Latest copper jewellery for Sept

My two latest additions to my Artfire and Folksy shops, both in copper of course, and yes I know it has been quite a while since I blogged, and since I used twitter, and even since I've made any jewellery. As I've cured myself of insomnia I'll just have to find another slot in my day for doing all of these things, although it is often good to focus on other things meanwhile as they are all valid and interesting projects. I have to confess that my main passion right now is metal cuffs, so don't be surprised if I start producing mainly cuff bracelets from now on. I just can't find the sort of cuff bracelets I want on the internet, and so I'll just have to make them myself. I used to be an earring person and never bothered with bracelets at all. Now I hardly ever wear earrings but need something big and bold on my wrists, preferably in copper although I also like silver.

My first attempt at a cuff bracelet looked quite good in its minimalist incarnation, before I added all the coils. I'm currently experimenting with filling in the spaces with either beads or metal shapes, and am looking forward to making lots of different varied cuff bracelets from minimalist to OTT. I called this one Mata Hari Steampunk (have I created a new genre?) because it seemed like a cross between the two styles I had in mind. Made entirely of copper wire with silver covered copper wire for accents plus a few sparkly glass beads.

For sale at $49.00 from Artefact Creations on Artfire or on Folksy in GB pounds £29.95.

This necklace is one of my favourites so far as it is simple and bold, yet chunky and unfussy with a sort of primitive medieval or renaissance feel about it (ok history was never my best subject). I'm wondering whether I should perhaps focus on the medieval and renaissance fayre market and start listing on less general directories?

Handmade jewellery just seems to have more soul, it's an elusive something that is very appealing. All my stock is also one of a kind unless stated otherwise - I just prefer each piece to be different.

I also really love the colour of natural raw copper and so never have the desire to deliberately age my pieces with liver of sulphur, although they will certainly age naturally without any glaze. I may experiment with ageing some pieces when I focus just on the cuff bracelets. I've also decided not to buy any more supplies (apart from wire) until I've used up what beads and other components I've already got.

Necklace is US $39.00 (GB £24.00 approx) in my Artfire shop.

Also being listed in my other shops at Folksy etc. All stock is dispatched from London, UK and all currency is automatically converted to your own when you pay by card, so it doesn't matter which shop you go to as I just delete the other listings when sold.

Creative alignment vs. Resistance

Having coffee in the local park last Friday I was just chilling out and appreciative of the fact that I could do this sort of thing on a weekday, especially as I need to have these moments of seemingly doing nothing but where everything is actually happening. Pauses seem just as important as action to me, and creative ideas get birthed during these times of reflection and just BE-ing. I find it hard to put my life into separate boxes labelled work, play, relaxation etc let alone a structure or schedule.

My 'weekends' often happen midweek, and my interests run through everything else too. New consciousness thinking permeates everything else in life rather than just something I read about occasionally. I don’t want to stifle any part of who I am or put it in a separate box, and I ’ve realised that any creative blocks I encounter are the result of more general life blocks, caused by my own energies not flowing properly (by focusing on ‘what is’ rather than what I want) than to any specific creative block.

I haven’t been blogging, twittering or making anything creative in recent days because,.....well..... life got in the way, and I need to align my own energies first because if I’m not in that centred and feelgood space then any action taken will be just wasted time and energy and not bring about wanted results unless I attend to my own energy alignment first. And there is quite a mixed bag of stuff that is affecting how I feel right now, so it is all good practice for cleaning up my vibration, so to speak.

I’ve long been familiar with the Abraham channelings, channelled by Esther Hicks, which is the source of the information behind the film ‘The Secret’ that speaks about the Law of Attraction . The final version of the film edits out certain facts, and tends to focus a bit too much on the money-making side of things rather than giving the broader picture. Esther Hicks and Abraham are also edited out of the final version of the film, but her original channelled material by Abraham is far better anyway, and anyone who wants to find out more can go straight to her website at abraham-hicks.com or watch any of the videos on youtube, of which there are many.

Even knowing about the Law of Attraction doesn’t mean it is always easy to apply in practice as old habits die hard and there is a tendency to keep focusing on 'what is' rather than what is wanted. Which is why we keep manifesting more of the same. I'm currently reading their latest book 'The Vortex', having read the previous two books in the Law of attraction series, and so I'm just following my joy and not even attempting to force myself to do what my thinking mind keeps telling me I 'should'. Creativity itself is about doing things differently, manifesting new ideas or products or inspiration, so why not apply it to life in general as well? Rather than force myself to make rules that I have to meet, or fuss over google statistics, or stick to certain hours and targets of production, I'm just going to go with the flow of my own well being and follow whatever inspires me in the moment.

Slowing down rather than speeding up is what is needed, and attending to the bigger picture can end up being more productive in the long run, saving hours spent going down the wrong path or being blinded to anything other than those goals or expectations that we put on our path in the first place. So maybe creative blocks are not really blocks at all, but a gentle reminder to take a tea break and feel into what it is we are actually resisting.

There will be a thought in there that is not serving us, and as all creativity starts with thought, it is a good place to look first......and to slow down enough to get away from the usual mental chatter that tells us we need to work faster or harder or that there are not enough hours in the day to 'waste' time drinking coffee by the lake.

First silver clay design attempt

My first attempt at using Silver Art Clay for jewelry was interesting, and I'm not sure whether I'll continue using it much in my jewelry making but felt it was important to try out different methods and materials, and also decide whether it is worth my while investing in a kiln.

I bought a blow torch from the same supplier I bought the silver clay and other tools, but the torch wouldn't fill despite trying all of the nozzles on the butane gas filler, so had to buy another blowtorch from the local DIY shop.

Originally was going to make a silver chain link bracelet but decided to use a single chain in each different piece because the total weight of the intended piece was over 7 grams which meant I would need to get it hallmarked.

As these are just experimental pieces I thought I would incorporate a focal shape of pure silver in a mixed media bracelet with copper tube beads and other beads threaded on to silver coated copper wire.

The result was a delicate and magical looking piece which I've called Lady of the Lake, as it seemed slightly Arthurian, plus I spent a bit of time by the lake today. It can be worn further up the arm or more loosely around the wrist, but I prefer it as an arm piece than a wrist piece. I also loved the combination of copper and silver, and having the hook clasp at the side. The focal square has a leafy pattern on it, and the bracelet which fits all sizes is fairly flexible so that you can adjust its shape snugly once it is on the arm.

I'm not sure what I'll make from the other squares yet but I thought I'd put my first piece up on my blog, and then into my online shops. All of these will be one of a kind pieces, so even though I may list the same piece in more than one shop, I would delete all other listings whenever an item sells. So far I have just listed it in my UK shop Artefact Creations at Folksy.

Selling on Artfire for free

Since my May post Where to sell handmade products online
I have felt somewhat homeless on the internet, a bit like in real life when I haven't felt sure where exactly I wanted to live or put down roots. The result has been a handful of items listed on one online selling venue and a handful there, while I make up my mind where to put the majority of my listings. Not having tried them all yet and not having sold anything either because I need to list more, promote more and buy more in order to build up my feedback, I am nonetheless getting a FEEL of what these different venues are like, so anything I write about any of them are all based on personal preference and not on sales figures (yet).

Etsy is a site that a few seem to do well on but is swamped with so many listings, and from what I've heard they look like they are going the way of ebay now they have become so big, as the complaints sound very much the same re customer service, treatment towards sellers etc and I still have the scars from ebay not to want to repeat all of that. Admittedly they get a lot more traffic to the site than some of the other online venues for handmade goods, so I will keep some presence there at least for now.

Folksy is the UK equivalent although only a year old and so not in the same league as Etsy even though some sellers have migrated over from there. It will no doubt grow but I'm getting the impression that there is little promotion going on for the site if the forum is anything to go by. Deciding whether to list some jewellery components under supplies I was surprised at how little there was in the category I was going to list in. Now this could be viewed either as negative in that there was less choice on this website, or positive as there was less competition and my listing wouldn't get buried like it would on Etsy. In fact the forum is the best part of Folksy for me (same for eBay now) and I have had some useful advice for improving my shop and am glad that I've now changed the banner more to my liking.



I remembered a seller on DaWanda who I had bookmarked as liking her banners so bought one from her, which I'd seen via a link to her website and which was also listed in her Etsy shop where I finally bought it. So I think this illustrates how having a presence on a number of websites is the way to go, but to maybe have a couple where the most effort towards listing is directed. For me I've decided to open an Artfire shop recently (or studio as it's called there) as my USA presence and to have DaWanda as the European one. At the moment I haven't found one based in the UK that I feel happy about joining, not that it matters as everything is shipped from the UK from any of my shops and Paypal converts the currency.

What I like about Artfire is the way you can see everything in your own currency and can also link to your other shops like Etsy. I've only taken out a basic account which allows you to list 12 items for free. For unlimited items and other features you can pay $12 dollars a month for an upgraded account as a verified member.

At the moment they have what they call a Freeride Program which involves referring 12 people to sign up for a verified account for the $12 a month subscription, and when you get 12 others to also sign up you can have your account (plus one for a friend) free for life - which means no subscription, no listing fees, no commission on sales, everything free - for ever! So check out Artfire yourself via my link below. I've only recently opened an Artfire shop so am still listing my items. If you decide to join as a verified member via my link (thank you!) I am one point nearer to having no fees and you can do the same once registered by referring others.

This promotion is for a limited time only, so act fast to start qualifying for your free account for life.

Click on this link to join Artfire's Freeride programme as a verified member and refer 12 others to get your account free for life.

Related posts:

Buying and Selling on DaWanda

Where to sell handmade products online

Week in the West Country

Glad I chose the hottest week of the year to escape the city, and what was meant to be 3 days in the countryside turned into a week. Even though I’m now back in London and meant to be making new jewellery to sell, I know that online sales slow down in summer and I do have other areas of my life to attend to as well. So I’m uploading some of my pics of Cornwall and Devon.

My search in the Tamar Valley and Cornwall for a good location to buy a property is not entirely unrelated to this blog and my interest in copper, as Cornwall by the early nineteeth century was the greatest producer of copper in the world.


The affect of copper mining on Cornwall was drastic, demand for the metal was high with the industrial revolution, and prices were good with little competition from elsewhere in the country. With the discovery of huge deposits of copper abroad in the mid 19th century, the price of copper fell and by this time the best Cornish deposits had been mined out. No copper mining is carried out today.



Gunnislake Clitters Mine was a large copper mine located near Gunnislake in the Tamar Valley in East Cornwall. I stayed in Gunnislake for 3 nights and took the hourly bus into Tavistock through some of the most beautiful countryside I’d ever seen. I decided I couldn’t live in Gunnislake because it was too quiet with just a couple of pubs, a post office and a shop selling garden gnomes. It would have also been too big a contrast after living in central London, plus I was constantly out of breath walking up and down those steep hills.



Tavistock in Devon (3.5 miles from Gunnislake on the Cornish/Devon border) is unlike any town within the Cornish mining district. The dramatic remodelling of much of the medieval town by the 7th Duke of Bedford during the mid-19th century was achieved with profits from his mines, whilst a substantial proportion of the mining workforce was housed in model cottages built within the town. I actually went to view one of the 19th century miners’ cottages down by the canal in what I consider to be one of the prettiest locations in Tavistock.



It was just a short walk from the main shopping area, following a wonderful river walk, and I am still hoping another property will soon be available for sale in this area as the cottage I saw was just too tiny, especially the kitchen. Being a grade II listed building you can't just extend anything without planning permsission.




Lostwithiel was not far from Gunnislake by train, and had a few more shops. To me it was a quiet village but I was told by the Tourist Office that it should be called a town. I went to view a delightful early 19th century cottage here that I’m still considering buying, but the only drawback is that it doesn’t have a garden. Having adored Tavistock as a town to live in, especially as there is an indoor craft market where I could sell my jewellery, I was undecided between the two locations.



Throughout the 14th century Lostwithiel was the Capital of Cornwall.
It is surrounded by wooded hills and is known for its antiques shops and auctions.
Lostwithiel felt more like a community where everyone knows everyone else, and it has its own charms. I thought it would be too quiet for me at first but after the first day, and especially after my walk along the river to Coulson park and the Nature Reserve, I decided to keep this location on my shortlist.




It also has a train station, which Tavistock doesn’t have, so it is easy to get around the county to see other interesting places or to shop in the nearest big town.
I’m finding it really hard right now to concentrate on anything other than finding myself a home in the west country, with room for a studio.

Altered Art Jewellery

This is another interesting jewellery project in the pipeline for me to try out as the possibilities are endless to create jewellery around specific themes such as literature, art, nature, cinema, Victorian photos, advertising or anything else. I've picked a few examples from sellers on Etsy.com and Folksy.com, and there is also a good online tutorial on Aunties Beads.

I've yet to decide what glaze to use as I hear that the images can smudge when applying water-soluble glaze to anything printed on an inkjet printer. I've recently ordered a CD of images to use in my altered art jewellery from Lunagirl.
I was excited to see a CD containing masses of illustrations from one of my favourite book illustrators, Walter Crane, so just had to have it. I could have just download images from the internet or scanned some of my own early illustrations for free, but the CD seemed to contain so many more that I didn't have access to.

There is a good article about creating altered art jewellery charms on Lunagirl's blog, so I won't repeat the process here.

Here are a couple of examples of altered art charm bracelets by Poetsummer on etsy.com

Alice in Wonderland is always a popular theme. I particularly liked the Absinthe charm bracelet as that is one of my favourite drinks.

Plus plenty of earrings to choose from by Jezebel Charms on Folksy.com. These are her Casablanca earrings.


If you want to buy images for your altered art jewellery then there is a wide choice available online, plus free vintage clipart (see link below), or use magazines, old photos and advertising labels.

Online jewellery making tutorials

While it is possible to learn the basic techniques of jewellery making, as well as add new techniques and materials to your projects through books alone, I have found that online video tutorials are a good way of getting some quick answers or ideas.
Youtube.com has videos on various jewellery-making categories, which is good if you want an overview of a style or method before going ahead and buying any books on the subject.

This weekend I got stuck on ring-making, for instance, as the book I was using left me without proper diagrams and intermediary steps to finish what I started making, so had to abandon it at step 3. I'm new to rings, was never going to make them, and the book I had didn't have anything very inspiring on them anyway, so I went browsing on YouTube to see if there were any better examples or explanations on there. This lead me to discovering other video jewellery tutorials, plus their websites where I ended up purchasing even more supplies. So if you want to increase sales of your designer jewellery, beads or jewellery-making components I would definitely recommend putting some video tutorials on YouTube and also on your own website. It is probably the best marketing for your business you could ever do.

Although grateful to those who are putting out this information, I just want to mention a few tips though to those who are filming these videos by themselves:

1) Please show the table with the beads, tools etc rather than yourself. Although an intro is good to start off with, and having you in the camera frame is fine, don't talk about any beads, tools or anything else without a close-up shot of them on the table. In fact don't talk about anything unless the camera is pointing to it (preferably in close-up) even if this means having to stop and start the camera.

2) Don't be afraid to change the position of the camera occasionally. For instance, if you are threading beads and all I can see are your hands covering the beads, try putting the camera on the other side of the table, looking over your shoulder, or anywhere so that I can continue to see the item being made rather than having to wait until you have finished that stage.

3) Please, oh please don't wear any other jewellery like rings when doing a jewellery tutorial. The piece you are making is the star of the show! Clean nails are important, whilst overly long nails can cover up a lot of what you are illustrating. But wearing other jewellery seems to be the worst offender, and I found it to be so distracting.

4) Try to keep everything you are doing within range of the camera. There is nothing more annoying when following a tutorial than to have the hands and jewellery item suddenly disappear for a while. If necessary, mark the area on the table where your hands and supplies need to stay within, with a cloth or some other guide.

5) Very quick movements of the hands can easily create a blur on the video. And please do close-ups of certain techniques that are impossible to figure out from a distance.

Well, now I've got that out of my system I am also keen to find out about new products, from tools and settings to glues and glazes, so even product videos would be interesting for me to watch as there is just so much out there, and I want to buy the best and most appropriate tools and supplies for my own projects. In fact, only just today I decided that I also want to sell jewellery components, supplies and unusual beads, along with my own jewellery designs. So I may end up making those videos myself before too long if I am to follow my own marketing advice. Meanwhile, I have a heap of projects to make, new techniques to learn, and a couple of hundred listings to put up on both Etsy and DaWanda so I'm not quite there yet. I'm not short of ideas and inspiration at the moment, it is just a matter of finetuning the techniques or trying new ones to achieve what I want.........so keep those tutorials coming!


Here is a good page of tutorials for various jewellery-making techniques including bead and wire jewellery, which is my favourite method. I also managed to find there a video on altered art jewellery, which is to be the subject of my next post.