May 2012

May has been a busy month, full of variety and surprises. Here follows a visual story of the month of May as it turned out for me . . .

The coastal area surrounding me is bathed with the lilac haze of these beautiful 'Sea Pinks'. The combination of colours, of the pretty lilac against the green hills and the turquoise seas, has inspired a whole new range of ribbon and shell jewellery . . .  

So many beautiful sunsets. Often punctuated by birds flying home to roost . . . 

And the flowers in the garden during May were just beautiful . . . 

Another new range of jewellery born during the month of May. My 'Flower Garden' range is a selection of gemstone cluster necklaces and bracelets, inspired by all the busy growth and activity in the garden this month . . .

I also did my first ever 'giveaway', and loved it! . . . 

I gave away my most popular item, my 'Blue Bird Necklace'. 

May seems to have been all about our beautiful feathered friends - the garden was so full of busy birds and their little babies. We are currently feeding thousands!! Here is just one of them . . . 

Such a beautiful hazy light filtering through the flowers in the garden . . . 

Lots of new jewellery pieces this month. This one below is an Agate necklace, one of a collection of about six pieces added to my shop, as well as many other new designs . . . 

And such gorgeous late evening light too - sunsets so rich, warm, and inviting, not to mention inspiring . . . 

I hope May was a great month for you too, full of inspiration, wonder and colour. 

I must say I'm very excited about some new ideas that I have for my jewellery for June, working with the gorgeous new materials that I've collected during May. I'm really looking forward to what June has in store. So I'll leave May behind with a little taste of what June may bring . . . 

Wishing you a wonderful month to come.

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Storyboard : 'Sea Pinks'

I thought it might be interesting to share the story of a piece of jewellery with you, and how it came about, in pictures.

This particular necklace, and matching bracelet, are part of a new range of ribbon and shell jewellery that I've been working on lately. They come in different colour combinations, but the one that I wanted to share with you today was inspired by a beautiful little wildflower called 'Thrift', sometimes known as 'Sea Pink', that grows beside the sea.

The cliffs that wind their way around the Lands End area are currently covered in swathes of these pretty lilac-pink flowers that look fantastic set against the gorgeous backdrop of blues and greens of the land and the sea:

Inspired by the colour of the Sea Pinks, and the translucent quality of it's petals, I picked out a beautiful lilac ribbon from my box of fabrics to echo these qualities. It seemed a natural choice to team it up with some of these gorgeous Abalone shell beads. Having their origins in the ocean, they perfectly embody the essence of the sea that I was looking for. Their colorful swirled surface and iridescent luster echo the way the light reflects upon the surface of the sea in ever changing, undulating patterns:

And so here are the finished pieces:

I was delighted with how this whole range turned out. I love the comination of colour, texture, luster and iridescence, and the way the light plays with the surface of the shells, sometimes shining gently through the crinkled fabric of the ribbon.

I hope this gives you some insight into how I translate my inspirations into designs, and also a little peek into my working methods and processes. Every creation is different though, and it's journey into being will be unique. The very act of creating, for me, whether it be a painting or a piece of jewellery, is an organic process that will often change direction many times from it's original starting point. But that's really all just part of the fun of it! 

You can see this Ribbon and Abalone Shell Necklace here in my Etsy Jewellery shop

You can also find the matching Abalone Bracelet here

Or click here to see other pieces from this range

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