ChatElaineJewellery.com is Closed!!

I have closed down my website ~~ ChatElaine Jewellery .com but my Etsy stores still remain open. 

It has been a soul searching decision but felt it was for the best.  I fired up my domain name 3 years ago but found that I havent been very successful with sales from my website all my sales have been through craft fairs, home jewellery parties and for my beads from my Etsy stores.

Craft fairs have seen a decline, especially in my area and so I don't sell this way anymore! It is heartbreaking spending so much time making jewellery, travelling and setting up and then no sales, packing it all away again and not even covering the cost of the table, very demoralising!!!  Home jewellery parties are quite hard to come by and so I decided I needed to concentrate on my beadmaking from now on. Jewellery will take a back seat, making mainly for myself or friends and family, also coming up with projects for the magazine.

The way I would like to go is Bead Fairs for my lampwork beads, I am not at a place where this can happen yet but hope to be there in the future!!



The family has taken a bit of a back seat for the last few years but that needs to change, my daughter is in her final year at school and her first Mock exam is this thursday.  So I am concentrating on helping her when she needs me as this first mock is Art and Design.  She is working towards making a sculpture, she has made some preliminary models and so can you guess what it could be????

 

DRAAA-GONS!

Ain't plasticine great!!!  Ha ha!!

Its just like being a kid again, of yes she still is really!!!  Silly me!!

We are having a little trouble on how she can do the wings as she really wants them flapping up,  but I really think it might need an armature wire but worried it wouldnt survive in the kiln!!

Its a 10 hour exam which is all day thursday (5 hours) then 5 lessons of an hour each!! So over the next 2-3 weeks she will have to finish it. Her other mocks are next week, her science re-sits are in January and then her proper exams start in May.

Phewwww!!  Cant believe it, seems only yesterday she was starting school, now we have to start working out what she wants to do for her future career!!  Very hard decisions to make ahead!!  Mind boggling!!

Catch up soon.





E x

I've done a little tweaking

As you can see I have done a little tweaking here and there!!  As much as I liked the flames I think this background is a little easier on the eyes!!  Not completely sure if it will stay like this but for now it's OK.

I have also been making some decisions and thought I would let you in on them!

I have decided to let my website domain name go and shut it down.  While I was ill I couldnt keep up with anything at all and it made me realise that I have too much on my plate to deal with comfortably, so to be able to cope better I had to cut down on what I do! on-line! 

So from now onwards I will only be selling through my Etsy stores and that is it. Less is better for me! I dont deal with the selling side of things to well so this way I can try and keep on top of things better.

Jewellery making is another thing I feel has taken over my whole life for many years, so again I have decided to cut down on what I make and concentrate more on my beadmaking. I will still make jewellery just not as often or it could be just to make things for magazines, friends or family not quite so much for selling.  I will show you any pieces I make but they may not be for sale but commissions are always welcome 80))


Beadmaking ~ well I havent been at my torch hardly at all this year.  I would like to get out into my workshop a bit more often and get the torch fired up and me along with it!!  Ha ha!!  Great ideas are a brewing but I need to get practising so I can fulfill my ideas!!  More on that another time, hopefully with photos to show how I'm getting along.

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Now onto something a little different. My daughter Billie seems to be getting a bit of an interest in STEAMPUNK style right now so I have been searching for watch parts and bits and bobs like that for her. She loves to frequent Deviantart and has now made me a profile on this art based site, this is where she has seen Steampunk jewellery and wants to give it a go!  So from time to time I may well pop her work on here too, to show you how she's getting along. I may also have to show her some other skills she has yet to learn so she can achieve some of the ideas she has in mind.  It will be great to work along with her to help her progress but she has a big year ahead of her as she goes into Year 11 her GCSE year when she goes back to school in September. 



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And for my final bit of news, my family has had a busy time recently.  My brother Vince and his family have all had an interesting year.  My niece Lucy has finished her degree and passed with flying colours just after her 21st birthday. My nephew Jack got married just over 2 weeks ago so lots of shopping for that had to be done!!  So now Vince and his wife Maxine are having a big party to celebrate, as they too have been busy finishing there extension on the bunglow ~ I've nicknamed it the Cathedral!!  Ha Ha!! So something else to look forward too.

A few wedding pics for you

 

The nervous groom with my Mum

 

My brother, Mum and Me

 

 

 

The Happy Couple being confettied

 

 

Vince and Maxine

 

 

 

Cutting the Cake (including Maxine's elbow)

 

Billie trying out hats!!!

 

 

 

Well there's me thinking I didnt have much to tell you and look at the length of this catch-up post!! 


Lovely to be back!!

Hope to chat to you again soon.

E x

Giveaway on my Website

Giveaway on my website now.

ChatElaine Glass Art Beads & Jewellery

Go to my Web Blog to find out how to enter.

Good Luck!

Hi and Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. 

I have been blogging for a few years now at my other blog:  http://chatelainejewellery.blogspot.com  

it is still up and running but because of the technical problems I have been experiencing I thought I would give a new blog a try so here we are in 2012 and a new venture ahead!!

Now, time to find some of my friends which will take me a little time but I would love to collect some new ones along the way too.  So come one, come all!!


What do I DO, what shall I write ABOUT, who the heck am I???

Well, I am Elaine Thornton a Jewellery Designer/Maker, Lampworker (glass beadmaker), Wife, Mum (to one teenage daughter) and my day job is a School Lunchtime Assistant (or dinnerlady as you may know it!)  An all round ARTISAN!!  Ha ha ha!!!

Do I sleep ~~ NOT MUCH!!  
Am I busy ~~ A LOT OF THE TIME!!
Do I love to chat ~~ YEP YOU BET, thats how my business name came about!! 
Do I love to eat ~~ OH YES!!
Do I need to lose weight ~~ ABSOLUTELY!!
Will I ~~ I MUST!!
Do I HATE housework ~~ YOU BET I DO!!
Do I do it ~~ I TRY NOT TOO!!

80))

What else do I like to do?

I love to watch films (along with my family).
I love meeting my friends and CHATTING (having a few drinks too)!!
I enjoy meeting up with my family when possible (had a lovely Christmas Day with them!) Both my brother and us are having an extension on the house right now, so lots of comparing notes on how its progressing! (Thats a whole other story which I may fill you in on at a later date!!)
Plus my nephew has just announced his engagement and the Big Day has just been set in August! Wow! He only has 8 months to organise the wedding and getting a house sorted out for them.  Cant wait, I just love weddings!!  Maybe his fiancee will need a tiara and special jewellery made!!!  MMmmmmm, I think I might have a little chat with her very soon!! 80))

I also teach!! Jewellery making ~ beginners & intermediate along with wirework techniques and tiara making.  I love it, I do one-2-one, workshops and even jewellery making parties.  I have also started writing tutorials again for one of our UK bead/jewellery making magazines.   

All details are on my website:               www.chatelainejewellery.com

Good grief, its taken all this time before I give my website a PLUG!!

Ha ha!!

I also have 2 Etsy stores (US) ~ one for my jewellery and one for my beads.
One Folksy store (UK)  (Empty right now)
One Misi store (UK)  (A few items in there)

Details should be in my side bar!  If not yet it will be there soon!! 

So much to fill in, so little time!! 


So I think you maybe getting a bit of a picture on what I might write about here!!


Would you like a few pictures now?


Here are some of my wire hoop earrings ~ I do mean MINE because they are MINE!

Antique Jangles Hoops

with pearls on brass wire

Mary Q Hoops

these are black onyx and crystals on sterling silver wire

I've been preparing some samples for my first workshop in March. Gosh its coming up fast!!! Its a beginners course so some very simple stringing jewellery to show you!

Chunky Monkey Necklace

Mean Green Necklace

Love doing simple things sometimes, gives you a break from more complex stuff!! And I do love chunky too, very popular in the shops right now as well!! These are both made using ceramic beads with metal spacers and bead caps.

Well I am a bit 'pooped' out so best be off to bed and will check back later and get some more uploading of info. done!

Catch you all soon.

E