Saturday 28 July 2012

Olympia's Big Night

Olympia Otter had a big night out at an Olympic Opening Ceremony party in Brighton yesterday.


Take a look at the Shark Alley otter-based website Get Buzzy With The Fuzzy to see what she got up to.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Summer!

Whoa - sunshine.  Steady on.

I've got so used to staying in, making and trying to psych myself up for some Shark Alley marketing and PR, that it was a shock to the system to get out of the house and enjoy some sun!  We took the number 12 bus from Brighton to East Dean (about 4 miles from Eastbourne), passing the gorgeous Cuckmere Haven on the way, and took in the Seven Sisters Sheep Centre and a bit of the footpath to Beachy Head (must do the whole walk at some point).  It was all very beautiful and good for the soul.



I've been taking a bit of a break from markets over the summer and concentrating on making lots of jewellery for the Shark Alley and Gift Wrapped & Gorgeous websites and to restock Oak Studio in Hampstead and Bellis here in Brighton.

I have been working on combining resin with paper, as I still love the colours and patterns of the handmade papers, and have been using gel resin to coat the pieces.  This not only strengthens them but also gives the most incredible luxurious glossy finish which really enhances the colours, especially the metallics.  I'm so pleased with the results.

Shiny shiny . . . very shiny

A recent trip to Falkiners in Southampton Row, London introduced me to the delights of Japanese Chiyogami paper.  This paper is screen printed by hand with patterns based on kimono fabrics and each sheet is just beautiful.  I could have bought them all, but at £7.00 a pop, I had to settle for an Origami pack of mixed smaller sheets!  They have inspired a whole load of brooch designs and are a joy to work with. As I only have a limited amount of each paper, each brooch is a complete one-off.





Monday 16 July 2012

Olympic Otters

GODAMMIT I have succumbed to the Olympic hype and put together these little limited edition sweethearts in red, white and blue felt with white stitching.


Olympia Otter and her synchronised swimming team have quite naturally scooped gold medals in ALL the aquatic disciplines.

I'm taking them up to Oak Studios in Hampstead tomorrow, but they're also available on the Shark Alley website for a limited period (until 12th August - the end of the games).