Wednesday 29 July 2009

Craft fair - fair to middling . . .

On Sunday, less than a week after booking it, I did my second craft fair, my first outside.

I discovered some important things.

1) Craft fairs are only as good as their organiser/s . . .

2) Outside is very different to inside (you'd think I'd have worked that one out by now . . . ).

3) The wind can make a huge difference to everything. Yes, rain/sun is a big issue. But never underestimate the effects a decent breeze can have on lighter items of jewellery and that nice new table covering you'd treated yourself to . . .

4) The wind can also blow over earrings stands. It can even blow away earrings . . .

5) The wind can mean you have to completely rearrange your table design by removing earring stands . . .

6) The wind also moves your jewellery around the table. Constantly.

7) Beware of lavatories in corners of fields with no mains drainage. . . or toilet roll . . . or locks on the door . . .

8) All photos taken on the day will be rubbish and not worthy of being posted on the web . . .

9) If the fair isn't advertised, then no one will come to the fair . . .


On the more positive side, I did make a sale and got a commission (now completed) so I didn't lose out financially, I had some nice chats with other stall-holders, and I gained a lot of experience (mainly weather-related)!

Saturday 25 July 2009

Listing . . .

I've listed some more items in my shop on Folksy. Always seems to take forever and is always a bit frustrating being away from making, but the finished pages do look quite nice, if I say so myself!







Tuesday 21 July 2009

Shakespeare under a June Moon





A little late, I know, but on the last day of June I was treated to an evening of Shakespeare under clear skies and with warm air (until the sun set when it got chilly and hot coffee was needed), and with a perfect half moon, and even a balloon setting off on a flight just across the way.



We went to Leeds Castle where we saw A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed by the Globe Theatre and it was just fantastic. A wonderful cast, an idyllic setting, and a play that still makes you laugh over four hundred years after it was written . . . not bad at all . . .

Friday 17 July 2009

Soldering . . .

o

. . . always makes me a little nervous, until I get started. 'Fire equals danger' seems a pretty sound basis to live by so it's been quite a change to get to the stage where 'fire equals just being a bit careful with a fire extinguisher on stand-by'.

I did buy a book or two on jewellery making without soldering but found it impossible to achieve the effects I want to. And since I've worked hard on getting better at this melting-solder-to-stick-silver-together lark, then it does make sense that I use my 'talent' (very loose meaning of that word!) when I think it needs using.

Tuesday 14 July 2009

I'm lovely and now a winner . . .



I'm rather pleased to say I've won this beautiful pair of earrings.





Rather than wait til the postie delivers them (soon, I hope!) and then taking my own photo, I've decided to use Kristin's because her pictures are always stunning.

Okay, off to wait by the front door now . . .

Monday 13 July 2009

My blog is Lovely!


Officially, it seems. Thanks to Tollykit for telling me so and asking me to find another fifteen blogs I think are lovely. Tollykit's blog is pretty lovely too and deserving of her award. And the lovely jewellery and exquisite mohair from her own goats are rather desirable as well. Plus, she has llamas. Which is extremely lovely.

The rules of the award are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

This is my list of fifteen other lovely blogs, all of which I'd recommend checking out.

maxsworld

kitschycoo

widgetsyear

arohajewels

laurascreativeadventures

wallopillustration

abigailbrownscreatures

ksjewellerydesigns

metaxia

kerliandanimals

feltinginfibrespace

ceegeejewellery

askingfortrouble

steampunkglass

lindentreedesigns