Rabbits and Cats

See all about my new brooches
On my new blog on my new updated website.http://lindaconnelly.co.uk/category/httplindaconnellyenamels-wordpress-com/

Don't Give Up on My New Website!

Still waiting for my new Website to appear. Notice I didn't say patiently! However I understand that it will be done today definitely! Here's hoping.

'Behind The Brooch' online exhibition

Check out this link for some really inspiring brooches. In each case the maker has sought to make the reverse special in it's own right. http://crafthaus.ning.com/group/behind-the-brooch?xg_source=activity
Very inspirational.

NewWebsite On It's way!

Just waiting for my website to change over. Hopefully if all goes well should be back tomorrow. Very excited.

Website Changes

My website is down for the next few days whilst I change hosts. It should be back over the weekend with a new look. Hope you like it.

New Website

As you may know I am busy working on my new website. It will be the same
Domain name as presently -
www.lindaconnelly.co.uk
It will probably be down over the weekend and then hopefully will be back with a new fresh look, (and a new host). Keep in touch and don't go away please! Facebook will stay the same but I think I will lose my current web email address. Keep checking back!

Hampstead Craft Fair

Panic stations today with last minute preparations for Hampstead Craft Fair tomorrow. Haven't done a fair on my own for ages, so I decided to completely revamp my stall. Loads of finishing touches to do and of course I need to pack! It all has to fit onto my trusty trolley as I am going by train and tube. Come and see me if you're in the area. Admission is free and it's very close to Hampstead Tube station, Northern line and open 10 am to 6 pm. Wish me luck!

Jewellery Classes

As you may know I teach Jewellery Making and Silverwork classes for CALAT in Croydon, Surrey. www.calat.ac.uk
Classes are now enrolling for Monday afternoons 1.00 - 3.00pm and Tuesday evenings 7.30 - 9.30pm. They are lovely friendly classes and we cover a range of skills from traditional jewellery skills like sawing and soldering, to wire and beadwork, similar to that featured in lots of magazines. If you fancy making jewellery and live in the area, why not give it a go. Places are going fast, so hurry and enrol as soon as possible. If you have any queries, you can contact me at mail@lindaconnelly.co.uk.

Fossil Brooches

I made my first sales on Folksy this month. Two of my new Ammonite Brooches. I was so excited. A lovely lady bought two, one for herself and one for a friend in America. I have made some more and will be listing those too later this week. Just waiting for the arrival of my new photographic light tent and studio lights. Also had to purchase a new camera as I had an accident with mine when I was on holiday and cracked the screen.

Enamelling in the Tropics!

What a week to pick to be teaching a three day enamelling course! Was it hot? Great time though and they produced some really super work. Think they all deserve medals for sheer endurance! We had three days at SCOLA and we began with sgraffito on copper using liquid white. The we moved onto cloisonné using fine silver discs from Cooksons. Some people were complete beginners and a few had done a little before. I thought they did brilliantly.

'Fossil' Enamelled Brooches

 I have been making more of these and now have some in my Folksy shop as well as in Lovers Lights Gallery in Twickenham. I love making them as each one comes out totally different. I pierce them out in 1.2 copper sheet and solder hand made brooch findings to the reverse. I then apply Balls liquid white enamel by brush and allow it to dry, before sgraffittoing the design with an old diamond glass engraving tool. after an initial firing I then sieve on jewellery enamels and firing again. It is with this firing that the magic happens. With liquid white it is opaque at low temperatures but when fired harder it becomes transparent. I try to keep some of this opaque quality, but allow parts to acquire that wonderful golden glow. Sometimes I add touches of carefree lustre gold in a final firing.

Redcurrant Sorbet

How does this relate to jewellery and enamelling I hear you wonder. Well, the truth is I have been dealing with industrial quantities of soft fruit from the garden since the weekend. I had a really good crop of redcurrants and found this recipe that I thought I would share with you. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2206/redcurrant-sorbet
It is scrummy! I only used 120g of sugar and I also used an ice cream maker which I suspect makes the finished result much smoother. The first batch I meticulously picked out every scrap of stalk, but the next time I wasn't quite so fastidious because it all gets sieved out. Try it and see what you think. Two more batches and then I can get back to enamelling!

Brighton Pavilions and Fossils

Tomorrow I am going to deliver to Bellis Gallery in Brighton, two exciting new brooch designs. The Fossil brooches are sgraffito in liquid white on copper with jewellery enamels over. They were great fun to do and use techniques I have developed working on my Fossil Panels and Rock of Ages panels. I am planning to do more, and to use different fossils as inspiration other than ammonites. The Brighton Pavilion Brooches use a riso screen design. They both have handmade copper brooch findings that I soldered on before enamelling, using hard solder. I have also made a small range of hand made greetings cards using these designs. I love the range of effects using the liquid white. Fire cooler and the colours appear opaque. Fire hotter and longer and the white clears and golden colours start to appear. The spontaneous nature and range of effects make this very exciting, as truly no two are the same.

Tennis and Website

I am finding the Wimbledon Men's
Final far too stressful to watch so have been watching through my fingers whilst updating and refreshing my website. www.lindaconnelly.co.uk. Take a peek and see what you think.
Go Andy Go!!!

New Folksy shop

Today I have succeeded in setting
Up a new shop on Folksy. Nearly sent me goggle eyed but it'll we worth it when all the sales roll in lol. I have grappled with computer code, photoshop and Google analytics. Don't know whether to celebrate or scream out loud. If you have a moment perhaps you would like to take a look. http://folksy.com/shops/LindaConnelly
If you could like something on your Face book page that would be brilliant. Put my Jubilation pendants and earrings in there just in time for the Olympics! And Andy at Wimbledon of course!

The Heat Is On at Whitby

If you are in the Whitby area between 6th July and 12th August you simply must go and see what promises to be a super exhibition at Pannet Art Gallery by selected members of the Guild of Enamellers. Yours truly has work exhibited there as well as some simply wonderful work by my fellow members and friends. Let me know if you manage to go as I would love to hear what you think.

Spooky Musical Boxes?

Husband woke me up in the night claiming to have heard a musical box. 'You've got musical box movements haven't you.' he accused me. 'What was it playing?' I asked him. 'Was it Happy Birthday or the theme from Paganini? They are the only two I have and they don't start up spontaneously.' I declined to discuss the physics involved at 3.30am! He didn't know so as all was quiet we went back to sleep, although I was left with the lingering thought of a spirit making it's presence felt by winding up my musical boxes. Would make quite a good scene in a horror movie don't you think? Any how, I thought I would share with you the Happy Birthday musical box I made. It has a silver candle holder and charm and the lid comes off to reveal a space just the right size for one of my favourite sweeties. Oh, by the way, I think somewhat boringly I might have solved the mystery. My phone had run out of battery in the night and I think it might sound a distress call just before it dies! Don't tell the husband. He doesn't read my blog and doesn't do Facebook
so he need never know.

Contemporary Craft Gallery

I am really excited because I was invited to sell my work with www.contemporarycraftgallery.com and I have just set up my shop there. Here are some of the things I have put in. Keep an eye out because I will be adding more pieces soon.

Silver Palaces earrings and Pendants

I first made these a few years ago and have decided to revive the range as I liked them so much. They arose from my love of Moorish Architecture and from my travels in India.

Making my Fossil Panels

I thought some of you may be interested in how these are made. I have long been fascinated by fossils
and have been collecting them for many years, some myself and others I have purchased. I love the subtle patterns that have been imprinted on pebbles and rocks over millennia. I spend hours clambering over rocks on beaches around our coastline. These panels evolved from my Rock of Ages panels and incorporate fossils that I own and that I have studied and gazed at in museums.
I began by making a life size cartoon of my planned design. 

Then I pierced out the sheet of copper using my large Knew saw. 

Next I apply the liquid enamel using brushes and sponges. 

When each piece is dry, I scratch through to reveal the bare copper beneath. They are then fired. 

The next step is to add sifted jewellery enamels which are then fired. I finish by adding fused glass beads and gold detail. Next comes the serious business of selecting the pebbles, shells and slate that will complement each piece. This can take a while to get the look I require. 

All the pieces are then payed out onto MDF and cemented in place. 

Finally, I plaster around the stones of each piece. This is probably my least favourite job - messy and very time consuming to get right. Thank goodness I don't have to plaster walls for a living! Finally, a frame, a clean-up and it is finished. I have been making them in pairs, to give customers more options. However, because of the nature of enamelling, inevitably each piece is unique. The colour combinations are all subtly different and by high-firing some and using lower temperatures for others, I vary the opacity of the white undercoat. For me, this is part of the joy of this style of enamelling. I hope you like the finished pieces.

Wrapping Stones with Wire

On Wednesday I had a great day teaching at my local needle work shop in Hamsey Green. Www.thread-bear.co.uk. They were all beginners and I think they all did really well. Looking forward to doing another class there next term.

Herman aka Houdini Tortoise does it again

He's gone again! Slipped his tracker off and done a runner! The git. The last time he slipped his tracker off he had escaped and he's done it again. I now suspect he does it on purpose and this is not coincidence. Hopefully the sun
Will come out and then we'll find him sunbathing. I now suspect him of being more clever and calculating than I had thought. Last thing I need- an intelligent pet. At least the rabbit stays where he should. He shows no tendency to want to stray from the living room rug.

New Angels

I have been working on a new Angel Brooch design. These are sgraffito on copper with sifted enamels and carefree lustre gold and silver details. I have used the silver thinly to give a pearlescent wash over the wings. The top one was done with Thomson liquid flux and this has tended to burn out a little. The bottom one is done with Balls liquid white used very thinly. This was the most successful. I made copper brooch findings and soldered these on before I started enamelling. I used 1.2 mm copper so I didn't need to counter enamel.

Elephants and Pavilions

Just finished a batch of Elephant brooches and little Brighton Pavilions that will be cufflinks. The gold detail is really tricky to do as the firing is very sensitive. I'm doing 1 minute in a little gas kiln which seems to be working well. Nightmare to paint the detail on the cufflinks too as very fine. Getting better with practice and some have been re- fired several times! Off to galleries they go this week.

Linda Connelly Enamel Artist and Jeweller: Flying Angels

Linda Connelly Enamel Artist and Jeweller: Flying Angels: I said goodbye to two of my Guardian Angels today as they flew off to a new home in Austria. Sad to see them go but very happy they are goin...

Flying Angels

I said goodbye to two of my Guardian Angels today as they flew off to a new home in Austria. Sad to see them go but very happy they are going to a new home.

Jubilee Earrings

So your house is decked in bunting and flags. What are you missing? Why some Jubilee jewellery of course. Why not head down to Lovers Lights Gallery at 64 The Green, Twickenham and buy yourself a Jubilation pendant or earrings. Available in soft subtle shades to fit in great with whatever you are wearing. You'll be all set for the Olympics too!

Fox Trauma and Clocks

Was planning a very productive day finishing some clocks I started last week. I opened all The doors and windows and prepared to cook, (me as
well as the enamels). I popped down the garden to get some food for the animals and found a fox standing over my tortoise. I screamed and ran at
Him and he just stood there and then
Ambled off. I could have touched him he was so close. I was quite frightened because he seemed so brazen so I went and got a bucket of water. He was still standing there so I threw it at him and still he stood there. Then I wondered if he was sick so I phoned the RSPCA. They were brilliant and came out to us. Turns out he was very poorly so I felt quite guilty about the water. They think he had been poisoned. Who would do that? I don't like them and try to make them scared to come in the area of garden near my house but I wouldn't want to harm one. Any how, he had to be put to sleep and then I got back to work. Lost a lot of time though (no pun intended) so not finished the clocks. Carry on tomorrow I guess. Had to wash and disinfectant the tortoise as I think the fox peed on him. And people think working from home is easy.

Lovers Lights Blog

Hi. Follow this link to a really inspiring article about some amazing bird houses. Truly they are veritable palaces for our feathered friends. http://www.loverslightsgallery.co.uk/blog/2012/05/21/peter-garrard/

Tea Time Clock

Here belatedly are the samples I have done for this new project. They have been somewhat delayed because I have been somewhat poorly. Happily I am back on the studio, although still feeling pretty rough. I think I prefer the sgraffito one at the top left. May possibly include some touches of gold on the actual piece.

Time for Tea!

Spent the morning looking at pictures of tea cups. No, not completely mad, but someone suggested I make a new clock with tea cups for all the numbers. Sounds like a great idea so have the design worked out now and this afternoon am going to do enamelling trials to work out method. Thinking of stencilling them with opaque enamels
And then using over glaze decoration. Spots and stripes I think. Just off to put the kettle on again before I start ........

Summer Show at Lovers Lights Gallery, Twickenham

I will be taking part in a show here from 9 May to 5 August. This is a really lovely gallery and well worth a visit - not just to see my work. It has a wonderful situation overlooking Twickenham Green and the address is 64 The Green, TW2 5AG. It is a short walk or bus journey from Twickenham station. See www.loverslightsgallery.co.uk for more information. Let me know if you visit and tell me what you think.

Celebration and Jubilation!

Yes it has been a good day, but the names refer to two new ranges of jewellery based on the Union flag. The Celebration range is all in sterling silver with Swarovski and glass seed bead dangles. They were made using the etched brass plate shown earlier. Jubilation is enamel on sterling silver, again with the same dangles. They were a nightmare to do but I am really pleased with them. Cutting out the tiny crowns was particularly challenging! Hope you like them.

21st Century - Here I Come!

Busy today setting up a Facebook page
for Linda Connelly Enamels
and Jewellery. I was inspired to do this following a very inspirational
Chat with Elizabeth Norris at yesterday's British Society of Enamellers Meeting. Still
Work in Progress but it's getting there. Please visit and Like me.

Electro Etching

Hurray! I have just successfully rolled a piece of metal with a brass plate that I etched yesterday. It was my second attempt as the first was uneven. However with the aid of an old car battery charger from a car boot sale, an old aquarium pump and a glass lidded storage container I managed a beautifully even etch using a 10% nitric solution. Etching vertically was my husbands suggestion and was much easier and worked brilliantly. (Thanks Peter, our early morning chat was worth while! I did contemplate waking him up in the night to discuss it but thought he might be a bit grumpy!) The design is for some Union flag inspired earrings for a show I have coming up shortly at Lovers Lights Gallery in Twickenham. I did the rough design during last week's Guild of Enamellers AGM last Friday. I wasn't bored honestly, I just can't sit and listen in
a meeting without doodling. All I need now is customers!!!