Hello everyone!
It seems like an age since I have blogged, so brace yourselves for a long one!
It has been a busy few months of crafting, classes and the day job!
In November I made my annual pilgrimage to the Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate – it was a jam packed day, full of lovely shopping, workshops, inspiration, and I even got to meet one of my idols, the fantastic Georgina Bellamy (That Embroidery Girl).
I bought lots of goodies which I will be putting to good use on some new projects that I have planned in for next year – more about that later!
More recently, I have been experimenting! I have been making jewellery for about 20 years now, but one thing I hadn’t tried was resin. I bought myself a little starter kit from Resin8 a while ago (Link below) and I have to admit I put it in the cupboard and forgot about it. Browsing on Facebook recently I started seeing quite a few resin pieces, and it reminded me about the kit – so I dug it out, and gave it a go! What can I say?????? I’m hooked! I absolutely love working with resin! There are just so many possibilities! You take this boring looking product, add colour, glitter, whatever, pop it in a mould, and the next day you have an amazing, individual item!
Needless to say, I got straight online and ordered more supplies, and I have been playing ever since! I have tried out adding colour, adding mica powder, adding glitter, and even adding dried flowers and shells! The initial results were………ummm, I’ll call it interesting! After the first batch, I could easily see where I had gone wrong – too many bubble, not enough resin, or too much resin! But I am very happy to say the next batch turned out so much better – and I have some pieces I absolutely love! I went to a posh dinner the other night, and wore one of my new resin pendants, and I received some lovely compliments on it – which absolutely made my night!
Sparklies! 
Dried Flowers and Shells 
A humdinger of a pendant! 
My Sparkly Christmas Pendant! 
I love this little thistle! 
This moss pendant is one of my favourites
I have plans for lots more resin goodies coming up!
So, this leads me on to future plans! In 2020 I really want to focus on growth. I have been ticking along quite nicely for the last few years, but in 2020 I really want to challenge myself!
I will be continuing to work on my “For the Love of Bees” range – this includes a variety of bee makes in different forms of embroidery, beadwork, and jewellery. I will be developing a new range of mixed media embroidery works – incorporating different elements of fabric, and embellishments to form a range of nature inspired hoops.
I will be running another Stitch-A-Long! I ran the first of these in September, and it was so much fun! The next one will probably be in February – watch out on my Facebook page for more details.
Thinking about jewellery makes – I will be focusing on more high end pieces, using sterling silver. I have a charm bracelet range coming soon, which I am hoping to expand as the year goes on. I will be working on more chainmaille makes, as these seem to be popular, and I will definitely be working on more resin! I have two weeks away from the day job over Christmas and the New Year, so will be using this time to practice, and to start producing the first saleable items!
I think that’s all I have to tell you for now!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kindness and your support over 2019. It truly means the world to me! As a little thank you, (and to thank you for reading this far) I would like to offer the first 5 people to either comment on here, or message me, a £5 gift voucher off any future purchase – no end date, so you can use it whenever you like! The voucher is valid from any purchase made directly on Facebook, Instagram, or from any online Emporium I am taking part in!
So, last but not least, I wish you all Yuletide Blessings, a Merry Christmas, and a very happy, healthy and safe New Year.
Love
Zoe xx
