New Wall Art

Hello folks! Well it's been a bit of a white world since my last blog for most of you, but strangely not for me! There seems to have been lots of snow fall around Plymouth, but I haven't seen so much as a flake........so far........

This week I've been concentrating on booking craft fairs and shows and so I can confirm that I will be at Crocadon Sawmills' Producer Fairs St, Mellion, Cornwall on 16th Feb and 16th March and on 4th May I will be at the Artist's Market in Tavistock.  You will also be able to visit my stand at Poltimore House Food and Craft Fair in Exeter on the 30th June.  No doubt more dates will be added as we go along and I'll let you know.

 

So, physio tomorrow on my obstinate finger. I've had some designs in mind for wall art for some time now so yesterday I thought I'd see what how much I could manage. What do you think of the results?

Not the best image but good enough to give you an idea of the range I plan to introduce to enhance my aluminium jewellery. Hopefully they'll prove popular as intial feedback has shown to be the case.

Well that's all for this week and if you like my work, why not pay a visit to my website and see what other lovely things are available to buy?  If you see something you really would like for Valentine's Day, make sure that you tell your other half and give them fair warning!! Visit SlickSilver Jewellery for further ideas!

Inspirations and Giveaway

Hello folks!

Well, isn't it cold and dark? It feels as if it should be at least 5pm and that I should be drawing the curtains when it's really only lunchtime - what's going on? Can't wait for the Spring! Carry on reading for news of my Giveaway to make us all feel less wintery!

So what I have I been up to, apart from doing my accounts and filing my tax return - lots of admin stuff, that's what.  Been replying to lots of emails etc. and I started physio for my finger.  Think it's going to be a long haul to get back to where I was before the fall, but hopefully I'll be able to do light work soonish.  My new designs are all there in my head and some on paper looking like they were drawn by a two year old on an off day, but it's a start!

In the absence of hands-on making, I thought I'd talk about the things that I find inspire me.

1. Shade Cards
Am I the only person who could positively drool over paint charts? Possibly! Wool shops have a similar effect on me. My husband is an artist and he often makes sample charts of colour mixes so they're always around the house. Thankfully I'm also able to produce Pinterest boards of stuff I like and if you're also a Pinterest fan, feel free to follow my boards - isn't it a great idea? Why not follow me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/slicksilverj/

2. Books
We have a house full of books. I collect jewellery books and my husband collects art books.  The work of Kurt Jackson and Gerhard Richter have inspired several of my dyed aluminium sheets.

3. Paris
I love Paris and the colours and elegance of the buildings (not to mention the patries) always make me want to capture the essence.

4. St. Ives, Cornwall
Possibly my favourite place on earth, beautiful light and stunning scenery with houses tightly packed and clinging to the terrain and golden beach everywhere you look. Fabulous galleries too.  No-one could fail to find inspiration in such a place.

5. Rust, Old Brickwork, Peeling Paint
When I see a texture such as this I grab my phone to take a picture. I'm rarely able to capture the texture exactly but often take elements of it into my next piece.

6. Chocolate
Now obviously this doesn't directly inspire me, but it certainly helps!! 

So what inspires you to be creative?

Tell me your answer coupled with the name of your favourite piece currently on my website in any of the collections and I will chose a winner but don't forget to leave me an email address or way of contacting you! The winner will receive something from a collection which hasn't appeared on my website before so I will tell you no more!! Start browsing SlickSilver Jewellery and good luck!

Closing date Thursday 17th January at 5pm

Friends, Awards and Getting Organised!

Hello everyone!

Well the first week of 2013 has come and gone and what have I achieved?

My good friend via Twitter, Sarah S L Jewellery and I decided back in 2012 that we were going to take over the world, the jewellery world anyway - oh well, ok then, we were going to be a bit better organised!! We email each other regularly (she lives in Wales, I live in Devon and we've never met) with ideas that we need feedback on and other stuff and it really works for us. Sarah told me that she'd made a target plan for the year and I thought I would do the same and so that's what I've been doing this week (as well as my accounts - groan). Organisational stuff is still pretty much all I can do as my splint is still in place, however, physiotherapy starts this week and I have high hopes and lots of painkillers!

I mentioned last week that the Craft & Design Magazine Selected Awards were going to be under way soon and they are now live.  If you like my work, then of course I would appreciate your vote, but there are lots of talented makers featured and several categories to vote in. You can vote for me here. SlickSilver Jewellery Just scroll down my page and then click on the banner to register your vote. Thank you!

So what shall I be doing this week?  Well supplying new work to some of my stockists who are, happily, running out and I'd like to tackle using a computer programme I've been meaning to try for ages - sounds like a fun time - I'd rather be making but hey ho!

This gorgeous long necklace in shades of gold, silver and bronze and inspired by last summer's Olympic Games is available from my Signature Collection. It's the only one of it's kind and looks lovely on so why not become the only person to own it?

Look forward to chatting next week!