Events Angela Smith will be attending in November

It occurred to me that not everyone who views this blog receives my Newsletter which lists the events I will be attending, so this is an alternative way to inform you. Please see the list of events below.

Saturday 7th November – Bradley Craft Fair all day
Tuesday 10th November – OPEN DAY at my Seighford Studio, (in Aid of the County Air Ambulance) 11am – 3pm and 7pm-9pm
Sunday 15th November –OPEN DAY at Gallery @12, Eccleshall
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd November –Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Christmas Fayre 11am -4pm each day at the Wolseley Centre, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford.
Tuesday 24th November - Christmas Gift Fair; Adams Grammar School, Newport, Shrops. 7-30pm
Thursday 26th November - Aromatherapy evening with Tranquility, St Lawrence Primary School, Gnosall.
Saturday 28th November – Christmas fair, Abbotts Bromley School. 11am – 2pm
Saturday 5th December – Victorian Christmas, St Lawrence Church, Gnosall.



I will of course be including more information about some of these events in other posts over the next few weeks.

Let me introduce you to my knitted bow ties

owties

I am being encouraged by members of the Staffordshire Artists Cooperative to increase my range of knitted items, so let me introduce you to knitted bow ties. These have been made by threading tiny glass beads onto wire before knitting one bead into every stitch, I can make these bow ties in any colour and any size they are finished off with a necklace clasp and ring. Ladies can wear them instead of necklaces at any length, alternatively they can be worn over a shirt in the traditional manner by Gents as well as ladies. Ideal for balls, proms and weddings.

You can see examples of these in Gallery @ 12, Eccleshall.

Other items in my knitted range include tiaras, crowns , masks chokers and bracelets. I also have a knitted green beaded tie.

In my crocheted range I have necklaces, bracelets, brooches and fascinators such as the one pictured below in the Ancient High House post.

Ancient High House

Today I attended the Wedding Fair at the Ancient High House in Stafford. For those who don't know Stafford the Ancient High House is located on Greengate Street. It was built around 1595 and is thought to be the oldest surviving timber framed town house in England from the Tudor period. In 1986 it opened it's doors as a museum with displays in it's various rooms depicting the lives of the people who lived there over the centuries, so for example the is a Civil War room, a Stuart bedroom, The wallpaper room houses Georgian displays, it has an Edwardian shop and a Victorian Room. I was exhibitting in the main room which has displays about Stafford at War.


The Ancient High House is also a venue for weddings, civil ceremonies, renewal of wedding vows and naming ceremonies in period style. It also from time to time exhibits work by local artists.

Gallery @12

Today I wore my Staffordshire Artists Cooperative hat and manned Gallery @ 12 , Eccleshall, for the day. Gallery @12 can be found on the High Street in Eccleshall. I am really proud to be involved in this, it is run as a cooperative, so all exhibitors are members of the Cooperative manning the Gallery on a Rota basis. Saying that we do currently have a guest artist - Rob Cox who carves beautiful wood sculptures. Current members include,Thurza Cox - artist ; Helen Cartlidge - artist ; Carole Glover - Ceramacist ; Jo Hill - textile artist ; Cathy Sumner Ceramicist ; Craig Sumner - artist ;Bob Thacker- glass artist Mike Wheeley- artist and sculptor.
We have had visitors so far from as far away as South Africa and Australia, but what I find especially encouraging is when local visitors come in and comment that this is one of the best galleries in Staffordshire , we certainly have a great mix of work!

So there I was surrounded by beautiful things all day, getting inspired to create, it is warmer than my workshop so I can sit and make more time consuming items, I can usually be seen sitting at the counter knitting or crochetting, as wire and needles can be put to one side easily if I need the counter to wrap a large pot or painting. Today I was knitting a black beaded bow tie with wire, all the knitting is completed I just have to sew it together now. I will be taking it with me to the Ancient High House in Stafford on saturday with a selection of jewellery and tiara's for a wedding fair.

Blogging is a bit of an alien concept to me at the moment, hopefully I will get used to it as I go on.
I really don't know how this will develop and I am quite excited to find out where this will lead.
At the moment I hope to use this blog to show case new ideas and designs, and to keep you informed about events I will be attending or organising. I will also try and use it as a diary.
I would also appreciate your comments.

Maybe I should start by introducing myself properly.

I am married with 3 children if you can call them children when 2 are at university now, and my youngest is in year 11. I started making jewellery when my youngest was still a baby, it gave me something to do as I knew I would be at home for at least another 5 years. I had found a book on beads in WH Smiths which I kept returning to it whenever I went into the shop, I couldn't justify buying it, not with three young children, so imagine my delight when I was given the book as a Christmas present even though I hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and so my life with beads began. A visit to a bead shop near to my mothers home was the first port of call and a kit for making 6 pairs of earrings set me on my way. Then followed weeks of delight as I made up earrings, wore them for a few days, dismantled them and made up slightly different pairs. I was hooked!!!!