4 Apr 2008
3 Apr 2008
It's already April 3rd. That means 10 days until the 10k run and 23 days until my first craft fair of the year. So in turn that means I need to run more (eek!) and I need to make lots of items so I have enough for the craft fair!
I thought I would mention something I did a while ago today. I joined Indiego, which is a site where you sign up, you enter your info and a photo and thus create a little ad for yourself. Then you add a bit of code to your blog so that other people's ads show up on your site. The idea being that everyone helps each other -- the ads that show up rotate, so your ad will show up somewhere and so will everyone else's. You can see at the bottom right hand corner of this blog that there is an ad...for something homemade. So somewhere out there in internet land, my ad is showing up on someone's blog or website. How many times someone clicks on your ad is measured so you can see how effective (or not) this is. According to Indiego, my ad has been clicked 4 times. That's in about 2 months or so. So it's not much. But hey, it's also not nothing. So, might be worth considering. It's free, you're potentially helping out other artists and/or yourself, so why not.
I thought I would mention something I did a while ago today. I joined Indiego, which is a site where you sign up, you enter your info and a photo and thus create a little ad for yourself. Then you add a bit of code to your blog so that other people's ads show up on your site. The idea being that everyone helps each other -- the ads that show up rotate, so your ad will show up somewhere and so will everyone else's. You can see at the bottom right hand corner of this blog that there is an ad...for something homemade. So somewhere out there in internet land, my ad is showing up on someone's blog or website. How many times someone clicks on your ad is measured so you can see how effective (or not) this is. According to Indiego, my ad has been clicked 4 times. That's in about 2 months or so. So it's not much. But hey, it's also not nothing. So, might be worth considering. It's free, you're potentially helping out other artists and/or yourself, so why not.
1 Apr 2008
YAWN. At first I thought, gah, it's hard to get up today, but then I realised that the hour change is what makes me feel still sleepy. Ah well, it'll wear off. Yesterday I jogged (think extremely slow running) 4.5 miles and man was it difficult. I just felt like a tortoise, just plodding along. sigh. I fear this 10k is going to be humiliating, with people whizzing past me. Well, I still have a week and a half left for practice.
So another little interesting tidbit I learned at the Google info day was the three busiest online shopping days of the year (in 2007). I thought it was interesting to know, in terms of having stock prepared and website in order. The online shopping trends, apparently, are more than ever mimicking the troughs and peaks of the offline shopping world. So it's normalising to some extent, becoming mainstream. Anyway, the top three busiest online shopping days were, in order:
1. 26 December (aka Boxing Day)
2. 10 December
3. 25 December (Christmas, obviously)
Another interesting thing I learned was about water filtering. Oh yes, water filtering. No, Google doesn't filter water as well.....this was just a woman I met on the day. She and her husband have set up a business selling Japanese bamboo charcoal, which is a natural water filter. It's a completely eco business. They have researched all aspects of the environmental impact of the charcoal and it's much, much better than Britta filters with all their plastic and so forth. Anyway, I thought it was quite fascinating and a very good alternative to Britta filters. I read the instructions on their website and it's a bit of a nuisance because you have to boil the charcoal every so often so it stays clean. But it's so much more natural and when you're done with the charcoal you just put it in the garden. Anyway....you can read all about it on their website, which is www.charcoalpeople.co.uk
So another little interesting tidbit I learned at the Google info day was the three busiest online shopping days of the year (in 2007). I thought it was interesting to know, in terms of having stock prepared and website in order. The online shopping trends, apparently, are more than ever mimicking the troughs and peaks of the offline shopping world. So it's normalising to some extent, becoming mainstream. Anyway, the top three busiest online shopping days were, in order:
1. 26 December (aka Boxing Day)
2. 10 December
3. 25 December (Christmas, obviously)
Another interesting thing I learned was about water filtering. Oh yes, water filtering. No, Google doesn't filter water as well.....this was just a woman I met on the day. She and her husband have set up a business selling Japanese bamboo charcoal, which is a natural water filter. It's a completely eco business. They have researched all aspects of the environmental impact of the charcoal and it's much, much better than Britta filters with all their plastic and so forth. Anyway, I thought it was quite fascinating and a very good alternative to Britta filters. I read the instructions on their website and it's a bit of a nuisance because you have to boil the charcoal every so often so it stays clean. But it's so much more natural and when you're done with the charcoal you just put it in the garden. Anyway....you can read all about it on their website, which is www.charcoalpeople.co.uk
Yesterday I went to a Google eCommerce Solutions event in London. That actually means that a load of Google people told a bunch of people who are registered with Google Checkout things about Google AdWords, Checkout and Product search. Google Checkout is a secure way of setting up payment options on your website. It's easy to implement, easy to register for and easy for the end user (i.e. the customer) to use. It's also secure because the customer's credit card info doesn't get shared. So say you bought something on my online shop then I wouldn't actually see your credit card number. I only see the information I need - which product, how many, address and name. That's the same as the payment system on Etsy, where I, as the shop owner, also don't see the customer's credit card info. The difference is that I can implement Google Checkout on my own website easily.
Google AdWords in just the advertising you see on Google - so when you do a search on Google, on the right hand side of the page you see the so-called "sponsored links", i.e. the advertising. Companies pay to have their ad show up there when certain keywords are typed in by a user. In theory this means you should only see relevant ads. I think Google is still working on making sure that those ads are always relevant. I've certainly done searches where I clicked on one of those sponsored links only to find that the page I get to is a shop that has nothing to do with what I was searching for. But luckily it's in Google's interest to make that better, because they need to protect their reputation for getting the best and the most relevant results. Otherwise people will use other search engines.
Google used to have a shopping bit which was called Froogle - it's the same as the regular Google search except it helps with shopping specifically. So you type in a product name, say "Ipod Nano" and it'll come up with all the sites that sell that and the prices. It's a shopping comparison thing. So, they've changed the name to Google Product Search....presumably because that's so obvious you can't get confused. It's easy to find, you just go to Google and on the top left hand corner of the page it says "Shopping". Easy, peasy. Anyway, of interest to people trying to sell their things, you can submit your product descriptions to this shopping section and then your products will show up if people are searching for them. It's free to do, it's useful, so why not! I'll be doing it as soon as I schedule in some time. It won't take that long because you can submit all your products at once if you have the necessary info in a spreadsheet.
I also learned something else very, very useful. But I'm going to keep that a secret for a bit and implement it on my website and then let you know how useful/easy it was!!! oooo er how exciting :-)
Google AdWords in just the advertising you see on Google - so when you do a search on Google, on the right hand side of the page you see the so-called "sponsored links", i.e. the advertising. Companies pay to have their ad show up there when certain keywords are typed in by a user. In theory this means you should only see relevant ads. I think Google is still working on making sure that those ads are always relevant. I've certainly done searches where I clicked on one of those sponsored links only to find that the page I get to is a shop that has nothing to do with what I was searching for. But luckily it's in Google's interest to make that better, because they need to protect their reputation for getting the best and the most relevant results. Otherwise people will use other search engines.
Google used to have a shopping bit which was called Froogle - it's the same as the regular Google search except it helps with shopping specifically. So you type in a product name, say "Ipod Nano" and it'll come up with all the sites that sell that and the prices. It's a shopping comparison thing. So, they've changed the name to Google Product Search....presumably because that's so obvious you can't get confused. It's easy to find, you just go to Google and on the top left hand corner of the page it says "Shopping". Easy, peasy. Anyway, of interest to people trying to sell their things, you can submit your product descriptions to this shopping section and then your products will show up if people are searching for them. It's free to do, it's useful, so why not! I'll be doing it as soon as I schedule in some time. It won't take that long because you can submit all your products at once if you have the necessary info in a spreadsheet.
I also learned something else very, very useful. But I'm going to keep that a secret for a bit and implement it on my website and then let you know how useful/easy it was!!! oooo er how exciting :-)
31 Mar 2008
29 Mar 2008
28 Mar 2008
Wheeeeeeeee I'm joining yet another networking site....the DaWanda one on Ning...Of course, I can't be super active on all things - Indiepublic, Etsy forums, blog, other people's blogs, facebook, etc etc and this one as well. So I just flit between them all and do a bit of all of them every now and then. Otherwise I'd spend ALL my time behind the computer, instead of the 99.999999% of my time I spend behind the computer now. hmmmmmmmmmm
I dreamt of ring designs again. I really must write them down in my idea booklet because otherwise I will forget them all.
Yesterday I applied to another craft fair - Gift - which is in Surrey in November. A friend of mine went there and said it was brilliant, so I'm really hoping I get accepted. I also like the look of the items they have on their publicity materials. Anyway, we'll see. I'd give you a link or something, but they don't appear to have their own website and what there is, is limited and not very exciting looking. I hope they put up something more later in the year. They probably will, it's only in November after all.
It's back to dreary-ness today after a relatively sunny day yesterday. It's gloomy, but now that I have flowers (thank you Marianne!!) at least I can think of the rain as being good for the garden. I realise I write quite often about the weather. I think I am quite affected by the weather even if I don't go outside all day. When it's so gloomy I find it hard to get going. I'm laughing though because it's such a British/Dutch thing to do - talk about the weather. Nice safe topic. Although not always safe. One of my aunts gets all annoyed if you mention the weather, particularly over the phone. She thinks it's a waste of time to talk about the weather when you're phoning each other half way across the world (she lives in Qatar). Well, she does have a point. Unless it's exciting weather, like a hurricane or lots of snow or a flood or something.
So I've made a bunch of cuff links and a pendant, but the thing about larger items is that I need to get them hallmarked. And in order to do that, I need a decent amount of things to send all at once. Which means a general slowing down of the whole process. But then when I get them all back, I have loads of stuff all at once. So I better get moving and get enough together to send off for hallmarking. And not forget that they need *all* components in order to hallmark. Last time I got a note scolding me because I didn't realise this and sent some cuff links without the bars on yet, thinking I could add those later. Oopsie! They have to have the whole finished item to make sure that you don't do something naughty like add cheap tin bars on silver cuff links or something.
Anyway....ok...must go do stuff.
I dreamt of ring designs again. I really must write them down in my idea booklet because otherwise I will forget them all.
Yesterday I applied to another craft fair - Gift - which is in Surrey in November. A friend of mine went there and said it was brilliant, so I'm really hoping I get accepted. I also like the look of the items they have on their publicity materials. Anyway, we'll see. I'd give you a link or something, but they don't appear to have their own website and what there is, is limited and not very exciting looking. I hope they put up something more later in the year. They probably will, it's only in November after all.
It's back to dreary-ness today after a relatively sunny day yesterday. It's gloomy, but now that I have flowers (thank you Marianne!!) at least I can think of the rain as being good for the garden. I realise I write quite often about the weather. I think I am quite affected by the weather even if I don't go outside all day. When it's so gloomy I find it hard to get going. I'm laughing though because it's such a British/Dutch thing to do - talk about the weather. Nice safe topic. Although not always safe. One of my aunts gets all annoyed if you mention the weather, particularly over the phone. She thinks it's a waste of time to talk about the weather when you're phoning each other half way across the world (she lives in Qatar). Well, she does have a point. Unless it's exciting weather, like a hurricane or lots of snow or a flood or something.
So I've made a bunch of cuff links and a pendant, but the thing about larger items is that I need to get them hallmarked. And in order to do that, I need a decent amount of things to send all at once. Which means a general slowing down of the whole process. But then when I get them all back, I have loads of stuff all at once. So I better get moving and get enough together to send off for hallmarking. And not forget that they need *all* components in order to hallmark. Last time I got a note scolding me because I didn't realise this and sent some cuff links without the bars on yet, thinking I could add those later. Oopsie! They have to have the whole finished item to make sure that you don't do something naughty like add cheap tin bars on silver cuff links or something.
Anyway....ok...must go do stuff.
27 Mar 2008
ah ha! Found it! A treasury I was in made it to the front page of Etsy last night! Treasury made by paperiaarre (who has a lovely shop, check it out).
This morning I had a peep at my Etsy store first thing, as I am wont to do, and one of the items has a huge amount of views. It didn't yesterday. I looked through the treasuries, and was very surprised to see that some of my items were in treasuries - but not that particular one! So I wonder where it was shown when it got so many views. Hmmmm it's a meeeeeeeeeeestery.
I'm working on posting things on DaWanda, which is going to take a while. I can't quite figure out the pinboard do-dad. It's like the hearting on Etsy, but I don't seem to be able to see where my favourites go, or who favourites my shop. And the English forums on DaWanda seem to be rather....slow. I posted a question and didn't get an answer or even a response. On Etsy it only takes about a nanosecond before someone answers, if only to say that they don't know, ha!!! Anyway, so I'm kind of wishing I had kept up with my French/German so I could join those forums. I can read, understand, follow the conversations, but I can't really write much beyond the basics. I used to be able to, but it is tragic how quickly one can lose language abilities. sigh.
Yesterday I was quite productive and made cuff links, earrings, and even a pendant. Photos to follow soon, of course. Also got feedback for the cuff links with the Japanese paper which I posted about before. The recipient was very happy with those, so that is very good. Today I need to send a ring off to an engraver, send off some rings, make some more cuff links ready for Japanese paper, and post more on DaWanda. I already posted some new earrings on Etsy, using a technique I learned at my lessons from my fabulous teacher. Here's a photo:
I'm working on posting things on DaWanda, which is going to take a while. I can't quite figure out the pinboard do-dad. It's like the hearting on Etsy, but I don't seem to be able to see where my favourites go, or who favourites my shop. And the English forums on DaWanda seem to be rather....slow. I posted a question and didn't get an answer or even a response. On Etsy it only takes about a nanosecond before someone answers, if only to say that they don't know, ha!!! Anyway, so I'm kind of wishing I had kept up with my French/German so I could join those forums. I can read, understand, follow the conversations, but I can't really write much beyond the basics. I used to be able to, but it is tragic how quickly one can lose language abilities. sigh.
Yesterday I was quite productive and made cuff links, earrings, and even a pendant. Photos to follow soon, of course. Also got feedback for the cuff links with the Japanese paper which I posted about before. The recipient was very happy with those, so that is very good. Today I need to send a ring off to an engraver, send off some rings, make some more cuff links ready for Japanese paper, and post more on DaWanda. I already posted some new earrings on Etsy, using a technique I learned at my lessons from my fabulous teacher. Here's a photo:
26 Mar 2008
I couldn't sleep last night so I finally got a start on opening my DaWanda shop!!! It's here. I will be adding items, of course, and figuring out how to add links to this blog and so forth. I am still getting the hang of the format. It's obviously similar to Etsy, but everything is slightly different. It is very useful that it's in Euros, makes it super easy for the rest of Europe.
I made some new earrings yesterday which I will be photographing soon, maybe even today depending on how it goes.
I also got a very kind email from the woman who ordered the gold ball ring and the sheet ring. It's so fantastic to get encouragement from people who know their jewellery. She has just been to Metalab, which is in Australia and her favourite jewellery shop. She also recommended my work to them! Have a look at the website, it has some beautiful things!
I made some new earrings yesterday which I will be photographing soon, maybe even today depending on how it goes.
I also got a very kind email from the woman who ordered the gold ball ring and the sheet ring. It's so fantastic to get encouragement from people who know their jewellery. She has just been to Metalab, which is in Australia and her favourite jewellery shop. She also recommended my work to them! Have a look at the website, it has some beautiful things!
25 Mar 2008
Chocolate overload time is over....that's how Easter was for me. I have a teeny bit of a chocolate egg left, though!
Now it's into super busy time. I'm going to a Google information session in London on Monday, hopefully will be doing a free course on tax self-assessment soon, maybe another financial information course in London, and trying to get into more craft fairs.
I'm definitely doing craft fairs at the Rising Sun Institute in Reading on April 26 and then another one in November and December. I'll be posting more about those closer to the time.
So right now I really need to make loads of items!! I have to have enough for these shows.
I can't quite believe how cold it is outside - it's supposed to be spring! And I'm supposed to do a 10K run in a couple of weekends but haven't done any preparation!!! Eek! I will do a run tonight though. I have been saying that for days but it keeps being really cold and snowing and raining and generally being dismal outside. I hope it warms up a teeny bit, at least!!
Now it's into super busy time. I'm going to a Google information session in London on Monday, hopefully will be doing a free course on tax self-assessment soon, maybe another financial information course in London, and trying to get into more craft fairs.
I'm definitely doing craft fairs at the Rising Sun Institute in Reading on April 26 and then another one in November and December. I'll be posting more about those closer to the time.
So right now I really need to make loads of items!! I have to have enough for these shows.
I can't quite believe how cold it is outside - it's supposed to be spring! And I'm supposed to do a 10K run in a couple of weekends but haven't done any preparation!!! Eek! I will do a run tonight though. I have been saying that for days but it keeps being really cold and snowing and raining and generally being dismal outside. I hope it warms up a teeny bit, at least!!
21 Mar 2008
Well, I have been tagged by Aisha Wood, fellow UK etsian!
The rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. I don’t have a hometown, since I’ve lived all over the place and don’t remember anything about the place I was born since I left there when I was two.
2. I like crackers with ketchup.
3. My nickname was given to me when I was 6 by a neighbour because nobody could pronounce my full name.
4. I don’t like beer or coffee.
5. I hate butter. It makes me gag.
6. I don’t have a tv.
7. My favourite band is Underworld, because they are the best ever.
I am tagging: and I know it's only 6, but oh well...
http://alexandrahull.blogspot.com/
20 Mar 2008
Successful change yesterday to a functioning phone and internet connection, hurrah!
I am working on some cuff links at the moment - it's taking ages to get the finish right. It's hard to get a large-ish piece of flat sheet to be completely glossy. I'm using a wire brush finish, which means a lot of polishing, re polishing and some more polishing to make sure there are no stray marks. Also finishing off some rings and then I need to think about what order to do the rest of the things in.
It's very gloomy today, lots of rain. I'm waiting for a package - boxes for cufflinks and large earrings. I hope they arrive today because the postage cost a lot and was supposed to be 48 hour delivery.
Ehm, can't think of much else inspiring to write...just looking forward to tomorrow because the boy has the day off. It's a bank holiday for Easter.
I am working on some cuff links at the moment - it's taking ages to get the finish right. It's hard to get a large-ish piece of flat sheet to be completely glossy. I'm using a wire brush finish, which means a lot of polishing, re polishing and some more polishing to make sure there are no stray marks. Also finishing off some rings and then I need to think about what order to do the rest of the things in.
It's very gloomy today, lots of rain. I'm waiting for a package - boxes for cufflinks and large earrings. I hope they arrive today because the postage cost a lot and was supposed to be 48 hour delivery.
Ehm, can't think of much else inspiring to write...just looking forward to tomorrow because the boy has the day off. It's a bank holiday for Easter.
19 Mar 2008
I'm switching from BT to Virgin for phone and internet today, so lots of people running around with cables and such. This will mean that at some point today I will not have an internet connection. I hope it all works again soon though. Virgin will be cheaper and it's going to be better quality because the BT cable has had some problems with it for years.
So, more later if all goes well...
So, more later if all goes well...
18 Mar 2008
Ok, first of all, here is finally a photo of my new gloves from my exchange with knithappens: are they great, or are they great? I am typing with them on right now!
Secondly, I was asked to make a pair of cufflinks . This is the result:
I will be making more cuff links and should hopefully finish another pair today (different style). I have a lot to do today, again, so I will keep this short. I just want to say, though, that I made a decent stock inventory spreadsheet yesterday so I can track not only how much stock I have at any time, but also how much worth of stock I am making every week. That way I can tell if I have enough stock and if I am working at a decent rate.
Secondly, I was asked to make a pair of cufflinks . This is the result:
I will be making more cuff links and should hopefully finish another pair today (different style). I have a lot to do today, again, so I will keep this short. I just want to say, though, that I made a decent stock inventory spreadsheet yesterday so I can track not only how much stock I have at any time, but also how much worth of stock I am making every week. That way I can tell if I have enough stock and if I am working at a decent rate.
17 Mar 2008
Monday morning and it's sunny. How odd. It is cold, though, below 10C according to my not very accurate thermometer. It's usually saying it's about 5 degrees warmer than it actually is.
Anyway....so on Saturday I went to the Slough council and Business Link organised course "cash flow basics". It was, thankfully, very useful. The course took about 4 hours and could have *easily* been condensed into less than an hour. I think they were just trying to make it a day seminar, but it's not a huge topic. Since it was free, of the ten people who were supposed to attend, 4 did. When it's free, people decide at the last minute whether they are going to attend or not, in my experience. Apparently this was a pilot run though, so next time they will charge a bit.
The course was held in a fairly grim area of Slough, lots of boarded up houses and so on. But oh well, I didn't have to walk there in the dark so it was ok. At least it was walking distance from the train station.
So, the useful things I learned were:
1. how to set up a cash flow spreadsheet
2. Inland Revenue does free courses on how to do your tax self assessment and what can be deducted as business costs
3. Simplex D is an easy peasy accounting system
Now, the first one, I sort of was doing already but not quite in the right format. So on Sunday I just rearranged my spreadsheets to show incomings and outgoings in a better format and I must say it makes it a lot easier to see where I'm at, what I need to sell, how many things I need to sell, etc. There's a free cash flow spreadsheet on the business link website here. <-- This link will open the Excel spreadsheet straight away.
The Simplex D is a useful booklet set out by week where you put your sales and your expenses and stick your receipts to that page for that week and then for taxes all will be easy and simple. However, there's no way I'm doing accounts on paper. So I'm searching for an Excel equivalent.
So in the end, it showed me how to better format my accounts. I need to rearrange my files. I currently have invoices listed by type - supplies, hallmarking, etc. and then by date. But I need to change it to the other way around - I should have files by date and then state the type on the accounting sheet.
So that was my fun use of a Saturday!! I did do other fun stuff, though, some friends came over for dinner and such!
I also got my package back from hallmarking and one of the necklaces broke in the post, which is a real pain. I've sent that type of necklace before and never had a problem. Snif.
And I will get around to taking a photo of my new gloves at some point today. I've already used them lots!
Anyway....so on Saturday I went to the Slough council and Business Link organised course "cash flow basics". It was, thankfully, very useful. The course took about 4 hours and could have *easily* been condensed into less than an hour. I think they were just trying to make it a day seminar, but it's not a huge topic. Since it was free, of the ten people who were supposed to attend, 4 did. When it's free, people decide at the last minute whether they are going to attend or not, in my experience. Apparently this was a pilot run though, so next time they will charge a bit.
The course was held in a fairly grim area of Slough, lots of boarded up houses and so on. But oh well, I didn't have to walk there in the dark so it was ok. At least it was walking distance from the train station.
So, the useful things I learned were:
1. how to set up a cash flow spreadsheet
2. Inland Revenue does free courses on how to do your tax self assessment and what can be deducted as business costs
3. Simplex D is an easy peasy accounting system
Now, the first one, I sort of was doing already but not quite in the right format. So on Sunday I just rearranged my spreadsheets to show incomings and outgoings in a better format and I must say it makes it a lot easier to see where I'm at, what I need to sell, how many things I need to sell, etc. There's a free cash flow spreadsheet on the business link website here. <-- This link will open the Excel spreadsheet straight away.
The Simplex D is a useful booklet set out by week where you put your sales and your expenses and stick your receipts to that page for that week and then for taxes all will be easy and simple. However, there's no way I'm doing accounts on paper. So I'm searching for an Excel equivalent.
So in the end, it showed me how to better format my accounts. I need to rearrange my files. I currently have invoices listed by type - supplies, hallmarking, etc. and then by date. But I need to change it to the other way around - I should have files by date and then state the type on the accounting sheet.
So that was my fun use of a Saturday!! I did do other fun stuff, though, some friends came over for dinner and such!
I also got my package back from hallmarking and one of the necklaces broke in the post, which is a real pain. I've sent that type of necklace before and never had a problem. Snif.
And I will get around to taking a photo of my new gloves at some point today. I've already used them lots!
14 Mar 2008
Etsy is focusing on the theme of "homemade weddings" at the moment and Capitolagirl has been following that theme on her blog. She has kindly included one of my rings on her blog today! Check it out here. Exciting!!!!!
I did an exchange with knithappens - gloves for earrings! And I love my new fingerless gloves, they are perfect!! What I wanted was some gloves to keep my hands warm while typing/being on the computer. My fingers get soooo cold in the wintertime, even if the heating is on. So these gloves are the solution! hurrah! I will post a photo in a bit....I need to change the bulb in the light. (I could take a regular photo but then I have to adjust all the menu options on the camera and that takes more time than just taking a photo in the lightbox!)
Incidentally, I'm very happy with my new lightbox. The old one worked ok but not great. Dougs made this one for me while I was away (I guess he was bored!!!) from white foam board, so it's all white, which means less dark reflections. It's definitely an improvement!
So tomorrow I'm going on a "financial confidence" course. There are four seminars and I've chosen the "cash flow" one. I guess that means they will say what the cash flow is supposed to look like and how you're supposed to keep tabs on it and maybe how to tell there's going to be a problem. I keep good records, but I'm curious to see what they say. I hope it's useful because it's 10am-4pm! yeeks! on a Saturday! I can't find it anywhere on the internet, no information at all. I got a flyer through the door so that's how I know about it. I'm always amazed at some of these government/council things - they seem to be light years behind any regular business in terms of the internet. A couple of years ago, when I voted in local elections, I tried to find out local politicians positions on issues by looking them up on the internet. I looked at the council's website and elsewhere and anywhere I could think of, but there was nothing. Well, their photo, name and email address were on the council website, but that's pretty much it. That's quite pitiful, especially since a lot of younger people would rely on the internet to get this kind of information (I think). Or even older people, some older people who can't get around easily will also rely on the internet. Anywaysssssssss so I'll see how this seminar is tomorrow.
Incidentally, I'm very happy with my new lightbox. The old one worked ok but not great. Dougs made this one for me while I was away (I guess he was bored!!!) from white foam board, so it's all white, which means less dark reflections. It's definitely an improvement!
So tomorrow I'm going on a "financial confidence" course. There are four seminars and I've chosen the "cash flow" one. I guess that means they will say what the cash flow is supposed to look like and how you're supposed to keep tabs on it and maybe how to tell there's going to be a problem. I keep good records, but I'm curious to see what they say. I hope it's useful because it's 10am-4pm! yeeks! on a Saturday! I can't find it anywhere on the internet, no information at all. I got a flyer through the door so that's how I know about it. I'm always amazed at some of these government/council things - they seem to be light years behind any regular business in terms of the internet. A couple of years ago, when I voted in local elections, I tried to find out local politicians positions on issues by looking them up on the internet. I looked at the council's website and elsewhere and anywhere I could think of, but there was nothing. Well, their photo, name and email address were on the council website, but that's pretty much it. That's quite pitiful, especially since a lot of younger people would rely on the internet to get this kind of information (I think). Or even older people, some older people who can't get around easily will also rely on the internet. Anywaysssssssss so I'll see how this seminar is tomorrow.
13 Mar 2008
Aaaaarghhh!!! So I just looked closely at the gold balls I ordered and over half are cracked!!!!!! grrrr!!! So it probably wasn't my soldering that cracked the last one, it probably already was cracked. SIGH. what a pain. So now I have to send these back, get a refund, wait for more, hope they aren't crap. What a pain! What's with the suppliers at the moment!?? First the hammer, now this. I'm also on my third attempt at the silver part of the ring because it's not easy to get the size right when the ring isn't a straight forward circle. I don't mind that though, I'll get there. But faulty supplies really slows me down and wastes my time. :-(
12 Mar 2008
Windy, windy, windy. As I was walking to my lesson this morning I was actually mildly afraid that the trees in the park were going to fall on my head. The wind was whipping around them and they were leaning and creaking and moaning. Plus a few large branches had already fallen off!! But I obviously made it in one piece and am back home again after yet another inspiring lesson. Learned another new technique and will be testing it this afternoon if I have time. I have been working on a ring, another commission and have been having some difficulties. Namely, the gold ball cracked. So I have to start over. This is the photo of the ring with the cracked ball. It actually looks a lot more obvious in the photo. In regular lighting it's actually quite hard to see the crack. But it's there and I know it, so back to square one. Happily the size just happens to fit my middle finger perfectly, so all is not lost because at least I can wear it - the easiest advertising! 
In other news, I ordered a cross pein hammer from Rashbel and although it arrived today I was most disappointed because it has rust on it and the head is loose. Bah. So I called and happily they are dealing with it very well and will send me out a new one today. I've been waiting for this hammer for a while. A cross pein hammer has a wedge-shaped head instead of a round one. That means when you hit the metal, it will spread in one direction. With a round head, the metal will spread in all directions. So the cross pein hammer is the one to use for the fold forming technique, which produces things such as this:
Charles Lewton-Brain developed this technique and you can see more examples on this website.
Anyway, now I am off to attempt once again to make the gold ball ring.
In other news, I ordered a cross pein hammer from Rashbel and although it arrived today I was most disappointed because it has rust on it and the head is loose. Bah. So I called and happily they are dealing with it very well and will send me out a new one today. I've been waiting for this hammer for a while. A cross pein hammer has a wedge-shaped head instead of a round one. That means when you hit the metal, it will spread in one direction. With a round head, the metal will spread in all directions. So the cross pein hammer is the one to use for the fold forming technique, which produces things such as this:
Charles Lewton-Brain developed this technique and you can see more examples on this website.Anyway, now I am off to attempt once again to make the gold ball ring.
11 Mar 2008
So first of all, to anyone out there, if someone posts a comment on your blog that says "see here" and it's a link - don't click it. It's most likely to be junk or a virus. Just so you know...
So yesterday was a big pain in terms of soldering. Some days, all goes smoothly. Yesterday was not one of those days. One thing refused to solder, another cracked, another soldered badly. So I had to reorder more gold - unpleasant due to the cost of gold. Sigh. I hope today goes better.
So yesterday was a big pain in terms of soldering. Some days, all goes smoothly. Yesterday was not one of those days. One thing refused to solder, another cracked, another soldered badly. So I had to reorder more gold - unpleasant due to the cost of gold. Sigh. I hope today goes better.
10 Mar 2008
We are in the midst of a winter storm with high winds and lots of rain. Indeed, as I look out the window I see sheets of rain rolling across the houses. Thank goodness I don't have to go outside today!!!
One of my rings, the notch ring, is a cast item. That means I made it out of wax first and then got a mold made. The mold is then used to make multiple copies of the ring. With this particular ring, it doesn't really need to be cast because I can also make it from sheet. The problem with the cast rings is that the range of sizes is limited...you can't just keep stretching the ring because it will distort the shape too much or crack. So while I was in Singapore someone asked for this ring and I have made it out of sheet. But the result is actually much crisper and now I think it looks better without the notch in it. I have emailed some photos to the person who wanted it, so I'll see what she wants!
In other news, my friends Sally and Dave have launched their online tea towel business. Yes, that's right, designer tea towels! Need some encouragement to do the drying? Bored of tired old tea towels? Can't think of a gift for someone with quirky taste? See www.todryfor.com !!!!!!!!
So today I am aiming to finish one other commission ring and nearly finish two other rings. Then I will be ready to send a package for hallmarking. Hopefully all will go well with that plan and tomorrow I will be able to focus on replenishing my stock of small stud earrings - possibly with some new designs thrown in!
One of my rings, the notch ring, is a cast item. That means I made it out of wax first and then got a mold made. The mold is then used to make multiple copies of the ring. With this particular ring, it doesn't really need to be cast because I can also make it from sheet. The problem with the cast rings is that the range of sizes is limited...you can't just keep stretching the ring because it will distort the shape too much or crack. So while I was in Singapore someone asked for this ring and I have made it out of sheet. But the result is actually much crisper and now I think it looks better without the notch in it. I have emailed some photos to the person who wanted it, so I'll see what she wants!
In other news, my friends Sally and Dave have launched their online tea towel business. Yes, that's right, designer tea towels! Need some encouragement to do the drying? Bored of tired old tea towels? Can't think of a gift for someone with quirky taste? See www.todryfor.com !!!!!!!!
So today I am aiming to finish one other commission ring and nearly finish two other rings. Then I will be ready to send a package for hallmarking. Hopefully all will go well with that plan and tomorrow I will be able to focus on replenishing my stock of small stud earrings - possibly with some new designs thrown in!
7 Mar 2008
These are the seven pearls from Singapore :
The first 6 are about 1 centimeter long and have a single hole - perfect for rings or pendants. Not so good for earrings because each one is different. The color is really lovely. It does strike me as funny for some reason that these pearls are kept on bits of cardboard with blutack! But then I guess blu tack does not leave any marks on the pearls!
This large 2 centimeter long teardrop pearl is for a top secret project. (Bea, if you want to know, email me and I'll let you in on the secret!!!)
The first 6 are about 1 centimeter long and have a single hole - perfect for rings or pendants. Not so good for earrings because each one is different. The color is really lovely. It does strike me as funny for some reason that these pearls are kept on bits of cardboard with blutack! But then I guess blu tack does not leave any marks on the pearls!
This large 2 centimeter long teardrop pearl is for a top secret project. (Bea, if you want to know, email me and I'll let you in on the secret!!!)
6 Mar 2008
Thursday already! Today it's grey out - warmer than yesterday though. At least my fingers don't feel like ice blocks anymore! I sorted out my Singapore photos yesterday and a lot of them turned out pretty well so I'm pleased with that. I need to take a photo of the pearls that I have now! Here is a close up photo of one of the shophouses that are typical of Singapore:
On the airplane I read a book called Tanamera, which is an excellent read. It's set in Singapore so I enjoyed it extra because I recognised the street names and store names and so on. I highly recommend this book, it is really hard to put down. Luckily, since the flight back to the UK was about 13 hours, I didn't have to put it down! ha!
While in Singapore, I met some of the people my mom has met there, one of whom was Marlous. She showed us her fabulous jewellery collection and it was super interesting. She has gold, silver, plastic and fabric jewellery - all really different and stylish. It was fun to look through a whole bunch of jewellery collected over time from many different countries. She has some really beautiful items!
I did go to a lot of jewellery shops, nosing around to see if I could find something special. Unfortunately most of it was not my taste - lots of diamonds! Also a lot of jade with gold - which is ok but too ornate for my taste. I almost bought some expensive gold earrings, but I'm glad I didn't because I think the only reason I liked them was because everything else in the case was so ugly (in my opinion!) that those earrings looked good by comparison! ha!
I did notice that there were a lot of earrings with the ear thread style, like my ball & chain earrings. I don't see those here much, so that was interesting. I did get two pairs of earrings from my mom from a jewellery shop that did only silver jewellery - an Italian chain shop. All their jewellery was fairly simple with neat lines (although they also had lots of hearts...). I got one pair of ear threads with pearls on the end, which I like but they are a touch heavy so I have to keep checking that they're not falling out! I do like them lots though. Hm, I just went to their website and it is supremely annoying and it doesn't have the pairs I got there. And even though it seems to be an Italian company, it's only in Asia, so maybe it's not an Italian company...who knows...
Anyway, I have to go sort out another Etsy order now - my first one to Denmark! Hurrah!
On the airplane I read a book called Tanamera, which is an excellent read. It's set in Singapore so I enjoyed it extra because I recognised the street names and store names and so on. I highly recommend this book, it is really hard to put down. Luckily, since the flight back to the UK was about 13 hours, I didn't have to put it down! ha!While in Singapore, I met some of the people my mom has met there, one of whom was Marlous. She showed us her fabulous jewellery collection and it was super interesting. She has gold, silver, plastic and fabric jewellery - all really different and stylish. It was fun to look through a whole bunch of jewellery collected over time from many different countries. She has some really beautiful items!
I did go to a lot of jewellery shops, nosing around to see if I could find something special. Unfortunately most of it was not my taste - lots of diamonds! Also a lot of jade with gold - which is ok but too ornate for my taste. I almost bought some expensive gold earrings, but I'm glad I didn't because I think the only reason I liked them was because everything else in the case was so ugly (in my opinion!) that those earrings looked good by comparison! ha!
I did notice that there were a lot of earrings with the ear thread style, like my ball & chain earrings. I don't see those here much, so that was interesting. I did get two pairs of earrings from my mom from a jewellery shop that did only silver jewellery - an Italian chain shop. All their jewellery was fairly simple with neat lines (although they also had lots of hearts...). I got one pair of ear threads with pearls on the end, which I like but they are a touch heavy so I have to keep checking that they're not falling out! I do like them lots though. Hm, I just went to their website and it is supremely annoying and it doesn't have the pairs I got there. And even though it seems to be an Italian company, it's only in Asia, so maybe it's not an Italian company...who knows...
Anyway, I have to go sort out another Etsy order now - my first one to Denmark! Hurrah!
5 Mar 2008
I'm back from a fantastic trip to Singapore! There was a LOT to see and do there!! I got some pearls (a present from my mom) with a single drilled hole to make new rings/pendants and some little gift bags for posting items in and various others bits and pieces. It was an amazing trip which also gave me plenty of inspiration and encouragement for my jewellery! I also bought some earrings which will remind me of this holiday - they are rhodium plated seed pod earrings and look like this:
Now I am cleaning up my emails, sorting out some recent Etsy orders, updating my spreadsheets and making a list of things to do! I got 3 commissions from friends of my mom's so I am going to be busy for a while!! Unfortunately today I got a letter that the jewellery category was already full for one of the craft shows I wanted to participate in, but they are keeping me on the waiting list in case there are cancellations. Ok, so now I need to sort out my photos from Singapore and empty my suitcase!! More tomorrow...
Now I am cleaning up my emails, sorting out some recent Etsy orders, updating my spreadsheets and making a list of things to do! I got 3 commissions from friends of my mom's so I am going to be busy for a while!! Unfortunately today I got a letter that the jewellery category was already full for one of the craft shows I wanted to participate in, but they are keeping me on the waiting list in case there are cancellations. Ok, so now I need to sort out my photos from Singapore and empty my suitcase!! More tomorrow...
28 Feb 2008
19 Feb 2008
hello! things are busy and moving along! I have posted two applications for huge craft fairs -- the deadlines are now-ish for shows at the end of this year! madness. So hopefully I'll be accepted to at least one show. I have been showing around two new designs for rings of which I have no photos as of yet, and have been getting positive responses. These two are to form the basis of two of the gallery collections. One is very modern and the other is more modern-quirky. Well, quirky implies a certain whimsical-ness, so perhaps eccentric is a better word. In any case, soon I will be filling out those ideas with matching pieces and will be taking photos.
15 Feb 2008
Right, so Reddit and Delicious are two more social bookmarking sites. They work the same way as Technorati, really. And StumbleUpon. And Digg. All these sites are very similar indeed. You register, you see the list of sites that people have given the thumbs up (ie marked as a favorite, submitted, or whatever wording that particular site uses). The more people like something, the higher up the list it goes. With Reddit, the set-up is, in terms of format and font, pretty old school. It's not very pretty and it's just a list of links. But they do have a very cute little icon:
<-- this little creature is the Reddit icon. So, yes, these are two other social bookmarking sites.....you bookmark, other people bookmark, and hey presto you get to see the sites that are the most bookmarked. (One advantage of using one of these sites to hold your bookmarks is that you can access them from anywhere, not just your home or work computer. Also, you won't lose your favorites/bookmarks if your computer dies!)I still prefer StumbleUpon because you don't need to go back to the StumbleUpon page to find links. With the others, it seems to me, you always have to return to their page to browse through pages that are popular. With StumbleUpon, you just keep clicking the "Stumble" button on your address bar, so you don't need to go back to a central page. Just to make that clear, here is a screen shot of the StumbleUpon buttons: (Incidentally, if you want to make a screenshot and don't know how - find the button on your keyboard on the right hand top side which says "PrtScn" and press it once. Then open "paint", which is under accessories in the start menu, and go to edit-->paste. It will paste in your screenshot. You can also paste it into PowerPoint directly.)
Also, if you want to read more about StumbleUpon, Technorati or Digg, see my previous posts. (you can find them by looking at the right hand side of this page under my labels.)
<-- this little creature is the Reddit icon. So, yes, these are two other social bookmarking sites.....you bookmark, other people bookmark, and hey presto you get to see the sites that are the most bookmarked. (One advantage of using one of these sites to hold your bookmarks is that you can access them from anywhere, not just your home or work computer. Also, you won't lose your favorites/bookmarks if your computer dies!)I still prefer StumbleUpon because you don't need to go back to the StumbleUpon page to find links. With the others, it seems to me, you always have to return to their page to browse through pages that are popular. With StumbleUpon, you just keep clicking the "Stumble" button on your address bar, so you don't need to go back to a central page. Just to make that clear, here is a screen shot of the StumbleUpon buttons: (Incidentally, if you want to make a screenshot and don't know how - find the button on your keyboard on the right hand top side which says "PrtScn" and press it once. Then open "paint", which is under accessories in the start menu, and go to edit-->paste. It will paste in your screenshot. You can also paste it into PowerPoint directly.)
Also, if you want to read more about StumbleUpon, Technorati or Digg, see my previous posts. (you can find them by looking at the right hand side of this page under my labels.)
14 Feb 2008
Ok, so tomorrow I will be writing about Reddit and probably Delicious....because I just found out that the builder people are coming tomorrow to replace the broken door & window! Which means I have to clear out all the spaces around the window (door is already clear) so they can reach it to do their work. On the one hand, GREAT, it's finally being done. On the other hand, EEK, I have so much to do today and I have to plan carefully because tomorrow I will not be able to use my workshop. Ho hum. So, tomorrow more blogging, today less blogging!
I took a decent photo yesterday of my peek ring:
I took a decent photo yesterday of my peek ring:
13 Feb 2008
Had another useful lesson today....and am having a hectic day! I have to go again in an hour to another appointment. Hopefully I'll be able to get more done this evening. I made some new rings yesterday that I'm very pleased with. They are the beginning of the Gallery series - the series that I plan to bring around to local Galleries to see if they are interested in selling my work. I need to finish my craft fair applications this week as well - nearly there, just a couple more photos and finish writing my CV and a covering letter. Right, well, that's all for today but I have been looking into Reddit - another bookmarking service and I'll be posting about that hopefully tomorrow.
12 Feb 2008
Oh my!! How cool is this -- on Etsy, you need a banner along the top of your store with your store name. Well, you could do without, but it looks much better with. So there's a Banner-generator!! You can just type in your shop name and your tagline and get a banner! Sooooo useful!! Perfect for people who are just starting or for those who don't know how to make a banner. You can find the banner maker here. And here are some results when I tried it:
Eet ees COLD today. brrrrrrr. I can feel it seeping in from the windows. There is frost on the rooftops again.
So I'm trying to get together the right photos to apply to a couple of craft fairs. It's hard to know what photos to choose, having never applied before. I took some "group" photos of my small stud earrings. This is one of those: (but before I do that -- I thought that type of earring was called a stud earring, but it seems to be called a post earring....I wonder if that's a dialect thing, or if that's just me getting it wrong....)
So I'm trying to get together the right photos to apply to a couple of craft fairs. It's hard to know what photos to choose, having never applied before. I took some "group" photos of my small stud earrings. This is one of those: (but before I do that -- I thought that type of earring was called a stud earring, but it seems to be called a post earring....I wonder if that's a dialect thing, or if that's just me getting it wrong....)
11 Feb 2008
I needed a better hammer to finish rivets. My current hammer was too big to finish rivets neatly. So I orderd a hammer which I think will do the job - a ball pein hammer. Also referred to as a "jobbing hammer" on the supplier website, presumably because it has a LOT of uses. Anyway, so the hammer arrived and it is very cute and little indeed. Here's a photo which may or may not show the cuteness of the hammer:
(And in other news, all cement dust has been removed, all solder cleaned, etc. so that's over! hurrah!)
(And in other news, all cement dust has been removed, all solder cleaned, etc. so that's over! hurrah!)
10 Feb 2008
Note to self: never, ever, ever, EVER let the jewellery bench get covered in a thick layer of cement dust again. It took long enough to clean the living room!!! But the living room is fairly minimalistic, so just a bunch of large items to clean. The jewellery area is filled with teeeeeeeeny little things, every last one of which had to be hoovered, dusted, wiped clean, etc. I am now in the process of cleaning my bits of solder. See that period at the end of the last sentence??? That's how big the bits of solder are. I could throw them away and just start again, but it seems too wasteful. So I'm cleaning them. Bits that small float in water, I have discovered. I should have thought of that beforehand. Now I am picking these little bits of solder off the top of the water with tweezers. ha! what fun!
Anyway, at least that's the last bit and everything else has been cleaned. I met the people who want wedding rings on Friday evening and it went well, so I have a quote ready depending on what material they go for. First I have to wait for them to send me the drawing of what they want engraved on the rings and I need to call the engraver to find out how much that will cost. The costs add up quickly, not least because everything has to be sent back and forth with Special Delivery post, which is 4.75 pounds each way. Add the cost of the jiffy bag, and it's basically another £10 every time you need to post something to get engraved, set, hallmarked or to the customer.
Right, I must get back to picking bits of solder out of water and then I have promised to go on a long jog! :-P
Anyway, at least that's the last bit and everything else has been cleaned. I met the people who want wedding rings on Friday evening and it went well, so I have a quote ready depending on what material they go for. First I have to wait for them to send me the drawing of what they want engraved on the rings and I need to call the engraver to find out how much that will cost. The costs add up quickly, not least because everything has to be sent back and forth with Special Delivery post, which is 4.75 pounds each way. Add the cost of the jiffy bag, and it's basically another £10 every time you need to post something to get engraved, set, hallmarked or to the customer.
Right, I must get back to picking bits of solder out of water and then I have promised to go on a long jog! :-P
9 Feb 2008
8 Feb 2008
I am nearly finished with the website update now. Just need to change all the photos where I had earrings next to a thimble for size to photos with the earrrings on Anastasia (as my sister has decided to call the head). Then ideally some page numbers instead of "previous" and "next" and then that's more or less it for now I think. The "previous" and "next" buttons worked well, but now they're not so good because there are so many pages. So it would be better if there was a page thingy....like "Page: 1 2 3 4 next". A friend of mine is looking into it because it's Javascript, not HTML, that's going to solve that. I like Javascript, it's brilliant, and I understand the logic, but I don't know the syntax. All of that means I can't make changes to the Javascript myself, but at least I can see when whatever I want requires Javascript so I can call my friend and pester him to help.
We spent last night cleaning up the cement dust in the living room, woo hoo what fun. Today I have to tackle my jewellery bench, which is also covered. It's even more of a problem in the jewellery room because of course cement is hard. Harder than silver. So it would scratch silver if I left it laying around. It's going to be a pain, but it must be done. sigh.
By the way, the spell check button on Blogger no longer seems to be working, so sorry if there are lots of typos.
We spent last night cleaning up the cement dust in the living room, woo hoo what fun. Today I have to tackle my jewellery bench, which is also covered. It's even more of a problem in the jewellery room because of course cement is hard. Harder than silver. So it would scratch silver if I left it laying around. It's going to be a pain, but it must be done. sigh.
By the way, the spell check button on Blogger no longer seems to be working, so sorry if there are lots of typos.
7 Feb 2008
I just posted some new little post/stud earrings on Etsy. I was quite happy with how they turned out...
I'm nearly, nearly done with my major website update. A friend came over last night and did a change that I think will really make a difference - you can now click on the main image of the item and go straight to that item's info page. It should make it easier, more intuitive to get to the right page. Just two more items that need more photos and their pages updated, and then I can announce the update, hurrah!
I still want to make one other change, but that is less important, I think.
Anyway...........the levels of cement dust have gone down in the house, thank goodness. The new door might be finished today! hurrah! Then the rest of the cleaning can commence...sigh.
I'm nearly, nearly done with my major website update. A friend came over last night and did a change that I think will really make a difference - you can now click on the main image of the item and go straight to that item's info page. It should make it easier, more intuitive to get to the right page. Just two more items that need more photos and their pages updated, and then I can announce the update, hurrah!
I still want to make one other change, but that is less important, I think.
Anyway...........the levels of cement dust have gone down in the house, thank goodness. The new door might be finished today! hurrah! Then the rest of the cleaning can commence...sigh.
6 Feb 2008
Well, the finished ashtray --> wine bottle coaster photo is going to have to wait a bit. The house is completely covered with a layer of cement dust. Every little crack, surface, cup, table etc. is covered with a layer of grey dust. It's a complete mess and it's hard to do anything. I can't mix the resin in this mess to finish the coaster because if it gets the cement dust in it, it might not work, it will be grey, and it'll be a mess. This dust is all due to a new door being put in. I can't wait for it to be sorted!!!!!!!
In other news, I'm nearly finished with the ring for that big blue stone that I posted about before. I'm excited to see how it turns out and will post a photo as soon as it's done.
I also learned a new technique today that I'm very excited about because it's the perfect technique to help me make a holder for these brown pods I have. The pods are from some tree but are totally solid and don't rot or anything - they are dried. I haven't been able to think of the right way to make something interesting out of them until I saw this folding style today at my teacher's studio! Photos hopefully to follow in the not-to-distant-future.
I'm also preparing to enter some big craft fairs. I'm very nervous not only because of all the work involved (that's doable...) but what if I get rejected?? These shows are curated... Eek....I will try though, and then even if they don't accept me, at least I know what to do for next time.
Right....well I'm off again soon because I need to deliver some items....stars!!! These earrings and a matching ring:
In other news, I'm nearly finished with the ring for that big blue stone that I posted about before. I'm excited to see how it turns out and will post a photo as soon as it's done.
I also learned a new technique today that I'm very excited about because it's the perfect technique to help me make a holder for these brown pods I have. The pods are from some tree but are totally solid and don't rot or anything - they are dried. I haven't been able to think of the right way to make something interesting out of them until I saw this folding style today at my teacher's studio! Photos hopefully to follow in the not-to-distant-future.
I'm also preparing to enter some big craft fairs. I'm very nervous not only because of all the work involved (that's doable...) but what if I get rejected?? These shows are curated... Eek....I will try though, and then even if they don't accept me, at least I know what to do for next time.
Right....well I'm off again soon because I need to deliver some items....stars!!! These earrings and a matching ring:
5 Feb 2008
1. What time is it?
8.30a.m.
2.
What are you most afraid of:
death of loved ones
3.
Favourite food?
cheese
4.
Your natural hair colour?
Brown
5.
Have you travelled?
yes, lots, my whole life
6.
Love someone so much it made you cry?
yes
7.
Been in a car accident ?
only a teeny fender bender and i wasn't driving
8.Mercedes
Benz or Lexus
neither
9.
Favourite day of the week?
Friday
10.
Favourite Restaurant?
Satsuma on Wardour Street in London
11.
Favourite Flower?
dark red rose
12.
Favourite sport to watch?
windsurfing, or tennis if it's a good match
13.
Favourite Drink?
tea
14.
Favourite ice cream?
i'm not crazy about ice cream, but ben & jerry's used to do one with chocolate covered pretzels in it that I really liked.
15.
Disney or Warner Brothers?
warner brothers
16.
Favourite fast food restaurant?
taco bell
17.
What colour is your bedroom carpet?
blue
18.
How many times you failed your driver's test?
once
19.
From whom did you get your last e-mail?
Bob
20.
Hobbies
too many to list!!
21.
Bedtime?
before
midnight
22.
What means the most to you?
family and friends
23.
Are you Tall or short
tall
24.
What is your Favourite colour?
red
25.
How many pets do you have?
none, although I'd love a cat but can't because I'm allergic
26.
What would you like to accomplish/do before you
die?
be successful
8.30a.m.
2.
What are you most afraid of:
death of loved ones
3.
Favourite food?
cheese
4.
Your natural hair colour?
Brown
5.
Have you travelled?
yes, lots, my whole life
6.
Love someone so much it made you cry?
yes
7.
Been in a car accident ?
only a teeny fender bender and i wasn't driving
8.Mercedes
Benz or Lexus
neither
9.
Favourite day of the week?
Friday
10.
Favourite Restaurant?
Satsuma on Wardour Street in London
11.
Favourite Flower?
dark red rose
12.
Favourite sport to watch?
windsurfing, or tennis if it's a good match
13.
Favourite Drink?
tea
14.
Favourite ice cream?
i'm not crazy about ice cream, but ben & jerry's used to do one with chocolate covered pretzels in it that I really liked.
15.
Disney or Warner Brothers?
warner brothers
16.
Favourite fast food restaurant?
taco bell
17.
What colour is your bedroom carpet?
blue
18.
How many times you failed your driver's test?
once
19.
From whom did you get your last e-mail?
Bob
20.
Hobbies
too many to list!!
21.
Bedtime?
before
midnight
22.
What means the most to you?
family and friends
23.
Are you Tall or short
tall
24.
What is your Favourite colour?
red
25.
How many pets do you have?
none, although I'd love a cat but can't because I'm allergic
26.
What would you like to accomplish/do before you
die?
be successful
4 Feb 2008
I'm working on converting a 1950's silver ashtray into a wine bottle coaster. The ashtray was a gift for ex-employees of the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (Dutch ship transport company). It was in my dad's family, and has been passed down and passed down and the design isn't that...erm, well, it's kind of ugly. But my dad wanted the bits that were engraved, because it belonged to his family and the engraving is actually the nicest bit of the ashtray. So, I'm converting it. So, this is the photo of the ashtray with the pieces with the engraving on cut out and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post photos of the finished coaster...
2 Feb 2008
1 Feb 2008
My plans for the week got a bit sidetracked! I was planning on working at the bench but then I tried a new bit of javascript which is super easy to use! It's a slide show/gallery which lets you choose if you want the pictures to change automatically (and if you do, at what intervals). It also makes it a lot neater to have lots of photos of an item because it includes the thumbnails in the gallery so people can choose if they want to view the thumbnails or not - thus also freeing up a lot of space on the page. I think it works better and looks nicer. I'm working through my website updating with this new feature....and also making a clearer link to my Etsy shop to make it easier to purchase. And while I'm at it, also putting more new photos and new items. I'll post here once the update is actually finished....
In the meantime, follow the link below to see one of the pages I've already added the gallery to - and let me know if you think it looks good!!!
http://www.magpienest.co.uk/ringpages/silverbudring.html
In the meantime, follow the link below to see one of the pages I've already added the gallery to - and let me know if you think it looks good!!!
http://www.magpienest.co.uk/ringpages/silverbudring.html
31 Jan 2008
I just finished labelling my posts. I didn't do the labelling initially because I didn't think it was worth it. But I have written a couple of posts about StumbleUpon, Technorati, and some other social bookmarking sites which could be useful and it was impossible to find those posts easily without labelling. So I labelled all my posts and put a label link list on the right hand side of my blog right above "Links". So, if anyone wants to find old posts, it's a lot easier now!!
I will be looking into some of the other popular social bookmarking sites next week, so if you're interested, keep an eye out for that...
I am going to participate in a craft show on Saturday 26 April at the famous (infamous?) Rising Sun Institute here in Reading. The Art Market will be open from 10.30 - 4.30 so if you're interested, please come visit! The reason I put the infamous in there is that I've seen many a band at the Rising Sun Institute and it can get pretty rammed in there for gigs....I saw Bloc Party, Saloon, and erm lots of other bands whose names escape me at the moment. Anyway, it is a great small venue to see up and coming bands. I'll post more info about the Art Market nearer the time...
I will be looking into some of the other popular social bookmarking sites next week, so if you're interested, keep an eye out for that...
I am going to participate in a craft show on Saturday 26 April at the famous (infamous?) Rising Sun Institute here in Reading. The Art Market will be open from 10.30 - 4.30 so if you're interested, please come visit! The reason I put the infamous in there is that I've seen many a band at the Rising Sun Institute and it can get pretty rammed in there for gigs....I saw Bloc Party, Saloon, and erm lots of other bands whose names escape me at the moment. Anyway, it is a great small venue to see up and coming bands. I'll post more info about the Art Market nearer the time...
30 Jan 2008
29 Jan 2008
I'm quite disappointed that the earring display head still hasn't arrived. I've emailed the seller who said it was sent last week, but still no sign of it.
On the other hand, I ordered a bunch of things so I can work on some new items such as cuff links. I've had a number of people asking me about cuff links, so I have bought some of the bits one needs to make them and I'll see how they work. The trouble with cuff links and clip-on earring findings is that you have to be careful when you solder them. If they are already assembled and you solder them, you have a large chance of annealing the spring bit, so they no longer work because there's not enough tension for them to spring open and closed. So you usually end up either buying them unassembled or taking them apart and reassembling after soldering.
I also got a phone call about a commission - two wedding rings!! So I need to call them back and see if they know what they want. That's exciting.
On the other hand, I ordered a bunch of things so I can work on some new items such as cuff links. I've had a number of people asking me about cuff links, so I have bought some of the bits one needs to make them and I'll see how they work. The trouble with cuff links and clip-on earring findings is that you have to be careful when you solder them. If they are already assembled and you solder them, you have a large chance of annealing the spring bit, so they no longer work because there's not enough tension for them to spring open and closed. So you usually end up either buying them unassembled or taking them apart and reassembling after soldering.
I also got a phone call about a commission - two wedding rings!! So I need to call them back and see if they know what they want. That's exciting.
28 Jan 2008
Here's a photo of one of the Indonesian stone bezel pendants I just finished: (It's on Etsy, but on the third page because I updated an old listing instead of making a new one...)
Still no head in the post, sadly. I have emailed the seller to see if they've already sent it, so we'll see. It does say on the shop that items are sent out same or next day, so I'm confused as to why I haven't heard anything.
Anyway...so I may be the only person who hadn't already heard of Wee Mee. It's like mini me (Austin Powers, anyone?) but online and you can build your own. I think the website is yet another option for social networking, but I just wanted the mini me. I don't need yet another website/network/etc that I need to keep updated! I've already lost my login to LinkedIn and can't retrieve it because I can't remember what email address I used to sign up!! Anyway...that's another story.
So, wee mee. You just go to the site, www.weeworld.com and click on "create a wee mee" and then when you're done building your mini-self, it will ask you to register (of course). That's easy and free. Don't forget, whenever you're registering, to untick or tick the boxes to make sure you're not agreeing to lots of junk mail. Anyway, then you can use the Wee Mee on your blog, facebook, digg, or whatever else it's compatible with. Kind of amusing. No useful purpose whatsoever. So this is my WeeMee with a cup of tea in my hand...and so I need to get some more tea!!
Anyway...so I may be the only person who hadn't already heard of Wee Mee. It's like mini me (Austin Powers, anyone?) but online and you can build your own. I think the website is yet another option for social networking, but I just wanted the mini me. I don't need yet another website/network/etc that I need to keep updated! I've already lost my login to LinkedIn and can't retrieve it because I can't remember what email address I used to sign up!! Anyway...that's another story.
So, wee mee. You just go to the site, www.weeworld.com and click on "create a wee mee" and then when you're done building your mini-self, it will ask you to register (of course). That's easy and free. Don't forget, whenever you're registering, to untick or tick the boxes to make sure you're not agreeing to lots of junk mail. Anyway, then you can use the Wee Mee on your blog, facebook, digg, or whatever else it's compatible with. Kind of amusing. No useful purpose whatsoever. So this is my WeeMee with a cup of tea in my hand...and so I need to get some more tea!!
25 Jan 2008
I have purchased the bottom half of a head on ebay. For display purposes - as you can see in the photo below, the head has an ear which has a hole so you can display earrings. It's a hassle to show the relative size of earrings in photos. It's not good to use a coin, because it's country specific, so will mean nothing to people unfamiliar with British money. A ruler looks a bit naff and personally I don't think it helps if you've already stated measurements in your description. Bits of food don't look so good, etc. (I've been using a thimble, which is ok but then I suppose there are loads of people who don't use thimbles plus I think thimble size can vary...?) So I got this head and I'm hoping it's going to solve this issue!!
I've never bought anything off ebay before, only sold things on it. So I'm hoping that this head arrives soon. The seller had a very good rating - sold about a trillion items and 100% positive feedback. So maybe today in the post???!!
I've never bought anything off ebay before, only sold things on it. So I'm hoping that this head arrives soon. The seller had a very good rating - sold about a trillion items and 100% positive feedback. So maybe today in the post???!!
24 Jan 2008
So yesterday I looked into Digg. It's pretty much the same thing as StumbleUpon, except it doesn't seem to have a button you can put on your address bar. Both sites are an easy way to search for website that might interest you. With StumbleUpon, you indicate what you're interested in (arts, finance, etc) and you just click the StumbleUpon button and it randomly takes you to sites that are in those categories. With Digg, you go to the Digg website, register (for free) and on the Digg website you click on the sites in categories that you are interested in and they open in a new window.
The advantage to StumbleUpon is that you don't have to open a new window and you can mark the site as "I like it" or "I don't like it" without leaving the site itself. With Digg, you have to go back to the Digg website and click on "Digg it" next to the entry for that site. That's not terribly difficult, but it is one extra step.
The advantage of Digg, though, is that you can easily add the "Digg it" button to your own site or blog. I tried to do that with StumbleUpon and I couldn't figure it out. I think it's possible, but maybe it's not compatible with Blogger or something. I figure if it takes that long to figure out, most people won't do it. The "Digg it" button is easy to add (you can see it on the right hand side of my blog). Of course....that's only useful if people recognise it, otherwise they'll just ignore it. Same goes for the Technorati button to add to favorites....but it's nice to give visitors the option if they do use those sites.
If you click the Digg it button and someone has already submitted the site as interesting, then your click will just add one to the number of people who digg the site, thus pushing it up the rankings on the Digg website. If nobody has yet submitted the site, then you will get a very simple page asking you to write a short reason why the site is interesting.
Just to test how it all works, I submitted one of my Etsy listing as fascinating (well I had to use something!) and it got another 15 or so views within a minute or so. That's because when a new site is submitted, it *briefly* shows up on the top of the Digg listings for its category. But these views short lived and are unlikely to do your business much good. On the other hand, it won't do it any harm either.
And that's the sort of technical news for today.
While clicking through StumbleUpon, I came across this photo from a presumably Chinese artist - a pretty impressive table and a very clever idea:
The advantage to StumbleUpon is that you don't have to open a new window and you can mark the site as "I like it" or "I don't like it" without leaving the site itself. With Digg, you have to go back to the Digg website and click on "Digg it" next to the entry for that site. That's not terribly difficult, but it is one extra step.
The advantage of Digg, though, is that you can easily add the "Digg it" button to your own site or blog. I tried to do that with StumbleUpon and I couldn't figure it out. I think it's possible, but maybe it's not compatible with Blogger or something. I figure if it takes that long to figure out, most people won't do it. The "Digg it" button is easy to add (you can see it on the right hand side of my blog). Of course....that's only useful if people recognise it, otherwise they'll just ignore it. Same goes for the Technorati button to add to favorites....but it's nice to give visitors the option if they do use those sites.
If you click the Digg it button and someone has already submitted the site as interesting, then your click will just add one to the number of people who digg the site, thus pushing it up the rankings on the Digg website. If nobody has yet submitted the site, then you will get a very simple page asking you to write a short reason why the site is interesting.
Just to test how it all works, I submitted one of my Etsy listing as fascinating (well I had to use something!) and it got another 15 or so views within a minute or so. That's because when a new site is submitted, it *briefly* shows up on the top of the Digg listings for its category. But these views short lived and are unlikely to do your business much good. On the other hand, it won't do it any harm either.
And that's the sort of technical news for today.
While clicking through StumbleUpon, I came across this photo from a presumably Chinese artist - a pretty impressive table and a very clever idea:
23 Jan 2008
I had a jewellery lesson this morning which was very useful indeed. I have a light blue gem stone for which I have been comissioned to make a ring. The stone looks a lot like this one:
The ring is supposed to be very modern - no frills! I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, but didn't know if it was possible. My teacher showed me how to execute the idea I had, so it is possible and I will soon be starting on it! The design has no claws - so a very clean line around the stone. I will be posting photos as soon as I have something to show!! Updates coming soon!!
The ring is supposed to be very modern - no frills! I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, but didn't know if it was possible. My teacher showed me how to execute the idea I had, so it is possible and I will soon be starting on it! The design has no claws - so a very clean line around the stone. I will be posting photos as soon as I have something to show!! Updates coming soon!!
22 Jan 2008
Interesting developments in the plans for this spring - we are going to host a troupe of Morris dancers. Oh yes, MORRIS DANCERS. The first time I saw Morris dancers was at the excellent Reading Real Ale festival (which is brilliant, if you can get in). I had no idea what these funny men with white socks and bells and ribbons were doing running around flinging hankies and sticks in the air. Then I found out - they were looking silly in return for free entry to the beer festival! ha!
Ok, A Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers.
That's right, hankies are wielded!!
So, yes, we are going to have a troupe of Holland-based female Morris dancers staying for a weekend in June. They will be performing in or near Reading. I know you will be waiting for news of when and where with bated breath, so I will update you as soon as I know!!
Ok, A Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers.
That's right, hankies are wielded!!
So, yes, we are going to have a troupe of Holland-based female Morris dancers staying for a weekend in June. They will be performing in or near Reading. I know you will be waiting for news of when and where with bated breath, so I will update you as soon as I know!!
21 Jan 2008
I saw this photo somewhere on the internet. I think the artist is Chinese-German, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I liked the tongue-in-cheekness of these ceramic cans. I've seen plastic cups made with ceramics before, but adding the Chinese vase element strikes me as clever.
17 Jan 2008
I'm quite picky when it comes to liking stuff. I don't like knick-knacks. I don't like frou-frou. I don't like kitsch. I can appreciate it - there is a time and a place for everything. Way back when I lived in Pittsburgh I went to this club every once in a while called the Lava Lounge. One day a week they had this Elvis impersonator who had a keyboard, a stuffed monkey rigged up to dance around next to the keyboard, and a really bad monotone "Elvis" in a tatty old costume. The floor was filled with moth-bitten funny old masks - including an elephant head mask. It was, in a warped kind of way, perfect. It was entertaining and fun. It shouldn't have worked, but it did.
Anyway, so I'm picky. So I don't usually see stuff that often that I *really* like lots. But these cards from an Etsy seller are just brilliant. They look completely professional and yet are very personal. I just love the clean look and the potential to get just the right card - something you could never find with a mass-produced card. The seller is Storeyshop and this is an example of one of her cards:
Anyway, so I'm picky. So I don't usually see stuff that often that I *really* like lots. But these cards from an Etsy seller are just brilliant. They look completely professional and yet are very personal. I just love the clean look and the potential to get just the right card - something you could never find with a mass-produced card. The seller is Storeyshop and this is an example of one of her cards:
16 Jan 2008
So my sister just got back from holiday and their belongings were stolen out of the rental car. Terrible and very irritating!!! So, just in case it can help someone, here's the list of prevention measures for your home from Thames Valley Police:
- Good lighting is an excellent way to deter a thief. Timer switches can be used for internal lights or a radio so it looks and sounds like someone is at home.
- For external lights consider ‘dusk to dawn’ lights. These are light sensitive and come on when it gets dark and turn themselves off when it gets light.
- Visible burglar alarms make burglars think twice.
- Lock all windows – thieves can wriggle through any gap larger than the size of a human head.
- Fit secure locks to all doors and fit a door chain or bar. Fit visible window locks, including rear or side windows and those above a low roof. Fit locks to the top and bottom of patio doors.
- Never leave garages or sheds unlocked – remember to lock tools and ladders away so that thieves cannot use them to break in. Consider installing a battery operated shed alarm.
- Check for weak spots and sagging fences on your boundary. Make sure the front of the house is visible so a thief cannot work unseen, although a thorny hedge along a boundary makes a useful deterrent.
- Fit a strong lockable gate across side passages.
15 Jan 2008
Another gloomy and extremely windy day today. I did a fair amount of exercise yesterday, so rather sore in my arms. Exciting news, huh!?
So I am trying to find out how useful Technorati is. It's a site which gathers data about blog use and allows you to easily find blogs about topics you're interested in. I'm working on registering my blog on the site to see how it works. To do so, I have to include this link in today's post:
Technorati Profile
So I'll post this and then see how it works and post about its usefulness later....
Right, so I posted the above link and within a minute Technorati confirmed that it is my blog and I was free to write a description. Then you get an "authority" number, which is the number of blogs registered with Technorati which have a link to your blog....which is sort of useful.
Then you can add a bit of HTML which Technorati offers which allows users to mark your blog as a "favorite" if they use Technorati to keep tabs on blogs. That's the little green logo on the right hand side of my blog that says "add to favourites"...
So, for a small blog, it does no harm to register with Technorati but I can't see it making a huge difference either. I guess I will find out....if suddenly there are more comments, I will change my opinion!
So I am trying to find out how useful Technorati is. It's a site which gathers data about blog use and allows you to easily find blogs about topics you're interested in. I'm working on registering my blog on the site to see how it works. To do so, I have to include this link in today's post:
Technorati Profile
So I'll post this and then see how it works and post about its usefulness later....
Right, so I posted the above link and within a minute Technorati confirmed that it is my blog and I was free to write a description. Then you get an "authority" number, which is the number of blogs registered with Technorati which have a link to your blog....which is sort of useful.
Then you can add a bit of HTML which Technorati offers which allows users to mark your blog as a "favorite" if they use Technorati to keep tabs on blogs. That's the little green logo on the right hand side of my blog that says "add to favourites"...
So, for a small blog, it does no harm to register with Technorati but I can't see it making a huge difference either. I guess I will find out....if suddenly there are more comments, I will change my opinion!
12 Jan 2008
When I was in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago with the parentals, we chanced upon the Droog store. My mom enlightened me that Droog is the ultra-hip Dutch design group engaged in producing innovative items for the home. Well, mostly for the home, as far as I know. The store was most entertaining, with lots of interesting items. I think they are best known for a lamp which is made out of numerous milk bottles. I personally liked the marble bench most. It's a bench, filled with clear marbles. On top of the marbles there are three seats, so you sit on the seat and you can slide around. It's quite fun! Here's a photo of me on the bench:
11 Jan 2008
It's extremely gloomy today. Lots of rain and grey skies. As mentioned on the Outcast blog, my Q&A article about some of Reading's artists is out now in the January edition of Blah Blah magazine. Blah Blah has the listings for all that is happening in and around Reading.
My mom bought this beautiful jacket and asked me to make a matching pendant using some tourquoise stone she bought. Below is a photo of the jacket, followed by the resulting pendant.
My mom bought this beautiful jacket and asked me to make a matching pendant using some tourquoise stone she bought. Below is a photo of the jacket, followed by the resulting pendant.
10 Jan 2008
I'm getting increasingly frustrated by lack of camera, it having been stolen. I made two paintings for the boy for his xmas present. I took a photo with my camera phone, so the quality is pretty poor. But just to give an idea, below is that photo. The paintings are felt on canvas, with some patterned cellophane and paint behind the felt. Most of the pattern is cut out and some of the pattern is with paper on top of the felt.
9 Jan 2008
Well, happy new year or something. I had a great holiday until 1 January. Burglars got in our house and stole my personal jewellery and lots of other items. The jewellery is the worst, as it's worth next to nothing to them and for me embodies 32 years of birthdays, graduations, etc. The ring my mom had made for me for my high school graduation is the item I'll miss the most. I wore it every single day. Why on earth I decided not to wear it for New Year's Eve - who knows. I sure regret that decision. The necklace with my name that I got at birth from my aunt and uncle, the pendant from my great-grandmother, the bracelets I got from my other aunt and uncle for my 21st birthday, the necklace my mom and grandmother picked out together for me....
The burglars also broke the computer, so I have just gotten back online. I have gotten orders in the meantime, so I apologise for delays that occurred while I was sorting out the broken computer. I will post more soon!
The burglars also broke the computer, so I have just gotten back online. I have gotten orders in the meantime, so I apologise for delays that occurred while I was sorting out the broken computer. I will post more soon!
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