Bespoke or Commission

Hello, me again!

I thought this week, I'd look at an aspect of my work which you might be less familiar with - bespoke creations.

What does bespoke actually mean?  Traditionally it's a term used to describe clothing which has been tailored to fit a particular customer ie a made to measure suit, however, it is a term often used to describe other items which have been made in line with a customer's requirements. It is often also known as a commission. 

Bespoke seems to suit my jewellery better than commission does as my end product is specifically to match clothing.  I work with bride's mums who also want to their outfit to look special, often want to compliment colour schemes and who don't really want to come face to face with a guest wearing the same! My journey starts with ideas from the customer on shape, style and design and will then include colour swatches supplied by them and if possible a snippet of material, but if not then some good photographs of the outfit in question.  I dye several samples of aluminium until I'm happy that I've got a good match and then work on a selection of pieces for the customer to choose from. I'm also happy to work with customers who are not mums of brides but do have a special occasion to dress for though!!

Of course, I'm also happy to work on commissions! I recently had a customer ask for a blood red cuff via one of my stockists and the customer was very happy with it, but that highlights the difference for me - yes I was making specifically for a customer, but as a commission, not bespoke to match a particular item.

Anyway, I shall be starting to work on the new website soon and hopefully that will be live from the end of June and I plan to launch with a whole load of new work so make sure you take a look.

This week I've been cutting up a sheet of blue aluminium which is covered in writing - a bit different to my normal work but I'm quite happy with it so far, but I might keep you in suspence until the new site is launched!

This gorgeous pendant will feature on my website soon

See you all next week!

Does it remind you of a Mojito?

Hello all, me again!

I enjoyed summer, we had a whole week of it this year! Last night sounded like Armageddon out there with wheelie bins being blown over and being sent rumbling down the cobblestones and it's mid May for goodness sake, we should be celebrating beautiful spring days, not putting the central heating on! Rant over....

Second rant.... 17 years of having to get up at 6.00am for work, you'd think now I work for myself I wouldn't naturally wake up at the crack of pip....wrong! I've also discovered that it's not much use doing your social networking at 6.30am because nobody else is up in the world, no-one!!!

So, what's been going on since my last confession?  Well, I've placed some of my work in another brand new craft venture. If you're in the Nottingham area then take a look at Nottingham Craft Mafia.

Does anyone else use Google+? I registered but other than having a profile and posting this blog on it each week haven't been particularly active.  By accident the other day though I discovered the 'communities' section and through posting a few bits and pieces in various relevant jewellery communities I've found a lot of new interest in my work which is great. If you haven't ventured into them yet, take a look, there's some interesting bits.

I have been making this week though which is good because I've been doing so much admin lately that I haven't had much time - oh, the irony...... Anyway, what do you think of my latest offering which is, as usual, made from handpainted and printed anodised aluminium? I'm sneakily quite pleased with how this has turned out.  For some reason it does make me think of a Mojito......

I hope you will forgive the fact that my quick snaps are taken on my iPad. There is a reason for this and it's the change in the law regarding ownership of pictures posted on social networking areas. My understanding of it is that unless the photograph is protected by being on your website or has links directly to you then it's licensed for anyone to use, therefore my good quality images will only be posted on my website. I don't know the full details of the law change but I do know that the changes were bought in over night with no warning.

The next week will see me at Crocadon Producer's fair on Saturday 18th so if you're in the area of St. Mellion, Cornwall come and say hello, mention that you read my blog and i'll give you 15% off!! How's that for an offer!

See you next week......

Planning and I need your input!

Hello again everyone!  Hope you've all been enjoying the lovely weather - sadly it's not going to be around after tonight but at least we've had a few days of sunshine to make us all feel better!

I feel like I haven't drawn breath since attending the Crafts Council Hothouse Taster Day! I keep waking up at ridiculous hours with ideas and the need to get things down on paper.  As a result it's been a pretty busy week! I've had some interesting meetings and scheduled some more, attended Tavistock Arts Market and generally had a great week, lots of sales and lots of interest. The type of week when I love working for myself, even though I work far longer hours now than I ever have before and it does feel a little bit like I'm spinning plates!

I'm planning a brand new website in the next couple of months so once again, I'd really like your feedback.  When I visit craft fairs I always dress my stand in black as it makes the colours in the aluminium jewellery really stand out and people often comment on how good it looks.  My question is black or white background for the website? Do you find one or the other easier to look at? Let me know what you think!

I'm looking forward to making some jewellery next week - I haven't had chance to make anything this week! I've got a couple of sheets of aluminium already dyed so I will have something to work with.

I can also tell you about a brand new gallery that have opened the doors this week and which has my jewellery on display - go and have a look at Porters of Station Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon if you get the chance.  It's a lovely shop and Ali will give you a warm welcome!

Have you ever thought about taking a short course in texturing/colouring metal or an aluminium taster day? I offer one to one half day courses in a variety of themes or if you prefer full day group courses I will soon be working with a couple of craft centres in Cornwall to deliver that training - do let me know if you'd like me to pass on your details.



Texture and colour on copper

The second and third pictures are examples of copper that has been heat treated in different ways - playing with texture and colour is great fun and the techniques learned can then be incorporated into your own style of working.

I look forward to your comments regarding the new website! Onwards!

Hottest Event of the Year!

Hi all!

Following on from my last blog which was an opportunity to get involved in naming one of my aluminium pattern designs, the winner is Sara and she suggested Club Tropicana which really appealed to me.  She said the design reminded her of grapefruits, lemons, limes and oranges and I thought that really fitted it so well so Club Tropicana it is! Sara wins a pendant in that design. These are a couple of images of pieces I made out of the design.

 

Hope you like the name and thank you for taking part if you did - I had some lovely suggestions.



So, onto this week's hot activity!

Some time ago I applied for a place on the Crafts Council Hothouse Taster Day which was held yesterday at Plymouth College of Art. 

Now, I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was something along the lines of wrinkly old me and a lot of talented fresh faced students - not so! Of course, there were a lot of students from Plymouth and from Falmouth and they were all lovely and fresh faced, but what was also refreshing was that there were also many others in various stages of business, from set-up stage to early trading.  I'd imagined it would be interesting but largely not aimed at me.  What I can absolutely say is that if you get an opportunity to attend one of these sessions, you really should go! 

The day started with a goodie bag (always a good start!), coffee and then down to business with my favourite business author Alison Branagan who'd grabbed me in a big hug when I blurted out during coffee that I'd got all her books (I hadn't realised who I was chatting to!!).  She gave us common sense, intensely practical advice.

After that session, the speakers came thick and fast and every one was absorbing, some talking about their experiences as Hothouse cohorts and others about their early professional practice and a lightening introduction from Lucy Foakes on social media networking. We also had speakers from the The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, The Contemporary Craft Fair, ArtsThread and of course the Crafts Council as well as many individual artists. 

I went to bed last night buzzing with information and exhausted in a really good way.  This morning I was up at 7am trying to get the information down onto different lists, to do and to remember. There was so much of value.  As you can see, I cannot speak highly enough of this opportunity. I've already made contact with some people I met there.

So, now I really should go into my studio and do some of my other work, there's some work to be sorted to deliver to a new stockist tomorrow and a restock to get into the post today, no peace for the wicked!

Onwards to next week!

Interactive Blog - Get stuck In!

Hi all!

Well yesterday I really thought that Spring had arrived and even managed to catch the sun a little whilst walking by the sea, however, today it's back to normal!  Hope those of you who've got the nice weather are enjoying it on my behalf.

So, this post is intended to be an interactive one!  I've been working on a new pastel coloured sheet of aluminium, in shades of pink, peach, pale yellow and pale green and I'd like you to come up with the name for the pattern.  I've put some photos of the pieces cut out and semi-finished so that you can have a look.  There will be cuffs, a couple of necklaces and some earrings in this colourway and I have kept aside a special piece to make up as a prize for the winning suggestion, so get posting your ideas! You can make more than one suggestion and to keep the ideas fresh, send them to me via my website contact page.

Have you got some ideas then? Can't wait to see what you come up with! Remember, the winning suggestion will get a pendant in this design! You have until Sunday 21st to get your entries in and the cut off time is 2pm so get busy!

 

I've also been working this week on a new design shape and so far I'm really pleased with the outcome.  I'm planning to explore this shape further - do you like it? I think it's very stylish and if you're interested in owning this little beauty let me know SlickSilver Jewellery.

 

 

Hubby's away this week so I shall be busy, busy, busy! Lots of designs planned, some shopping for some little niceties for my craft fair stand, lots of social networking, some craft fair entries to do and some new galleries to stock so that should keep me amused for a few days.

 

I'll be at Crocadon Producer's Fair at St Mellion, Cornwall on Saturday from 9 - 3 so come and pay me a visit and if you ask me nicely I might give you one of my new discount cards!

 

Look forward to hearing from you!

News update!

Hello everyone! Hope you had a lovely Easter whatever the weather where you were.

The last few days have been totally hectic - on Saturday I was at the newly branded Tavi Arts Market in Bedford Square, Tavistock, on Sunday I wrestled a blind into submission and finally up at the window and on Monday and Tuesday I had a delightful student with me.  She was with me to find out a little about working with and colouring aluminium and after much experimentation she finally left for Hertfordshire on Tuesday with a couple of pendants, a couple of cuffs and loads of inspiration and enthusiasm. Good luck with it Libby!  If you would like to find out more about courses just follow the link.

Yesterday I had a phone call from a lovely lady who I'd met at the Arts Market on Saturday and who'd fallen in love with one of my silver pieces.  She wanted to know if I'd still got it and her very kind husband popped over and bought it for her! I was quite sad to see this piece go as it was a favourite of mine! I might make something similar in another colour - what do you think - should I?

I'm currently working on some new designs to show you so I hope you'll like them when they're finished.

I will also be stocking two brand new galleries in the next couple of weeks, Craft Mafia in Nottingham and Porters of Station Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon so I hope you'll check them out when they fling open their doors at the beginning of May.  As well as that I will be restocking Studio 61 in Matlock and Boo Gallery in Northamptonshire with brand new work so pay them a visit if you're in the areas. I'll also be at Crocadon Producer's Fair, St Mellion on April 20th so why not come and see me - you might be able to pick up a discount or two!

So, I'm off now to put my loaves into the oven (I've been inspired by Paul Hollywood!) as the breadmaker is temporarily redundant!

See you next week!

I Need Your Help!

Hi all! Well Spring is here.... oh no wait, it's not! There seems to be nothing on anyone's lips but the weather and it's hardly surprising, Easter should bring chocolate not bring two feet of snow!  We've been lucky again, we live on a steep hill and were aware of being battered by winds and rain, but no flooding - indeed, it was only when we saw the water cascading down the steps from the park at the top of the street on the news that we realised how bad it had been. Many people have suffered though.  Here's hoping for Spring to begin soon.

I've not got any making to show you this week as we've been doing the dreaded decorating that we've been putting off!

I've been carrying out a little bit of research lately to try to establish how people search for my jewellery.  I'd really appreciate your help!  Take a look at this picture - if you saw someone wearing something like it and you didn't know it was made by me - what search terms would you use to find it on Google? It would be brilliant if you could leave me a comment with your ideas. Thank you.

Do remember that I posted about BASCA winner Simon Dobson's crowdfunding music project? Well, there's still some time left to help him reach his target. For more information and to find out what Euneirophrenia actually means take a look at Simon Dobson's profile

This is a picture of him taken recently by photographer and member of Hugh's Three Hungry Boys, Tim Cresswell.  Isn't it a fabulous photograph? It would be wonderful if you could help this album to be made.  Thank you.

If you live in or around the Plymouth area I will be at the Tavi Arts Market in Bedford Square, Tavistock on the 6th April and at Crocadon Producer's Fair, St. Mellion on the 20th April so why not come and see me and help me try out my nice new shiny card machine!

So wherever you are, whether you've been plagued by snow or floods, I really hope you have a happy and peaceful Easter with lots and lots of choccy!

News and What's New

Hi all - I missed you all last week! We had a very busy week at home and I have to say that this week may well be the same as we start decorating! Needs must!! My husband's an artist and our lovely white walls are covered in little splashes of prussian blue, don't get me wrong it's one of my favourite colours, however, thankfully he's on a waiting list now for a studio!

Well in some ways this week has been quite exciting - I've delivered work to one new gallery, Hannah's at Seale Hayne, Newton Abbott, Devon, I'm about to deliver work to another new stockist, Tania Holland in Bridgnorth and there will be news of a brand new gallery who will be stocking my jewellery but a bit more about that next month when they're a little closer to opening their doors, so good news.  On the down side I'm still waiting for my shiny new mobile card machine to arrive....grrrrr. Would have been nice to have had it for Crocadon Producer's Fair last saturday!!

Anyway, I've been making though and have added Brocade collection and Peonies collection to my stock though there has been a lot of interest so they may not be around for long!  What do you think?



Brocade Collection 1
 

Brocade Collection 2



Peonies Collection

I have a couple more people lined up for Three Beautiful Things so hopefully I'll be able to include another one soon, hope you all enjoyed that feature.

Can I remind you that there's only a few days left to vote for me in the Selected Awards, if you have already, thank you. If not please do take a look, there's loads of categories to vote for and you could be helping someone like me (or me!!) to get a little more recognition for their work. To vote for me just follow this link and click vote at the bottom of the page Val Williams - SlickSilver Jewellery

See you all next week - have a lovely week.

Euneirophrenia - Read to find out more!

Hello all! This has felt like a busy week, but a fun one too!

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to have lunch at The Treby Arms in Sparkwell, just outside Plymouth, and the food was pretty amazing so if you get the chance to go, then do! The chef and owner Anton Piotrowski was the 2012 winner of Masterchef and the place has a really lovely and surprisingly informal ambience.

Yesterday saw me visiting the Eden Project for the World Pasty Championships as my good friend and forthcoming Three Beautiful Things contributor, Jackie Butler (Features Editor for the Western Morning News) was one of the judges.  I met up with my daughter and son-in-law there and we had a really lovely day. Hayley and Alex even managed to talk me into going up to the extremely high metal mesh walkway in the roof of the tropical biome. Very very scary!!! It took an hour for my legs to stop feeling like jelly, but I did it! Definitely somewhere everyone should visit!

So, what have I been making this week?  Well as you saw last week, I've now launched my upcycled collection and this week I've added brooches to my website in other quirky and fun shapes. They're only £15 so make sure you get yours! SlickSilver Jewellery

I've also been busy making another aluminium set of jewellery, this one is called Eau De Nil as I think it looks like water.  What do you think?

Anyway, onto something I really want to share with you all this week, because I think it's important for this particular album to be made.

My son, Simon Dobson, is a composer. He writes for any type of ensemble, however, a large proportion of his work comes from the field he grew up in, brass bands. For many this will bring forth memories of Terry Wogan performing the Floral Dance on TV, but for those involved in the scene, they will know that there is now more cutting edge and quality music within the genre, but very little money around to commission more in this country.  Whenever Simon writes a new work he pushes the boundaries and is renowned for this.  One of his more recent works A Symphony Of Colours was nominated for a British Composer Award and Simon did indeed win his BASCA in December 2012.  He is now trying to raise the funds needed to produce an innovative album of his music which will cross and blend genres, styles and ensembles. Even if it's only £1, please do consider helping to make this happen, only through public finding will it come to fruition.
Read more about this great project from Simon Dobson here.  Make sure that you're a proud part of Euneirophrenia.

That's all this time folks, see you next week and thank you for helping with the album!

Three Beautiful Things No.1

Hello world!

Well this week seems to have gone by in a blur of working on the brand new upcycled jewellery range but more on that later!

In my last couple of blogs I mentioned that I wanted to start a new feature entitled Three Beautiful Things.  This will take place every few weeks and this is my first one.  To start us off I thought I'd feature artist and composer David Muddyman (yes, I know he's my husband, but he's a pretty cool guy!!).
Dave is an artist, composer and member of the group Loop Guru. As an artist he is interested in the landscape around him and his work can be figurative or go towards abstraction as he looks at the shapes and lines within a landscape. As a composer he often creates sound pieces that echo his painting interests, trying to capture the musical essence of a place or take you on a sonic journey.

 

I asked Dave to tell me about his 3 things and this is what he said.

 

“This is going be so hard as sometimes beauty is intrinsic to a piece of art itself and sometimes it is the associated memories that add to its beauty.

 

My first piece is a painting by Cornish artist Saul Cathcart. It is an acrylic on canvas painting of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor painted from a dell called King Arthur’s Hall. I was introduced to Saul’s work by Val soon after we met. I loved the vibrancy of his colour and method of applying the paint. Soon after we moved in together Val and I visited Saul and were treated to a mini exhibition in a local church opposite his house near the Moors. We had been determined to treat ourselves to one of his paintings for our new house but ended coming away with two – even then it was a hard choice. This painting has added significance to me I was lucky to go out painting with Saul one freezing, November day and he took me to the spot where this was painted. Saul’s paintings have continued to blossom and every exhibition of his we attend has several that I love but we live in a small house already covered in paintings and I am still so happy with the one’s we have.

 

 

My second piece (or pieces) are a small collection of pots. I have always love pots – sometimes it is the shape, sometimes it is the over-glazing. I knew I would have to include one in my list of favourite things but the choice was difficult. In the end I chose a small selection that we bought in the Lake District. I feel bad that I cannot remember the potter’s name and, in fact, I can’t remember exactly where they were bought, but with these it is partly the pots themselves that I love but it also the memories of one the most wonderful holidays I have had there that made me choose these. I think they may have been bought at the Percy Gallery in Cockermouth – a wonderful old building full of treasures. We frequent a lot of galleries and have found that some we walk into hold no interest at all and some are like a lost cave of delights. It is obviously down to taste and some gallery owners have similar taste to us. Cockermouth itself was a beautiful town and it was so sad to see it flooded the following year and realising that the ground floor of the Percy Gallery was under water….. The ceramic pieces themselves are quite small with abstract design which, to me has a Japanese feel to it (I have always loved contemporary and historic Japanese ceramics). They were not expensive, but value is relative and I can get just much pleasure from looking at a pot that cost me £15 as I could from a Bernard Leach (possibly even more pleasure as I would worry much more about the cat breaking a Bernard Leach pot). So, memories and motif combined to make these pots some of my favourite things.

 

 

My third piece is my Appalachian dulcimer. While not really a work of art, being a new and relatively unadorned dulcimer, its beautiful is in its form and in its sound. For one thing it is an instrument that is very difficult to sound horrible. Its three courses of strings for drone, usually based on a root note of D, and the scale of the frets either form a Mixolydian scale or an Ionian (or major) scale. It was used to accompany folk songs in America. It just makes me think of sitting of veranda of a shack in hilly glade as the sun is going down. The only problem is that we don’t live in a hilly glade or have a veranda in Plymouth, but maybe when my talented wife becomes famous for her wonderful jewellery and we have our house in St.Ives…. ah…..everyone needs a dream.”

 

 

 

Thank you Dave for kick starting my Three Beautiful Things blog feature.  If you would like to take part do let me know.

 

So, does anyone want to know details of the upcycled book jewellery? I took some previously loved hardback books and laminated them with retro prints, sealed them and then they were laser cut.  So far I have a selection of necklaces which will be on my website in the next couple of days SlickSilver Jewellery and I'm also working on a series of pins too. The great thing is that they're only £15.00!!! I will also be selling these at craft events.

 

 

 

 

Make sure you get yours - there's loads of shapes to choose from!!

 

See you next week!

Blue Skies

Hello again world! It's bright, sunny, cold and crisp here this morning, just as it was yesterday, although I was pretty cold then - indoors in a barn, standing all day (forgot the chair) at a producer's fair. It was a really nice venue, although I did wonder where I was going as it was quite a way off the main road down a muddy lane! Apparently, the owners normally run a hog roast there too and the producer's market with fresh quality meat (no horse here!!), veg, pies, pasties and cakes were in one barn and the makers and artists were in the adjoining barn.  Really nice atmosphere, busy and I met some lovely people.  I shall be at the Producer's Fair at Crocadon Sawmills at St. Mellion again on the 16th March so come and see me and buy yourself lots of treats! You won't be able to resist!!

I had lots of good comments on my wall art so I think that's something worth carrying on with.

Thinking of Spring and seeing the odd glimpse of blue, this week I made this pretty stylish collection called Blue Skies - do you like it? If you should be interested in this set please contact me.

Blue Skies

The latest news on my brand new range is that it's in the hands of the laser cutter as I type!! How exciting is this??? I hope to be able to feature it in the blog next week, so if you know of anyone who blogs about jewellery and quirkiness do let me know and I can then send them a sample.

So, last week I told you about the bespoke jewellery I made for a bride's mum to wear with her special outfit - she loved it apparently and my work is currently selling really well through Nicola Hurst Designer Jewellery, in fact, she's becoming my fastest selling stockist which is fab!  Nicola's own designs are gorgeous, especially her latest little silver figures necklaces - love them! Do make sure if you're in the area that you take a look at her gallery. Nicola Hurst Designer Jewellery

Next week I hope to feature my new range of work and if I can find a willing victim I also hope to start the 'Three Beautiful Things' blog where I ask interesting people to tell us about and show us their 3 things that mean a lot to them, where they came from and why they hold them as precious. If you would like to tell me about your three things and would like to be featured, then do contact me through my website SlickSilver Jewellery.

Onwards!!

Wall Art and Selected

Hi all, it's that time again!

Well today is a fast day (I'm following the 5:2 diet) so I thought I'd write my blog to distract me from wanting to eat as the bowl of melon did not even begin to cut it this morning! So now I'll have a nice cup of green tea and talk to all of you instead.

I had a lovely girlie day out with my daughter on Friday and she said she really liked my aluminium wall art so I had a go at another one over the weekend, very colourful result! What do you all think?

I'm slowly getting back into work mode but find that I have to rest my hand for a few days after making anything.  Over the past couple of weeks I've been working on a bespoke selection of jewellery for a bride's mum, a commission which came to me through Nicola Hurst Designer Jewellery, a lovely gallery and one of my main stockists. A customer had been into the shop and liked my work but really wanted something to match her hat.  She left a tiny piece of straw taken from the hat for me to work to and she was really pleased with the results.  I made two necklaces, a bracelet and two pairs of earrings for her to choose from and she chose a set and was very happy.  I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of dyeing and mixing and painting until i'd got a good colour match! So if you, or anyone else you know, can't find the exact shade of jewellery to match your outfit or compliment it then let me know, I might just be able to help you there!

Can I ask you all to vote for me in the Craft and Design Selected Awards? Thank you so much! Just follow this link. Val Williams - SlickSilver Jewellery




It would be amazing to get at least a few votes as this is the first time I've been nominated!

There will also be a completely new range of upcycled jewellery coming soon made from old book covers that will knock your socks off. Quirky and original! I can't wait for you to see them!

I'm also looking to find artists, artisans, musicians, ceramicists, celebrities, indeed anyone interesting or with an interest in the arts for a new type of blog collaboration called Three Beautiful Things.  Let me know if you are interested or if you could suggest someone who might like to take part

Until next week!

Valentines and Romance

Hello all, it's February and the physiotherapy continues, however, I am improving! I have managed, with a little help from my friends (!) to start a little bit of work! Yay!! I seem to have no dexterity with my saw or strength for my hammers yet and have many chunks missing out of various fingers to prove it, but strangely my bench guillotine and rolling mill are the easiest to use. Strange but true!

Onwards!

So, it's nearly 'that' time of year again.......Valentine's Day!  I thought this year I would try to have some alternatives available for those who like pretty, but not blingy.  There are only two of these very pretty Chantilly pendants so drop very big pointed hints to the boyfriend/fiance/husband!!

Chantilly Heart
 

On the same theme I thought about producing something for girls whose style is a little more punky - again there's only two available, so get in there quickly!! These are called Heart Rocks. 

                                                                     Heart Rocks


Both of these designs are available on my website and nowhere else at all! SlickSilver Jewellery

I'm a bit of an old romantic at heart and thankfully so is my husband! He's an artist and I usually receive a card that he's painted for me which is lovely.  We're coming up towards our second wedding anniversary so I do appreciate that that may not always be so, but I hope it is!!  We spent our honeymoon in our favourite place of St. Ives and no doubt we shall go back there again around the date like we did last year, even if only for the day. A magical place!

So, girls, what's the most romantic thing that's ever happened to you? I know I'm very lucky, but one of the sweetest things that's ever happened to me was last summer when my husband (he knows my love of all things gadgety) secretly bought me a much desired iPad with my name and SlickSilver Jewellery engraved on it. It wasn't for a special occasion either - needless to say I howled copiously! He aslo leaves me little notes when he goes away, I even found one in the fridge once! He'll kill me for telling you this though!! I'd love to hear about your romantic stories although romance is different in everyone's eyes!  I always remember my very dear grandad buying my nan a delivery of manure for her birthday because he knew she really wanted some for her roses! Good thing we're not all the same!!!

If anyone fancies coming to see my work I shall be at Crocadon Producer's Fair, St. Mellion, Cornwall on the 16th Feb so come and say hello and remember to get your hearts!

Have you voted for me in the Craft and Design Selected Awards yet?

Val Williams - SlickSilver Jewellery

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!

2013, Onwards!

Hello folks, it's been too long!

Have you missed me? A lot has happened in the Slicky household I can tell you! 

So, it was like this.........
Remember I blogged about my forthcoming exhibition with Flameworks Art2Go? Well I was on my way to the Private View with my husband, artist David Muddyman (also exhibiting) and my son, Simon Dobson (fresh from his BASCA award ceremony!) when I fell over a metal cover sticking up out of the cobbles in the Barbican, Plymouth - invisible in the dark.  I didn't quite land in the harbour but it was close!!  Shock enabled me to pick myself up and continue to the PV even though I didn't feel quite with it and could feel a lot of pain in my hands.  A sleepless night led to a very long morning in A & E resulting in confirmation and treatment for a sprained left wrist, bruised left shoulder and knees and a fractured right ring finger and tendon damage!! Uh-Oh! Not the sort of injuries a hands-on jewellery maker ever wants to have!

A second exhibition a week later meant that I had to withdraw some of my scheduled work as I couldn't finish it and neither could I attend the rest of the craft fairs I had booked or meet my xmas orders :(

I'm now in a rigid splint for about another month which can't be removed so work is on the back burner for the moment - any of my stockists reading this, don't panic I have enough stock - anyone wanting to attend a course with me, feel free still to book and I will liaise with you regarding what I can and can't do and future dates and there is still some beautiful jewellery for sale on my website.

Coral Reef available from SlickSilver Jewellery

So we're nearly at the end of 2012 and what a year of change it's been.  Our family has adopted 'Onwards' as our motto and so it shall be......

Whilst recovering and one finger typing I have been thinking about some new directions that I might take this coming year and one in particular has been inspired by some comments I received from some lovely visitors to my stand at an Artist's Market in Tavistock in October.  A couple of groups of people said that they loved the colours and textures of my work, but didn't wear jewellery.  I must admit to being a little stumped - I had nothing to offer them.  On the way home I started to make plans and as soon as I am able to make again, my aluminium jewellery will be joined by some colourful wall art. Remember you heard it here first! Ideas are already down on paper - just need a right hand that works!

On another note from the 1st Jan until end of March, should you want to, you will be able to vote for me in the Selected Awards at Craft & Design Magazine  You can find me by following the links in the Selected Awards Section and searching for SlickSilver Jewellery, only if you want to of course! This is my first time in such exalted company!

Thank you for following my blog in 2012, keep checking in to my website at http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk to find out what's new! Hope 2013 brings all of us good health, happiness, peace, luck and good fortune!

Bocianelli and Too Many Clothes!

Hello again folks!

Blog time!

Those of you who have read my previous blogs may recall that I wrote about some pretty amazing service I'd received from a supplier - well - the story now continues.  I told you about a company I had found who supply stencils and templates for just about anything from technical drawing and maths through to jewellery requirements.  I'd written to them because I was looking for a particular shape and their response to me was 'send us a drawing and we'll make it for you'.  Well, as you can imagine I was thinking that they'd come back to me with a minimum order, either in cost or quantity, but no I was told that they'd work with my drawings (good luck with that, I thought!) that I'd only need to buy one and that the cost would be the same as all their other templates.  Pretty amazing!!
Anyway an email popped into my inbox from Bocianelli this week and the company had made up four variations of my drawings for me to choose from and simply added them to their range.  I am so impressed with this service so make sure you check them out if you also use templates but can't quite find what you're looking for.  I shall certainly use them again especially as they sent me a lovely little discount voucher with my order.  Here's a link for you http://www.bocianelli.com.

So, what else has been happening this week?

Well, I've attended my first indoor Artist's Market in the Pannier Market in Tavistock.  Now, I've been to the Pannier Market many many times and it's a cavernous old stone building for those of you who don't know it.  It hasn't been very warm of late.......  Off I went early on Sunday morning to start setting up for the day, passed a car on my way with about three inches of snow on it, and waddled into the building.  I say waddled because I was wearing my entire wardrobe, layers and layers of clothes........ it was at this point I found out that my stand was beneath the MASSIVE hot air heater......enough to say I didn't actually need my bodywarmer and coat!  I did, as always, meet some lovely people and at one point heard someone say 'oh look the bangle lady's here'.  If you're from the area around Tavistock, please come and say hello to me on Friday 30th when I will be in Bank Square for the Dickensian Evening until 9ish and I'll be back in the Pannier Market on the 2nd and 16th December, probably wearing slightly less - not that that is a good reason to come and see me!! There are some very talented artists and makers who take part in the Artist's Markets, why  not take a look at their Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/SlickSilverJewellery?ref=hl#!/pages/Bank-Square-Arts-Market/131560983607495?fref=pb

Whilst at Tavistock I revealed my latest collections so I thought I'd let you see a few pictures of pieces that will be appearing on my website soon.

Falling Leaves

 

Harlequin

Crushed Velvet

Autumn Leaves

That's all my news for this week but remember that these collections will be added to http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk in the next few days so make sure you get yours, after all they are very limited collections. Perfect presents for mums, sisters, wives, girlfriends, friends, nieces, aunties, grandmas, cousins, and of course - yourself!!

Next week I'll blog about how you could come to me and learn how to make something yourself!

The Scaredy Cat gets Braver....

Hi folks!

It's blog time again so what to talk about.......

Like a lot of people who work creatively, I'm a great big scaredy cat when it comes to selling myself and my wares.  I love the whole making process and I have a sneaking feeling that I would be happy to do just that, however, I have visions of our house filling up with jewellery like the never ending porridge pot in the fairy story, so I must try to sell my work. 

Just over a year ago I needed surgery on my right shoulder which meant no making for a few months, so in preparation, I made as much as I could in advance.  I challenged myself to learn about using social media to increase my visibility during this time.  I was already using Twitter socially so I started to focus more on that, set up a Facebook page, started blogging and joined LinkedIn.  I've learned as I've gone along, sometimes by making mistakes, and I've also realised that how something sounds in my head when I write it may not be the way it's read!! I've attracted many a spambot by not thinking through a tweet before pressing 'send'! My Twitter use is a combination now of social and business chat with virtual colleagues and increasing my brand through pictures of my work and links (trying to remember to use my hashtags - Ash!). I've read a couple of articles recently that I'd like to share with you because they're really well written and very useful.  The first article was a blog by Plymouth's local social networking guru Ash Mashhadi and I'd definitely recommend it. http://inspiration.co.uk/the-7-deadly-sins-of-social-media/  The second was a really useful article by Pete Mosley on Twitter for creative workers.  It was in the September/October issue of Craft and Design magazine http://www.craftanddesign.net/magazine/223/.

I think it's safe to say that I am embracing the need to put myself out there virtually and more recently I've started to do it physically too by attending local artists's markets and other events.  I also exhibit regularly with Flameworks.  This week, however, I've really challenged myself.  I attended Plymouth Business Networking at the Devonport Guildhall.  I took along my jewellery, not quite knowing what to expect, but guess what? I really enjoyed myself!  I wasn't as hard as I thought to chat to other business people, exchange cards, ideas and plans and I've already booked myself in for the next one! Who would have thought?

My stand at Plymouth Business Networking Event

I've had a very busy week in the studio too, cutting up the aluminium sheets I made the week before. I'm actually really pleased with how these have turned out, by which I mean that it's difficult sometimes to know whether a design is pleasing or not until it's cut. This time when dyeing the sheets I experimented with dipping skeleton leaves into sticky aluminium ink and pressing them onto the metal before applying powdered pigments and dyes. I'm happy with the results. What do you think?

Falling Leaves collection

I also wanted to create some warm and richly coloured pieces for the winter and so I made the Harlequin collection. 

Harlequin collection

These collections and much more besides will soon be available on my website so keep checking so you don't miss out http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk.

If you'd like to see more of my jewellery in the flesh, I've got two more stockists to tell you about this week. Yay!! If you're in Derbyshire you can see my work at Studio 61 Gallery http://www.karinagoodman.com/ and if you're in Somerset then why not visit The Cottage Gallery http://wwwthecottagegallery.co.uk .  If you are near to Tavistock, then why not come and see me personally on the 4th November and 2nd December at the Artists's Market in the Pannier Market, Tavistock.  Look forward to seeing you!

Blog Collaboration Time Again!

Hello, it's me again and, fantastic news, it's another blog collaboration - this time featuring the fabulous work of ceramicist Alison Graham.  We met Alison in the One Year On marquee at the Contemporary Craft Fair in June in Bovey Tracey, Devon and we both loved her work which features lines scratched into the surface of her ceramics to create landscape effects and beautiful serene colours. I recently asked Alison a few questions about her work and this is what she shared with me, so I will let you enjoy it the way we did!

Trees

 1. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?Inspiration for my designs comes from observations and sensations I have experienced in rural environments, from surfing in the Gower Peninsula along the coast of south Wales to memories of walking in the Lake District in Cumbria, where I grew up and studied before moving to Cardiff. I am inspired by painters such as J. M. W. Turner, Bridget Riley, Mark Rothko and Paul Cezanne whose works explore the ways colour and light interact both on and through a surface to create illusions of depth and movement. I also like to play with child-like fascination when I am working with clay, allowing new ideas to present themselves and then work with them. I believe in fate and serendipity and work spontaneously whilst listening to classical, 80s rock or easy listening music.

Landscape1

2. Is there a craft medium you’ve always had a hankering to try your hand at?
I have always fancied having a go at making my own paper and doing some mono-printing with an old printing press. I must look into that...

Beyond The Surface

3. If you could see one famous person owning one of your pieces, who would it be?
Prince William & Kate Middleton (they count as one choice now right?)

Lanterns

 

4. Where can fans buy your work?

From the following craft fairs: Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester (October 4-7th), MADE London in Marylebone (October 26-28th) and MADE Brighton (November 23-25th). At the following exhibitions: 'Wells Art Contemporary' Wells and Mendip Museum (October 12-26th), 'Inspire' Walford Mill Crafts, Wimbourne, Dorset (November 3rd-Dec 31st). My work is always stocked at the Oriel Makers Gallery, Cardiff and will be stocked at Just Make in Wells from December 2012. Work can also be purchased privately from me in my studio in Cardiff. Please check my website for details and updates on forthcoming events. www.aligrahamceramics.moonfruit.com

I'm sure you'll agree that Alison Graham's work is stunning so I hope you'll take a closer look and treat yourself to something beautiful!  Thank you Alison for taking part.

So what have I been up to this week?  Well, yesterday I was at the Bank Square Artist's Market in Tavistock, Devon and I still haven't got warm!! The sun was out but never made it inside my stall and so I gave up and wore everything I'd taken! I met some lovely visitors to my stand, gave out plenty of cards and now I'm looking forward to the next event which is on Sunday 4th November - thankfully indoors in the Pannier Market!!  Come and see me and start (or finish!) your Christmas shopping, but don't forget to drop heavy hints to your other halves about what you'd like for Xmas and then send them back to me afterwards!!

In other news, I have another stockist! Welcome to Mangojuice Gallery in Worcester http://www.mangojuicegallery.com

Today is going to be spent dyeing some more sheets of aluminium and I plan to try out some mono-printing myself but kind of in reverse.  Normally when printing in this way inks are applied to aluminium and then prints are taken from that with paper or acetate, but I'm going to apply my inks to acetate as I want the aluminium sheet to be the end result. We'll see how it goes. I noticed yesterday when laying out my display that most of my work is in the colour colour spectrum so I am in intent on warming things up! Will start by putting on some socks...........

I also made this Daybreak Collection this week and this is just a quick photo to show you the colours before it's photographed properly by my husband who does know what he's doing, unlike me.........I panic if I can't just point and shoot!!

Why not start your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own home? Visit my online stores at http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk and take your time to choose.

If you're interested in hosting a jewellery party and you live within a 25 mile radius of Plymouth please email me for further information info@slicksilverjewellery.co.uk.

See you next week!