I've had a really wonderful Christmas this year with my family of both humans and animals. I'm very grateful that everyone is happy and healthy and I'm looking forward to what I hope will be a great year in 2024, but we've still got 2023 to finish off yet! I've been very quiet over the summer with regards to artistic stuff because we took advantage of the nice weather whenever we could and did A LOT of work in the garden and built yet another shed. Looking out at another storm it's kinda hard to believe that the sun will ever come out again! I have, however, been busy over the Christmas holid ..read more

Hello again! Long time no speak. May in the UK was HOT and with a large garden to look after I couldn't bear to stay indoors in my workshop while it was beautiful outside. We got a lot done, including filling in an old pond and creating a new flower bed (below left) where before there was just a mound of earth. As someone who has always been physically weak due to arthritis I have felt quite proud of myself recently for the amount of digging and moving of earth I've actually managed. We are also currently erecting a new workshop (above right), but as our garden is on a slope we have to dig ag ..read more

Etching is one of those things I've been wanting to try for a long time. As is my wont, I bought all the materials and let them languish in my workshop for some time. Who knows when I would have gotten around to doing it if I had been left to my own devices, but a commission for an etched bunny ring forced my hand and I'm so glad it did. For some reason it just seems very complicated when you read about it, but actually it isn't at all. You need a few tools, but most jewellers will have the basics already. To use PnP paper, however, you do need to use either a black and white laser printer wit ..read more

Every year I decide that over the Christmas break I am going to get such a lot done - and then I end up not doing half of it. Most years I happily beat myself up about this, but this year I really enjoyed being quite lazy and I think I feel better for it. I've been working on a few different things which I want to share with you here. The first was my venture into 'proper' product photography. I have a great Canon camera but until recently I thought my product photos were very plain and boring. Through the Jewellers' Academy blog I heard about Karen Young Photography. Please check out her site ..read more

I am writing this in the limbo period between Christmas and New Year when nobody knows what day it is or what exactly they should be doing. I normally have this charitable giving post wrapped up (excuse the pun) before Christmas, but this year I've let things slide a little. Never mind! I'm here now and that's all that matters, ready to spread some festive cheer to the various animal charities I support. As usual, every year I put a small amount from each sale aside in a 'charity pot', and every December my dad (who is known as 'the banker') counts it all up for me. However this year I decide ..read more

I can't believe I Iast wrote a blog post in March! I used to be so good at writing one every month but I've been slacking. The good news is that back in spring I finally got my workshop floor fixed after water ingress that left it a little, shall we say, 'spongy'. I took the chance to rearrange everything and now I'm much happier with the layout. I also bought two large metal cupboards, one to store bits and pieces and another for my little library of books. Also back in April I received a new box of enamels from Japan. I stocked back up on the several of the colours that had run out and got l ..read more

Like most people, I was shocked by how fast the current war in the Ukraine took hold. I had no idea it was coming. Since then it all seems like a bad dream. It's strange to see war happening so close to home, with people who have jobs and lives just like you, and realise that there is a thin veil between our normality and their suffering: there but for the grace of God go I. Like many others I feel very useless. In particular I feel for the animals left behind during conflicts, and that is why I chose to donate to several animal charities last week and I encourage everyone to donate to chariti ..read more

I have some exciting news for the final days of 2021 - I now have a webshop selling my own silver and enamel jewellery, greetings cards and Japanese vitreous enamels! I previously sold my jewellery on Etsy, but as their rules get more onerous I decided to open my own shop right here at www.BenjaBlue.com. I'm particularly excited about the Japanese vitreous enamels as currently I know of no other supplier in the UK of Nihon Shippo and Hirosawa enamels. I spent all of my Christmas break making test samples and taking photographs for the website - I hope you like it! Currently I don't stock all o ..read more

Well, all I can say is that there were a distinct lack of blog posts last year. There was a lot going on which sapped some of my creative mojo, but I'm happy to say it is coming back to me and the Christmas break has certainly helped. Toby Tux (above) has certainly helped fill the Kizzy-shaped hole in my life. He wanted to say 'Happy Christmas' earlier but he was in a food coma for two days. When he finally emerged after midnight on Boxing Day evening it was only to puke up a load of half digested turkey all over the only carpet in our house (in the bedroom). You're welcome. I proceeded to dr ..read more

I finally got around to playing with those luscious Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencils my husband bought for me last Christmas and it's safe to say I love them. I've never used pastel pencils before - in fact I've barely used pastels full stop - but I think having them in pencil form makes it easier to handle and keeps your hands a lot cleaner! It's so easy to smudge a pastel as you work, but much worse when your hands are already covered in multiple colours! I chose a beautiful tan shade of Clairefontaine Pastelmat as a base for a portrait of my beloved Kizzy and got to it. Kizzy had two favo ..read more