In progress

Glasses for necklaces in progress

 Not very exciting pics this week as without paint the engraving is hard to see. I am making a new bunch for some necklaces, using patterns and colour. 
I completed the engraving on some small cufflinks, the diam. is only 1.5cm. I hated to do them at first, terrible for the eyes, but am getting a bit better at it. Mercifully they are quick.
Made inroads this week with the tiny client base I am building. Got to start somewhere! 
We, trusty Laura and I, are working on several fronts simultaneously, as you have to do when you are starting up.  
A brand new website (from scratch); building a client base, literally one by one; writing a bio for front page of said site; handling all the admin for shows; getting in materials, etc etc.
We are looking at sites for inspiration  (Laura's research):

http://shop.elvafields.com/ for shop design

http://www.ikuria.com/  and http://www.atelier-rousseau.com/ for simplicity of design

http://www.rachellucie.co.uk/ for creating a story about brand

http://www.lauratabor.co.uk/ and http://gilding.net for classic design elements and font selection

Engraving the leaf

I have to now prepare a 'cribsheet', that is a leaflet to leave with clients about how it is all done!  It will be mostly pictures.
A rainy Friday night in London.  Take a break and bake some bread.
Have a good weekend!

It's Friday again

Snatching time in the studio, making drawings to make more of these discs. The one in the pic is actually on flat glass.  The abstravts are getting a good response. Bright colours are in, very good to do after all the black.
Loads of ideas for more, new stuff, but there is a lot of paperwork to do preventing me getting into the studio.   And the new website has to be built!
The World Wildlife Fund have asked me to come on board, and there are FORMS to fill in.
And there are one or two other possibilities which will help reach a wider audience. So, this is short, just a quickie.

Post Pure post

There I am in all my glory.

The show was brilliant. Loads of new contacts, leads and some sales! What more can you ask. I have tons to do now, filling out forms for new things like applications for things.... and trying too to make some more work. Not having a team means no work is being done while I do forms.  Maybe that will change.
Website news: present site will act as a portfolio while a brand new site is gestating.
Watch this space. Also learning how to handle Social Media!
More soon.

Back into the studio

I am really spending a lot of time prepping for Pure.
It is taking so much time, money, energy, attention as I have not done such a show before, so there are many Firsts. Like, boxes. The old boxes for the cufflinks were of cardboard, and caused all sorts of tarnishing problems. As I was new to this, it took me months to figure out what was happening.
Finally I returned them, to the, oh so British, cry of: "well, no-one else has complained..." and splashed out, again, on some beautiful gun metal ones that should do justice to a lovely product.
Tables have to be designed and constructed. Displays have to be ditto. Video,  machinery to be booked (extra). Demos have to be planned. Cards have to be counted and reordered, maybe. Lists made, mailings done. Clothes thought about.  And even, more jewellery made!   But once I have been through it once it should get easier.

Paperweight

In production

During practice layout

Necklace in production

Hospital

This is becoming more of a personal diary.
It was never meant to be, I thought I would write only about work, but Life is getting in the picture and taking up a bit more space than was intended.
So, after Henry's visit to the nurse for a dressing turned into a 9 day, and counting, hospital visit, it seems the problem is with the kidneys and the heart.  Dad feels ok, but cannot get up and move around as malfunctioning kids prevent blood going around and he gets dizzy and lightheaded. I do not know how serious all this is, but at 95 I guess you have to be ready for anything.
Meanwhile we have to attend to mother, 93, who has dementia but is quite good, given all this. She misses him like hell, as he does her. That is sad to see.  The family have to be kept informed, so I set up a new mailing group so they can all get the news at once.
Christmas is over, only NY to go, and then back to whatever work we can be getting on with.  I hope to have some pics of SOMETHING before too long.
Cant write a weekly blog with no pics, can we?
Cheers.

Good news and something to show

So it is not all about bad news... it turns out my dad is reacting to medication and that has been sorted and no more dramas and he is coming home. What better news for Christmas.
The other poor so and so's in the ward are all suffering from heart problems far more serious, and though they look like my dad, they are mostly 30 years younger than him. My age.

And finally I managed to complete some paperweights. They have the felt backing, the boxes, and are ready to go!  Yeh. Now I will being using colour, but so far we have made a start.
Happy Christmas, again (ps, I will get proper pics done when I have a larger collection, or try to do myself even.)

Just Glass show in January

At the PM Gallery in Ealing, there will be an exhibition of glasswork from the Just Glass Group of makers. Members have or have had an association with Richmond Adult College.
http://www.wsimagazine.com/uk/browse-by-continent/europe/united-kingdom/just-glass_20131014142042.html#.UrOGuTIgGSM
We have had this publicity, which is very nice.  Here is 1 of 4 items I will be showing.

Mirror with Monsters of the Deep