Wanderlust Stud Earrings...

....and a hint of spring!

Would you look at that?! The snowdrops are appearing!

And the days are slowly but surely starting to feel longer - I worked in the studio until just after 5pm last week before needing to switch the light on!
So I was inspired to get back to The Blue Starfish table and get some bright, spring-like colours on the go:

New bracelets coming to the website - click on photo for link

It has been a long while since I've been inspired to get making new jewellery for The Blue Starfish and I think there are several factors surrounding this but the main one has got to be finding fairs/markets/shows to sell at - organisers are just flooded with jewellery applicants making it nigh on impossible to get in to any. I've even been trying with Graceful Deviant jewellery but no-one wants a silversmith either!
Still, there are lots of ideas kicking about for new designs and new avenues for selling will eventually appear I'm sure! Speaking of new designs, I was also desperate to have a play with my new metal stamps that came through from America - and here is the result:

Tiny silver studs - perfect for everyday wear!

To say I am thrilled with the possibilities for these stamps is an understatement! The studs are just the start there will be charms, rings and hopefully some stone settings all featuring some of these designs. The wanderlust theme is not going anywhere fast and when I spotted this gorgeous pendant handmade by Grubbi Ceramics I just had to have it!

A little treat for me!

Leather is probably going to be my material of choice when it comes to stringing as I want this stunner to remain the focal point of my necklace! As for the other little beadies - I'm not too sure what design to settle on but I think I might make a bracelet - I promise to show you all the finished results!
Until next time,......

Cheltenham Rock, Gem & Bead Show

A jewellers paradise!

This is one of my favourite shows to visit as it is a wonderful mix of beads and loose stones for jewellery making as well as a great selection of crystal, mineral and fossil specimens. Held at The Pittville Pump Rooms, Cheltenham, it was a lovely way to spend a few hours, grab some lunch and have a walk around the grounds.

A bit of a grey & gloomy afternoon at The Pittville Pump Rooms

I think it's fair to say that I was fairly well restrained this time out! After my most recent makes I decided to focus on sourcing similar gemstone shapes and sizes to offer more colour options for my earrings. Here's my haul:

Here we have crackled rock crystal, hematite, picasso jasper, lava, faux sea glass, coral and larkavite.

These rock crystals will work so well with the sea glass style beads for a wintery, cool look but also with blackened silver. Last week I also cracked the key to hand polishing oxidised silver to a matt, almost satin brushed, antique finish using steel wool - messy but absolute metal perfection!
I was also lucky enough to visit the Bristol Museum to view the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition which was excellent and I thoroughly recommend having a wander to your nearest one - it is touring around 60 locations so keep your eyes peeled!
The great thing about the museum is that it's free to explore and so after some lunch we headed back to view the Egyptian display, dinosaurs and more rocks and minerals! I never tire! Just look at this gorgeous display of weird and wonderful Earth gems - all of these were found right here in the U.K!

Selection of U.K minerals and gemstones

Fingers crossed the weather gets better this week as I have some new pieces I'm looking forward to photographing but it's just so gloomy and I struggle enough with product pictures as it is!
Until then, thanks for reading!

New found inspiration

Upcoming road trip seems to have influenced me more than I realised!

Itchy feet have struck again readers!! This summer, my friend and I are planning our second road trip and this one will be even bigger and better!

We're jetting off to Vancouver to begin almost a month of traveling around the West of Canada and flights were promptly booked last weekend so it certainly feels more real now. Here is our rough route:

One big ol' loop from Vancouver taking in the best of the National and Provincial Parks

We absolutely loved our time in Yosemite NP on our last road trip around California and so are making the most of what BC and Alberta have to offer and I think it's fair to say that the wilderness has definitely made its mark on my jewellery recently.
Plus, new tools arrived from the States last week so I had to have a play!

Bear Face // The cubes of pyrite reminded me of a sheer cliff or mountain side!

Be Wild // Clear rock crystal and kyanite to give an icy river or lake feel

This bear paw stamp is one of my absolute favourites at the moment - I love how deep the claw impression is giving a sense that the silver may actually have been clawed at!

A couple of new designs too utilising my solid acorn charm:

Simple, but effective and on leather it can even be unisex

The ever popular tree illustration with acorn charm - I never tire of making these!

If you click on the images they all link to the website where these are available to purchase.
I am curious to know peoples thoughts on whether they enjoy reading this blog or would perhaps prefer a weekly newsletter? If you would like to throw in your tuppence feel free to leave me a comment on here or Facebook - thank you!

Until next time......

Tea & Jewellery....

...does it get any better?!

It was a bit of a short week in the studio as I had to head back down to visit family on the South Coast for Thursday but some new earrings appeared using these fantastic little chunks of Fools Gold!

Domed sterling silver stamped arrow discs with turquoise & pyrite

Plus I also created this stunning necklace for a custom order - a 30th birthday gift:

Sterling silver angel wing charm & amethyst with oxidised silver chain

On Friday I paid a visit to the most fantastic little tea shop in Brighton called Talk of Tea on Spring Street. It's just off of Western Road, one of the main shopping streets in the city centre but pretty well tucked away which is why I would never have known it was there!
What a gem! Over 60 types of tea to try and all available to buy in 100g bags.

Talk of Tea on Spring Street, Brighton

I'm building my own collection at home now as I've got their breakfast tea, snow buds and jasmine dragon phoenix pearls - I can't wait to try more and I'd really recommend hunting it down if you're ever in the area.

So it's back to the studio this morning to catch up on orders and also to test one of the five new metal stamps that has arrived from the States - it's quite small but very detailed! Hopefully I can show you all what I've created with it next week so stay tuned :)