close your eyes hold out your hand.

Hooray! Hurrah!

2010-09-19T18:37:00.001+01:00

You might have noticed from the past 6 weeks (or more) of blog posts that I haven't exactly been doing any work... I just haven't been able to get my brain in gear.

But then I got invited to exhibit at the We Make London Christmas Fair at the beginning of December and it galvanised me to pull myself together and actually do something. Hooray! Hurrah! Finally.

So, this is what I've come up with - they're a sneak preview for now, I want to play around with a few different ways to wear them (Necklace? Brooch? Hatpin?), and the photos need a little work, but I think you'll see what I'm getting at.

June

February

october

What do you think?

Oh, also, Charlie's new model pose:

Silver boxes and little dogs.

2010-08-22T13:39:00.000+01:00

I spent last week taking a Silversmithing course at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design, under the tutelage of Linda Robertson.

I learnt some great new skills, and built up some much needed courage when attempting to make metal do something I want it to, bit it doesn't. Linda is amazingly meticulous - it was utterly inspiring to be taught by someone for whom a fraction of a millimetre out is too far! Here's the silver box I made:

And here, for those of you who are less interested in my crafting endeavours and more in our animals, is Charlie yesterday - his first day at home!

Do your pretty face for mummy!

You wanna give me another treat, dontcha?

Well, fancy that.

2010-08-03T11:52:00.004+01:00

So, we've moved house, and I don't have a kiln here yet, which means that not only can I barely find any of my tools to work with, but when I finally do dig something out of the bottom of a box and get some work done with it, I get to firing point and then have to stop.

Annoying, because I've finally cut my hours down at my day job with the primary purpose of spending the balance of my time making jewellery and I feel like I'm not really doing it, but also kinda cool, because it means I can take photos like this of the stock I'm building up:

And of the cakes I'm making instead of working (it started of bigger, but Bernie was home so it didn't last long):

Introducing Harriet, Emily and Charlie

2010-07-25T17:07:00.000+01:00

So, as promised, here's the chickens - who seem to be settling in pretty nicely (well, they're eating everything - I think that's a good sign):

Harriet's the one at the front of the picture. Emily's at the back, eyeing up the grub.

We also met Charlie for the first time today - he's only 3 weeks old, but he tried very hard to impress us with his barking (read: squeaking) and walking (read: stumbling).

Doesn't time fly!

2010-07-21T20:02:00.000+01:00

I just thought I should post something since it's been SUCH a long time since I have...

We've moved into Our New House now - there's so much work to do, and we're living out of boxes in the downstairs rooms because upstairs is such a mess. A bit like being a student again.

This weekend we're getting our chickens (Harriet and Emily), so I'll be posting about them once we've taken some photos, and we're going to visit our new puppy!

Yes, a puppy! He can't come home yet because he's only 3 weeks old, but he's a chocolate mini dachshund a bit like this one here:

Come on, is that the cutest thing you've ever seen or what?

I have so many people to blog about, so many great crafters and designers I've fund over the last month or so... just give me a week or so and I promise I'll tell you all about them.

Ditch; Tunnel; Bunker

2010-06-13T11:39:00.063+01:00

On Friday night, for the first time in a shockingly long time, we went to the theatre. It was one of those evenings where you remember all the things you love and can't quite remember how it's happened that you don't do them very much any more.

The play we saw was called Ditch and it played in the Old Vic Tunnels - a musty, damp, rabbit warren of space underneath Waterloo Station. Have a look at this video narrated by a slightly excitable Sam Hodges (Co-Artistic Director of HighTide, responsible for the production) to see the whole thing being put together - he describes it all much better than I ever could.

Definitely not for everyone, and reviews of the play itself have been mixed, but if you're into that post-apocalyptic, steampunk, handmade sort of vibe you'll love it. I did.

There's an even better thing about the Old Vic Tunnels though, and that's the bar.

And by far the coolest things about this bar (it's not the fact that it's in an ancient tunnel underneath one of the busiest commuter stations in the country; it's not that the staff actually manage to be nice and not the 'I work in the theatre bar and therefore I'm better than you' of so many theatre staff; it's not the lovely, lovely red chesterfield sofa sitting amongst the various other furnishing oddments throughout...) is that a company called Hendzel+Hunt built it.

"Who's Hendzel+Hunt?" I hear you cry.

Well, a couple of weeks ago we had a get together out back with the neighbours and a random assortment of friends and acquaintances, and there two things occurred.

One is that the only photo in the world of Bernie and I that I actually like was taken by the lovely Mark Charmer:

And the other is that we made a new friend called Jan Henzel.

"I make furniture for a living." said Jan.

"What's the last thing you made?" said I.

"Have you ever been to the Old Vic? They'e just opened a new bit in the tunnels under Waterloo Station - we built the bar down there! You should see it! It's brilliant!" said Jan.

And we did see it, and it is brilliant. And if you're in the area you must go down there too, it's well worth the momentary heart-gripping terror of descending into the underworld.

The other cool thing about all that is that Bernie's been helping Jan and Oscar (Oscar being the 'Hunt' part of Hendzel+Hunt) out in their workshop over the last week (he wants to learn + they need extra hands = match made in heaven).

Here's what he made:

I feel a kitchen for Our New House coming on...

ecomodish ♥ me!

2010-06-08T21:23:00.001+01:00

As I was saying the other day, I thought it would be nice to feature some of the people who have featured me on this blog. And then I got to thinking how nice it is of people to get in touch with you when they've blogged about you - I mean obviously, I guess, but being a bit of a closet technophobe (OK, not so closet) I never really thought about it before.

And then I did that thing that I've always thought was SO sad and googled myself (OK, I know). But guess what I found?

Right, just so we're clear: ecomodish blogged about me. Ecomodish! I've looked at that website before!

Here's what they say about themselves - I'm guessing that if you're like me you'll think it's a great concept, and if you join they'll plant a tree as part of The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees programme.

Ecomodish's goal is to provide the eco-conscious with a guide to all the latest trends in eco fashion, beauty and home decor. Living green can sometimes be time consuming - reading labels, researching companies and materials - and it already seems like there are too few hours in the day.

Let Ecomodish do the research for you, so you can concentrate on style. We have done our best to provide a compilation ofgreen companies that offer stylish fashion, beauty and home furnishings either made from eco-friendly materials, created with fair trade labor, made using sustainable energy and/or who are actively working to offset their carbon footprint.

We are excited to see that eco-friendly fashion, beauty and home furnishing options are continually becoming more diverse and widely available and we will be continually working (everyday) to add new additions to our eco company listings. If there is a eco company or brand that you would like to see listed here, please email suggest@ecomodish.com.

Also, it's a pretty cool set of my jewellery they selected, don't you think? It's inspired me to be a bit more disciplined about my colour choices so I'm working towards a collection that properly gels together.

What do you find if you google yourself?

The things you find

2010-06-05T10:22:00.003+01:00

As we were clearing out the front garden of Our New House, we discovered this little oak tree that had just seeded itself within the jungle that was growing there... what a beautiful thing. I guess it's been growing for a couple of years all hidden away amongst the rest of the overgrown foliage. We're going to dig it up and replant it in the forest close to the house so it can grow properly and we can go and visit.

In fact, there were a lot of great things hiding in the garden, like these tiny, tiny flowers growing out of the side wall:

And this little guy rudely interrupted by our digging around:

I'll show you mine...

2010-06-04T09:20:00.004+01:00

Over the past few weeks loads of people have selected my pieces for either blogging about or putting into their Treasuries on Etsy.

For those of you who aren't au fait with Etsy world, a Treasury is where you pick a group of items that you particularly like, or that go together especially well, and you curate your own mini online exhibition of said items.

The great thing about it of course is that because people are picking items they like, when they choose something you have made and you look at what they make themselves, often you really like their stuff too - it'a an impeccable taste thing. If you like what I make you obviously have it.

So I thought I'd start a new set of posts on this here blog featuring those people who I have found because they found me. Some of them I knew about already (and some I have bought from in the past), but with others it feels like one of those really great serendipitous moments when things just come together beautifully.

So today's new favourite is a lady called Jane Bernstein, a fellow Londoner (double bonus points). Jane was a graphic designer, but left corporate world to spend more time with her little 'uns and making beautiful things like this:

You want it, don't you?

Jane's shop is called memake and you can find it here. She's also on Facebook here (one up on me with the Facebook thing!).

Here's the treasury she chose me for (it's so perfect it makes me feel a bit sick):

Our New House Part 3

2010-05-30T20:13:00.002+01:00

Getting a house filled with 30 years worth of someone else's stuff ready to move in to is hard work. We've broken up fitted wardrobes, ripped up carpets, filled three skips (three!), spent hours picking staples and random nails out of floorboards, and two whole days (I kid you not) clearing and then cleaning the kitchen... and we're still not even at the point where we can start thinking about re-plumbing, sorting out the electrics, the windows, the garden, the decor... thank goodness the days are long and we have time on our hands!

I've got some pretty cool photos to show you of where we were and where we are now, and we've had some great ideas about how we might do the place up now we can see what we've got a bit more clearly.

But I've just done 12 hours of clearing and scrubbing and lifting and shifting, so I'm going to make you wait in blissful anticipation because if I don't eat something more substantial than tea and ham sandwiches made with crap ham and crap bread, I honestly might keel over.

Introducing my new UK shop!

2010-05-24T21:08:00.001+01:00

When I set up I opened my shop on Etsy, because I'd always shopped for handmade things on Etsy myself. But as word has got around about my new venture, more and more people have asked me why I'm only selling in the US.

Ah.

It never occurred to me that if you didn't know about Etsy, the fact that everything is in US$ would seem a bit odd.

And so this evening I officially opened my UK shop on a site called Folksy. Please do check out my shop (especially if your a Brit and converting things to US$ in your head makes it hurt), but have a look at some of the other sellers too. They've been really kind to me, and there's some real talent on show.

So, we all talk about shopping local - why stop at food, why not do the same for gifts, housewares, a new pair of earrings?

A date for your diary

2010-05-20T23:14:00.004+01:00

It's my first ever real life actual exhibition next weekend, so I just wanted to remind those of you who will be close to London to drop by for a glass of wine (Friday night), a slice of cake (hopefully all weekend), and some really great art.

Here's the details:

Blue Anchor Lane Artists Open Studios Exhibition and Sale
23 Blue Anchor Lane, London, SE16 3UL

Friday 4th June 6pm-9pm PRIVATE VIEW (if you're reading this, you're invited, just let them know you belong to me)

Saturday 5th June 11am-6pm

Sunday 6th June 11am-6pm

I've been felting and hammering and firing away, so I'll have plenty to show, and the other artists who will be there really are inspiring.

Go on, a bit of culture for a sunny summer's weekend, you know you want to!

Our New House Part 2

2010-05-20T23:03:00.000+01:00

We've started work! Well, Bernie has.

Her's the front garden after spending a day with Bernie and his axe...

There's a house behind there! Who knew!

Our New House Part 1

2010-05-20T09:51:00.001+01:00

Early this year my mum came round for lunch and while we were eating presented us with a proposition.

She's lived in the house my sister and I grew up in for the last 30 years, but after she and dad divorced, and my sister and I moved out, she was there on her own. It's not a huge house, but it does have a front and back garden and 3 bedrooms - too much for one person (with bad knees), and mum was finding it hard to cope with keeping the place up. So, she said, why didn't she find herself a nice one bedroom flat, maybe a new build so there would be no chance of things breaking or needing attention for a while, and we could move in to the house.

"I'll warn you though, it'll need a bit of work."

For the last 7 or 8 years, Bernie and my house has been the hub of the family. Christmas happens at ours, birthdays and Sunday lunches. So it's been a good few years since I've actually been to mum's house... and "a bit of work" really didn't seem like such a big deal.

And then we went round there and discovered the front garden like this:

The back garden like this:

And most of the rooms like this:

Just a bit of work then.

And so The Plan for 2010 was born. Bernie and I would go part time in our jobs, we'd be able to work on the house together, I'd have some time to make my jewellery and build my tiny felted empire, we'd plant the front garden with vegetables, work out how to make the house as sustainable and self sufficient as possible, and live a bit of the good life while we're still young and our joints don't ache (too much).

Oooo! Ooo! Oooooo!

2010-05-12T19:45:00.003+01:00

This morning:

Got in to work, turned on the computer, made a cup of tea, started up the database... and while I was waiting for it to make it's dramatic morning entrance onto my computer screen (it takes a while, the suspense is always thrilling), I thought I'd have a look at my Etsy shop.

So I log in, and to my surprise I see that the epping I necklace has had 800 views. 800?!

"Etsy's broke." I think.

And then I look at my Etsy mail and see that I have a new message from a lady called Natalya saying that her Treasury was featured on the front page of Etsy yesterday... and in that Treasury collection? Yes! None other than my epping I necklace!

I'll tell you something, as ridiculous as this sounds, it feels a little bit like being famous...

Here's a screenshot:

Come on, how cool is that?!

Oh, and I haven't forgotten I promised to tell you the story of Our New House... I'll save it for the weekend when I've got more time to type.

Hooray for Bank Holiday weekends

2010-05-04T20:01:00.017+01:00

It's taken me a while to get to a computer because yesterday we spent the day helping my mum move house. For those of you who have a house move in your recent memory you will either have blocked out the horror or will be sucking your teeth in sympathy now. When I tell you that mum's moved from the 3 bedroom house she's lived in for 30 years (and which my sister and I grew up in) to a 1 bedroom flat, I reckon I'll need to give you a minute to pick yourself up off the floor...

... feeling better? So, I thought I'd be posting to retell the horrors of yesterday and to officially anounce that we are going to move into the house she's vacated, which needs lots of work doing on it and is going to be Bernie and my little (read: BIG) project for the next while, but then three things happened:

1. I got my first 100 views in my Etsy shop for the sunset necklace. Granted, 100 views do not make a sale (as the proverb goes) but then I quite like the sunset necklace, so I'm not too sad about it still being in my possession (which is the first sign of an abysmal business woman),

2. I made my second sale! Which is probably not especially exciting to anyone other than me ('Two sales? Two? Come on!' I hear you cry), but that's two people apart from me who like my stuff enough to put their money where their mouths are (did you spot the plural there?).

3. A very nice lady called Caroline not only gave me some superb advice to make some improving tweaks to my shop, but also listed me in her Etsy Treasury (which is a way that registered Etsy users can curate an exhibition of items they especially like on the site). Check it out (I'm the last item on the third row):

And the next time you need buttons or ribbons, or any number of other lovely supplies, make sure you visit her shop (because people don't have to be helpful or nice - and often aren't - and I think we should support the good ones first).

So, just use this post to bask in my reflected glory for now, and I'll tell you the story of Our New House (complete with some photos, but only if you're really good) in a couple of days.

The monster returns

2010-05-01T10:16:00.004+01:00

I had no idea taking good photos was so difficult. The ones currently on the website look fine, but the colours of some of the items are way out... and the more you take the more you realise that they might be nice pictures, but they're not really showing the same thing as what's in your hand.

So this is where the fantastically irritating (even for me, I can assure you) perfectionist part of my personality rears it's head and I spend all morning moving the light source slightly, changing the angle slightly, moving the item slightly, and probably the best picture I've taken so far is this one...

... which is the view from my taking-the-pictures-I'm-actually-supposed-to-be-taking-and-not-getting-distracted position on the floor of the room I like to grandly call the study, even though it's actually just the spare bedroom.

Anyway, if I can get my pictures right there will be a couple of new pieces available for purchase from my Etsy shop a little later today.

Fresh out of art school... no, wait.

2010-04-27T08:34:00.009+01:00

The building we live in has 6 flats and 2 commercial units, and all of out neighbours are genuinely nice people. It's not often you get to say that in London (it's not often that you even know who your neighbours are in fact).

One of the commerical units downstairs is inhabited by Julian and Mark (and two more pleasant real life actual business men you will likely never meet). The other is called Blue Anchor Studios and is inhabited by Trevor and Mychael who are both printmakers.

Every summer Blue Anchor Studios open their doors to the public for a weekend and Trevor, Mychael and a selection of other artists exhibit their work in the railway arches to the back of our building that serve as our collective garden. You should see it - if there's a better urban exhibition space I have yet to find it.

This year's open studio will be on the weekend of June 5th and 6th at 23 Blue Anchor Lane, London, SE16 3UL. Be there or be square. It's no joke.

This year there will be a new artist exhibiting, ~~fresh out of art school.~~ Oh OK, it's just me. I'll stop with the made up art credentials and just stick with being slightly over excited.

I'd better stop typing and get working - I've only got 5 weeks!

Monday morning, back to work.

2010-04-26T10:31:00.001+01:00

So, it's Monday morning - back to work we go...

Actually, I'm still on annual leave from my real job, so today I will be:

finishing off some jewellery I started last week,
making some felt,
purchasing another big, hot light so we can retake some of the pictures for the website and get the colours more accurate,
cooking something nice for dinner,
possibly baking a cake (I'm thinking maybe this one),
likely drinking a bit too much tea.

Life's hard sometimes. It surely is.

And so it begins

2010-04-24T08:50:00.002+01:00

Today is my 31st birthday. Last night Bernie stayed up until 3am finishing my website so it could be my birthday present - and a rather marvellous birthday present it is too! My own website! I don't even have a Facebook page...

Yesterday afternoon I set up my Etsy shop and made a sale within the first hour (someone else who isn't my mum likes this stuff!). By this time next week there will be a lady in Massachusetts (a place name I don't think I've ever even written before) wearing a necklace that I made! I made it!

So now when someone asks me what I do I can skip the 'Oh, I... work in an office... I'm sort of a project manager...I mean, I love it, but it's hard to explain what i actually do...' and say 'I make jewellery.', and even direct them to my website (it's obviously real. I have a website and everything).

It all seems very grown up.

But then I am 31.