Wednesday 24 September 2008

Signs . . .

I have a sign now. For the craft fair, mostly, although it's kind of nice to look at anyway, and a good reminder of the work I still need to do.





Back to my silversmithing night class this last week, as well, where a fair bit of nattering and catching-up ensued and a little bit of filing some silver as well. It is possibly to to both simultaneously but it's not quite as much fun so first night back is always a little slow on the work front.

Saturday 13 September 2008

A slow week for making things . . . but always a silver lining . . .

Not been the best weeks for actual jewellery making but rather more successful in finding things to display jewellery on! Yes, thoughts of the craft fair remain ever near . . .

A charity shop (Help The Aged - I'll give them a credit although it's never easy to find the same thing in other branches . . . ho ho) had a bundle of items out in the street (pedestrianised) and sitting right on top of them was this:




A potential jewellery display stand!

I hmmed and ahhed a bit. It was £2.99 which isn't much but is if you're trying to make money, not spend it. Then, indecision over, I bought it. The woman on the till (young. For some reason, Help The Aged seems to attract young volunteers, far more so than any of the other charity shops. If anyone knows why then please share! It's not important, I'm just nosy . . . ) asked what it was. I was stumped.

"I don't know," I said, "but I'm planning on using it to display jewellery." Which she agreed was fair enough.

Then I noticed a ring of metal within the structure, not dissimilar to the support you'd find . . . for a lightbulb in a lampshade. We commented a little on this, trying to work out exactly how the actual shade would fit over the curves.

I still have no idea. But I'm not too worried as I have a nice jewellery stand to go with . . . my other one!




This one is not second-hand and is what it says on the tin, or whatever metal it's made from. It is for jewellery display and should prove pretty handy for bracelets and earrings.

The first one will be more suitable for necklaces, I think, although a little experimentation at home led me to realise that it wasn't as tall as I thought and the necklaces wouldn't hang straight down. But it turns out this means the last third of them can be laid artfully on the table so not a disaster, in fact, probably a more effective display than if they just hang vertically as, this way, they should be 'more available to the eye'.

I decided to put that in quotations because it sounds like something someone who knows about such things would say. Ahem.

So, some photos, at last.

But, no, none of my jewellery yet. I see a new goal ahead - and will attend to it shortly! Honest! Otherwise you'll start to wonder if I actually make jewellery or just fantasise about it . . .

Sunday 7 September 2008

A First Post

The blog has to start somewhere and this is where mine does. My first craft fair looms - okay, it's slightly under three months away but I want to be ready early.

So now I have a goal, an aim, and that's what I'm going to do, focus on that. And if it doesn't go too well, then a lot of family and friends are going to get jewellery as gifts this Christmas . . .

And since I have this aim, I decided I should start the blog I'd been meaning to start for quite a while!


Works in progress:

Two necklaces
One bracelet
Two pairs of earrings


All embarked upon with a soldering torch this past weekend, although they've been in production since I discovered the wonderful things you can do with a rolling mill.

Actually, the bracelet has yet to go under the soldering torch. That should happen today. Or tomorrow . . .

Other works in progress:

Pretty much everything else because, let's face it,most things always need a little more tweaking, cleaning, polishing, refining.

So my aim at present (as a minor aim to the major aim of the craft fair, if that makes sense . . . ) is to have a box of 'Completely Finished Items' and to ensure it grows weekly.

Also a work in progress is My Ultimate Craft Fair Preparation/To Do List. You can never have enough To Do Lists. I'm trying to keep this one to one page though . . and to avoid writing a To Do List about it . . .
You never know, it might even get posted here.

Tune in soon for pictures! No, not of the List . . . of the jewellery . . . but you knew I meant that.