An Inspired Photoshoot

Yesterday morning was a busy one. The photo studio was finally set up, more storage put up on the walls and some canvases put up too - I'm going to use these to display some of my latest designs as we get quite a few visitors to the Sorting Office so I want to be able to easily show off my work when they ask what kind of jewellery I make! I've got a few more things I want to get sorted and then I'll give you a proper studio tour.

Working hard - and look at that beautiful natural light streaming in through the windows!

As I mentioned yesterday, my friend Nicky came over to work for me, something she does regularly now. The job I needed her help with yesterday was a photoshoot. I've had a project accepted by Art Jewelry Magazine (so excited about this - but I'm going to have to wait a while before I can show you what the project is!) and many of the photos needed were action shots so I needed an extra pair of hands to take the photos for me.

Can't remember what the joke was now - but it was funny!

Now that's a more professional shot

Nicky also took a few photos of me for the "About" page on here and on my website - although I didn't always realise that she had the camera snapping away! She did get caught on camera herself though :)

The wonderfully helpful Nicky

I've mentioned Nicky on here a few times before, but I don't think I've actually explained why or what she does. I've reached the stage in my business where I need someone to help me out with the non-jewellery making side of things but I can't yet afford to take someone on as an employee, even part-time - yet! Nicky bridges that gap as the whole purpose of her business is to support businesses like mine. It's thanks to Nicky that the products went up on my new website so quickly and efficiently, and thanks to her help that I am more organised now than I've ever been before. She's also updated the website and blog to the new business name for me - my Facebook page is next. Sometimes, as yesterday, Nicky comes to my studio to work and sometimes she works remotely - the wonders of technology! I can buy in her time as I need it, and her help is allowing me to grow my business - hopefully to the extent that I can afford to take on a part-time employee. Nicky's website is here - Inspired Business Support - and I most definitely recommend her - as if you hadn't guessed that already!

More Blooms!

Yesterday was a busy day. I didn't manage to get out into the shed, but I did get alot done. The day started, as most Thursdays do, with dropping B off at his childminder's. I then picked up some croissants and headed over to Nicky's for breakfast - a very pleasant and civilised start to a Thursday! We even managed to get some work done too. In an ideal world we'd 'do breakfast' once a week, but real life always gets in the way and this is the first time we've managed it!

Most of the rest of the day was spent taking and editing photos and bits of admin for the two big things that I've preparing for that I still can't tell you about. I've recently downloaded a free piece of editing software that I love. I used to have to spend quite a while editing photos (using the software that came with my laptop), and spend quite a while waiting for the right daylight conditions to be able to take the photos in the first place! The camera I bought before Christmas and my folding photo studio sorted most of the problems out, thankfully, and this new piece of software seems to have solved the re-sizing issues that I was having. It's called paint.net, and it's worth checking out if, like me, you'd rather spend money on silver and beads than software!

Anyway, these are some of the photos I took, and all the jewellery shown is on the website now. As you can probably tell, I like cutting out this bloom shape! I've made myself a pair of the earrings, and I love the way that they swing when I move - I seem to be going for bolder earrings since having my hair cut short! The earrings, and the matching pendants, are available in gorgeous blue iolite and in tourmaline in rich honey shades and in pinks and greens. They, like the bloom necklace and the daisy cuffs, are made-to-order items, but I'll try to keep one of each in stock.

Pretty Pictures

Oh I do love my new camera! I don't think I had realised how basic my old one was until I tried some others. Mind you, the old one did me well. The photos it took in lovely natural light were good, some so good that magazines accepted them for step-by-step projects pictures, but it just couldn't do inside photos.

Anyway, these are some of the earrings I've made this week. I've revived an old design and given it a new twist. The original design had discs made from silver art clay and were flat, but this time I've used discs cut from sterling silver and hammered and domed them. The design is on the inside of the discs and picks up the colour of the beads beautifully. I've used garnet, amethyst and Swarovski crystals so far, and I expect that more variations will follow! I've just added them to the website.

The Lavant show was a good one today, and I've got some more Christmas orders to work on. We're off to a family wedding in Suffolk first thing tomorrow morning, though, so I going to give myself a day or so break!

P.S. Sorry that I'm not replying to comments at the moment - I don't mean to be rude but Blogger won't let me leave comments on anyone's blog at the moment, not even mine! I'm hoping that it'll resolve itself while we're in Suffolk. I do read all the comments though!

P.S. I Love You

For once I didn't feel much like going into the shed to work yesterday while B was at his childminders. I guess I was just feeling a bit washed out after the busy weekend and after teaching a 3 hour workshop Wednesday evening. I hadn't spent an afternoon beading in front of the television for months, so when the postman delivered "P.S. I Love You" from Lovefilm, I decided to get out the materials for a couple of necklaces I'd planned and indulge myself!

The 2 necklaces I made use lampwork (the purple by Izzy Anderson and the black by Caroline), Swarovski crystals and some lovely silver twisted tubes. It's been a while since I made necklaces that didn't involved sawing, hammering or soldering, but these were very relaxing to make and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. They took a lot longer than I expected though as I ended up needing a lot of tissues as I watched the film! I always cry at sad bits in films, and I've got even worse since having B! T is away for a couple of nights next week, so I think I'm going to hang on to the film for another week and curl up on the sofa with some more tissues and some chocolate and watch it again!

The necklaces will be going on my website tomorrow evening after my craft show at Lavant. I've been really bad at uploading new products lately, sorry. It's partly because I've been so busy with commissions and work for galleries, partly because I've sold quite a few bits before I've had a chance to put them on the site, but alot to do with my appalling camera. It was great for taking photos outside in perfect light, but not for inside, and let's face it, perfect sunny light isn't exactly reliable in this country. I have finally got a new camera, so I've spent this evening taking lots of photos with the view of uploading as much as I can tomorrow evening. I'm really pleased with my new camera - for one thing it's got a far better macro setting than my old one - just look at the close up of one of Izzy's beads!

Photos at last!

Nicky let me use her camera when she popped over this morning and it has made such a difference! The camera that I have been using so far has been great for taking photos in natural daylight outside, but I've come to realise that it's not up to the job of taking photos indoors, and let's face it, living in the UK I need to be able to take my jewellery photos inside! If any of my family are reading this - I think I know what I'd like for Christmas!

Anyway, these are some of the photos I took this morning, and they are a sneak preview of the new collection of jewellery I will be uploading to the website at the beginning of next week. I've hinted a couple of times over the last couple of months that I've been designing a new range of jewellery, partly in preparation for taking on more wholesale work, and partly because I had a sketch book full of ideas that needed a new material. And that new material is resin.

I have to admit that I had looked at resin jewellery years ago and was not that impressed, but after a lot of experimentation I love the combination of the beautiful range of colours I can produce (I colour the resin myself using a range of different pigments) with sterling silver, and that customers will be able to order specific colours. And the ideas for new designs and variations on a theme keep coming! The blue earrings in the blog competition last week were a preview, but here are a couple of other pieces. The blue pendant is mine (sorry!) as I've worn it every day since making it, but a couple of others in different colours will be on the website soon, as will several pairs of earrings and a few other bits and pieces that I'll show you over the next few days.

Let me know what you think!

Wednesday already?!

What do you mean it's Wednesday already?! This week is going far too quickly, but then most weeks seem to be like that at the moment! Mind you, it's far better to busy than quiet when you're self employed. I've spent part of Ben's preschool session this afternoon having a coffee and a chat with T's brother who dropped in while he was working in the area (he lives north of Birmingham so it was an unexpected pleasant surprise) and the rest improving my indoor photos, so I'll have some goodies for you to look at tomorrow.

In the meantime, though, I thought I'd remind you that you've still got a couple of hours until the competition I posted last week finishes. Click here for more details. You don't need a blog to be able to leave a comment, just make sure that you leave me a way of contacting you if you win!

Manic Monday

Okay, cheesey I know, but that is definitely the perfect title for today! Today has been one of those days when I've been busy all day, but it doesn't really seem as though I've done much. Let's see - did some washing, cleaning and tidying this morning and then took B to Toddler Twist (dance and music class) and then the park, ran some errands in town (banking, post office etc), came home and made lunch, did some more cleaning and a bit of ironing and then played trains with B and read some books with him, made a couple of phone calls, made B's tea. Ummm, I guess I have done a fair bit but it still doesn't feel as though I've done much as I should have. I think it's because I haven't been in the shed and hammered any silver since Thursday evening as we've had T's mum and stepdad visiting, so my mind is full of all the projects I've got to complete! That, and the fact that if I don't have regularly and very frequent creating time I start to feel really unsettled. Never mind! B's at preschool tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully I'll get some jobs done then.

One of the jobs I have to do tomorrow is take some photos. I'm really conscious that I haven't shown you any new jewellery for a couple of weeks. It's not that I haven't made anything - I have been busy making and designing, honest! It's just that several pieces have been commissions that I couldn't show you straight away, and it's taken me a while to get the new improved lighting for my photo studio set up. Anyway, tomorrow there will be no more excuses - you will have some photos!

A busy afternoon with the camera

B had a really good nap this afternoon ( I think I wore him out playing and going to the supermarket this morning!) so I used the little bit of sun we had between the rain storms to catch up with some photos for my website.

I made this necklace yesterday. The beautiful egg-shaped bead is by Anna Pilgrim (Beads on Toast), and when she posted a picture of it on UKBeaders I knew I just had to have it! I wanted to keep it simple and not really add any more colour to it so I've had to wait for my new supply of leather cord to arrive. Part of me hopes that no one buys it and I get to keep it for myself, but only part of me - every now and then I have to remind myself that I'm not buying these beautiful lampwork beads for me to keep!

I made the necklace below last week but I didn't have the chance to photograph it until today. I've called it "Starry Starry Night" and it uses stunning beads by Laura Sparling, silver bead caps by Kutuu (Hannah Salomon), Swarovski crystal and, of course, chainmaille. I love doing chainmaille - it's time consuming but very relaxing!

Anyway, I'd better get back to uploading all the photos I've taken today to my website! I hope you're keeping warm and dry this rainy November evening!