A new Cocker Spaniel treat tin!
Tag: handmade
Valentine’s Day
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Is is important to give your loved one some attention, warm gestures, flowers and present just on this day? Are you looking for something unusual? I have some heart pendants in my shop. Maybe you will find something your loved one be happy with. Just take a look. Happy Valentine’s Day
Meet the Maker
Hi, my name is Deborah and I am the owner and maker at Silver Wave Jewellery and based in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
My love of creating really began many years ago without me realising when I started to watch my mother make my and my sister’s clothes – they were gorgeous pieces – and I wanted to copy her and make my own. I continued making clothes into adulthood and when I worked in the City you could often find me at local markets in my lunchtime buying fabric ready for my next makes! I also made some of my children’s clothes when they came along.
However, as life became busy with work and family I did not use my creative skills that much apart from knitting a few jumpers and making a few curtains but about seven years ago having always loved silver jewellery and buying it to match my handmade outfits I signed up for a one day silversmithing class in Dorset. I had such a wonderful time and made a couple of rings, a pendant and a beautiful bangle – all of which I still wear today! I
enjoyed it so much I decided I just had to carry on.
I began attending weekly jewellery classes then started to exhibit my work locally, sold at local craft fairs and in the last few years have taken part in art trail events around my local area in Maidenhead, Berkshire. I took early retirement just before the Covid lockdown so Silver Wave Jewellery has now become my main focus and I love being able to work on designing and creating new pieces from my little studio at home.
I use nature as my inspiration and I am lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of time at the coast in Lyme Regis which is where I came up with the name for my business. I love walking along the beaches with my dog Archie and collecting sea glass and pottery. I have not used these in my jewellery yet but have made quite a few pictures for myself and family with them.
I work with sterling silver, precious metal clay, copper and brass and add semi-precious gemstones, crystals
and gemstone beads for a touch of sparkle and interest. Texture is added to my work with hammers, metal stamps, etching, fusing and reticulation, fold forming and on occasions a rolling mill. I love creating simple, boho style, wearable jewellery suitable for any occasion. I create contemporary sterling silver and copper jewellery including rings, pendants, earrings, bangles and cuffs using traditional silversmithing techniques. Many of my pieces are one of a kind, unique items often created out of scraps left over from other projects as I try not to waste any metal and recycle as much as possible.
If you are buying for a gift I can ship direct to the recipient with a short handwritten gift note.
All my jewellery complies with the UK hallmarking regulations and I have my own makers hallmark registered with the London Assay Office.
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Deborah
Email: silverwavedesigns@gmail.com
Supporting Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday – Small Business, Big Difference.
Small Business Saturday is a grass-roots, non-political, non-commercial campaign that encourages people to support small businesses in their communities, both on the Saturday itself and beyond. The campaign also aims to support, inspire and promote small businesses all year round.
On Small Business Saturday, you can help to make a real difference by choosing to shop small, shop local and shop independent.
Supporting my small business
For me it’s all about helping to fulfil the dream. When you buy from an independent maker, like me, it means that you recognise the dream that I have nurtured and the hours that I have spent exploring and experimenting with my craft. It means that you appreciate the skills that I have honed and the love that I have invested in the piece that you have chosen. It gives me a huge boost to know that someone else can see the value in my work, and in turn it gives me the confidence to continue to grow my small business. In return, I hope that you enjoy the piece that you have chosen, whether that is for yourself, or whether you take pleasure in the act of gifting it to someone else.
If you have bought something from me, thank you.
There is no big budget marketing campaign, or team of employees helping to run my small business. It’s just me. I am a self-taught designer and creator, buyer, photographer, marketing manager, accountant, blogger, packer, delivery driver, sales manager and general spinner of plates!
I truly appreciate your support.
Why I’ll be Supporting Others
It’s so important to support independent businesses, artists and makers, and those businesses who try to support them. There is such a diverse wealth of talent in this country and we should be celebrating all that creativity. Supporting small business means supporting your community and the ripple effect which that can have in generating positivity, well-being and goodwill is so vital to the survival of, not just the businesses themselves, but their area as a whole. It’s self-fulfilling, if I buy from my local independents, they can buy from someone else. Maybe they open a shop on my local high street and that in turn encourages other new business and visitors to the area. Investing in my local independent artisans and producers means investing in my local community and that has to be good for everyone.
Supporting each other in our handmade community, here at The British Craft House is something we are all really proud of.
Did you know that Susan Bonnar, founder of the platform, is one of the
Small Business Saturday UK Small Business Heroes!
This year, I’m doing my bit for Small Business Saturday by supporting some of my favourite British Craft House fellow makers.
Godrevy Textiles
Sarah is a weaver/maker based on the beautiful Lizard Penninsula in Cornwall. We met for real whilst I was down on holiday this year! Sarah produces her own exquisite hand-woven cloth on her cottage loom, and the transforms it into wonderful home accessories and gifts.
RedheadWondering Hand Bound Boooks
Lizzie is a wonderful wordsmith and loves to encourage everyone to record their thoughts. She handmakes the most beautiful Coptic bound journals with incredible cyanotype designs, each inspired by nature. These books are perfect for journals or diaries, for sketchbooks and photograph albums, or for whatever you might want them to be.
Sally Thake Jewellery
Sally has the most nimble of fingers, creating the most intricate pieces of jewellery using a myriad of tiny seed beads and her work is influenced by the impact of the seasons on the surrounding countryside of the Cambridgeshire Fens.
This year’s Small Business Saturday takes place on December 4th.
Please support your favourite small businesses.
Thank you.
Storage Box Gifts!
These beautiful wooden boxes come in a wide range of styles with both text and imagery and are great for gifting – especially if filled with your loved ones favourite goodies! The natural wood grain can be seen in the boxes and they have a gentle curve on the corners.
There are five sizes to choose from ranging from a small square (14 x 14cm) up to a large rectangle with carry handles (45 x 16cm). Prices start from just £14 and as with all of my items they can be personalised to suit your needs.
Animal Treat Box
These cute square boxes are the ideal size to store your pet treats in. They can have generic text or be personalised with a name.
- Animal Treat Boxes – from £14
For Mum & Dad
Do Mum and Dad need to sort their “stuff” out? Then I have a perfect solution!
- Dad’s Stuff – from £20
- Mum’s Stuff – from £20
For Her (or him)
Enjoy these boxes with a beautiful hand drawn sunflower, or simply have custom text burned on to the wood.
- Personalised Box – from £21
- Sunflower Box – from £20
Boxes for Foodies
A great box for the kitchen. Text could be amended for other treats – eg “Mum’s Chocolate”.
- Healthy Snacks Box – from £20
- Nuts Box – from £14
Personalised Boxes
As I create every piece myself by hand it can all be personalised. Create a box as unique as your loved one for a never forgotten gift. Choose to have simple text or add in an image to make it even more special.
Stay In Touch
I hope some of these ideas were useful. Please follow me on social where you’ll see lots of behind the scenes pics and vids and find out about new offers.
Meet the Makers – Talking Textile Art
As a member of The British Craft House, I love being a part of the community of friendly artisans who are always able to offer advice and support in the optional, central hub. Working from home can sometimes be a little isolating, so it’s always good to have a friendly ear. We often share each other’s work and the appreciation for makers with a similar craft to one’s own is often evident. Many of us follow each other on social media and there are many collaborations that take place as a result of this supportive environment. Naturally, amongst others, I love to chat to the textile artists and we often say how lovely it would be to meet up.
So it was, that last weekend, on my way down through Cornwall for a holiday, that I popped into ‘Wooly Weekend’ at Kelly House near Launceston and finally met up with the lovely Buffy, aka The Twisted Felter, who was exhibiting there. We’ve chatted online for almost two years but never managed to meet before.
When I arrived, she was more than a little surprised to see me! Truth be known, as Buffy wasn’t expecting me, she didn’t recognise me until I took off my mask! Her face was an absolute picture!
Buffy is a wool artist, living in the beautiful Tamar Valley in Cornwall. Like me, she is inspired by nature and particularly British wild animals such as badgers, hares and foxes. Often her fibre sculptures find themselves with a quirky sense of humour and an eccentric personality all of their own! Her work is beautifully executed and I have great admiration for her skill and attention to detail.
Buffy’s stall was beautifully set up, with a full range of her fibre art, including some of her more recently woven wall hangings, just added to her British Craft House shop. I am fascinated by weaving, so it was great to see the mix of textures and fibres Buffy incorporates into her work and to talk about the small loom that she uses. I had to admit to her that whilst I would love to have a loom, I simply haven’t got room for anything more!
For me, the added excitement of meeting Buffy, was to see her wonderful range of hand carded and hand dyed fibres, many of which come from her own little flock of Teeswater sheep. I have loved following Buffy’s journey, becoming shepherdess to her own flock. As a textile artist, it’s wonderful to know the provenance of the materials you are working with and I confess, I may just have done a little bit of shopping! Buffy’s Teeswater sheep have the most amazing curly locks and I am looking forward to using them to create lots of texture in my own original textile art. I chose a bundle of wonderfully long and very soft, grey locks to take home and, after a few days away at the coast, the beautiful carded art batts I selected will be perfect for capturing the coastal landscape that no doubt inspired their creation in the first place.
Over the last twelve months, I have begun dyeing some of my own fabrics and fibres too, encouraged and inspired by Buffy and the little videos she often posts. Buffy expressed an interest in the eco printing that I have been exploring and use to print onto silk and wool, often made into scarves. She would like to give it a try for herself, when she has some spare time! This was a great opportunity for us to compare notes on the types of dyes we use, and to exchange ideas about the nature of the fibres and their suitability for various textile techniques. I am more than a little envious of Buffy’s carding machine and am secretly hoping that one day I might be able to pop along to see it for myself!
I was only at Kelly House for about an hour and a half but the visit to see Buffy was an absolute joy. The tea and cake were also pretty fabulous!
Later in the week, I met up with Sarah, a wonderful weaver and maker from The Lizard area of Cornwall. Sarah owns Godrevy Textiles and also sells on The British Craft House. You can find out all about our afternoon at the beach here.
P. S. If you would like to I see what I create with my newly acquired fibres, do keep an eye out in my British Craft House shop and follow me on social media. All the links can be found here.
Pottery Slump Moulds
Slump mould? This is an obvious term for a hand-building potter but may raise a few eyebrows in the uninitiated. I will first explain, then I will share with you a cheap & cheerful method to make a home-made slump mould.
Slump mould
This is a concave mould, like the shape of the inside of a bowl, intended to take the clay inside the curve of the mould.
Usually in a pottery studio, a slump mould is made from plaster of Paris. The clay can be put into the mould as a rolled-out slab or as balls, spirals or strips of clay.
- Commercial plaster slump mould
The inside surface of the slab form is exposed, allowing it to be decorated with underglaze, slip or impressed marks
The outer face of the slab is in contact with the mould, which will shrink away from the plaster of Paris as the clay dries.
Homemade slump mould
This is my version of a homemade slump mould …
You will need a strong cardboard box & a sharp knife (plus of course your clay!)
Draw the shape of the rim onto the box – in this case I am going for an oval rim – and cut aound the shape with a sharp knife.
- Homemade Slump Mould (1)
- Homemade Slump Mould (2)
- Homemade Slump Mould (3)
Then place a rolled out slab of clay over the cut-out opening …
- Homemade Slump Mould (4)
Pick up the box and drop it from about 15cm away from the table, the clay should slump slightly into the hole … keep dropping it until the clay has reached the depth you want.
- Homemade Slump Mould (5)
Finally, trim the excess clay from around the rim …
- Homemade Slump Mould (6)
Ant turn out the completed form onto a board to dry.
- Homemade Slump Mould (7)
My next blog will be about a homemade hump mould …
Father’s Day Gift Ideas 2021
As I am a small independent business I can usually customise all my products, so you’ll be sure to find something that can be personalised to suit your Dad’s tastes. If my wooden products are not quite right for your Dad – don’t forget to check out my fellow small business makers that can be found on The British Craft House – it really is a treasure trove of wonderful creations.
The Beer Loving Dad
Whatever your Dad’s favourite tipple is – he’ll love one of these boozy themed presents.
- Dad’s Beer Crate – sturdy storage for beer bottles, with a handy bottle opener on the crate
- Beer Bottle Opener – made from reclaimed wood
- G & T Board– mini board the perfect size for cutting limes
- Personalised Gin Board – get Dad his own personalised board for cutting his gin lemon slices
The Well Groomed Dad
Has Dad got a well trimmed beard or a finely tuned skin care routine? Will Dad soak for hours in the bath? Does he look sharp in his suit and needs somewhere for his cufflinks? Everything you need for the well groomed gentleman can be found here!
- Relax Bath Caddy – a perfect gift if filled with his favourite bath goodies
- Coin/Cufflink Tray – versatile tray for coins, cufflinks, jewellery and more!
- Skin Care Storage – another caddy that could be filled with his favourite products
- Shaving Kit Box – this would make a great eco gift if filled with sustainable products.
See HogWash, Holly Botanic and Saponista for some great eco beauty products ideas that would go great with the above storage pots.
The Sentimental Dad
If your Dad is a big softie then he’ll love a Memory Box to let him know how much you care. It could be filled with his favourite treats, or photos or smaller gifts. The text and imagery is 100% customisable, and some examples are listed below:
Animal Lover Gifts
For the Dad that is an animal lover perhaps a wooden box decorated with his favourite animal and text of your choice would be an ideal gift.
- Pet Treat Bowl – for dog or cat treats
- Small Trinket Box – decorated with your choice of animal
- Keepsake Box – your choice of animal and text
- Mini Chest – your choice of animal and text
The Foodie Dad
Does your Dad love his food? Maybe he enjoy some nuts with his beer or does he have more of a sweet tooth? Whether he’s into cheese, snacks or sweets – these gifts will be ideal for him.
- Circular Cheese Board – personalised with a name
- Mini Chest – personalised with text/image combo
- Rectangular Cheese Board – add a name a a picture of a cheese wedge!
- Nuts Storage Pot – a great little storage pot for snacks
The Organised or Messy Dad
Whether your Dad is super messy or really organised – he’ll still love these storage options to help keep his “stuff” under control. In a range of sizes and styles – these wooden storage boxes can all be customised with personalised text to suit YOUR Dad.
- Bits & Bobs Desk Tidy – available in 2 styles
- Bits & Bobs Storage – available in 3 sizes, with personalised text an option
- Dad’s Stuff Box – available in 3 sizes
- Dad’s Stuff Crate – available in 2 sizes with personalised text options
Special Interest Dad
Whatever your Dad is into – I can personalise a wooden item just for him. Whether it’s storage for his fishing, bike or DIY bits or a KEEP OUT sign when he’s gaming – I’ve got a gift for all Dads!
- Personalised Storage – create a bespoke gift with your choice of text and image
- Cycling Crate – a storage solution for his bike helmet, gloves, glasses etc
- Gamer Door Hanger – so Dad can let you know he does not want to be disturbed!
- DIY Box – help him get organised with this quirky “SCREW IT” box.
Don’t forget the card….
There is a huge collection of cards to choose from on TBCH – browse the selection of Father’s Day Cards available.
More Gifts for Dad ideas from The British Craft House
- Father’s Day Gift Guide on The British Craft House
- Art Gifts for Dad
- Gifts for Him
- Personalised Gifts
- Food & Drink Gifts
- Men’s Jewellery
I never thought I would …….
When I began my career, I thought I would work as a hairdresser for ever. …after all, it’s what I’d wanted to do since starting school. But then…..
…I never thought I would own a town centre hairdressing salon employing up to 15 members of staff.
I never thought I would go to night school to learn how to teach.
I never dreamed that I would become a part time tutor at Blackburn College Hairdressing dept and have my own tutor groups to inspire, nurture and teach cutting and styling skills to.
I never thought that attending a weekly art class would lead me to studying for a fine art degree that I graduated from in 2008.
I never thought I would be asked by our local council to run our towns very first art market, and as a direct result of this I was asked, with a couple of friend’s to deliver a huge community project in Blackburn town centre called, POP – Project Our Place.
I never thought that a few of us from our degree course would set up a working artist’s studio in the town centre above a charity shop.
I never thought that two friends could set up and work together running Ribble Valley Art Studios, an art studio collective in Clitheroe, and it be a success for 9 years.
I certainly never thought I would ever be teaching my love of art in southern Spain, in the town of Baza, with two friend’s that are the ‘Caves of Dreams’.
I never thought that in a worldwide pandemic I would set up, and make handmade wooden jewellery from my back porch ‘Bevart designs ‘was born.
I never thought that in April 2021 I would become sole proprietor of ‘Atelier Arts’ art studios, art gallery with small teaching area in town centre Clitheroe.
…and I certainly never thought I would be self-employed for all these years, teaching art subjects to a vast array of wonderful students of all ages. Including adults, children, children with needs, young offenders, young people. Thankyou to everyone for giving me these wonderful opportunities.
Thinking back, my journey has been about considering options, making choices and taking decisions.
This CORE decision framework is a good place to start.
C – Challenges. Accept them and stretch yourself outside your comfort zone. Grow and develop yourself and expand your comfort zone. But not so much that you cause yourself, or others, stress. Find the level of challenge you’re comfortable with. What are the challenges associated with your options? Take on enough challenge to keep you interested and developing.
O – Opportunities. What opportunities do, or what could each of the options provide? Consider all opportunities that are made available. If the opportunity you want isn’t offered, or isn’t quite as you’d like it to be, then find a way to create it and make it happen.
R – Rewards. Identify what you value. This can be anything that really matters to you – financial rewards, family time, recognition, progression, work/life balance, personal development and so on. How do the options and choices offered provide the potential to get the rewards that are important to you?
E – Enjoyment. Think about what you really enjoy doing. Make sure the decisions you take allow you to do what you really enjoy. Then do it.
This CORE frame work I borrowed from AWD Development Solutions, all other words are my own, Beverley – Bevart designs
link to my art studios, below.
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Useful … and beautiful
Have you ever come across the quote “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”? It is a quote that I have on the front page of my British Craft House shop because I feel it sums up where I am coming from as a maker.
(I would perhaps include the word ‘garden’ as well as ‘house’ to be true to the range of things I make.)
The quote is from William Morris, the most famous 19th century designer and key figure in the Arts & Crafts movement. He developed an interest in his childhood for wildlife, flowers and the natural world which would have an influence on his work in later life. Contrary to the Victorian ideal of mass production & industrial processes William Morris championed artisan production of handmade items in textiles, wallpaper, carpets, embroidery, tiles & books.
He brought the natural world indoors by using patterns from the countryside, hedgerow plants and old-fashioned garden flowers to create his designs.
This spirit of unique, handmade design inspired by nature I hope is reflected in my ceramics – nothing mass produced, nothing copied, hopefully beautiful or useful, or both!