Indian Summers Jewellery

Back in business

2009-05-19T18:42:00.002+01:00

I've just realised how long it was since my last post, oops! I meant to post when I came back from New York but the five days I had in the country in between coming back and going to France for a month disappeared quickly when I came down with a bad cold. Not fun, especially when I had so much to do before hand!

New York was, of course, absolutely fantastic. I was visiting with my mum and my sister - so a real girly break, which was perfect for the kind of city it is. And spring was in full bloom, which made it all the more beautiful.

I was in France for work (on this, if you're interested), which was amazing, but completely manic - I've lost track of just how many towns, hotels, restaurants etc I visited while I was there. But I still got to savour many of the simple pleasures of travelling, especially in France - quiet cobbled streets, cool glasses of pastis on sunny cafe terraces, outstanding architecture (old and new), lush countryside and, most importantly for a foodie like myself, some really sublime meals. It's nice to be reminded of just how wonderful Europe is - it's all too easy to take it for granted when it's just across the channel.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite fulfill my aim of picking up some wonderful beads on either of these trips - in New York we just never made it to the bead shop, and I just didn't find anything that inspired me in Paris (beadwise, of course, the city itself is always inspiration!). I'm probably going to have to put my jewellery making on hold for a while - at least, jewellery making for the shop - while I sort out my own jewellery for the wedding, as well as finally get around to sourcing materials for the invites, designing them, and countless other fiddly bits ready for October (which is still a good few months away, but I know it will creep up on us before we have time to realise it). I've still got some beads I want to use for some projects though, so hopefully I might have a moment or two to fashion some new pieces together, just to keep my shop fresh.

New earrings

2009-04-05T14:09:00.003+01:00

Well, I didn't quite achieve as much jewellery-making this week as I was hoping too (that's what happens when work and life get in the way!), but I did manage to make two new pieces:

Moscow:

(which are an emerald version of my St Petersburg earrings)

and Galle:

Off to New York on Thursday, which is very exciting! Especially as I have a whole list of bead shops I want to check out - but for selfish reasons this time as I'm getting married in October and need to get cracking on making my jewellery. I've felt rather uninspired by the selection in my usual bead shops so I'm hoping I'll find what I'm looking for while I'm away. I'll keep you posted on how I get on!

Busy bee

2009-04-01T17:05:00.006+01:00

I suddenly realised that it's been ages since I last posted - things have been a little too manic lately.

I'm hoping to have a few new items up in my shop at the weekend - and I've already added another pair of my Borneo emerald dragonfly earrings.

The lovely Wife in the City awarded me a blog award the other week, which I shall have to put up, once I have a moment to really sit down and do something here!

I had some lovely supplies delivered this week, which is exciting! I'm trying to make as much jewellery as possible this week as this is my last full week in the country until late May - I'm off to New York next Thursday, then France for a month the week after. Exciting times - but so much to do before then!

Drum roll, please...

2009-03-23T10:32:00.011Z

The [randomly chosen] winner of my earrings giveaway is:
Otherwise known as Janil - whose favourite place is her home in Catalonia, Spain. Congratulations, Janil, I'll be dropping you an email - I hope you enjoy your earrings!

Thanks so much to everyone for entering! Don't forget to keep an eye on my shop - I should have a few more items added in the next couple of weeks once my latest supplies arrive.

Last chance!

2009-03-22T11:20:00.002Z

Today's the last day of my giveaway - see below for details.

I'll hopefully be able to draw a winner on Monday so stay tuned!

Boxes of delight

2009-03-19T19:01:00.001Z

I had planned to ship all my jewellery in boxes from a lovely little card shop near me - but of course, this being the recession, the shop had closed down by the time I went to buy some on Saturday. And, typically, it seemed that every other possible source of boxes either had only large boxes or rather twee or unattractive boxes. Which left me on Sunday, first order in hand, trying to figure out whether I could run out at lunch time on Monday and find some nice boxes near work.

Fortunately, Etsy is a wonderful site for more than just selling and buying things. After a bit of searching, I found a great video about how to make boxes. I dug out a sheet of wrapping paper that was decorated with an antique map and got to work. I was really pleased with the results - and all the more excited that I was able to send my jewellery out in something that was individual, unique and, best of all, handmade by me.

New items

2009-03-13T13:39:00.005Z

I've been busy making some new items for my shop this week, thanks to a delivery from the fantastic Winter Rose Designs.

My Borneo emerald dragonfly earrings are really quite striking - the colour of the emerald bicone crystals is just beautiful.

My new St Petersburg antiqued silver and rose earrings are a break from my usual style, but I think they've worked out beautifully:

Unfortunately, because these items are so new and are more expensive than my other earrings, I can't offer them as part of the giveaway. However, if you would like to purchase one of these pairs, convo me on etsy and let me know - I'll reserve the item for you and throw in free delivery. Please quote Blog offer when you contact me. Please note that this offer will expire when the competition ends.

Giveaway!

2009-03-08T20:22:00.011Z

As promised, to celebrate starting this blog and the fact that I've just done my shop up, I'm running a giveaway.

What you could win: a pair of earrings (of your choice) from my shop.

What you need to do: leave a comment and tell me what your most favourite place in the world is (more because I'm nosy than because it will determine whether you win!).

The last day for entries will be Sunday 22nd March and I will choose a winner randomly at the beginning of the following week. Good luck!

You don't need to have a blogger or other blog account - you can still enter, just be sure to leave an email address so I know how to contact you!

UPDATE: Please note that my newest designs - Borneo and St Petersburg - are not included in this promotion. Please see above post for more details on these.

Introduction

2009-03-07T16:00:00.003Z

Welcome to the Indian Summers Jewellery blog - primarily a place to showcase my work, but also to share ideas for my forthcoming projects. But first, a little about me:

I'm a travel writer, editor and jewellery-maker.

I live in London (but I ship worldwide).

My work is inspired by my travels - especially India and the Far East.

(but my heart will always belong to Paris)

To celebrate the new blog and my recent shop makeover,

I'll be announcing a jewellery giveaway here in the next few days

but in the meantime, check out my shop at indiansummers.etsy.com.

Polaroid style photos courtesy of Poladroid