Well I have finally started an online shop on Folksy.com.
It seems everyone has heard about Etsy......well this is the UK equivalent and home for British Handcrafted creations. There is an amazing selection of quality handcrafted items covering just about every thing you can imagine. Just head over and take a look.
Click on the link to the left to go directly to my shop.
It is still work in progress as I have loads of pieces to add to it, but it is a start.
And once I have everything loaded, I can start creating again.
Short and sweet, thats all for now!
Jane x
Friday 13 December 2019
Sunday 1 December 2019
Back in the Game!!!
Well last weekend I did my first Craft Fayre in 5 years. And what a wonderful weekend it was.
I was a little anxious before hand, and the previous weekend I held a jewellery open day and evening jewellery party to help me prepare, and to share my jewellery, old and new, with friends and family. It wasn't as well attended as I would have liked, but those who came did seem to enjoy it and the feedback was fabulous.....which I have to admit is what I really needed. It is a huge step for me to resurrect my jewellery business, even if it is on a part time basis along side my demanding full time job.
So last weekend was a two day event, and was so well attended by the town of bedford, that not only were people queueing on mass to come into the hall, they were slow moving around the stalls on mass. As a result I had a very profitable two days, which much praise for my work, original remaining stock and new creations, and even some past customers from my days on the market stumbled across me, still raving about the jewellery they had bought from me over 5 years ago, and very complimentary.
It was just what I needed to affirm that I was doing the right thing in returning to my love of creating in pure silver metal clay. My other love....beaded earrings.....well they were just flying out the door. And many to the stall next to me!!
Two very busy weekends, and a full time job, and this week has been a struggle. I have had to remind myself that I am 54 with fibromyalgia, and the result of these two busy weekends was almost 3 weeks without a day off!!! I really didn't think this through. The FM flared up a little with more paid and discomfort, and as for the tiredness. Well I am amazed I got throught the week. So Note to Self....No more 2 day events!!! (Hubby managed to get the monday off, cheeky bugger! I wouldn't mind but we work at the same place, but on different teams. LOL).
At the moment I am in the process of setting up a Folksy online shop. Not sure how long this will take me, but watch this space. In the meantime, here are some pics from the craft fair.
I was a little anxious before hand, and the previous weekend I held a jewellery open day and evening jewellery party to help me prepare, and to share my jewellery, old and new, with friends and family. It wasn't as well attended as I would have liked, but those who came did seem to enjoy it and the feedback was fabulous.....which I have to admit is what I really needed. It is a huge step for me to resurrect my jewellery business, even if it is on a part time basis along side my demanding full time job.
So last weekend was a two day event, and was so well attended by the town of bedford, that not only were people queueing on mass to come into the hall, they were slow moving around the stalls on mass. As a result I had a very profitable two days, which much praise for my work, original remaining stock and new creations, and even some past customers from my days on the market stumbled across me, still raving about the jewellery they had bought from me over 5 years ago, and very complimentary.
It was just what I needed to affirm that I was doing the right thing in returning to my love of creating in pure silver metal clay. My other love....beaded earrings.....well they were just flying out the door. And many to the stall next to me!!
Two very busy weekends, and a full time job, and this week has been a struggle. I have had to remind myself that I am 54 with fibromyalgia, and the result of these two busy weekends was almost 3 weeks without a day off!!! I really didn't think this through. The FM flared up a little with more paid and discomfort, and as for the tiredness. Well I am amazed I got throught the week. So Note to Self....No more 2 day events!!! (Hubby managed to get the monday off, cheeky bugger! I wouldn't mind but we work at the same place, but on different teams. LOL).
At the moment I am in the process of setting up a Folksy online shop. Not sure how long this will take me, but watch this space. In the meantime, here are some pics from the craft fair.
Blessings to All
Jane x
Sunday 19 May 2019
3rd Bite at the Cherry!!!
5 years have passed since my last Blog. So much has happened.
Reading the last blog I had such plans, and it is hard to remember exactly what went wrong.
I remember I threw myself back into my jewellery, was doing markets and craft fairs, and teaching and discovering copper and bronze metal clay......and then suddenly I walked away. I had done a year on the markets and other events in 2014, and I had barely (if at all) covered my costs. I had slipped into the mindset of trying to please the masses with 'cheap' creations, which were really 'not me', and the final straw was buying in a few silver plated pieces to just sell at cost, in an effort to attract people to my stall. I was so far removed from the jeweller I started out as, the jeweller who created from heart and soul. And to be honest I fell out of love with my business, my jewellery, and I lost my passion.
So I walked away. And up until a few weeks ago I had not stepped into my studio for the 5 years in between.
My poor studio. It was exactly as I had left it, plus it had been used as dumping ground for other stuff from the house. It was so sad. My creating station (bottom right) had unfinished items on it, and as I write this I remember I didn't even check to see if there was anything in the dehydrator. There were cobwebs and spiders, and dust, and faded stuff, and it was heartbreaking.
But something happened. I don't know if it was the meditaiton classes or the healing evenings, but something shifted as I stood in my studio feeling overwhelmed by the emotion of loss and regret. I was compelled to go through all the jewellery that I had in storage, the pieces I had packed away after the last christmas market. And as I went through through the boxes and the bags of jewellery, the majority of which I had personally handcrafted, it reminded me just how much I had loved making it. How much I had actually missed it. And how I desperately wanted to do it again.
Now a lot has changed in the past 5 years. Both my husband and I found ourselves unexpectedly unemployed, my husband for 2 of those 5 years (so you can imagine what affect that had on him), I was now working full time out of necessity, my body was going through 'something' which it wasn't letting me in on, other than I was in constant pain and my mobility was at times dubious to lacking. My husband broke his foot and was diagnosed with class 1 Epilepsy, following two nocturnal tonic clonic seizures which came completely out of the blue and a year apart, resulting in him not being able to drive for a year. So I guess understandably my focus was elsewhere and jewellery was the last thing on my mind. I have since been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as an explanation for my dodgy mobility and aches and pains, and on reading up on it, it seems to also explain the poorer eyesight and hand weakness and dexterity.
So the last thing on my mind was making jewellery. Apart from anything I didn't think I could physically do it. And then I was given medication for the Fibro, and this combined (I am certain) with the meditation and healing groups, and I am almost back to myself, allowing for the menopause which I am now in the throws of, the symptoms of which are almost interchangeable with the Fibro. If it's not one thing it is the other. However, I feel so empowered to make jewellery again - or at least see if I still can, that I have to follow my heart and give it ago.
So.....to raise funds to start again, all the jewellery I had left from 2014 are all on my Facebook page and are available to purchase, via message and paypal.
You can click on the link above to go to the page and just browse, or on the links below to go directly to the new albums which contain the pics, prices and details. Once the link is open just click on a a jewellery pic to see the details and price.
Jewellery for sale - First Come, First Serve!
Beaded Earrings
Beads, Bronze and Bracelets (which also contains some copper items)
Boxes
Fathers day/Gifts for Him
I will also be Spring cleaning and emptying the studio, going through everything to see what materials I have to create with, and I will, once this is done be creating again.
I am starting completely from scratch, as with the unemployment in the past it did have a negative impact financially, and so in the absence of any form of credit now, I have to save for everything. 30 + years financial mismanagement has finally caught up and a lesson well learned and about time. And with it came lessons learned from my jewellery business, what caused me to lose my passion, and what has brought it back to me, for which I am so very grateful.
There will be a Studio reopening/relaunch Jewellery party once the studio is sorted, and then....I can't wait to open the first new pack of metal clay I buy.
So there it is - the last 5 years in a nutshell, my first blog post in as many years, and my short term plans for my future. I feel so excited to think that I may just get a 3rd bite at the cherry.
Blessings to All
Jane
Reading the last blog I had such plans, and it is hard to remember exactly what went wrong.
I remember I threw myself back into my jewellery, was doing markets and craft fairs, and teaching and discovering copper and bronze metal clay......and then suddenly I walked away. I had done a year on the markets and other events in 2014, and I had barely (if at all) covered my costs. I had slipped into the mindset of trying to please the masses with 'cheap' creations, which were really 'not me', and the final straw was buying in a few silver plated pieces to just sell at cost, in an effort to attract people to my stall. I was so far removed from the jeweller I started out as, the jeweller who created from heart and soul. And to be honest I fell out of love with my business, my jewellery, and I lost my passion.
So I walked away. And up until a few weeks ago I had not stepped into my studio for the 5 years in between.
My poor studio. It was exactly as I had left it, plus it had been used as dumping ground for other stuff from the house. It was so sad. My creating station (bottom right) had unfinished items on it, and as I write this I remember I didn't even check to see if there was anything in the dehydrator. There were cobwebs and spiders, and dust, and faded stuff, and it was heartbreaking.
But something happened. I don't know if it was the meditaiton classes or the healing evenings, but something shifted as I stood in my studio feeling overwhelmed by the emotion of loss and regret. I was compelled to go through all the jewellery that I had in storage, the pieces I had packed away after the last christmas market. And as I went through through the boxes and the bags of jewellery, the majority of which I had personally handcrafted, it reminded me just how much I had loved making it. How much I had actually missed it. And how I desperately wanted to do it again.
Now a lot has changed in the past 5 years. Both my husband and I found ourselves unexpectedly unemployed, my husband for 2 of those 5 years (so you can imagine what affect that had on him), I was now working full time out of necessity, my body was going through 'something' which it wasn't letting me in on, other than I was in constant pain and my mobility was at times dubious to lacking. My husband broke his foot and was diagnosed with class 1 Epilepsy, following two nocturnal tonic clonic seizures which came completely out of the blue and a year apart, resulting in him not being able to drive for a year. So I guess understandably my focus was elsewhere and jewellery was the last thing on my mind. I have since been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as an explanation for my dodgy mobility and aches and pains, and on reading up on it, it seems to also explain the poorer eyesight and hand weakness and dexterity.
So the last thing on my mind was making jewellery. Apart from anything I didn't think I could physically do it. And then I was given medication for the Fibro, and this combined (I am certain) with the meditation and healing groups, and I am almost back to myself, allowing for the menopause which I am now in the throws of, the symptoms of which are almost interchangeable with the Fibro. If it's not one thing it is the other. However, I feel so empowered to make jewellery again - or at least see if I still can, that I have to follow my heart and give it ago.
So.....to raise funds to start again, all the jewellery I had left from 2014 are all on my Facebook page and are available to purchase, via message and paypal.
You can click on the link above to go to the page and just browse, or on the links below to go directly to the new albums which contain the pics, prices and details. Once the link is open just click on a a jewellery pic to see the details and price.
Jewellery for sale - First Come, First Serve!
Beaded Earrings
Beads, Bronze and Bracelets (which also contains some copper items)
Boxes
Fathers day/Gifts for Him
I will also be Spring cleaning and emptying the studio, going through everything to see what materials I have to create with, and I will, once this is done be creating again.
I am starting completely from scratch, as with the unemployment in the past it did have a negative impact financially, and so in the absence of any form of credit now, I have to save for everything. 30 + years financial mismanagement has finally caught up and a lesson well learned and about time. And with it came lessons learned from my jewellery business, what caused me to lose my passion, and what has brought it back to me, for which I am so very grateful.
There will be a Studio reopening/relaunch Jewellery party once the studio is sorted, and then....I can't wait to open the first new pack of metal clay I buy.
So there it is - the last 5 years in a nutshell, my first blog post in as many years, and my short term plans for my future. I feel so excited to think that I may just get a 3rd bite at the cherry.
Blessings to All
Jane
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