Sproing!

Hi everyone. The title is a mixture of the time of year and how I would describe hectic life at the moment. Like many of you, I am feeling the excitement of spring waking everything up, colliding with a hectic life. It can feel exciting and overwhelming in equal measures, which is why I am excited to get back to the work bench to replace depleted stock!

My trips to Bristol seem to have calmed down for the foreseeable, so I am looking forward to more creativity time. I am still toying with the idea of making some pieces from rolled gold (a thin layer of 14K gold bonded to a brass core) but silver is still my main outlet. I have sold all of my own hallmarked rings, so it is time to get making again! Expect more open rings and some topaz set cabochons. What else would you like to see? I am, as always, open to suggestions and ideas.

The silver spoon collection has increased a little, so I will be repurposing hallmarked pieces into rings and pendants soon, and if you would like to have one made in your size, let me know. Have a look at the silver rings on the store page for an idea of the style. As they will be open style, there will always be the opportunity for you to have them resized by a jeweller if your hand size changes. I am still working on a gallery quality piece, mostly in my head it is true, as a modern take on the Highland Rose, and I am looking forward to two weeks holiday in August to really get working on it.

Craft Fairs

It was great to get into some Spring Craft Fairs and I was recently at Logiealmond, helping my inspirational father-in-law sell his wood turned items. Alzheimer's, and being 86 years old, means he can't attend shows like he used to, so it was a privilege to display alongside his work in a wonderful community that he has been such a large part of for decades. It was fantastic to be back at The Yard Market in Dundee this past weekend as well and, as ever, the banter, stories and connections were fabulous. A particular shoutout has to go to the woman who bought a costume jewellery ring from me, who works for Cancer Research and is a cancer survivor herself. As someone who has a very close family member living with stage 4 breast cancer, it was particularly heartening to hear the work they were doing to raise awareness within the medical profession of not discounting early signs when the patient feels something is not quite right. My family member forced their consultant to biopsy a "cist" on their spine instead of waiting six months, giving them a valuable head start on treatment. Chatting to this lady at the craft fair was inspirational, and I hope my wee bit of recycled costume jewellery brings her joy till she finds the rings she has misplaced!

Did you know The Yard Market are looking to have an evening craft fair at a new location soon? I was chatting to one of the staff and, hopefully, come July they will have an evening market on Friday night with bar, live music, food and stalls which opens on the Saturday as well. The Steeple will continue, but I am excited to hear what you think of an event like that. Different vibe, different location but interesting option. I'll definitely be giving it a go! The Yard Market events always have a good mix of stalls and, even when there are a lot of different jewellery stalls, we all offer different price points and styles, meaning there are plenty of customers to go round. It was a pleasure to chat to Zack Farquhar, a Dundee artist, and buy one of his amazing sunflower inspired acrylic drip paintings. I nearly bought the one with glow in the dark paint, but the more 'traditional' yellow one grabbed my attention immediately. I love being around creative people - maybe all world leaders should be made to wander round a craft fair for a bit before having important meetings - might lead to a lot more wholesome outcomes?

Zac Farquhar acrylic drip sunflower painting on canvas

Got old jewellery?

That sounds terrible! Like that old advert, "Got gold, get cash!". Anyway... I'm always interested in any old jewellery people want to donate to be turned into something new. If it's broken and/or unused, and you're going to get rid of it, maybe consider bringing it to a craft fair and donating it to me? Inspiration often comes from pieces that are picked up at random, and I am always keen to give pieces a new life. I could even name a piece after you if you so wish, to celebrate your contribution to putting a new wee bit of art out into the world :) Keep an eye on my Instagram and Facebook page for more information on where I will be if you want to bring it to me, or, if you would rather post it, let me know, and I will give you a 10% off code for the website as a nod to the cost incurred of sending it - just include your email address when sending it in.

Social Media

When engaging with a wonderful audience and advertising my craft, Social Media is a necessary evil. I have my limits, though, and the terrible place that is Twitter/X will never be a place you find me on. Just to let you know, I am now on Threads as well as Facebook and Instagram. I'll have the web-page updated soon to reflect that, but I wanted to let you all know first. My main platform will most likely continue to be Instagram so, apologies if you see the same messages repeated on all the platforms - I'll try and post to all three so, choose your most convenient and follow me there for updates.

That's all for now. Embrace your creativity in any way that makes you happy, and I hope to see you again soon.

#craftfairs #jewellery #art