Zandra Rhodes

Isn't she spectacular?

Zandra Rhodes - a woman who refuses to compromise - here appearing on BBC4's Style on Trial discussing the 70s.

What an artist, her clothes are so fabulous.

I love her taste in jewellery too. Note the oversized papier mache bracelet and the giant moth brooch. Presumably made especially for her.

Below you can see the whole outfit.

Wish a few more of us could be this brave and yes, uncompromising!

Loving this fabric!

This fabric, used by Isabel Toledo in her outfit for Michelle Obama, is so beautiful. (Photo from The Times 21/1/09)

I am sure I saw this coat worn by a visitor to Origin last October. I thought it was hand stitched but apparently it's Swiss wool guipure lace. I never realised you can of course make lace with any thread including wool.

But I'd rather think of it as embroidery. Doesn't looking at it just make you want to stitch something? Now where's that big darning needle?

Soft new jewellery for 2009

Two necklaces and a bracelet. Very different. A lot of thought, jottings in my notebook and experimentation has gone into these. But they are still liable to be changed. The first prototypes of what I hope will be a whole new look.

After what I was saying about everything being hand-made by me, I've painted all the wood spacer beads as well as made the wool beads. Pure craft if you like.

A really comfortable bracelet to wear. Watch this space for more designs - much more to come!

My light bulb moment

This week I'm applying for Origin. When visiting this event I have noticed that people have just one idea on their stand developed to the 'nth' degree. My light bulb moment is this: It's not that they have sought a novelty and concentrated on it. It's perhaps that by a process of elimination they have experimented with lots of ideas and eventually honed that one thing they are best at that has something new to say. So with this in mind my pieces will be totally unique because they are a result of all my knowledge condensed into one individual piece that I could only have made after years and years of investigation and trial and error.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and not actually making much. January is always like that plus having to sort out tax gets in the way! Fingers crossed the next photo I put on the blog will show you something I've made!
The wonderful light is in Perfect Blend, a great cafe in Streatham High Road.

Trying to keep warm

As I sped to London on Saturday this was the view from the train window. A hoar frost. Very beautiful. Very freezing.

To keep my youngest warm I knitted her this long silk/wool mix scarf. I never tried a lace pattern before and believe me it's a lot easier than it looks.

Being yourself

Thinking about the year ahead and doing a stock take I realised something. I realised that I've got to be proud of everything I sell. I mustn't compromise for the sake of making money. This might be obvious to you. But to me it came as a revelation.

I need my things to sell and in an effort to make as much money as possible I have compromised in the past. I have sold countless charm bracelets, lariats, necklaces and bracelets that I've not been proud of. I have threaded together bought and collected beads and created some pretty things. But they aren't mine. I haven't created the beads that made them. And similar commercial jewellery can be found in many High Street shops.

I have decided not to make jewellery like that any more. From now on everything I make will be primarily made by me from scratch. More painted beads, modelled beads, hand-made buttons, painted wood cut outs, fabric, crocheted, felted and knitted beads. Those hand made components have something special about them which makes them the first to sell.

Making now for the March Country Living fair in Islington I'm thinking spring colours, beach holidays and lots of flowers. And outside there's a light coating of snow on the ground...

New notebook for 2009

All these cutouts are from Elle's February issue. I love the excitement of a new fashion season. Glad to see that individual jewellery pieces are still a big part of the fashion story and, care of Diane von Furstenberg, these lovely hair decorations. Let's all put flowers in our hair and celebrate being alive. While the news is this ghastly (Israel's crack troops going in to Gaza) we need pretty pictures to give us a few moments distraction.

Silver

S

I'm having fun and if this looks all right I'll do more in different colours and themes. The big diamante buttons are my favourites.

Presents

Lucky me!
I hope your Christmas was as happy as mine was!

Extra Lights

I bought this extra set of lights for the tree as one set is not long enough . It is too short for the tree and didn't match the tiny twinkly tree lights. I think it looks quite nice around the mirror above the fire place. Even better if the flex was transparent. But nice anyway.

A Big Tree

Dragging the tree into the house took almost superhuman effort. See how much wider it is than the doorway!

You can see how two strong men failed to get this tree into the tree wrapping machine. I took this picture late last night. Once I have daylight I'll try again. The lovely fairy on the top was made by Louise Brownlow.

Last night I sat in the dark watching the fairy lights flashing. Magic. Doesn't Christmas bring out the child in everyone? That sense of innocent wonder while twinkly lights brighten up the darkness.

Christmas struggle

Is everyone struggling to be ready in time for Christmas like me?
The house still looks like a craft factory and the family are due to arrive. I bought a Christmas tree which totally fills the room. And although it is beautiful it requires a superhuman effort to get it to stand upright, preferring as it does to lean drunkenly to one side.

I have been to various towns and I wander round looking for presents but I usually completely fail to buy anything. I just don't find things I like. And it's not just that. It's also finding things that you are confident the other person will really appreciate. Also have you noticed how the small shops where I used to find unusual bits and pieces are now filled to the brim with Christmas decorations and not gifts? Little shops have sprung up in my town just selling decorations. What about after Christmas? Presumably they have very short leases and will close for good on December 24th.

I could also have a Scrooge rant on the price of gift wrap. I picked up three nice pieces and guess what - £1-75 each!!! What? I am bored with the brown parcel paper look but this year that or, even cheaper, newspaper makes good economic sense! For a totally affected look you could buy a Japanese or Arabic newspaper to wrap your presents in! Maybe tissue paper -Tesco have some pretty colours in cheap packs. Wrapping the present first in white typing paper means less layers of tissue.

I love nice gift wrap. My family think I am totally sad in that I like to save it from one year to the next. But often it irons really well!! Actually ironed old gift wrap under tissue paper. There's a good compromise. No?

Perfect Peonies

I bought these fake peonies from a flower shop yesterday and I am thrilled with them. I'm thinking SJP style corsages but before that incarnation I think I'll tie them into a lovely Christmas wreath first. Watch this space!

Easy, cheap and effective wrapping idea

Take a four hole button and thread across cord or ribbon.
Laying it on your parcel cut a length of cord that will go round the parcel width and lengthwise allowing enough extra for a bow. Adjust cord so button is in the middle.
Wrap cord round parcel coming up and through other two holes. Tie tightly making a bow then tying bow again for strength.
Not my idea. Think it's traditional in some countries.
You can layer up the buttons as I have done to make it even nicer.

Christmas is coming

You can see I cut out these stockings by hand as they are all different!
I started making them in 2004 and they sold out at Christmas country living very quickly.
The following year they were featured in the magazine and then I thought I'd knit stockings as well. I used wonderful nubbly colourful wool but they didn't mix in too well with the subtle colours of the stockings above which I also do in dyed raspberry and pale blue and off-white which I embroider in red.
I've stopped doing so much knitting now and I'm back to just making stockings like this. With nine foot high walls on the stands at Country Living they are just the job to have in the first three foot of stand that you can't reach up to.

Cold and Frosty

Yesterday I set up shop in Petersfield's Lavant Street as part of the Christmas Festivities. It was minus five degrees and certainly the coldest fair I have ever endured. But the customers, bless them, braved it and bought their Christmas presents - sometimes for themselves, sometimes for others! And thank you One Tree Books, seen behind me, for the life-giving cups of tea!

The huggy girls embraced the cold!

This dolly, keeling over with the numbness of frost bite, is keeping that British stiff upper lip expression while she waits to be sold and put into someone's nice warm shopping bag!

Great badges!

Today I received this beautifully wrapped parcel from Abi and Bryony of prettyscruffy.com
I am seriously impressed with the presentation. Receiving something well packaged really makes you feel good! They made these super badges using fabric I gave them. And they are perfect. Thank you girls!

Christmas windows

Beautiful windows at Fortnum and Mason's on the theme of The Snow Queen.

Yesterday I went to London and for the first time, went inside Fortnum and Mason's (or shall we just call it Heaven?) I kept saying Wow out loud, embarassingly often. Wow to the fabulous decor and products and wow and double wow to the prices!
I bought a gorgeous sheet of gift wrap by Cavallini of San Francisco. Luckily they didn't fold or roll it. They just put it straight into their largest size carrier bag. Just what I wanted!

London lights

Peter Jones, swathed in lights above and lights cascading through all floors inside pictured below. Spectacular.

Approaching Fortnum and Mason's below and one of their windows on the theme of The Snow Queen. Magical.

Berry colours for Christmas

Berry coloured velvet flowers for Christmas 'neckpieces'.