Getting ready for Harrogate Craft Trade Fair 2011.

Trying to make up for lost time this week after a fortnight's moaning and sneezing after both of us succumbed to 'a nasty virus that's going around' to quote the Doctor. They always say that don't they. I always hope, in vain, for a more enlightening explanation.

We have the Harrogate Craft Trade Fair this weekend and feel somewhat nervous about it. We shall have lots of contact with small independent shopkeepers. It will enable us to gauge what is going on with the craft retail trade which has taken a bit of a battering over the last year.

We have lots of new designs that we have just started to take photos of. I've just done some snaps of a couple of bangles which reflect our interest in 1950's designs. We may call it our 'Festival of Britain' range. That was a very lively optimistic period. We need to recapture some of that spirit to counter the dour negativity of our current rulers who have very little interest in arts and crafts and all those who practise them and make a living by them. I'll rant about that in a future blog.

What are our values?

I was thinking the other day: why do we do this craft stuff? It is hard work, there's no sick pay, no pension plan, we could both earn more money if we got ourselves 'jobs'.

Well, despite all the difficulties that beset us we enjoy what we do. It is very satisfying to make something good and sell it. You feel like your life is worthwhile.

And the process of selling can be wonderful. On a good day a market or craft fair can have a real buzz, that sense you might get at a party that's going well: energy flowing, optimism, ideas being exchanged, feelings expressed, gossip indulged in, jokes made, the pleasure of being in good company and so on. In other words a positive, life affirming feeling which 'jobs' often don't offer. You certainly don't get it in Tesco's even though the staff are trained to smile at you these days.

Money is important, yes, but the way you make it is important too. Buddhism has an expression for it: Right Livelihood. This goes deeper that the shallow entrepreneur culture that the Government wants to foster which I find rather suspect. So many entrepreneurs strike me as being sociopaths who need psychotherapy rather than adulation. We need more people making useful things and providing genuinely useful services rather than workaholics that will do anything to make money.

This morning I looked at the Common Ground Site [www.commonground.org.uk ]. Their 'Rules for Distinctiveness' reflect our values. I loathe the way our towns are losing their identity and dissolving into a homogeneous grey mush of chain stores and charity shops. I like to think that we are doing our bit to create some interest and colour along with our fellow market traders and craft workers.

Phil.

Oak Trees

Yesterday we were trying to find some good images of oak trees and their leaves. Google threw up lots but I found most rather sketchy or cliched. Like so much material on the Web it was a bit stale. I looked out the window. Outside the morning was bright and frosty. I should be out there in the real world, I thought. It seemed an offence against nature that I was hunched over my PC hoping that the Virtual World would provide what I was after. So I got in the car and drove up to Croxton Park where there are many fine old oaks and took some pictures. Incidentally Croxton Park was the site Croxton Abbey. Apparently King John's bowels are buried there. Thank you Google.

We will be using some of this material in a roundabout way in our new range of jewellery. We are following on from our Green Man pewter work. The green theme is getting stronger. Our next pendant range we've labelled 'Spirit Houses' more of which anon.

The pictures were taken by me rather than Sharon. Hers would have been better!

Phil

Emerging from Winter Gloom with Copper a Silver!

Sharon is totally engrossed in working on new designs so she suggested I take on our blog and keep our follwers and customers informed about what we are doing.

Neither of us seem to thrive in the winter these days. But now buds are bursting in the garden and the days are getting longer we are starting to feel quite lively!

Sharon is working on a range of copper and silver jewellery. The copper details give a feeling of warmth that goes nicely with silver's magical, lunar aura. Some of these designs are already on the stall. So please come and have a look. I'll put some pics on here in a day or two.

We are looking at ways to get a verdigris finish on the copper and are messing about with ammonia, salt, vinegar and few other substances to see what kind of effects we can obtain. We decided not to follow the Rodin route. He, apparently, encouraged his students to urinate on his sculptures in order to give them a nice green patina. His students were, presumably, male.

Phil Ashcroft.