I got a surprise when the latest copy of this magazine came through my letterbox this afternoon – I’m in it!
Just on the letters page but it’s nice to see my work in print. I also win £25 to spend on beads! Yey!

I get asked this all the time so I thought I would write a post explaining about it.

Lots of people assume that copper jewellery will make them go green. This is not the case. Some people have found that their skin does experience some discolouration when in close contact with copper but it all depends on the person and the pH of their skin. It won’t happen to everyone and it won’t happen all the time. When wearing necklaces or loose bangles etc there is rarely ever a problem because the copper is not tight against the skin as the jewellery moves around a lot. Problems are sometimes encountered on the clasps at the back of the neck or on tighter bangles. This is because the skin sweats and reacts with the metal that is tight against it. This is NOT an allergic reaction; it’s just a natural thing that happens on some skin. It is not harmful in any way.

Obviously I don’t want anyone to turn green when wearing my jewellery so I take measures to prevent it. I use a special metal lacquer on the insides of bracelets and on the backs of necklaces etc to make sure that there is a protective clear barrier between skin and metal. This will prevent the reaction and will also preserve the colour of the copper. I have used this on the jewellery I wear myself so it is tested and I’ve had no problems with it, just compliments on my creations!

If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will answer any questions you have.

Inspired by a recent magazine I have been making much more intricate work than I normally do. I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m already thinking of new ideas and how I can make it in my own style.

Also, I’m thinking about re-photographing my work. I’m not sure though. I want to create a professional looking website with professional photos but I also want everything to look consistent and beautiful. More experimenting I think!

We had a lovely weekend in Devon, staying with my parents. Lots of beachcombing looking for shells, pottery and glass. It was so nice to get away from the city for a few days and enjoy the lovely sea air. We’ve got lots of bits and pieces to wash and sort so I can make them into pretty things.

Daz and I found these mussel shells with lots of sea weed attached to them and thought they looked pretty cool!

After a weekend of searching beaches for glass I now have the fun task of turning it all into pretty things. My drill has broken so a lot of my plans will have to wait but I can do other stuff, like wrap them in pretty wire. It’s so nice to have gathered the glass ourselves and sorted through it to find the prettiest pieces. We are off to Devon and Dorset next weekend to look for more (and visit my parents) so this won’t be the last of it you’ll see.

Daz and I went to the beach at Portishead today. I’ve never been looking for sea glass before and wasn’t expecting to find much but we were overwhelmed! Daz gathered 1.6lbs of glass before he went off with his camera and I found 2.8lbs of it! I was probably only looking for about 40 minutes! Now we’ve got to wash it, sort it and turn it into pretty jewellery

The last couple of weeks have been a bit stressful; a funeral, ill health, a few unsuccessful markets (due to lack of people there) and university issues left me feeling uninspired and fed up. Now things are looking up, I’m inspired again and getting back to work. I think it happens to all creative people every now and then, the ideas don’t flow and nothing seems to work. When that happens I think it’s best to take a step back, get on with something else and then when you go back to it, everything is ok again.

This bracelet is based on the first lesson I ever had at Shiney Rocks. I added my own personal touch with lots of swirls and spirals and a different catch. I love learning new things and then taking them a step further with my own personal touch to make it in my own unique style.

I’m really enjoying random, messy and tangled wire at the moment. I do however find it a lot harder than things with precise parts, set together in a certain way. Creating something to look random and unique is a lot harder than it looks. I had a few attempts at this before I was happy with it. I strung this crazy coiled and spiralled pendant on copper spirally links instead of plain chain as I thought it complimented the pendant more.

When I first saw these teeny tiny bottles I knew I had to do something with them!
From the bottom of the bottle to the top of the cork, these mini bottles are only 4cm. So far I’ve just put some crystals in one and some Shakespeare in other. Need to come up with some other cool ideas. I might try a Alice in Wonderland style ‘Drink Me’ labels for them.

I’ve been experimenting today, again!

I have wanted to try working with steel wire for a while and I finally got round to ordering some. It arrived in the post at the end of last week but I’ve been too busy to do anything till now. I want to experiment with mixing different metals and as much as I would like to include silver in that, the costs are just to high. Steel is as affordable as copper so I can make things without sending the prices sky high. I love how the different tones look together. I’m also working on methods to age brass so I can include that in my designs too.

I’ve been super busy making theses over the past couple of days. They are so fun to make and they seem to take on a life of their own as I coil and twist the wire around them.

They’re all listed in my Shop.