Getting my mojo back!

The school holidays are not an easy time for those of us who fit our work-from-home crafting in round our children, and I'm guilty of neglecting my jewellery work over the summer. But it wasn't just the necessity of spending more time outside in the sunshine with the children (oh the hardship!) that kept me from my jewellery tools. I can admit, now it's passed, that I had fallen out of love with my work. It's hard to say when exactly, or why, but it wasn't exciting me any more, and I was considering giving up altogether.

But things have been ticking over quite nicely without me at the Eynsham Emporium, so when I collected my last batch of earnings, I thought it was time to invest in some new beads. Over on Etsy I've been working in partnership with Anna Timbrell of Skittish Designs to critique each other's shops, and that process has helped me to focus. I went back over my designs and tried to pinpoint which ones I liked most and why.

Rose quartz and garnet bracelet

I realised what I've been missing lately is the earthy quality of semi-precious stones, which it what I used most when I first started out. They're just so damn beautiful!

Rock crystal necklace

Having made that decision I spent several happily indecisive days filling and emptying baskets in various on-line bead suppliers, until I hit upon some that just sang out.

Amethyst & amazonite bracelet

Suddenly I couldn't wait to pack the kids off to bed and get on with making things again - it feels like it did when I started the business, when I was making things I'd love to wear and feeling that pang of regret every time someone actually bought one and I had to pack it up and let it go out into the big wide world... And I can't wait to invest in another batch of beads. Happy days!

Amethyst & amazonite earrings

In keeping with the natural beauty of the semi-precious stones, I've treated myself to a slab of real slate (in the form of a sample floor tile from the local builders' merchant) to use for my photography. I'm really pleased with the results - what do you think?