UAL L3 Diploma - Final Project!!

This time last year, I was ill with depression, a condition which has intermittently effected me throughout my life, and for the first time ever I found myself in the position of being unable to work and had to be signed off. I was off work for 6 months, during which time my employer was undertaking a restructure, and I was successful in having my application for voluntary redundancy approved after three attempts at applying for it. 

 

What was a dark time in my life, actually turned into a blessing and has pointed me in the direction with my life that I'm in now, and one which I love. When I was first signed off work, the idea of watching day time TV was really unappealing, and I discovered the Hobby Craft shop. I began experimenting with different mediums, making birthday and Christmas gifts for family and friends, and I am convinced that without this creative outlet, I would have continued to struggle.

 

If you'd have asked me a year ago what I'd be doing right now, I wouldn't have had a clue. I hadn't yet seen the advert for the UAL Level 3 Jewellery Diploma course at Manchester College while browsing in the art shop for something new to occupy my hands and my mind. It's crazy to think that I'm now working on my final project and in a matter of weeks, my time at college will be over.

 

So, in tribute to all those out there who have found themselves experiencing anxiety, depression or any other condition which left them struggling, my final project is going to be designed with you in mind. I will be creating a suite of kinetic jewellery, or simply put, jewellery that moves and does more than just look pretty, which is designed to give your hands and other senses something to do and bring you back/keep you in the moment.

 

 

Over the next few weeks I'll be finishing off my research, finalising designs and making these pieces so stay tuned for regular updates. If you want to see the behind the scenes progress shots, check out my instagram account at: https://www.instagram.com/enchantednymphltd

Jewellery Making Hacks

I am not ashamed to admit that I love a good spreadsheet. I'll hold my hands up; I am a geek and a bit of a loser, but anything that involves efficiency and clever (and sometimes really simple) ways of doing things in a better and more productive way, just really does it for me. And don't get me started on gadgets..... Love, love, love them!

So, with this in mind, I'd like to share some awesome jewellery making hacks that I've found on one of my all time favourite sites: Pintrest. There are two boards with lots of clever solutions for making jewellery: Jewellery Making Hacks for help in the making of jewellery; and DIY Jewellers Bench for clever storage solutions for your tools.
https://uk.pinterest.com/sam_smith12/jewellery-making-hacks/

https://uk.pinterest.com/sam_smith12/diy-jewellers-bench/

Please feel free to tag me on any clever solutions you've come across  :-)

40 by 40 (aka the mid-life crisis list)

I will be turning 38 in a couple of months and with the big 4 0 just around the corner, I've been thinking about the things I want to have done and achieved before reaching this milestone. So, with this in mind, I've created my 40 by 40 list (or the mid-life crisis list!)

1. Get the website for my business up and running (this one is currently underway! Check out www.enchantednymph.com for a sneak preview!)
2. Write a book & publish said book
3. Move into a house and set up an amazing home studio space
4. Get a laser cutter
5. Get a dog
6. Buy a campervan and go on a solo (with dog), weekend trip at least once a month
7. Have one of my photos featured in the National Geographic
8. Visit all the coastal towns in the north east and north west of England
9. Be debt free
10. Break even in business and earn enough to live comfortably
11. Get into sailing
12. Complete the RYA skipper qualification and sail in the Caribbean
13. Learn how to surf
14. Get my motorcycle licence
15. Use my camera more
16. Get a tattoo
17. Try paragliding
18. Ride in a hot air balloon
19. Learn how to horse ride
20. Swim 100 lengths without dying! 
    

    
21. Visit Iceland and see the northern lights
22. Enter one of my makes into an exhibit
23. Make a range of natural ingredient toiletries
24. Pottery lesson
25. Become vegan
26. Go to a silent retreat
27. Go to a yoga retreat
28. Get back into kick boxing
29. Take a helicopter ride
30. Flying lesson
31. Volunteer for a conservation project
32. Houseboat holiday
33. Write a children's book
34. Climb Snowdonia
35. Complete the three peaks challenge
36. Design a children's furniture range
37. Design contemporary cat furniture range
38. More quality time with the people I care about
39. Start the process for becoming a foster parent
40. Plan an amazing trip to mark the big 4 0!

Craft Fair Insight

One of the things I love about this business is just how warm and friendly the other designers and makers can be. I'll be honest, I came into this business a little naive. I had this romantic notion that I would spend my days making beautiful things hopeful that people would like them and want to buy them. Six months into this and I've found that there is so much more involved if I'm going to make a living doing the thing I love. At the moment I feel like I need three of me – the designer/maker, the social media guru and the sales strategist/manager. Each feels like a full time job in itself, and I am working to find a balance between the three that will lead to a successful business.

Yesterday I was at the Maker's Market in Spinningfields. A great event that is really well organised, hugely successful in various locations and generally has a lovely, chilled out and friendly feel to it. I was quietly optimistic that armed with my new designs and the excellent location that this would be the event where I would see the financial benefit to all my hard work.

I'm a little sad to say this wasn't the case for me. The money is not the thing that made me change career and do this, and yesterday I was reminded that there is so much more than selling that makes this job worth while. Don't get me wrong – getting the mortgage and bills paid needs to take priority – but becoming massively wealthy isn't my driver.

I was really lucky to have two fabulous stalls next to me: Catlyn Italian Gifts, and Rhubarb. When a gust of wind sent my jewellery display flying off the table followed by the dramatic sound of glass smashing and my stock strewn across the floor, these wonderful ladies came running to my rescue armed with carrier bags for the glass shards. They didn't hesitate to get in there and start picking the jewellery out from amongst the glass with me. In a way this was a great ice breaker (haha) as it lead to a conversation about my stall layout and within minutes, they had come to my rescue again providing a table cloth and words of wisdom for how to optimise my selling space. Within 5 minutes, they helped me to completely strip down my table, revamp it and get the stock in place.

I've done a few craft fairs now, and while there's no guarantee on how the day goes for anyone, I was starting to get a little disheartened about my humble sales levels. At first I wondered whether it was my creations, but feedback around these has been really positive, so I'm finally confident that my makes are beautiful. But something was definitely missing, and as it turns out; how beautiful my creations are isn't the full story. The way they're packaged and presented has a huge impact on whether people actually commit to buying them. So today I will be scouring pintrest for inspiration and with the great tips from yesterday, redesigning my stall.

I want to say thank you to Jo at Rhubarb for coming to my rescue so quickly and the words of wisdom and laughs. And a massive thanks to Catrina from Catlyn for your honesty and the much needed constructive feedback that I was desperate for [as well as the loan of the beautiful table cloth and the scarf when my lips turned blue from the cold :-) ]. This is why I love my job! Not many industries have the supportive and generous souls who want to see others succeed alongside them and yesterday was a great reminder that despite the occasional money worries, this is most definitely the right career for me.

More information about these three great business can be found via the following links:

http://www.rhubarb-online.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/CIGifts/

http://www.themakersmarket.co.uk/

Another storage solution saves the day!

I mentioned in my last post that my business venture has taken up a lot of the living space in my apartment.  Moving isn't an option at the moment so once again, I found myself improvising to create the equivalent of a spare room.  

With a little research for inspiration, a tape measure and a visit to the local Ikea store, I bought the furniture I would use if I did have a spare bedroom with a view to reconfiguring them using my Lego skills.  The furniture pieces needed were:

• Two bookcases creating 16 cubby spaces
• Two chest of draws providing 9 draws in total
• My existing bed - dismantled with the slats and structural beams kept for reuse 

It took me a full day to put together the flat packs and I spent the second day dismantling my bed and moving furniture around.     

As well as the storage gained via the draws and cubby spaces, the middle space is perfect for storing bulky items like my camping equipment, so I ended up with more space than just that provided by the furniture alone.  

The next stage was to secure the structural elements of the bed base to the top of the bookcases and smaller cabinet before securing the slats to the base. The final chest of draws was then placed at the base of my bed.  This piece isn't secured to the bookcases, leaving it mobile enough for me to drag out and get to the middle section as and when required.

The final step: putting the mattress in place and making the bed!  The result is a great storage space which takes no more space than my original bed.  And best of all - it's comfy too :-)

Jewellery Work Station for under £50

My business is pretty new so while I'm building it, I'm work from home. This would be great for saving money if I had a spare room, but the reality is that I'm fitting it in around my living space. It's gone from a corner, to taking over the place.

My newest venture is metal jewellery. I've gone back to college to learn how to both design and make metal jewellery - everything from casting metal to stone setting. What I didn't fully appreciate was just how much equipment I would need. A fact that I love as my favourite things are tools and gadgets, and one which has meant that I've lost most of my kitchen counter space.

As I'm now officially a student as well as self-employed, forking out thousands of pounds on fancy storage units and workspaces is not an option. So instead, I did what I do best: I improvised. I bought:

• Kitchen island from Ikea for £35,
• Kitchen rail and a shelf for around £5,
• Screws and hooks from pound land for £2
• 2 x 10cm bolts for £4 to secure my rolling mill

A flat pack, a drill and £11 on extras, and I've got myself a fantastic new place to work. And I love it! It's sturdy, there's plenty of storage underneath and most importantly it's mobile so is easily tucked into a corner when not in use. And I finally have my kitchen space back (well most of it anyway!) :-)

Colours galore!

I was in one of the most dangerous shops for me recently: Abakhan on Oldham Street in Manchester. A shop which should carry the warning label: "Enter at your own risk! There is no such thing as 'just browsing' - you will leave weighed down by beautiful fabric and an empty purse".

I went in determined to buy the two things I needed: blue fabric and white fabric for a pantomime dame's costume I'd been commissioned to make. Needless to say, this went out of the window the moment I walked past the basket labelled “African Wax Fabric”. The magpie instinct kicked in and my brain was hijacked by the 'Ooh pretty' reaction that then found me sitting on the floor for the next half an hour making piles of fabric around me: the 'definite', the 'maybe' and the 'no' categories.

It's been a while since I used my sewing machine, and these fabrics are the perfect excuse to cover my floors with scraps of thread and fabric (it's a messy business!) So, I'm thinking of the best way to show off these gorgeous fabrics is by making some boxy cosmetics bags, ipad cases and baby changing mats.   

I've spent this week making patterns, cutting fabrics and pinning them together.  My first attempt at the boxy cosmetic bag was not quite what I expected.  All seemed to be going well until I wrestled with the corner sections and it came out a tad lopsided!!  As I said, it's been a while since I used the sewing machine, but the general principle of the bag is good.  I just need to unpick it and tidy it up and keep trying until I get my skills back! :-)