Neglected my Etsy shop lately....

.....So I've added a few lovelies in their this morning - 

Laura's Little Lovelies

Screen printing - I think I have a new addiction!

So last weekend I went to a screen printing course at West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Mirfield.  I had previously done an Introduction to Printmaking course there, and wanted to develop my skills a bit more.  The tutor was Clare Caulfield, who creates the most gorgeous pieces of artwork, and is so inspiring.  


We learnt how to use UV to expose and create screens, which gave a great effect and opened up lots of possibilities, particularly to get fantastic detail on the prints.  This was definitely my favourite part and has given me lots of ideas of where I can go with it in the future.  Here's a sneak preview of what I did on the day, and will be putting in my Folksy shop soon :)

What do you reckon??

November Sparks

I know it's been a while since my last post - I've been so busy and neglecting my blog a little....must try harder in future!


Anyway, I wanted to feature some of the gorgeous things listed by my fellow November Sparks so far (oh, and a few of

Secret Love Necklace

Keep Calm and Carry On

 my own listings too...) - click on the link below to be taken to the listing on Folksy.

Black Feathers Hair band from MollyMagpie Handcrafted Jewellery

Red Tartan Bow Band from Ickle Imogen

Flower and Filigree Headband from Lonely Hearts

News Giraffe from Esme Dodsworth Designs

10 Recycled Envelopes - Trees from Swirlyarts

Enjoy!!

Fancy a go at jewellery making?

In my new shop laura's little leftovers you'll be able to pick up a 'taster' size bag of beads, findings and anything else you might need to have a little try.  At the moment, it's just got a few red beads in, but more will be added soon! 

All things Parisian.....

To celebrate my 'Beaux Bijoux' and 'Paris, Je t'aime' jewellery ranges being in this lovely little shop I thought I'd write a post celebrating all things Parisian.  I really miss living so close to Paris, and in France in general - I may move back one day to open up a boutique selling my wares :)

I love this simple necklace from punky 'n' prettyful

Silent Theatre is one of my favourite shops on Folksy, and I particularly love this print -  I want a seat in the shape of the Eiffel Tower :)

These earrings from The Blue Jellyfish are gorgeous and whimsical 

The Whimsical Wren has some absolutely beautiful jewellery in her shop, but I particularly love this necklace, and I do love Paris :)

Montmartre is one of my favourite haunts in Paris, and I love the Sacre Coeur sitting on the hill overlooking the rest of Paris.  This photograph by Felix Landscape Photography captures the building in all its glory.

Last weekend I had a stall at Kirklees Craft Fair which took place at the Light Railway in Denby Dale. It wasn't as crafty as I'd have liked, but I had quite a few sales and a lot of interest in my handmade goods.

The weather wasn't great, which was a shame as it was an outdoor event, but I got to spend the weekend chatting to one of my best friends who had offered to help me out and kept me in pop and chocolate :)

Only one mishap - my Dad managed to lock my car keys inside my car, so had to drive home in his car to collect the spare. Luckily at this point we'd already got all my stock out, and whilst we were waiting, me and Mum decided to move round all the stuff to the layout you see above, so he kind of helped out (but don't tell him that!!)

Another fair coming up in October where I'll be doing a demonstration as well - I'll let you know details closer to the time.

A bit of good news....

Just a quick blog post to share with you some recent developments.  Today I was offered a permanent job as a PA (I've been temping for over a year since being made redundant) at the place I'm currently working.  


On Tuesday, on my way to the Print Workshop to print my etchings (photos to come tomorrow!) I spotted that the gorgeous gift shop next door was open, as usually I'm there much later, so I popped in to see if there was any chance they would want to stock my jewellery.  I met with the owners today and showed them my jewellery and they will be selling my stuff as soon as I can get it made for them! I'm so excited and happy, everything just seems to be fitting into place perfectly! 


Have you had any good news lately?

Oooh, I have a spare minute :)

Sorry I haven't blogged lately - been busy doing all sorts! Here's a quick run down.....

• last weekend I had my very first craft fair! It was at a lovely vegan cafe in Bradford - here's a pic or two... 

 

• the Thursday before that was my last Introduction to Printmaking session at the West Yorkshire Print Workshop. I'm so addicted to it, I've joined as a member and have already prepared 8 copper plates with hard ground for etching, and have etched 4 of them with images of Paris.  I'll be printing them on Tuesday and can't wait to see how they turn out! Pictures will be taken :)
• this week I took my jewellery in to work and made a quite a lot of sales and plenty of interest. Going to take it in again on pay day! 

I think that's all for now, apart from the usual (being busy making new jewellery and accessories!) - working on a Jane Austen charm bracelet commission today, and planning on giving resin another go tomorrow.

Vintage Vincent now available :)

I've just listed my pair of Vintage Vincent earrings on Folksy - more designs will be up in the next few days/weeks (depending how much free time I have!)

 

 

Preparation is key....

I have my first craft fair coming up next Saturday, so I've been busily making lots of new things.  Some were variations on pieces I'd already made, however I've also come up with some new ideas and even now have my own "line" of jewellery! Continuing my french theme, in particular retro adverts, here are some pictures of a selection of my new earrings -

 

 

 

The photos don't really do them justice - they're translucent, and in some cases transparent. I love them, let me know what you think! 

Giveaways!!

The winner of my giveaway is the fantastic Jesselu who chose this pendant -

In other giveaway news, check out the fantastic PRINT for LOVE of WOOD blog for a chance to win a lovely Bake More Cake print

This one is my favourite -

July Jesters

I have taken part in the July Jesters challenge on Folksy this month, which involved listing at least one item every day and promoting your items as well as others.  I've been ridiculously busy this month, both with my little lovelies, and other stuff, so haven't really had chance to feature any other Jesters.  So this is a selection of my favourite items from my fellow Jesters:

I don't drink coffee or tea, but am tempted to get one of these for my hot chocolates :)from Lemonade and Lamingtons

This gorgeous necklace is from Whimsical Wren Jewellery

Liz from The Little Bead Box keeps trying to bankrupt me with the gorgeous things she keeps listing, such as these gorgeous gem stones

If only I had a little star to buy this for! Cheerymishmash has some great batik designs

Beata from Iyobo Design is a genius with polymer clay and inspiration for what I can aspire to do.  I absolutely adore this bracelet.

Giveaway!!

To celebrate getting to 100 likers on Facebook, I have decided to have a competition/giveaway!!

To win anything of your choice in my Folksy shop (up to the value of £5.00), all you need to do is like my Facebook page and comment on any of my photos stating what is your favourite thing (on here or on Folksy) that I have made. 

For a second chance to win, follow my blog and comment on this post, letting me know what you would like to see me make.

Closing date: 8pm (BST) 01/08/2010. All entries will be put into a hat and picked at random by a member of my family.

Commission for Katryn

One of my lovely friends asked me if I could make her a charm bracelet for her to wear to a friend's wedding.  She wanted it to be a bit about her, about about the happy couple, and a little bit about me, so we sat down and discussed the details, then she left me to it - and here are the results:

Snail Jam (almost....)

I've spent a lovely afternoon making blackcurrant jam with my mum, from fruit grown at her allotment.  Luckily I spotted this little fella before we started boiling it up!

 

 

Love Red Earrings

Quick post for my listing today before I go to my Printmaking course :)