So, I'm Lauren. I trained as a jeweller at Kent Institute of Art and Design in Rochester. Having a degree in hitting bits of metal with hammers and the wielding of blowtorches is a wee bit random, but I love it. I actually started making jewellery as an elective in the 6th form and loved it so much that I pretty much blew off my 2nd year of A-Levels and spent all the time I should have been spending in French and Maths in the woodwork department making shiny things. We won't mention my resulting A-Level Grades. Oops.
I spent a couple of years working for a lovely and very talented jeweller called Dave, who was awesome, taught me loads of stuff and let me sell things in his shop. Like this:
And this:
Until our shop got demolished and turned into a Foxtons. Booooo. Stupid Foxtons twerps with their stupid minis. I met one. She tried to sell me a house. Sadly, she could hardly remember her own name, and watching her trying to park said mini whilst speaking on her mobile (neither of which she seemed capable of inependently, let along working the whole multi-tasking thing) did not inspire confidence.
Anyway, the jewellery thing... I've taken a 2 year hiatus due to lack of workshop, lack of money to buy tools, and the departure of my flatmate who helped me with Photoshop and Illustrator. And had the computer. But... I'm starting over. Yay! I really miss making things, I hate buying people xmas presents instead of making them and it seems a waste of 5 years worth of training and a ton of money invested in equipment over the years to give up. It's kind of difficult, as I've got so much going on in my life, what with a full time job, roller derby training and trying to redecorate various room of junk in my house (incidentally, not purchased from Foxtons), but I will do it, I will! So, for the moment, this blog will serve as a list of stuff I need to do in order to get going again, so I can update it as and when and have everything in one place, rather than written down in random sketchbooks/on bits of paper/edges of newspapers etc. Organisation will be the key, I suspect. I may also post about DIY stuff/wallpaper/fabric/shoes/cupcakes/random crap, again so everything I need to find is in one place. God bless the interwebs. And if anyone else actually reads this and has got this far through my ramblings, I salute you. You now deserve beer. And cake.
So, here goes:
1. Sort out the room of junk and turn into a usable workspace.
2. Unbury my jewellers bench from the pile of junk balanced atop it.
3. Redecorate the living room, as there is no floor space and it drives me mental.
4. Acquire some proper professional workshop space. Well, for a couple months anyway...
5. Acquire new oxyacetalyne torch and pendant drill.
6. Get book on using silver clay.
7. And some silver clay.
8. Acquire better camera.
9. Get Jim to give me Photoshop and Illustrator discs.
10. And a book on how to use them
11. Get better book on using silver clay.
Yay, done! I can now update this as I think of new things or get things done. For now, farewell.
