Still time to enter!

I had a fantastic day in Cambridge yesterday. The weather was lovely with no hint of the breeze that the forecasters promised (wind is always difficult to manage on an outdoor craft market!)

I was delighted that four of the new items that I introduced to the stall all sold The bracelet uses a variation of the green shoots beads but three of the beads are kalera shaped and this time I used a base of transparent mid blue and the silvered frit has turned a lovely shiny goldy colour in a reduction flame; the photograph hasn't quite captured it. The silver beads and clasp are all Hill Tribe silver. I'm going to use more of these clasps, they really turn bracelets into a "statement" piece.

I tell a tiny porkie about the pink earrings as they didn't physically sell themselves but I took an order from someone who wants a pair made up in the blue/green beads that feature in the competition I'm running. I really like these new earrings, the "tail" is a piece of 1.5mm sterling silver wire which has been hammer finished in my trademark style which means it catches the light from lots of different angles. The top has been hammered flat so I can drill it to attach the bead and then the whole thing wrapped around - guess what! - a knitting needle to make it corkscrew. Getting the two to match was a bit tricky!

Speaking of the jewellery naming competition, there is still time to enter before midnight on Wednesday - I have received some e-mails and so, along with the two on the blog, there's only been a handful entries - which means there's an excellent chance of winning. Just make your suggestion as a blog comment or e-mail me using the contact form on my website.

Gotta run, having my brother and his partner over for Sunday lunch! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

E-mail blunder

I e-mailed everyone on my customers' mailing list to let them know about the competition here on the blog. I sent them out in batches of 15 or so to make sure it didn't get stopped at the server as "spam". I accidentally put the e-mail addresses in the CC field instead of the BC field.

I apologise unreservedly for such a stupid blunder, I'd certainly understand if anyone got cross about other people that they didn't know seeing their e-mail address but my customers are such a lovely lot of people, I haven't received one complaint. I assure you that it won't happen again.

Name that jewellery

I didn't make many new designs last week, there was only one necklace with matching earrings and that was the sum total of new items on my stall last Saturday. Any necklaces and bracelets costing over £25 and made with lampwork beads are one-off designs. I might make some more of the same type of beads but next time, I make a totally different necklace or bracelet with them.

Many people want earrings to match their necklaces/bracelets and I've found from experience that if you don't have matching earrings in stock, you can lose a sale. But last week, everyone was mainly buying earrings - it was a big earring day - so almost my entire week's production was on making more to match the unsold necklaces and bracelets! My zebra necklace (with matching earrings!) was a notable exception. One of my regular customers purchased it to take with her on holiday so I hope she's having a lovely time!

So, rather late, here are photographs of my latest new creations.
When I first made the beads (see close up in my blog entry Blue and Green shouldn't be seen on 8 May), I named them blue grass but I'm not that keen on it. The lack of a name has stopped me putting them up for sale on the website! It's got me completely stumped. Has anyone got a better name for them? I will run a draw of everyone who suggests a name here on the blog and the first out of the hat will get a pair of the earrings. Deadline for entries here on the blog is midnight on Wednesday, 3 June 2009.

If you prefer, you also enter by e-mailing me via the Contact page on my website.

Phone calls - hate them!

I hate being interrupted by phone calls. I think it stems back from all my years when I had a proper job working in various offices and having to take constant phone calls that I had to answer else I'd be sacked. Nowadays, I much prefer e-mail. I can reply when I want to, not when the telephone demands. DH sometimes works from home and he answers the phone (I'm quite likely to just let it ring ...!) However, he knows better than to interrupt me if I'm in the studio working on beads but when I'm making jewellery I can hear the phone ring and sometimes I might be half expecting a call like today as I have a family member in hospital, I thought I had better answer it.

But it was my bank. They telephoned me and wanted to talk to me, OK, fine, talk but make it quick. First you have to prove who you are ... but I know who I am! For security though madam. Well, how do I know you're my bank, you could be anybody trying to trick me out of my security details, because you can do 1471 and it will tell you it's National Westminster Bank. How would I know this isn't a scam and your telephone number has been set up specifically to con me out of my identity. You're ringing ME so if my telephone number is the one you have on record, it IS me, I assure you.

Well madam, if you tell me your date of birth, I can tell you why I'm ringing. But I'm not interested in why you're ringing me, I have money in the bank, I can pay all my cheques and direct debits, I don't want a loan, insurance or a re-mortgage; there is nothing I want to talk to you about. Bye bye.

I phoned the main number and complained and told them not to get their call centre drumming-up-business-staff ring me again - they have to write if they want to get my attention in future. What a waste of my time - I hate my time being wasted, I would so prefer to be making beads and jewellery. I know, I know ... I am just a grumpy old artist.

Raspberry wool and jam

A couple of days ago, I was making recycled beads out of Harveys Bristol Cream sherry bottles which are a lovely rich royal blue colour for an order I got via my website. I cleaned them in the evening and then settled down to start knitting a new pair of socks (yet another pair!) in a kind of raspberry colour. When I absent-mindedly put the knitting down on top of the beads, I saw that the colour contrast was really something. I hope I can either get or make some beads in the same colour as this wool now as I'd really like to try combining the two colours in a piece of jewellery.Speaking of raspberry, that reminds me, last night we caught the mouse that has been in our house (... pure poetry, you get everything here!) This morning, as soon as he was dressed, DH drove it a couple of miles down the road and let it go. He said it looked quite thin and scrawny when it came out, I don't suppose there's much to eat in our house so I'm surprised it took so many days before it was tempted to try the jam in the trap. I think it has been living on the nuts that I fill the bird feeders with. I nearly always manage to spill some and it must have found the ones that rolled under the fridge. Because apart from scraps left on Missy's feeding bowl before I wash it up, there wouldn't have been much else that's would've been accessible. Hopefully s/he's much happier now out in the wild again.