Affiliate Program Launch

It's been another busy couple of weeks getting new pieces ready for my Woodland Range, creating delicate flower and leaf pieces in silver.  My favourite by far is the forget-me-not flower necklace and all the pieces are available on line and at studio 6 at Manchester Design Centre in the Northern Quarter:

This week I've been working on an exciting new venture for my business which is the launch of my Affiliate Program which will hopefully leave me more time to design and make collections.  The affiliate program is perfect for anyone interested in jewellery, fashion and life style.  More information about the program can be found on my website and via:

http://enchantednymph.com/affiliates/

I'll say more on this in my next blog.  If in the mean time this is something you may be interested in getting involved with please get in touch via affiliates@enchantednymph.com

Manchester Art Gallery gets its “Senses”

It's been a busy couple of weeks getting my pieces ready for Manchester Art Gallery's “Northern Makers” exhibition. I'm very happy to confirm that they have now been submitted and are available to view and purchase from the gallery. The range that has been submitted is the “Senses” range which formed my final project at college last year. This range had been designed with the principles of Mindfulness and Neuro Linguistic Programming in mind. After some design development and tweaks the pieces are now complete.

I have kept the “Smell” pieces to the same principles design wise. The soothing lavender oil which remains on hand to the wearer. At college I had designed this 'sense' in the form of a ring, and this has now been expanded to include a necklace and cuff bracelet.

 

The “touch” pieces have had a complete redesign. The idea behind the touch element of this range was to provide something tactile to play with which will bring the wearer to the present. I realised that when items are curved, it make it very easy to tune out of the world and touch them absent-mindedly. With this in mind, I changed the design to be made principally of straight edges and angles. I also included additional pieces to the surface to create another level and more obvious texture to the wearer. This unexpected change in direction and level helps to bring the wearer back to the moment.

The “sound” piece has remained the same. The earring is ideal for the acoustic element of the range; bringing a chiming sound to the wearer which is not audible to those around them. I am in the process of completing the design of some more earrings to add to this range and these will be available for purchase soon.

My aim with this range was for the beauty of the jewellery to be at the forefront; bringing attention to the pieces for their visual appeal rather than the function which they serve. I have to say, I love them. And I hope that you will too!

An inspired start to 2017

This week has been all about developing my Woodland range and I've been busy designing new pieces.  I can't wait to get started on them!!

 

 

 

I've also managed to squeeze in a bit of making and am almost finished with this sea inspired cuff.  I love my job - the only problem with it is falling in love with my pieces knowing that they will soon be heading to a new home!

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I can't quite believe that it's 2017 and that Enchanted Nymph is into its second year in business. What a ride!! This time two years ago I was off sick from work with depression with no idea what to do with myself and my life. Getting out of bed and having a shower was a massive achievement most days and if you'd have asked me then to guess where I would be at this point, I wouldn't have even been close.

Throw voluntary redundancy into the mix and stumbling across a flyer about a jewellery course which was WAY cooler than I expected and here I am, addicted to playing with metal and creating beautiful pieces. In two short months after finishing the college course I was in two studios at Manchester's Craft & Design Centre as well as in the Kula Gallery in the Northern Quarter.

This month I'm very excited to be getting my pieces into Manchester's Art Gallery as part of their “Northern Makers” exhibition which will be available to the public from early February. Now that I have found my passion for jewellery, this year will be all about developing my ranges and growing my business. There will also be some exciting announcements coming soon.

I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported my business so far and for allowing me to continue pursuing my passion for designing and making. And special thanks to my wonderful friends Sarah and Vicky who have been so supportive as my cheering squad, spreading the word about Enchanted Nymph, in buying my stuff and commissioning pieces for loved ones, and visiting me at various locations to show your support and help out. You ladies have been awesome and I'm very lucky to have you in my corner!

 

 

The Next Stage for Enchanted Nymph...

With college finished, I've taken a step back to think about the future of Enchanted Nymph Ltd.   Now that I'm a certified jeweller (with a distinction!!! Over the moon that my hard work paid off) I've decided to give the contemporary and precious jewellery an identity of its own. It doesn't really make sense to be selling jewellery made from silver and freshwater pearls alongside 3D art and coasters. Sticking with the ‘enchanted/fairytale’ theme, this side of the business will now come under the ‘Bijoux Enchantee’ (Enchanted Jewellery in French) brand.

 

Once I’d made this decision, I looked at my other products and it made sense to do the same with the baby gift offerings, as again,  they don't quite sit in the homeware and art side of things. And so, ‘Petite Pixie Picks’ was born!

Which leaves the wedding line that I am currently designing and working on. In keeping with the overall theme, this side of the business will be branded as‘Wedding Fae Finery’.  There's a little more work needed on the logo which will be based on this theme:

My creations will still be available at www.enchantednymph.com - the only difference will be in the branding.  My different creations will be categorised under the specific product lines which will hopefully make things much easier to find for customers with specific needs who want to get to the right section quickly.

So with the new branding done, and I'm spending the next couple of weeks getting the website updated to reflect these changes!  And creating my Christmas range - which seems a little strange with all the good weather we've been having lately :-)

End of An Era and the beginning of great things

I've let the blog slip a little the last few weeks.  I've been working hard to complete my final project for the University of Art London, Level 3 Diploma in Art & Design (specialist pathway jewellery).  And I'm delighted to say that the hard work has paid off!  This morning I received my final grade: DISTINCTION!!  To say that I am over the moon is an understatement.  Not only at the grade itself but also because it validates to me that I am on the right track with my life. This isn't just a 'hobby' - I can make a living doing something that I love.


My approach is very much to challenge myself and push the boundaries of what I can achieve. I believe that nothing is impossible and tackle difficult tasks as though they are a puzzle to be solved. Overall I am happy with all of my design principles and having made the pieces for the project, I learned a lot about what did and didn't work. There are changes I would make in some areas to make them both easier to create, more appealing visually, and more commercially viable, but these are minor tweaks.  My favourite piece by far is my 'scent' ring - I love the shape, the overall effect and of course, how it smells!  It achieves everything that I had in mind when I designed it. 

 

  

 

We had our exhibition a couple of weeks ago which was a great event, and the best part is that following the exhibition, I was approached by my tutor asking if I would be willing to sell the earrings as someone wanted them.  I had to check behind me that she was in fact talking to me, and when it sunk in, I was so happy that someone liked them enough to buy them. 

Our last day in the studio was on Thursday.  I can't believe just how quickly the year went by, and I loved every minute of it.  The end of this phase of my life means that I am now free to dedicate my energies to the business which has been on a back burner the last couple of months.  So for this week I will be planning for the future and redirecting my energy toward Enchanted Nymph.

The final project continues....

In my last blog, talked about how depression has been a factor in my life, and I'm finding myself becoming more and more interested in art therapy since experiencing the positive impact of making stuff first hand. The physical act of making, and tapping into the creativity helped me come out of the other side stronger than I have ever been, and for the first time, excited and hopeful for the future.

For the next weeks I'll be finishing my final project at college. The theme I've chosen is a suite of jewellery inspired by architecture. I've always liked architecture and have come to realise since doing the course, how much this influences the work I produce. The jewellery will be made up of well being pieces aimed at those who struggle with anxiety, depression or nervous tension and other related issues.

Coping mechanisms which have been shown to help alleviate symptoms include grounding techniques and mindfulness and my jewellery is being designed to give the wearer a means to always have something on hand to aid in these methods. Each piece will simulate one of the five senses.

Sight – using colour, light and concepts of optical illusions to create moving pieces that have a primarily visual impact

Sound – through the use of tubing and weighted elements, the movement of the piece will create sound when activated. Or contain the operational elements of a music box

Touch – this piece will focus primarily on providing different textures, shape and movements

Smell – this piece will create the diffusion of a calming scent such as lavender or the wearer's preference when its elements are moved

Taste – this piece will provide a flavour element in addition to movement. Current ideas include vapour / electronic cigarette type mechanism without the nicotine or some form of cavity for sweets/snacks

I'll be posting behind the scenes photos on instagram if you'd like to check these out: www.instagram.com/enchantednymphltd