Fancy making an exhibition of yourself?

I came across a couple of opportunities for jewellery designers this week that I thought may well be worth sharing with you.


The first is an upcoming online exhibition of jewellery primarily constructed from non-precious metals and other media, to be hosted by Ganoksin . Anyone can enter the exhibition whatever their level but jewellery must be wearable not purely 'artistic'. All entries will be accepted with appropriately qualifying images and there is also an opportunity to link to your selling site.


I'm still thinking about what to enter - maybe one of these:

Handmade lampwork beads by Kaz Baildon

Bronzclay pendant made by me

Coiled copper bracelet

Or maybe I'll design something new..?


The closing date for entries (up to 3) is 31 May 2011 and further details can be found here.

Another opportunity for UK designers is the 'Liberty Open Call" on 20 August 2011, which aims to find new design talent for the store. Designers have 3 minutes to pitch their designs to an expert panel and will be told there and then whether they have been successful. Top calibre designers could win support from Liberty and get advice on nurturing their designs and their business.


Fancy having a go at this 'softly softly' style Dragons Den to see if you could become the next big thing...then more information is available here.


If you do decide to have a go at either of these, then I wish you the very best of luck and, if you do become the 'next big thing', please remember me in your acceptance speech!


Have a wonderful weekend all!


Lesley

Pretty Things: BeadFest Wrap-Up -- and Give-Aways!

Checkout Lori Anderson's latest post about her recent expedition to BeadFest and see the fab goodies she is very kindly putting up for us to win:

Pretty Things: BeadFest Wrap-Up -- and Give-Aways!: "I'm home, resting up from the many hours on my feet shopping at BeadFest. I honestly didn't plan on spending much, but I did have a pl..."

The heat is on...jewellery for summer days and nights

It's been beautiful here this week with weather that's more like summer than spring, so much so that yesterday I rearranged my wardrobe to make access to my lighter clothes easier and hide the thicker ones at the back. I guess most of us go through this sort of ritual (unless we're lucky enough to live in the warmth all year round or have walk in wardrobes!) and while I was doing it I was thinking about whether I consciously do the same thing with my jewellery. This seemed particularly relevant as I'd spent most of the week making summer/beach themed jewellery... so I must be hoping that everyone else does just that!

On reflection, I think the answer is that I do it so naturally I'm not actually conscious of it. Simpler, lighter designs go well with summer fashions and for those of us lucky enough to sport a bronze glow, (not me - english rose skin = factor 30 and lots of shade!) jewellery that sets it off is a bonus. Summer is all about fun too so I like to reflect this in my jewellery a bit more.

Anyway - I thought I'd share some of these new pieces with you to get you ready for summer...

This is 'Sean the Seahorse' and when it comes to fun he has it in buckets and spades! He was made by Glenn Mincey . I just couldn't resist him and teamed him up with some simple copper ball chain and findings - definitely one for the beach!

'Studland Bay' pendant and earring set featuring gorgeous lampwork from Kaz Baildon , teamed with silver and leather. I named this after a beautiful beach and Nature Reserve on the Jurassic coast of 

Dorset...

You can see that I don't tend to embellish this type of jewellery too much - I think a lot of this lampwork can stand as miniature art pieces in their own right so I try not to over complicate things.

'Rockpool' is another fun piece with lampwork beads by Julie Fountain and so reminiscent of the english seaside - cockles and whelks anyone?

And then of course, every girl needs a little something for those hot, sultry nights...

'Dancing in the Moonlight' also features beads by Julie, this time a shell pendant with the most fabulous lustre and sweet little matching earrings that make a big impact for their small size.

Well I hope that little taster has got you in the mood for a long hot summer...fingers crossed :0).

You can see more from this collection on Flickr and they'll be in my Etsy shop in the next couple of days.  

I'd love to hear from you about your summer favourites too - do you change your style or is your jewellery full of fun all year long?!

Hope you all enjoy what's left of this lovely weekend and have a fantastic week ahead!

And the lucky winner is....

Rebecca of Rebecca's Emporium !!!

Congratulations Rebecca -  Just let me know whether you would like the earrings or the pendant and where you'd like them sent and they'll be winging their way to you in no time. I hope you love your prize!

Rebecca is a fabric and felt artist and you can see more of her lovely work at the links below including, her quirky and adorable little creatures like this one:

http://rebeccasemporium.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/RebeccasEmporium
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RebeccasEmporium

Many thanks to everyone who took part in the giveaway - you're all obviously loving the arrival of spring and the advent of summer and the fresh creative opportunities they bring.

There will be more giveaways from the Gossiping Goddess so be sure to keep an eye on the blog and my Facebook page.

Have a great day and congratulations again Rebecca.

Bead table wednesday 6/4/2011

Bead table wednesday 6/4/2011, a photo by THEAjewellery on Flickr.

What's on you bead table today...?

Various bits of work in progress and general paraphenalia on mine so not particularly pretty - a bit like me really! :0)

Prizes for my blog giveaway are on here somewhere...the draw is tomorrow so don't forget to comment goddess-giveaway-go-for-bronze or follow me here or on Facebook. Thank you

Click BTW Flickr group to see more bead tables

And then I took a torch to them...

I have a bit of a 'what if ' mentality when it comes to being creative and I quite often go back to 'finished' projects and have another go at them. I think this shows that your brain is working properly by seeing new possibilities after a bit of a break.

I've just been back to my latest bronze pieces to see if I couldn't jazz them up with a bit of heat induced colour. I find something strangely therapeutic about taking a torch to things...not that I want to worry you or anything! It's always a bit of a gamble as you never know what you're going to get, but I think these have come up quite well - I particularly like the square one.

Lots of fun to be had with bead matching now!

Don't forget to leave a comment on my previous post for a chance to win bronze heart pendant or earrings. I can even take the torch to your prize if you'd like me too...

http://thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com/2011/04/goddess-giveaway-go-for-bronze.html

Oh and happy mothers day to all mums :0)

Goddess giveaway - go for bronze...

And you could  win of one of these...

The Bronzclay pieces I shared at Bead table Wednesday last week are all cooked and cleaned and ready to be be teamed up with some beautiful beads and findings - and here they are:

Looking a bit better than on wednesday don't you think? One bit of first aid required but that's not too bad. I also managed to photograph two of the pendants upside down, but what does that matter between friends? :0)

Now I like to share my work with like-minded souls so, I'm delighted to be giving away something from this collection to one lucky winner who will be chosen at random. All you have to do for your chance to win is leave me a comment telling me what you're looking forward to in April and, if you decide to follow me or join me on Facebook as well, you'll get double the chance to win. If you win you'll be able to choose between:

This richly textured asymmetrical bronze heart to use in you own design, measuring approximately 3cm x 2.5cm at the widest points.

Or, these these cute earrings with 'tribal' effect bronze coins with Sponge Coral and Turquoise beads and hypo-allergenic Niobium ear wires. They measure approx. 4cm from the top of the ear wire and the coins are approx. 12mm in diameter.

I'm really looking forward to hearing what's inspiring you this month and I'll announce the winner next Thursday (7th). 

Good luck everyone!