Home Sweet Home!

I finally got home from the British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate last night at nearly midnight after a very long four days!

The trade show has been going for 43 years now and differs from other trade events as it only showcases work from the UK and Irish makers.  They have a strict no mass-manufactured products or products made overseas are allowed.

It gives designer/makers a chance to meet buyers from all over the country and introduce them to our existing and new product ranges and collections which is always very exciting.

Keep a look out in the next few months in your local galleries and independent shops for some fabulous new items from very talented artists and, if you're VERY lucky, SWD jewellery may be heading there too!

Busy Busy Busy!

Phew! It's been a busy couple of months and I've been very bad at keeping the blog up-to-date so I'm very sorry for that.

The British Craft Trade Fair is only a month away now so I'm frantically getting everything ready.  Last year was my first foray into the world of trade fairs so I have a much better idea as to where I can improve...the problem is that I have to many improvements that I want to implement!

I have a new collection debuting at BCTF this year and I'm very excited about it!  It is once again inspired by the beautiful forest I walk in every day with my dogs and I never fail to get new ideas.  It's forever changing yet always the same, do you know what I mean?

This new collection will be on the website after the trade fair is over although I still need to think of a name for it!  

(If you are reading this and you are a gallery or shop owner and would like an invite to the British Craft Trade Fair, please get in touch and I will be delighted to send you one!)

On The Bench!

It's my favourite day of the week....Workbench Wednesday!!  Although I do spend time during the rest of the week, I always set aside Wednesday so I can spend ALL DAY at the bench. 

At the moment I'm working on a couple of new collections to take to the British Craft Trade Show in April next year.  I am so excited as it'll be the first trade event I've ever done and I guess like most "creatives", the designing and making is the easy part, speaking to gallery and boutique owners and marketing is the hard/scary part!  I do love talking to people, especially about my work, so if you're an owner of said galleries/boutiques, please come and say Hi, I'd love to speak to you!  I'll be in the Newcomers Gallery, stand 65.

I'm also preparing for the C word.....Christmas!!!  If you would like a piece commissioned in time for Christmas, please get in touch as soon as you can.  As each piece is made by hand, they can take anywhere from 7-14 days to complete, sometimes longer as Birmingham Assay Office, where my hallmarking is done, gets very busy in the run-up to the festive season.