20% off at Jewellery by Vanya

I have already decided on a new year’s resolution to carry out next year - Blog more regularly!

That aside, I have a little discount offer for you.  Originally this was going to be a ‘moving into my new studio’ special offer but it seems that installing the internet is a lengthy process at the moment so I won’t be in properly till the New Year.  I have moved in as much as I can and am using it to make and package orders, while the computer side of things is done at home.

 

Here are a few sneaky shots of some pretty things I have in there, so this can be a ‘I’m half moved into my new studio’ special offer.

To claim your 20% off  any Jewellery by Vanya purchase just enter NEWSTUDIO at checkout.  It's valid until 10am Friday 3rd December.  

Hope it helps a bit with your Christmas shopping.

xxx

Studio Inspiration

 

Remember this post?  Well a couple of weeks ago I went to view a little office that I hope will become my new studio.  I am so ready to leave the tiny work area in my bedroom (which as I look around is an absolute mess)  I'm usually such a tidy and organised person but, and I'm sure you've all been there, life got really busy and I fell down a slippery slope to chaos.

I have dreamt of having my own studio for so long and love to see how other people organise their crafts so I thought I'd share some of my inspiration with you.

The colour in the last photo gives a slightly diferent feeling to the room, and a bit of warmth,  I think I might be more productive in a room like that, having a comfy chair might be a bit dangerous though I suppose.

 

Do you have any craft spaces to share?  I'd love to see more storage solutions if you have anything.

All images found via Lovely Scribbles and The Nest

xxx

Goody Bag Winner!!!

Thank you all so much for your wonderful entries, I had a lovely time reading them all and was very pleased to see such a wide range of favourites.  There is only one winner though I'm afraid and it is......

...comment 26 which was made by...

Well Done and thanks to you Some Style!!!  I have yet to choose what will go in the goody bag, I want to look over the most popular faves from the entries, but rest assured at least one of your favourites will be in there. 

Thank you again to all that entered, look out for more giveaways and special offers here on the blog, on facebook and twitter.

Have a great weekend!! xxx

Goody Bag Giveaway

Like I said in my last post, I am most grateful for all your support over the last few months and to help say thank you I thought I'd do another giveaway.  This one is a biggie. 

For the chosen winner I will put together a goody bag of Jewellery by Vanya items worth over £100!  You could treat yourself and keep them all or save them for Christmas presents for friends-totally up to you.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment here on the blog or on my facebook page naming your favourite item from Jewellery by Vanya (this will help me choose which items to include) and I will pick a winner at random on Friday 8th October at 12.00 midday.

Good Luck

xxx

A Huge Great Big Massive Thank You

Hello everyone, you may have noticed my extreme lack of blogging lately and and it’s all down to my lovely customers placing so many orders over the last few weeks and making me such a busy bee.  I’ve had some amazing press this year and when Birds in Love featured in Grazia magazine last month the orders came flooding in, along with some really kind comments from you all.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am as you are letting me keep my dream job, not only the money side of things either, when someone takes the time to let me know how much they like my designs/website/packaging, it brings such a huge smile to my face.  Massive thank you’s and virtual hugs all round!!

PS. Pic is of me enjoying a coffee break in the sun last Saturday.  That chunky cardie is from Top Shop and is soooo snuggly.

xxx

Artemis and Nao

I have been waiting for this post from Artemis ever since she announced she was getting married!  I have written about her wonderful self before, I was lusting after her beautiful shed remember?  Anyway, I knew hers and her new husband Nao's wedding would be something special.  Take a look at just a few images from her blog today.

They made pretty much everything themselves, from the programs, signage and presents, to getting up at 4am for flowers.  Atemis even re-worked a vintage 1930s dress into her own perfect wedding frock.  You can read the full story over at her own blog tales of a junkaholic.  There is a special 'our wedding' page at the top.

Thank you for sharing your lovely day with us Artemis and Nao.  May you have a wonderful and happy life together.

xxx

Sketchbook Inspiration

journal pages

I have been taking my press coverage to the market with me every Sunday.  At the moment it's in a boring old file which doesn't really represent me or my work so I had the idea of putting it into more of a sketchbook type thing, showing my sketches of initial design ideas, along with my styled photographs and the press piece.  It's just an idea at the moment and I don't know when I'll have the time to do it but here are some examples to get inspired by.

round robin journal  

jeans journal

New York City journal

pg 18

I love multimedia sketchbooks that are full of different textures layered on top of each other, I might make one with lots different papers and stitch them all together.  

 I hope this post reads ok as I have been popping in and out of the room writing it for the last couple of hours.  We have a room to rent in our shared flat so have had people coming over to view it all evening.

If anyone keeps sketchbooks or journals and has images online I would love to see them, and I promise that when I do get around to doing my own I will post pictures.

Good night.xxx

Irish Tatler and Telegraph Magazine - Amazing!

Carnival in Irish Tatler August issue 2010

Bow Bracelet in Telegraph Magazine 17th July 2010

I only have one of the above bracelets left (it's the silver version) until 2-3 weeks time, they went like hotcakes over the weekend when this piece of press came out, so if you're interested get in quick!

I'm about to spend the rest of the afternoon, and probably evening, replenishing my jewellery stocks to take to the market on Sunday. Tomorrow morning will be spent making up packaging supplies and as my boyfriend has a half day at his work I will try and get everything done in time to enjoy the afternoon with him.

So I will say a day early....Have a good weekend everyone!!

xxx

Clare Owen saved my bloggers block

Oh dear it's been a while hasn't it.  I've had big bloggers block lately as all I seem to do at the moment is business related and I'm sure that can get boring for you guys.  One thing I'm always on the look out for though is beautiful illustrations.  I like sketchy kinds of drawings where you can see every line the artist has put down, I think it gives the work emotion and when the subject is of a whimsical nature I am in love!

This is the work of Clare Owen who enjoys cats, tea, ukulele and all things French.  I found her via her Flickr.

I wish this chest of drawers were mine.

Isn't she amazing, I could dedicate a whole wall to her.  She is based here in the UK and has an etsy shop and a blog.

Have a lovely afternoon/morning/evening, I might be back later to boast about myself again with a couple more press pieces.  Till then....xxx

Another shameless piece of promotion

I never want this blog to become all about me and my work but there is just some stuff I can't leave out, such as press coverage, right?  This feature on the Giraffe necklace is from the fashion wish list over at Sky Showbiz.

I'm off to Push PR's (the lovely ladies who look after all my press) Christmas in July press day in a bit.  I'm looking forward to seeing other client's  new collections and showing mine (which will be available on the website soon) .  I am a bit nervous too though, just because I'm not sure what to expect and I don't know if I'll be any good at 'networking'.  I'll let you know how it goes.

xxx

In the Press

Giraffe Necklace in Wedding August/September 2010

 Large Leaf Pendant in Easy Living August 2010

Hello, I hope you all had a fun and sun-filled weekend.  I have just received these two great pieces of press coverage from Wedding and Easy Living magazines (that Leaf Pendant is proving to be very popular, I almost had two girls fighting over it at the market yesterday).  How exciting, best Monday yet!

xxx

Candace Meyer

Candace Meyer is no up and coming artist, she is a fully established genius with a camera so you may have come across her work before.  I found her via The Drifter and the Gypsy a while ago and bookmarked for a future post.

The lighting is amazing and the imagery has that ethereal quality that I absolutely love.  How do you even begin to take photos like that!

Be sure to check out her films too, some are advertisements so are quite commercial (as you would expect) but others like 'Hobo' and 'Rose Garden' are gorgeous with beautiful soundtracks.  I would post a film on here but have no idea how I'm afraid.

Prepare to loose yourself for a while.xxx

'Now' press and giveaway winner

I feel I have been writing about myself an awful lot lately (with the exception of the last post) so I hope I'm not boring you too much.  I just wanted to share this new piece of coverage from Now Magazine online.  Cool huh? 

I have been inspired by so many other bloggers lately so next week will be showcasing a very talented photographer who shall remain nameless till then.

On another 'me' note, it's my half birthday on Saturday (my real birthday is boxing day so I never really get to celebrate in the way I want) so I'm taking tomorrow off.  My boyfriend has a surprise day planned so I'm getting all excited!

Ok, before I go I need to announce the winner of my giveaway.   It's.....drum roll.....Elena, from Endless Summer.  Thanks to Elena and all of you who entered, it's great to read all your lovely comments.  Check back soon for more competitions.

Have a great weekend.xxx

Miss Unkon

Thanks to Hannah over at justicepluskiss (who happened to write a lovely feature about yours truly) I stumbled upon miss unkon.  I want want want so many of these beautiful clothes, now the weather is hotting up I may treat myself to something femine and floaty from their collection.  It's an australian label but I will trawl though the online stockists and cross my fingers they deliver to the uk.

I think their attention to detail is stunning and the fabrics and prints are gorgeous.  The photography is pretty amazing too.  Ok I will stop gushing now. 

I hope I've given you all something to feast your eyes on this sleepy afternoon.

Giveaway

Good morning, I said on Friday that I would host another giveaway this week and here it is.  This necklace has attracted a lot of attention at my stall on Sundays so I thought it would be a perfect gift to one of you.  You can see more images and details here.

To enter, please leave me a comment (about anything) on this post and I will pick a winner at random when the competiton closes next Wednesday 23rd June.  Now I am not the bestest blogger in the world but if you are interested in the goings on of my little jewellery label please feel free to subscribe and read my ramblings on a regular basis.

P.S a special thankyou to to Charlotte from Housewife Chic for stopping by my stall on Sunday to say hello.  It was very lovely to meet you and your family.

Happy Friday Folks

Just thought I'd share my first (of hopefully many) bit of press coverage.  My Large Leaf Pendant is featured in the July issue of She magazine!  Yey!

Also, a while ago I did an interview for the lovely Jessica from The Embellished Life, go and have a nosey if you like.  Unfortunately the giveaway to go with the interview has ended, but next week I will hosting one of my own so keep your eyes peeled.

Aaannnnd, the Sunday Upmarket has continued to be a success so touch wood I will be there every Sunday now.  Stop by and say hello if you're in the area.

Have a lovely weekend xxx

Sunday Upmarket Second Day

Morning, I hope you all had a wonderful bank holiday weekend despite the miserable weather.  I hear Sunday was sunny but I wouldn't know as I had my second go at the Sunday Upmarket off Brick Lane.  It was sooo much better than last time so i'm very glad I gave it a second chance.

I met and chatted to some lovely people both customers and other stall holders which made the day whizz by and I got a massive boost every time someone left my stall with a purchase.

 

As you can see I made a few changes to my display,  I made some boards to hang my jewellery on and bought some busts which were originally a horrible white leatherette so I covered them.  I also made a few new pieces which I absolutely love and hope to get them on the website over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you to all the friendly faces that came by my stall with kind words and exchanged your pennies for my work.  I went home with a big smile on my face and it was all down to you guys.  I will be there again this Sunday so I hope to see many more of you.

Do you think my display is better this time around?  What did you do over the weekend?

xxx

Sunday Upmarket First Day

Hello, I've been feeling guilty all week for not posting these photos but after all the hard work it took to get ready for the market I've been exhausted, and I had major wisdom tooth pain!

So here I am setting up, I dragged my boyfriend along to help with the first one as I didn't know how long it would take and how being only 5"1 I was going to get that fabric over the shell!  He's 6"3 so no problem for him.

Can you see where my inspiration tallies up with the last post?

You may also notice my charity shop finds being used.

I kind of underestimated the size of the table, it was huge, so my dainty jewellery did well to attract peoples attention.  

If i'm honest the day didn't go quite as well as hoped, it could have been due to many reasons (I blame the weather myself, it was horrible that day) but I took lots of positive ideas to try out the next time.  I'm not going to take it personally because I didn't see anyone particularly doing that well.  I guess that's just how it goes, some days are good, some are bad.

What do you think of the set-up?  Please be as critical as you like, it all helps.  I'm thinking it needs bigger display boards at the back to get rid of all that empty space.  I also need extra lighting, can you think of anything else?

xxx