We're Getting Creative

Hello All,

Welcome back!

Here at the Amethyst studio we are once again putting our thinking caps on, designing and creating new pieces.

Sara has been hard at work making new sparkly jewellery creations using her beautiful wire wrapping technique - the new rings she has made are just fabulous - See below -  and pre sale orders have flooded in. We soon hope to have these available through our Misi store - the link for the shop is found at the side of the main blog posts but you can click HERE for a quick link too.

Wire Wrapped necklaces by Sara Young 2014

 

These pieces will look stunning with summer wear, evening wear, party wear - you name it! 

Wire wrapped ring by Sara Young 2014

This ring is one of several new creations, pre orders are coming in thick and fast! 




Our focus at the moment is on getting new summer stock ready for the Milton Keynes Museum Children and Families weekend which is being held on 14th and 15th June this year.


The Children's Literature/ fairy tale theme is a great excuse to make some fabulous costume pieces and for Paula to get in touch with her inner child and create some themed art pieces too

This piece - The Queen of Hearts is being considered for producing as prints -

Would you like to see this produced as a print? - let us know. 

we welcome any feedback you might like to give us about these ideas, so please feel free to leave us a comment or get in touch with us via the store if you have any requests.




We will have a stall at the event, which Sara and Paula are organising through our sister company Cerulean Sky Ltd, Stall holder enquiries are welcome!)  we would love to see you there so come and introduce yourself - we would love to meet you :)

Until next time..

The Amethyst Team x

Hello lovely people!

We've been hugely busy here at Amethyst HQ and have so much to share!
We now have much of our stock for sale in the gallery at the Tecton centre based in Church Street, Fenny Stratford. Take a look at the facebook page and be sure to give them a 'Like' or visit their web site for more information.

The gallery has just opened a major show featuring the work of local artist Bill Billings, along side that of his son Ryan Billings.

Their work is very different, Bill's being largely beautiful abstract pieces, full of movement and vibrant colour.

Ryan's work is amazing too, the street art vibe basis of his canvasses is a stark contrast to his grandfathers work but both artists are outstanding.

That being said, perhaps they aren't so different after all...

We have also updated our online Misi store with some new pieces of art by Paula Harris and are now also promoting our wedding accessories there, feel free to drop by the shop and have a browse, more jewellery and textile pieces will be being added soon so watch this space... 

Red Forest - by Paula Harris 2014

Here is a small selection of some of the more recent additions to the store. 

Dechire - by Paula Harris 2014

Merry Christmas!!

Hello All!!

We've 'taken 5' from the hustle and bustle in the studio this week to bring you more news and updates from the Amethyst world. There has barely been time to breathe, de-brief and scratch our...noses, since the big event at Bletchley Park this summer and the holiday season is upon us once more.

As ever we will be taking our place among the stall holders at the Milton Keynes Museum's Victorian Christmas Fair this December. Starting this Friday, stall holders from around the area will be gathering there each weekend to tempt and delight you with their amazing wares!!

Be sure to come along and have a look; not just to see the magnificent artifacts and main museum delights, but also to meet some of their dedicated volunteer staff who will all be getting into the Christmas spirit. You never know who you might bump in to - Mr Scrooge perhaps? or even HM Queen Victoria, who has been know to grace us with her stern presence over the last few years!

The museum also offers traditional roast chestnuts from the working forge, where you can also try your hand at Blacksmithing, mulled wine and fabulous gifts for your children when they visit Santa in his grotto! You can find out more about that Here- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Milton-Keynes-Museum/101231029955872?fref=ts

This is also our opportunity to do some shameless, unadulterated pimping of the benefits of shopping for your Christmas gifts outside of the high street this Christmas. There are so many great and unique crafts and pieces being created by talented artisans nationwide, and all of them need your support to be able to keep going. The main reason our customers give when they return year after year is that they are able to buy one-off, bespoke, unique gifts for their friends and family, safe in the knowledge that their gift is not going to be duplicated, and that they don't have to compromise on getting what they want. Most of the stall holders take commissions, so will make items to order if they don't already have what you want.

If the Museum really isn't your scene, but you still want to find something special for your loved ones, come along to the Tecton Centre in Fenny Stratford - they are currently exhibiting and selling a wide variety of crafts including jewellery, furniture, sculpture and original paintings by some extremely talented local artists. Their Facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tecton-Art-Centre/201580786688381?fref=ts -  has all the details you need to find them and shows just a few of the fabulous item they have on display and for sale.

Some of our pieces are now being exhibited and sold through the gallery at the Tecton Centre, these two original paintings by Paula Harris are available to buy there, and very soon limited edition, signed prints of these will be available too.

No Place Like Home. By Paula Harris - 2013. 

Daughter of Eve. By Paula Harris - 2011. 

Edwardian Style Necklace,
 Designed and Created by Sara Young 2013

Sara has also been very busy with her latest designs and has created some really beautiful pieces for our customers this year. The picture above is just one of her latest creations which, I'm sure you'll agree is among her best work yet and will grace any outfit throughout Christmas and beyond! More of her work is also available at the gallery and of course on our stall at the museum fair.







Also joining in the fun (or rather, crashing the party!) at the museum and the gallery are the inimitable Fidgets! - https://www.facebook.com/fidgetsfun?ref=hl - There are new arrivals at Fidgets Farm every day and they are all VERY excited about finding new homes with new families over the Christmas period. The latest gang to arrive are settling in nicely and Widget is showing them around. Fidget Santa is there too, making sure his naughty/nice list is fully up to date, so Widget is on his best behaviour!

Fidgets -  By Paula Harris - 2013

We hope you can all join us at some point over the festive season, and look forward to seeing all our customers, old and new, very soon!

Best Wishes

The Amethyst Team!

Bletchley Park Event Round-up, and Cause for Congratulations!

Photograph By Paula Harris. August 2013

Hello All,

We hope you have all had a fabulous Summer, and enjoyed the intermittent sun as much as possible. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that it's not quite over yet!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended, participated in and helped with the Bletchley Park 'Summer on the Lawn' event. It was a huge success and the majority of the feedback we have had has been extremely positive. The wheels are already in motion to get organised for next year and we hope to see an even better turn out next Summer.

We are still awaiting the final figures for the amount of money raised for and donated to The Bletchley Park Trust and Open Door charities through attendance and participation in the event - we will update you when we get this information.

We would also like to congratulate our clients Jules and Myles Cooper on their recent wedding!

The happy couple were married on August 31st 2013, and Amethyst Sky was privileged to be commissioned to create the bride's bouquet, posies, corsages and button holes, and even a topper for their wedding cake!

The Bride was keen to have something bespoke and beautiful for herself and her wedding party, and after some initial consultations Sara Young designed these fabulous arrangements:

Bouquets, Posies, Button holes and
corsages designed and made
 by Sara Young. 2013.

In her brief to us, Jules asked for a tear-drop shaped Bride's bouquet arrangement (Centre), with a contemporary edge.The bouquet consisted of deep red roses and delicate white feathers, and was interspersed with vintage brooches;some dated back as far as 1918.

Jules also told us that both she and her husband to be Myles liked steam-punk and vintage style, and asked if we could incorporate this into our designs with out being too 'left of centre'

We were only too happy to oblige, as we both have a soft spot for this style too!
It is fair to say that we had lots of fun designing and creating these accessories, perhaps even a little too much fun!


For the bridesmaids, Jules chose to combine long stemmed Calla Lillie's with a red centrepiece, which was then draped with crystals to complement the bridesmaids dresses. Simple white rose arrangements were chosen for the Mothers of the Bride and Groom to complement any outfit they chose to wear.

Corsages for the Mothers of the Bride and Groom

The button holes were crafted using simple flowers, but as you can see form the picture, the steam punk element was incorporated here too, with wire wrapping and tiny cogs detailing some of the foliage.

The cake topper that Jules chose was also designed to echo the Bride and Groom's accessories. In the bouquet, tiny crystal beads were fixed over the flowers in the little bouquet, and steam-punk cogs were fixed on to the top hat

By all accounts the couple, their families and guests all had a fabulous time, and we were privileged to be able to help make something beautiful for Jules and Myles on their big day.

If you would like us to create something similar for you, please get in touch either through the blog comments section below, or via our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AmethystSky2012 and we will do our very best to help you. 

Wedding Photography by Jeff Whiting:
you can see more of his fabulous work here >
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/technojeff/

The Summer Collection.

Hello again dear readers!

Yes, it's true, there has been a little bit of  gap between posts from the Amethyst Studio's recently. Apologies to anyone who was waiting with baited breath for the latest instalment of the studio shenanigans!

So what have we been up to?

Well, as you know the Bletchley Park 'Summer on the Lawn' event is looming on the horizon and we are frantically preparing everything we need to for this. As usual the 'to do' list seems to grow daily rather than shrink, but we are edging ever closer to the finish line and extremely excited about all of the activities, stalls and acts that we have lined up for the weekend.

There is so much to see and do over the course of the event that it would be impossible to list everything here, but our sister company Cerulean Sky Ltd are handling things well and working closely alongside us and the events coordinator at Bletchley Park to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Among of the highlights of the weekend will be a vintage clothing fashion show, which will see a catwalk procession of models showcasing various designers work.

We are working along side one of our team at Cerulean Sky Ashly Ellis, who is not only a model, but also runs a small Pin-up girl agency of her own. You can find out more about her on our Cerulean Sky blog page

http;//www.blog.cerulean-sky.co.uk

Image supplied with kind permission
from Model Ashly Ellis.

The designers have been working hard and have created ensembles to represent fashions from varying era's right up to the 1950's. We have encouraged everyone taking part in the weekend to dress themselves and their stalls in keeping with the theme of Bletchley Park, although we are also all keen to highlight the pre war history of the park too so are including all fashion era's from Victorian times onwards.

We have also decided to set up a kissing booth, where people can have their photo taken with one of the models kissing them (just on the cheek, or a peck on the lips though; no tongues I'm afraid!) We think this will make the day just that little bit more attractive to those who aren't just coming for the great day out and ubiquitous retail therapy opportunities!

Along with the crafters and artists that will be joining us are local cake makers, brewers, fruit and vegetable producers, florists, meat producers, and much more, and a host of volunteers have kindly offered to assist us with some fairground sideshow attractions.

We will be having a silent auction, where people will be able to make sealed bids for various items which will be donated by those involved in the day. The proceeds of this will be shared among the charitable organisations who will be joining us over the weekend these include:

Bletchley Park Trust - http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/
Open Door - http://www.opendoormk.org.uk/
MK Arts Gateway - http://www.artsgatewaymk.org.uk/

 Among the lots being auctioned off is this absolutely stunning print, which has been donated by local fine artist Shelley Sapwell Wynnedebank, you can see more of her work and details of her upcoming gallery shows here: http://shellywyndebank.weebly.com/

We will also be joined by:

Inter-Action - www.interactionmk.org.uk
MK Play Association  - http://mkplayassociation.wordpress.com/
Woodchucks Recycling - http://www.woodchuck.org.uk/
Branch out - http://branchoutmkcic.wordpress.com/about/

all of whom will be raising awareness of their various causes and, hopefully, raising some cash for themselves with the sale of their wares and visitor participation in the activities on offer! Inter-Action and MK Play association will be providing family oriented fun with activities for kids and Woodchucks and Branch out will be showing off some of their skills and promoting their causes. (more on this in our next blog!)

If this wasn't enough, there will be demonstrations from a local chainsaw sculptor and from local smithy Nick Packham will be bringing along a portable forge to demonstrate some of his excellent skills - which the kids can also get involved in! There will be re-enactors, May pole dancing and musical acts, as well as involvement form local radio station MKFM.

So, what of our own work?

Well we have been developing the designs and construction of our new summer collection - we are looking into which colours and themes are hot this summer and creating a few new pieces which we are hoping everyone will love as much as we do! As ever, the temptation to keep them for ourselves is ever present, but alas, we have to let some of them go.

Sara has been perfecting her wire wrapping technique and has created this stunning piece which we don't think we are going to have for long.

I am proud to say that I designed this piece with a colour scheme which will complement any summer outfit:

This piece is part of a set which includes necklace (pictured)   charm bracelet and earrings.

 We hope you will enjoy both the event, and all of the stalls and activities on offer at Bletchley Park on the 3rd and 4th of August - we look forward to seeing you there!! 

Guest Blog: By Sarah Hodgkins, Founder of Charlotte Designs.

This week we are thrilled to be able to share with you a guest blog from local mural artist  Sarah Hodgkins of Charlotte Designs looking at how we can and should engage children in the arts and the benefits that this can achieve for everyone. A link to her fabulous site can be found at the bottom of this blog, please do go and have a look at some of her amazing work. 

Children naturally love any kind of art – painting, drawing, making music, the theatre.  Art stimulates the right side of the brain which controls emotional perception, intuition and

creativity. But research shows that even when working on maths and science, typically left brain functions, both sides are working hard, proving that well developed right brain functionality helps all areas of education. Kids should be exposed to the arts as their cognitive skills mature, so that their right brain will be as developed as the left; this means both hemispheres work in tandem, thus helping kids to achieve their full potential.

Art also a great leveler, it doesn’t matter what background you are from, where you are from or how much money you have, art cuts across all boundaries and brings everyone to a level playing field.

As a regular painter of murals for schools and youth groups, I am privileged to see how participating in structured artistic activities affects children, and it is quite fascinating. So what exactly do children learn from engaging in visual arts?

1. Creativity – Being able to think on your feet, approach tasks from different perspectives and think ‘outside of the box’. If you ask a child to draw a memory or make up a fictitious animal, they can do it. If children have practice thinking creatively, it will come naturally to them now and in their future career.

2. Confidence – Knowing that.there are no wrong answers in art helps a child to take ‘risks’ and builds confidence their own abilities.

3. Problem Solving – Artistic creations are born through the solving of problems. How do I turn this clay into a sculpture? How do I make my monster look angry? Without even realizing it, kids that participate in the arts are consistently being challenged to solve problems. All this practice develops children’s skills in reasoning and understanding. This will help develop important problem-solving skills necessary for success in any career.

4. Focus – The ability to focus is a key skill developed through ensemble work. Recent research has shown that participation in the arts improves children’s abilities to concentrate and focus in other aspects of their lives.

5. Non-Verbal Communication – There are many situations where a lack of vocabulary can make getting complex feelings over, very difficult. Expressing emotions through visual arts is liberating and enables the exponent to show others what they are feeling without needing to find the words to explain.

6. Receiving Constructive Feedback – Receiving constructive feedback about a visual art

piece is a regular part of any arts instruction. Children learn that feedback is part of learning and it is not something to be offended by or to be taken personally. It is something helpful. The goal is the improvement of skills and evaluation is incorporated at every step of the process.

7. Collaboration – Most arts disciplines are collaborative in nature. Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal. When a child has a part to play in the production of a piece of art, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group. Through these experiences children gain confidence and start to learn that their contributions have value.

8. Accountability – When children practice creating something collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other people. They learn that when they are not prepared or on-time, that other people suffer. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it. Because mistakes are a regular part of the process of learning in the arts, children begin to see that mistakes happen. We acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.

Charlotte Designs are experienced in running workshops designed to help children create

large collaborative works of art. These can be painted directly onto walls, inside or out, or onto large boards. The benefits of physically doing the painting and the legacy of an inspiring piece of art, is a powerful combination. Not only will it develop the skills necessary to produce confident, well balanced individuals, but it will put a smile on everyone’s face, for many years to come.

Sarah Hodgkins

Charlotte Designs

www.charlottedesigns.co.uk

Engage – Inform – Inspire!

New Pieces, New Works In Progress, A New Event And Last Call For Bletchley Park.

Wire Wrapped Necklace - please visit our Misi store for more details. 

One of our new collection of necklaces.

Hello all!

First of all, I want to offer my apologies to everyone for the length of time between this and the last blog post but, happily, there is good reason for this. We have been so busy in the Amethyst studio's over the last couple of weeks, that there simply hasn't been time.

So, where do I start? Well, the summer collection is taking shape nicely, and we are getting some very positive reactions to our new wire wrapping technique for creating our new pieces. Pictured here are just a few of the finished pieces and works in progress that we have made. I'm sure you will agree that they are some of our finest pieces yet!

Large wire wrapped silver and blue pendant
presented on a Sterling Silver rope chain. £15 from Misi.co.uk 

Sharks Tooth style Pendant, with wire coil design ,
presented here on a leather thong .
 £12.50 in the Misi store.

Moon with pearl and and amethyst and crystal drop
Necklace incorporates Japanese miuki beads - £15 in the Misi store

We are also in the process of putting a collection together for sale at another event that we have been invited to attend in a few weeks time. Our sister company Cerulean Sky Ltd www.cerulean-sky.co.uk have just landed themselves a new client, one miss Jennie Grayson, who is a local clairvoyant medium. Jennie has oragnised a psychic fair, which is being held on 4th May ( Start Wars day!!  - May The Fourth Be With You.....[sorry, had to.]) at Old Stony Community Center in Milton Keynes - you can find out more details about Jennie and her event here: www.jenniegrayson.com

We are going to be exhibiting some pieces which have been created with a more mystical form in mind, and  we have finally found a new outlet for some of the semi precious stones and rock crystals that we have in the studio. We will be selling loose crystals and stones, as well as offering some pieces that are made into lovely necklaces, brooches, bracelets, earrings and bag charms.


Paula has also been busily making a new range of 'Fidgets' specifically for the event - The original Fidgets are here: https://www.facebook.com/fidgetsfun and are also still being sold through our Folksy shop at £3 each (+ p&p)
 These new little critters are for sale from just £4 each, and each one comes with it's own accessory, spell, affirmation, crystal or good luck charm!

A new range of Fidgets - Available from £4 each -
initially being sold exclusively at the Psychic Fair 04/05/13  

Paula has also been working on some new canvasses which will be up for sale online soon, below is one of the new range that she is currently working on.

We will also be bringing along The Unicorn, painted by Miss Lara Page - a good friend of the Amethyst Studios team, we think that this event will be just the right outlet for her work.












We hope you like what you see here, if you do, come along to the Psychic fair and meet us! it promises to be a great day out, with lots and lots of interesting things to see and do.

Finally, our sister company Cerulean Sky have been ultra busy arranging the Summer on the Lawn event for Bletchley Park on the first weekend in August. The response from crafty types like us has been amazing and they have managed to fill most of the available tables in just a few short weeks! There are only around 20 or so spaces left for people to come and promote their crafts and sell their wares. However, there are a few types of craft from the 'wish list' that are unrepresented at the event. They are still looking for:

• Cake Makers
• Farmers Market (fruit, veg and natural produce i.e.sauces, chutneys etc)
• Quilting
• Toys
• Small Sculpture
• Antique and Retro goods
• Chocolatier
• Cheeses

We hope that someone reading this will be among these categories, or know of some local producers who are. If you would like more information please visit the Amethyst Sky or Cerulean Sky Ltd Facebook pages (Links as above) They are hoping to close the window for applications within the next few weeks to enable them to concentrate on the smaller details for the event, so the deadline is fast approaching. We look forward to meeting everyone and having a great weekend.