Finished necklace

I've finally taken a couple of pictures of the finished red necklace, it took me a while to make, as over 15 metres of silver wire and over 200 swarovski crystal beads went into it. To see more visit my facebook page.

Jewellery making

Firstly, here are some pieces I've made over the last few days, which are available in Shildon.
Tiny heart and butterfly pendant on chain, the sterling silver heart measures just 1cm across, and has a pretty pink swarovski crystal butterfly sitting on it. Despite its small size, I've added some detailing by crimping the edge of the heart, and giving it a hammered texture. It's just £25, and while I haven't yet added it to the online shop, you can reserve it by email.
  
 Sterling silver ring, adjustable. I have another very similar for sale here, but this one is a bit bigger, and faces in the other direction.

Sterling silver heart necklace with blue and green crystal, length on drop is about 7cm, £55. Again, get in touch if you'd like to know more or to reserve this necklace.
  
Now a quick look at my messy studio desktop, I'm making a red necklace with over 200 swarovski crystal beads, and over 15 meters of sterling silver wire. It's very fiddly and I've been working on it for nearly a week now, but it should be worth the effort.
 

New products have arrived

My new stuff has arrived! I now stock gorgeous greetings cards by Flytrap!
They will be available in the Church Street shop from tomorrow, priced at just £2 each. The cards are designed by artists across four generations of the Venus family, most of whom live just outside Scarborough.
I'm really happy about the quality of these cards, they are really lovely, and of course my busy customers can now pop in to buy a gift, which I'll wrap for free, and not need to go anywhere else to buy a card.
Would you like to see these available online?  What else would you like me to improve? Do let me know :)

Freya's Ball

I'm donating this one of a kind necklace, along with matching bracelet and earrings to be raffled at Freya's Ball on the 24th August at Hardwick Hall in Teesside. All are sterling silver and the necklace is hallmarked, I'd normally sell the set for around £170.
There will be loads of great prizes on the night, including items signed by olympic athletes, one of Davina McCall's dresses, and I've heard that there will even be a celebrity auctioneer!

It's all to raise money for Freya Barton, a local three year old girl who has been in treatment for cancer since December last year, and for the hospital that has been treating her (Newcastle RVI). Freya would like to visit Disney Land, and I think that she deserves to after all the operations and chemotherapy she's had. To buy tickets, donate, or just to read more about this great cause visit http://www.freyasball.co.uk/index.php

Shop online to avoid the rain

I've been updating my website and Etsy shop today - no major changes, but take a look at this firey necklace on Etsy, it's the perfect gift to yourself for warming up a grey summer. You can also find it on my website alongside these earrings (pictured above left) and the matching necklace (above right) in this seasons trendy must have colour. They are all for sale at www.glanceofshildon.co.uk .

I have also been choosing a necklace for the snazzy night out that is Freya's Ball - not to wear, but to donate to the auction/raffle. You can find out more about this event and the adorable three year old Freya Barton at freyasball.co.uk The necklace I've chosen (unless I change my mind again) is a one of a kind hallmarked silver chain necklace, with sparkling clear swarovski crystals hanging along it in small groups. It's an eye catching double necklace, complete with matching earrings, and I'd normally sell it for about £145. There will also be prizes donated by celebrities, and some amazing gift experiences; if you want a chance to win you'll need a ticket to the ball!

All about Etsy

I have a shop on Etsy as well as my main online shop at www.glanceofshildon.co.uk Whilst on Etsy I've made some friends, so there it's about time I told you about their shops too:

Fem makes gorgeous crocheted accessories, you can find her at
www.etsy.com/shop/TheFeminineTouch

Nadine has a selection of carefully selected vintage items at
www.etsy.com/shop/muntjacvintage

There are buttons galore at Susan's shop
www.etsy.com/shop/susansharpeceramics

Dawn makes the coolest (or should that be warmest) tea cosies you've ever seen, and more
www.etsy.com/shop/jarg0n

Loutul is the place for pewter, cleverly embossed by Louise
www.etsy.com/shop/Loutul

You'll find the cutest textiles at
www.etsy.com/shop/GracesFavours

Sandra has collected naturally vintage items from Halifax
www.etsy.com/shop/CollectiveMiX

Excellent quality yarns by Kirsty come highly recommended
www.etsy.com/shop/WharfedaleWoolworks

Beautiful art prints, I'd love these on my walls
www.etsy.com/shop/KitzieG

Alex make bright, colourful textiles and cheery bunting
www.etsy.com/shop/WillowsRoom

Catherine is an amazing artist, and her shop is quite eclectic
www.etsy.com/shop/VelvetBarnacle

Ana is a painter, her creations will brighten up even this summer
www.etsy.com/shop/ChanelledCreations

Carolina makes really pretty beaded jewellery
www.etsy.com/shop/blossomingsilver

To please your inner nerd, stop by and visit Dayz at
www.etsy.com/shop/CheekyGeeky
visit her profile for links to her other Etsy shops and loads more goodies

Take a look at these paintings by Louise, they're bright and beautiful
www.etsy.com/shop/louisemead

And don't forget to stop by my shops too, for one of a kind sterling silver jewellery, and art glass at
www.etsy.com/shop/GlanceJewellery
and bargain beads at
www.etsy.com/shop/TheBeadSale

New website

I've been working hard on my online shop recently, and have now got some products for sale on my website. Please drop by glanceofshildon.co.uk and bookmark the site because it will be improving all the time!

Etsy treasury and other news

I'm lucky enough to have my butterfly necklace featured in this lovely treasury today http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTExNDI1OTN8MjU3Njk5MTY3NQ/butterfly-and-fairy-win..
A lot of work goes into creating these collections, so show some support by dropping by and leaving a nice message.


In other news, I've opened a second online shop to sell my massive supply of glass and gemstone beads. I no longer use these as I have decided to work exclusively with sterling silver, swarovski crystal, and of course my own handmade glass.
I'm listing all my beads in £1 lots with postage at a flat rate of £3, so you can get a good variety of beads at a great price, and don't have to buy loads of the same thing. The shop is called TheBeadSale on Etsy, you'll need to set up an Etsy account to shop, but you can pay by credit or debit card via paypal without setting up a paypal account. Visit the shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBeadSale

New cards

My new business cards with my online shop address arrived today - they're not the same style as my other stuff, but hoping they will stand out in my shop because of it.

Don't forget - you only have ten days left to use discount code MARCH2012 at checkout in the shop for a 20% discount, so visit www.Etsy.com/shop/GlanceJewellery soon.

While you are here at Blogger, visit Shalotte's blog for a great giveaway.

Online shop is growing

Well my Etsy shop now has over 50 items listed, so it's worth visiting, and just to give you an extra incentive to have a look now, I'm giving 20% off every purchase until the end of March, just enter code MARCH2012 at checkout.

My shop is at http://www.Etsy.com/shop/GlanceJewellery don't forget to bookmark it!

My lovely colleagues at Etsy have featured me in a couple of their treasuries (collections of their favourite items) which is an honor.

The first is pretty purples and the second is butterfly brilliant and if you like butterflies this one is certainly worth taking a look at.

Hello again

Well, I'd forgotten about this blog, as I've been busy moving around the country, and packing/unpacking my tools too many times to count. I'm now settled with a shop in County Durham, designing making and selling sterling silver and glass jewellery, and have just opened an online shop too, click on the images below to visit. I'll be adding more items to the online shop over the next few weeks.