Getting more official with the business

I have been trying to make inroads into making this jewellery sideline more official over the past week or so.

It's a tricky thing when I am mixing it with my daily work - tv researcher and film maker - and also when added to my other sidelines - like running a theatre company and reviewing films for Radio Wales. But I have to start somewhere.

I might have just stumbled into jewellery because a sewing course was full, but I do have a bit of a knack for it and am putting more and more time into making it into a business, if not yet one that brings in a profit.
That latter point was brought home to me when a friend quizzed me for a news article - http://www.confused.com/featured-articles/money/savings/how-to-make-money-online-224760284 - it is spurring me into sorting things out properly.

And that means registering as sole trader and trying to get to grips with tax and spreadsheets. I'm sure that's not the most appealing thing to be doing when I could be sitting playing around with beads but nevertheless it is a necessary evil.

I'm also going to take more of a leap online and take up WowThankYou - http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/ - and put my jewellery up there. And also lovely @blodwener who co runs a lovely shop called Rewind based in Jacobs Market, Cardiff has said I can sell some of my jewellery there - I think yes

You never know where these things will go and taking a leap is always better than standing still 

A little bit extra

Well two times in one day is certainly a record for me, thought I would blog the results of a challenge and a new type of jewellery for me - breastfeeding necklaces

Recently a friend got in touch to ask me if I would make her a fashionable looking necklace that would be suitable to wear when she is breastfeeding her new baby. She needed it to be tug resistant, not too easy to break and also good at distracting the baby during feeding.

A lot of my recent necklaces are very delicate so they would be no good for the task and I didn't feel that babies should spend their time putting chains in their mouth so I knew the beads needed to be on something more baby friendly.

I had lots of ribbon left over and some great new turquoise blue beads. But I like an asymmetrical necklace so I knew the other side should be a chunky and durable chain to offset the beads. I'm pretty pleased with the result, it took a while and a few times to weave the ribbon into the chain and I like the fact that you can swap sides each time you breastfeed as a little reminder.

Mind this would be perfect for any person, not just new mums

New house, new resolution

I have been neglecting this blog a heck of a lot. Not that it matters to cyberspace, but I did promise myself this year, and last, that I would get back into the habit of regular writing. After abandoning print journalism three years ago for radio and now television, writing has somewhat fallen to the wayside.

But, I have discovered if you fall off the horse just get back on and pretend no-one saw it and carry on....so with that in mind I am reinstating the blog and will try and keep it up-to-date with my life and my creative work.

Since I last blogged we bought that house, and it turned out to be a complete wreck, over time I will write about what it was like revamping the rooms we have done so far and the huge renovations that are to come.
I am still making jewellery

And selling it online at Folksy and other fairs, plus I am enjoying getting away from the day to day world of work by making things for the house and working on improving my cooking and dessert making. 

Meringues seem to be my new go to pudding and I must say they taste great thanks to this method from Lorraine Pascale http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spiced_blackberry_pear_14830

Well my actual work is calling me back now, so the procrastination must stop and I need to do some other writing, but I'll be back