With so many customers asking where they could buy our jewellery on a regular basis we knew that this year we would be looking to venture into the world of retail outlets.  So you can imagine our delight when we stumbled across an advert for a new shop opening in Leith which was looking for "crafters and artisans".

The shop is named Greetings from Leith and run by Lynne Jones, herself a crafter, who has the uncanny ability to turn old and unused items into little colourful works of art!  Her speciality is her beautiful handmade eco-friendly greeting cards which you can see on her website at http://greetingsfromleith.info/.

Whilst many of us are guilty of wasting what we consider to be 'unwanted rubbish', the same cannot be said of Lynne whose cards are made from all sorts of recylced objects, like the butterfly below made from a used cereal packet!

 

 

Greetings from Leith is not just a shop, it is a social enterprise with the following aims -  

To provide work and volunteer positions to people from dis-advantaged social groups.
To give local artisans a place to sell and showcase their work.
To encourage traditional and modern arts and crafts within society in the form of workshops, open days and exhibitions.
To promote the use of re-cycled materials, up-cycling, and products that are not mass produced.
To spread the social enterprise philosophy of a not just for profit business attitude.
To produce hand crafted greetings cards that are eco-friendly and that challenge an industry whose product is predominantly mass produced in China.

It is great to be part of such an inspiring project and Lynne has all sorts of exciting workshops planned including how to use a sewing machine, knitting classes, felt making and glass painting.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are lots of lovely things for sale from various artists and designers based in Scotland including textile art by Helena Boardman, http://www.helenaboardman.com/, canvas art by Sarah Worsley, mosiac art by Fiona Gibbert, flower art displays by Alidh and Sarah as well as jewellery, cards, hand knits, mobiles and lots of other bright and beautiful assortments.

Here are a couple of photos including the cabinet in the front window that houses our very own jewellery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from Leith is situated in Newhaven Road, Trinity, Leith and is open Tuesday - Friday 10am - 4pm and Saturday 11am - 5pm.   Workshops will take place on Sundays throughout the year.

 

 

 

Well at last I have managed to get around to my first blog of 2010!   It has been such a busy start to the year I don't know what happened to January and it's now almost Valentine's Day!

After a well deserved holiday, a very snowy Argyll for me and a rather sunnier Malta for Susanne, we are well and truly back in the swing of things.  I have been back at Merchant Square for the last 2 weeks and our first market of the year there was pretty busy with lots of buyers and some new crafters.

Last week Susanne attended the Morningside Makers Market in Edinburgh which I am pleased to say was very successful for us.  This market will be running on the first Saturday each month and is well worth a visit.  There are 30 crafters there all with good quality handmade goods, a friendly atmosphere and pretty decorative bunting!   We will be there on a regular basis throughout the year and if you are amongst the first 100 visitors you will receive a morningside makers goodie bag with free giveaways and discount vouchers from most of the stallholders   (look out for our 10% off voucher).  

You can visit their blog by going to http://morningsidemakersmarket.blogspot.com/

 

As well as making a new range of jewellery and a new wedding collection (which will be revealed next month) I am now into my 4th week of my silversmithing course at college.  I am thoroughly enjoying it and as you can see from the photos below I have been keeping a journal with examples of techniques that I have learned.  I have 5 more weeks of the beginners course left and have signed up for the intermediate course after that.  I hope that I will be able to learn new techniques and ideas that I can incorporate into my glass designs.                                                  

This weekend is of course Valentine's weekend and you will be able to visit us at Merchant Square.   With our heart displays, sparkly heart sprinkles and loveheart chocolates you will be unlikely to miss us, who said romance is dead!  

 

 

Speaking of love I couldn't resist sharing this picture of a chihuahua puppy born in Japan with a large, clear, love-heart-shaped pattern in his coat.  The owner has named it 'Heart-kun'. Awwww!

 

 

 

After 3 snowy and very cold days in Edinburgh we completed our last craft fair of the year in our usual spot at Merchant Square in Glasgow on Sunday.   At the end of the day we wished all our fellow crafters and friends a Merry Christmas and farewell before struggling to the car with our ever heavy bags for one last time in 2009.  

The production line has come to a halt, the kiln has gone cold and my tools have been put aside for the next couple of weeks.   Now it is time to turn my attention to presents, turkey and party hats before it's back to work in January.

Orchy Design has now grown to be a full-time business and in 2010 we will be growing and improving again.   We have lots of new designs planned including a bespoke wedding range, improved luxury packaging and more craft events than ever planned which will keep us busy in the year ahead.   I will also be starting a silversmithing course at college in January which I am really excited about and can't wait to experiment with new jewellery designs.

You will notice most items in the online shop have been sold on the run up to Christmas, however Susanne hopes to update the shop with lots of new items some time between Christmas and New Year so check back then.  

Please note that due to increased costs in materials and the impending VAT increase we will have to raise our prices slightly.   Unfortunately our costs have increased over the past couple of months but we decided to keep our prices frozen on the run up to Christmas as we realise that this has been a financially hard year for many people and we try to keep our jewellery affordable.   The good news for those on our mailing list is that our 2009 prices will still apply to your purchases until the end of January.

Anyway, I must dash as there are presents to wrap and cards to write.   However before I go I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of Susanne and myself to thank you all for your support and wish you a healthy and happy Christmas and New Year and I hope that all of you that receive an Orchy Design present for Christmas are delighted with your jewellery!

Until next year

Susan

I am often asked about the inspiration behind my designs and it is always hard to explain how a sunset looked on a certain evening or how a falling snowflake sparkled in the light of a wintery day.  The moment passes in a blink of an eye but I wanted to find a way of keeping those memories for a lifetime.  I think of my designs as memories and landscapes of Scotland captured in glass.

I always briefly try to explain what the inspiration behind each design was and I hope that the photographs below give you a better idea of how I transform a time and place into a unique jewellery design.

        

 

 

Ben Lomond's snow-covered peak illuminated by setting sunlight 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

    

    Captured in this sparkly pink pendant with hints of yellow and green

 

 

 

 

 

I am lucky enough to spend a large part of my time at my cottage in a small Highland hamlet surrounded by mountains, lochs and moors which provide the most beautiful colours and backdrops each time I look out the window.  I only have to travel short distances in each direction and I can visit some of Scotland's most iconic landscapes including Glencoe, Rannoch  Moor, Loch Awe, Oban and Loch Lomond.  With all this on your doorstop anyone would be inspired.

I am sure I will continue to be inspired for a lifetime to come and I am just so pleased that people enjoy my work and get such delight from wearing my jewellery.

 

As with many jewellery designers when I first started thinking about my jewellery range I didn't even consider that it would be of interest to men.   Yes, I thought they would buy it for gifts for sisters/mums/ girlfriends or wives but I never expected that there would be such a demand for a range that they could wear themselves.

It should have been no surprise as throughout history men have been adorning themselves with the most intricate and beautiful precious metals and jewels.   Depending on culture, race, religion or even status dictated what, if any,  jewellery men were allowed to be seen wearing.

In current Western society, men's jewellery is as popular as ever, although these days it is much more fashion than status orientated and after all why shouldn't men be allowed to have the same choices as women when it comes to accessorising?

It didn't take me long to realise that men weren't just admiring my jewellery for that special female in their life, they were trying to work out how they could incorporate the shiny designs into their own wardrobe.  I decided that cufflinks and tie tacks were the way forward and to this day I am amazed at how popular they are.  I've had great feedback from the male population about how pleased they are to have a fashionable, statement piece of quality jewellery that is exclusive to them.

However, I've also had men (and boys) who would give David Beckham a run for his money in the fashion setting stakes.   I've had men buying pendants for themselves which I have put on leather thongs to make them more masculine (one man was so excited he put it on to wear straight away!), several younger men purchasing some bright stud earrings, one teenage boy who wanted a purple stud earring to go with the purple streak in his hair and recently I've been asked about rings for men!

Well, I'm not sure there will be enough demand for the rings but I will continue with my cufflink and tie range as long as men keep asking for them.   I've been busy this week putting together some matching cufflink and tie tack sets which would make unusual Christmas gifts.  They all have sterling silver fittings which make them a quality present.

If you need any more ideas on how to wear the men's range, here are some of the reasons previous customers have bought them-

Groom / Best Man / Wedding Party / Wedding Guest / Business Suit / Special Occassion / Night Out / Cruise Outfit / Rugby Club Dinner / Work Tie

Did You Know? - I can make sets of cufflinks for weddings or special occasions and matching male and female items e.g cufflinks and pendant.  They can be made to match outfits and colour schemes.  In 2010 I will have a page dedicated to wedding jewellery, however please contact me about this service if you or someone you know is getting married soon or you are looking for matching jewellery for a special occassion.

 

Although this is a very busy time of year for making and selling I have managed to set aside some time for my first blog.  We are in the transition of autumn to winter and the mountains have a light dusting of snow on their caps as a reminder colder weather is just around the corner.

The white peaks seem timely as I have been busy making a winter collection of white and iridescent designs which remind me of snowflakes and icicles!  This collection has proved very popular as I am selling each piece as soon as it is complete.  This is the latest set that I have made which is a stunning pendant and earring set.  As usual the photograph doesn't do it justice as it is far more beautiful in real life.  The design is a frosty, shimmery white with hints of pinks, lilacs, greens and yellows.

This would make a lovely gift or an eye catching finish to a party outfit.  If you are interested in this set I have put it for sale on the website although I am sure it will go quickly and as always this is a one off design.

Last weekend saw my daughter Susanne and I at our first winter outdoor markets and thankfully we were well prepared for the weather.  Despite the wind and rain at Lanark we had a very busy day and didn't have too much time to dwell on the cold and damp. Being old pros now at doing outdoor events we were well equipped with hats, gloves, boots, thermals, foot warmers, hot flasks of tea and candles, we actually felt quite cosy enclosed in our wee stall!  We were also delighted at the end of the day when Santa and his live reindeer turned up for the switching on of the Christmas lights.  Even as grown ups you can't help but be excited!

This weekend I will be heading off to the warmer and drier Corran Halls in Oban for my third Christmas fayre there.  Susanne will be in our usual spot at Merchant Square with lots of new designs to choose from so do pop along and have a look.

Anyway my tea break is over and it's back to cutting, designing, fusing and sticking to replenish my stock for the busy time ahead.

 

Until next time, Best Wishes

Susan