TheBigForest at Craftaganza Live

Yesterday I went to the second Craftaganza Live event hosted by Zoe Edwards and Sarah Meredith. They invited Michael from TheBigForest to talk about their company and the creation of their magical bears.

Michael imparted invaluable information on his background, influences, how their business has developed and where they want to go from here.  There was so much that I found useful but what I will take away with me is the passion for their product and the stories that go with each individual bear they make. What also came across is their love for their customers and wanting to remain connected to the people who home and love their handmade bears. Very inspiring indeed.

Craftaganza Live is a monthly event in Brighton with guest speakers and a chance for local creatives and self-employed artists to meet and socialise. Well worth going to.

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 Elizabeth Anne Norris   Designer / Maker / Teacher 

 info@eanjewellery.com   0777 339 4413

Extremely Helpful People I’ve learnt from

helicopter hat by Oswald Flump

When you are starting a business of your own there is a lot to learn. Since starting my jewellery and teaching business I have had to learn so much. Ok so I knew how to design and make jewellery but what about all the rest of it? How could I take my ideas and make them fly ? The following people have been invaluable to me in various aspects of my entrepreneurial pursuits. If you are running a business, particularly a craft business, I can highly recommend you take a look at the following. Let me know if you find any of these useful and leave a comment below. Thanks.

Free Range Humans Create a free range career that suits your lifestyle
Meylah Ebooks Loads of useful info for your creative business
Twitter for Business Twitter coach, Twitter manager, Twitter lecturer
Sunday afternoon housewife Handmade crafts and unsolicited craft advice
Simple Blog Company All about blogging and SEO

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

Interesting Blogs I Follow

Happy Friday everyone !

Following on from last weeks post ‘Creative Blogs I follow‘ I thought it would be good to share with you some other blogs. They are not related to my handmade life but are just generally interesting to me. See what you think. Please tell me about the interesting blogs you follow by leaving a comment below. Thanks.

Tales from the Beehive A Kent bee keepers blog. The honey is totally yummy.

Helen Redfern Birth and Baby Hypnobirthing and baby massage, Surrey.

Green and Tidy Decluttering your life the green way, Brighton.

Notes across the sea  Poetry and dreams, Essex.

In search of Thomas Stevens 1 man, 1 bicycle and a journey around the world.

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

Creative Blogs I Follow

I’m always inspired by the creative people I’ve met or discovered on the web. Here are some creative blogs that I follow to keep me inspired. I’d love to know who inspires you or your work so please leave a comment below with the creative blogs that you follow. Thanks.

Pininkie Lino prints
Stamp and Stitch Inkie prints and felt stitched items
Muna Zuberi Stained glass, drawings and jewellery
Thea Telford Illustrations, screen printing and textiles
Epheriell Designs Jewellery, accessories and a creative magazine
Eat live shop Reviews of food, fashion and interior design
A beautiful Mess Creative crafts
Wolfy’s Lair Drawings and illustration

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

Jewellery Blogs I Follow

swallow pin by Vanilla Ink

I find it very useful to follow my fellow jewellery designers and so I read a lot online. It’s not only great to connect with people doing similar things but it can be very inspirational too. Here are some of the jewellery blogs I’m following at the moment:

Isabelle Busnel who went to the same Uni as me

Vanilla Ink a recent graduate doing good things

Devon Clark amazing contemporary enamel designs

Hammer Marks a metalsmith and teacher

The jewellery Apprenticeship teaching people jewellery virtually

Silvia Peluso’s Creations healing stone jewellery

Bijoules contemporary and very fashionable stuff

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

Merry Christmas wishes to you all !

Today I am doing my last Christmas fayre of the year and as we have snow forecast today I am feeling particularly festive. So I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank everyone who has supported my work this year. It has been an amazing year and I have many people to thank.

Firstly,  a huge thank you to everyone who has taken an interest and followed my blog here. I’ve really enjoyed writing over the last 12 months.

Then I want to extend a huge thank you to my clients who have commissioned jewellery this year. This is the most significant part of my work and keeps my creativity flowing. Every jewellery commission is different and exciting and it is great to design something so personal and unique each time. Of course I can’t forget my wonderful customers who’ve supported my Etsy shop throughout 2011.

Thanks too to the organisers and members of the groups that I belong to namely Coachwerks, British Society of Enamellers, Brighton Etsy team, Brighton twitter social meetup, Dean’s business club, Craft Central Network and Benchpeg. These are vital networking groups that I could not do without.

Also, I want to thank my fellow artisans and jewellers around the world for your communication and support. I love our creative community and thanks for keeping it handmade.  I’d like to thank those who’ve followed me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest, StumbledUpon.

And last but definitely not least I want to thank my friends who have also taken the plunge into self employment. You have been a massive support to me and I’m so happy to watch your success.

Thank you everyone and Happy Christmas !

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

Links in a chain – Life begins at 40 !

Today I’m bigging up “40″ ! I turned forty this year along with a couple of very special organisations that I am in awe of.

Number 1 : The Crafts Council is 40 this year. They are a supportive organisation in the UK for designer / makers, they publish the very desirable Crafts magazine and host many outstanding exhibitions and rallies. If you live in or near London you might want to get involved or visit the Origin Contemporary Craft fair 22-28 September. I’m going to certainly try to get along.

Number 2: Crisis homeless charity is also 40 this year. Crisis is a fabulous charity, close to my heart, who do a wonderful job setting up shelters over the christmas period providing vital services for their 2,500 homeless guests to get them back on their feet from doctors, dentists, hairdressers, massage therapies, IT training, housing advice etc. etc. as well as feeding and entertaining them all the while. It’s a mammoth operation run entirely by volunteers.  It is a great atmosphere and I know because I’ve volunteered for them for the last 7 years. I hope to this year as well. (they also provide year round support for the homeless in London – they are amazing !)

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

A Penny Farthing, a moustache and a mosquito net…

This is a ‘links in a chain‘ post but perhaps it’s more links in a bicycle chain than links in a gold chain! The following has nothing to do with design, craft, handmade, jewellery and enamelling. It’s just fascinating and true tale that I wanted to share with you.

Thomas Stevens

It started like an ordinary Ebay transaction, I was trying to clear out stuff I’d left at my parents house for many years. In fact they insisted that I do this! I was also taking advantage of Ebay’s free listings offer so I could post many items quickly and easily. To make life even simpler I made all items ‘pick up only’. But at the end of the auction I was a little concerned that the winner of my mosquito net for 55p was Richie in Hertfordshire (the mosquito net was in south london!)

It was then I got the email from Richie saying not to worry, the mosquito net that he’d won on Ebay, was going to go on a round the world cycle tour and that the cycle, from Hertfordshire to South London (70 miles/112 km), to pick it up would be good practice.  I was intrigued and glad to hear my mosquito net was going to a good home.

So I primed my parents to let them know that Richie would be turning up on two wheels to pick up the mosquito net. Although Richie insisted they leave the mosquito net in the porch for collection my parents wanted to meet this chap so invited him in for lunch to find out more about his round the world trip. The shame of it is that I didn’t meet Richie myself.

Richie is following the route of Thomas Stevens who was the first person to ride around the world and did so on a Penny Farthing ! Richie has already set off on his journey, on two wheels, an ultra light kit bag and a tight budget.  I think it’s an amazing adventure and I’m will be following his journey and the fate of my mosquito net with interest.

I’ve kept in touch with Richie and signed up to his blog ‘In search of Thomas Stevens‘. I also fully intend to read the original story by Thomas Stevens of his 2 year journey around the world. What a great Ebay transaction. I would recommend this ebayer to anyone ! Oh and if you bump into Richie on his round the world trip please donate some food. He’s needs a lot of energy and is on a tight budget.

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Elizabeth Anne Norris

Designer / Maker / Teacher / Enamels / Jewellery / Cufflinks

info@eanjewellery.com

0777 339 4413

Do you want to learn enamelling?

applying enamel with quill

My favourite enamel supplier Vitrum Signum have listed some people and places you can take some enamel classes.  Most classes are in London but some elswhere in the uk. They also list some good books to learn enamelling. Take a look:

Enamelling & Jewellery Courses

1. PHIL BARNES – Various short courses in enamelling. http://www.philbarnesenameller.co.uk – PLEASE REFER TO OUR LINKS

2. BETHNAL GREEN CENTRE: 020 7613 1135/020 7364 5665 – Beginners & Intermediate enamelling & Silver jewellery making courses.

3. LYNNE GLAZZARD – Courses and workshops in metal clay, art clay silver, enamelling, jewellery making http://www.lynne-glazzard.com PLEASE REFER TO OUR LINKS

4. CAROL GRIFFIN – Enamelling courses and workshops for beginners & intermediate: http://www.carolgriffinenamels.com PLEASE REFER TO OUR LINKS

5. LONDON JEWELLERY SCHOOL – Jewellery school in Hatton Garden and run a number of enamel classes http://www.londonjewelleryschool.co.uk PLEASE REFER TO OUR LINKS

6. HOLTS ACADEMY OF JEWELLERY. Whether you are looking to develop your interest, or take your skills that one step further Holts Academy of Jewellery has many courses designed with you in mind. PLEASE REFER TO OUR LINKS

7. TILLY WILKINSON ENAMELLER/COURSES. Courses & workshops in the North West of England. http://www.twenamels.co.uk PLEASE REFER TO OUR LINKS

8. LONDON BOROUGH OF WALTHAM FOREST. Jewellery & Enamelling Courses: At Chestnuts House in Walthamstow: 020 8521 4311 Jewellery- Enamelling on Copper- NCFE Unit- Level 1 CHP432-4L5 Thursday 13-Jan-11 12-3:30, 6 weeks. Standard Fee £79.00 reduced fee £20.00 CHP433-4L5 Thursday 13-Jan-11 6-9:30, 6 weeks. Standard fee £79.00 reduced fee £20.00

If of course you are not in London and want to learn jewellery, silversmithing or enamelling then maybe I could help you out there. I am starting one-to-one jewellery classes in Brighton starting in August 2011.

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Links in a chain – Ulala

I am often browsing the internet for photos, I do love photography. There are just millions of photographers out there taking photos of billions of things in so many different styles. Well when I came across ‘Ulala’ ( Tramidepain on Flickr) I was soooo intrigued. She collects dolls, dresses them, names them, puts them in senarios and photographs them. They are cute, stylish, have attitude, hobbies… fascinating. I’m going to be following her blog to keep up to date with the latest in their world.

http://tramidepain.free.fr/blog/

 

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