Darkness Covers The Fens
With that day of spooks and ghosts fast approaching, the fens seem a very dark place today, never once as real daylight welcomed us with a mixture of dark skies and light rain making this Sunday one of staying indoors resting in the warm. But I think you know me well enough to know I had to be out and about for a few hours before I started work. That magical dark sky called and who was I not to obey, every dark cloud seemed to rush over heading towards the coast like wild horses rushing through those fog filled streets of Victorian London.
I headed to the local car boot to hunt for lost treasure but none was found and I returned to my awaiting torch and a welcome cuppa along with orders to pack for posting and yet more beads to clean. My plans for the ceramic room have been put back until tomorrow, yesterday I spent a good bit of time working on pendants and throwing some small disc pendants on my wheel so they need to leather dry and tomorrow will be a perfect time to play with them. I should really have bisque fired by now but I'm trying to get the kiln full which will save me a further bisque firing.
I hope the weather will pick up a bit this coming week so we can get more trees cut down and this big kid can then have a bonfire on the 5th, ok I'll be out there alone but I'm sure the memories of bonfire nights past will come flooding back and sod it I might even get a few small fireworks to play with haha, I can hear the neighbours now "You seen him next door out there letting off fireworks at his age", I love giving them something to talk about !
Well I better get the stir fry cooked and then an evening writing and drawing ceramic design in my note book, what more could there be to a Sunday evening, apart from the bath in the tin bath that is haha !
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Friday, 28 October 2011
Which Way To Turn ?
I Need More Hours
What a week it as been, at last we are getting back to normal with the hot water all running ok and yesterday the car getting through it's m.o.t with no real problems, this morning was the first morning in months I woke up without my first thoughts being how to sort problems out and for the first time in ages I got a good 6 hours sleep, things must be looking up ! But, there is one big worry, how the hell do I get everything done work wise, I have spent two days making seaglass beads for commissions, which I have now completed, I have a mountain of beads to clean, photograph and list on ebay and etsy, then to finish it all off I have a kiln full of ceramic beads and pendants to fire and glaze, which way do I turn ?
To be honest I'm loving every minute, I couldn't think of anything worse than having nothing to do and I'm really getting excited with the ceramics, so many ideas I want to try with a few already working better than I thought they would. This weekend I'm hoping to try out some pendants into which I hope to incorporate glass, so that's a first for me and I'll show the results on here, unless they look so bad they get binned.
I've been collecting seed heads and leaves for ceramic designs this week, as yet only from the garden but I've found a very wide selection which I hope will give me plenty of ideas to work with.
I'm starting to notice the fens are getting that early winter look about them, going are the green fields of vegetables and now the carpets of the plough cover these flat lands, a rich earthy look making each square mile look like three. The winds seem twice as strong as those of summer, bringing coldness and grey cloud, making this area that cold hard part of open ground we all know it to be, the home of weather beaten farmers and fen tigers, hard living people who shy away from nothing.
Well it's time for me to head back to the barn to face that pile of beads that await a clean then its focal making for me today followed by a few hours in the ceramic room and don't tell anyone but I'm working on hearts, yes me and hearts, god whats happening to me ?
What a week it as been, at last we are getting back to normal with the hot water all running ok and yesterday the car getting through it's m.o.t with no real problems, this morning was the first morning in months I woke up without my first thoughts being how to sort problems out and for the first time in ages I got a good 6 hours sleep, things must be looking up ! But, there is one big worry, how the hell do I get everything done work wise, I have spent two days making seaglass beads for commissions, which I have now completed, I have a mountain of beads to clean, photograph and list on ebay and etsy, then to finish it all off I have a kiln full of ceramic beads and pendants to fire and glaze, which way do I turn ?
To be honest I'm loving every minute, I couldn't think of anything worse than having nothing to do and I'm really getting excited with the ceramics, so many ideas I want to try with a few already working better than I thought they would. This weekend I'm hoping to try out some pendants into which I hope to incorporate glass, so that's a first for me and I'll show the results on here, unless they look so bad they get binned.
I've been collecting seed heads and leaves for ceramic designs this week, as yet only from the garden but I've found a very wide selection which I hope will give me plenty of ideas to work with.
I'm starting to notice the fens are getting that early winter look about them, going are the green fields of vegetables and now the carpets of the plough cover these flat lands, a rich earthy look making each square mile look like three. The winds seem twice as strong as those of summer, bringing coldness and grey cloud, making this area that cold hard part of open ground we all know it to be, the home of weather beaten farmers and fen tigers, hard living people who shy away from nothing.
Well it's time for me to head back to the barn to face that pile of beads that await a clean then its focal making for me today followed by a few hours in the ceramic room and don't tell anyone but I'm working on hearts, yes me and hearts, god whats happening to me ?
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Playing With Clay
Ceramic Room Joy
After my oxygen tanks running out on Saturday morning and being unable to change them until yesterday it was a fun couple of days in the ceramic room playing with clay for me this weekend. To say this big kid was happy is an understatement, I was like a pig in s..t and enjoyed every second, producing ceramic beads, pendants and the odd bowl on my old kick wheel, it was a real pleasure. I hope by the end of the week to have the kiln full ready to do a bisque fire then the fun bit, I get to play with glazes which is my favourite part of ceramics.
I guess it's the fact that I can produce so many natural colours which of course is how I love to work, colours I can mix myself just like those produced by an artist, with my lampwork I can mix colours with others but at the end of the day you are guessing at to the final results. With the ceramic glazes I have a good idea what the end product will look like, don't get me wrong I still get that excitement when I open the kiln just as I do with my bead making but it is more with hope the pieces are whole and not damaged or weather the glaze as given the effect I was looking for.
Just like my beads I seem to be fast collecting large amounts of boxes which are full of ceramic beads and pendants that I feel are no good, yes I know someone would love them and yes I guess if I listed them for sale they would sell, but I want to be happy with what I list and all the moaning from Yvonne and others telling be to sell them won't change my mind. I think this is the reason why I haven't listed any pots or bowls on etsy yet, I want to learn as I go along and with that I find it a while before I'm happy with the items I'm producing. My aim is to get some pieces listed at the end of November, maybe just smaller pieces to start with, more to see if the feedback from people is ok, I'm not silly, I don't expect them to sell straight away but more to see if I'm heading in the right direction.
So, this week the evenings will be spent in the ceramic room playing with ideas and sitting at my wheel trying to become a better potter, tho I'm sure this will take years, it will be years to enjoy and that's so very important to me, we all have enough crap in our lives and we need to enjoy those few hours at the end of the day weather it be with a glass of wine watching tv or reading or like me playing with clay dreaming of those wonderful pots in years to come !
Ok cuppa time over, my torch is waiting and there are beads to make, enjoy your day.
After my oxygen tanks running out on Saturday morning and being unable to change them until yesterday it was a fun couple of days in the ceramic room playing with clay for me this weekend. To say this big kid was happy is an understatement, I was like a pig in s..t and enjoyed every second, producing ceramic beads, pendants and the odd bowl on my old kick wheel, it was a real pleasure. I hope by the end of the week to have the kiln full ready to do a bisque fire then the fun bit, I get to play with glazes which is my favourite part of ceramics.
I guess it's the fact that I can produce so many natural colours which of course is how I love to work, colours I can mix myself just like those produced by an artist, with my lampwork I can mix colours with others but at the end of the day you are guessing at to the final results. With the ceramic glazes I have a good idea what the end product will look like, don't get me wrong I still get that excitement when I open the kiln just as I do with my bead making but it is more with hope the pieces are whole and not damaged or weather the glaze as given the effect I was looking for.
Just like my beads I seem to be fast collecting large amounts of boxes which are full of ceramic beads and pendants that I feel are no good, yes I know someone would love them and yes I guess if I listed them for sale they would sell, but I want to be happy with what I list and all the moaning from Yvonne and others telling be to sell them won't change my mind. I think this is the reason why I haven't listed any pots or bowls on etsy yet, I want to learn as I go along and with that I find it a while before I'm happy with the items I'm producing. My aim is to get some pieces listed at the end of November, maybe just smaller pieces to start with, more to see if the feedback from people is ok, I'm not silly, I don't expect them to sell straight away but more to see if I'm heading in the right direction.
So, this week the evenings will be spent in the ceramic room playing with ideas and sitting at my wheel trying to become a better potter, tho I'm sure this will take years, it will be years to enjoy and that's so very important to me, we all have enough crap in our lives and we need to enjoy those few hours at the end of the day weather it be with a glass of wine watching tv or reading or like me playing with clay dreaming of those wonderful pots in years to come !
Ok cuppa time over, my torch is waiting and there are beads to make, enjoy your day.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Cold Hands Warm Heart
Winter Warnings
The last few days have given us a sharp warning of the cold months ahead of us with the odd frost at dawn keeping the fens fresh and hands cold in the first hours spent on my torch. For the first time this week jumpers were worn and a welcome seat next to my kiln was very welcome.
In the past month we have gone from the first dark mornings making the barn a very different place when I open up, the cold dark walk across the garden so quiet with just the sound of early traffic after those summer mornings full of bird song and flower scent, to the frost and cold we are now experiencing, how quick our seasons change.
Yet still my heart is happy with the thought of my warm seat next to that wonderful glowing kiln while the weather out the window runs wild with cold dancing winds and snow, all to look forward to and sure to arrive very soon. Winter holds so many pleasures from halloween and bonfire night up to the excitement of Christmas and New Year, so very different from those summer pleasures that were special in their own way.
It's been a busy week with long days but there was good news when the plumber fitted the new hot water tank, giving us hot water again after three weeks without Yipeeee ! I was just thinking of how to obtain a tin bath as we were begining to think hot water was a thing of the past for us, but with some hard work and some really hard sacrifices we have sorted it. The bad news is still no laptop and seems it may be a while before a replacement so working here on the old pc, it takes ages and as a mind of it's own but it keeps us going and our business going which is the important thing, so I'm not moaning, just thankful we have it.
I'm hoping to get more trees cut down tomorrow evening and yet another bonfire I'm sure will follow so this big kid will be sitting by the fire in the dark, his thoughts drifting back to his childhood and who knows I may get to bake a potato or onion in foil, so the next blog I'm sure will be full of bonfire memories.
The last few days have given us a sharp warning of the cold months ahead of us with the odd frost at dawn keeping the fens fresh and hands cold in the first hours spent on my torch. For the first time this week jumpers were worn and a welcome seat next to my kiln was very welcome.
In the past month we have gone from the first dark mornings making the barn a very different place when I open up, the cold dark walk across the garden so quiet with just the sound of early traffic after those summer mornings full of bird song and flower scent, to the frost and cold we are now experiencing, how quick our seasons change.
Yet still my heart is happy with the thought of my warm seat next to that wonderful glowing kiln while the weather out the window runs wild with cold dancing winds and snow, all to look forward to and sure to arrive very soon. Winter holds so many pleasures from halloween and bonfire night up to the excitement of Christmas and New Year, so very different from those summer pleasures that were special in their own way.
It's been a busy week with long days but there was good news when the plumber fitted the new hot water tank, giving us hot water again after three weeks without Yipeeee ! I was just thinking of how to obtain a tin bath as we were begining to think hot water was a thing of the past for us, but with some hard work and some really hard sacrifices we have sorted it. The bad news is still no laptop and seems it may be a while before a replacement so working here on the old pc, it takes ages and as a mind of it's own but it keeps us going and our business going which is the important thing, so I'm not moaning, just thankful we have it.
I'm hoping to get more trees cut down tomorrow evening and yet another bonfire I'm sure will follow so this big kid will be sitting by the fire in the dark, his thoughts drifting back to his childhood and who knows I may get to bake a potato or onion in foil, so the next blog I'm sure will be full of bonfire memories.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Wet Dark Skies
A Grey Day But Happy
When I started work this morning at dawn I could see we were in for a wet day, one of those days that never seem to get light, grey dark skies with carpets of rain falling when they please and that autumn smell filling the air reminding us that summer as passed.
As the morning light started to filter through I filled all the bird feeders and started the kiln with the thoughts of a great day ahead playing with seaglass, focals and ring beads. There is something about this time of year that excites me, I never can pin point what it is but every year it's the same. Maybe the thought of winter, those few months that I love so much or the memories of my childhood when the dark evenings meant bonfires and fireworks or cutting sticks in my grandads wash house ready for those roaring log fires, but what ever it is I hope it stays with me until I'm no longer here.
I must admit I long for those long walks in fallen autumn leaves wrapped in warm coat and kicking those golden layers of tree jewellery like a small kid, hoping nobody will see. There are so many reasons for loving this time of year with kids collecting conkers and old gardeners standing watching their fires burn through garden waste while a redundant roll up sticks to their lip and dew drop hangs on nose tip. Their tired old eyes have seen a thousand seasons and their weather beaten faces tell a thousand tales, they know whats ahead as each bird leaves for winter sun to return in spring.
Last night I sat in the garden watching the bats feed over the pond, I think it must be hard for them now with the insect life starting to slow down, yet still they spend a few minutes flying like small dragon shadows over head.
As I'm writing with my hot cuppa the rain falls gently over the fens producing the most wonderful mist rolling across fields of stubble waiting for the plough, just another wonder of autumn and one so many of us just pass by.
So back to my torch and the seaglass that waits, seaglass that makes this bead maker a very happy one !
When I started work this morning at dawn I could see we were in for a wet day, one of those days that never seem to get light, grey dark skies with carpets of rain falling when they please and that autumn smell filling the air reminding us that summer as passed.
As the morning light started to filter through I filled all the bird feeders and started the kiln with the thoughts of a great day ahead playing with seaglass, focals and ring beads. There is something about this time of year that excites me, I never can pin point what it is but every year it's the same. Maybe the thought of winter, those few months that I love so much or the memories of my childhood when the dark evenings meant bonfires and fireworks or cutting sticks in my grandads wash house ready for those roaring log fires, but what ever it is I hope it stays with me until I'm no longer here.
I must admit I long for those long walks in fallen autumn leaves wrapped in warm coat and kicking those golden layers of tree jewellery like a small kid, hoping nobody will see. There are so many reasons for loving this time of year with kids collecting conkers and old gardeners standing watching their fires burn through garden waste while a redundant roll up sticks to their lip and dew drop hangs on nose tip. Their tired old eyes have seen a thousand seasons and their weather beaten faces tell a thousand tales, they know whats ahead as each bird leaves for winter sun to return in spring.
Last night I sat in the garden watching the bats feed over the pond, I think it must be hard for them now with the insect life starting to slow down, yet still they spend a few minutes flying like small dragon shadows over head.
As I'm writing with my hot cuppa the rain falls gently over the fens producing the most wonderful mist rolling across fields of stubble waiting for the plough, just another wonder of autumn and one so many of us just pass by.
So back to my torch and the seaglass that waits, seaglass that makes this bead maker a very happy one !
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Christmas Thoughts
Yes That Time Is Coming
After talking about the rustic disc beads that seem to be fast becoming popular in my etsy shop I was delighted to have received some disc jewellery through the post from Joy McCall, Joy was the first to start using my disc beads and enjoys using them in her work.
After seeing the pieces I just had to share them with you and this morning I thought I would let you see just one of the ways she uses them. This set of red discs really has a great Christmas feel about them, and goes to prove my point that these little beads can be used all on their own yet still look wonderful.
I guessed these beads might work well alongside silver findings but didn't feel they would look this good, It's a real pleasure to see just how different jewellery makers use this type of bead and it's a real honour to have their permission to show their work here on my blog, thank you Joy.
Well I'm sorry it's just a quickie this morning but I have so much to get on with in the barn and I'll be doing a longer blog this evening or early tomorrow morning so I hope you all excuse me, I could have left it until then to show you the Joys work but like all big kids I couldn't wait. Now I'm sure my head will be full of Christmas thoughts and ideas all day so don't be surprised if tonight's blog gives it a tiny mention haha !
Right time to get back to my flame on this dark windy morning, I hope you all enjoy your day and the weather improves where you are.
After talking about the rustic disc beads that seem to be fast becoming popular in my etsy shop I was delighted to have received some disc jewellery through the post from Joy McCall, Joy was the first to start using my disc beads and enjoys using them in her work.
After seeing the pieces I just had to share them with you and this morning I thought I would let you see just one of the ways she uses them. This set of red discs really has a great Christmas feel about them, and goes to prove my point that these little beads can be used all on their own yet still look wonderful.
Well I'm sorry it's just a quickie this morning but I have so much to get on with in the barn and I'll be doing a longer blog this evening or early tomorrow morning so I hope you all excuse me, I could have left it until then to show you the Joys work but like all big kids I couldn't wait. Now I'm sure my head will be full of Christmas thoughts and ideas all day so don't be surprised if tonight's blog gives it a tiny mention haha !
Right time to get back to my flame on this dark windy morning, I hope you all enjoy your day and the weather improves where you are.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Hot Water, Where ?
Living In The Past
To say the last week was a crap one here at the barn is an understatement. First the chainsaw dies on me just as I make a start cutting back the large conifer trees that line one side of the new kitchen garden site. Then my trusty old laptop finally takes a well earned retirement after several months of playing up, I guess I shouldn't moan after 4 years of service and that's from a laptop obtained in a sale for next to nothing. Then finally we wake to find water seeping through the downstairs loo ceiling from the hot water tank above, leaving us with no hot water until the new tank is fitted at the end of this month.
So with showers out the question it's like living in the past with kettles of hot water being taken to the bathroom for strip washes twice a day and even for washing the dishes.
The situation took my mind back to the 60's when I was a kid taking my Sunday bath in the kitchen in front of the range. It was a tin bath shaped like a coffin in to which my mum would empty large cast iron kettles of boiling water and the soap had a hard feel with that old clean smell, a bit like tar.
Living in a small rural village at that time meant a lot of cottages had no hot water or bathrooms and most still had a loo that was outside in the garden, we lived in such a cottage. The fact it was a beautiful large thatched house with lots of land and a small river running through the garden didn't make those cold winter evenings sitting in a tin bath or walking by torch light up the garden to the loo any easier, but it was normal life to us and we never knew any different.
It wasn't until I was 10 years old when my parents, after 11 years on a waiting list, were given one of the few council houses in the village that we had even a hot water tap let alone a bath and to think my grandad like so many others lived all his life having never once been able to turn on a tap and wash his hands in hot water. So for us to spend a few weeks without is not such a bad thing, tho the idea of a tin bath in front of the fire is not one I welcome !
On the bead side of things, I was trying to get some ceramic beads fired this weekend but it looks like I won't be able to, with lampwork taking up such a lot of time at the moment, there never seems enough hours in the day and I need to get both the etsy and ebay shops well stocked. So I hope ceramics will be ready at the end of the coming week giving me chance to spend a few evenings working on them.
Ok cuppa ready and 80minutes sitting back watching the rugby for me then out to the flame to spend another day playing with glass.
To say the last week was a crap one here at the barn is an understatement. First the chainsaw dies on me just as I make a start cutting back the large conifer trees that line one side of the new kitchen garden site. Then my trusty old laptop finally takes a well earned retirement after several months of playing up, I guess I shouldn't moan after 4 years of service and that's from a laptop obtained in a sale for next to nothing. Then finally we wake to find water seeping through the downstairs loo ceiling from the hot water tank above, leaving us with no hot water until the new tank is fitted at the end of this month.
So with showers out the question it's like living in the past with kettles of hot water being taken to the bathroom for strip washes twice a day and even for washing the dishes.
The situation took my mind back to the 60's when I was a kid taking my Sunday bath in the kitchen in front of the range. It was a tin bath shaped like a coffin in to which my mum would empty large cast iron kettles of boiling water and the soap had a hard feel with that old clean smell, a bit like tar.
Living in a small rural village at that time meant a lot of cottages had no hot water or bathrooms and most still had a loo that was outside in the garden, we lived in such a cottage. The fact it was a beautiful large thatched house with lots of land and a small river running through the garden didn't make those cold winter evenings sitting in a tin bath or walking by torch light up the garden to the loo any easier, but it was normal life to us and we never knew any different.
It wasn't until I was 10 years old when my parents, after 11 years on a waiting list, were given one of the few council houses in the village that we had even a hot water tap let alone a bath and to think my grandad like so many others lived all his life having never once been able to turn on a tap and wash his hands in hot water. So for us to spend a few weeks without is not such a bad thing, tho the idea of a tin bath in front of the fire is not one I welcome !
On the bead side of things, I was trying to get some ceramic beads fired this weekend but it looks like I won't be able to, with lampwork taking up such a lot of time at the moment, there never seems enough hours in the day and I need to get both the etsy and ebay shops well stocked. So I hope ceramics will be ready at the end of the coming week giving me chance to spend a few evenings working on them.
Ok cuppa ready and 80minutes sitting back watching the rugby for me then out to the flame to spend another day playing with glass.
Friday, 7 October 2011
New Email Address
Just A Quickie !
Before I do my next blog I wanted to just give out my new email address. For anyone who uses the old robsbeadsofglass address it is no longer in use, since we changed over to bt I now need to use my bt email which is as follows; upwellsell@btinternet.com
I hope anyone who needs to ask about beads or my blog will be able to do so by contacting me on that address and I look forward to hearing from you all.
I was also asked if I could put a link to my beads here on the blog so below are some different places where you can see my work or even obtain beads from me.
www.flickr.com/photos/robjohnsonnature
www.stores.ebay.co.uk/Beads-Of-Glass
www.etsy.com/shop/pebbledreams
Ok I better get back to my flame, I will be doing my blog this evening so I hope you will find time to pop along and see what I've been up to then.
Before I do my next blog I wanted to just give out my new email address. For anyone who uses the old robsbeadsofglass address it is no longer in use, since we changed over to bt I now need to use my bt email which is as follows; upwellsell@btinternet.com
I hope anyone who needs to ask about beads or my blog will be able to do so by contacting me on that address and I look forward to hearing from you all.
I was also asked if I could put a link to my beads here on the blog so below are some different places where you can see my work or even obtain beads from me.
www.flickr.com/photos/robjohnsonnature
www.stores.ebay.co.uk/Beads-Of-Glass
www.etsy.com/shop/pebbledreams
Ok I better get back to my flame, I will be doing my blog this evening so I hope you will find time to pop along and see what I've been up to then.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Bead Prices
All Should Be Welcome
Yesterday evening I received an email from a customer thanking me for making a stand against over priced lampwork beads in which she mentioned how some makers seem to moan a lot about those of us who keep our prices real. Well I think most of you all know my feeling on this subject and I know a lot of you agree with me but I just wanted to use this mornings blog to make my thoughts clear to all who are interested and if any other bead makers would like to tell my why I'm wrong then please feel free to contact me.
First of all I have to say these are just my thoughts on the subject and I'm sure some of you will think differently to me, but that's what makes life so interesting and why we are all so very unique.
When I first started making beads there were only around a couple of dozen people making lampwork beads in the UK, the craft had been going along fine with bead prices high and the makers earning good money, then as the craft started to grow here becoming nearly as popular as it was in the US more and more people started taking up bead making. I remember a group of girls from one of the bead groups visiting us here at the barn and within a six months all but two had started making their own beads, that's how fast the craft was growing. So I guess this was always going to bring prices down and the older bead makers were going to see their sales drop off unless they lowered their prices.
At this time I was selling my beads at bead fairs and online in my ebay shop and it wasn't long before I started hearing the gossip that my prices were far too low and it was spoiling it for other sellers etc etc ! Never once did these people have the balls to say it to me but they found it easy to chat behind my back thinking that I wouldn't know, yet did they realise most times I was told by those they were chatting to.
We soon found that some customers at the bead fairs would tell us that they hadn't obtained lampwork beads before as they were always so expensive and that they attended the fairs to buy seed beads or findings mostly, which I thought was a real shame. After hearing these people and seeing how they enjoyed being able to buy those beads they would just admire before I knew I wanted in some way to get more people interested in lampwork beads and if this meant keeping my prices low then as long as I could still make a profit I would try to do so.
I remember one year at the Essex bead fair a young girl around 8 or 9 years or age coming to our table with 3 pounds to buy some beads and when she walked away showing her mum the little set of pink beads in her hand I just knew I was doing right. The girls mum had told us her daughter had only ever bought odd orphan beads in the past and this was her first set she could afford, she followed this by thanking us which made me feel really humble, here was a guy who sat making beads in a barn full of boxes and cupboards full of these little glass wonders, some of which I just left to collect dust as I didn't think they were good enough to sell and this one little girl had a simple set of pink beads that meant so much to her, from that day on my outlook on beads changed and I told Yvonne that we had to let more people use my beads. I didn't care about how much we could charge I just wanted more people to get to use them and that's how I still feel to this day, it doesn't mean I only sell cheap beads, it just means I price beads with a wider range of prices, if a set of beads takes a while to make and there is a lot more work involved then they will cost more to buy, if the beads were simple to make and only took minutes to produce then they sell for far less.
To me that's an honest way to price my beads and even though I know I'll never get rich this way, I don't care and I'll never change it. I know there will be hundreds of buyers who don't like the type of beads I make and they will always prefer the work of other makers and won't mind paying big bucks for them but even if there are a few who feel they get good value from my beads then I'm happy.
So even if the odd bead maker moans about the likes of me selling too low, you know what, I don't care, if my prices mean just one more person can afford to start using lampwork beads in their jewellery then that's great news, don't you find it funny, those same bead makers who moan about low priced beads being bad for their trade are found shopping in supermarkets all over the country because it's cheaper than buying from their local village baker, butcher or corner shop, talk about double standards !!!
Yesterday evening I received an email from a customer thanking me for making a stand against over priced lampwork beads in which she mentioned how some makers seem to moan a lot about those of us who keep our prices real. Well I think most of you all know my feeling on this subject and I know a lot of you agree with me but I just wanted to use this mornings blog to make my thoughts clear to all who are interested and if any other bead makers would like to tell my why I'm wrong then please feel free to contact me.
First of all I have to say these are just my thoughts on the subject and I'm sure some of you will think differently to me, but that's what makes life so interesting and why we are all so very unique.
When I first started making beads there were only around a couple of dozen people making lampwork beads in the UK, the craft had been going along fine with bead prices high and the makers earning good money, then as the craft started to grow here becoming nearly as popular as it was in the US more and more people started taking up bead making. I remember a group of girls from one of the bead groups visiting us here at the barn and within a six months all but two had started making their own beads, that's how fast the craft was growing. So I guess this was always going to bring prices down and the older bead makers were going to see their sales drop off unless they lowered their prices.
At this time I was selling my beads at bead fairs and online in my ebay shop and it wasn't long before I started hearing the gossip that my prices were far too low and it was spoiling it for other sellers etc etc ! Never once did these people have the balls to say it to me but they found it easy to chat behind my back thinking that I wouldn't know, yet did they realise most times I was told by those they were chatting to.
We soon found that some customers at the bead fairs would tell us that they hadn't obtained lampwork beads before as they were always so expensive and that they attended the fairs to buy seed beads or findings mostly, which I thought was a real shame. After hearing these people and seeing how they enjoyed being able to buy those beads they would just admire before I knew I wanted in some way to get more people interested in lampwork beads and if this meant keeping my prices low then as long as I could still make a profit I would try to do so.
I remember one year at the Essex bead fair a young girl around 8 or 9 years or age coming to our table with 3 pounds to buy some beads and when she walked away showing her mum the little set of pink beads in her hand I just knew I was doing right. The girls mum had told us her daughter had only ever bought odd orphan beads in the past and this was her first set she could afford, she followed this by thanking us which made me feel really humble, here was a guy who sat making beads in a barn full of boxes and cupboards full of these little glass wonders, some of which I just left to collect dust as I didn't think they were good enough to sell and this one little girl had a simple set of pink beads that meant so much to her, from that day on my outlook on beads changed and I told Yvonne that we had to let more people use my beads. I didn't care about how much we could charge I just wanted more people to get to use them and that's how I still feel to this day, it doesn't mean I only sell cheap beads, it just means I price beads with a wider range of prices, if a set of beads takes a while to make and there is a lot more work involved then they will cost more to buy, if the beads were simple to make and only took minutes to produce then they sell for far less.
To me that's an honest way to price my beads and even though I know I'll never get rich this way, I don't care and I'll never change it. I know there will be hundreds of buyers who don't like the type of beads I make and they will always prefer the work of other makers and won't mind paying big bucks for them but even if there are a few who feel they get good value from my beads then I'm happy.
So even if the odd bead maker moans about the likes of me selling too low, you know what, I don't care, if my prices mean just one more person can afford to start using lampwork beads in their jewellery then that's great news, don't you find it funny, those same bead makers who moan about low priced beads being bad for their trade are found shopping in supermarkets all over the country because it's cheaper than buying from their local village baker, butcher or corner shop, talk about double standards !!!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Planet Pumpkin
Another World
It's time to see one of the most haunting sights of autumn here in the fenlands of the east, thousands of ripe pumpkins lay among acres of wind dried soil. These Halloween icons stretch as far as the eye can see, a rich sea of giant orange pebbles covering the horizon, every year producing a most amazing welcome to winter. For weeks now the mass collection of this harvest as been going on, supplying retailers all over the country and of course supplying children everywhere with Halloween lanterns to carve and light on that magical evening.
For the first time this weekend I'm making pumpkin soup, a real first for me and in fact not just a first for the soup but it will be my first ever taste of pumpkin full stop ! It may seem strange coming from a village boy who loves most vegetables but I guess they never really appealed to me, so it's time I gave them a try. With the never ending supply available here it seems silly to miss out on a winter treat that can be frozen ready for those colder months.
With the apple harvest coming to an end in my garden it will make a nice change to cook and freeze something different, it's a wonder I haven't been dreaming of apples after all I've peeled and cooked in the last month. So we are now looking towards soups, you can't beat a bowl of hot soup for a winter lunch, rich rustic filling soup with home made bread and with the freezer still having plenty of spare room to fill there will be no stopping me. Yes I know tins of soup are quicker and easier and some will say cheap to buy, but why would I want tinned soup when I can enjoy my own, most of which will cost just the price of the power used to cook it and full of goodness too.
You all know the trouble I had last Christmas time with my health and since then my life as turned around so much, food wise gone are the days of fried dinners, no fish and chips and none of the rubbish snacks that were part of out shopping basket every week. I find now that I enjoy the taste of my food more and with the idea of warm winter meals on the way means I'm one happy guy.
On the bead front, this week as been busy and today I hope to catch up on a few jobs I have left. I need to make more seaglass beads for commissions too, so this will mean a fun day at some point. With this return of the warm weather it's been a hot job this last few days but then I shouldn't moan as I'll be happy working beside my kiln in the cooler months ahead.
It's time to see one of the most haunting sights of autumn here in the fenlands of the east, thousands of ripe pumpkins lay among acres of wind dried soil. These Halloween icons stretch as far as the eye can see, a rich sea of giant orange pebbles covering the horizon, every year producing a most amazing welcome to winter. For weeks now the mass collection of this harvest as been going on, supplying retailers all over the country and of course supplying children everywhere with Halloween lanterns to carve and light on that magical evening.
With the apple harvest coming to an end in my garden it will make a nice change to cook and freeze something different, it's a wonder I haven't been dreaming of apples after all I've peeled and cooked in the last month. So we are now looking towards soups, you can't beat a bowl of hot soup for a winter lunch, rich rustic filling soup with home made bread and with the freezer still having plenty of spare room to fill there will be no stopping me. Yes I know tins of soup are quicker and easier and some will say cheap to buy, but why would I want tinned soup when I can enjoy my own, most of which will cost just the price of the power used to cook it and full of goodness too.
You all know the trouble I had last Christmas time with my health and since then my life as turned around so much, food wise gone are the days of fried dinners, no fish and chips and none of the rubbish snacks that were part of out shopping basket every week. I find now that I enjoy the taste of my food more and with the idea of warm winter meals on the way means I'm one happy guy.
On the bead front, this week as been busy and today I hope to catch up on a few jobs I have left. I need to make more seaglass beads for commissions too, so this will mean a fun day at some point. With this return of the warm weather it's been a hot job this last few days but then I shouldn't moan as I'll be happy working beside my kiln in the cooler months ahead.
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