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!

Good Lunches, Good Business Books and News

Well, another week's over! It's been a bit of a grim one as I've had tonsillitis so have had a bit of time off from making.

So, have you all been and treated yourselves to some fabulous Debbie Orr, Skein Queen, products? I hope you enjoyed looking around her website and I would just like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to her for taking part. I have met some lovely people through my collaborative blogs so long may it continue - and I do have at least one more in the pipeline for you and I'm always open to suggestions of artists so do let me know if you come across someone we should all know about.

Last Friday, before the sore throat, I attended a really gorgeous lunch at the River Cottage Canteen and Deli at Royal William Yard, Plymouth.  The lunch gathering was held by Ladies Wot Tweat and consisted of a group of ladies who had met each other through Twitter, other social networks, business and word of mouth.  It was slightly daunting to walk in, not knowing a soul, however, I did find I knew one member when I got there and I definitely knew several more by the end of a fantastic meal.  I believe they meet regularly so I shall look out for the next date!

So whilst I've been feeling under the weather, I've been reading.  My husband bought me a great little book for Christmas which is a short punchy business guide, literally only a page or two on each aspect of business for artists and designers.  It's by Alison Branagan and as soon as I started to read it I felt that I also wanted to read her more in-depth essential guide on the same subject.  They're really well written and assume no previous knowledge which is just brilliant for me as I'm just taking the next steps with growing my business into full time hopefully.  I bought both books from Amazon and they're my recommendations for the week!

A Pocket Business Guide for Artists & Designers by Alison Branagan
ISBN 978-1-4081-2992-0

The Essential Guide to Business for Artists & Designers by
Alison Branagan
ISBN 978-1-4081-1903-7






If you fancy a read, these are interesting and not heavy going at all.  I've learned a lot.

So I'm hoping to work on a few designs in the next few days and I'll let you know how I get on and there might even be a Valentine's competition next week!!!

Are you all going to read this next week then? Be in with a chance of winning a very pretty piece? See you all then!!

My Twitter Support Group!

Hi folks!

Well what a week it's been! Times, they are a changing...... they could write a song about that I reckon....

Last week I told you about my submission to Flameworks Art2Go Christmas Exhibition at the Royal William Yard, Plymouth.  Last time I entered this I turned up on the night to see a few of my items displayed and felt a rush of pride, and when I had an urgent message to contact them on Tuesday I thought the worst.  Not so!! They want even more so last night was spent sorting, coding, labelling and pricing lots more work for them to choose from today.  The downside of this was that I completely forgot to attend a pre-arranged Twitter party at 8pm.  I was one of 2 birthday girls and I forgot to go to my own party!!! How lame is that?!?

This brings me on to this week's subject matter - Twitter.  Now I know some of you will be sitting there shouting get a life at the computer screen, however, I figure if you're reading this, you're already half way there yourself!!

The fact is, I blooming love Twitter!!

This week has been a rollercoaster, with potential plans afoot to change my whole lifestyle and as well as the support of my husband and family, I've found great props in a couple of my Twitter friends.  Yes, I know it's strange because we've never met, but we do support each other when we can see that it's needed. Emails have been flying back and forth as well as tweets with ideas and plans - you see what could be better than bouncing ideas around with people of a like mind? It makes perfect sense to me, because often, we can't rationalise something and we get bogged down by it, but someone else comes along and offers a simple solution and off we go again.

The party organiser last night was Sarah Marks from http://www.tiny-gems.co.uk and she makes gorgeous sparkly wedding jewellery and heirloom bouquets and is a bright and chirpy tweeter and along with Tara from http://www.daisyicecreamvan.co.uk who serves the most amazing goodies from her vintage van at weddings and events, we regularly meet up on Twitter to give our very knowledgable opinions on Strictly Come Dancing and anything else we all happen to be watching!

There is one person who's given me her time and ideas tirelessly this week though and that's Sarah from http://www.sljewelleryandaccessories.co.uk and she makes stunning bespoke bead and wire jewellery.  We've emailed and supported a lot and she's decided that I need a plan of action!! Her help has been invaluable and many months ago she spent time explaining a lot of SEO jargon to me as well. I really hope that you'll go and visit the websites of all these lovely ladies and buy lots of nice things from them.  If you're in Wales, look out for SL Jewellery - she may be teaching somewhere near you soon!!

Ok I'm off now to deliver my jewellery to the exhibition - come and visit if you can - photos next week!!

Craft on TV!

Well hello folks and yes I did promise another blog collaboration, but yet again it hasn't happened - sorry, but other artists must be very busy!

Did anyone else watch Kirstie's Handmade Britain last night?  It's so good to see craft on mainstream television.  Particularly good to see Phiona Richards from Rare Notions who recently started following me on Twitter which was quite a coincidence as I'd been admiring her work only a few days before in Nicola Hurst's lovely gallery in Plymouth! Phiona makes the most exquisite jewellery and art from old and damaged books - who knows, maybe I can persuade her to be a blog collaborator in the future so that we can find out a bit more about her work!

What was a joy on the programme last night was seeing Kirstie Allsopp's total enthusiasm for the crafts she was trying.  It can only be a good thing for the handmade movement that this programme is making it look cool and is trying to show that crafting is also loved by people of all ages and both sexes!  I do hope that more programmes are made that look at handmade, not only as art forms, but as businesses.  Theo Paphitis' programme focussed more on the business side when he looked at Liberty, Habitat and Boots, but it would be great to see a series that took an individual craft each week and looked at the experts, new businesses and novices within each discipline with a view to mutual support and inspiration.  Any programme makers reading this???

On another front - this week I've returned to my part time day job which funds my business at the moment following my shoulder surgery.  This has also meant a return to making jewellery and as I said last week I've been experimenting with deeper textures and combining silver with my aluminium as a signature range.



This piece was handpierced from a small amount of double-dyed aluminium which was textured with grasses and features a handmade silver toggle clasp and a reticulated silver component to the necklace. It sits beautifully at a the base of the neck at a choker length.

Right I'm off to try to push another piece of aluminium to it's limits and I'll let you know what happens!!

See you next week!