Ripley Jewellery and Bead Fair 18th October

So I booked a venue and started to organise everything for the fair, and thought “ah, two months – plenty of time to drum up business, might have to try convince people, but it’ll be ok”.

After a couple of hours I had four bookings. After ONE weekend I have ten bookings! Three of which are double tables!

It’s very very very exciting!!

So, if you’d like a table Get In Quick – they are going fast!! And if you want to come as a customer – the more the merrier!

It’s at Ripley Town Hall, Ripley near Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Starts at 10am (or whenever we’re ready!) and finishes at 4pm (or as late as people want to stay!)

Now what I’m got to do is make some literature for it, posters, leaflets etc. see about advertising for customers, and make up some kits to sell on the day.

I’ve had so much response to it, I’m even enquiring about a second, and possibly third fair after that one. Can’t believe how popular it is.

inspiration

So the other night I invested in something I’ve wanted for a long time.

I’ve been fascinated by other people’s millefiori designs for a while now, and have always strived to recreate them, or at least learn the techniques used to make them to make my own designs.

A particular favourite of mine is this person: Marcia (Mars Design) who I found on Flickr while generally browsing for ideas. Her stuff is amazing, so detailed and colourful - they are the ones I’d most like to be able to make myself.

You can buy uncured canes from Marcia in her Etsy shop, here’s the link Mars Designs - they are brilliant!

But there’s always been one design I couldn’t get my head around: this one, the detailed 3D rose. I love the way it looks 3D even though it isn’t. I had an inkling about how they were made, but didn’t really want to waste clay trying the wrong idea!

Well now, I can rose with the best of them ;)

I bought an e-book tutorial from this person: Yonat Dascalu, and it’s really good. I encourage anyone to do the same and try it. It does take a little skill, I’d say it’s not for absolute beginners but I’d urge anyone to try it.

the beads of a thousand flowers

Millefiori is a technique that was formally used with glass to make flower designs on beads. This technique has been very successfully adapted to be used with polymer clay.

The basic idea is that you put together long strips of clay in a certain order to form the design, so that it runs all the way through. Then you compact the design and roll it down to make a long thin ‘cane’. If you think about Blackpool Rock you’ll get the idea... This cane can be cut and the slices used for various craft projects.

Personally, I use them to make beads. Over the past few years I've made hundreds of them ;) You can cut a slice off and pierce a hole through to make a disc bead, or you can cut thin slices and stick them onto a ball of clay to make round beads.

The technique is so versatile, and almost any design you can think of can be recreated this way. Some people have come up with some amazing designs! Check out this page for some great free projects you might like to try: Polymer Clay Central cane projects.

first blog

Hello dear friends!

Well, I call you friends assuming that you are at least not enemies....you’ll get used to the Star Trek quotes, I’m sure...

Anyway...here’s my first post on my new blog, dedicated to my world of jewellery, beads, and craft fairs! I thought it was about time I started updating on the web, just so anyone who is interested finds out new info fast, and also so I can share my knowledge and hopefully teach someone something new every now and again!

So a little about me first before I get stuck in to the technicalities of jewellery making and selling....Hi, I’m Elizabeth! I am 25 and I love to make jewellery and beads! I started around about 6 years ago reading beading magazines and generally dabbling in jewellery making. I have always been a crafter, doing things like cross-stitch, card making, drawing and painting etc. It kind of led me on to study Fine Art – I needed a creative outlet and wanted to learn more.

I studied at Craven College in Skipton for 3 years, first on AVCE Art and Design, then a Foundation Art and Design year. My main focus was painting and drawing. After I finished there I started a degree course at the University of Chichester, but I found that it wasn’t ‘hands-on’ enough and so I decided to leave after a year. I come to like that decision more and more over the passing years!

I have been making jewellery and beads “seriously” (hehe!) for about a year and a half. It all started when I came home from the first year of uni and rediscovered a love for Polymer Clay. I started working on sculptures using it (which I still do from time to time), and then found myself drawn to a technique called Millefiori. I'll do a post all about this later ;) I started making beads with polymer clay and thought it would be a good idea to use my own beads to make jewellery with!

Luckily enough, a tutor at my old college gave me the opportunity to exhibit some of my work at the end of year fashion show for textile students. The theme I had to work to was ‘Jewels the ballet’. I decided to use crystals in the colours of the three movements of the ballet, representing Diamonds, Rubies and Emeralds.

It was good to have a goal, and it really focussed my efforts. After the show I was propelled forward by the idea of making things and haven’t stopping making jewellery since.

As many amateur jewellery makers have found, there are limited outlets to sell jewellery in. Craft fairs are few and far between, and some of them are quite elitist, even to the point of being snooty towards people who haven’t done fairs before.

So I have decided to set up a series of jewellery and bead fairs around the local area on a regular basis, to give amateur and/or semi professional jewellery and bead makers the much needed opportunity to display and sell their work.

I ‘bead’ every single day – I’m addicted to polymer clay! I love to make things, and love to see myself improving and my ideas coming to life in the form of beads or jewellery items.

Well thanks to everyone that stuck through all that! I’ll blog more specifically as and when I get ideas, or dates for craft fairs! Don’t worry, not every entry will be so long!