Frome Market This Sunday

I am excitedly preparing for taking part in the Frome' Super Markets' this Sunday 2nd September. I have a posh new gazebo just in case it's wet but the forecast isn't too bad just now.

I went to visit the 'super markets' in August - it was pouring with rain but it was amazing. There were so many market stalls - over 150! - selling everything from wonderful food to vintage goods. There was plenty of handmade inspiration too. The market meanders through half of the town it seems starting at one end on the car park at Market Yard and up through Market Place and then along Catherine Hill, Palmer Street and Stony Street. And there's a craft market in the Cheese and Grain too! So much to see and so many free food samples - hopefully I will get  a chance to have a look around too!

I am going along as part of Magpies & I, local Bristol based Vintage, Flea and handmade market organisers, who are having a guest slot in the Frome Flea Market. You will find me on the Market Yard car park between 9.30am and 2pm and my lovely sister is coming to keep me company!

The market is on part of the large car park and there will still be plenty of free car parking available.



Just a few future sale dates for your diary - you can find them all on my diary page (link up top under header too):

• Sat 29th and Sun 30th September I will be exhibiting my jewellery and gifts at the Jack Brimble Centre in St Werbughs Bristol as part of the St Werburghs Arts Trail.

•  16th-18th November I will be taking part in the Totterdown Arts Trail, Bristol - you can find me in Hawthorne Street with the brilliant Emily Ketteringham 

• 24th November I will taking part in Fishpond, Bristol  arts trail - in my own house! I am helping to organise this event. We ran Bristol's shortest arts trail last year in 2 houses a couple of door apart. This time we are hoping to spread further down the street!

Workshop dates will be announced very soon (I know I have been saying that for a while - kids go back to school on Tuesday so finally I can get some proper work time!)

Peacock Cane

I started this peacock cane ages ago. I looked at several images of peacock feathers to get the colours and the shapes. It has to be simplified a little as I didn't want to replicate a feather exactly - too delicate. I did the centre fairly easily but was then uncertain how to deal with the outer green and gold layers. I wanted to hint at the feathers structure but didn't want to get too complicated.

Finally I tackled it and I'm pleased with how it worked out. Here's the cane

I then decided I had better make a pair of earrings from it (as I am now rather behind with the earrings a week challenge on flickr). I made then from a simple slice but decided they needed a little something to make them more interesting so I added some score lines to indicate the feathers structure and then scored a line down the centre and used that to folded them slightly (as you see I couldn't resist a little peacock too ;)

 I then remembered some brilliant design advice I got from Inga - Kni.Kni about changing the little silver balls on the ear wires with tiny beads - boy did that change the look of the earrings for the better! It lifted them from being ordinary earwires to being special. I could of chosen any of the colours in the feather but decided to pick a nice bright blue to match with the centre as I had pretty seed beads in the colour. Thank you for the tip Inga!

 My kids are still home for the summer for a couple more weeks then I hope to get a little more clay time and update you more regularly again! I hope you are all having fun.

Cara

Green Mokume Gane Set

I made this set of jewellery in Mokume Gane from several custom mixed green shades of Kato clay for a friend's birthday. I was delighted with the result and was dying to show you but couldn't post them just in case!! She's had them now so I can show you too. Couldn't resist a little owl with the mokume gane shavings! As you can see I am making good use of what I learnt from Melanie Muir in her workshops.