Blog & Craft Learning for a Jeweller

So, this has been an insanely busy week – a large new order sent off to Fringe Arts, Cape Town on Friday, a new order to be done by Tuesday for their new shop (it’s going to be in Lonehill, Johannesburg), and I’m going up to Joburg this week to visit my mom before she jets off to Germany to meet her new grand-daughter.. 🙂

On top of all of this, I had the wonderful fortune of going to the Etsy Craft Party (the only 1 in South Africa!) in Durban on Thursday night – a big thanks to Nadia van der Mescht for organising it!

It was wonderful to be surrounded by other crafty people – and those who just wanted to try it out! (Mostly ladies, I must add – but apparently one of the male bartenders made a valiant effort!) Our craft for the evening was gift tags – and we had a lot of fun gluing & cutting the assorted items given to us.. I also discovered the joy of Washi tape – and will experimenting a lot more in the future!

Then, yesterday, I went to a full day’s creative business workshop, again with Nadia van der Mescht. This was really a wonderful learning experience, as it is tailored towards smaller creative businesses, with an emphasis on planning, setting goals, and social media.. As you can see, I’ve already made some changes – I’ve updated my blog a bit, set up categories (which I didn’t even know about before!), and have a new Pinterest page, too! http://pinterest.com/starbrightgirl7/boards/

The workshop was held at the Benjamin Hotel, in Florida Road (a big thanks to them for the lovely food supplied!), and was just a fantastic, intimate day (there were only 7 of us) – with lots of time to tell stories & ask questions.. I can honestly say I learnt so much – so hopefully can make many changes for the better whilst growing my little business 🙂

So, that’s me for now – time to bath & get ready for a full day’s work at my bench – the pendants don’t pierce themselves, alas! Hope everyone has a fantastic & inspired week! Megan xxx

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I Heart Market Moses Mabhida Stadium!

So, as most Durbanites should have heard by now – the I Heart Market is moving to our new home tomorrow – outside the Moses Mabhida Stadium!

This is pretty exciting news – for one, it means the market just keeps growing & growing, and 2 – hopefully we’ll get new customers through, which is always wonderful!

The great thing about the stadium (built for last year’s soccer world cup) would have to be its proximity.. It’s close to the beachfront – so folks enjoying their morning wander along the promenade can just wander a few feet further, and do some awesome shopping! It’s also close to the 2 Virgin active gyms, and a bunch of restaurants – and is very easily accessible for those in the North of Durban! 🙂

I’ve been busy making up a span of new items, which I’m super happy with – check out some pics below:

These pendants are sterling silver, blackened & polished, with a tiny half jump ring to the back that the chain runs through.. I have a little squirrel one I made for myself and – seriously – I haven’t taken it off since I made it! (about a month ago) Not even to bath!! 😉

Here are some earrings I made up last week..

These are based on the design of Perspex ones I previously made up – and I wanted to challenge myself and see if they could be made in silver.. Turns out, with lots of hard work, they can! 🙂
I love the fact that these look delicate (and they are lightweight) but as the metal is fairly thick, and very strong, they are about 5 times sturdier than the Perspex versions! And so pretty and shiny!! 😉

So – I hope to see lots of Durban people at the market tomorrow.. The tent will be up as usual (in case of rain, which is highly normal at this time of year!) – and don’t forget all the yummy goodies there are too – brekkie rolls, fabulous coffee, my favourite cupcakes (just ask Melanie – I am the most ardent customer!), and hopefully macaroons too!
Plus – sigh – I saw the first Christmas goodies in Woolies yesterday, which means it’s just round the corner – so it’s a good idea to start doing a little Christmas shopping now, so you won’t hurt your wallet so much in December!! 😉

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I’m off to Joburg next week for a course, and to visit my mom – very excited! Lots of Love, Megs xx

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New Stockist & Some Finished Orders..

Hi all! Hope everyone’s having a good week 🙂 I’m pretty busy with orders and, alas, paperwork – ack!

Just wanted to give a heads up to folks in Cape Town – I’m sending off new stock for the new Fringe Arts shop in Kloof Street (99B) – so it should hopefully be in store by the weekend.. Please tell your friends, or go check it out – Prices are good, and some of my new stuff is really cool, if I may say so myself! Here’s a peek at some of the jewellery:

And don’t my new tags just look lovely?!! 😉

In other news – I’ve been busy doing some private orders, and thought I’d share a few pics.. This first one is a custom ear cuff I did for Ilana via twitter (@MymindisAlice) – I think it turned out very prettily 🙂

Then I did some items for extended family (sister in law’s sister in law, if you must know!!) 😉 2 pendants for guys – 1 featuring a kung fu broadsword, and the other a cutout speargun.. Pretty cool for guys, I think!

I’ve also been doing some custom work via etsy – take a look at these cute airplane themed items I made up:

So, I’ve been pretty busy – now need to replenish stock on my starbright silver store, with all my geeky items – my hubby says sales are good because comic-con is coming up soon! 🙂 Maybe next year we’ll get to join you folks in San Diego – the saving starts now!!

Hope you all have a great rest of the week.. Love Megs xx

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Buying Stuff Online..

Hmm.. So I know some South Africans are wary of buying goods online, but me, I LOVE it! I’m ecstatic about the way that the internet has opened up our shopping options – especially for a pop-culture starved Durbanite like myself!

I think my eyes were first opened to the phenomenon when living in the UK in 2000/2001 – I especially loved the Royal Mail, and how when I ordered something one day, the next day I would arrive home to a package outside my door!

Unfortunately, being back in RSA means that it takes 2 weeks or more on average to receive parcels – but is there anything better than receiving a slip to pick up a parcel at the post office? – so exciting! In addition, there’s the added cost of customs duty for many parcels – so I suggest ordering minimum numbers (like 1 t-shirt at a time) in order to avoid this – shhh!

Anyhow – thought I’d add a short list of where I like to order from:

www.kalahari.net – great for South Africans wanting to buy cds, books or dvds.. (Since we S. African’s aren’t allowed to order from Amazon.com anymore – sniff!)

www.hottopic.com – a mecca for pop culture lovers, this US shop has the coolest movie & music themed merchandise – have bought my hubby a few great t-shirts from here.. (How cool is this Muggle T, by the way!!)

rainbowswirlz.etsy.com – I’ve ordered a few gorgeous screen-printed items from this shop – the designs are super-cute, and the quality is great! Am loving this top below – and still adore my awesome RAR monster bag! 😉

I could go on for ages – but simply, all I want to say is that with the internet, we can find pretty much anything we want! So, don’t be scared, sign up for Paypal, and work out your index finger with some cool internet shopping this long weekend – it’s so much fun! Love Megs xx

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I Heart Market at DLI & New Stock for August

So, the  I Heart Market was on again today, back at the DLI hall in Greyville.. Thought I’d post a few pics for those of you who haven’t been, so you can get an idea 🙂

And here’s a close up of my jewellery on the table – see if you can spot what’s new!

Ok – maybe a bit hard to spot on this size pic, but I’ll post some pics of my new pieces below 🙂 By the way, what do you think of my table layout? I’m always experimenting with new signage, and displays, but it’s tricky when you have such a variety (and so many colours) of items! I think I maybe need to have some more levels?

Anyhow – here are some of my new items:

My Preciousss Lord of the Rings-esque ring – funky and fun.. (hey, we all felt at least a bit sorry for Gollum, right?!)

Resistance is Futile Borg Quote Ring – for your favourite Trekkie! I love this, cos it uses a Borg-style font, it’s sterling silver with black resin inlaid..

This is another stackable silver ring – with pink resin heart.. Super-cute, another one I wanna keep for myself!!

And the matching stud earrings! (I have a few different studs – hearts and stars in different colours – check out my Etsy shop!)

Ok – I’ll post pics of the new pendants during the week… Enjoy the rest of your long weekend folks (sniff, some of us have to work – well, at home, at the bench at least!) Megs xx

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Silver ring progress & market at Stonehaven Castle

So – thought I must do a quick update – am busy like a mad thing finishing off a big order, and doing designs and prep for others, but am still trying to squeeze in some time for my silver quote rings.. Here’s a pic of my work in progress:

Still a way to go before finished, but hope to get done on the weekend 🙂

Otherwise – I’m going to have a table at a market being held at Stonehaven Castle in Shongweni this Sunday.. Looks to be a cool day out – all kinds of stalls, and a buffet Roast Sunday Lunch for only R60!! (I’ve seen the menu – so worth it, I can’t wait!!) It is mainly a wedding & conference venue, but they’re just trying to lure people out of the city to see what the countryside’s like, so I hope lots of you can make a plan for a day out, and come join me for a scrumptious lunch! (There’s also a lovely afternoon tea menu on offer, for R45 each, and children under 12 are half price 🙂 )

Their website is: http://www.stonehavencastle.co.za/ – check it out for a map and some pics.. (PS – have heard from friends who’ve been there, the food is really awesome!)

Will hopefully also have some cool new goodies to show off – hope to see you there! 🙂

Bestest regards, Megan xx

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Artisan Gallery and Exhibition

Hey all.. A little later than promised, but herewith some pics of the beautiful Artisan Gallery in Florida Road, Durban..

The stunning glass-fronted space is fantastic for showing off the multitude of South African artworks, including pottery, ceramics, paintings, textiles and of course, jewellery. Sue Greenberg, the owner, always makes sure everything is beautifully displayed, and it is always a pleasure to browse (and buy!) there..

Currently running is the Local is Lekker exhibition – see previous post: https://starbrightgirl.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/local-is-lekker-nice/

Herewith a little pic of my work on display – I personally love the silver & resin zoo biscuit brooches!!

So that’s all from me for now – but please do check out Artisan when you can – see their website for directions and more info! http://www.artisan.co.za

And of course – tell your visiting friends and relatives too – there are awesome and unique SA goodies – a great reminder of their (hopefully) incredible World Cup visit!

Have a fantastic Sunday – and hope the week ahead treats you all well 🙂 Megan xx

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Local is Lekker (nice!)

For the non-South Africans reading this post, Lekker is an Afrikaans word, that’s been adopted by most South Africans, as a word that encompasses all things “nice”. Can also mean the equivalent of “yummy” or “delicious” when talking about food 😉

Anyhow – as previously mentioned, Artisan Gallery, in Florida Road, Durban, is opening a new exhibition entitled “Local is Lekker”, so I’ve been slaving away to make up some new pieces especially.. I didn’t want to stretch myself too much technically, not enough time for that! – so came up with some fairly simple designs – some based on unique indigenous flowers I’ve seen, and some on some of my favourite local treats – chocolate & biscuits!

These earrings are based on 2 different flowers – on the left, the flower of the Natal Plum – but I’ve attached them loosely, so they spin like little helicopters in your ears! Then on the right, it’s my I heart Cosmos earrings – they’re different lengths, cos no 2 Cosmos flowers are ever identical, and have little hearts in the centre of each – so cute!

Next up is a design based on a type of Orchid found in Natal (the province I live in) – I’ve stylised them slightly, and kept them as simple but eye-catching details to this chained neckpiece – this looks sooo nice on, I’m tempted to keep it! 🙂

Then there’s a little homage piece to my favourite chocolate of all (yes, it’s usurped Turkish Delights and Caramello Bears – I can’t get enough of the new milky middle duo type!) It’s a simple piece – but it really stands out – and just looks good enough to nibble on! 😉

There are a few more items which will be going on show, but this is just a teaser for now – hope you like so far! Check at the bottom for the invite to the exhibition opening – if you’re in Durban, try stop by! 🙂

Have a fantastic weekend all – am off with my hubby & friends to watch Wayne Brady perform tonight, so am sooo looking forward to a fun & funny night! Megan xxx

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Colleen Eitzen & New Stock

Colleen Eitzen’s JHB Fashion Show was last Saturday, and I spent a few nights making up some funky chains, using silver & gemstone elements.. Soon as I have some close up pics I’ll add them! The pics I have seen from the show look awesome, though – very cool stuff!

I also browsed her range at the Space at Gateway last weekend (which I should have done earlier!) – and I must say I love her designs – so accessible, and fun to wear!

In other news, I have been busy with a menagerie of silver studs, and will update this post later with pics thereof! As mentioned, I have a thing about cute (something in my nature I guess, I’m not a wild character!) – so all the studs are almost unbearably cute – but hopefully still a little different and unique 😉

… and… Herewith the pics of my new super-cute animal studs (the swans already sold, so will have to make more!) 😉

And herewith some other animal-y pieces I made up too 🙂

And that’s all for today, folks! Have an awesome rest of your week 🙂 xx

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Indieyellowpages

Hi all

Just a quick note – yesterday while browsing the net, I came across an awesome site called indieyellowpages.com

Very cool idea for a directory of cool things – I found a ton of really interesting work –  I particularly love the “Gorjuss” designs – sooo cute!

Anyhow – I emailed, and Angela was kind enough to do a little write up of my site! Hooray! So – thanks, Angela – appreciate the support from abroad! 😉

Have an incredible rest of your week, everyone! xx

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