Find me on Facebook!

I have decided to stop blogging for a while, and start updating Facebook more regularly.

Find me on Facebook via this link: www.facebook.com/AussieJulesFB

I'll let you know what markets I am doing, exhibitions that are coming up, new beads and jewellery and anything else I might find interesting!

Jules

Continuing from last week....

I sometimes think that it can be harder to be creative these days when there is so much inspiration all around us. The internet is filled with images that can help get the creative juices flowing. You can buy more than one book on any topic that you are interested in. I go to the library a lot and borrow books, but I also have a serious addiction to buying books too. Magazines, magazines, magazines. And then there is walking into a shop and looking at what is deemed "on trend". I am not sure if it makes me feel more creative or less creative to be honest! I get a bit of stage fright. I hope that whatever inspiration goes into my mind and stews in there for a while, that whatever comes out is MY WORK!

Down Time

Sometimes you need some down time to generate new ideas, new directions, new energy. I've had a bit of down time lately, it's been a chance for me to do some other things, like sewing, crocheting, and reading, things I don't ever really seem to have the time to do. It's also nearly winter, and I find winter a really hard season to get through! So, I've let myself have some time off in order to generate some renewed enthusiasm for everything! It's been a good chance to think about what I'm doing, where I want to go with everything.

I don't know all the things that are going to change right now! I guess it's not a short-term process, but a continual process of evolution. For now, I'm reading tutorials on making beads, trying out new techniques, looking at jewellery differently, thinking about different materials. It's hard sometimes to try new things, but I am trying new things, and I'll show you what happens when I'm happy with it!!

Green Depression Glass

My adventure into making recycled glass beads started with Green Depression Glass for SALA in 2009. Since then I've recycled all sorts of objects from wine bottles, beer bottles, old vases, and windows. But I keep coming back to the Green Depression Glass. It makes the prettiest beads, the colour is amazing, the clarity of the glass is nearly always perfect too.

For SALA 2011 (August 5 to 28) I am going back to where it all started with Green Depression Glass. I am making a variety of jewellery with different embellishments. Here is a sneak peak of one of the pieces.

Happy Mothers Day

I remember my first Mother's Day, I was even more excited than on my birthday! I was so happy to be spending the day with my little girl Ciara, and my partner Nick.

This year will be my 3rd Mother's Day, and it won't be quite the same as the first one, as I'll be working at the markets, but it will still be wonderful, a chance to reflect on what being a mum means to me! And a chance for me to get spoiled (hopefully)!!

I love being a mum, it is an awesome responsibility. It certainly doesn't get any easier, the challenges just change! There are days when I wish that all I had to do was to be a mum! But, that is not the case, I am also running a small business, running the household, and trying to find time for other creative things like sewing and crocheting. Some days it's hard to find "Jules-time"!

I did get time to make a selection of one-off pieces to celebrate Mothers Day at Tarts (Gays Arcade). A couple of the pieces have already sold, but here is a photo I took of one of the necklaces that is left. It is coral mixed in with some of my handmade glass beads. Very different from my usual work!

Happy Mothers Day to my mum!

Exhibitions....are they worth all the effort??

My first ever solo exhibition (if you could really call it that), was in 2008 for South Australian Living Artist Month (SALA) when I had several glass cabinets in the Mitcham Civic Centre. I literally spent hours and hours getting ready for that exhibition (concept, design, making beads, making jewellery, promoting etc), and all for about $200 worth of sales at the event! (Although eventually all the pieces have sold).

It was so much work, and I had to question...was it worth the effort?

Well since then, I have done lots and lots and lots of exhibitions, both solo and as part of a group, and I have to say....it is definitely worth the effort!!! The exhibition deadline forces you to come up with a new idea, new beads, new jewellery, and hopefully shows your work to a whole new audience (depending on where you exhibit).

The picture I have posted is of a necklace that I made as a result of my SALA exhibition at The Bead Tree last year, where I made lots of these little star beads. And I had lots of them left over! No one knew how to use them, so one day I sat down and strung them all together, and they looked great! I wore that necklace, got lots of compliments on it, made some more in different colours, and continue to make them as people seem to really like them!

I am currently brainstorming ideas for SALA 2011 to be held in August. I am wondering, where should I exhibit? Definitely somewhere new, somewhere different! With some new work, that goes without saying. But where....I need to decide this week!! Stay tuned.

Market Square Adelaide

When Rundle Street Market closed earlier this year, it gave me a chance to think about whether or not I wanted to do markets any more, or whether I wanted to concentrate on galleries and shops. At that stage there were no other markets in Adelaide for me to go to really. I've done the suburban markets in the past, and while they are OK, they are not a sustainable proposition for me in the long term. That's why I stayed at Rundle Street from the very first day of trading, because given the good and the bad times down there, it was a viable market for me.

So, it was a turbulent time, wondering what I would do with myself. And then along came Market Square Adelaide. A brand new outdoor city market, located in Hindmarsh Square. We had our first ever day of trade last Sunday, and it was actually pretty good. The atmosphere was great, it was perfect for families venturing out, and there were lots of really good stalls there too. I think the organisers did a great job in starting this market up.

I love doing markets for so many reasons (more than just the financial reasons)! I love the customer feedback on my product, the opportunities people give me as they order new things from me, the opportunity to make things "just right" for everyone. Like that bracelet, but need it shorter, no worries. Like those earrings, but want them in red, can do it!

If you're looking for me at a market, this is where I'll be!