Auspicious times

The New Moon is an auspicious time for new beginnings and it's time now to share DH and I's future plans with everyone in bloggerland. Geoff and I have been looking for premises for some time to set up a business which combines both of our talents.

galleryRAUXA will be opening in Lincoln very soon. Our legal team (sounds better than "solicitor"!) is in negotiations concerning leasing the above premises at 3-4 The Strait in Lincoln, just at the bottom of the world famous Steep Hill in the Cathedral quarter of the city. It's beginning to cost money so it's looking seriously like it's happening!

There is already a galleryRAUXA Facebook page, there will be a website too when we get our branding graphics sorted out. There is EVEN an @galleryRAUXA Twitter account but I don't know yet whether we'll be using that, Twitter and I never really saw eye to eye when I had an account before, I don't think I'm any good at twattering, I need more words all the time! (You know how I like to burble on!)

galleryRAUXA will be a picture framing gallery run by myself and DH. We will be offering picture framing services and also showcasing British Artists' work. Original artwork and prints will be available and periodic shows spotlighting artists will be a regular feature. My handmade lampwork beaded jewellery (of course!) as well as silver and copper items will be for sale and we are currently sourcing stock from other artisans such as ceramics, fused glass and sculpture.

It is time for me to come in from the cold and I will be giving up my stall in Cambridge's Art & Craft market when we open. We are taking the premises with effect from 1 September and there'll be a short period of fitting out, moving things around etc and then we'll be opening!

So this is BIG news, I think that's enough of a shock for you all to be going on with, more news as and when but I'm really excited about this new venture, DH and I are really relishing the new challenges.

Coppery highlights and a dog blanket

I went to see George (short for Georgina) yesterday and she sorted out the mess left by the other hairdresser and I also had some coppery highlights put in. These have inspired me to create the above new beads (but more of that later). First I have to tell you how absolutely wonderful George is, she has got my world back on an even keel. Before yesterday, EVERY day since my last hairdresser appointment was a bad hair day. George used to cut my hair when we lived close to Lincoln, I followed her around to 3 salons because she was so good. It was a sad day seven years ago when I went to see her for the last time before we moved to Cambridge.

These days she is her own boss running "Aspire" on 46 Clasketgate in Lincoln. She's now about an hour's drive away by the time you get through very heavy rain near Newark and get parked but well worth it.  I've put photographs of her work taken when I got home in an album entitled "New Hairdo" on Facebook, click the link to see if you're interested! (I've made it public so you should be able to see it even if you're not a Facebooker yourself).

The beads in the photograph are made using a custom frit blend which I mixed myself (secret recipe so don't ask for it!) This is the first frit blend I have created and I'm really pleased with it. I made lots of different beads with various base colours and techniques and the ones in the photograph are the best of the bunch. They came out brown and coppery to match my hair, there is a new brown spankle bead in there and an orangey twiddly twirly bead. I'll be going into production to make more of these so keep an eye out for jewellery made with them very soon!

Update on the wrist, it's still a little sore from time to time. I have to go back to see my GP next week to check he's OK with me continuing to take anti-inflammatories and wear the brace. But I know it's getting better, it's nowhere near as bad in the mornings; most of the time apart from the inconvenience of the brace getting in the way, I don't feel it at all. From time to time though doing something (like chopping carrots or operating scissors) will give cause for malediction and for some things I have to take the brace off for (like signing my name), I barely recognise my handwriting at all actually!

I even started tentatively knitting again yesterday. I am breaking myself in very slowly and knitting a square every night for a Battersea Dogs and Cats Home blanket. Battersea is asking crafters across the country to help its most sensitive dogs by knitting them a special security blanket. If you're a dog lover and a knitter and would like to take part, there's a free pattern download on the link. Share the love!

More spankle colours and patination experiments

Here are a couple of new spankle bead colours for 2012. Navy and aqua (yes, yes, I KNOW ... more blue!) :-) I can't help it, I LIKE blue!

I've been busily restocking my Etsy shop after it got emptied before Christmas. The aqua spankles went very fast so I'll be making more of those.

I'd usually be working on new jewellery designs at this time of year and I have got ideas in my head but I've got a poorly hand at the moment, seeing the doctor about it this afternoon. It's been very sore in the mornings since just before Christmas. I think I overdid it on bending memory wire (it's very tough material). I thought I'd just pulled a muscle and with the Christmas break (and not doing much), I expected it would get better by itself but it hasn't. Beadmaking doesn't hurt too much for most of the beads I'm making but any hammering or filing is difficult; basically anything that involves rotating the hand is painful. I'm not having a moan about it (it's my own stupid fault for making 16 memory wire bracelets in one day ...) I just wanted to explain why there's no new jewellery designs so I'm not just writing this for sympathy (but any going spare would be gratefully received!) :-)

In the meantime, I'm experimenting with organic means of patinating silver that doesn't involve liver of sulphur or platinol. I don't like working with chemicals if I can avoid it, both of the chemicals mentioned are smelly and messy. To avoid doing the patination myself, I have been buying pre-patinated items and wire from Daisychain Extra, an excellent Etsy shop but one of my new year resolutions for Sooz Jewels is to make my own earwires and I can't expect someone else to patinate them. I am addicted to Jo's clasps, my customers adore them, so I'll definitely still be buying those!

So far I have run trials using uncooked and cooked egg yolks. The former doesn't work at all. The latter worked but the tutorial said it would only take 24 hours. My earwires and headpins needed 4 days imprisoning in a little plastic container with mashed up egg before it became dark enough (I'm after gun metal grey, something that looks vintage). After 4 days at room temperature, this was just as smelly and messy as the chemical means (but at least you don't need a Health & Safety sheet when you buy and cook eggs!) The patinated finish from the cooked egg method is also quuite uneven which is disappointing (I might do a photo when all my experiments are finished).

The instructions say to make sure the silver is very clean in order to get an even finish using the cooked egg method. I degreased the silver using alcohol, tumble polished with mild detergent, and then rinsed very thoroughly, only handled the silver using plastic tweezers. If the silver needs more cleaning than this, then I don't think this is the system for me.

I have read that you can use old kitty-litter (the ammonia produced by the decaying cat's urine is the thing that colours the metal apparently). Anyway, I don't have a cat, both my sisters have two but they live well over half an hour's drive away. So I've used my own wee (is that shocking?!) This is just out of interests sake to see if my urine is effective. Please be assured that even though the silver isn't directly touching the urine (it's just in contact with the fumes), I have absolutely no plans on using urine-patinated silver in jewellery that I sell!

I also have some silver hanging up in the shower to see if that will do it. These latest two experiments have only been running for two days though so I'll report back on results as and when anything happens!

And so my thoughts turn to the weekend, it's very strange for me to have a Saturday where there's no Art & Craft market to go to. Normally I'm running around like a mad thing on Fridays! The market starts back at All Saints on the 28th so I'll have to think of something nice to do instead; I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

New kiln; I think I love the FedEx man

My new kiln arrived just before lunchtime. It's a diddy little thing compared to the old one, teeny but I never used to fill up the old one anyway; I tend to make beads for about 4 hours at a time and this will easily take half a day's lampwork output.

I've been going crackers without my kiln this week. I even feebly tried turning on my Paragon in the hope that the christmas rest had done it some good and it would suddenly work again. Never mind, now my new one is here, I can finally make some more beads! I made a sandwich and read the manual cover to cover whilst eating it (yes I am THAT sort of person!)

I was just about to take it out to the studio to give it a trial run and the power went off in the house and possibly the entire village. The people in the big house opposite are having some work done and I have a feeling their workmen did something. I couldn't believe it! How unlucky am I?!

By the time it came back on again, it was time for me to make dinner, we are having lamb stew tonight and as it takes at least a couple of hours to cook, I was chopping and browning instead of playing with my kiln. It's bubbling away nicely on the stove now but we'll be eating in an hour or so, I really want to sit and hold it's hand on its first run through to make sure everything is AOK so I think it'll be tomorrow before I know whether I love my new kiln as much as I do the FedEx man who brought it to me.

Facebook

Another New Year's Resolution has been ticked off the list; I am now on Facebook! Just click the link to the left to see.  I have sent out some Friend requests to some people that I know have Facebook pages (and even had some replies already!)

If any of my readers/followers would like to request me as a friend, please do so and I'll add you next time I'm on-line :-)

I was in DH's diary yesterday; he was going to take me to Stoke to pick up a new kiln from Kiln Care (a couple hours drive) so I can get back to beadmaking but I got postponed til today ... and now he can't go again so I think I'll order one to be couriered. I'm not cross, I'm glad he's got the work and is busy (especially as I'm not earning anything this month!) The Art and Craft market isn't open again til 22nd January and I'm planning on being back a couple of weeks after that so it's not urgent but I am worried that I'm forgetting how to melt glass!

Etsy shop

Opening up an Etsy shop was going to be one of my New Year resolutions so I feel extremely organised to have accomplished this feat before 2011 has even started.

Due to the craft market cancellation today, I have gained a day this week. I was tempted to get on with all of the jobs I need to get done before the 25th but as today was going to be dedicated to my business, selling jewellery in Cambridge I decided there's still plenty of time for all the Christmas preparations (breathe slowly and deeply ....) I have instead earmarked Wednesday and Thursday for list-busting and so the time was re-allocated to creating the Sooz Jewels Etsy shop.

For the time being, I'm concentrating on my recycled/upcycled glass jewellery. I only have three items in there at the moment, the majority of the recycled range were photographed before I got my new photography set up so I'll be adding to the listings as soon as I get some nice new photographs of the stock.

My New Year's resolution has changed from "Create an Etsy shop" to "Stock my Etsy shop". All the hard work has been done now and the rest should be easy (she says).

New photography set up

Here are the first photographs of beads made this week using the new photography area which has been set up in my studio by DH and myself (thank you darling!)

Even with just one small light unit (daylight flourescent tube), it's giving pretty good results. I may add a second light but just a minor tweak in Photoshop to get the white background really white and the colours are really quite true to life. I'm calling the beads photographed "Melted Tigers" and "Drizzled Toffee", I expect you can guess which one is which.

Here's what it looks like. It's all very low tech and inexpensive.

I've covered David Tennant up with white sticky back plastic (ignores shrieks of indignation from DT fans). There are a couple of creases and bubbles in it; I think the Tardis is trying to find a way out but I'm assured it's Blue Peter strength so that oughtta hold David and the entire space time continuum behind it.

The flourescent light fitting has been screwed to a piece of white contiboard which is held in place with a batten of softwood fixed to the wall of the studio. The light fitting and bulb is being diffused with a piece of A3 photocopying paper secured with masking tape so I don't get a long rectangular reflection on shiny beads.

The base is another piece of contiboard resting on top of two drawer units which is temporarily ontop of a large Really Useful big box - this is to bring the item being photographed closer to the light but also has the advantage of meaning I don't have to bend down to take pictures. We will put another batten in soon to tidy it up and replace the box. The beads have been placed on top of some really white photocopying paper but I can put any background in there that I like.

I'm going to screw in eyelets as well to the left and right so I can string things across to photograph 3-D earrings and those that really don't photograph well on a flat surface. 

From now onwards, there can be no more excuses like "I can't take photographs because ...."

• it's raining
• it's too cold
• it's too bright
• it's too dark
• the bench is covered with bird poo and I can't be bothered to clean it off

Strange coincidence but one of the blogs I follow The Drifter and the Gypsy is giving away a polaroid camera on this posting. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment and it's open to international visitors. I get a second chance for blogging about it and so I'm feeling lucky!

New floor

On Wednesday, we laid my brand new floor in the studio. I thought it would only take a couple of hours, and I could spend the rest of the day painting the outside but no. Even with two of us at it, taking everything out, cleaning behind things that hadn't been moved for over two years, laying the floor and then putting everything back, it took all day! So worth it though :-)

The cushion on the floor is where Missy rests when she's keeping me company, the area closest to the camera on the right is going to have a work surface resting across the two drawer units and be painted white to be the photography area. We haven't got the light units for that yet so David Tennant will be with us for a few more days (so, sorry you have to go, David but next time you visit, you can park the Tardis in the garden, yeh?)

The desk to the left is where I do my soldering (and enamelling earlier in the year).  All the broken bottles for upcycling into beads and then jewellery are organised into containers with lids now so they don't get dusty and now they're in smaller boxes, there's much more room. My glass is now organised by manufacturer so I've got separate shelves for Effetre and Reichenbach with CIM and Double Helix sharing. Tons of room to buy loads more as well! The drawer unit that was freed up now I'm no longer using it for glass has got all the clutter that I don't use so much so now my workstation is looking much tidier. DH took this photo with his wide angle lens just after I'd made some Bombay Sapphire beads yesterday. You can still see my lovely new floor!

Here is a close up of my Effetre glass stash, I'd like eventually to arrange this into a rainbow of colours but that has a rather low priority. You can see the rough edges of my not-so-expert sawing hacking of the plastic pipe to cut them down to size!

I started painting the outside with black preservative yesterday afternoon after making recycled beads in the morning but I'm nowhere near finished! For the rest of today, I'm making jewellery for as long as it takes until I've used the small quantity of beads I've made this week and then I'm back to the painting. Photos when it's finished, it's looking good so far!

Ooo, before I forget, Laura is having one of her bead giveaways on her blog so head on over there and enter!

Looking forward to Saturday

Got lots of new jewellery to show off on my stall tomorrow at All Saints Art & Craft Market in Cambridge. Here is the bracelet that I made with the multi-coloured plasma doughnuts that I featured here on Wednesday. The beads were just screaming amethyst at me and I really like the colour combination. There are a couple of pairs of earrings to match.

This cluster pendant won't be for sale but I'll probably be wearing it; this is made with the diamond anniversary champagne beads and is a special edition exclusive to female members of my family only (previous blog entries explain the background to this range). Again I've made a couple of pairs of earrings to match as well.

I've not made any new silver earrings for a while, these have got handmade earwires, I've also made a pair of studs with the same puffy hammered triangle shape. The silver has been slightly domed in order to catch the maximum amount of light. I usually use a small ball pein hammer for my hammer effect but I've bought a new texturing hammer which has a stripe profile and makes larger elongated impressions on the silver. I think I'll be making more jewellery using it as I like the effect so much.

Come along tomorrow, have a day out in Cambridge and see the new jewellery in person! Having missed last week, I can't wait to get back into it; have a lovely weekend everyone!

Sneak peak

I've made lots of new pieces of jewellery for my stall over the last couple of days. I have taken photographs of most of them but no time to process them this evening.

As a sample of the new things that will be on my stall tomorrow, here's a necklace I made with my red fossil triangle beads. I am naming this range red jagged edges.

The piece is a tad under 18 inches long and the black saucers and rounds are onyx.

New (to us) dishwasher

Today I got my new dishwasher plumbed in and it's had it's first run this afternoon. My neighbours had their kitchen refitted before Christmas and they had all their appliances built in. This dishwasher, less than a year old, was homeless and available for only £50! We always thought that we didn't have room for a dishwasher but the prospect of one at such a reasonable price really concentrated our minds to be creative about how to incorporate one into the kitchen. We had a dishwasher at our last house for two years and we have missed it.

We decided the best place for it due to proximity to cold water supply and ease of wiring into existing socket but it meant losing a double cupboard with two drawers. I emptied the cupboards and drawers in question and went to work fitting everything I took out into the rest of the kitchen.

When that worked, we got the joiner arranged to remove the double unit and he put in the small shelves in order to use the spare space, I can keep my clean t-towels and pinnies in there and so that took care of one drawer! We got the electrician in and had the plumber booked for the Tuesday before Christmas and we've been waiting for him to come ever since! Due to the extreme weather, he has been exceptionally busy fixing people's heating systems and broken down boilers. We felt as the weather was so cold, it wasn't right for us to get priority over peoples' heating so we were happy to wait (but slightly impatient if truth be told!)

We could really have done with it on Christmas day - eight people generate a lot of washing up and it was a bit of a laugh having the dratted thing sitting there but unable to use it whilst surrounded by a kitchen piled high with dirty dishes. Fortunately, my brother came to the rescue and led the charge to the washing up backed up by one of my sister's partner's to get it all done. Thanks, Dave and Chris! but I think we'll be alright next year. There is a bit of minor decoration retouching up though if you're interested ... :-)

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a bit early (or very late, depending on your point of view) but I have made a new year's resolution already/at last!

I made this bead about a year ago but can I repeat it??? NO (wail!) It's such a pretty colour. It was a disc of a transparent Effetre and then I twirled the edge in one of three frits that I was playing about (either Double Helix Aion, Beadysam's Iris Gold or Tuffnell Glass's Iris Gold) and then melted it round.

In the past few months, I have made a bead with every transparent colour in my collection with all three frit colours. In the past week, I have made a concerted effort, all I can remember is that I was very surprised when the bead turned this colour as from the base it seemed most unlikely.

In the face of my failure to repeat it, my new year's resolution is to write down what went with what when I'm experimenting. This bead has become a kind of quest, a nirvana, an ineffible unattainable ultimate colour.

I know I promised yesterday that I would update my website with new photographs ... tomorrow, I promise!

Beware roadworks!

We are having a new driveway put in at home, the one that was there before didn't go far enough and it was really only a bit of parking. This is our first year at this house, during the summer it was fine but muddy days were a bit of a trial. We can wipe our feet and take our shoes off but Missy, our dog, doesn't ... so we can keep the house kinda clean as long as muddy pawprints get cleaned up but going to the car, there was no non-muddy route so the car is in a perpetual state of yukkiness. We are putting in the driveway now ready for the next wet spell (obviously this won't occur during the summer ... HA! ... we hope!!)

My studio is the converted shed you can see to the right; the guys, Lee and Dean (wonderful chaps) are putting in a path from the house to the driveway today and I think I'm just going to be in the way today if I work out there so I will be indoors finishing off a couple of commissions and working silver - no beadmaking for me today. I just got the first disc of the first series of Jonathan Creek from Lovefilm yesterday as I never watched it on TV when it was aired. I discovered yesterday that Anthony Head (my favourite actor) is in it so I am bound to enjoy it whilst making jewellery - yay - that's a bonus!

Website update

I have added several new things to the Sooz Jewels website, here's a selection of three of them


I have also added some items to the Gallery page which are added for one of my customers who commissioned me for several pairs of earrings