At Spring Country Living

Two views of my space at the show. I so enjoyed my week. Met some wonderful people. More news soon.

Off to Country Living spring fair

Today is setting up day at the Business Design Centre, Islington.
I'm nervous - will people still buy in the 'credit crunch'?
Will they like all the new products I've made that are being seen for the first time?
It will be lovely to see old friends and enjoy all the spring inspiration - scented flowers and fresh, clean colours that is spring Country Living. Wish me luck!!

Spring beauties

My friend Ann gave me these purple hyacinths. I've not seen this colour before. They also smell wonderful.

Only four days now til I go to London for Country Living. I am making stock night and day. Still so much to do.

I had a surprise cheque today from Tricot and Tricot Too who have been selling my jewellery and buttons.
I was also pleased to have an email from Winchester with details of their Christmas market. Think I'd like to do that this year. It runs from November 27th to December 20th - 24 days!

Painted Beads

I love painting beads. I did these this morning for new style necklaces and bracelets. Yummy!

Messy Bessie

Yes, she's a bit scruffy but immensly loveable!
I need to make some more dolls but I have been busy making bracelets, necklaces, childrens' jewellery and badges this week. So busy with just a week and a couple of days before I go up to Country Living. Lots of new products. Please forgive me for not writing for nearly a week. The time flashes by and as soon as I wake up I'm working. I work all the time I'm not sleeping most days. But not today. Today I went to London on the train and had to stand for most of the journey home. I really pity commuters who have to travel by train and tube every day. Yesterday I collected my pieces from Havant library where they have been display since the beginning of the month. And I am pleased to sell that quite a lot had sold. Tomorrow I'll collect from the Chichester exhibition. I wonder if anything has sold there?

What am I making?

I have painted lots of beads to tone with denim colours for necklaces like this one

I need to make more Fimo buttons like these for Country Living as I am running out. All colours, all sizes and some heart shaped ones which always sell first.

Unravel - a festival of knitting

Farnham Maltings launched a fabulous new show today called 'Unravel'.
It was packed with women who love textiles. All eager to see to the lovely art work, knitted clothes and skeins of wool on display.
My only complaint is that it was hard to get near the stands as there were too many others crowded round.
There were some gorgeous hand dyed wools. Particularly pretty was the cashmere dyed with natural plant dyes by Elisabeth Beverley www.plant-dyedwool.co.uk I also love the colours and texture of the natural hemp from House of Hemp www.threadsoftime.co.uk
Another knitting show is planned - this time over two days and fingers crossed I will have a stand there. Watch this space!

Just thinking

Yesterday I handed in six necklaces, freshly made to an exhibition in Chichester.
I then went out and came in again to overhear two artists who were looking at my work. 'Yes, they're very good but frightfully overpriced.'
What is overpriced I'd like to know? It seems to me that what is overpriced to one person is underpriced to another person.
I hate to hear makers say,'Well I'm happy if I earn enough to cover my costs.' I hear that all the time and it's sad. If you've got the confidence to put your work in front of the public then have the confidence to price it properly. I know that in these times of recession makers are worried about whether or not their work will sell. But dropping the price is not the way to go.
Too cheap prices make those of us who rely on our craft income seem expensive when all we are doing is charging a realistic price for our design and labour.
Comments please. What are your thoughts about pricing?

ps on paper flowers

The white paper flowers pictured below were made by Japanese artist Katsuyo Kamo and his team.

Chanel white paper flowers

Chanel spring/summer paper flower backdrop continues to inspire me. Keeping things simple in just one colour can look so stunning.

Snow stopped pay

This is the scene as I approached Farnham Maltings on Saturday. Ice rink. I have never sold here before and it was an interesting experience. Lovely building. But due to blocked roads some stallholders couldn't make it and nothing like the usual numbers of customers came. However I met some lovely people, sold quite a lot of handmade buttons and will hopefully be there again soon.

A section of my stand in the Long Kiln room. I am enjoying making the wooly jewellery and this week I'm making more in cottons for (hopefully) sunny weather ahead!

Havant Library display

The glass cabinet in Havant library is well lit and spacious. Now I'll just wait and see if anyone buys from it!

I'm wondering if I've left too much at Havant as I also have Farnham on Saturday...
If you live near Havant the display is there until February 27th.

I spotted this mosaic in the doorway of Help the Aged in Havant. I love the way the scarlet red glows out. Inspirational.

New soft jewellery

I like this necklace. It's long and simple and, although the colours are a bit wintery I feel it's of the moment fashion wise.

A pretty bracelet. Very comfortable to wear. I'll make more along these lines.

This necklace went a bit mad. I have actually taken it apart now and made a similar one without the big red painted beads which i feel don't look right. I've also abandoned the fluffy purple flower. Today I've been making little felt red roses for a necklace. Thinking Valentine's...Fingers crossed it looks as good as I hope it's going to look!

Cats in Cardigans

This week I'm making my 'cats in cardigans'. They are holding their cardigan wool.

Dressed and ready for Farnham Maltings. This guy took so long to make - he will have to have his own special price!

Spring dates

Help! Just six weeks to go before the Spring Country Living fair in Islington. It's March 11 to 15th and this year I'm on stand R16 near the entrance.

I made myself a day chart yesterday. The target is £100 worth of stock to make a day. Ambitious - but I've done it before for short periods.

I am also selling at Farnham Maltings on Saturday February 7th and my work will be at the Oxmarket (Art gallery) Chichester from February 16th to 27th with the Petersfield Artists. Thirdly I have taken the display cabinet in Havant library for February from the 3rd onwards. So quite a lot of pressure. Back to work!!

Playing with whites

I am currently working on this brides' necklaces. It is taking way too long but I am enjoying working with shades of white - the interplay of shadows and subtlety of it.

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.