A surprise for Tobyboo!

I have no interviews lined up so I thought I'd throw a surprise party for Tina of Tobyboo (I hope she brings some more crisps, I've eaten all the ones I had ready)

Tobyboo can be found on twitter, on Etsy and Misi and also has a blog



Love it or hate it - nothing beats Marmite for a pure burst of Englishness.



Looking for somewhere to keep those first teeth?



Pure Tobyboo humour - a little hare for your little one's hair :-)



How gorgeous is this - a love letter, complete with "SWALK" on the back. In my long ago boarding school days I built up quite a repetoire of acrnyms for the back of the envelope. How many do you remember? Some were quite naughty... "BURMA" ?

A day (and a knight) in Egerton

Wednesday's geocache outing took us 10 miles away to Egerton, starting at the church. The pathways were a little overgrown, as you see!

According to Geocacher Davjan the church tower was built by Sir John Darell of Calehill in 1476. Inside the church is an enormous brass chandelier. It is reputed to be the oldest 36-branch chandelier in the world and was made by Robert Rowland in 1699!



I was fascinated by John Darell, whose monument is in the church.



Under his feet is his dog and a crouching monk - I think this is a pardoner. Pardoners sold "indulgences" to rich people so they could go straight to Heaven without having to go to the bother of purgatory.



Instead of a pillow, his head rests on someone else's head - an enemy, perhaps?



Our walk continued through beautiful countryside and no less than eight geocaches were discovered.



When we reached home, I googled John Darell. He certainly lived in interesting times!

"Sir John Darell, knt. of Calehill, who was so great a promoter of the Earl Of Richmond's interest, that King Richard III. declared him a rebel and a traitor, seized on all his lands in the counties of Kent and Worcester, (in which latter he had thirteen manors) and granted them to Sir William Harrington, knt. When the earl, however, ascended the throne, Sir John obtained a restitution of his possessions, and was appointed esquire of the body to the king, captain of the Lancers in Kent, and sheriff of the county. He espoused Anne, daughter of James Isaac, esq. of Bekes- borne, by whom he had issue: James, his successor; John, in holy orders, of Wittersham and Isabel." link

I even found his will.

I confess I don't understand all of it, but it is fascinating. I love that he paid for "an honest Englissh preest to syng and say masse for the helthe of my soule &e. for 5 yeres". Why 5 years? It seems so arbitrary. Did he think 5 years was about the right length of time to account for his various sins?



He leaves his tawny velvet gown to be made into a "cop" for the church - I wonder what that was? A vestment, a curtain?

He doesn't forget the poor: "To 20 of the porest mennys doughters wt in the parisshes of litle Chart, Bederysden, Smerden, Westwell, Charyng and Preston beside Feuersham to their mariages 5 marcs."

The one person he does forget is his second son - the "spare". Younger sons went into the church, so he no longer has a claim on the estate.

Thanks Davjan!

We have a winner!

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway! I asked everyone to choose their favourite item from my folksy shop, and also say which piece of knitted jewellery they'd like to win. Some of you only chose the jewellery - but then if that *is* your favourite piece, it's still valid.

I counted up 30 entries, and set rndom.org to work:






Entry number 2 is **jolicious**
She said...




My favourite non-meerkat item in your Folksy shop is this pin cushion



I like the colours and the little pot!

I would like to win the pink corsage featured in your blog entry. It's really pretty and I have just the jacket for it!



Send me your address Jolicious, and confirm this is the corsage you have chosen, and it will be on its way. Anyone who entered and was disappointed is welcome to convo me for a reduced rate on any Folksy knitted jewellery item in my shop.

Let's meet ... Arosha!

Arosha is a fairly new member of Etteam, but he already feels like part of the furniture. He's played with my questions and made them way more interesting - I'm really enjoying this interview!

Cats or dogs?
Cats

Star Wars or Star Trek?
Neither…

Fruit or chocolate?
Both!! My family had a chocolate factory in Torino, and I'm a big fruit lover


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=26340112

Favourite colour?
Just one…??? I'm in love with all the colors! And my preferred is the cobalt blue that appears in the sky at sunset, my favorite time of the day.

Favourite meal?
Sashimi for the start, anything Italian as main course, and for desert – I'm sure you can figure it out yourself…

City break or weekend in the country?
I live in a city by the sea, so I get to enjoy both the city and the nature all the time.


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25746656

Soaps or documentaries?
I'm absolutely proud to have never seen even one chapter of any soap! Documentaries and films are my favorites, and preferably independent European ones.

Bath or shower?
Bath - long, warm, with candles, music, wine, bubbles etc…

Tuxedo or jeans?
I threw away my last tie more than 10 years ago… Informal – not only in the dress style.



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24403337

Murakami or Damien Hirst?
Murakami – because he takes me to a dimension where fantasy, childhood, future and dreams are mixed

Your favorite material?

This is a hard one… I'm a very eclectic and curious artist. I like to experiment with every material possible. I've created jewelry from wood, silver, steel, plastic, fabrics – you name it.. I've used almost every technique possible. I'm an autodidact, intolerant of any pattern, and I create with total freedom of expression, always searching for harmony and inner vision.


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25986407

What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shops: Do you sell anywhere else?

I started my main shop on ETSY www.arosha.etsy.com around two months ago. Soon, it became too crowded with items… I'm an eclectic artist and am now expanding it - with the new www.AroshaTwists.etsy.com and www.sleeks.etsy.com

The purpose was to expose my work to an international audience. My work is already well recognized in Italy and Israel, where I live, and it can be found in galleries, boutiques and jewelry shops. Etsy is a wonderful way for me to reach beyond the geographical limit.

I'm a full-time artist – art for me is a way of living, it's my breath and my vitality and my individual expression and my uniqueness and craziness. I want the world to know…


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26158722

What’s the favourite item you’ve made so far?
I love them all….

What has been the most useful lesson you’ve learnt (about Etsy) so far?

I have two lessons to share:

1. Having wonderful items is not enough. It's all about having GREAT photos. And you don't need to own the most expensive camera out there! Mine is a Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS, and I take great photos mostly because I studied it very well. So many of us don't bother to read the manual... Well – DO!! I took the time and improved the results significantly. Photography is also about the right lighting – I use the sun light in the early morning hours – it's very strong here in Israel in the summer, and there's no possibility with home equipment to get equivalent strength of light.


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26277772

2. Join a team! I'm a member of the Israeli artists team (ISART) and of the Etsy Treausry Team (ETTEAM). The support, exposure and knowledge sharing in both teams is impeccable, and joining them was by far one of the best steps I took in the last month. I've worked alone most of my life (the lonely life of the individual artist), and being a part of a team was a bit awkward at the start. Being an anarchist by nature, I was not sure how I will fit with team structures. But I'm slowly realizing I'm becoming a more social and manageable person as I grow older…

How do you see your store developing?
I see the millions crowded at the gates shouting: "Give us more of Arosha's jewelry now!! We want HIM!!!" Well… those hallucinations again… should definitely stop smoking that stuff…

On a more serious note – My shops differ from each other.
My first shop, www.arosha.etsy.com is where I sell my OOAK items and metalworks. Most items are not repeatable and are very unique. I hope the audience that appreciates an individual artistic statement and creation will fill this shop with movement. I'm already getting wonderful feedbacks from customers who appreciate the quality and thought and high-level of work that I put personally in these items – all handmade by me.


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26078755

The items in my two other shops www.AroshaTwists.etsy.com and www.sleeks.etsy.com are more easily repeatable, and are accordingly priced. They still comply with my basic personal perception of jewelry as art – so each piece is completely handmade and all items are unique, contemporary, sophisticated and possess an individual statement. My shops are not the right place for anyone looking for a mass-production item…

What have you been doing today that I’ve interrupted?
Taking photos, painting, preparing a wonderful lasagna for Hadas (the daughter of my woman), meditating, taking a walk on the beach at sunset, and dancing the night away..

Thanks Arosha, I really appreciate you taking so much time tweaking the questions. It's clear to me that the level of care you have taken in your answers is a reflection of the level of care you take in your work. I look forward to seeing more of your truly unique items.

As well as the Etsy shops we've just browsed, Arosha has his own website
www.arosha.eu
www.arosha.etsy.com
www.AroshaTwists.etsy.com
www.sleeks.etsy.com

Knitted Jewellery Giveaway!

Well - actually some is crocheted, but I think you'll forgive me.

Stop waffling Nifty - what do you win?



Your prize will be whichever jewellery item you choose from my Folksy shop, www.niftyknits.folksy.com



HOW do you win?

Seemples! Leave a comment telling me (1) your favourite not-a-meerkat item from my Folksy shop and (2) the jewellery item you would like if you win. Don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you.



***Please note there is way more jewellery in my shop than is shown here!***

Good luck - I'll draw the prize on Wednesday. Open to all - Folksy is now open to buyers from outside the UK, but not yet for overseas sellers. I *love* overseas buyers!

***COMPETITION NOW CLOSED, I'M BUSY CHECKING ENTRIES***

Nature's beauty

We walked around Hurst Green (just over the border in Sussex) yesterday.



The world is so lush and green right now!

I thought the highlight was going to be a patch of stunning wild orchids. I've left my finger in the shot so you can see their delicate size.



Later though, we saw a pair of buzzards (not that common down south) circling hig above and calling to each other. I did my best Ray Mears impression and called back to them, and I'm sure they answered. Husband not quite so convinced!



And later still - husband was in front and stopped dead, signalling to me. Sadly i thought he was telling me to stop - he actually wanted me to catch up! There in front of him were three little fox cubs playing in a clearing. By the time I got there I just saw the last one chasing his brothers. He barked at them to wait for him! We'd never heard a fox barking before.

I suppse we walked for 2 or 3 hours - didn't see a human soul in all that time. Bliss!

Let's meet ... Veryan from Beady Pool!

I know Veryan from Twitter and Folksy, and it's my pleasure to introduce her to you!

Cats or dogs?

Oh, definitely cats every time. If there is such a thing as reincarnation I would love to be a cat.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Red Dwarf please for me, takes me back a few years. I missed the new one on Dave the other evening and forgot to record it, sure it will be repeated though.

Fruit or chocolate?

I love both LOTS

Favourite colour?

Blue, blue and ……blue.



Favourite meal?

Roast lamb or salad.

City break or weekend in the country?

Weekend in the country preferable near the sea so I can blow away the cobwebs.

Soaps or documentaries?

Not really into either, but I loved Hustle and am quite enjoying The Mentalist.

Bath or shower?

Shower, every morning it wakes me up.



Now we’ve got you warmed up…

What brought you to Folksy? Tell us about your shop (or shops) Do you sell anywhere else?

Beady Pool sells handmade unique jewellery made using artisan beads, gemstones and quality glass beads with Sterling Silver and fairtrade Karen Hilltribe silver. I like using lampwork beads as each one is different and each lampworker has their own style. It also makes my items even more unique as mainly, the artisans only ever make one set of each design. I make bracelets, earrings, necklaces and pendants.



I came to Folksy as a way to get my unique jewellery viewed by a wider audience. I liked the fact that it was UK based for a predominently UK audience.
My Folksy shop can be found at http://www.folksy.com/shops/Veryan.
I also sell from my own website www.beadypool.co.uk.

What’s the favourite item you’ve made so far?

Oh tough choice I have so many favourites. The old cliché it is usually the last thing I made but I do like the Ebb and Flow bracelet featuring lampwork by Rachel Dawes and also the Summer Days charm bracelet with Angie Finns eatable strawberries – yum yum.




If you could start again, is there anything you’d do differently?

Set up my website sooner, even if it was just a shop front with how to contact me and some information about what I do and sell. I think these days the first place we look for information is on the web so it important to have a web presence.



How do you see your store developing?

I am currently trying out a more affordable range on my website called the Beady Pool Treasure Chest. All the items will still be handmade, but I will be using more readily available beads. So more Czech glass beads and swarovski crystals. I still plan on making only one of an item, but if there is a market I may do limited edition runs of say five items of each design.
I would also like to incorporate more silver into my work and have been having some silver jewellery making lessons and maybe one day even make more of my own lampwork beads…watch this space.(these are pics of my first attempts at lampworking)




What have you been doing today that I’ve interrupted?

Keeping an eye on my 3yr old son and trying to cross things off my ever increasing to do list.

What’s your top marketing tip for today?

Tell everyone and anyone about you and what you do. Always carry business cards with you and if it is jewellery you are selling make sure you wear what you sell, it’s free advertising. Plus, you don’t have to part with your favourite pieces.

Great advice Veryan, thanks! Could you remind us of your links again please?

My Folksy shop can be found at http://www.folksy.com/shops/Veryan. I also sell from my own website www.beadypool.co.uk.

You can follow me on twitter or become a beadypool fan on facebook . I also have a blog http://veryanparker.blogspot.com