Bleurgh

Well that is how I feel at the moment.... bleurgh. After a not so sunny summer autumn seems to not too far away and I am feeling quite grey. After completing my PGCE (yeah!) I am looking for a job (not yeah!) and getting more and more grey as the days go by. Hopefully something will come up soon or I will have ran out of house things to do!
I have been decorating our flat, the two bedrooms are now a newer looking shade of magnolia with bright, shiny, white woodwork making them lovely, clean and new. I have also been doing some sewing and made a wonderful (almost anyway) purse and am at the present time undoing some stitching on another one. I will continue un-stitching before re-stitching it correctly and then will show you what I have been making!
As you have probably guessed from previous posts - I love to read! So I have been reading my way through my bookshelf. I didn't want to bore you with too many book reviews so they will come one at a time later on.
My lovely kitten also keeps me busy - she has developed a keen liking to my new cardigan and keeps getting it out of everywhere I hide it! She is most mischievous but also too cute so I can't stay mad with her.

Lastly I am enjoying watching CSI....... it is on many times throughout the day so I can indulge frequently. My husband dislikes it, (or so he says... he seems to have been unable to leave the room while it has been on a few times now) so while he is busy studying I am taking full advantage of having the TV remote to myself!
One thing does seem to be missing from my list of past-times... jewellery making! Well I have done a bit and intend to do more. I am aiming to get everything photographed this week so if you don't see any new pictures by Monday please tell me off.
Although all these things are fun and I am enjoying my beautiful home, I would just love a job. But enough sadness... I am off to watch CSI!

Spring has arrived!

With the arrival of more sunshine I have brought out my summer jacket!! I may still be wearing a pashmina but the winter coat has been put away... finally. The Easter weekend was gorgeous and sunny, I didn't venture out and about but enjoyed lounging around the living room and basking in the warm sun. I had a well earned break with not a thought about work, it was bliss!

I also put together some more jewellery and took some pictures while it was bright enough to do so. I wanted to share them with you here:

This pastel necklace has been made with summer in mind, the muted colours look striking in this statement necklace.

These cute earrings do have a matching bracelet and necklace so look out or them, although I may be wearing them as they are my favourites!

Classic in white and gold, this striking long necklace will have a bracelet to match. This pretty piece will accompany any outfit, especially black.

Another of my favourites, this bright and summery disc pendant is inspired by daisies and will look perfect on a summers day. This item is for sale on etsy.com - Disco Daisy Necklace

To help you keep your place in your favourite book is your favourite bookmark, the Stars in Your Eyes Bookmark has a rainbow of seed beads surrounding haematite stars and can be found for sale on etsy.com.

In other news.... I have nearly finished my teacher training!! Since I began in September it has been a whirlwind of ups and downs, I begin my last placement on 20th April and ten weeks after that will have finished. The hard part is now finding a job, with any luck this coming September I will have a class of my own.

I am currently on Easter break and apart from writing an essay I have done absolutely nothing! Well almost, I have been watching Jonathan Creek from the beginning but am not getting any closer to cracking each case. I have also been to visit some kittens so I may well be posting a few pictures of a new pet in a few weeks, my fingers are crossed!

How has your Easter break been?

Long Time... No See

These past few weeks/months have been too busy to explain! Suffice to say that hopefully over the next few weeks I will be able to write some more blog posts and get more organised with my jewellery business. I am already thinking ahead to the autumn when I will begin having jewellery parties and getting ready for the Christmas period.
One thing I would like to share with you is something that I made for a gift but will be making more of in the future. This purse is handmade by myself using partly new material and partly material from old clothes (washed of course!!).I will be making some similar purses to sell, so please look out for them at http://shootingstar27.etsy.com They will each be one of a kind so you can be sure no-one will have the same as you.

Etsy Shop

With new items being added weekly to my Etsy shop, it is worth taking the time to look - you may find something you like!



The newest item is the Starfish Necklace

The blues and greens of the glass beads echo the colours found in the sea and compliment the starfish charm.

This beautiful necklace would be a lovely gift for any sea lover and would match a casual outfit or even dress it up with black clothes for a stunning evening look.

Etsy Shop Now Open

Please see my Etsy shop for current items for sale. More items will be added in due course.
Thank you in advance.

A beautiful bunch of flowers

Following last weeks feature on flowers from other artists I now present to you my work that has a common theme of flowers.

Each piece is handmade by me and is available to purchase. The items will be available shortly on etsy.com and I will keep you updated on my shop there. You will be the first to know when it opens.

If you have any questions about any items you see and like, please feel free to contact me on star_027@hotmail.com

Valentine's Gifts

Valentine's Day is less than a week away, so come and buy your gifts here!

To buy any of these gifts, please email me (at star_027@hotmail.com) with your choices and how you will pay. You can either pay in cash or via PayPal.
If you choose to pay via PayPal I can post the item first class to you the next day so it should reach you the day after that.
Postage is £1.50 per item and each item will be individually wrapped in tissue paper before being packaged in a protective envelope.
If you have any queries, please ask.













White Bone Heart Necklace £7.50












Pink Glass Heart Necklace £7.50












Black Millefiore Heart Earrings £3.00

Blue Heart Bangle £5.00

Turquoise & Black Heart Necklace £7.50

Strawberry Phone Charm £2.00

Red Heart Pendant £15.00

Purple Heart Bracelet £5.00

Purple Cube Bracelet £7.50










Black Millefiore Heart Phone Charm £2.50

Blue & White Heart Bracelet £5.00

Black Heart Pendant Necklace £15.00

Jewellery Classes

For the past three weeks I have been going to a Jewellery Class at Portsmouth High School. The tutor, Lucille Scott, is a Design Technology teacher at the school and is giving lessons in jewellery making each week.

In the first week, I explored different tools for working with soft metals and made a wire bracelet. It was good practice to see how to use the tools correctly and produce something entirely from bent wire - no soldering.

I started to make a copper ring in the second week of the sessions and although having done this before, I found I was re-learning many of the techniques. The whole sessions have been great to refresh my memory and skills. I also made a wire and bead bracelet which I will use the template for again to make further items of jewellery.

I have enjoyed the lessons so far and will continue to enjoy the next seven weeks as well as learning more skills to add to my repertoire.

5 Reasons You Should Buy Handmade Jewellery From The Designer

1. The Price:
As a designer, the price you pay for an item of jewellery does not have to include the overheads that retailers have to cover. The designer can afford to offer discounts, free earrings or a whole set for a better price than the retailer. In other words you are getting more for your money, on both quantity and quality.
2. The Quality:
Each piece that I make as a designer is made with the utmost care and attention. If something is not quite right, I will start over and believe me it may take more than one attempt to get something looking right.
I always take the time to get to know each piece of jewellery I make, and can spend the time telling you what you are receiving. I will always be honest with what materials I have used and you can be sure the price accurately reflects the quality of materials.
3. Customisation:
You want something that looks the same but slightly different? As a designer, I can do it! If a piece is not quite how you want it, just ask. If you prefer a different colour, it’s not long enough; it’s too long; I can change it to suit you. In addition, if you have an old bracelet, or item you have bought elsewhere, that needs re-vamping, again just ask and I will see what I can do with it.
4. Uniqueness:
Each piece is a unique item that has been crafted in a certain way to achieve a unique look. As I said before, pieces can be adapted to suit you making all items distinct. Pieces are often one-off, but if you want the same thing as someone else, just ask!
5. Service:
When you shop from a designer you will receive a one-to-one service that will out weigh any you receive from a retailer. By having this special relationship with the designer, it enables you to have exactly what you want. If you are unhappy with the design process, you can change the outcome. Although many pieces are ready made for purchase, the great thing about shopping from the designer is that you can ask them to make something else specifically for you. Building that relationship with the designer will help you create the perfect item of jewellery.

Designers work to please you, their customers. If you are not happy with your purchases and the service you receive, you will go elsewhere. That is not our aim.

I strive to provide an individualised service to each customer, to enable them to feel comfortable in the knowledge that their piece of jewellery has been made for them.

This blog post has been adapted from the article at http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/buy-jewelry.html

Happy New Year

I am sorry for the delay in wishing everyone a happy new year, time seems to be going too fast already this year and I can tell I am going to have to be strict with myself this year.
After a lovely but very busy festive period I already feel I am behind with my own projects. I always seem to be saying to myself that I should make more jewellery, write more blog posts and in general ..... do more! So that is one of my new year's resolutions: to do what I say I will do! As well as this resolution I hope to have a more successful year with promoting my jewellery business. I am going to try to post a blog every week.... if I don't please nag me, I need it judging by last year!

November 2008

After my first jewellery party in 2007, I had some idea of what to expect, but my last jewellery party, earlier this month, just proves that every day is different.
I had a lot of interest into the jewellery party, many people had not actually come across one before so I was able to reach out to new potential customers. On the actual day of the party, I was surprisingly nervous and spent quite a bit of time preparing myself and getting things looking just right.
As people began to arrive I felt much better about the party and started to enjoy it a bit more. I had decided this year to lay out a selection of my beads and charms for guests to browse through and choose items to have made into custom designs. This idea really worked well and I took as many orders as I did sell actual pieces.
I feel that this years jewellery party was a success in that I found some new customers and I took many orders. I did enjoy the evening as it went on and found that quite a few existing customers remained.
As winter is approaching, Halloween and Bonfire night is behind us, the evenings are getting darker and colder. I have been somewhat lazy with making new pieces and especially lazy with photographing. That is why now I have many photographed pieces to show you.... I have pulled my finger out and got on with it!

Jewellery Party

After such a long time of not writing, I am just going to write a quick message to say that there will be a Jewellery Party next week, November 4th. Hopefully people will come but I have not had as good a response this year, but there is still time before Christmas to sell some jewellery!

New web shop

Please check my online web store at http://www.freewebs.com/shootingstar27/.
I have just updated my website with a gallery of jewellery already sold - these items can be remade using similar colours and materials, please just ask.
There is also a new web shop http://www.freewebs.com/shootingstar27/apps/webstore/ with only a few items at the moment, but please keep coming back, I will update with the new products as I put them online.

Where are the biscuits?

On Friday we went along the Central Library, in Portsmouth, to attend a Murder Mystery evening. We were unsure what to expect but it started off with an author talk from two local authors, June Hampson and Pauline Rowson. After the talks, a body was discovered and this began the Central Trail which we were to follow to uncover the murderer. The clues led us around the library, once we had the final clue it was up to us to question the witnesses to piece together the last moments of the victims life and discover her murderer.
Our team raced through the clues and then uncovered some interesting facts from the witnesses before finalising our evidence and winning the prize! Two teams guessed the murderer correctly as well as the motive, and were rewarded with a signed copy of the two authors' books. Our team won a signed copy of Pauline Rowson's 'The Suffocating Sea'.
See Pauline's own blog for a more in depth account of the evening. Overall a fun and enjoyable night.

Going Well

The past few weeks have been really great for jewellery sales. I can't really explain why but things seem to have taken off. Whether it is because I am wearing jewellery I have made every day or that I have been making more of a point to say that I make jewellery.... whatever it is it is working!
Hope everyone has been enjoying the sunshine, looks like it is over now just in time for the weekend. Not much happening this weekend for me apart from a murder mystery night this evening which should be quite fun.
Hopefully I will get some more pictures taken this weekend and put them online in the near future, but I do realise I say that quite a lot!!

Trying My Luck...

As it is a 5p listing day, I thought I would give it a go and put a few items of jewellery on EBay. I am not expecting anything so any viewers will be much appreciated.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/Jewellery-Watches__W0QQQ5ftrksidZp3911Q2ec0Q2em1QQQ5fcatrefZ1QQ_flnZ1QQ_npmvZ3QQ_sacatZ281QQ_ssnZstarQ5f027QQ_ssovZ1
It has been a long time since last writing a blog, and it feels good to be writing again. Hopefully I can stay motivated enough to keep writing!
I am in the mood to be making more jewellery, and have been doing so, but it is just the hassle of taking all the photos that holds me back. I wish there was an easier way.... Never mind, I am sure I will be inspired to take some photos of the jewellery soon enough.

Getting On With It

I have given myself a kick up the backside and am going to get on with my jewellery business.
Although I have plenty of other things to be doing, what I should be doing instead of (or while I am) watching TV is making more jewellery and concentrating on marketing.
Watch this space for new photos and items, that I know I have said will come, but really they will this time. Now the sun is out I feel more renewed and determined to get things done. This is applying to all my life, not just my jewellery business.
Hope all is well with everyone else, and you are all enjoying this beautiful sunshine.

Losing Faith

I am slowly becoming disheartened with my jewellery business. I have invited many people to my jewellery party at the end of the month but so far only 5 people have confirmed, 2 of which do not live in this country and one is me!
I understand that a lot of my friends don't see my jewellery as a business, they just see it as a hobby so I cannot expect them to be as keen as I am about everything.
I am also quite disappointed with Etsy. I have had no sales so far and not many views either. I do know that the jewellery market is very saturated and perhaps Etsy is not the right place for me.
I guess all I can do is be more positive and keep working hard. I am sure that things will pick up soon.
Has anyone else felt like this?

New Feature

Each week I will be featuring one of my pieces of jewellery, showing it in detail. With pictures and explanations of my inspirations for that particular piece.
This will start tomorrow with a new necklace I made last night.
Check back for the new feature.

Also don't forget the April Competition. See below for details.

Jewellery Party

Now I have made a date for the next jewellery party (April 30th) I can begin planning and promoting it. The first thing I have done is announce the event on Facebook and invited all members of my Shooting Star Jewellery Designs group. This has not done very much as only people who cant come have RSVP'd. This is pretty annoying as they are all actually my friends and possibly don't realise how important my jewellery business is to me. But never mind, I am sure some people will come!
I have also ordered some new business cards. I do have some but they are in that ever so safe place that I have forgotten where they are. It is a good thing though as my old cards had my maiden name on. i have also changed the colour a bit to make everything stand out a bit more.
I will also be announcing a prize draw throughout the month of April. Stay tuned to find out more!
It is lovely to have the long weekend coming up, I just hope the sun comes out for it. My husband and I don't have any plans but it will be nice to spend time together knowing we don't have to do anything.
Check back for the prize draw details!