Tuesday 26 November 2013

The Best Laid Plans - and a Sale...

Well it's been a strange few weeks around here...

At the beginning of this month I'd just got my hands on a new kiln and lots of other toys and was all fired up with lots of creative plans for the run up to Christmas and then, as some of you know, I slipped down a few stairs, broke my ankle and all my plans went out of the window.

That was three weeks ago and after a week in hospital to have a plate inserted I came home thinking I would be able to get back to work pretty quickly...not so. I've never had an operation before and was totally unprepared for how wiped out I felt both physically and emotionally and it took me a good week to ten days just to be able to stay awake all day and start to feel human again. I'm feeling a whole lot better now but it's still difficult to work for any length of time when you're not really comfortable and lugging a heavy plaster around on crutches while muscles you didn't know you had ache is not comfortable, believe me.

My stitches come out tomorrow and hopefully I get a lighter plaster which should make things easier and I hope to be able to do a bit more but needless to say, my productivity has been pretty much nil this month. I'd like to thank everyone who has ordered from me during this period for their patience regarding delays in shipping and to those waiting for custom orders that I've yet to complete...I really do appreciate your kindness, understanding and support.

So whilst I can't make much at the moment I can take advantage of the the Thanksgiving holiday and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend to say thank you to all my customers for another great year with a sale in both my Etsy shops.


From Friday 29th November through to Monday 2nd December you can get 20% discount on components from THEA Elements and jewellery from THEA Jewellery using coupon code THEA20 in both shops to bag yourself a bargain (minimum purchase £15).

Whilst I may not be able to get back into full production just yet this enforced sabbatical does give me time to think about and work on new design ideas for when I do so watch out - it could be a very exciting new year!

Finally may I wish all my stateside friends a very happy thanksgiving and a wonderful time with family and friends. Hope to see you over the weekend maybe.

Lesley




Friday 15 November 2013

'Beads of Courage' Art Charm Exchange and Auction...




This year for the first time I am taking part in an Art Charm Exchange and Auction organised by the talented and indefatigable Jennifer Cameron in support of 'Beads of Courage' a charity providing innovative, arts-in-medicine supportive care programs for children coping with serious illness, their families and the health care providers who care for them.

The premise of the exchange is that each participant makes 11 charms based on a given theme and sends them to Jen, who then sends each of us a collection of 10 charms including one of our own. The 11th charm goes up for auction for BOC and you can find details of the auction later in this post.

The theme for this year was 'Love' and as I'm not much of a romantic and a bit of a free spirit I went to music for my inspiration. I decided on the Sting song 'If you love somebody set them free' because I've always been intrigued by that part of the human psyche that draws us to people and then sometimes causes us to try and change the very characteristics we found so attractive in the first place. I made my charms in the form of bronze clay doves and impressed the 'set them free' lyric across the wingspan, highlighting it with alcohol ink.


On the other side I added a tiny heart...


I felt the lyric also held a second message relating to the work done by Beads of Courage and how this can maybe set the children free from some of their pain...



So those are my charms but what about the ones I was sent...? Well what a fabulous selection in all sorts of media and here they are...

Beautiful lampwork...




Lovely ceramic...


Wonderful detailed beadwork...



Fabulous and  intricate wire work..


And last but not least, fun and colourful Polymer Clay...






You can find out more about the inspiration behind these charms by visiting the makers blogs below along with those of the other participants. All participants will have a charm up for auction so If you'd like the opportunity to get your hands on one... including my design, while donating to a fantastic cause, you can take part in the auction which starts at 7am EST today >>here<< and will be staggered 2 minutes apart. There will be further staggered starts from 9am EST Saturday am 8pm EST Sunday. You can buy each of the charms individually and the listings will be staggered through the day so keep checking back for new ones!

We’re hoping to raise $1000 dollars for the Beads of Courage project, so dig deep!

Note: I will have a few of my Dove charms for sale after the auction with the proceeds also going to BOC but having managed to fall last week and put myself in hospital with a broken ankle I've not yet managed to list them. If you're interested please e mail me at theajewellery@sky.com....thanks.


Caroline Dewison: http://blueberribeads.co.uk
Alicia Marinache: http://www.allprettythings.ca
Terri Del Signore: http://artisticaos.blogspot.com
Cheryl (Lee) Koopman: http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Jacqueline Carlson: http://www.beadgypsy.blogspot.com
Charlene Bausinger Jacka: http://clay-space.com/blog/


Lesley