HOUSEWORK VERSUS BEADS

Hmmmm a dilema then. I know what I should be doing but I know what I want to be doing too. So today I've had a day of Domestic Goddessness. I cleaned the kitchen, even took the knobs off the cooker and cleaned them while my Father in Law cut the fir hedge and de-ivyed the extention wall and next doors conservatory.

Having got a sparkling kitchen and having gained sustenance from a bacon sandwich for lunch I turned my energy to the chooks. I'm ashamed to admit that it was starting to smell a bit like a farm outside our back door and the time had come for a bit of intense hen housework too. The problem with chickens is that they do poo and pooo and then pooooo some more. All well and good but the poo needs cleaning out. Now a weekly de-poo is fine but there comes a time when you just have to go for the pressure wash job, which was today. So covered in muck as the spray hit the back wall of the hen house and sprayed itself back at me I stood in the drizzle hose in hand until the house shone and I dripped. Still no eggs but the poor little things are starting to look more like chickens and less like oven readies on the reduced to sell shelf.

Anyway back to Housework Versus Beads. My guilt and the mess are getting the better of me and the house won. I need to blitz the place before we need maps to find the facilities and I admit I need to pair up the sock mountain rather than keep buying new ones.

I've promised myself this isnt' for ever. Once I've blitzed it the theory is that I can just spend a couple of hours topping up before I head to the shedio and if the PS is lucky he might even get some ironed shirts in his wardrobe.

Lots of fairs coming up this month and another Open Studio so will have to knuckle down.

See you soon x

Is it October already. Lots has happened. Big son has started secondary school and luckily loves it, and I've had my first open studio evening which went remarkably well considering the amount of time and effort I put into advertising it. Must try harder next time. Anyway it went really well and I was really pleased that so many turned up, and enjoyed the evening.

I've got loads of fairs booked for the Christmas season as well as another open evening on the 13th November so I really need to get making because stocks are low. I do find it hard to make beads because I have to though, I have to be filled with inspiration and ideas, I'm not a make beads whatever my mood cause its a job sort.

A very short blog today. I will get back to you on the new ex batts in jumpers that are dancing around the garden. Until then. Cheerio.

To reply or not to reply that is the question.

So what do you all do? When you get that grotty email sitting in your email box. Are you big enough to ignore it or do you like me, stew over it all morning, steaming from the ears one minute, guzzlling chocolate in self pity the next. So there it was, in front of me, an email from a could be customer or not.

Hi. Im emailing you to ask if you don't think the jewellery on your website is a bit expensive for what it is. I've seen other jewelry sites selling bead necklaces and they dont charge as much as you. I really like some of the things on there but think the prices are to high so I cant buy them. Is it possible to go on a mailing list for when you have a sale.

Yours *********

So I ate more chocolate then I wrote this.

Dear *********
I've just finished a bracelet tonight that has 4 metres of fine silver wire (which is 99.9% silver and more expensive than sterling which is 925%) which I made all my head pins out of and used to wire wrap over 200 handmade beads, swarvoski crystals and amethyst chips onto a sterling silver charm bracelet with a Karen Hill Tribe silver toggle clasp. If I counted up the cost of materials and charged only the minimum wage that a 16 year old would get working in Asda stacking shelves I would have to charge over £100 for it. As it is I'll end up charging £45 for it and it will sit in my shop for months until someone takes a shine to it. Its fucking hard work this make you're own stuff lark and sometimes I really don't know why I bother other than I enjoy doing it. At least you like my work which I feel is a step in the right direction.

Yours
Kate Francis.

I don't have a reply yet, maybe she's stewing in her own lovlieness

Whats new this week then. I've opened an Etsy shop. All my friends were doing it so I did it too. You can see it here www.perfectlygorgeous.etsy.com Its not a very big shop at the moment, but it might get bigger, I might put all my new stuff on there for a month then transfer it to Perfectly Gorgeous if it hasn't sold. Its a funny business this selling thing, all very techie, tag words, google add ons, mega tags or whatever. Sometimes feel as if I need a degree just to understand it all. What I really need is an 11 year old with computer attitude. Talking of 11 year olds with attitude mine starts secondary school in September. We went to the new school on Saturday where the local school uniform shop were pimping their goods to the 250 odd Mothers handcuffed to sulky 11 year olds having blazers put on them with much hem pulling, chin rubbing and cuff turning. Where is this average boy that these blazers are made for. A 34 chest fitted him as long as he didnt' want to do the buttons up and the 36 would have fitted his Father. With sleeves 5 inches too long, the bottom of the jacket on the southern side of his thighs and the shoulders looking like something from the Joan Collins Reject Shop I did have to feel a little sorry for him. Anyway we went with the fits as long as you don't do it up option since the girl flogging it to me explained that he would probably be laughed at if he did the buttons up anyway. One school bag, PE sweatshirt, navy blue apron, PE shorts and school tie later, all embellished with the school emblem we left rather poor than we arrived. Why do school uniform shops have the monopoly on school uniform. Why does a navy blue sweatshirt cost £18 because it has the school badge embroidered on it when you can buy a nave sweatshirt from Asda for a fiver and is less likely to be knicked because it costs £18 not a fiver. Well I'm not paying a tenner each for long sleeved white shirts when they're 3.50 for two in Tescos or I'm a monkeys uncle. Anway half his new uniform is got, just football boots, trainers, football socks and trousers to get now.

He shouldn't be going to secondary school anyway, it only seems like yesterday I was pushing him to the village in his new pram. See you soon.

See I just can't help it. I'm rubbish at this blog lark, one of you is going to have to poke me with a sharp pointy thing every now and then to remind me to get on with it.

So what have I been doing, well I've been making lots of beads, lots of disc beads to be exact, and Mexican beans, well I think they look like mexican beans, they certainly look mexican though thats not saying that all or indeed any Mexicans are orange of course. Its just a very summery set and if I ever got to go to Mexico which is very doubtful in todays financial climate, I'd wear it there. It reminds me of spicy kidney beans but flatter and in different colours, I'm just not selling it to you am I. How about the pink one. I love this, I have one in blue too. Its called Flamingo Fandango a fetching name for it I thought, thought up by a beady friend Tan, its blue brother is called Blue Lagoon. Ok so I'm rubbish at names too.

So why is it so hard to think up names for pieces. Do they need names, would a descriptive title suffice and indeed be better picked up by the search engine things. Is someone looking for a Tex Mex recipe going to be presented with a photo of my spicy Mexican beads instead of a photo of a bowl of steaming chilli. Is some poor school kid hunting for info on the habitat of the pink flamingo going to be landed with a photo Flamingo Fandango. Is it a nice suprise or a sad let down when someone finds my Citrus Swinger instead of what they were really looking for. What were they actually looking for anyway. Which reminds me of the time when the kids were toddlers and I put an ad in the local newsagents window advertising an ironing service to earn a bit of pin money and I got a phone call from some chap asking if I did spanking too. What was that all about, and would it have earned me more than ironing his shirts.

With that thought in mind, what about these names then, do we go for floaty arty names, girly names, modernistic names that baffle or just a descriptive name. Answers on a postcard please to the usual address.

See you in, well probably a month. xxx

To Clean or Create

What would you do, clean the studio or make beads in the studio. It does need it, theres a cat and her two kittens lodging there. Yesterday she scattered a box of Swarvoski crystals across my desk and probably the floor too while she was making her way through the window. I'm sitting here imagining clear spaces and tidyness and everything in order. Lovely straight rows of frit, orderly pots of tools, straight lines of glass, neat boxes of beads, and lots of clean worktop.

Ok studio it is then. If I'm quick Imight get somne time for melting glass too.

Ok so I've neglected you.

What can I say, I'm a busy girl, but theres no excuse, I'm just not good at blogs, or remembering to update them. So here I am updating my blog.

Where to start, so much has happened since my last post. One of the most momentous is the fact that I have 2 local shops stocking my jewellery now, something I'm very proud of, I'm visiting another one in Colchester later this week so will update you on this one.

I've been very busy in the shed, since having my own kiln things are quicker and much easier, no sending beads of to lovely willing friends with kilns and its so much nicer running down to the studio in the morning and opening a kiln full of lovlies rather waiting for the postman to appear. Its also lovely making beads for a set and being able to make that set up the next day whilst you still have the design and inspiration in your head rather than having to find it again after a couple of weeks.

In April I attended the Flame Off, a meet of glassy people with fabulous demo's by brilliant glass artists, lots of equipment to try out, lots of glassy goodies and supplies to buy and best of all loads of old and new freinds to meet with and more inspiration than you can poke a stick at. A wonderful weekend, leaving me far richer in mind and spirit and far poorer in pocket and bank balance, whoops!

The other thing that happened this month is gaining my SRA membership. This is an organisation set up to promote Self Representing Artists. To obtain this, all the glass work you sell must be made by yourself and I'm proud to say that mine is all made by me. This feels like a great achievment for me and I join the ranks of glassy friends who are also members.

My new website is almost finished. I think its more me holding it up at the moment, I need to take photo's and make more stock but all will be revealed soon, its been a long time coming but I think it will be worth the wait when its launched, its a fab website made by my lovely web designer Alison at www.daffodil-design.co.uk without whom none of this would be possible.

On a personal note, we have 2 less chickens since Mr Fox paid us a visit but have gained 2 more kittens, Daisy produced them 3 weeks ago and they're both doing well and will be going off to new homes in about 4 weeks. The PS is off to Scotland on a pilgrimage of the Holy Isles today, and I have the remote control for the telly.