MEET: Rose Sharp Jones

Today we meet textile designer Rose Sharp Jones of Rose Sharp Jones Textile Design.

Please tell us who you are and what you do.

My name is Rose Sharp Jones and I am a textile designer. I specialised in knitted textiles during my BA course, continuing this during my recent MA where I also incorporated printed textiles into my work. I also use crochet for many of my products. Much of my inspiration comes from traditional textile techniques such as smocked embroidery and aran knitting stitches. I use these techniques to create a range of contemporary textiles that are applied to a variety of products including furniture and cushions as well as wearable accessories.

Pieces are hand or machine knitted, crocheted or made from fabric screen printed with my hand drawn designs. I use organic and sustainable materials throughout my work. I make all pieces myself and am based in south London.

How long have you been creating for?

I’ve been creating since childhood in one form or another but have been running my business for just over a year, since completing an MA in Textile Design.

When did you first realise you could turn your craft into a business?

I first planned to set up my own business during my MA course.

Describe your work setting.

I have a workroom at home that’s filled with lots of things! There are a lot of shelves and drawers for my yarns and fabrics, as well as my desk with drawing and painting equipment for designing my printed fabrics. I also have my knitting machine set up in another part of the room.

What inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Much of my work focuses on finding new uses for traditional techniques in contemporary products, so I’m constantly motivated by different product ideas as well as the original inspiration that I find in traditional textiles and dress. Other inspiration can come from anywhere!

How do you keep a balance between work and home life?

This can be hard but I try and keep the balance by working to normal daytime working hours, although this obviously varies at busy periods!

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do?

It’s great when you receive positive feedback from customers, when they like the colours you’ve used or a new print design for example. I also teach knitting and crochet classes and have found this enjoyable and rewarding.

And the most frustrating?

Lack of time is frustrating, the administrative and website upkeep side of my business take a lot of time which detracts from the time I have for designing and making. It’s difficult sometimes when designs don’t develop smoothly but that’s part of the creative process and working through problems can be very rewarding.

What are your long term goals?

I hope to run a successful business promoting the use of traditional crafts and hand made, environmentally friendly products.

What advice would you give someone trying to start their own creative business?

Try and get a good understanding of running a business and seek business advice if you can. Carrying out the administrative side of your business will probably involve a lot of your time. Try and research the best markets for your work. Keep your products original and make sure that you enjoy making them!

Is 'handmade' a lifestyle choice for you and if so why?
I try to buy as many handmade products as possible and have a real appreciation for products handmade by other designers, as I understand the work and time that goes into them! I make a lot of clothing and accessories for myself as well as gifts for family and friends.


To find out more about Rose and her work visit her website: http://www.rosesharpjones.co.uk/   

Contact Rose for information on how to order her products:
Email: mail@rosesharpjones.co.uk
Phone: 07958 925 866
http://www.makers-online.co.uk/artist/rose-sharp-jones

MEET: Eberth Lobo of Olinda Jewellery

This week, we meet an inspiring man, Eberth Lobo of Olinda Jewellery. Originally from Brazil and now living in the UK, Eberth shares his passion for designing and making jewellery.

Please tell us who you are and what you do.
My name’s Eberth Lobo and I’m originally from Brazil. I live in Loughborough with my wife Ruth and our 12 year old son, Tiago, who is a tennis player. I design and make unique pieces of jewellery, made with natural stones and gemstones (including onyx, lapis, coral, amethyst, turquoise, rose/green quartz, gold tiger eye, jade, agate and crystal), Murano glass and shell, on chain, wire, leather and cotton, with silver and gold-plated findings and clasps.

How did you come up with the name of your business?
My wife Ruth came up with the name of the business. Olinda is a small town in Brazil, just outside Recife, in the North-East of Brazil. It was a Portuguese colony and, like Lisbon, it’s hilly and its cobbled streets are lined with colourful houses. It’s famous for its annual Carnival, called Frevo. It’s an arty town with lots of quaint little cafes and shops. Also, ‘linda’ means ‘beautiful’ in Portuguese, so ‘O linda’ means ‘Oh, how beautiful you are.’ So the idea is that if you wear a unique piece of colourful Olinda jewellery, you will be a beautiful woman!

Who or what inspires you most in your work?
Who? People who have seen my work and appreciate it. Their feedback inspires me to keep creating more.

What? The stones themselves. They choose me – when they are ready to be turned into that unique piece of jewellery, made for that special person.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do, and what is the most frustrating?
The most rewarding is when each piece of jewellery finds its owner. Sometimes a piece lies there for a long time, sometimes it’s found straight away – but there’s always a person the piece is waiting for. Some designers wouldn’t wait as long as me – they dissemble and recreate another piece. I don’t – I know the piece will be found, however long it takes. Because of this I feel I’m performing a service for people by giving them something special and unique that will make them feel special.

The most frustrating thing for me is when people don’t appreciate the value or quality of handmade items in general. Creating handmade jewellery is a gift and one of my aims is to raise people’s awareness of the value and uniqueness of artists’ crafts.

What are your long term goals?
To devote more time to designing and creating jewellery – I am currently a teacher of English, creating jewellery in my spare time. In the future, I know I will be able to make Olinda a successful business in the sense that I will be able to devote all my time to the gift I have.

How do you promote your business?
I show my jewellery at craft fairs around the country, at jewellery parties, through my website (www.olindajewellery.com), which was launched last month, through distributing flyers, email networking, word of mouth, etc. … you name it.

What makes you stand out from the other jewellery businesses out there?
Firstly, every piece I make is unique – even if asked, I won’t make a copy of one of my pieces – this gives people the satisfaction of knowing that no one else has a piece the same as them.

Secondly, each piece of Olinda jewellery, has something of myself within it, which goes with the person who buys it.

Thirdly, as I mentioned before, each piece is destined for one particular person, which makes me a mediator between the stones and the people – it’s the stones that call me to turn them into a piece of jewellery for a specific purpose or person – it’s not me that chooses the stones or their destiny.

What advice would you give someone trying to start their own creative business?
Whatever you believe in, go for it fully. Believe in yourself and your creativity. Your self belief will make it happen, however long it might take. Focus on your goal and it will happen – what you sow, you will reap. I only discovered my gift for making jewellery 2 years ago, but since this discovery I have been 100% sure that this is the right path for me and have fully believed in what I’m doing. And now I’m here already. Also, make sure your presentation shows who and what you are, from your business card to your display or your website. I’ve spent the last year improving and perfecting my presentation – this was a big investment but well worth it.

Is 'handmade' a lifestyle choice for you? And if so, why?
It is now. From the experience of creating handmade jewellery, I have come to realize how little value people place on handmade goods. Realising now the energy that goes into my own creations, has obviously made me much more aware of this value. I now only use handmade soaps, look for handmade items for gifts, buy handmade greeting cards, etc.

If you had time to learn a new skill what would it be?
I’m already planning to do a course on working with silver clay, to enrich my own creations. I’ve always wanted to work with silver and this will broaden the range of my jewellery collection.

See more of Eberth's work at http://www.olindajewellery.com/

MEET: Beverly Lay

This week we meet someone a little different, based in London, Beverly from All Things Original is the founder of a fabulous online boutique showcasing UK designer makers.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your business got started?
I’m always doing something crafty, sewing, quilting, making jewellery, experimenting with my Gocco or doing a bit of cross stitch for my daughter.

After a degree in Graphic Design, I started a career in advertising but soon realised after only a couple of years of selling my soul that it wasn’t for me. At around the same time, I was experimenting with jewellery making in my spare time and, one summer, decided to sell what I had made.

A local shop owner who saw what I was selling approached me and asked if she could order some of my jewellery to sell in her boutique. She proceeded to order 50 items for her shop and, with a new-found confidence, I was soon selling my wares to different shops around the country as well as at both Greenwich market and the Upmarket on Brick Lane.

It was through doing this – and particularly through selling at the markets - that I met so many fabulous other designer makers. It really gave me a brilliant insight into what was out there in terms of UK craft and design.

I knew that what was on display was popular but felt that beyond the boutique shops and market stalls in London it was actually quite difficult for the average person to find all the wonderful bits and pieces being made by UK designers.

So, after to speaking to lots of my friends and colleagues about the idea for an online shop, I resolved one cold winter’s morning over a cup of tea to set up http://www.allthingsoriginal.com/.

The next few months involved lots of planning and admin but the site was finally ready in November 2007 and the rest, as they say, is history!

The only downside to is that now I don’t get to make my jewellery so much anymore, but I still try to keep creative - my latest passion is quilting!

What is the ethos behind All Things Original?
Starting out as a small designer maker myself, I know just how much hard work it takes to make a successful business out of making and selling creative goods. That’s why from the very beginning of All Things Original I wanted to ensure I was adding to the work of designer makers rather than just taking from it.

All Things Original is not a big corporate enterprise – and I will never let it become one! I like to keep in close touch with my sellers, regularly checking in with them to make sure that they are getting the most out of the site and promoting their work in relevant press wherever I can.



Describe your typical working day.I really do not have a typical working day. Mornings are usually chaos trying to get my daughter off to nursery and my husband out the door to work but once the chaos is over I make myself a coffee and start to go through my emails.

I answer customer queries, print out yesterdays orders, do a little social networking, upload any new bits and pieces and deal with any press requests that may have come in - generally try to get on and tackle my ever-growing to do list!

Unfortunately there’s a lot of admin associated with running a site with almost 60 designers. However, I spend a lot of time browsing blogs and looking for new designers and new trends. Sometimes a fun day may include visiting trade or craft fairs just to see what’s out there.

Then it’s back to being a mum and wife for a while - baby’s tea time, bath, bottle, bed time and dinner – before finishing off any bits and pieces that I didn’t have time to get done in the day.

What do you love most about what you do, and what is the most difficult?
LOVE – discovering new designers that I think are very special and just don’t know it yet!

DIFFICULT – Managing my time between being a mum and a businesswoman and knowing when to stop - there is always something to do.

What are your future plans for All Things Original?
I’m working hard on improving the functionality and backend of the site at the moment and trying to make the shopping experience easier for my customers. These new features will hopefully be up and running by the end of the year.

We’re also looking at creating a bespoke service that will give people the chance to order specific pieces based on the designs already on the site.

Long-term, I want to build up the community aspect of the site for my sellers, giving them a chance to interact with each other to share ideas and also with sellers to resolve queries more efficiently.

And if I’m daydreaming, I think about the idea of setting up a physical All Things Original shop to showcase some of the best work on my site - but we’ll have to have a very good 2010 before I can think seriously about that!

What styles and trends have caught your eye recently?
Anything bold and beautiful works for me right now…the new statement necklaces by Gossimarwings are a great example.

Pansy Necklace by Gossamarwings

MEET: Dianne King

This week, UK Handmade interviews a fascinating jewellery designer based in Fife who began her second career only five years ago after moving from a background in art history and sculpture. Creating strong pieces with a clear narrative structure, weaving stories that flow with the natural properties of the materials she works with, Dianne's work is quite unique.

Please tell us who you are and what you do
My name is Dianne King and I design and hand-make one-off pieces of jewellery using silver, gold and precious/semi-precious stones in unusual designs and combinations.

I like to think of each unique work as having a story behind it. I can rabbit on for hours about the ideas and associations behind the work! It’s important also that jewellery is satisfying to touch as well as good to look at – most people play with their jewellery while they are wearing it.

My pieces are assertive, but not aggressive. They will get you noticed, but don’t shout.

Describe your work setting
My studio is a converted stable with small square windows fitted with shutters so that I can have it dark for soldering. The down side is I have flagstone floors – disastrous if I drop anything.

What inspires you in your work?
My background is in sculpture and art history so I make a lot of references to other art in my jewellery. For example, the Ruffle series comes from looking at Elizabethan portraits with their enormous lace ruffs and pearls.

I also take ideas from literature: the Sea Stories series is partly inspired by reading Neil Gunn’s novel, The Silver Darlings; the Dreaming Stone series comes from a line in a Ben Okri novel.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do?
I love seeing the transformation that takes place when someone puts on a piece of jewellery that’s exactly right for them. They seem to sort of glow and increase in confidence!

And the most frustrating?
When I have to stop making to do normal things like shopping, which I hate.

Making jewellery is such fun! But I never seem to have enough time to explore all the ideas I want to develop. I have lots of things on the go at once, in various stages of completion. Possibly because I came to making jewellery as a second career, I have so many things I want to do and get impatient with myself for being so slow. I’m a perfectionist, and that takes time.

Describe your typical day
I normally start the day at 6.30am and go for a brisk half-hour walk after breakfast to clear my mind for the day. I don’t usually get into the studio till about 9am. My schedule very much depends on whether I am working to an exhibition deadline in which case I can be working till about 10 at night. (In consideration for the neighbours, I try not to be hammering after 10pm.) I stop for endless cups of tea which often end up going cold as I get lost in the work.

What are your long term plans?
I’m exhibiting in London for the first time from 10th – 13th June at the ACJ stand at Treasure, as part of London Jewellery Week. I’m very excited about this and hope it will lead to new gallery contacts.

I’d like to find more good galleries to exhibit my work. I like galleries which show interesting fine art as well as applied arts. I’d also like to show abroad again. I’ve had two solo shows in Sweden which went really well but it would be good to exhibit in another country too.

If you could live your life all over again, what would you do differently?
I would give more time to my parents as they grew older. In retrospect, I realize that they would have appreciated that, but at the time I was juggling a full-time job, a small child etc. My parents died quite suddenly within two months of each other.

If you had time to learn a new skill what would it be?
When I studied sculpture at art college, I never tried stone carving so I’d love to have a go at that some day. My jewellery tends to be quite sculptural but not in that reductive way. It’s a completely different way of working and that could be very refreshing.

You can find out more about Dianne and her work on her website, www.dianneking.com.