Chainmaille Commission

Today I have been working on this gorgeous commission piece. Its being made as a surprise for my customer's wife who is about to give birth to the couple's second child. The cute little gemstone charms are actually birthstones for all the family including the new arrival. I loved making this piece and found it very hard to part with, I think I may have to make one for myself!

Hope you are all having a good week!

Jo

'Spring Green' Jewellery

I know its summer but the colours in this set reminded me of spring with all the different shades of green. Handmade from green foil glass beads, Moss Agate and Aventurine gemstones and of course Sterling Silver findings. All are available over on the site: www.ajenno.co.uk

In other news its only 3 weeks now until I finish work and start my maternity leave.  I seriously dont know where the last 7 months have gone, it feels like only yesterday that OH and I were celebrating the fact that we were expecting and now our little one is almost here. All seems to be going well so far although the 'Third Trimester' tiredness is now catching up with me.

Jo

Where do you 'create'?

Due to my house being a bit like a building site at the mo, I have taken to creating a 'temporary' studio in the bedroom. Its not the most practical but it is comfy and it is so hard not to just crawl under the covers and take a sneeky nap.

I am looking forward to the downstairs of my house being slightly more creativity friendly again soon, at the moment its a mass of bare floor boards (not necessarily lying on the floor) and rubble.

I've been told by my hubby that we should have everything done by the end of June... watch this space.

Jo

New Items Coming Soon

I braved the wind (and the attempt at rain) this afternoon and popped out in the garden to take some photos of all the jewellery I have been making over the last week. I am in the process of editing them at the mo and hope to get them added to the shop next week :-)

In the mean time, here is a sneeky peek:

 'Verde' Necklace made from chunky green Agate, Aventurine and Jade gemstones. £26.00

'Black Velvet' bracelet made from Larvikite and Feldspar Jasper gemstones and Karen Hill Tribe fair trade silver lentil beads. £14.00

'Ibiza' Earrings made from Imperial Turquoise and Sterling Silver ear posts. £10.00

'Amethisto' Ring made from a chunky Amethyst bead and Silver wire. £5.00

I hope you all have a good weekend! Hubby and I are off to London tomorrow to visit some art galleries and catch up with friends. He even said he would take me out for lunch. Very excited!

Jo

Wedding Jewellery & Accessories

I have today added a new section to the online shop called: 'Wedding Jewellery and Accessories'. Not surprisingly this is the place where you can buy a range of made to order wedding jewellery and tiaras. I plan to expand the collection over the next few month, time permitting, and may even attempt to exhibit at some Wedding Fairs in the Bristol area.  

The piece below is called 'Sweet Pea' Necklace and is made from Freshwater Pearls and lovely twisted Sterling Silver Beads. It can be made in either 16, 18 or 20 inch lengths and prices start at £15.00. 

I hope you all had a good Easter and looking forward to the long bank holiday weekend ahead of us. 

Have a good week. 

Jo

http://www.ajenno.co.uk/WeddingJewellery.htm

Commissions & Custom Orders

I love working on commissions and custom orders, particularly when my customers give me freedom with the design!! Here is one I made yesterday for a customer who's only brief was 'a necklace, earring and bracelet set in turquoise'. I used Turquoise and Amazonite gemstones (some of my fave gemstones) and Sterling Silver findings.

A very summery look I think.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Jo

Banana Loaf Recipe

Here is my beloved Banana Loaf recipe for those of you that requested it.

Ingredients:

5oz Self Raising Flour

1 Ripe Banana

2oz Soft Butter (or marg)

1 Egg

5oz Sugar (Caster or Granulated - I use whatever is in my cupboard at the time)

1 Tsp Bicard of Soda

Recipe:

Chop and mash the banana

Mix all ingredients together except the flour

Add flour to mixture slowly

Cook in oven for 30 - 40 mins at 170 degrees (if it looks like the top is cooking to quick then turn down the temp and cook for longer). 

Recipe should fill a small loaf tin but can the quantity of ingredients can be increased to fill a bigger tin. 

Enjoy!

Jo

Working in Gold

My metal of choice has always been Sterling Silver as I have always found Gold findings hard to work with. However, whilst in Cornwall this past week I was inspired by the beautiful golden sandy beaches along the coast and a couple of new design ideas sprang to mind. 

I made this lovely pair of earrings using Gold Filled findings and Lampwork beads by Julie Fountain. Their simplicity gives them a hint of elegance and they have to be one of my favourite pieces that I have made in a long time.

I hope you all like them just as much as I do.

Jo

New Stockist

One of my fave shops in Bristol is called BS8. It's located on Park Street and is a mecca of all things vintage, retro, funky and handmade. The shop itself is made up of lots of little boutiques all very different, I remember getting my prom dress from a boutique on the third floor when I was at school.

Anyway, on Saturday I got an email from one of the boutique managers asking if I would be interested in selling my jewellery in a new 'Handmade in Bristol' section of the shop.. How could I turn this opportunity down?! The space is very small but its in a prime location in the centre of Bristol. I popped down to the shop after work today to discuss terms and conditions and ended up setting up my little display there and then. Its very basic at the mo but I am pleased with what I managed to do.

I apologise for the poor quality pic, I only had my phone on me and wasnt expecting to actually set up today (thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

If you are in the area then I recommend popping in to BS8, not only to check out my FAB display but also to check out the other goodies on offer.



Jo

It's all quiet on the western front…

Jan and Feb are always quiet months for me so every year I tend to let my jewellery business take a bit of a back seat in my life and I have a little rest to build my self up for the rest of the year. That’s not to say I've been doing nothing though. I have been working on the re-brand of the Ajenno label intermittently, which hopefully you will have noticed from the website, and I ordered some FAB new gift boxes which feature the new logo (which I am very proud of as I designed it myself).

I am hoping that this weekend I will be able to pop outside and take some piccies of the new pieces I have made along with some other bits and bobs I would like to add to the site.

I hope you are all well and 2011 has been good to you so far!

Jo