Busy, busy, busy...

This past month featured my debut at the popular Poolewe Tuesday Market and I have been so pleased with how well my work has been received. I will be back again for the three middle Tuesdays in May and glad to have a break, as I need to make more jewellery! Earrings are selling very well, and I will be adding brooches and bangles to the mix this month. In addition, I have an exhibition to get ready for, so it's full speed ahead for The Selkie's Haunt.

As I've explained before, over the past 18 months or so, I have been working "behind the scenes", perfecting metalsmithing skills and taking on new methods and ways to present my work. It is amazing and so very much fun. My patience has taken on new levels of longevity, as has been necessary when working with metals and fire. Things don't always go as you wish. I used to be the type to get frustrated, throw it all in the bin, and give up. But no more. I have so much I want to achieve and I am bound and determined to succeed. What I have done thus far is just the tip of the iceberg. I have so much to share.

Over the next month, I am going to make one major change to the way in which I present my work to you online. I am awaiting the delivery of a new bit of kit for my photography. I think it will give my images more depth and more realism. At least, that is the reason for the change. I will not be taking photographs of new pieces until the bit of kit arrives, but hope to be able to unveil the new images by the first full week in May. So, do make sure to check the site once that week arrives. So many new pieces to be seen and in a way that will vastly improve the viewing experience.

The Dornoch Summer Exhibition - May 21 through June 4

As I stated in the first paragraph, I am going to be preparing for an exhibition that takes place starting on the 21st of May. The Dornoch Summer Exhibition is a fortnight-long exhibition that features the work of artists in this corner of Scotland. I took part last year with my sterling silver jewellery. This year, it will be the turn of The Selkie's Haunt to be in the spotlight. I will be delivering ten pieces of jewellery to the gallery mid-month, ready for the big day. I am very confident that my work will sell well.

Speaking of selling well, I had a very good April at Lael Craft Gallery near Ullapool. While it was reported that footfall was not particularly huge, my work generated a good number of sales and I'm so proud of that success. I delivered new stock to them on the 24th and the new work is now out on display. I am hoping for a very good season.

Amongst the new pieces you will be seeing when the photographs are finally taken are more post-style earrings - all with sterling silver posts and backs. There will be bangles and brooches, along with some additional bracelets, necklaces, and pendants. I am thrilled with the direction my work is taking, and I look forward to exploring all the options open to me as I add to my repertoire of skills.

Spring is here!

What a strange month March was. In addition to not having particularly lovely weather, it was a time of changes for me. After seeing my neurologist at the end of February, and, thankfully, receiving the news that I have essential tremor and not Parkinson’s, it was time for an adjustment of my pain meds. After some to-ing and fro-ing that made me feel a bit manic, we have settled down with morphine tablets. They are handling the pain pretty well, but, oh my, between them and the beta blockers for my tremor, I couldn’t be more relaxed. And that’s not always good! I’ve produced far less this month than I had hoped, and my anticipated new collection for Ailleas Designs hasn’t even been started.  But I’ve been very busy with my bronze and copper jewellery. With two events this month, and then increasing numbers of events until December, I need to be sure to have a substantial amount of stock available for those events, and have some available for my stockists as well (I am anticipating one new stockist to be announced fairly soon). And I’m still working on that. I’m finishing up my first brooch, to be followed by more. I’ve opted against making rings in bronze and copper because, unlike silver and gold, the solder does not precisely match the metal in colour and I don’t like the visible seams. While that is more acceptable in general pieces, I don’t feel that rings would benefit from that look. I will continue to try to see if I can get a technique perfected that will not give me visible seams, but I am not going to concentrate on rings for now. Instead, I will be doing more with pendants, some bangles, and more detailed metalsmithing and designing.

If you follow my Facebook page, you will have seen the photograph of this pendant that I created using copper and a beautiful 4.5mm rhodalite garnet. I love the look, but didn’t feel the finish was as perfect as I wanted it to be. It became, instead, a gift for a friend. She loves it and, as another friend said, my not quite perfect is probably perfect by anyone else’s estimation; but still, I have my standards for making things to sell. I will be using this technique on other pieces, including its use with the precious metals and faceted stones. I am looking forward to exploring the designs that appear in my mind. This particular design reminds me of far eastern/medieval textiles. What other amazing looks can I create? I am limited only by my imagination and how far I can manipulate the metal. But I do love the process.

In addition to the markets in which I will be taking part, I will spend part of April preparing pieces for the Dornoch Summer Exhibition. The exhibition runs for two weeks from May 21 until June 4. I am so happy to be taking part again this year. I will be providing some innovative work for the exhibition and hope to sell well.

I am looking forward to working with larger and differently shaped cabochons as I expand my offerings for The Selkie’s Haunt. Keep your eyes on my Facebook page and my website to see new pieces as they are added. It’s going to be an exciting time.

Getting "the" look...

One of the things that plagues many artists is getting the look of the "brand" just right. Over the years, from the beginning of this business back in 2009, I have tried so many different colours and textures for my packaging. And while I wasn't unhappy with the look, I wasn't happy, either. Just as my jewellery has evolved, so has my vision of what the branding should be.

Finally, I have the look I want for The Selkie's Haunt. All Selkie's Haunt jewellery will now be sent out in beautiful brown kraft paper pillow boxes, accented by deep green raffia ribbon and the Celtic knotwork graphic I've chosen as my logo. The jewellery will be wrapped in gorgeous green mulberry tissue paper before being placed in the box. And once the package is tagged and bedecked with ribbon, bubble wrap will be placed around the box before it goes into a padded envelope. Even the mailing labels have been changed so as to give a consistent brand look.

The website has been given a makeover to reflect the new branding, as well. As I move forward with my new designs, they will continue to be presented on a white background with a green frame. So, it only took me seven years, but, at last, I have the look I have wanted for the brand. (And, yes, even this blog has been changed to reflect the new brand colours.)

I've been spending time in the studio working on new designs. I have the beginnings for three pairs of copper earrings complete now after a day of cutting, sawing, soldering, pickling, and tumbling. I will be working on some bronze earrings as well and hope to have at least six new pairs of earrings ready by mid-February. Some of the new earrings will have posts rather than hooks and these will be done in sterling silver. I am making the posts myself, as part of my quest to provide as much as I can that is handmade. The only thing I can't make by hand are the earring backs, so those will be bought in. I simply don't have the equipment or expertise for making those myself.

I recently purchased some beautiful 3.5mm cabochon pairs in six different gemstones. These will be adorning new earrings and I'm so excited about the prospects of more jewellery featuring set stones. I will be creating some rings and brooches along with the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that I have offered for the past seven years. I hope you will love them as much as I will love creating them.

Finally, I am thrilled to announce that The Selkie's Haunt will be taking part in some of the very popular Poolewe Tuesday Markets, starting in April. I look forward to being part of this very successful market. In addition, The Selkie's Haunt will be featured in the Dornoch Summer Exhibition from May 21 to June 4. I'm looking forward to creating some very beautiful pieces for this exhibition.