Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Wednesday morning

I have a zillion and one things to do today, OK not really, but I do have lots to do and I shouldn’t really be here talking to you but I am so there. Yesterday was my 6 week from hip hop day, and it was a good one. No more blood thinning jabs in my belly and I got rid of my sexy white compression pop socks just in time for the hotest day so far this year and spent the day sporting a cool pair of shorts. I even managed to get a steaming hot mug of tea down the steps into our garden so I could sit and slurp on my favourite bench. I also haven’t had any painkillers since Sunday night, how cool is that? I have to admit having a moment at 12 noon yesterday, as that was when they woke me up in recovery and I felt so chilled. This whole experience so far has been completely different from my last surgery, where I was still on crutches and using a wheelchair after 6 months, but here we are, 6 weeks on and I practice walking in the house without sticks when I feel up to it, although I do still need my crutches. Chalk and cheese.

Half way through my recommended recovery period and I think it’s going really well, now all I have to do is pluck up the courage to try making beads again. My brain has been and is still so ditzy and slow that I haven’t dared approach the flame for fear of doing something stupid and burning myself, also my mobility and flexibility constraints have made me wary of trying to sit for any length of time in my studio or reaching to get things and forgetting my hip precautions. Add to this my tiredness after short times of activity and you don’t really have the best of situations. So I’ve decided to leave well alone until I feel I can enjoy making glass beads in safety.

I do have lots to do to get ready for Open Houses this weekend. I’m setting up my first display at the 2×4 Studios in Horsham today and have several jobs that I must do for that, including fitting out my flat display cabinets, deciding exactly what I want in them and how I’m going to arrange and display them. I also have to get all the ’stuff’ together to make my sales, for example packaging, a sign to explain what I do, a mirror etc…..phew. See you later.

Monday tea time

Open Houses as part of the Artists and Makers Festival in West Sussex starts this weekend and continues the following weekend. I am exhibiting in 2 places, my first and main venue is at Edith Barton’s house in Plummers Plain, where I will have my tall cabinet of designer glass bead jewellery. Edith has once again opened her summerhouse in her huge garden to display her work together with mine and 2 other local artists, Thea Taylor who will have sculpture on display indoors and outside, and Katherine Haynes who makes bags and lampshades from bubble wrap.  We are discussing having demonstrations like we did last year, and I may be taking my equipment to make handmade glass beads again, this will depend on how energetic I’m feeling by then. Come and see our artworks, enjoy some refreshment while you watch a demonstration and have a leisurely stroll around the garden whilst admiring the sculptures.

My second venue is in the 2×4 Artists community room in the Drill Hall in Horsham town centre. I will have a smaller range of jewellery for sale, but in different colours from the other venue, so don’t forget to check out both places. The room will of course be displaying many pieces by my fellow artists in the group, including paintings, mixed media, textiles, sculpture and printmaking. Studio artists will also be opening their doors as always.

More information is on my events page and by clicking on the links to the festival website where a pdf of the festival guide can be downloaded, and a festival map can be viewed. Unfortunately this map doesn’t so far appear to have our Horsham locations marked on it, oh well!

Friday tea time

The end of another working (well, not for me) week. I’m feeling so tired after I’ve done my numerous exercise sessions, walks outside, trips up and down the stairs, getting my lunch and all those mugs of tea, that I’ve decided I’m not going to do any work for another week or so. Hah. So there. My goal now is to actually finish reading the last Terry Prachett book that I started over 2 years ago, and somehow didn’t manage to finish quickly like I normally do. I think it may have had something to do with the final Harry Potter book which came out last summer in time for our family holiday as I normally only seem to get time to read on holiday.

Of course this not working malarky might be a bit of a risk as I have Open Houses coming up, both in the 2×4 Artists communal room in Horsham and at my friend Edith’s in Plummers Plain. Also I’m considering not doing the fair at Winchester Cathedral, I just don’t think I can take the pressure at the moment, and I’m finding that if I want to be awake enough to work then I don’t do as much exercising as I should be doing if I want to get better quickly and maximise my hip’s potential, which after all is what this voluntary stick leave (Rick coined that one) is all about. So there we are, nearly at the end of another weeks recuperation at home.

On another note, Congratulations to Peter Westwood (Rick’s work mate and one of the lead developers of Wordpress - I use this for my blog and various pages of my site) and his Bride-to-be Sam who are due to tie the knot tomorrow. I hope you both have a lovely day and wish you all the best for your new life together. I probably won’t be at your evening party, but I do hope you have a great time.

Tuesday lunchtime

Where did the morning go?  I was supposed to be in my studio making beads but have so many other bead & jewellery business jobs to do that I’m still indoors. The last week and weekend have been just hectic, with 3 days back to back teaching, a busy weekend and half term I’m now shattered, but it doesn’t end there as I have an exhibition to get ready for this week. The details of the Surrey Guild of Craftsmen New Members exhibition are on my events page.  Must dash, sorry this was so short, I didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten you!

Tuesday afternoon

We are in the throws of half term once more, and I am reminded of the events of last February’s half term when I spent the week and longer in The Royal Brompton and Harefield hospital in Chelsea with my daughter who  was suffering with a very bad bout of pneumonia. I much prefer this February! Although it looks like I won’t actually be doing my accounts tomorrow morning as planned because I forgot the school holiday and I have a hair cut booked, oh, how easily my best intentions go to pot. At least I’ve managed so far to do something vaguely mummsy today, by making dough and getting my daughter and her friend to make their own pizza for lunch. Yum. And we have half the dough left, so we can have some fun with that tomorrow….maybe bread rolls or dough balls with garlic butter, very naughty but nice.

I’m getting very confused by the weather at the moment, we’ve been sweltering at home today (not really, I thought it sounded good) and yet if I turn the heating down or off altogether we totally freeze in the evening, what’s that all about then? Aside from that I’m revelling in the fact that the evenings are getting longer by leaps and bounds, hopefully I’ll feel like making beads in the evening when the evenings are even lighter and more importantly warmer. I am fast running out of time to make my own beads and jewellery for the events that I have planned for the summer, namely the Guild exhibitions, Open Houses and 2 bead fairs. Looks like I’ll be raiding my bead box for further bargains and clear-out beads to top up my stock.

Wednesday night

I was planning to write tonight about how smug I feel, having done my accounts for the second Wednesday in a row - I diligently worked last Weds doing my accounts for the current year - but alas I got waylaid this morning by all the contact forms I’d received regarding tuition, and spent the day communicating with all you lovely people instead. A very fine way to spend the day but not what I’d planned. Still, I can feel smug about last week can’t I? and I have planned to do more paperwork next Wednesday morning, can’t wait…lol. I also added a couple of new events to my events page, a new members exhibition at the Surrey Guild gallery in Milford and dates for the 2nd Contemporary Art and Craft fair at Winchester Cathedral.

Yesterday I had a very pleasant day in Brighton. After meeting my friend for coffee I had the arduous task of finding somewhere for lunch, which I managed quite nicely. It was rather a shock when I went past my favourite cafe, Pulp Kitchen, to find they’d closed. Such a shame, they did wonderful smoothies, great home-made soup and lovely salads and wraps. The new place I found stir fry sizzled the hot fillings individually on a small stove in the cafe, yum. I may well visit TFI Lunchtime again. I made my way back to the car park after lunch, browsing the many bohemian shops of the South and North Laines, and even treated myself to a beautiful piece of jewellery, a stunning and colourful butterfly broach made of tin in gorgeous shades of pink, orange, yellow and gold. Mine’s the middle one on the third row. I must admit I’d have been very tempted by far right second row if they’d had that one. Maybe I need to email her……

Monday morning

What a weekend, I need a rest to get over it. All Saturday we were preparing for the bead fair yesterday, and of course yesterday was the main event. We had a lovely day mainly due to all you lovely people who came to say hello and spend some time with us. Now I have the unenviable job of finishing my accounts today so that my MIL can come over tonight to finish the tax part and do the online bit. Urrgh and I’m missing my class to do this today, still, it’s a good impetus to finish today.

What a fantastic and inspiring programme last night, I watched Monty Dons’ first part of ‘Around the World in 80 gardens’. I thought it would be interesting but was really amazed at the wonderful gardens and sights that he saw. Also the reasoning behind some of the gardens was very thought provoking, especially the Havana gardens in Cuba. Many of these gardens are tucked away in what used to be derelict areas of the city, and have been converted to communal fruit and vegatable plots for the benefit of the local residents. I loved the idea of the 60 small information centres where the gardeners could get help and advice on growing their crops, truly inspirational, and very green. There was also some amazing eye candy and many interesting themes and ideas for garden design and even bead inspiration. Just what I’m looking for to shape my new collection.

Friday morning

Hi there, me again. What a lovely sunny day it is today. I’ve been walking my daughter to school every morning this week as Rick has been away, and every day has been different, but today is lovely. Especially as I now have 10 new gorgeous pots of frit to play with and my very own Creation Station at last, all hot off the plane from New York. There’s definitely an advantage to having family visit the States when you’re into making glass beads. Of course now I want to dash out to my studio and try out my new toys…err…work items…but that will have to wait until next week, hopefully Tuesday, when my accounts and thus tax will be well and truly done, yay. I just hope he hasn’t brought any critters home with him on his suitcase, it’s so reassuring to know they have high levels of bed bug infestations in New York, lol.

Don’t forget I will be at the Bead fair at Ardingly this Sunday, come and say hello and bag yourself some bargains, most of my reduced beads are at least 70% off, and I also have some special sets that have never been offered for sale before now. The show opens at 10am, see you there!

Wednesday morning

This has been such a busy January, I hadn’t realised how fast the weeks were going, and I’ve hardly chatted you guys. This month has been full of tuition and other pressing jobs, so much so that I still haven’t finished my accounts, and I’ve been avoiding writing here so that I don’t run out of time.

I’ve been spending some time in the evenings getting my stock ready for the beadfair at Ardingly this Sunday (27rd Jan). I’m having a bit of a clear out and it’s been fun going through my bead box, looking at the older beads I’ve made and hung on to because I like them and for inspiration. I really notice the improvement in my control of the glass, in shaping and general neatness, and have ditched several of the beads I would have been happy to sell during my first few years. However I do still have some from early on, that I’ve never offered for sale, and these will be in my bargain pots this Sunday, together with some old styles and some experiments. I hope to see you there.

Monday morning

Hi guys and gals. I’ve just finished updating my events page with the bead fairs and Open Houses that I have booked for the coming year, so do shimmy on down for a look. My first event is the Beadwork fair at Ardingly in 2 weeks time, oooh eck that’s not long. I am planning to have a bit of a sale of some of my older beads and seconds, as they seem to have accumulated somewhat over the years, together with my newer sets and dichroic focal beads. So make a date on your diary please and at the very least come and say hello!

Tuesday lunchtime

Freedom! Yes it’s all over, my 6 sales and one exhibition, and now I have the unenviable task of preparing for Christmas and all that comes with it. Of course anything could go wrong with my plans and already has, oh yes, my daughter woke up with a temperature on the first morning after my events ended and now I’m stuck at home not even able to make beads. Dahhhhhhhh! So I’m tidying up today, and boy does the place need it. It seems that when I’m really busy and don’t tidy the house then no one else bothers and it all goes from bad to worse.

Hopefully having a tidy up will mean that I don’t have another embarrassing  incident like I did on Sunday, when it was a bit too dark in the bedroom when I grabbed my boots to wear, and didn’t notice that I picked up an old boot and a newer snug fitting and lovely clean one for my right foot. I only noticed the discrepancy between shiny clean black boot and scuffed navy looking left boot as I was sitting with my feet out in front of me and got the most silly fit of giggles at a very inappropriate time, that I had to control.  Needless to say I immediately hooked my left foot behind my right and kept both feet out of view under the chair hoping no one  would notice, and walked oh so confidently when I had to appear in public. I was wondering too why my new boot seemed to be letting the water in. Oh the shame!  Almost as embarrassing as owning a caravan. lol.

Friday afternoon

I’m nearly at the end of my Christmas events, one to go this weekend, and an exhibition that started today and finishes Sunday tea time. I’ve been stewarding the exhibition this morning, and will be there again tomorrow morning and maybe during the afternoon. The exhibition is a mix of affordable paintings, sculpture, original prints, textiles and my glass jewellery, and is open from 10am to 5pm all weekend. Please drop by and say hello. More details are on my events page.

It will be really good to spend some time tidying up next week, as the house always gets in a state when I have an exhibition or several fairs in a short space of time. I’m doing my best to keep Mount Washpile and its various foothills under control, but the rest of the house needs some TLC unfortunately, and we all know I’d rather be in my studio making beads than doing housework. One job I will enjoy is writing my Christmas list to put up on Ricks website family present list that he designed and wrote (sad geek!)(him….not me!) and I’m actually looking forward to doing a bit of Christmas gift shopping, I must be mad. It would also be nice to get the Christmas tree up before boxing day, I’ll let you know how that goes. If we put it up before Christmas day, maybe we’ll actually take it down before the end of March this time. I keep thinking it’s too soon to talk about the looming festivities as it’s only the 7th December, but we only have 2 1/2 weeks to go, and I always underestimate how long jobs are going to take.

I’m off now to help my daughter make some cake type stuff for her school fair tomorrow. Have a good weekend.

Tuesday morning

It’s finally here, silly season has started and I’m up to my eyeballs in making jewellery to sell at the pre Christmas events I’ve booked, and the current score is 2 down, 4 to go. I actually have a slight feeling of euphoria this morning, wondering whether it’s worth slogging my guts out any more for the remaining events, but I know it will be worth it. On today’s list of makes are some aluminium earrings, using some of the sheets of designs I enjoyed colouring during the summer and a further selection of freshwater pearl earrings and maybe some bracelets to go with them. I also somehow need to get some fresh food in the house as we seem to have run out of our basic building blocks for so many of our meals here. It’s finding time to do t’internet shopping whilst I’m knee deep in fairs that’s a problem. I honestly don’t know how other designer makers survive doing the fair circuit that they do, some people I know do a couple of weekend fairs a month, farmers markets, kids parties and still seem to be able to live. What I want to know is how do they find time to make what they sell and keep their house running?…I’ll leave you with that thought, must dash!

Tuesday morning

I was reminded today that I haven’t blogged for over a week, is it really that long? I’ve been so busy teaching that the last couple of weeks have wizzed by and now I’m in full swing (well trying to be) getting ready for my local Christmas fairs. I’ve cut right back on these, concentrating on three that are really good normally (all in private schools), together with a couple at Bromley Adult Education centre where I go for a day off (ha ha) each week. I also have a group show with the 2 x 4 artists that I belong too, details for that can be found on my events page. Of course these shows are like buses, all coming at once, I have 4 in 8 days, then the rest are better spaced fortunately.

Oh I’d love to go out to my studio and make beads, but I’m indoors keeping warm and dry, spending my time making silver jewellery and assembling pieces with my beads. I’ve been going through my toolbox and jewellery experiments box the last few weeks to try and use some of the bits that I started and didn’t finish, it was amazing just how many ‘bits’ I’d accumulated, etching experiments, Keum-Boo shapes (gold foil applied to a silver sheet substrate), bits of fusing, castings, and list goes on. I’ve managed to use a small proportion of these, and have been going through the process to turn them into jewellery, but today is the best, as I’m actually finishing some pieces now, woo hoo.

Well, that was a pleasant break, chatting to you guys, but now I have to get on with my work, and go and see if my Flog Blog on Facebook has updated. Ciao.

Tuesday morning (just)

It’s official……..the washing has exploded all over the floor and the wash pile on top of the wash bin is now greater than the amount inside the bin. I heard Rick snigger the other evening as he tossed another pair of used kecks onto the pile and wondered what was up. He was trying to get the top of the pile higher than the bookcase it was beside! Honestly one bead event or a show and the housework system goes up the spout (housework system? do we have one?) ha ha, although talking to other beaders on Sunday it seems they have the same problem. One even commented that if they were burgled that the theives would probably leave the house tidier than they found it! lol.

It’s nice to have a little breathing space to get my work (and the house maybe?) sorted for the Christmas rush, oh, famous last words, I just know that even though all feels so calm today that it’s all going to get mega busy again and I’ll revert to headless chicken mode sooner rather than later. Speaking of which I should go and do some more jobs. Ta ta.

Saturday evening

Harrow Bead Fair, The bead event of the year is tomorrow, Sunday, and I’m packing my luscious new beads and goodies at the moment. Details of the Harrow Bead Fair are on my events page.

So we have to get everything ready tonight, including our lunch and drinks, although I think we should do the flask in the morning ‘cos the water will get too cold. tee hee. It’s the usual last minute scramble here, I did try to get well organised, I even didn’t make beads on Friday, but progress got somewhat hampered today due to the fact that we had a prior commitment which meant we were out all afternoon and evening and only just got home a short while ago.

I’m looking forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends again, it’s great having a stall because loads of people come and say hi. So if you’re reading my beadlog and coming tomorrow, do come by and make yourself known, oh and don’t forget your elbow pads, the crowds were 4 or 5 deep last year. See you tomorrow.

Thursday teatime

What a day, it started off so well, was rubbish in the middle and for the last couple of hours has been good again. So what’s that all about? Well, after watching Nigella Lawson on Monday I was inspired and decided to get organised with our meals, so by 10am I had this evenings meal all ready in a bag, marinading, so I could just tip it out onto a baking tin. It was after this that things went downhill. My beadmaking was average to say the least today, nothing went right, even the simplest of spacer beads, which I decided to make because everything was so rubbish, turned out average. Somehow it just wasn’t happening for me in the studio today. Oh well, it’s at times like this that it’s better to go and do something else.

I’ve managed to plough through cleaning all the beads I’ve made this last couple of weeks, and they’re drying as we speak, ready to be put into sets for Sundays bead fair, or made into my popular ’shades of’ series of jewellery. Part 2 of this evenings meal is also ready to go in the oven when it’s time, in fact I’ll just go and do that now……done. Oh I can’t wait for dinner, we’re having Nigella’s roast Lamb Shanks with Delia’s roasted roots, and some fresh veg. Yum. Off to tidy my desk now and clear the table.

Thursday evening

Good news for me, and hopefully you beady buyers…..I will be at the Harrow Bead fair this year after all.  My friend Francesca Cerreta has invited me to share her stall, so now I have to start preparing for it! Of course with only half a table I won’t need so much stock, and will have to decide what stays and what goes. I will be sorting out the most lush and colourful beads that I can, and hopefully making a few new sets in the next few days. Details of the fair can be found on my events page.

Wednesday morning

It’s been a while hasn’t it, did you miss me? It was a real struggle for me not to post over the past few weeks, and yet before I started my beadlog I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to keep it up. Still, here we are towards the end of the school holiday, and I’m in a rather delicate state! Not through being in the constant presence of an 8 year old, but due to the mishap I had yesterday lunchtime when I managed to slip and bump down all but 5 steps on a very steep carpeted staircase at a friends house. Woops. Needless to say I’m still feeling a bit shaken and am wondering how I’m going to cope with all those jobs I need to do today and this week. The house still looks less than tidy, due to lots of trips, the Winchester exhibition, GBUK beadfair, the course I did last week and general stuff that needs putting away. Oh well. Some things never change.

I’d like at this point to say how lovely it was to meet everyone who came to say hello at the bead fair this weekend. It was good to put faces to names, and we all had a very enjoyable day. I’m not sure what other bead-fairs I will be doing next year, I’ve applied for a few but need to hear back from the organisers. I will post details on my events page when I have them.

Friday lunchtime

This will be my last post for a little while. I’ve been banned from doing any work or web updates for a few weeks as I’m supposed to be taking a break and concentrating on house stuff and our daughter. So please bear with me regarding contact forms. You can still send them in, but it will be a while before you get a reply.

IF you fancy a trip to France the exhibition in Sars Poteries started on the 30th July. This now runs until 15th October. Details on my events page.

At the end of the month, 26th August, we have the GBUK 4th Annual bead fair, in Stourbridge. Again details and a link to the website can be found on my events page.

Have a lovely August.