Orkney Adventures

We were in Orkney a few weeks ago for a weekend and managed to see most of the historic sites despite the weather. I know it is supposed to be summer but the persistent rain and wind made it feel more like autumn. Nevermind, we still made the most of it!

Maeshowe

Our first stop was Maeshowe, an impressive Neolithic chambered cairn built over 5,000 years ago. We also visited the Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae located at the Bay of Skaill. Skara Brae is one of the best preserved prehistoric settlements in Western Europe.

Skara Brae

One of my favourite things about Orkney are the rugged beaches and rocky cliffs that surround the mainland.

Birsay Bay

The beach at Birsay Bay on the West Mainland has some great slanted, jagged rocks. It was great to watch the waves crashing over them. 

A new discovery from this trip, was the cliffs and stacks at Yesnaby. There is a great cliff top walk that leads to Yesnaby 'Castle' a rock stack that stands on its own, detached from the mainland. There are also great views towards the Island of Hoy and you can even see the other famous rock stack: 'The Old Man of Hoy' from here.

The Rock Stacks and Cliffs at Yesnaby

Another highlight of our visit were the famous standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness. The Ring of Brodger is especially impressive with 27 of its original 60 stones still standing.

The Ring of Brodgar

The Standing Stones of Stenness

Orkney is also an Island inhabited by many talented craftspeople. I was particularly inspired by the work of Jeweller Sheila Fleet. During our trip, I was able to visit her workshop and showroom in Tankerness and see her beautiful designs cast in gold and silver and finished with colourful enamel. Many of Sheila's jewellery is inspired by the Orkney landscape and some of her collections are based on the historic sites above.

The main reason for our trip was our friends' wedding, so I couldn't not mention it! It was a beautiful day despite the rain and the setting for the ceremony was very special. The happy couple got married in St Magnus Catherdral in Kirkwall.

Centrepieces and Cupcakes

The reception was also great fun with lots of ceilidh dancing and much eating and drinking. The tables were decorated with ceramic candle holders designed and made by the Groom and the 'wedding cake' were fantastic cupcakes courtesy of our friends Eion and Craig from Kilau Coffee Shop in Aberdeen. Compliments to you boys, they were so good :)

New Washi Collection Page

I have added a Washi Collection page to the top bar of this blog. Go have a look and see some of the collection. I have also put links at the bottom of the collection page to link to my flickr gallery if you want to see more. 

There is also a link to my shop to see which pieces are currently for sale. This link is a little premature as the shop is not quite ready to launch. However, I have been working hard on it this week and it should be up and running soon... so watch this space!

More Early Work

These are a few images of one of my early Washi jewellery sets. The necklace was a learning piece focussed on joining circles and using heavier chain. I initially had some trouble soldering the piece together but quickly learned that I needed a larger/hotter blow torch for working on larger pieces.

Triple Circle Necklace

Indigo Blossom Set

The paper in this set has a rich indigo colour. It is called Aizome Chiyogami with Ai being the japanese word for indigo and Aizome meaning the art of indigo dying. It is different from my other japanese papers because it has no metallic details in the patterns.

The necklace is complemented with a pair of drop earrings using the same pattern from the indigo paper.

Washi Beginnings

I have been meaning to write this post for a while. Where does the time go? 

Teal Maple Circle Pendant

Here is one of the first Washi pieces that I made. I have always loved the intricate patterns in Japanese papers and I wanted to create a way of capturing them in a piece of jewellery. The hand printed quality of the paper, combined with the hand crafted jewellery ensures that each piece is completely unique and original. The paper is embedded in a sterling silver surround and then covered with clear resin creating a glass like finish and fully protecting the paper.

My first pieces were solid circles that beautifully show the colourful patterns of the papers. I have since expanded the collection to include pieces with cut out sections and others that combine complimentary semi-precious stones. The collection is available in many different paper designs and I am always on the look out for new chiyogami papers to add to my stock.

Holidays and Broken Laptops

Apologies for the lack of posts on here over the last month or so. There really isn't a good excuse except that my laptop screen died a death and it has taken me till now to sort myself out with a shiny new one. So hopefully I will be posting on here a bit more frequently from now on.

I have been busy in the workshop creating new work that I plan to share with you soon. I hope some of you managed to see the Aberdeen Artists exhibition in May. There was some fantastic work this year and it was a successful show for me. The pendant ended up being sold twice by accident, however this resulted in a few commissions for me so it all turned out fine in the end.

Another reason for my absence from this blog is a lot of travelling has been keeping me busy over the last few months. I recently spent some time in Greece and really enjoyed seeing the historic sites in Athens and the beautiful scenery in Santorini.

The Acropolis and The Temple of Zeus

View of Athens from Filoupappou Hill

We were in Santorini to celebrate a friend's wedding and it was a very picturesque setting. It also seems this year is the year for island weddings as we will be off to Orkney in a few weeks to celebrate another union.

The village of Oia in Santorini

The view of the Caldera and a windmill at sunset

Late Blossom

I just wanted to share some photos from a recent walk. It is hard to believe that it is nearly summer here as it feels like we are just in the beginnings of spring. We had such a long winter this year that all the spring blossom seems to have been delayed.

All the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom now. Don't they look pretty? Big clouds of white and pink. They are so delicate and only flower for a few weeks so I am appreciating them while they last.

Aberdeen Artists Society Exhibition

I am very pleased to announce that two of my jewellery pieces from my Washi collection have been selected for display at the 76th Aberdeen Artists Society Exhibition held at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Washi Grey Circle Cufflinks

This major annual exhibition provides professional, established and emerging artists with a platform to show an exciting range of work including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, jewellery and textiles.

Washi Green Blossom Agate Pendent

The exhibition runs from 1st May - 29th May 2010 and is free, so if you are in the area, go and have a look! All work in the exhibition is for sale, so if you are looking to make a new art purchase this could be the place for you. For more information including opening times, go to the Aberdeen Art Gallery website.

Washi/Chiyogami

Just thought I would share with you a bit of information about the Japanese papers that I use in my Jewellery. 

Washi is a type of paper made in Japan. The word Washi comes from wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper and the term is used to describe paper made by hand in a traditional manner. Washi is usually made using fibres from the bark of the gambi tree or the paper mulberry, but can also be made using hemp, rice, bamboo or wheat. It is generally tougher than ordinary paper which is usually made with wood pulp. Washi is widely used in traditional arts in Japan including origami and Ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints).

Chiyogami is the word used to describe a type of Japanese paper decorated with brightly coloured, graphic, repetitive designs. Ukiyo-e artists first produced the woodblock printed patterns in the late 18th century during the Edo period in Japan. The word is a combination of chiyo meaning 'a thousand generations' and kami (gami) meaning paper. Today many of the patterns are applied using silkscreens.

Many Chiyogami patterns are based on traditional motifs, including flowers, plants, birds, geometric shapes or text. The pigment based inks used in authentic chiyogami create a distinctly intense colour that stands up well to fading.


I have included some examples of the Chiyogami patterns that I use in my Washi collection. I am inspired by the vibrant colours in the intricate patterns and the quality of the papers. They are similar to fabric and are works of art in themselves.

Sakura Inspiration

Following on from my last post, I wanted to share some of the inspiration behind my Sakura collection. Just before I started designing the Sakura necklace with it's simplified flower shape, I was seeing the cherry blossom motif all around me. Due to it's symbolism of good fortune, the Sakura flower is depicted in many forms in Japan.

On Textiles. (Printed and Woven)

Sakura flowers appear on many textiles in Japan and are especially prominent in the Spring. The Japanese are sensitive to the changing seasons and usually wear Kimono depicting images representing the time of year.

On a carved plate.

While in Japan I was impressed with the presentation of food. Every meal was served on beautiful crockery or carved plates and each piece appeared to have been chosen to complement the food.  Here is a carved wooden and lacquered plate which was used to serve wagashi (a Japanese confectionary). 

As a papercut on a card.

This is a card I liked due to the delicate papercut detail showing a cloud of sakura flowers over the geisha's head. I also liked the sakura design on her kimono.

On Drain covers in Tokyo.

While I was walking around the Asakusa district in Tokyo, I was surprised to see that the drain covers had been decorated with stylized sakura flowers.

The 100 yen coin.

The cherry blossom even appears on the 100 yen coin. 

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter. I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. Was the Easter bunny good to you?


I have been enjoying a few amazing apple and cinnamon hot cross buns, a little chocolate, spending time with family and observing that spring may finally be on the way after last week's snow!

Sakura for Springtime

I hear that the Sakura or Cherry Blossom flowers are just beginning to bloom in Japan. They indicate the beginning of spring and as it is just turning warmer here I thought it would be a good time to show some of my Sakura collection.

Large Sakura Necklace with Handmade Chain.

Small Sakura Necklace set with Iolite semi-precious stone.

The Cherry blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and springtime. Cherry blossoms are also an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life.

I love the simplicity of the flower with its five double pointed petals and its delicate stamens.

Starting Out

Where to start? Well, I have finally got this blog up and running (sort of)! Please bear with me while I work out how to use it properly. I am slowly learning how to create links and will be adding to the blog as I become more familiar with the set up.

I plan to use this space to keep people informed of what is happening with my Jewellery - new designs, news etc. I also plan to share interests, influences and inspiration with you.

I will be putting links in the right-hand margin so you can access more information on me and my work. I hope to have a link to my shop there soon. In the meantime, please look at my flickr page to see some of my work.

If you have any questions or comments on my work, you can write to me below. I would love to hear from you.