Classes & Workshop Research

Hi All,

As some of you will know from here that I am looking to start running jewellery making workshops I was just wondering if I could get some input from you guys.

These are the points that I am trying to get some information about but please feel free to include anything that you have experienced or would like to see in a workshop.

1.Location - At the moment I am finding it incredibly difficult to secure somewhere permanent to run workshops from, I will keep on looking. Would you be happy attending workshops in various different locations such as community centres, private rooms in pubs and restaurants, out of town locations?

2.Times and Days - I was thinking of weekday evenings 6:30-8:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday days 2:00-4:00pm. Do you think that 2 hour classes are enough and would you attend at these times?

3.Maximum Numbers - I was thinking 8 people maximum?

4.Price - For a two hour workshop, although some will vary depending on what the project is I was looking at £25 which will include tea and coffee.

5.Tools & Equipment - Would you like the opportunity to buy tools and kits so you can get practising at home?

I would like to run a range of workshops in jewellery making for beginners mainly and would like to start children's jewellery parties and hen parties too.

Have you ever been on a jewellery (or any craft) workshop/course? What were your experiences, what would you like to see again and what were you not so keen on?

I look forward to hearing from you.
Chloe

So why do I want funding?

Some (most) of you will have seen me pestering you over the last few days and this is why.

Since I started my business back in 2009 everything has been done on a shoe string, I would sell something I no longer need on Ebay in order to buy a new tool for the business!

I have applied for numerous funding methods but for various reasons including location, 'proper' job and owning a home it was just all stacked against me. So for the past 3 years I have been plodding along really, but it is very difficult as I know it is what I want to do.

Something I would really love to do would be to run jewellery making workshops and this is why I have applied for funding of £450, there are no boxes that need ticking in terms of my or my businesses circumstances. I did however need to prove what it would be used for.
So how do I get hold of this money?
Well I am relying heavily on you lovely folk. All it takes is a quick registration which takes your name and email, a couple of tick boxes and your done!
You will get a couple of emails as soon as you do that but you will NOT be spammed.
The whole process takes about 1 minute.

Each vote that I get counts as £1 so I need 450 votes and unless I get the full amount I will not get anything.

I recently attended a jewellery course in London, the course started at 10am yet I had to be up at 3am. I didn't get home til gone 9pm. It was such a long day and that is partly why I would like to run some classes.

Ideally I would love to secure some kind of premises in Leamington/Warwick where I can permanently house all my equipment.
When I am not running my own class other crafts people or small groups could use the space and I could even allow individuals to use the space and tools as they can be an expensive investment.

Please please take a minute out of your day to help me, if you leave a comment on the page you will also receive a discount code for use on my website.

Please vote here HERE!

What a Knight!

As some of you may know last night myself and Rob headed down into town to the Leamington Spa Assembly to see a gig.
I have been told for a couple of years now that I need to go as it is an amazing live venue and boy they werent wrong.
The venue is very intimate with intricate wall paper and decor, very art deco.

We had a great spot just two away from the front and had an amazing view.
The first group up were a group of 4 lads all of which played their own instruments and had incredible voices. They are from Australia and this was their debut in the UK. They are called Electric Empire so check them out.

There was another chap who's name I can't remember but was famous when I was just a little girl.

And then there was the absolutely stunning Beverley Knight. I didn't realise I knew so many of the songs, it was a real blast from the past and I will definitely be getting her albums now as the powerful voice coming out of this petite lady was incredible.
She came on stage in skin tight black trousers (like Sandy on Greece) and absolutely rocked the place!
There were a number of super quick outfit changes each time having more of a wow factor. I honestly dont know how she got changed so quickly!

At the end of the night the whole crowd sang Happy Birthday to her backing singer Bryan.

Myself and Rob were lucky enough to get passes to see Beverley after the show. There were only about 10 or so people who got to meet her so feel very privalaged.

We were all ushered to the bar area where Beverley came to meet up after getting changed a few minutes later. She came in with her cup of tea - very rock and roll!

She spent a few minutes talking to people and then came over to Rob and scaredy cat me  in the corner!
Beverley is the nicest person, just so lovely and friendly. I made her a necklace which I hope she liked, it was based on my Gaia necklace but a little more intricate.

I just want to say a huge thank you Beverley for putting on an amazing show and for putting up with me waffling to you last night!
xx

Liberty - Best of British

Well as some of you may seen from my tweets @zazujewellery myself and Rob headed down to London at the crack of dawn yesterday morning to join the queue for Liberty's Open Call.

So we got up at 5:00am and left for the train station at 6:20am.
We got into London and made our way to the back of the queue which was already all round the building at 8:30am.

We knew that we would be waiting for up to 3 hours but thought it would soon fly by as each person only had 3 minutes to make their pitch.
Doors opened at 9:30am and we were indoors within 15 minutes. Thinking about how quickly we had been moving  I stupidly thought we would be in and out by 11:00 at the latest!

After another 10 minutes we had made it half way up their four storey stair case. I was starting to get a little nervous thinking I was going to get in so quickly!

I had needed the toilet since leaving the train station but thought I could wait as we were flying up these stairs. How wrong I was!

When we had got half way up the stairs a lovely member of staff kept coming down to see if there were any people pitching Home wares and Gifts. These people were being moved to the front on the queue to be seen.
This kept happening, and as the hours went by we were getting more and more fed up standing on a single step as people behind were racing their way up the queue.

When it seemed as if there were no more people from Home wares and Gifts we did start moving again. All out our neighbours were jewellery people. It was weird how we were not being moved into the final room.

We spent another good hour on the last step waiting to go through where I registered my name to see a jewellery buyer.
We got in and the staff members that were registering artists mentioned that they were just going to rush people through. It did make me feel that they just wanted the day over and done with and we were the dregs of the queue that they just wanted to get rid of!
My name got called and I went to sit with 2 buyers (not convinced they were jewellery buyers). They liked my jewellery, made positive remarks and some suggestions but did say that they would of liked to have seen the whole collection. I had bought 3 pendants from the range in 3 different finishes as they did say on the invite  only to bring a maximum of 4 things.

So I left the building feeling great that they hadn't slated me but a little down that we were rushed through at the last minute after waiting for hours.

All in all I do think that Liberty's Best of British open call is a brilliant idea but I did feel it was disorganised, although the two girls running up and down the stairs were lovely.

Maybe as they only select such a small amount of people to go through to the next round it would be better to do a bit amount of vetting on application from the designers. If they don't think your work is right on the photo's then you don't get invited. They know exactly what kind of look they want and I feel that they would end up with fewer amounts of people to see but the work is something that has taken their interest.
I think this way they will see more potential designers that are better suited to the store and then potentially more people going through to the second round.
The last thing I heard yesterday was that 12 people had been selected to go through to the second round, not a lot for the number of people that turned up.

These are what I took, sorry about the rubbish pic it was done on my mobile.

Competition Time!

As some of you may know Zazu Jewellery is soon to be expanding into the Gift ware market.

We will be introducing cards, postcards, wrapping paper, mugs, stickers, magnets, badges and mirrors initially and then expanding even more in the near future - Exciting eh!

I couldn't have done this with out the financial and morale support of one very generous person. You know who you are so thank you very much.xxxx

Before we get onto the competition we have 8 packs of our initial sample gift tags for sale. They will be £3 including postage for 10 instead of 5! Just get in touch if you are interested.

Right, competition time........

As I mentioned above we are going to be making stickers, and these are some that we have been playing around with. In the shape of daisy's. They will however come in many shapes and sizes and want to make them for various uses so everyone can enjoy them.

Now all you have to do to win some of these fab stickers is to leave us a comment and tell us what kind of things you would use stickers for and if for decoration what shapes and colours. There will be 10 lucky winners.

Good luck.

xxx

Keeping the sparkle in your silver

So far all my blog posts have been real ramblings about things going on with my business. I am now going to try and add some jewellery information and hints and tips too.


One thing that I really hate doing is cleaning silver, so why not try and prevent having to spend valuable time carrying out this tedious task in the first place.


So what is tarnish?

Well it is a thin layer of corrosion that can appear on metals making it look dull in colour.

It occurs from various airborne chemicals, which will speed up the tarnishing process if jewellery is left  out in the open.

So what can we do to prevent it?

1. Grip Seal Bags
Always store your jewellery in an air tight bag to try and prevent any airborne chemicals getting to your pretties.


2. Silver Tarnish Cloth
You can wrap your pieces in one of these cloths to keep them out of direct contact with the air.


3. Anti Tarnish Strips
These are tiny little black strips which can be bought and placed in your jewellery box or displays to help keep them glistening.


4. Acid Free Tissue Paper
Store your jewellery in white acid free tissue paper in your jewellery box, this will not only prevent it from scratches against your other items but also keep it out of the air.


5. Quick Wipe Over
After wearing your jewellery always give it a quick wipe over before placing it back in its box, this will remove any oils that have come from your skin.


6. Apply perfume before jewellery
Always make sure that you put your perfume on long before your jewellery as this can speed up tarnishing.

Silver Studs based on the seaside

British Craft Trade Fair - Day 1

The big event has finally arrived and day 1 now completed.

Yesterday we left home bright and early and got into Harrogate at 9am just in time for a spot of breakfast. We stopped at the famous Betty's Tearooms for an English Breakfast

We got to the Great Yorkshire Showground at about 10am and started to set up.

This was the space having just assembled the cabinets.

And this is us all set up.

There has been interest today but it did seem a little quiet. Maybe it was because it is Mothers Day?

Hopefully tomorrow will be nice and busy.

Having a little de stash!

Now that I have finally decided on ranges I will be selling beads that I wont be needing anymore. If there is anything you like the look of just leave a message or email me on mail@zazu-jewellery.co.uk

This is for dyed freshwater pearls in grey, 3 different pinks, 3 different yelows, 2 different blues, purple, burgandy and an orangy/gold. This is £6.00 including postage

*SOLD*

I also have semi precious stone chips.

These are 32" strands, there are 9 strands of small Rock Crystal chips. £1.80 a strand including delivery

There are also 2 strands of Fluourite chips, strands of Rose Quartz, 1 strand of Pink Opal, 1 strand of Hematite, 3 strands of Larbradorite and a 22" strand of Lapis Lazuli chips with 4 Black Agate heart beads 15mm.

All these are just £1.80 each

I have 3 puffy hearts which are drilled across the top. They measure approx 30mm tall and wide.

I have a Green Aventurine (as pictured), Blue Sandstone and Amethyst. £1.50 incl postage

2 15" strands of blister pearls. £2.00 incl postage

Square glass beads 20mm x 6mm thick. There are 6 grey, 12 purple, 4 blue, 6 gold & 4 green. £4.00 incl postage

silver coloured tiara base £1.80 incl postage

8 Blue lace agate roses with double holes at the back. They measure approx 15mm. £2.00 incl postage

22.off , 6mm Swarovski AB bicones. These are the drop ones with the hole at the top of the bead. £5.00 incl postage

There is a lot more to come including Murano Glass hearts and stars, Jade hearts, Rose Quartz hearts, mixed strands, Glass pendants, Silver bangle blanks and memory wire rings.

If anything takes your fancy just give me a shout.





Studio 61 - Exhibition

Wow it seems like its been a long time since I last blogged.
This month I have an exhibition at Studio 61 which is a gorgeous little gallery just outside Matlock in Derbyshire.

I have taken a few pics of the gallery and lovely Karina has taken a picture of some of my pieces in their new home.

Some of my items on display

Some of Karina's mugs and the most amazing scented candles

Loads of bath and body goodies

Another room with Paintings and ceramics

The boutique section with jewellery and bags

The window with a beach theme

If you get the chance please do go and visit it is in a beautiful location and there is always a pot of coffee on the go.

Warwickshire Arts Week - Part 3

After visiting some artists/designers in various mediums last week I have been feeling really inspired. There is a an incredibly talented bunch around Warwickshire.

Below are three people myself and my friend went to visit.

Andrew Flint makes gorgeous human scale forms and vessels from ceramics. He had them displayed in his garden and they looked absolutely amazing.

www.andrew-flint.com

Jane and Neil Moore were both exhibiting their work in their beautiful home. Such friendly people, we had a chat with Neil about his large figurative paintings and Jane was so helpful with her advice for me and Sam and our jewellery careers as well as making us a teeny bit jealous of her fab studio space!

Jane's work is enamelled silver jewellery. She is incredibly talented and uses a really unique way to make her pieces.

www.janemoore.co.uk

Neil is a very talented painter, they were all really large and he framed them himself as well. He had a real way of making the eyes on the paintings look so alive and bright. They really captured your attention

www.neilmoore.co.uk

Warwickshire Arts Week

Yesterday me and my friend Sam went round a few local artists open studios. I was absolutely amazed at the talent there is around Warwickshire. 

Over the next week I shall be blogging about my favourite designers we saw yesterday.

Peter Lovelock is a very talented photographer and also does some amazing drawings using a stippling technique.

This is my favourite by him.

Check out Peters website www.peterlovelock.com

We also saw Andrea Thorpe who happens to be our tutor at college. She has some gorgeous chunky silver jewellery with various designs including Cherry Blossom, Bamboo and Protea.

These are from her Cherry Blossom range.

Take a peek at her items at www.akthorpejewellery.co.uk

I have loads more people I want to give a mention to so will do over the next week.

Birds of a Feather - Folksy Friday

Todays Folksy Friday follows a bird theme. I get woken up every morning by birds singing in the tree outside my bedroom window. I have never seen theses birds so this is what I imagine them to look like!

Wee Bird Pendant by Cherryloco

Cartwheel Bird Print by Bird & Bridge

Bird Cushion by Sew Gorgeous

Bird Hairclips by Bbel

Who?What? Bird by FruteJuce

The Song Bird by Terri Lowe Design

See Through Spirals

Some of you may remember seeing my Silver Spirals post about a new range I am developing, well this is another part of the collection. Made from clear plastic with hints of colour these are really cute little earrings.

The latest addition to this collection will be revealed soon.

Chloe

xx

Who lives in a house like this?!

After cleaning my pet out last night I realised I had put a little too much paper in for her! The only time ive seen her today is when ive come with ginger nut biscuits!

Can you guess what it is? Her name is Monkey as she likes to climb.

She's a rat! She is absolutely lovely. She has a real personality and incredibly fond of food!

And this is her trying to get her ginger nut!

On the subject of monkeys would you take a min to fill out a quick survey created with Survey Monkey. You will automatically be entered into a draw to win a black agate pendant

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SRRLJ6X

What a day!

I had my first craft fair of the year today. I got up bright and early drove to the venue with an hours set up time but couldnt find the building anywhere!

In the end I got some help from a lovely parking warden! I know! He walked with me to the gallery which I would never of seen on my own.

There was no parking which proved a real pain too.

The event turned out to be a complete washout there were so many jewellery stalls and virtually no passing trade.

As it was so quiet it did give me time to get making and I did this. Its made from handmade lampwork glass beads in clear and crystal cubes (excuse the pic)

I also met a lovely man called Dave. He and his wife make jewellery made from real flowers. They are truly stunning. I have seen them at events before but never had the chance to talk before today.

These are some of their items.

Take a look at some of their items on: http://www.etsy.com/MyHeartsMyFlowers

Silver Spirals Necklace

I have been working on a new collection recently which is made from sterling silver. It is formed to produce a shell like shape.

The pics just dont do it justice! The inside is super shiney with a hollow blue glass bead and the outside is matted. It hangs from a 30" chunky belcher chain.

I also plan to make this in other materials.

I would love to hear what you think!

Speak soon
Chloe
xx

Heart of Glass

I have a jewellery party coming up next week and have been asked if I can have a wide range of prices.

I dont really have any jewellery under £10 so thought these pendants would be perfect! They are made from glass, really chunky and hang from a beaded necklace.

Hope they go down well!

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Chloe
XX

Busy Busy Bumble Bee!

I have been busy making jewellery today for the first time in ages.
I have just got myself a new stockist who has taken a lot of my stock and I have a party coming up so thought i'd better get cracking!

Well this is one of the things ive done, its my favourite of the day. It's made from pretty white Freshwater Pearls, Swarovski Crystals and has a Sterling Silver Heart toggle clasp.

Sterling Silver Items

I thought it was about time I showed the world some of my Sterling Silver makes. I am training to be a jeweller and would love to hear your thoughts.



This is a stretcher style earring made from a solid piece of silver. It has a pale lilac CZ stone on the front.

I will start to add more of my items soon.

Business Trip

I havent been on here much lately, I seem to be really busy which is deffinately a good thing.

Myself and my sister Sarah went on a business holiday to Cornwall last week. What a great week we chose.

We visited sooo many places and racked up over 800 miles on the 5 day trip.
We passed on our information to a number of companies and have lots of contact details.

Since coming back I have become a lot more focussed and am determined to turn this business into a well known name (this may take a while!).

I have a gallery to go and see on Monday which is really exciting.


I am still on the hunt for new stockists so if you know any shops or galleries where my bits would fit in please do get in touch.

Speak Soon
Chloe
xx