A year full of promise

I really feel this year is going to be a good one, fab and full of good things. Don't know if that's because I have made the determination to concentrate on promoting my jewellery, under the name La Lievre Jewellery. It feels good to be focused and not bitting and bobbing on this and that as and when I feel like it. I have taken the bull by the horns, I am in the process of updating all my online areas to tie up with one another, there's Etsy, good ole' Facebook, I've got Pinterest and Instagram, then there's this blog. Got a sign up form on my website so people can start to receive my newsletter, exclusive content and offers, right here ..www.la-lievre jewellery.uk

I have been more focused in my design efforts too, actually designing a spring collection, this consists of a set of 6 pendants that can be worn in any combination, one or two or three of them together. And it's got me wishing for warmer days. This collection should cheer the soul. And to compliment the collection and wrap up my branding into one tight package, I chose a new logo, to go with my new name, similar to what I was using any way and ordered lovely linen textured display cards for my pendants. So I am set up for 2016... Watch this space

New branding 

Spring Sparkle Collection 

The dash up to Yule

well I have neglected the blog a little, being a little lazy here and there !! no excuses !!

I had a couple of fairs and makers markets as well as a wedding fair which weren't very profitable, it takes petrol/time/money for these things you know !!

Life as an artist trying to make living is certainly not boring, dream up and make new ideas, work on the marketing and publicity organising stock, as well as working at my second stream of income teaching metal-smithing and teaching assistant a couple of days a week. I think I will certainly be back at Ely market come march next year, if no one hires me as Artist in Residence or I get a mega famous person start wearing my jewellery on National TV

My little effort at the moment is a two week exhibition with The Norwich Arts and Crafts Collective. There are some very talented, wonderful and friendly artists of whom I am making my acquaintance with when I do my invigilating sessions. These are the pictures I have of my work in there.  

The Selkie Wife

Here be Dragons

Yule Dreaming 

Black, White & Red

Jackaloupe

King of the Hares

Watching the Faries

The Kitchen Witch's Cat

full moon tides

First off with a little apology for being so long with this post, lots planned, but not a lot got done lately ! The full moon had been playing havoc with my joints, I was achy and in pain, struggling with work and popping pills, not quite knowing what to do with myself. We got together with friends to do our full moon ritual, actually done on the night after, so it was on the wane. Before the circle was drawn, I hurt all over, didn't notice until after, the main pain was gone !! woo  

So what with that and working out of the house on a Monday and Friday, finishing the market at Ely, getting ready for the Yule season of fairs and markets I have only managed to give myself more work but more income by doing some art teaching at a school, hasn't left me a lot of time for online activities or to finish the planned blog post about silver meanings 

One thing I must do is get my Yule card designs finished and printed. This first one is a little controversial but tongue in cheek, I call it 'The Meaning of Symbolism'  

I have to say though I enjoyed my first Saturday off  for some time, although I did miss the market peeps, Tracey & Nick, Sue & John, Paula & Mick and Maria. thank you my lovelies for the company and drinkies after my last market day and I didn't really have a day off. I actually managed to get into my workshop and do a whole day in there, at my sewing machine and got to work with some silver clay.This little lot is for a forthcoming wedding fair

The few weeks in the run up to Yule I have pretty much booked up with lots of fairs and markets as well as trying to stock for a two week exhibition with the Arts & Crafts Collective in Norwich, I may well stick to a theme for this 'Myth, Magic & Fairytale' I am looking forward to it all, meeting up with new people and those lovely customers, but in the mean time lots of work to be done and art to be created 

Hidden Worlds

Last week started with a visit from my mother,I didn't get a lot of work done, but we had some nice days out, some sunshine and a fair bit of rain. On our way home one day, I was driving in a downpour at 15mph, as I actually couldn't see where I was going. Scary stuff. 
Before all that rain, she managed to get some gorgeous photos, she has a great eye for a good picture, and found all this hidden beauty in my garden. I hope you will enjoy these wonderful pictures

For my next instalment I will be writing about silver,what it means to us throughout history,the things we created, the symbolism of silver in religions, cultures, mythology and todays everyday life. watch this space. I'm hoping it'll be a read. 

 

And then the rains came 

Seaside, Silver & Solder

Well Sunday ... we went in search of Vikings.  hmmm I was convinced I'd seen that there was a Viking festival on that day in Sheringham .. well we got there nice and early. no Vikings to be seen ... no adverts for Vikings... not even a small sign of a pillage in Sheringham. so we sat down and indulged our selves in a full english while we checked the internet. seems the Viking festival was actually way back in February, talk about getting the date dramatically wrong. oh well we had a nice morning out in the Dolomite an a walk down to the sea before all the holiday makers came out  

 and here is something I have wanted to get started on for some time, I have had the silver wire ready and waiting and the ideas in my head and finally this week I have got round to actually doing them. I have made 6 sterling silver bangles, spent the first half of the day melting lots of bits of silver into tiny silver balls for the granulation I am going to use on some of the bangles  

 Then once they have been soldered and hammered and shaped, the slightly tedious task of attaching the granulation

 Once thats done, then on to the exciting part, beads and colours and themes, I wire wrapped the beads onto the bangles, oxidised the hamered textures and handed them to my chief polisher - the hubs, he always does such an excellent job and he loves it - bonus.

and here are the finished articles, I loved doing these  -  they will need hallmarking as they are over 7.78 grams each and until then, they wont be for sale unfortunately  

 

and more details in the next few pics, the designs are quite appropriate to the coming seasons 

  This one is called 'Autumn Glow' - inspired by my favourite time of the year - the bangle has a hammered texture with dyed orange agates and moss agate and a little copper spiral and infinity symbol

 This one is 'Fields of Heather' as the heather will soon be appearing around us in the countryside, this design is quite appropriate. It incorporates agates, mother of pearl, a dyed freshwater pearl and amethysts and its quite lovely I think you'll agree 

This one is named 'Frosty Morning' adorning this bangle are tiny moonstones, teamed with silver sparkly beads and little blue and lilac flourite beads, with a slightly hammered, polished texture to the silver. 

This pretty one is inspired by the recent Perseid Meteors and just titled 'Perseid' we have frosted, filigree and plain silver beads, wire wrapped around the bangle along with some freshwater pearls and a tiny Garnet to represent Mars. In among the granules decorating the bangle are tiny brass stars and a copper moon - perfect don't you think 

I have to say this one is my favourite so far, this is  'In the Woods'  with a tiny brass running hare, lots of different shades of green and moss agate, an imprint of a perfect tiny leaf and a representation of a piece of tree bark both created in fine silver and last but not least a small garnet in a beautiful deep red to represent the fruit and berries we start to see towards the end of the year

The Kitchen Witch's Cat

over the last few days, I have been feeling witchy ... after having a week off from the day job last week and not doing any thing to replace stock for Sally's Silver Stitches, and feeling really annoyed with myself  I'm on a roll again. it was this little ginger cat that set me off

I managed to fit a fair bit into a smallish frame, there's the little ginger tom, with what I think is a bit of an attitude on his face ! the obligatory witches hat, along with a hanging cauldron and a bunch of herbs, drying above him with a little talisman hanging among them from a piece of string 

Then there's this one, it started off in my head as The Coven. Is it witches disguising themselves as Hares to conduct their full moon rituals?  think I'll call it Skyclad, they are stitched in reclaimed velvets and silks and sparks from the 'fire' light their moon dance

Then there's the 2nd version of The Hare, The Oak & The Amethyst that is above in the blog title, don't know which one I prefer. So now I'm on that roll, I better carry on, I've got Autumn, Samhain, Winter and Yule fairs to stock up for. 

From Sketch to Silver

Hey guys, I'm in love with these little spirit animals, sketched and carved into dry clay then once fired sterling silver chains to produce lovely necklaces, included with some of them are semi precious stones. The squirrel has not made it yet, poor thing !! he had an accident !  I have started some sketches of new animals, badger, cat, hummingbird and otter what are your thoughts on these and what other animals would you like to see ? A bear ? A dragon perhaps ?