handmadebyzenia

Hello Again!

2012-01-25T04:15:00.000-08:00

I can not believe it's a month into the New Year already.

I know............it's been a looong time since I last updated my blog. Shame on me.
No excuses but wish only sometimes I had my own pause button, which I could press when needed, so I could catch up with myself and the world.

What have I been up too................................

I was lucky enough after waiting (patiently I might add and I didn't nag to much) several years to convert the garage into a Studio. Which has been Fantastic, it has made a huge difference on the way I work.
Before I had taken over the whole dinning room. When we had family and friends round, meal times was interesting, all done in relays on the kitchen table. That was entertaining!
Having my own space is like having freedom, I can just close the door anytime and leave my creative chaos without it disturbing other people.

I thought I would post some photo's showing you the progress, and the finished Studio.

WHAT"S NEXT..........!

This year I intend to keep on top of my blog, showing you what I have been up too, having Give Away Competitions so don't miss out, but also I would like to show you other crafters.
Their is a fantastic range of talented people out there, that sell their wares, you won't stumble upon in the High Street. However this will take time as I will need to get in touch with these lovely people or if you know anyone that would like to be featured, please let me know!

WHAT'S NEW!
As well as launching my Website last June www.handmadebyzenia.com I have also joined a online shop a few months ago which also sells a handful of my pendants, http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/handmade-by-zenia/products

If you go up to the top of my blog page I have added tabs that will direct you straight to my website and WOW Thank You shop. Please give it a try.

My job this month will be adding NEW STOCK to both my website and wow shop. So please keep popping by.
ALSO..............! I am going give Etsy a try. So I will give you a link when I am all set up.

Thank you for your support and........ I better get cracking!
Z x

It's September Already!!!

2010-09-15T03:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have neglected you, for a while.

Now that we have the Summer Holiday's over, kid's back at school and we are slowly returning to a routine.
At the moment I am playing catch up with work and trying to relaunch my website with a online shop and making new stock ready for Christmas. Busy times ahead! :)

I was ask to restring two vintage necklace's over the holiday's. So I tried knotting for the first time using a knotting tool gadget, which worked brilliantly. So I think I will incorporate knotting into some necklace designs.

Just a few photo's below on what I have been up to.

Watch this space very soon because I am going to do a giveaway of one of my pendant's to celebrate the relaunching of my website, so keep tuned in the next few weeks......!

Summer's Here!

2010-05-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

Gosh! The sun was out in full force this weekend, so it's barbie weather again, we dusted off the cobwebs and powered up the hubby to get the barbie going. Homemade Burgers. yum yum!
As usual when the weather is like this people go mad at the supermarket and sure enough you just pop in to get some bread rolls, and what do you see, the shelves empty....!

Then their is the wardrobe issue, you look at last years summer clothes, and see if any will keep you cool, that you can still fit in, of course, also their is the kid's summer clothes, knowing that they can't squeeze into any of their summer things (why do I keep them till the following year, I ask myself, is it that I secretly don't want them to grow until I am ready for buying them the clothes).

So it begins hopefully a Good Summer!

It's fast approaching Father's Day (June 20th) so I have been making more cufflinks for the up and coming Fairs and maybe the odd Glass Hanging.

Please feel free to leave a comment

Easter been and gone already!

2010-04-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Having the kids off for Easter seemed to go quickly, sunny days, no rain and lots of chocolate but best of all, seeing family.
Seeing my sister in Salisbury and visiting Grandparents, who put on a good easter egg hunt in their garden with great clues was fabulous.

The Egg said "Don't Eat Me All At Once"

mmmmm! Is that possible!!!!

UPTON HOUSE

Upton House was another visit in the holidays, just the other side of Banbury.

Definitely worth a visit, the kids did a trial game which led you to clues around the house and gardens, great fun.

You should have seen the kids faces when they were given an easter egg each for bringing back the game. We are going to come back in the summer with a picnic and spent the day there.

Crafting Again!

I have had a peg loom sitting in my cupboard for a year - naughty I know. So I thought I would let my daughter have some fun and make something. She decided to make a scarf, I have a photo of what she has done so far.....

Not bad, if I say so myself!

Brackley Craft Fair

Last Saturday was my local Craft Fair, the weather was kind to us, so that brought more people out.
Its early in the year and people are still watching their pennies. Mind you, its school holidays and I have had to buy school shoes for the kiddies, which cost an arm and a leg, as you know. So even I wasn't spending.

Its a friendly Craft Fair and some of the stallholders are really good friend's, like Sarah from Noahs Ark Crafts she had the most colourful stall there, here's a photo to prove it...

another friend, Lucy Tustian who makes lovely items using Stained Glass was there too.

Next Craft Fair is in June, so I better get making.......!

Great Week!

2010-03-12T04:25:00.000-08:00

On a bit of a high this week as some stock has been sold at the library, also my Hubby took some jewellery into his work and the girls loved it and bought some too. So very happy that people like my work.

I thought I would finish scanning in some jewellery before labelling up this week but still need to make some more.

My Glass arrived this week so I need to start cooking with my kiln again, going to try some slumping this week. I will take photo's of how I get on and write a blog on how that turned out. Hopefully for next time....

Made some Mother's Day Card's the other week to go with the other Greeting Cards I do.

As it's Mother's Day this Sunday I am going to sit down watch a movie with the family and some popcorn and be pampered. Hope all you lovely mum's will be doing something too ......?

Library Showcase

2010-03-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

This week hasn't actually gone to plan, but that's fine.

Still a lot of things going on.

We (my friend Jenny from JeminiCrafts) have rented some space with our local library to showcase some of our work. It is a great place to start getting yourself known, we have priced our items up and the library can sell them on the spot.

As we have the 2 showcases for a month, we are going to change the products every week. The feed back so for has been great and the library wanted to put a comment book out too.

Might be worth going down to your library and see what they have to offer, you never know!!

Must get Busy!

2010-02-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

I had a Craft Fair the weekend, it wasn't that busy, but I put it down to being still early in the year.
I thought I would show some of the pieces I had fired in their finish state.

These are the cufflinks I had sold just as I had made them. All the item's that came out I was pleased with just itching to do some more, still waiting for the glass to arrive but it is on back order at the moment.

Here are just two of the pendants that have been finished.

Just need to maybe set a shop up on my website and also on Folksy and Etsy.

New Beginning's

2010-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

January was very eventful, as you know with the snow causing chaos everywhere. Kid's off school for day's which they were quite happy about.

So it was nearly the end of January that I seemed to get back into a routine.

Well, I have taken the plunge and bought myself a small kiln, on Saturday I managed to play with some glass and fired the kiln up for the first time.

Here is a photo of my kiln preloaded with stacked glass, as this is the first time the kiln has been fired up I have just quickly put the glass together.

This is when the glass has had a Full fuse.

2009-11-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

Busy weekend doing Craft fairs one at Sulgrave Manor and the Leisure centre.

Also daughter was doing a show with her Dance School the past three nights and hubby helping with the lighting of the show as well. So pretty manic in our household of late.

Must try and do some more jewellery making for the weekend.