:: work in progress ::

I would like to introduce you to a new member of the LBD team....

Dolly!

I always find it difficult to get friends in at the right time to photograph them with my jewels on, plus the nights are getting a wee bit darker sooner now. So I decided to invest in a manequin kind of thing. It was so funny when the postman handed her to me the other day... she is a 3/4 length form of a lovely lady. He just smiled and said "is this for your work?". I came clean and told him that I make jewellery and he just smiled!

I am really please with how my necklaces look on her, she has a lovely long neck, and no double chin! Plus you now get a much better idea of how each one will sit.

Things have been quiet on the home front this week. My lettice crop seems to be dwindeling and I am between batches of courgettes so I picked a little bunch of things to make a salad with on Thursday.

I added some chopped tomato, cucumber and red pepper and rustled up a little vinigarette to drizzel mmmmm it was delicious! I just make a simple mix of 3tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of apple cider vinigar, the tip of a teaspoon of dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. I have a little jar I use and just shake it all about and then pour.

I would love to know your favorite homemade dressing recepies, if you want to share!

Work in progress - arty things

This week I'm working on Wedding invitations for one of my best friends. She loves all things kitch and retro so her cards are going to be bright and funky. I started on stage one this afternoon, the drawing/ outline.

She loves tattoos, and has about 6 I think. She designs them all herself because she loves the personal meaning of each one. One of my favorites is a floral design she has on her back. It is a compliation of flowery doodles, not just any doodles though! You know when your on the phone, chatting away and there is any type of paper and drawing instument around? What do you draw?

For me it is circles, and for my friend it is flowers! So she translated these into a beautiful design that she now has on her back. Now you can see where the theme for her wedding invites comes in... it had to be a tattoo theme. I'm going to embroider this design with her and her bo's names, photograph it and then use that as the design for the front of the cards!

The other day Mr LB came home with some more squares of plywood for me and I started working on a new pice for my living room wall. "Her head's in the clouds" is a drawing/ painting on cardboard and them placed on the wood. I added some little clouds from a thrifted book and some cute flowery paper as the grass. I love how the collage aspect of these kind of pices build a different dimention. I just need to add hands and some text then she'll be ready for the wall.

Do you think she should be carrying a basket of clouds?

I had some trouble at the beginning getting the shading around her eyes right and then I ran my paint brush across them and the ink was still wet! Although I had to start again in this first one she does have a kind of tear stained face, and looks sad. So it's not all for nothing.

What are you doing to wind down this week? Are you trying a new technique or style?

:: work in progress ::

I would like to say a huge thank you to one of my customers who insired this necklace.
(You know who you are!).
Over the last couple of weeks I have been toying with the idea of having a couple of charms on a chain. I tried different ways of combining them but each time I felt they just all clumped together. I don't know why but I just didn't think to layer the chains as well!

So here is one of my latest designs, available in my Etsy shop, "Lucky Charm Necklace".

I love the idea and symbolism of lucky charms. When I was small I would carry a little pebble or stone in my pocket for luck. There is something very comforting about the physical reminder that luck or love is on my side.

For this necklace I have chosen a star, a key and a closed circle. The star charm has great meaning to me because of the words sung by Jimminy Cricket "when you wish upon a star..." and also one of my favourite childern's books "Laura's Star".

The key is a symbol of everlasting love, and for me that powerful feeling gives me the strength to give things a try.

The closed circle is a symbol of karma and love. Remebering how my actions affect others on the solid, closed circle of love remind me of my family. I feel their support when I hold this charm.

Do you have a lucky charm? Do you have little trinkets that hold meaning to you? I would love to hear about the little symbols you have, if only to not feel like a looney for carrying stones in my pocket!

:: work in progress ::

Gold Pearl Necklace

Layered Chain Necklace

I am keeping things simple and sweet with my new collections. Letting the materials, colour combinations and textures speak for them selves. I love how the layered chain necklace sits perfectly sometimes, but as you move around the layers begin to twist like rope.

I am working on ::my story:: a way for me to send a little note with each piece of my jewellery, so that I can share the inspiration, and meaning behind each jewel. And have it in a way that the new owner can keep it too.

Both necklaces available in my Etsy shop Laura Baillie Designs

:: work in progress ::

Simple Elegance :1:

I have been working away on a new range Simple Elegance over the last few days. With boxes of beautiful gemstones on my desk I often feel that it is each stones characteristics that should be focused on and not lost amongst other details. So I decided to keep these necklaces simple and let the rich or light colours and textures of each stone speak for itself.

The necklace above has a string of Carnelian gemstones atached to a gold chain. The stones are 6mm, so small and sweet.

Carnelian is said to bring peace & harmony, give strength to your voice and give courage.What a lovely idea, to have little gemstones of strength laying on your neck.

I'll be listing this necklace and more gold and silver Simply Elegant pieces this evening in

my Etsy shop.

:: work in progress ::

sew lovely - silver charm necklace

now available in my Etsy shop

I want to say a cheesey hello to all my new blog followers and visitors. It is always so exciting to see new people finding my blog, I often wonder who people find me.

Things have taken a giant leap forward on my re visit to my etsy experiment . I have drawn up a mind map doodle (on the back of some wall paper!), and pinned it above my desk. The centre of my map is my goal for this year. And all the legs coming off are ways I'm going to acheive my aim.

Having read this post by Dave Navarrow on how to get More Time Now ebook, I decided to narrow my goals list down. The huge list was beginning to get me down and kind of pulling me off track. Choosing 1 goal for the year, 5 for the month and 3 each week I am able to stay focused. And all of theses are tasks to get me to my years aim.

Making jewellery is part of my aim, to have 5 new items to list a week. But this is such a small part of the bigger picture. I have to get my necklaces ect out the world and that is where I'm concentrating my efforts at the moment. I have sent out a new press release to 5 magazines from my collected list. And it has begun to pay off already! One of my necklaces has been featured on Bliss.co.uk

Let me know if you would like to read more about writing a press release and I can maybe do a DIY post.

:: work in progress ::

I have been awol since last week, busy getting jewels ready to go to a new shop (more to come soon) and working on new designs. I got some beautiful new charms and have been watching lots of 'Gothic Noir' films so have a new collection making it's way slowly into the shop, piece by piece.

This is one of my favourites of the moment Gothic Layered Necklace available in my Etsy shop. I have combined a string of wire wrapped vintage pearls with a crystal cut glass beads and gunmetal chain. The charm is a heavy weight skull and cross bones which I love!

I am working on making new designs to get to list something new every day along with revisiting all the things I learned from my Etsy Experiment. I am always finding new things that work and of couse lots that don't, but all to often I move onto another project and forget what helps sell my jewellery. So the time has come to go over what worked and find some more tips and strategies.

I am on the hunt for some gripping night time reading, but not fiction. I am looking for interesting and inspiring business books that can help my small indie business. Any reccomendations?

Starting to bloom

Stormy Afternoon

:: And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful

than the risk it took to blossom ::

Anais Nin

This quote has been pinned beside my computer for the last 3 years and it has taken me until this month for me to actually start to blossom. I have stayed stagnent for so many years, through fear. But no more!

This is the beginning of my new beginning.

(more to follow soon)