Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Saturday evening

hellooooo. a quick blog before I turn into bed, well, go to bed, not actually turn into a bed, that would just be silly. I’ve had a lovely day today teaching a new student, (Hi Julie) and I’m going to pop down to the studio in a minute to check on our dichroic beads, can’t wait to look and see.

Yesterday we took my daughter out of school and went to Art in Action again in Waterperry, just outside Oxford. We had a leisurely trip up, parked at my friends mums house in the village, then had a very civilised mug of tea and catch-up with old friends before walking up the road to the show. Such a lovely show to visit, loads of marquees specialising in different diciplines from woodworking to metalwork, jewellry making to textiles, asian arts and sculpture, painting, drawing, ceramics, performance arts, and of course glass. Everyone who is there demonstrates what they do, and are allowed to sell their work so you can just go around all day watching artists do their thing. There was also a craft market, a materials maquee where you could spend lots of lolly, and an exhibition of the Best of the Best. I do like days out like yesterday, but I’m absolutely shattered now, so night night.

Thursday morning

It had to happen. I knew one day it would. And today it did. Yes, I managed to grind black pepper into my porridge this morning. I missed the salt grinder completely and hit the black stuff. This is what happens when you don’t concentrate on the job in hand but stand gazing out into the garden watching the sparrows having thier little tiff on the fence. It was actually quite nice, adding a warm and musky flavour to it.

I’m in full flow now getting ready for my first solo bead fair next Sunday at Lingfield. I’ve done the GBUK ones but had all my jewellery for sale also (including my fashion range made with bought in beads from around the World), so it was really a mix of beads and jewellery. My stall at Lingfield will be selling my beautifully coloured focal beads and sets, my lampwork jewellery and various other bits and pieces including some sterling silver findings. There may also be some packaging items for sale. Better go and get on with more beads for the event, it should be lovely out in my studio as the weather is warming up again but not too much. Have a lovely day.

Sunday night/Monday morning

Hi there, just thought I’d pop in and say hi before I trot off to bed (after I’ve tidied the kitchen and stuff). I survived the week, just, lots of late nights (2am) getting ready for the Open Houses in Worthing, and Barton Beading day (that was today). I had a lovely afternoon at our private view in Sheilas house in Worthing, (address No. 9 and on the events page) and took time out to chat with the other exhibiting artists and admire their lovely work. Sheila has a lovely ecclectic mix of styles of work displayed in her house, but I suppose the thing that links all of it together is the amount of colour that we all use, most pieces are very colourful, from patchwork to papermache, and resin jewellery to lively cat paintings. The walls are covered in beautiful paintings, pieces of decorated driftwood, colourful crochet scarves, silk paintings, hats, bags and there is also rumered to be a cabinet full of glass jewellery by me. I even treated me to a wonderful garden sculpture based on the idea of the faces at Easter Island, now I have to tart up the garden so it looks fabulous in it.

Gotta go and get some zzzz’s in…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz