New designs - and some news

I've been polishing copper and editing photos in between teaching this weekend, preparing for a Daisychain Extra etsy shop update later this evening.

There's a lovely collection of flowers and leaves, some old favourites, some new designs and some new twists on old favourites too. I'm really pleased with how these leaf clasps turned out, especially with the different textures, and there are different sizes available.

And I've made some baby daisy connectors to go with the clasps - and some more clasps too!

However, I have some news about Daisychain Extra too - this will be one of the last shop updates as I have made the decision to close the shop. I have a few more designs that just need polishing and a photo shoot, and I need to go through my stock to make sure that everything is listed, but then that will be that. I have enjoyed making the clasps and creating new designs has been fun, and I was delighted to get to 1000 sales, but I want to, I need to, concentrate on my jewellery. That is where my heart lies, and that is what I really need to spend my time on.

So, thank you to all of you who have helped make my little shop a success. Get them while you can folks, as once they are gone, that will be it!

Tuition photos!

I've finally edited some of the photos from jewellery tuition sessions over the last couple of weeks! Some of my students nowadays work on larger projects that need more than one session so there are quite a few unfinished pieces I can't show you yet, but these ones are done!

Two sisters came for a day's tuition last weekend. Neither had done any jewellery making before, but both are very artistic and that showed on what they made. We started out with simple rings made from oval wire which they were both rightly proud of. After lunch I taught them how to saw silver sheet,  and this is definitely where their artistic talents showed! One sister made these tiny stud earrings - such delicate sawing for her very first attempt sawing silver!

And her big sister made this beautiful leaf pendant. Isn't it gorgeous? The texture is done by hammering lengths of binding wire into the silver to form the leaf's vein, and I love the curly stem bail. This will look so lovely hanging from a leather cord.

Paul comes out to the studio for tuition a couple of times a month, so you've seen some of his work before. His wife is Brenda, the lovely lady I buy lots of my stones from, so as you'd expect Paul has a lovely choice of stones to work with. This Thursday he made Brenda a beautiful ameythst ring to match the earrings that Brenda made last spring.

Carefully balancing the ring shank with a T-pin

I particularly enjoy the problem solving that goes with Paul's designs. He'll arrive with quite a clear idea of what he wants to make, and then we have to sit down and work out what components need to made in which order and how everything is going to be put together to make a beautifully wearable piece of jewellery. As each stone he works with is unique, and usually handcut so slightly irregular, each piece of jewellery is a challenge. Definitely a fun challenge though!

I Love Autumn!

You know it's been too long since your last blog post when your Mum asks you why you haven't written anything recently - oops! The start of the new school year was rather hectic (nothing new there then!) and I think that I just got out of the habit of blogging. It has been a busy month though (again, nothing new there!). Here's some of what I've been up to....

• kicking through the autumn leaves on the way to school.
• admiring the dew-decorated spider's webs with Jamie after dropping Ben off at school. 

My cool dude!

• taking Jamie to preschool for the first time. He loves it there! I asked him if I could come with him the first time. He looked at me as if I was crazy and said very clearly "NO!"
• starting the new courses I'm teaching for Eastleigh College this year.
• teaching lots of private students - I must post edit the photos I've taken.
• working on a new collection of jewellery - lovebirds, owls, rabbits and butterflies. Again, photos coming soon! One of my jobs today is to edit them.

• sending orders off to new galleries. This little lot went off to Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge at the end of last week. It's amazing how small the parcels are when the galleries don't need the boxes to go with the jewellery, despite the lovely large size of the orders!
• visiting Tent London, a great trade show, with some of my studio neighbours. You can see a photo of us all here on the Sorting Office Facebook page.
• organising the Christmas Gifts Bazaar a friend and I run to raise money for the Wessex Cancer Trust. There will be more details soon, but in the meantime I've set up a Facebook event page here.
• working on a new e-course and a couple of new tutorials.
• writing magazine projects.
• knitting! I've actually been knitting myself something for once - a lovely grey cardigan - and also gifts for some new babies.

Right then, I'd better get on with editing those photos so I don't leave my next blog post too long! Hope you're all enjoying your Autumn too!

Shop Update

The sawing, filing, hammering, soldering, oxidising, polishing and photo editing is done!

Lots of lovely new designs of clasps, charms, bracelet bars and pendants will be in the Daisychain Extra shop from 7pm tonight!

Visit www.daisychainextra.etsy.com to see all the goodies!

P.S. Don't forget that the 7th Birthday discount codes run out this Sunday -
Use the code "happy7thworkshops" to receive 10% off the workshops running this term - see www.joannetinleyjewellery.com/workshopshttp://www.joannetinleyjewellery/workshops for details of the workshops on offer.
Use the code "happy7th" to receive 15% off Daisychain Extra Supplies - visit www.daisychainextra.etsy.com
Use the code "happy7thjewellery" to receive 20% off jewellery - visit www.joannetinleyjewellery.com

Tudor House

This beautiful house is in one of the few areas of Southampton that wasn't badly bombed during WWII - amazing really considering how close it is the the sea front and the docks that were the bombers main aim. It is the Tudor House, and it is just as lovely on the inside as it is on the outside, and the gardens are well worth a visit too. It's also the venue for the first craft show that I'm doing this year, on Saturday 14th September. It's part of Southampton City Council's Heritage Open day with activities for the children, a vintage bus your around the city - and of course a small but select craft show that includes some of my neighbours from the Sorting Office Studios too. Entrance to the Tudor House and Gardens is free for the day, and I'm really looking forward to working in such beautiful surroundings for the day!

If you're in the area, do come along. You can find more details on the Tudor House Facebook page here.

On my desk...

It's going to be a day of hammering, soldering, oxidising, polishing and taking photos today! This is the sight that greeted me this morning - lots of Daisychain Extra designs laid out on my desk.

I took this photo just before I left yesterday with the intention of posting it on here last night, but to be honest by the time I'd sorted the boys out, got everything ready for school today and done all the other household bits and pieces I sat down - and that was that! It was Ben's first day in the Junior section of his school yesterday. He was a bit nervous on the way but as soon as he got there and saw his friends (he's still with the same classmates) he was all smiles, and last night was so excited at the thought of going back to school today that he couldn't sleep! Jamie starts preschool in a couple of weeks too, just two afternoons a week, and he's so keen to go that I had trouble getting him to walk on the way to the childminders (who he also loves going to!) past it this morning! I'm so lucky that I have boys who want to spend time as a family but also enjoy school/childminder. It definitely helps with that working mummy guilt thing I'm so good at!

Anyway, back to work - I've got a Daisychain Extra shop update to finish work for - look out for the announcement on here and my Facebook page!

Happy 7th Birthday!

Ok, I do know that you're a little older than seven, and so am I, but 7 years ago on 1st September I had my brand new website, lots of creative ideas bursting to get out and I made the phone call to HMRC to register as self-employed. In my mind there should have been fireworks and a fanfare in celebration instead of a simple request for my National Insurance number, but never mind!

In the last seven years Daisychain Designs (as it was until this July!) has grown from a kitchen-table business built around a very young family to a busy full-time business based in a fabulous new studio. I am very lucky to be able to have created a business doing what I love. I've had an exciting summer moving into my new studio, and I've got equally exciting plans for my 8th year in business including new workshops, both online and in the studio, exhibiting at the British Craft Trade Fair and expanding my wholesale jewellery collections. You may have noticed that I now have a "Wholesale" tab on the website menu that leads to the new Joanne Tinley Wholesale website. More immediately I've got my first Craft Show of the season coming up at Southampton's beautiful Tudor House - more about that tomorrow. (And the present is just below too...)

Like all good birthday celebrations this one comes with presents and a big thank you - Thank You for helping me to make my business a success. Thank you to those of you I teach - as you know it is my mission to pass on the addiction of jewellery making on to as many people as possible, and it's going well so far! - and thank you to those of you who buy my jewellery and jewellery supplies. It is always a delight to send parcels all over the UK and to places as far flung as the States and New Zealand, and I know that I will never get bored of it!

As a thank you I have some lovely discount codes for you - but you only have a week in which to use them!
Use the code "happy7thworkshops" to receive 10% off the workshops running this term - see www.joannetinleyjewellery.com/workshops for details of the workshops on offer.
Use the code "happy7th" to receive 15% off Daisychain Extra Supplies - visit www.daisychainextra.etsy.com
Use the code "happy7thjewellery" to receive 20% off jewellery - visit www.joannetinleyjewellery.com

I'm off to make a cake now - I've got the perfect excuse!