Friday 29 July 2011

A Starry Story...

A new jumper at last! Here is the result of all those stars I was printing yesterday in a little gif animation for you showing a peek into the slouch sweater forming process...I'd love to know what you think?
A Starry Story...
I have wanted to make a starry top for ages and these navy blue marle sweaters are just the ticket for such a design. I have named it to go along with the Dark is the Night Locket and I have a feeling there will be more in this little celestial line. I do like stars I do!

Dark is the Night Slouch Sweaters will be available soon...watch this space!

Thursday 28 July 2011

What's been cooking?

Stars! This is just a little peek at something I have been printing up today...stars are never far from my work it seems! We are very lucky here in Cornwall where we live, there are no street lights and on a clear night sky you can see so many stars, even the milky way snaking itself across the sky.
Cooking up some stars...
One of my most memorable star gazing moments was a few years ago and me and my lovely cousin Evie had been out feeding the horses their late night haylage. It was such a clear night and we stood leaning on a car looking up and we saw so many shooting stars, I think it must have been a meteorite shower or something, absolutely amazing!

Anyway, further Bonbi Forest starryness will be revealed tomorrow...

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Lately...

I haven't done a 'Lately' post for ages! I haven't really taken that many pictures this last few weeks, something I must rectify. Just looking back through these pictures reminds me of how good the weather was at the beginning of the month and how miserable it is now...C'mon summer, pull your socks up!
Beautiful Rose
Climbers
Rocco
Petals and the Succulent
A Little Visitor
Tiny Petals
It has been interesting seeing what the garden at our new house is going to show us next and the beautiful rose here was a lovely surprise...such a gorgeous colour. As I thought it would though, my gardening enthusiasm has waned somewhat recently (I blame the rain, yeah?) and the weeds are sprouting with a vengeance once again. I must do some tending so I can see what else it is going to offer us before the summer is out...

We also seem to get lots of visitors in our house...in the last week there has been five beetles and two little lizards! Unlike looking forward to seeing what comes next in the garden, I am not looking forward to seeing what comes next on the crawly visitor side of things. At all.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Day in the Life - Tuesday July 12th...

Thank you all for the AMAZING response on here, Twitter and Facebook to the lockets yesterday! I am so pleased that you like them...if you haven't seen them yet, then have a look see HERE! Thank you!

So, I was having a look on Twitter the other day and spied that my Twitter pal, @mooosh aka Claire of Miso Funky, was advertising another round of her Day in the Life series where people who blog make a post about anything of note that happens on a certain day. I thought I would take part this time around, so here is what I got up to by the hour on the nominated day of Tuesday 12th July 2011:

(I tried to take some photos throughout the day but forgot quite a lot...but here are a few for you anyway!)

First thing and between 7 & 8am: I wake at some ridiculous hour that is still the middle of the night to me but morning to Mark when he gets up to go cycling. I go back to sleep.
I wake again when he wakes me to tell me that he's going. I go back to sleep for what feels like 5 minutes and then wake again when my alarm goes off at 7:30. I press snooze, and wake again at 7:40. I press snooze and wake again at 7:50. I press what I think is snooze.
Wakey Wakey
8 to 9am: I wake up having been lying on my arm at 8:30 with lots of pins and needles. Late already! I make the bed while I am still in it (a lazy habit of mine!) and finally get up and don my dressing gown and go downstairs. I turn on my computer and make breakfast of Dorset Cereals muesli (lush) and a lemon squeezed into some water and a bit of barley squash to make it taste decent, it's re-hydration, a hit of vitamin C and a morning ritual.
I eat breakfast in front of my computer and spy a beetle walking across the floor, the third in a week! I can't decide if we are infested or if it is the same one coming back in. I grab a glass and some paper and get it outside. Make a mental note to tell Mark not to drink from that glass. In hindsight I can't remember if I did this or not. Sorry Mark.
I finish breakfast and switch on the pre-prepared and brand new 'Lockets' section of the shop. Woo!
Lemons and Breakfast
9 to 10am: I sort some emails and then decide I should wash my face and make myself a bit more presentable before Mark gets home. He gets back while I am mid fringe wash. Never mind. Then the big decision while getting dressed: Shorts or jeans??? Decide on jeans and then go back downstairs to finish updating the website which involves editing images in Photoshop and juggling products around in the shop.
I am also sending out a newsletter today so I log into Mailchimp and check that the email I wrote yesterday is correct and that all of the links work and schedule it to go out later today (then I have a quick gander on Facebook)

10 to 11am: I ponder what I am meant to be doing for a minute and faff a bit looking for jewellery findings online. Turns out I can do this for an entire hour and not buy anything! I have made some decisions about what I need to buy when I have worked out quantities etc though, not an entirely wasted hour.

11 to 12 noon: The email goes out, yay! I make some lunch to take to the studio - salad with lots of feta and beetroot, yum. I eat lots of Philadelphia oatcakes while I do this, probably more than is healthy...
I glaze a batch of the new lockets, gather all of my stuff together, press refresh on the Mailchimp report too many times and at the last minute before I leave remember that I have to print out lots of cards for a wholesale order.
Glazing Lockets
12 to 1pm: Finally get up to the studio and then begin the order processing, printing out invoices and addresses. I am pleased to see that I am making good headway on my to do list despite my needless procrastination earlier!

1 to 2pm: I sort out some more emails and call through an order and payment to American Apparel. My mum and dad are about so I have a chat to them and eat my lunch. Dad remarks that my colourful salad looks like a big bowl of sweets. Once upon a time it would have been just that, or a big pile of pancakes, but unfortunately I can't get away with that kind of lunch these days...

2 to 3pm: I go back into the studio and pack up the orders and fold and pack a load of cards...all the while listening to The Archers (always enjoy a bit of The Archers) and then a Torchwood play on radio 4, which isn't really my kind of thing but I was surprised to find that I quite enjoyed it!
Card Folding
3 to 4pm: Back to the computer and I have a quick read of Creative Boom's '100 inspiring ways to market your business', I am always fascinated by stuff like this! Then I hem some scarves that I printed last week. In between the rattling of my sewing machine I listen to snippets of a program about Red Kites.

4 to 5pm: I carry on hemming scarves and then check my emails for orders again in time to get them ready to post today. There is some more so I process them and pack them up then set off for the post office in Tregony. I get there dead on 5pm. I am relieved as I am usually told off by the postman if I get there later than that...He doesn't like it if I turn up with loads of post to process too late in the day, which is fair enough!
Hemming
5 to 6pm: The postman is in a bit of a flap because his main computer has had a power cut, he switches to the other one though and the day is saved and all of the post is sent through. Hurrah!
After the post office I head over the road to the shop and bump into a lady I know, we have a little chat and I buy two Euro Millions tickets on Mark's instruction (£160 million jackpot tonight dontcha know?!) Adele's 'Someone Like You' is on the stereo in the shop which then replaces the song I have had in my head all day (Jamie Woon's 'Night Air') and I sing it badly in the car on the way back to the studio.

6 to 7pm: I check my emails again and send all of the order confirmation emails and tidy up. Then I put on some fitness wear and head to the gym where I was a bit lazy and didn't do my last stint on the crosstrainer. I remind myself that I am riding in the morning so needn't feel too bad about it. I am good at talking myself out of doing stuff in the gym.
I drive home and see Mark briefly before de-sweating myself in the shower. I turn the oven on in preparation for dinner...so HUNGRY!

7 to 8pm: I chop loads of vegetables to roast. We are having roasted vegetable pasta with pesto...an easy favorite in this household. Then I sit down to watch my guilty pleasure: Eastenders. Oh the shame!!! It's so bad it's good...

8 to 9pm: The food is finally ready so we eat at last. I thought the carrots were a little flavourless but on the whole it was delish! then Mark and I had our usual post dinner flop on the sofa having eaten too much and find ourselves watching 4 rooms for the first time. I don't think I will be wasting time watching that again, so boring! We both whinged all the way through it but didn't change the channel.

9 to 10pm: Mark washes up and I watch a documentary about perfume on the recommendation of our friend Rob. It is very enjoyable and I learn that there is such a scent called Civet which comes from a wild cat's anus. Lovely stuff.
I check my emails again and am pleased to see that there has been some more locket love, such a great response today! Then Mark comes back in and we start working on the new Bonbi Forest trade website.

10 to 11pm: I check the Euro Millions results. We haven't won...boo. As consolation I cut us both a slice of Lemon Half Moon cake and make Mark a cup of tea and me some barley squash (I don't drink hot drinks) we eat that, work a bit more and then decide to call it a day just before 11. Bedtime!

So there you have it, my day on Tuesday the 12th! Not the most creative or inspiring of days but then again days like this are a necessity to keep things running smoothly...answering queries and emails, tidying up half made things and sourcing new materials are all part and parcel of running a creative business. Back to painting and creating later in the week for me!

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Illustrated Lockets are here!

New Lockets!
Well finally, after giving you some little peeks I have got my new Illustrated Lockets in the shop! Hurrah!

I have been trying for a long time to incorporate my drawings and paintings into my jewellery in a way that is a little different than the usual methods, and I finally found a way that I am very pleased with...I'd love to know which are your favorites?!

Have a look see in the shop HERE! They have their own dedicated section and all.
Illustrated Lockets
I have also been rooting through my HUGE stash of charms and beads as well and have found a little handful of these tiny, tiny lockets which have been adorned with vintage flowers. They are also in the shop and are a snip at £9:50...a little treat for someone special perhaps? I have lockets on the brain at the moment, can't get enough of their little hinged forms...!
Tiny Tiny Locket

Thursday 7 July 2011

Vintage dainties...

I have so many beautiful beads and charms in my studio that I have amassed over the years...some of them I only have one or two of. It seems a shame to have them just sitting there so I have been making some limited edition jewels for you (you may have noticed this from my last posts...!) special pieces, using the vintage and rare selection of goodies I have at my disposal...

The latest limited edition additions to the shop are these oh so dainty vintage Swarovski bead necklaces. They have been strung on very tiny vintage snake chain along with vintage brass cubes and super sparkling new Swarovski (I do like my Swarovski sparkles!) There is only one of each of them too. Have a look see in the shop...I'd love to know which is your favorite!
Vintage Swarovski

Wednesday 6 July 2011

End of line...

This week the lovely boutique Cherry Cherry in Norwich closed it's doors for the last time, which is a loss indeed to the British independent craft and design scene. I had some Bonbi Forest wares stocked there and a few pieces from the Cherry Cherry inventory have come back to me so I have added them to the shop for y'all. A couple are pieces which I no longer make like the Flight Deer Necklace below, and Treasure Trove Necklace of which I only have one or two of each here now...There is also a new Limited Edition and End of Line section in the shop so Bonbi exclusives are easier to find. Have a look see!
Flight Necklace

In other news I am still working on the new things for you...as well as the Cat Face I showed here last week, raindrops, blooms, stars and little birds will be landing soon in jewel and tee form. I can't wait!!!

Sunday 3 July 2011

Lately...

Tiny snake
Tiny Snake
Pasty in the park
Pasty in the Park
Homemade bird deterrent
Bird Scarers
Mackerels
Mackerels
Pressie from dear friends
Beautiful Plates
Triffid
Triffid

A few pictures from this last week or so. I saw my first grass snake, a little baba one! My friend found it just hanging out in the car park at the stables. It is quite a rarity to see one since they are notoriously shy and apparently even play dead if they are disturbed. Clever things they are...

Mark and I also set to work de-weeding our field of a garden. Neither of us are very green fingered (I am the woman who managed to kill a cactus after all, yes, I am THAT BAD at this stuff) but I actually quite enjoy the slash and burn approach to gardening that we have developed. I discovered a strawberry plant in the undergrowth and made a bird deterrent for my other strawberries. There is a cheeky blackbird that keeps munching them before I can get to them. Not any more, ha haa!

The plant in this last picture is amazing...we found it amongst the weeds. It kind of looks a bit 'Little Shop of Horrors' before it opens, but then it flowers this beautiful flower that lasts for a day before all of the petals fall off. The bees love it! - E D I T: Turns out that after a little investigating (and the brilliant plant knowledge of my friend Gemma) that it is an Opium Poppy. Mystery solved...

In other news I have some very limited edition pieces that I am adding the the shop at the moment such as these butterfly pendants...have a look in the shop to see more...
Sweet Butterfly Pendant