Folksy Front Page!

It was a nice surprise to see a of pair my earrings in the Featured Items on the front page of Folksy yesterday.

There's a lovely selection of jewellery there at the moment and my Turquoise Lampwork and Sterling Silver earrings featured quickly sold (thank you Folksy!)
They've now been replaced with another pair of my earrings - this Sterling Silver abstract design pair

I'm Loving........Liver Of Sulphur XL Gel

Noticing my supply of Liver of Sulphur chunks was running low recently I thought I'd better order some more. I've found getting hold of the chunks quite hard recently so I was interested to see my usual supplier Joy Funnel of ArtClayUK on eBay was now stocking Liver Of Sulphur XL Gel.

It's a stable gel form with an extended life hence "XL" which is ideal as the chunks tend to lose their effect after a couple of months and must be kept away from moisture. I've used the liquid form of Liver Of Sulphur once before which is available from Kernowcraft in the UK, £2.95 for 10ml but found it wasn't very economical and the results could be a bit patchy, so I was interested to see how I would get on with the XL Gel.

The XL Gel from ArtClayUK costs £6.95 for 30ml and comes in a plastic bottle with a nozzle top. I tend to oxidise maybe five or six pieces of jewellery at a time (I can't face polishing up more than that at once!) and the tiniest amount will give the desired results - I take the top off and dip just the end of a knife into the bottle then dissolve the gel on the knife in the hot water and that's plenty to get a dark grey colour on the Sterling Silver.
So despite the XL Gel being a bit more expensive than the chunks and liquid form I can see it's going to last me much longer so is more economical in the long run AND less messy than the chunks!

Sterling Silver oxidised and polished

Lost Connection and New Earrings

Last Tuesday one of the things I dread happened and I lost my internet connection. Not a good thing when you sell online and especially at this time of year!  A phone call to my ISP informed me "everything's alright our end, you need to get BT to check your line". BT checked the line - it was fine so I reinstalled the modem drivers (yet again) but still no connection. Another phone call to my ISP and they suggested replacing the microfilters - "they only cost a couple of quid" the man said, actually they cost £10.99 each from Comet so needless to say I didn't buy them!
So after yet another phone call to my ISP they said they would send me a new modem - which still hasn't arrived!

In the meantime I had people I needed to email so resorted to using my mobile to get on the internet. Oh my God - how slow! Fine if you've got three other things to do at the same time as waiting for a page to load, they were taking at least five minutes. I did manage to relist an item in my Folksy shop - it took an HOUR! And that was just relisting!

I'm now online again with a shiny new laptop (early Christmas present, thank you Dad!) but I've got to admit I prefer my pc, the picture quality on the laptop is rubbish - all the photos on sites like Folksy are blurred and pixelated so if anyone has any ideas how to improve them please let me know! In the meantime I will continue to wait impatiently for my new modem to arrive..............

New Earrings
It was lovely and bright yesterday so I took some photos of the new earrings I made recently (before my tripod broke!) soon to be listed on Folksy and Artfire.
On a lighter note I did get a nice surprise in the post on Friday - a £200 tax rebate!

Dogtooth Amethyst and Sterling Silver Hoops

Botswana Agate and Sterling Silver

Green Freshwater Pearl and Sterling Silver

Dogtooth Amethyst and Sterling Silver

Go Handmade This Christmas - Nature Lover Ceramic Necklace

Are you looking for something different to give this Christmas? Fed up of the mass-produced stuff on the high street? Why not give handmade!

Giving handmade means your gift will be unique and original, made by a skilled crafter who loves what they do.
Show your love and give handmade this year!

Nature Lover Ceramic Necklace by Go2Girl on Artfire

Kila, the artist behind Go2Girl creates earthy, handmade original necklaces, bracelets, earrings and accessories. Her designs are inspired by nature.

Christmas Gift Ideas - The Folksy Festive Sampler Online

    

The Folksy Festive Sampler is now available to view online and what a lovely surprise to find one of my copper bracelets on the front cover!

There are lots of handmade lovelies to be found in the Sampler and on Folksy so if you're stuck for what to buy this Christmas and fancy something unique, original and handmade why not take a look below

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Folksy Christmas Gift Guide - Winter Warmers

A mini Christmas Gift Guide from Folksy - the place to buy handmade in the UK

 Winter Warmers 

 Woolly and velvety goodness to keep you toasty this winter!

Hot As Hell Fire Scarf from Mrs Bee

Orange Slippers from Clicking Pins

Red Long Winter Socks from Legyviel In Rivendell

Orange Rose Fingerless Gloves from Lynwoodcrafts

Woollen Socks from From Roberts with Love

Handpainted Silk Velvet Scarf from BlueBoxStudio