James and Tilla Waters. The greys and oranges seemed really contemporary.

Another jeweller I loved was Sarah Warsop whose jewellery was very sculptural and intriguing.

Lastly the ceramics by Tanya La Mantia had a really incredible fragile transparency.

Bruxelles

2011-09-20T18:40:00.003+01:00

This weekend I was in Brussels. I lived in Belgium for over two years, coming back to the UK about three years ago. As they say; absence makes the heart grow fonder! What I particularly love about Brussels is the architecture. For weekend visitors this is obvious in the Grand Place and the incredible Musical Instruments Museum in particular. However, travel a bit further from the centre and there are some really special examples of Art Nouveau and to a lesser extent Art Deco. With Victor Horta’s work being the most well know.

On a walk along just two or three streets in Uccle, south of the city centre, I came across the following:

Doorway, gate and metal work fence on Avenue Coghen.

Art Deco House on Avenue de l’Echevinage.

Also on Avenue de l’Echevinage was this house which if you look closely is covered in penguins! The metalwork on the door and the top of the columns are penguins.

Door on Avenue Brugmann.

Kings Meadow Baths, Reading

2011-09-10T21:32:00.004+01:00

This weekend is Heritage Open Days and today I popped into a building very close to where I live. I wasn’t really aware of it until today but had heard there was some campaign to restore it to its former use. The building is Kings Meadow Baths an Edwardian Grade II Listed outdoor pool originally built for the ladies of Reading to bathe. Nowadays, nearly 100 years since it first opened the building is sadly in a very bad state of repair.

Local people have been involved in campaigning for bringing the building back into use and saved it from developers hoping to use the site for a hotel. There is an awful lot of work to be done but I have to say it really inspired me. It made me think of the programme Restoration
which was on the BBC a few years ago. This would have been perfect for that programme. They are looking to restore the pool area and also build changing areas and a cafe to be used not only by visitors to the pool but also the next door football pitches. They also have plans for the winter to turn the pool area into an ice skating rink – which would be amazing!

They are looking for lots of volunteers – lots of hands on people but also lawyers and surveyors. Which made me think I would put it forward to the local company I work for to see whether they might look to get involved. It would be fantastic to see a facility like that back in use. Outdoor communal pools and lidos seem to be becoming more popular again and it’d be great to see this one saved.

Batik

2011-08-08T20:33:00.005+01:00

Whilst at Art in Action I took part in one of the numerous classes which are part of what makes Art in Action a special event. I had a go at Batik. Not actually having a clue what Batik was before signing up meant I was rather thrown in at the deep end.

Batik is basically a painting technique on fabric which uses wax. The fabric is dyed and wax is put on to the fabric and the areas where wax has been added the fabric resists the dye. This can be done over many layers on the fabric. Personally I really didn't have much concept of how it would work and what effects could be achieved and so I really just tried a few different ways of adding the wax in order to experiment.

You can see my graphic (and slightly garish) attempt! Not terribly artistic but it was interesting to see what could be done with Batik. I'd love to give it another go but I think that you really have to think before hand exactly where you want colour and where you need wax.

The teacher was Sarah Tucker you can see what can really be done with Batik in her work below. Pretty impressive!

Art in Action 2011

2011-07-23T14:24:00.007+01:00

This weekend is Art in Action at Waterperry House in Oxfordshire. I went for the first time last year and was so impressed by the whole event. Well yet again the standard of demonstrators and exhibitors was very high.

Last year I was particularly impressed by the printmaking and ceramics. This year it was drawing and the art in general.

I loved Jemma Appleby's forest drawings with Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

The potraits by David Caldwell were really impressive.

I also liked the printmaker Laura Boswell.

It's great to see the artists working on pieces and explaining the techniques. There's also a chance to get hands on - I took a class in Batik which I'll tell you all about in a separate blog post.

Mix and Match

2011-07-17T17:31:00.004+01:00

AREjewellery Geometric Necklace

with

J.Crew shirt dress

New Designers

2011-07-04T23:00:00.017+01:00

On Saturday I visited New Designers at the Business Design Centre in Islington. I heard about the event last year from Kelly McCrobie who I shared a table with at a craft market and was exhibiting there the following weekend. After hearing more about it I decided to check it out for myself in 2011. The event showcases newly graduated designers, representing the top 200 UK design courses. From textiles, metalwork, jewellery, ceramics, glass and more there was a huge amount on show. I had planned a day doing a couple of things in London but ended up spending 5 hours at New Designers as there was just so much to see.

From overhearing a couple of conversations this is a great place to be spotted with a number of exhibitors having been approached by fashion houses and design shops. It was all rather overwhelming and I came back with a stack of business cards! It was also interesting to see how the different universities and colleges displayed their students work – some were really creatively displayed.

Below are my ‘best in show’ – not that I really have the credentials to judge anyone but these are my personal favourites. As usual there is a strong leaning to the architectural, graphic and geometric.

Textiles

Celeste Gordon’s work was my favourite of the whole show. Based on architectural paper structures and scaffolding, I’d love a lampshade with this pattern. I loved Amy Deacon’s prints. Inspired by not so attractive architecture her prints are graphic repetitions. Lizete Druker’s pattern jersey was really creative and needed to be touched to really appreciate how it works. Her work aims to challenge the relationship between fashion and mathematics. For some light relief I really liked Becky Templeton’s floral designs inspired by overgrown wild country gardens.
Silver

Rose Warner’s work is inspired by the art within mathematics and has made jewellery and objects which have an origami look to them.
Jewellery
I loved Filipa Oliveira’s jewellery. Her collection was based around contemporary filigree.

Reading Arts Week

2011-07-03T18:12:00.005+01:00

This weekend I have been exhibiting some of my jewellery at the Reading Arts Week exhibtion. I popped along briefly to the Penta Hotel to see some of the local work. There was an interesting mix of art, ceramics, jewellery, fashion etc on display. I have to say considering the size of Reading it's not really that big on the arts but it is good that the local Council arrange this week of events. It seems a shame some more voluntary groups don't get involved. Although there is an active Caversham arts group. Being involved with my local arts festival back in the Midlands I'd like to get more active down here in Berkshire.

Anyway, i put in some of my 'different' jewellery pieces, three of my ribbon jewellery collection:

Market Bosworth Festival Craft Market

2011-06-29T21:00:00.010+01:00

Another year and another Festival craft market. Despite having moved nearly 100 miles away I'm still helping organise the Market Bosworth Festival craft market! As always a huge amount of effort organising and setting up has gone into the event. And also, as usual, I spent a great deal of time stressing about the weather! Sadly after two years of fabulous weather Saturday was a little disappointing with a rain shower in the morning and general overcast weather all day but there were still lots of visitors to the craft market, music and art exhibition.

Here's me and my stall. I've still not perfected my stall set up but seeing as I haven't done a craft market for a year that's hardly a surprise!There were some great exhibitors including Alex McQuade, Kerry from Truffle Piglet and Joanna of English Harbour:

Cockpit Arts - Deptford

2011-06-19T20:51:00.005+01:00

Today I braved the big smoke to check out those talented folks at the Coskpit Arts. Having been to their Christmas open studios in Holborn last year I took the opportunity to see the Deptford studios on their 25th anniversary. Both times I have just been overwhelmed by how fantastically talented the artists are. It seems like a great community too.

I'll start with Katherine Morling because her work is just so unusual it's like nothing I have seen before and just made me smile. It's all porcelain but it looks kind of like paper - you just have to touch it!

Next, Sophie Cook who makes these stunning vases. I'd love a set of these as together they have such a visual impact.

Lastly, another ceramacist! Billy Lloyd who recently won the Cockpit Arts Award to get free studio space. This is minimalism at its best.

Featured - Clothing

2011-05-28T15:42:00.007+01:00

My favourites on Etsy seem to be full of clothing. I have to admit that I've never actually bought any clothes on Etsy. I am not a regular size - only 5ft1 so quite petite - and I struggle to find clothes that look ok on me. I frequently go shopping and try on 10 or so things during a day and find that nothing looks good / fits me. I have to try things on so buying clothes from Etsy sellers is a little difficult because a number won't accept returns.

Anyway, here's a peek at my favourites of the moment.

Clockwise from top left

Navy dress by ShlomitOfirDetails
Map dress by rustycuts
Lilac dress by LuciaVerona

Yellow top by aiguilleetfil
Tie Dye dress by byANOUSHKA

Orange and grey dress by ThreeLittleDucksaust

Richard Weston Scarves

2011-05-18T12:22:00.006+01:00

You might have seen Britain's Next Big Thing on BBC with Theo Paphitis. Great show which gave designers the opportunity to show their wares and pitch to Liberty, Habitat and Boots. It has featured some really fantastic designers but what immediately caught my eye - straight from the first episode was Richard Weston's scarves, which Liberty took on. They are incredible. From scanning semi-precious stones the most beautiful patterns are produced which have then been printed onto silk. The colours are rich and the silk gives them a real sheen.

Following the first episode I decided I had to have one and happened to be in London so treated myself to an early birthday present. The one I bought is orange and red and grey - agate apparently. The scarf is very large and I have been learning to tie it but the great weather we have been having lately means I haven't worn it much yet! Liberty are also selling the scarves in a wool and silk mix which are probably more practical but personally I don't think they make the prints stand out as well as the pure silk.

I think they would also look amazing as a wall hanging - the scale of them and intricate detailing would make them perfect. You can see more here.

Leather

2011-05-11T19:11:00.000+01:00

As promised (quite a while back!) here are the pictures following experimenting with leather. It's a great material which, depending on how you use it, can be classic or really contemporary.

I have a few more ideas up my sleeve but so far have just been making earrings. I'll keep you posted!

Crafty Fox

2011-04-22T12:43:00.006+01:00

Last weekend I headed to the big smoke to go and see Frankenstein at the National Theatre. Whilst in town I also went along to the Crafty Fox event in Brixton. There was a team from Etsy there as well and cupcakes and crafting galore. I did lots of browsing as there were plenty of stalls and recognised a number of people from Etsy.

KitzieG was there with her gorgeous botanical range of goodies. I particularly like the colour fade tea towels.

The tiny felted animals by Fibrous were even cuter in real life!

I also really liked the screen printed fabric by Justine Ellis. This cushion was my favourite.

SOCK Loughborough

2011-04-06T21:42:00.009+01:00

I went to the SOCK Loughborough craft event again this year. It's a great show with some really fabulous makers. It's a pleasure to visit and whilst it isn't a huge show the quality is so good you can spend an age browsing and chatting.

I did buy something (there's a surprise!) - a pair of earrings by Duck in a Bucket, a local Leicester lampwork artist. I also saw her at Art in Action last summer and these earrings had caught my eye then but I hadn't bought them and regretted it! I apologise the picture doesn't do them justice. They are clusters of white and transparent balls of glass. I also loved the cola bottle cufflinks too! Other favourites were Katie Almond's ceramics which I have seen online before - they are even prettier and creative in real life. One of the jugs is definitely on my wish list.

I also really liked Helen Hallow's art. I particularly liked the landscapes using different papers and stitching. Really effective.

Featured - Jewellers

2011-02-27T16:02:00.005Z

I haven't done a 'featured' section in a while and I am not entirely sure why. So here are some jewellers who have Etsy shops.

For some reason I am really keen on brooches at the moment. Brooches always remind me on my grandmother who used to wear them all the time. However, these ones are thoroughly modern. In fact I own the one by Maria Goti Joyas!

Oxidised brooch by Maria Goti Joyas

Faceted Gems by Gemagenta

I have also been browsing rings. Having recently lost a ring I received as a 21st birthday present I have been thinking of replacing it for something special.

Kinnikinick ring by hartleystudio

The Rock ring by andrea0305

78 Derngate, Northampton

2011-02-27T13:11:00.006Z

A couple of weeks ago I visited 78 Derngate, Northampton. It's a gem of a place as it's the only building in England with an interior designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Followers of my blog probably know of my interest in architecture and design and Mackintosh was a real craftsman in this area. 78 Derngate has been totally refurbished in the last five years as most of the original Mackintosh design had been lost - although key parts such as the stained glass and fabulous fireplace remained.

The front room is probably the most spectacular. It's black 'forest' theme is in many ways rather overwhelming but the yellow stained glass and stenciling is spectacular. The picture below shows it without the ubiquitous ladderback chair and amazing central light but you get the idea.

photo courtesy of http://www.britainonshow.co.uk/

Interestingly there are just three rooms in the house designed by Mackintosh. The main bedroom for example is very plain. From the sound of it the wife of the owner was not so keen on the whole Mackintosh 'look'.

Visiting 78 Derngate has now inspired me to head up to Glasgow and see more of Mackintosh's work. It is the craftmanship and the mix of Art Nouveau and Art Deco that you can see in the lifetime of his work that is just fascinating.

Pretty Please

2011-02-21T21:45:00.005Z

My local Karen Millen shop is teasing me. Everytime I walk past they have this dress in the window. I love it. The material is gorgeous and I love the style - smart but not too smart. However, each time I go in thinking 'It costs a fortune but I'll just try it on...' except they never have it in my size!

This always happens to me. I see something I love, build it up as the best thing ever and then when I finally do get to try it on it's bound to look horrendous on me. I am confident it will be too low cut and too long on the leg! Oh well I enjoy dreaming...

A New Year

2011-02-04T19:14:00.008Z

First off an apology. I feel so guilty as I haven't posted on my blog for more than a month. Not a very good start to the New Year!

It's all been quite busy and what with a lack of supplies and a serious lack of inspiration I haven't been making much jewellery at all. However, in the last few days I have been doing a bit of experimenting.

I have been experimenting with leather and have so far just made a pair of earrings which I will hopefully be able to take some pictures of tomorrow. I have loads of other ideas too so will be doing some more making over the weekend.

Picture courtesy of Amanda Sainsbury

Christmas Presents Galore

2010-12-28T13:16:00.004Z

As usual most of my Christmas present were bought over on Etsy and despite all the postal problems everything arrived before Christmas Day! Here is a bit of a selection of what I bought:

Clockwise from top left

Poppy earrings by jewelery by natsuko

Bridge Tea Towel by girlscantell

Wash bag by catherineaitken

Letterpress notebook by smockpaper

Bee Hotel by Wudwerx

Coffee Teal Towel by mengseldesign

Giveaway

2010-12-19T22:13:00.003Z

I am doing a bit of a giveaway over on the 'Amys in the Arts' blog. There is a little feature on me and I'm offering a gift voucher worth $20. Do check out all the other talented Amys over on the blog - there is a great community over on Etsy. It's a bit random seeing as the only thing we have in common is that we are called Amy - but it works!

Cockpit Arts Open Day

2010-12-13T21:00:00.005Z

Oh dear, I haven't blogged at all this month. Rubbish.

I'm back with a brief review of the Cockpit Arts Open Day I went to a couple of weeks ago. I'm always hearing of artists based at Cockpit Arts and have been keeping an eye out for open days since moving closed to London. Their open day in Holburn was fantastic with a huge range of artists and crafters selling their wares from their work shops.

There was a lot of amazing jewellery and metal work. I loved Hannah Bedford's granulated collection:

Lorna Syson's textile wall flowers were really eye catching:

Thornback and Peel have been on my radar for a while so it was a good opportunity to buy my dad a printed handkerchief. I love the jelly:

I adore Shan Annabelle Valla. These little vases are just gorgeous:

Mix and Match

2010-11-30T21:46:00.002Z

This Gold Bubble Necklace

With this dress from Whistles

South Hill Craft Fair

2010-11-14T11:16:00.004Z

Over the weekend I went to a craft fair at South Hill Arts Centre in Bracknell. There was a large variety of exhibitors but I was particularly taken with a coule of metal workers.

These bowls by Karina Gill were really eye catching. She uses bronze, brass and silver which is etched. One of these is on my Chritmas list!

Also Stuart Jenkins, whose work varied from bowls, jewellery, vases to these incredible boxes. More of a work of art - they were really intruiging as to how they worked and beautifully intricate.

Close up:

New Bits and Pieces

2010-11-14T10:46:00.005Z

Following the reopening of my shop new items are coming along slowly - they are taking even slower to photograph due to the dark evenings and generally dull weather! I have some new beads so hopefully there will be a few more items for the festive season coming very soon.

Here is a bit of a peek at my latest. Some of which are listed over on Etsy and some which I'll be adding this week.

Mix and Match

2010-11-04T19:11:00.002Z

This Autumnal coloured neckclace:

With these Furla winter boots:

Affordable Art Fair

2010-10-24T06:16:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I went to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea, London yesterday. It was exceedingly busy with lots of people making purchases. I came away empty handed but it was a close thing! I have my eye on a couple of artists who I may go back to and buy from.

Here is a bit of a selection of my favourites.

These entomology pictures by Bristol based artist Helen Ward were really interesting as they are made with beautiful marbled papers (one of my weaknesses).

I'm not sure exactly how to describe Debbie Smyth's work. Keeping it simple i'd call it textile art!

Pierre Riollet had a group of work depicting tunnels. They were huge paintings and very intriguing. I couldn't see any had sold but then they are quite an acquired taste. Personally, I loved them.

Lastly is a bit of printmaking (there had to be one!). I loved these clouds. So simple and beautiful. I very nearly bought one of these. Alison Bernal is part of the Greenwich Printmakers and I might go and visit their gallery for another browse.

Etsy Shop Banners

2010-10-19T19:17:00.004+01:00

I have been meaning to do this blog post for ages. I found a great thread on Etsy started by vivatregina explaining how to make your own banner on PowerPoint. Despite having been on etsy for quite a while now I still hadn't learnt how to make my own banner. Finally I have! I thought I would share how it's done because it actually is very very easy - who knew?!

1. Open PowerPoint (PP) on your computer.

2. Go to FILE>PAGE SETUP

3a. Change the WIDTH to: 27cm and the HEIGHT to: 3.55cm (Make sure ‘Landscape’ is selected.)

--If you’re dealing in INCHES… --

3b. Change the WIDTH to: 10.63in and the HEIGHT to: 1.4in (Make sure ‘Landscape’ is selected.)

4. Now you can make your banner. Insert pictures, insert text boxes and change the fonts around, insert your logo, do whatever you want to.

5. When you’re satisfied with your banner, go to FILE>SAVE AS – In the “File name:” box, create your title. In the “Save as type:” box, use the drop down menu to select “JPEG FILE INTERCHANGE FORMAT” and then click “Save”.

UK Silly Sale!

2010-10-08T18:40:00.004+01:00

I am taking part in the UK Silly Sale - a bunch of Etsy sellers based across the United Kingdom are offering crazy deals in their shops!

I have a whole section of sale items - click here. I am also offering a 'buy one get the second half price' deal on all the items in my Etsy shop. Grab yourself a bargain as it won't last long - in fact it'll all be over by end of play tomorrow - Saturday 9th October.

If you want to have a look at other shops sale why not browse all the Silly Sale treasuries - click here.

Mix and Match

2010-10-06T19:05:00.005+01:00

This necklace:

AREjewellery

With these shoes:

Hobbs

Zara

2010-10-05T20:40:00.003+01:00

Zara finally has an online shop! About time too I say. I love Zara but sometimes the shops can get a little, well, messy. Particularly on a Saturday afternoon when it looks like a bombs gone off. The website is clean and tidy and it's good to see everything all styled up. Here's a couple of my faves.

Open!

2010-09-28T21:18:00.003+01:00

Quick blog post to let everyone know that my Etsy shop is now reopen! Yay! I have brought all my beads and bobs down to my new house so can now reopen the shop and get creating again. I've been missing it the last few weeks. I have a few things ready to go in the shop (sneak peek below) but I also need to restock on findings - very annoying when you have lots of ideas but none of the materials you need to make them!

Featured - Print Making

2010-09-19T23:13:00.006+01:00

Following my trip to Art in Action I am now rather obsessed with print making, in particular lino cuts. I adore Louise Hayward's work as seen in my blog post below but there are some talented folks on Etsy too. Here are a few of my faves. As usual there is a rather architectural theme!

The iconic Baltic Mill in Gateshead by erasercarver. Great building and a great exhibition space.

Making Hay by Zebedee Print. This reminds me of home.

Love this New York building. livefrombklyn has a variety of houses in different colours. Another one on my wish list!

Closing up shop

2010-08-28T22:56:00.003+01:00

I am afraid that as of Monday 30th I will be closing my shop for a while. I really hope this will be temporary. I'm sharing a house down in Reading and have quite a small room - I need to assess how all my belongings will fit in and see whether all the jewellery can be stored somewhere. I'll keep you updated! The new Ikea catalogue just arrived so I have been flicking through checking out their 'storage solutions'! So if you have your eye on anything you need to be quick. I am extending my free shipping offer until Monday.

Egg cup by Heidi Burton

Upheaval

2010-08-24T19:40:00.002+01:00

I'm in the process of a bit of an upheaval at the moment - I started a new job, moving 100 miles to Reading and am also looking for somewhere to live. All a bit stressful! Reading seems ok though - having never been here before it seems quite nice and I like the fact it's not that far from London. I like doing the touristy thing in London and visiting a few galleries.

Anyway, my Etsy shop is still open - although I can't post anything until Saturday. As a 'back to school' promo me and my fellow Amys - from the Amys in the Arts Street Team are offering free shipping worlwide this week. Check out our blog to view sellers participating. Also check this link out - it's a bit of a recollection of my time at school (including an embarassing school uniform picure for you to have a laugh about!).

Chandelier Earrings

2010-08-18T19:58:00.003+01:00

My chandelier earrings are my favourite design – probably because they are the most unusual and my own design. They also take me quite a while as they are quite fiddly. They aren’t too big and have a delicate look to them. Having said that I haven’t sold one pair on Etsy! If anyone has any tips on how to present them better do let me know. Also, if you have any suggestions on what colour I should make next leave a message in the comments.

Practicing some sewing

2010-08-11T15:28:00.006+01:00

I have been practicing my sewing skills (which are still rather limited to say the least) and made myself a new magazine bag. I know they are pretty much the simplest bags you can possibly make but I use them quite a lot, particularly when I pop to the shops.

I was inspired by some lace which my mum had in her sewing box. It’s been there years. I wanted to dye it to make it look a little more ‘modern’. The problem with dying material is that you never quite know what you are going to end up with. The Dylon packet suggested a blue considerably darker than what actually appeared from my vat. Whilst at first I was rather disappointed about this the colour is actually virtually the same as the fabric and so gives a more subtle look which I’m now really pleased with.

The picture in the bottom left is me experimenting where to place the lace. I went for a simple design in the end and kept one strip of the lace in its original natural colour.

The fabric is a really soft cotton which I bought from a shop in Ashby-de-la-Zouch which is also a sewing school – I would love to go on their courses, although some are a long way off at the moment – corsetry anyone?

Anyway, here is the final result.

I need some photography help!

2010-07-25T21:53:00.006+01:00

I have a bit of a photography problem which has been driving me mad for a while now. I made this necklace quite a while ago and have attempted to take photos of it a number of times - with three different cameras. The problem I am having is the colour. The colour in the photos never seems to reflect the actual colour of the beads.

These two Pantone colour show what colour the actual beads are and as you can see this is not the colour in the photo. The darker colour is almost there but in reality the necklace is more green whereas the photo shows the beads as more blue! How can I rectify this?? It's very frustrating!

Best of the Best at Art in Action

2010-07-20T19:26:00.007+01:00

My second post about Art in Action is to show my favourite work. The event has a 'Best of the Best' exhibition in which each artist puts forward the best example of their work. All the exhibitors then vote for the best of the best. Interestingly the general public don't get the opportunity to vote - I imagine they don't feel us mere mortals know what we are looking at.

If I had been able to vote it would have been very difficult to choose a favourite. These are my top three (in no particular order!).

Louise Hayward's architecture lino cut prints are right up my street and on my shopping list of art work for whenever I get my own flat.

These ceramic bowls by Sasha Wardell are beautiful. They are beautifully translucent.

Roanna Wells' textile art just makes you want to take a closer look - really interesting technique.

Art in Action

2010-07-18T18:06:00.005+01:00

On Friday I went to Art in Action at Waterperry Gardens near Oxford. It's the first time I have been and I had the most fantastic day. I was overwhelmed at the quality of the work and fascinated to see artists demonstrating their work. One of the first tents I went into was the drawing and printmaking - I immediately thought that it was bound to be my favourite tent, then I saw the textiles tent and couldn't decide and then I went to the ceramics tent and came to the conclusion that actually that was the best one! What i am trying to say is that it was basically all fabulous.

A few of the ceramic artists demonstrating:

Charlotte Jones Ceramics
Ashraf Hanna

Philip Simmonds

Featured - Art no.2

2010-07-07T19:05:00.008+01:00

Art is becoming my biggest obsession on Etsy.

This incredible paper cut of Sydney is by studiokmo. This brings together my love of paper cuts and my love of maps. I need to do a bit of saving - I'd really like to own any item from studiokmo's shop.

Leah Giberson is another artist whose shop I browse a lot. Her retro suburban landscapes really grab me. I would love one of her originals but I don't know how I would choose between her houses or the caravans/trailers or even the swimming pools (which have a hint of Hockney).

This illustration is one that I actually own from theblackbirdsings. I have been trying to think of a way of describing Natasha's work - I am struggling slightly but it's beautiful and has a slight dreamlike quality.

Lastly (and I am hoping I'm not repeating myself and haven't already blogged about this - because this print has been in my 'favourites' for aages!), this print called 'Constants of Motion' by groundwork.

An Etsy Purchase

2010-07-07T18:35:00.004+01:00

I love making purchases on Etsy! This handbag by Ninu is my latest. It's a great size and I love the ruffles. The colour is a really beautiful deep red.

Market Bosworth Festival - A Short Report

2010-07-04T17:13:00.008+01:00

It has been a busy week since the Market Bosworth Festival craft market and I have only just got round to uploading some pictures and blogging about it. As last year, the weather was fabulous with lots of people browsing, listening to the music, watching the dancing and buying from the crafters. Having helped put up and take down the market stalls as well as standing behind my stall all day it was exhausting but well worth it, with everyone enjoying the day.

The pictures below (clockwise from top right) are of Mad about Nature - her soaps are the best! Felted House with her beautifully bright stall, Kelly McRobie who shared a stall with me (you can just see my set up on the other side of the table). She was busy preparing to be showing at New Designers in London this week. Lastly, Bee Designs and her stationery - I love her display because it looks really smart and professional.

As a member of the Festival organising committee it is great to see people having a good time at the events that you help organise. We had a pop concert with Alvin Stardust, a whole day of music at 'Pop in the Park' (picture below), an art exhibition and also an outdoor evening production of 'An Ideal Husband' by Oscar Wilde - which was really cleverly done - on a gorgeous evening.

All in all a fantastic two weeks for the Market Bosworth Festival!

Etsy Finds Feature

2010-07-01T17:36:00.003+01:00

This week I was really pleased to be featured in an Etsy Finds blog. The article was about putting the perfect ensemble for any kind of date! Slightly random, i know. Apparently my gobstopper bracelet would be perfect for pizza and a movie. And who am I to argue?

In my two years selling on Etsy this is the second time I have been featured in an Esty Finds. It really is the best advertising - advertising you can't buy. I have had about 750 people viewing my shop over a couple of days. It makes you realise how incredibly lucky those sellers who get featured quite regularly are. 4 sales later and fingers crossed more people who came across my shop might make a purchase in the future. Who knows!

My 2 Year Etsyversary!

2010-06-27T22:06:00.005+01:00

Today is two years since I joined Etsy! I can't quite believe it - it's flown by. I still love Etsy just as much as I did when I joined. I may have spent far more money than I have made but I am proud to support the handmade artists and crafters that I have purchased from. In the two years I have been on Etsy I have enjoyed the support of the Etsy community, particularly those from the UK. There have been changes - the change to Treasury East has been a big disappointment but many aspects have improved including the format of the front page and the rearrange feature in each shop. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings - further improvements to the search function hopefully!

In celebration I am offering 25% off everything in my shop until Friday 2nd July.

Cake courtesy of British Cream Tea - fabulous felt food

Do check out British Cream Tea's Etsy shop.

Market Bosworth Festival Craft Market

2010-06-22T17:29:00.006+01:00

It's the second year that I have been part of the organising of the Market Bosworth Festival and this Saturday is the main event that I help organise. It is our 'In the Town' event - we have music playing in the square, entertainment, an art exhibition and a craft market. The craft market is my main job and we are all ready for what will hopefully be another really successful event. Being the second year I am not as worried this year as I was last - particularly on the weather front, I refuse to be stressed about something I can do nothing about!

We have some great sellers this year. Some came last year and others are new to the event. Choosing sellers has been really tough as I wanted a good selection of different mediums. I would have loved to invite everyone back from last year but felt variety was important. I think next year we will have another change again.

Here's a selection of some of the sellers attending:

Clockwise from top left:

Felt by Felted House

Textile accessories by Kelly McRobie

Paper stationery and accessories by Bee Designs

Jewellery by Alex Williamson
Soap by Mad about Nature

Ceramic vase by Dee Arnold

An Etsy Birthday

2010-06-02T18:29:00.005+01:00

I just realised it is over a month since my birthday and I still haven't blogged about my Etsy presents! I had a long list but had to whittle it down to just a couple of things. So this is what I chose:

This textile canvas of an Amsterdam canal is by Lauraamiss. I love Laura's work - do check out her shop. I was attracted to this as I am a big fan of the architecture in Amsterdam and just love the city.

My other present were these earrings. I had been looking for some tiny handmade studs - often they are a bit larger than I want. These ones though are perfect! They are a collaboration between lilarubyking and artmind.

Corsage and Catch-up

2010-05-30T17:39:00.004+01:00

I've been relatively productive lately, although you wouldn't know it from my blog which has been rather neglected. I am preparing for a craft fair that I am organising and selling at, at the end of June. So I have made quite a few pieces. However, over in my Etsy and Folksy shops I am struggling. I haven't had a sale in too long and after this craft fair I really need to reflect on whether to really go for it or have a rethink. At least to stop buying new supplies - my weakness for beads continues despite the total lack of sales!

Anyway, I made a corsage yesterday and thought I would share a few photos.

Here are all the supplies ready to get started. The focal point is the button so the ribbon has been chosen to suit that. This one is a gorgeous teal blue colour, so I have gone for a satin teal ribbon, a gauze tranparent (there is probably a proper word for this but my mind has gone blank) teal ribbon and a thinner navy ribbon to contrast. I've also got some felt to tidy up the back of the corsage, the pin and some cotton.

Now to start folding and pinning - there is no order to it - just what looks good. This is now ready to sew in place and then to sew on the button.

Finally I sew the pin on to some felt which covers any untidy ribbon ends. Contrasting stiching - just coz I like it.

Et voila! A pretty corsage for your bag! Now I'm off to list it in my Etsy shop.

Handmade Packaging

2010-05-16T15:51:00.003+01:00

I have been making some handmade packaging for a craft fair. I don't do many fairs for a number of reasons, which I may write about in another blog post.

These bags are made using 'recycled' paper. The brown paper with a fun colourful pattern is wrapping paper I bought in Paperchase. It was a very bad buy. The paper is recycled and has a kind of sheen to it. When used as wrapping paper it was totally useless - sellotape would not stick to it - it just peeled off! I had a whole roll of paper which was totally unusable - I had to come up with something to do with it! So I decided to make some cute bags with it.

I used fabric zigzag pinking scissors to add a little interest. I have also used my name stamp to label them. Cheap and very easy - but I think they look pretty good.

A Birthday treat

2010-05-02T16:57:00.007+01:00

It was my birthday on Tuesday and I spent the weekend in Sheffield and then a couple of days in the Peak District. We stayed in Baslow, near Chatsworth. The setting of which is stunning - aided rather by Capability Brown!

Here are a couple of architecture pictures you might not expect to see side by side! Park Hill, Sheffield and Chatsworth House, Derbyshire.

Here are some Etsy finds inspired by my visit!

Clockwise from top left:

Mr Darcys Weekend Pad, print by Mel Armstrong, Tulip greeting card by Colours and Textures, Mixed silverware cards by Bonnie Jones, Pheasant photograph print by Sharon Montrose.

Pastels

2010-04-21T18:46:00.012+01:00

Last week I was having a bit of a green moment. Well this week I seem to be working pastels!

Generally I don't wear many pastel colours - I prefer bolder colours. However, I think I may have subconsciously been influenced by this season's trends. One of the big themes on the catwalk for Spring Summer 2010 was pastels and nudes.

Clockwise from top left:

Valentino

Marchesa (photo: Dan and Corina Lecca)

Versace

Burberry (photo: Gareth Cattermole, Getty)

This week I made this pink necklace using rose quartz and some beautiful lilac glittery beads. Very girly!

These earrings have the full range of pink, lilac and blue pastel colours in the lampwork beads.

Finally, this pale blue bracelet made using mussel shell buttons.

Spring has arrived

2010-04-13T19:05:00.005+01:00

The best thing about Spring? The lambs! I just love them - I could watch them playing for hours.

I have been relatively productive lately, a couple of new necklaces have popped up in my shop and also some earrings. There seems to be a bit of a green theme!:

SOCK Loughborough

2010-03-28T16:23:00.003+01:00

I am just back from SOCK in Loughborough. The organisers describe it as 'a celebration of quality artists and makers'. It was an excellent fair, really well organised and with a really great selection of stalls.

I am organising a craft market in my village again this year for the Market Bosworth Festival and found some really good crafters that I intend to invite to participate. It demonstrated the talent in our local area - many of the sellers were members of MadeInLeicestershire which is a great resource to find local designers, makers and artists.

Naturally I had to buy something! There were so many lovely things, I could have spent a fortune! In the end I opted for a necklace (it had to be jewellery didn't it - I can't help myself!). I bought this interesting necklace from Kelly McRobie, a recent textile graduate. She is in the process of setting up her own website but you can find more info here.

It went rather well with the outfit I was wearing!

Colour

2010-03-28T15:50:00.003+01:00

I bought some rattail. I'm now feeling inspired by all the colour!

What I've been up to

2010-03-06T22:21:00.006Z

I have been making some more chunky jewellery using cord as the stringing material. I am also starting to learn some more knotting techniques - none on show on these pieces, but hopefully in my up coming ones.

This one uses huge coco jasper beads.

A mixture of stone ang glass beads in this one. For some reason I find green the hardest colour to take photos of.

Lastly I was inspired by this ickle pot by Hannah Tounsend. I love the inlaid colours and so am using these big yellow beads with grey.

The brown neklace is already in my shop and the other two should be shortly.

I LOVE People Will Always Need Plates!

2010-03-06T19:14:00.003Z

It's official, I really do love People Will Always Need Plates! I bought a number of things from them at Christmas for different friends and family. At the moment I see them everywhere! I was in Habitat last weekend and they are selling two of posters of their Trellick Tower and Toast Rack pictures.

I visited the Ferrers Gallery last week as well, and spotted some gorgeous textile accessories by Margo Selby. I subsequently checked out her website and there they were, People Will Always Need Plates - cushions, ties, bags etc! This collaboration features their new elevation pictures.

I bought a mug with the Parkhill, Leeds elevation design for my brother at Christmas. As an architect in the making, he likes these elevation prints more than the full building ones. Well personally I love everything they do!

They've also done a collaboration with clothkits for those who enjoy a bit of sewing!

Featured - Fabric Print

2010-03-02T16:49:00.004Z

At the weekend I bought a scarf in Whistles - as soon as I saw this safety pin print I just had to have it! They also use a smaller version of the print in black and grey in a dress - which I was also very tempted by.

I love a good print - I've been browsing Etsy and found a few of my favourites.

Clockwise from top left:

Buttons by creamrose, Liberty fabric by ScarlettRose, hand screen printed fabric by summersville and skirt by missmittensvintage.

What I Wore - Day 8 - The End

2010-02-12T14:03:00.006Z

This is my last 'What Jewellery I Wore' feature. It's rather a relief as I hate taking photos of myself. It's rather a vain thing to do and I just can't cope with having to go through the 10 or so photos I took each day and delete pretty much all of them because I look horrendous - trust me, the fact that half of them are seriously fuzzy is a blessing in disguise.

Apologies that this photo is a bit wonky - don't crick your neck! The necklace in these photos is another one I had in my Etsy shop for a while. I also took it to a number of craft fairs and people would always pick it up and admire the stone but no-one ever bought. That was another blessing in disguise as I love it and decided to keep it. The stone is fossil agate - the patternation is gorgeous.

Doing this has made me think about the items that I wear a lot and the items that I stock in my shop. It's also inspired me to make some more for myself - I always feel bad keeping items for myself because I feel I should be putting them in my shop to sell - well sod it. I'm going to keep more for myself. Why not?!

What I Wore - Day 7

2010-02-11T21:58:00.004Z

This is my penultimate 'What I Wore'! Phew! I haven't had the chance to blog in a couple of days so this was Tuesday. I am wearing a necklace made using blue goldstone beads. I love blue goldstone - you can kind of see the sparkle in it in the pictures but they are more beautiful in real life.

My Etsy shop has been a bit slow lately - I really need to list some more items. Hopefully tomorrow (as long as I can get some half decent photos!) I will list some new lampwork earrings.

What I Wore - Day 6

2010-02-08T14:57:00.006Z

I am a day behind, so let's just pretend it's still Sunday (I wish!). I didn't do a whole lot yesterday except watch the rugby and football. I am wearing a necklace I made using one of the beads that I created when I had a lampwork bead lesson with RedHotSal. As I mentioned in day 3 (I think) I really want to take up lampwork. I love the way you can't be sure exactly how the bead will turn out when it is under the flame, until it cools down you don't see the full effect or the true colours.

What I Wore - Day 5

2010-02-07T12:08:00.005Z

Day 5 - yesterday. We went for my mum's birthday lunch to a rather amazing restaurant at Hambleton Hall near Oakham, Rutland. Possibly the most expensive restaurant I have ever eaten in but it was well worth it. Fabulous food and fabulous service. Hambleton Hall is in a really stunning location but the fog meant you could hardly see the lake - which was a bit of a shame.

Anyway, don't laugh, I know the photo is abismal. I was in rather a rush. So it is very fuzzy and you can hardly actually see what jewellery I am wearing! I wore another long necklace. I love long necklaces - I own lots of them. This one is grey hematite with round grey shell beads.

What I Wore - Day 4

2010-02-05T15:35:00.005Z

Technically today should be day 5 but I went to Chester for a day trip yesterday and totally forgot to take my camera, by the time I got home it was pitch black. Oops!

Back to work today. I wore some hoop earrings with an orangy brown agate teardrop and a bracelet that is made of gold lined Czech glass beads. I made the earrings ages ago - in fact they were one of the first pieces I ever made - quite basic, but I like them. I started making jewellery soon after I finished univesity, so I have been doing it for about 5 years now. I can't actually remember what made me start but I think it was seeing some swarovski crystal beads - the colours and the sparkles!

N.B. smile!

What I Wore - Day 3

2010-02-03T17:57:00.006Z

Day 3 and I am afraid my pictures are terrible - the light is not good, it's so grey outside.

So far I have learnt that if I were to take lots of pictures of myself (which clearly I am not planning on doing) I would definitely need a tripod.

Another day at work. Today the only jewellery I wore were some grey earrings. You may recognise them, as I also have a very similar pair for sale in my shop - I liked the beads so much I had to keep a set. They are stunning lampwork, although a number of people have asked me what stone they are! They do have a look of a stone - I think mainly because they are etched.

I really want to start doing lampwork myself - sadly I don't have the space at the moment. I'll have to stick to buying from talented makers for now (my bank statement can vouch for that!).

What I Wore - Day 2

2010-02-02T15:05:00.006Z

Here I am Tuesday 2nd February and it's the second day of my 'What Jewellery I Wore' feature! I am wearing my summer sale bargain from Whistles - the grafitti skirt - I had spotted it a few months earlier and really wanted it but couldn't afford it being a student. So when I saw it in the sale I just had to have it!

I must admit this look is a bit matchy-matchy. I made the necklace from bright blue faceted buttons I found at the market in Digbeth, Birmingham. This necklace had been one I intended to sell but having taken it to a couple of fairs and it not selling and the fact I bought the skirt which is an identical colour, I decided to keep it for myself.

You can just see on the hand holding the camera a big blue ring. Not handmade I am afraid. Too matchy-matchy? Maybe.

What I Wore - With a Twist! Day 1.

2010-02-01T15:28:00.008Z

There seems to be a new trend around, people letting us all know what they wore today. Someone I follow on twitter commented that it is quite a bizarre thing to do and demonstrates today's society is so me, me, me. In a way I agree.

However, it also gave me an idea. A 'what I wore' with a twist! I won't be talking about my clothes. My current work status and subsequent bank balance means that I haven't been spending much on new clothes lately - so I can't claim to be a trend setter. However, I thought I could show you what jewellery I wear. So over the next week or so I am going to show you jewellery made by me and worn by me!

So, first up I am wearing a necklace I made about 3 years ago when I was living out in Brussels. Most of the beads are from a really fabulous bead shop in Ixelles, Brussels. I am planning a trip back to Belgium in March so I might have to stop by for old times sake.

I did have a picture with my face but have come over all shy - maybe if I get a bit braver you might see my ugly mug later in the week!

Inspired by Industrial

2010-01-30T21:32:00.006Z

I don't know what it is about industrial architecture but it really grabs me. I was looking back at some of my blog posts and realised that two of my favourite features have been a beautiful painting of a landscape and building and a vase in the shape of a factory.

I was in Bristol visiting relatives recently and I just love these cranes.

Funnily enough it seems UK seller, arctic circles, was inspired by them too in this teatowel!

I also love this picture of a cement works by a seller very local to me, Frewin Prints, from Leicester.

And I also want this little ceramic sculpture by PearsonMaron.

My Gorgeous Notebook

2010-01-18T16:52:00.006Z

Over the summer I blogged about some rather amazing handmade marbled paper I purchased at a craft fair at Calke Abbey. At the time I had no idea what to do with it - it was one of those 'I just have to have it' moments!

I have been meaning to blog about what I used some of it as for a while. When I met Sue of BeeDesigns at a craft fair I organised in June I bought one of her notebooks which she makes with a variety of different pretty papers on the cover. I asked her to make me one using my paper and as you can see it turned out rather well. I have just started using it - that's what reminded me I really should blog about it. It is my 2010 diary. I used to always write a diary but in the last couple of years I kind of gave up. This year I am determined to make more of an effort.

Do check out Sue's Etsy shop here.

Etsy Christmas Purchases

2010-01-11T14:49:00.005Z

I bought quite a few of my Christmas presents on Etsy and I also asked for presents myself from Etsy - I have a lot of favourites which I seem to add to daily, every one of which I would like. However, I had to be sensible and I managed to cut it down to a select few.

Here is a little taster of what I bought.

The copper necklace from BooJewels was something I asked for and I absolutely love it. The little bird bowl by PrinceDesignUK I gave to my mum. The tinysaur by kfarrell was a present for my brother. The bangles by mysticfibres were given to my step-sister. The crackle bowl by HodgePodgeArts was for my step-mum. Finally, the scarf by AmandaSainsbury was another of my presents - very handy in the chilly weather. I now want the black and white one Amanda has in the same style!

In other news I made my first sale of the year today! The pearl necklace I featured in my previous post is off to the 'garden of England'!

Not much news

2010-01-06T15:36:00.008Z

Oh dear, another prolonged absence of blog posts. Must do better. It should be a New Year's resolution but i just know I won't stick to it so not much point!

Anyway, a bit of news - I got a camera for Christmas! Yay - very good news as I was borrowing a camera, the macro funtion of which was so poor it wasn't worth bothering to take photos! My new one is a Fujifilm compact but it has some manual functions that I want to play around with perhaps in anticipation of something a bit more fancy in the future.

Here are a few photos of my latest items with the new camera.

In other news, it has been snowing. Surprise! You probably hadn't heard - I mean it's only been on BBC News 24 all morning long! Here's me off sledging.

Christmas on Etsy

2009-12-29T11:14:00.004Z

I had a lovely surprise on December 27th - I found myself in an Etsy Finds blog post in the Storque. It featured lots of sellers from the Commonwealth in celebration of Boxing Day. My Aqua Oceanic Earrings sold and I have been asked to make another pair for someone else!

Views in my shop shot up with lots of hearts - so it was quite exciting. I have to admit I have always hoped to be featured in the Storque and it was a nice Christmas surprise!

Yesterday my purple crackle necklace was on the Etsy front page in a treasury by MarkHed - thank you! I am quite a fan of Markhed's shop it has quite an architectural feel to it which I love - do go and check it out.

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-24T12:05:00.004Z

It's Christmas Eve and I am feeling festive - wrapping pressies and preparing food! Here is a little festive treat from some fellow UK sellers.

Clockwise from top left:
British Cream Tea, AREjewellery (yep, that would be me!), Siansburys, Jo Heckett, MooCow Handknits, Inkmeup

Handmade Christmas

2009-12-13T22:35:00.006Z

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of crafting? Well, that's my excuse for not blogging this week - or last actually! However, I seemed to have watched a lot of TV this weekend which is always a good time to do a bit. I don't know whether it was Kirstie Allsop's Homemade Christmas or just the fact that we put up the Christmas tree this weekend, but I felt the need to make some festive decorations.

I spotted a tutorial for a wreath on Design Sponge and thought I would make something similar. Personally I am a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas colours, so it had to be green leaves and red berries for mine!

I didn't have a foam wreath or anything to use as the backing so i had to make something myself. It took me ages to figure out the best way. In the end I used some really tough cardboard (I knew the Next Directory would come in useful for something) and then padded it with some material.

The left over felt I used to make a pretty decoration. All in all a good evening's work!

Out and About

2009-11-29T17:14:00.006Z

Last weekend I went shopping in Birmingham (I won't be doing that again in the run up to Christmas! Horrendously busy!). Anyway, the window of All Saints was rather eye catching - it had rows and rows of old sewing machines. Interesting branding. Apologies for this rather poor photo - I used my phone.

This weekend I went to a craft fair in the Guildhall in Leicester. Saw a few faces I recognised! It is a lovely location - the building is rather fabulous. Took a quick snap (again with the phone!) of one of the windows which is so wonky it's unreal!

Wow!

2009-11-20T16:11:00.005Z

I was browsing for Christams presents the other day and came across 2 things that really made me go wow! Particularly this tray - it's bloody gorgeous! It is designed by the architect and designer Fabio Novembre and is part of the series '100 piazze' - a range of Italian cities. This Lucca one is my favourite, mainly because I just love Lucca, it is such a beautiful town. I won't mention the price - like they say 'if you need to ask, you can't afford it'!

This vase really attracts me. I am not quite sure why. It kind of reminds me of Lowry. It's by Qubus Design.

A bit of a step-by-step

2009-11-18T17:40:00.006Z

Apologies for not blogging for a while. I seem to go through phases of blogging a good few times a week and then once in a blue moon!

I thought I would share with you a bit of a step by step so you can see my work in progress.

This is the process of making my black double strand shell necklace that you can find in my shop here.

1. Laying the beads out so they lie correctly.

2. Choosing which seed beads to use - grey? black? big? small?

3. Small black beads chosen with the odd bigger one. Threading the beads.

4. Checking the spot shell beads are correctly spaced.
5. Crimping the ends. 6. Photographing the necklace.

Check out the final photos in my shop. They are not the best as I am in the process of looking for a new camera following the sad demise of my Olympus. I am borrowing cameras left right and centre but am hoping for a new one for Christmas. Any suggestions?

UK Etsy Sellers

2009-11-13T10:33:00.004Z

There is a great community of UK sellers on Etsy - they are always there to listen to a whinge or celebrate a sale and are also very generous handing out their virtual cake! Funny that - I wonder if they would be quite so generous with actual cake!

Anyway, got distracted by the cake there for a minute. What I really wanted to do was share with you a few fellow UK sellers.

Clockwise from top left:
Snowdrops and Daisies, Chameleonite, AliBaliJewellery,
AmiDesigns, MoaningMinnie, BigBlueBed

Etsy Front Page

2009-11-10T19:12:00.003Z

I have been on the Etsy front page a few times - not many. Since the end of July I have made it six times (gotta love craft cult which stores all this info!). It really does have a big impact on shop views. I was on the front page on Sunday 7.00pm EST and according to Google Analytics I got over 700 views.

The necklace that was featured later sold and since then I have had another sale - although whether the two are linked I am not sure. I am hoping that some of those other hearts I received might come back in the future and make a purchase!

Toys for the Boys!

2009-10-31T21:51:00.005Z

The male of the species are very difficult to buy presents for! It is a nightmare! It's my brother's birthday in a couple of weeks so I have been browsing Etsy a lot for ideas for his birthday and then of course Christmas!

Here are a few of my favourite items. Don't worry, there is no chance of my brother actually seeing this blog. In fact I'm not actually sure he even knows I have a blog!

I love girlscantell's shop. The diagrams are all so good - I particularly like these scooter coasters but I also really like the bicycle, pinball machine, camera, kitchen mixer......

These laser cut cardboard space crafts by CardboardSafari are fab! They make me think of TinTin.

In actual fact, this is what I have bought him. Yes, it's a pencil case - not exactly inspiring, but it is a very cool pencil case! Find it, and some rather stylish laptop covers, in byrdandbelle's shop. My brother is (almost) an architect so he has lots of pencils and pens so hopefully he will find it useful.

And obviously I needed a birthday card. Having favourited one of crafterall's cards in the first week of discovering Etsy I finally got round to making a purchase. I love these cards so much that I now want a topo to put on my wall!

Beads!

2009-10-22T13:42:00.004+01:00

I went to the Midlands Bead Fair at the National Motorcycle Museum on Sunday. As you can see from the picture I made a few purchases. I had a very strict budget (what with not having a job at the mo etc) and was very good as I stuck to it!

I bought some faceted banded agate and some plain black agate beads, some random spotty beads and some large funky plastic beads in autumnal colours to make a chunky neckalace with.

I also bought a beautiful pair of purple beads from Julie of Lush Lampwork. I have bought from Julie online in the past so it was nice to meet her in person and see more of her gorgeous beads up close!

All in all a good day!

Moths and Dinosaurs

2009-10-15T12:33:00.004+01:00

Just thought I would share a picture of this beautiful - if slightly creepy - looking moth. The shapes look almost prehistoric - the bumps on it remind me of a Stegosaurus!

Talking of Stegosauruses (what is the plural??) this little box does what it says on the tin - you can make yourself a minature dinosaur. Available on Etsy from kfarrell. It really is tiny. Not suitable for those that are long-sighted!

A Challenge!

2009-10-13T11:18:00.003+01:00

I am in an Etsy team of fellow crafters with the name Amy - quite random I know. A challenge was set for us to make something along the theme 'Oh I do like to be beside the seaside'. I made this ribbon brooch - which is inspired by the shimmering button which reminds me of mermaids. It's perhaps a bit tenuous but whenever I go swimming in the sea I do contemplate what might be beneath - scary crabs, big ugly fish, sea monsters, mermaids - who knows what else!

Please go vote for me on the Amys blog! Thank you!

A box of goodies

2009-10-12T12:44:00.003+01:00

My dad was sorting out his store room last week and came across a box of jewellery that used to be my grandmother's. None of it is worth a whole lot but there is certaintly a few bits and bobs that I can reuse and incorporate in my jewellery.

This is a picture of the goodies. There are some rather nice black swarovskis and Czech glass faceted beads. Lots of chains - as you can see in gold and silver - always handy. There is a nice gold and pearl pendant (on the left) and some adorable brooches - one with two little deers and one that is a bird. Also there is a brooch in the shape of an E - it's a bit naff but I like it because it is the first letter of our surname - I'll be keeping that one!

I now need to give them all a good clean and find a bit of inspiration. I am going to the Midlands Bead Fair next Sunday so I may find some there.

Autumn has arrived

2009-10-07T13:59:00.006+01:00

After coming back from a short holiday a couple of weeks ago it really struck me how autumnal it had become. Falling leaves and beautiful colours of red, yellow and brown. I went on a short bikeride today around the village and took a few photos.

It has inspired me to get on making some more autumnal/wintry jewellery in these colours.

New bits and pieces

2009-09-30T10:45:00.005+01:00

I have been relatively productive lately. Probably because i have finished my dissertation and am now officially unemployed actively looking for a job (although there are no jobs to look for - I couldn't have chosen the property industry at a worse time, could I?). Anyway, I will stop whinging and just enjoy being a lady of leisure!

After handing in my dissertation I went away for a week to Puglia in Italy (some pictures can be seen on my Flickr). It was beautiful - just as beautiful as other parts of Italy that I have visited. It was good to use my Italian - somebody complimented me on my knowledge of the language, I didn't mention the fact that I had lived in Italy for a year because whilst I can get by I really should be much better than I am!

Whilst in Lecce I bought some gorgeous pink and raspberry coloured beads which i have made into the bracelet below. They are huge beads. I have some more and may make myself a necklace.

The pebble look earring are in my AREjewellery shop now and the turquoise bracelet will be listed very soon!

Featured - Greeting Cards

2009-09-25T11:01:00.004+01:00

I love handmade cards - they are so much more interesting than shop bought. I've purchased a few on Etsy and always been really pleased.

One of my purchases was from pocketstudio. I love this cat card - so cute!

I also bought this exact card from twoguitars for a friend I went to Paris with. I love how it is printed on tracing paper with the map behind.

This card by Cracked Designs is great for a mum to be - it's called Bun in the Oven - and there is actually a little bunn in the oven! You'll have to go to the actual listing to see it.

Lastly, fellow UK seller RUBYrecycled makes these gorgeous butterfly cut-out cards. She has been featured quite a lot on Etsy lately - I love her product and the photos are great so I can see why.

Having chosen my favourite sellers I have just noticed a trend for cut out cards! I do love paper cuts and paper sculptures - I blogged about them a while back!

Ribbons

2009-09-07T15:20:00.003+01:00

I have been ribbon shopping! As mentioned in my previous post the jewellery has been very much on the backburner lately due to the dissertation that I have to hand in in two days time and also rather a lack of motivation due to absolutely no sales lately!

Anyway, I have a few ideas for some more ribbon brooches and also some other jewellery ideas using this rather vibrant mixture of ribbons.

As soon as I start on this new project I will keep you up to date with some more photos. Whether the idea I have in my head and have sketched out will actually work in practice will have to been seen!

Featured - Glass

2009-08-14T16:49:00.005+01:00

I realised I haven't done a 'featured' piece on my blog for a while now.

So, here are a few beauties - mostly to be found in my favourites!

This necklace by melissaschmidt is so unusual. It's hard to believe the glass bubbles are strong enough but I am sure they must be! You can have whatever little pictures you want put in them - such a unique idea.

This platter is by lisacahillglass. I love its simple colours - this would look great on my sideboard!

These engraved glasses are by daydreemdesigns. The branch and leaf paterns are beautifully intricate,

Lastly this ring by Tias - one of my favourite shops on Etsy.

My Etsyversary!

2009-08-14T10:44:00.003+01:00

It is one year since my first sale on Etsy this Wednesday so to celebrate I am offering free shipping from today until the 19th - check out my shop.

One year on Etsy and I have learnt a lot - just not sold that much! 26 sales - so about two a month. I never had any expectations of how much I would sell and I just appreciate having an outlet as I am not the biggest fan of selling at craft shows. So, whilst I am not disappointed I would like to see an improvement and perhaps reach 50 sales by Christmas.

Finding Etsy has been fantastic, buying handmade has become a way of life in the last year and despite spending all my profits (and more) on fabulous finds on Etsy I wouldn't want it any other way!

NEW - Brooches

2009-08-12T22:06:00.003+01:00

I'm branching out! I fell in love with some rather fabulous fabric covered buttons and was inspired to make brooches using them. So far, I have made this nautical themed pin - how cute is the little anchor?

I've got more buttons in pink, gold, black, blue - the list goes on! So look out for them in my shop soon.

Button Necklaces

2009-08-08T11:34:00.004+01:00

If you have visited my shop lately you might have noticed my button necklaces. These are one of my favourite designs. I think it's because of the shiny shell buttons - who can resist!

A few months ago I featured a lilac one I made - this one sold pretty quickly. I now have an orange and brown one, a navy and blue one and one made with mussel shells.

Look out for a pillar box red necklace arriving soon in the Etsy shop - I have the buttons at the ready!

Gorgeousness

2009-07-30T14:28:00.004+01:00

I have made some new earrings! I am having a bit of a slow patch on the jewellery makingfront - my dissertation is occupying a huge amount of my time (which is probably a good thing). Anyway, I did have the chance to make these beauties.

These are stunning lampwork beads made by a lampwork artist here in the UK. They have little cubic zirconas embedded in them (you can't see them in the pic as they are on the other side) as well as silver mesh and gold foil. Totally stunning. Now the question is do I list them on Etsy or do I keep them? Decisions, decisions. I think I will list them and if they haven't sold in a couple of months then i am keeping them. Seriously, if they don't sell I may as well give up!

Coriandr Shop

2009-07-20T16:50:00.002+01:00

I have opened up a new shop! It is on Coriandr which is another UK site for handmade crafters. I still have my Etsy shop, of course, and my Folksy shop but I am thinking of wrapping up on Folksy. I am going to leave it for a bit but I am just not happy with the layout and the slowness of the site.

Coriandr looks great, it's neat and tidy and is in Pounds - which is important as I know some people are put off by the dollars on Etsy (even though there is no reason for them to be put off!).

I have listed a couple of things so do go check it out: http://arejewellery.coriandr.com/

Turquoise & White

2009-07-15T18:09:00.009+01:00

I have a bit of a thing for turquoise and white at the moment - it's such a fresh, clean and summery combination.

I have just made this necklace in said colours - i'll be listing it on Etsy soon.

Here are a few of my favourite things in a similar colour combination that I have spied on Etsy:

I love gillianbates art - I've just bought one of her ice cream postcards - here is one of her more architectural styles:

This fabulous ring by galerieurbana, it's a real stunner!

Craft Market Report

2009-06-28T23:09:00.005+01:00

So yesterday was the long anticipated and red tape laden craft market that I organised for the Market Bosworth Festival. I am pleased to report that the whole event was a roaring success. I can't tell you how pleased I am - I was so worried about a number of things. Including; the weather (which was humid with the smallest spattering of rain - so pretty good really!), the possibility of no visitors (in fact we had hundreds!), the possibility that the stall holders would make no sales (one of the sellers said it was the most she had ever made at an event and another said it was one of the best)!

The feedback was great - the event also included jazz music, a potrait painter, a juggler among other things - so the feel of it was really good. All the organisational effort was worth it even though I was running round like a headless chicken at points. I too made a good few sales - a bit more spending money to purchase some more beads no doubt. It was also good to meet up with the other stallholders - everyones' stalls looked amazing. Here are a couple of photos, but check out flickr for a few more.

View from my stall, across the market square:

My stall:

Market Bosworth Festival

2009-06-26T11:11:00.005+01:00

This weekend is the culmination of a lot of work! It is the Market Bosworth Festival's main weekend with events going on around the town. I am a member of the committee and have been organising a craft market that we are holding in the market square. It has been interesting organising it but the paper work is immense - sadly the litigious society that we live in now really causes a lot of work and barriers.

I will be selling my jewellery there - as well as running around like a mad woman probably! I am praying for nice weather - it would be so sad to have it all washed out after all the effort.

A number of the other stall holders also sell on Etsy and there are others who have their own websites - here is a quick preview of some of those who will be there:

clockwise from top left:

Collage by Bee Designs

Blue bowls by Steel Blue
Ceramic bowl by Hannah Tounsend
Soaps by Mad About Nature

Handbag by Philippa Day

Strawberry earrings by Pennydog

I will post some pics of the event and let you know how it has gone. I am praying for a few sales because it has been very slow on Etsy lately. Having said that I did make a sale last night (first in over a month) which is whisking its way to Italy.