Hi Helen! Thank you for taking part in the blog interview...Where do you live and how did you end up there?
I have been living in Cardiff since 2002 and moved here from Cologne , because my then boyfriend and now husband Paul comes from Cardiff Paihia , New Zealand (North Island ), when we were both backpacking, and caught up again in Nelson (South Island of NZ). We have been together ever since. After a short stint in Hamburg and Kiel we decided to move to Cardiff, as we both didn’t like it in the North of Germany and it was easier for me to adapt to the British way of life because I speak English better than Paul speaks German.
Who do you live with?
I live with my husband Paul and our gorgeous rescue cat Bobby, who we love to bits. She rules the roost.
She's very cute! Is jewellery making your full-time job?
It’s supposed to be, but I also freelance as a journalist ( I occasionally write for “Making Jewellery” for example). However, like most people in this profession I can’t live on it full-time in the recent economic climate.
Do you do any other crafts?
No, but I would love to learn how to sew properly and maybe go back to painting and drawing. I used to like art at school and have an MA in Art History. However jewellery making is such a vast field and there are so many materials to work with and techniques to explore that it never really gets boring.
What other hobbies do you have?
I love writing, reading, music and watching movies. But I am more a passive listener and I keep meaning to crack on with my Ukulele. I also have a guitar. It’s just finding the time to teach myself.
Is supporting local trade/handmade artists important to you? Why?
I think it is – because this is where the money matters most. Our economy has suffered a lot from outsourcing to countries with cheap labour and poor human rights records. Also you will stand a better chance to find some unique items you won’t find on the high street and which have been designed with lots of love and care, if you buy handmade from a local artist. Unfortunately some people don’t understand the true value of an item and often just want cheap things. I’d rather buy less, but spend a little more money on something that has value to me and where I know that the artist has made a huge effort and should be supported.
Do you have a favourite place to buy local/handmade?
Not really. I do however follow a lot of crafters on Facebook or Twitter and a lot of them are also my friends. If I see something I like I comment on it, share it and hope I can eventually buy it myself. I recently stumbled across a fabulous metalwork artist called Richard Pell who has a stall in the town centre. I love his animal wall art. I also tend to feature fellow crafters on my own blog as I believe in helping each other. I have to admit right now most of my money goes to my physiotherapy sessions to sort out my chronic shoulder pain.
Ouch, let's hope that get's better soon. Describe your jewellery.
Oh dear. This is a hard one. I hope it’s original (my polymer clay pendants), cute (my animal jewellery) and quirky (my Alice
I love your animal jewellery, it's brilliant. Why did you start making jewellery?
I think I started because I wanted a hobby and also because in the run-up to my wedding I wanted to make my own tiara and bridesmaids’ gifts. So I taught myself bead stringing and how to make tiaras.
How long have you been making jewellery?
Roughly since 2006 as a bit of a hobby. But I have started selling only last year when I launched my website in October.
How did you learn your skills? Did you go on any courses or teach yourself?
I mostly teach myself from books or videos (YouTube is a great source) but have attended a weekend course in Precious Metal Clay (PMC ) at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery Making and a weekend course in silver smithing at “In the Studio” in Kegworth. I also have attended a day course in polymer clay cane making at “The Millefiori Studio”, which was a nice introduction to basic polymer clay techniques. In 2006/7 I went on a year-long City&Guilds course in “3D design – Jewellery” at the local college and learnt basic techniques in precious metal work.
PMC is on my list of things to learn! What is your favourite material or technique?
I love working with polymer clay, because it is super versatile, can mimic other materials and is affordable. I follow a lot of polymer clay artists who can create the most amazing works of art with their intricate canes – Carol Simmons is one of them. You might know her from my shared posts on Facebook.
I also like wirework and would love to get back to working with copper and silver to revive my precious metal skills. My friend Lydia
I love Kirsten's work too, my sister was the lucky recipient of her WonderMollusc. Are there any other skills or techniques you would like to learn?
I want to explore polymer clay more – there are so many amazing things you can do with it. I recently bought alcohol inks which I want to use to create dichroic effects.
I still have PMC (Precious Metal Clay) I want to use up, but I don’t think I would invest further in it as it’s very expensive material. I want to learn new wire –wrapping techniques and also go back to silver and copper work, making rings. There are so many techniques to explore. If I could afford to go on another course I would.
What inspires you?
I don’t think it’s a conscious decision – sometimes it’s just playing around with materials – like beads I have and want to arrange in a certain fashion.
Because I love animals, especially cats, I would say they are an inspiration. Especially our Bobby.
Bobby is gorgeous. Which of your designs is your favourite? Why?
Oh that’s a hard one – I like most of my polymer clay pendants, because they require much more preparation and work and thought than say a necklace with beads. I love my snakes, because the colours work well together and they look quite cute and quirky. I wanted them to be rings, but you can’t really wear them as rings, because they are a bit too thick and the sizes are not super accurate. Instead I sell them as pendants. I also like my bats and I think I can thank my little sister for this as she loves bats and is a Goth. For those bats I had to make my own molds. I also made my own molds for my dolphin and kiwis. I want to create more animal pendants and also make more of my own molds, as a few of my designs use a mold I bought. I do like my semi-precious necklaces too, especially my lapis lazuli, labradorite and turquoise necklace, but find my polymer clay pendants more challenging, they are also more unique I think.
Here's one I struggle with! Do you wear your own jewellery exclusively or do you wear other people’s designs?
This is really a dilemma for us jewellery designers – marketing strategists tell you to always wear your own jewellery, but I have some lovely pieces of jewellery I got over the years from my mum , husband and other people and would like to wear those too. And I do appreciate other people’s work.
When my sister was staying over this summer we went to Bath
When I do a stall or go out and know I meet people who may be interested in my work I tend to wear at least a pendant. I haven’t worn earrings in ages, which makes it a real pain to get some in. I have to make my own rings, because I have skinny fingers and nothing fits. I love my engagement ring, because it’s a Sapphire, but it has been resized twice and is still too loose – so I shove the wedding ring on top when I wear them – which I also do rarely, because I have my hands often stuck in water (housework) or clay :-)
I can’t wear heavy necklaces only pendants due to my neck pain.
Why did you decide to start selling your work?
I think it’s because friends encouraged me to, plus I realised I needed to diversify as freelance journalism has become so hard to generate an income from.
What was the first piece of jewellery you sold? When?
I honestly can’t remember. It might have been a beaded ring for a friend of mine in 2010 or so.
How do you prefer to sell your jewellery – online or face-to-face?
I am a shy person and prefer to sell online. But I also like to sell to customers who visit me. I can give them the full customer service treatment and advise them on what suits them and show them whatever they like to see from my inventory. I discovered that I am not suited to doing craft fairs though. Mainly, because they tend to be disorganised and oversubscribed with too many jewellery makers.
Do you sell your jewellery in any shops or galleries?
No, this is an avenue I might explore in the future. A friend of mine, Caroline Cj Exley from Curious Cat Design, who creates beautiful leather jewellery, does this and she keeps me up-to-date with how it’s going for her.
I've seen Caroline's work, it's great. Is there a celebrity that you would like to see wearing your jewellery?
Now that’s a good question – here’s a bit of a list – Jo Brand (cause she’s funny and fabulous), Florence Welch, Laura Marling, Kristin Hersh, PJ Harvey, Siouxsie, Fiona Apple, Lykke Li and so many other women whose work I admire. I could sit here all day and make lists of celebs :-) Wouldn’t mind making something for Stewart Lee, Dave Gorman and Tim Minchin either, but I am not sure how much they are in the market for jewellery :-)
What is the most useful piece of advice you’ve been given about selling your jewellery?
This is a hard one because I absorb information from all sorts of sources; the web is great for this. And I made a lot of mistakes when I started out. Lots of advice I try to follow I got from e- books by jewellery artist Rena Klingenberg, which I also sell through my blog.
I think the most useful advice I wish I’d had when I started out would have been: start very small, make a few items and road test them first by selling them at fairs and don’t buy in too many materials. And the second useful piece of advice – choose your events carefully and research craft fairs first by asking the organiser lots of questions. I found that affiliating yourself with a charity close to your heart works best. It doesn’t hurt to part with some of your money when it goes to charity.
Thank you Helen! Good luck with Christmas sales!
You can find out more about Helen and her jewellery here:
Helen will be posting her gorgeous jewellery right up until the last posting date for Christmas, so head on over for some unusual Christmas gifts.
If you'd like to be featured in a future post, drop me a line below....
