Dear Green Place (photos of a Glasgow jewellery artist)

This year the city of Glasgow celebrates 850 years. “Dear Green Place” is the literal translation of Glasgow from Gaelic. And Glasgow is well known for its many beautiful public parks.

This blog is a celebration of my favourite Glasgow green place - Victoria Park.

A park where I love appreciating nature, and which often serves as a backdrop for jewellery photos.

Stunning metallic purple sterling silver Moon and Star Hoop Earrings highlighted by the contrasting green fir tree.

The glorious green of summer provides a perfect backdrop to these popular Forest Green dangle earrings:

And here’s me positioning a Forest green pendant for a photo, carefully balanced on some bark:

Another of the pendant against a dappled sunlight:

And here are some favourite photos I’ve taken in Victoria Park and nearby Nature Walk during Spring and Summer. I love the array of floral colours and the vibrant greens.

The visual effects of light on nature has long fascinated me.

I love pausing to notice of the details - the more you look the more you see.

No season is exempt from the photo opportunity ...

In fact the morning light in winter can provide excellent clarity - perhaps it’s the reduced glare.

I’ll take a trip to the park with selected pieces of jewellery and for earrings - a steel straw. Getting images of the earrings staying still is quite a challenge!

Archive image above - Limited Edition Moon & Star Sterling Silver Earrings from the Dusky Sky collection a couple of years ago

And below - the vibrant Forest Light Dangle Earrings with a Textured Drop - taken in the Victoria Park Nature Walk during winter. I love how the band of gold across the painted earring is illuminated by the sunlight!

Another archive image of the original larger Moon & Star Hoops (still available on request). I love how the daylight shows the shimmer of the metallic paints! And did you spot the blur of white snow on the ground?

And now some favourite photos I’ve taken in my much loved Victoria Park during Autumn and Winter.

The autumn colours are glorious and the park in frosted winter time is just magical!

So lucky to have a park on my doorstep for relaxation and the added benefit of taking jewellery photos against perfect backdrops.

Thank you Glasgow! And big thanks to the Friends of Victoria Park organisation, who help with tidying the beds, and lots more!

Do you live in Glasgow or have a connection to our “dear green place”?

What’s your favourite Glasgow Park?

What do you especially appreciate about it? Please comment below - it would be great to hear more!

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Ocean Inspired Jewellery

Welcome to this blog exploring sources of inspiration for the Flow Creativity Ocean Collection.

The blog considers our emotional connections with the ocean as well as the tones and textures that inspire unique Scottish Jewellery hand painted in my Glasgow home studio.

First lets connect ourselves to the emotions evoked in us by seeing the sea.

The Blue of the ocean is a colour thought to be calming ~ on sunny days we can feel comfortingly enveloped in the blueness of the sky and sea. Like this image of Troon South Beach:

Many calming blue tones reflected in these Ocean Dangle Earrings:

Then of course there’s the gush as waves announce their arrival on the shore, bringing a sense of energy. I love how energising a bracing walk by the sea can be!

waves making their presence known on North Berwick East Beach

This effect is what I love to create when I paint the silvery froth onto the blue:

And the finished article!! Ocean Stud Earrings with Troon South Beach in background

Textures are another source of inspiration for my jewellery - painting in layers to highlight different tones, adding tiny sparkles to show sunlight on water, the flow of curves.

I love how this image below of netting at Stonehaven Harbour shows texture, movement and contrasting colours, even the angle of the photo connects us to the swaying motion of being on the water.

This Ocean Pendant shows differing textures and sense of flow and that sparkle of sunlight:

Statement Pendant - hand painted in Ocean Blues

As well as the literal connections of the ocean, there is also the more lateral evocation of special places.

Like this image of rusted mooring rings at Helensburgh shore - giving us a sense of timelessness, our memories of special seaside moments, and sense of history in the old rings and texture of the worn wood. Tales of journeys taken and those still to come…

The lines of the old wood are reflected in the dangle drop of these shimmering earrings:

Dangle Earrings with textured dangle drop

When I’m painting, all those emotional connections to the sea, my love of tone and texture, and that sense of timelessness ~ all combine to bring you pieces of unique hand painted jewellery.

Jewellery to treasure with your own stories of personal meaning waiting to be told…

Explore the Ocean Collection here:

Thanks for reading this Blog!

A Story about Samples (Circularity Blog Series)

This next chapter about circularity shows how I re-purpose initial design samples into jewellery that can be worn and appreciated.

So, what’s a jewellery sample? These are prototypes for new designs, where I’m experimenting to create a particular tone of combined paints, or testing out the balance of contrast between paints to create that eye catching effect.

Gorgeous earrings from a variation on the colours used in the Blue Moon & Stars design

Once the finished version of a design has been reached (and the exciting new design launched!), those early versions remain. Up until now, they have lingered around in my stock cabinet, however it can be exciting to get creative with these samples, turning them into unique pieces which can be snapped up at markets for less than the full price.

Selling jewellery samples contributes to circularity by reducing wastage. Rather than hiding away unappreciated , these become treasured pieces to be worn, loved and shown to the world.

Pendant from a Forest Light prototype

Prototypes for new Designs

My most recent design; Arran Flow, incorporating sand from Blackwaterfoot on the Isle of Arran, went through two iterations, which I shared with customers for feedback via my monthly newsletter.

I learned a lot about the first experiment with sand on the star decorations, namely that it was necessary to create the band combing paint and sand first and let it set, otherwise the sand seeped into the rest of the paint and lost its impact.

• Image 1 - star decorations where I first tried out the sand

• Image 2 - Prototypes 1 and 2

• Image 3 - the finished design

• Image 4 - a Prototype pendant available to buy

One off Designs

Every now and then I like to challenge myself with a variation on an existing design.

I had these beautiful crescent moon crystals and wanted to create Statement Earrings using the colours from the blue starry skies design of the Moon & Stars Collection.

Using the colours on a disc shape rather that moon and star shapes meant I had to find a different way of using the colours.

• Image 1 - the initial prototypes on plated metal alongside the blank sterling silver pieces with the crystals

• Image 2 - the finished Sterling Silver Statement Earrings

• Images 3-5 the original prototypes now available as earrings, each pair is completely unique and has sterling silver earring wires to make them that bit special. Which is your favourite?

Design samples are different from jewellery “seconds” in that they have no imperfections, rather they’re simply an earlier form of the design.

Prices for samples/prototypes are therefore more than seconds, but less than the full price for the finished design version.

Last but not least, in 2024, I created the vibrant green and gold Forest Light design. The prototypes show the evolution of the design and the balance and placing of the green and gold paints.

• Image 1 - initial prototypes

• Images 2 & 3 - the finished design

• Image 4 - prototypes available as Statement Earrings

• Image 5 - prototype available as a Pendant

So where can you browse the available samples? I’ll have a selection of samples at markets this year, and have a limited number available on Etsy too.

Here are the links to the craft market schedule and Etsy Shop.

Thanks so much for reading this Blog!

Zero Waste Spotlight - (Circularity Blog Series)

An insight to incorporating zero waste to jewellery painting and finishing processes.

If you’ve seen my Heart Moon and Star Decorations at markets you might know that one of the reasons I make these is to use up excess paint from hand painting my jewellery to enable a zero waste approach with the paints.

Once opened, the pots of paint thicken over time, eventually becoming too thick to use on small pieces of jewellery. So I then get a bit messy with the paints, experimenting to use them up.

Below; pink and blue paints used in the Dusky Sky design, now too thick for jewellery. Then some decorations that I’ve made and the remains of some paint blobs that were too thick even for the decorations! And next some flowing designs transformed into blank greetings cards.

Below - all finished! Dusky Sky decorations, card and some beautiful jewellery. The cards are a lovely accompaniment to jewellery gifts.

The next image carousel shows paints from the blue and silver Ocean Collection. Plus some beautiful Heart Cards made from marbling the darker blue glass paint used in the design.

Below - Ocean colours in the finished decorations, marbled cards and Ocean Jewellery bestsellers.

And with the green and gold Forest Jewellery Collection; decor painting, pendant painting and a beautiful miniature landscape card.

And again - finished decor and cards with vibrant Forest Light Jewellery

The paints I use for the Moon and Stars Jewellery Collection include deep purples and various blues. Here I’ve used the excess paints mixed with some others to play about on card - this then becomes greetings cards, decorations and mounted hearts.

Using up excess Resin is another reason for creating the beautiful Decorations. Resin is what I apply onto the hand painted pieces, once the paint is dry.

First, 10ml each of two components (resin and hardener) are poured, then stirred for 3 minutes which creates a bubbly texture. I then use a kitchen blowtorch to remove the bubbles giving a smooth shiny surface, which then is covered and cured over 72 hours.

and although 20ml seems a tiny amount, the jewellery pieces are mostly small, so there is usually some resin left. This is when it’s handy to include some decorations on the resin tray, to help use it up.

So where can you get a closer look at these eye catching decorations and cards?

Hand painted cards are available on Etsy and at Markets.

A small number of framed Hearts can be found at the wonderful Heart in the Craft gift shop in Troon, Ayrshire.

And the Heart, Moon and Star Decorations are available at Craft Markets. Check out my market schedule here!

Thanks for reading this blog - have you seen my other Blog in the Circularity Series? It’s about jewellery items that are Seconds due to issues that arise in the painting and resin processes. Meanwhile, do share your thoughts in the comments - thank you!

A Story about Seconds (Circularity Blog Series)

In preparing for a recent Seconds and Samples Market (at wasps_Artists Studios, Glasgow), I was inspired to write this Blog with some inside stories about my approach to quality and the various factors that can lead to an item being a “second”.

This is the first in a blog series about circularity and how I bring re-purposing, recycling, zero waste and eco packaging into my work.

Making jewellery seconds available (at discounted prices) contributes to circularity by reducing wastage of what might, if I didn’t make them available to buy, ultimately end up being discarded.

Rather than hiding away unappreciated in my stock cabinet, these seconds become treasured pieces to be worn, loved and shown to the world.

So what determines a piece of my hand painted jewellery becoming a second?

First off, as a stickler for quality, I set the bar pretty high for what makes the grade, so most “seconds” items are still of very good quality.

In the main, most seconds relate to various aspects of using resin. (This is what I apply over the hand painted pieces, once the paint is dry).

All set up for a resin batch (photo shows the earlier Emerald Nouveau Jewellery pieces and Coasters in Aqua tones).

The two most commonly occurring issues (although thankfully not too frequent!) are resin bubbles and dust particles.

Pictured above are two items with a resin bubble. The bestselling silver plated Ocean Pendant has, on this occasion, one remaining tiny bubble in the middle - can you spot it?

Next are a pair of Dusky Sky sterling silver Stud Earrings. One has a resin bubble over the blue paint towards the bottom.

The photos of the bubbles have been taken under a magnifying glass - the standard photos show how hard they are to spot with the naked eye. This demonstrates the quality standard I adhere to with my work.

Pictured below are some dust particles on one of the popular Forest green and gold stud earrings. “Now you see it, now you don’t”. The magnified picture shows a small stitch like line on the left just above the gold band. Again, hardly visible to the naked eye and even then, it only is apparent when light moves over it.

How do resin bubbles and dust particles occur?

Working with Art Resin involves mixing two components which then form a thick bubbly liquid. The next steps are:

• applying the resin to the jewellery pieces using a cocktail stick (or pin for the really small pieces!)

• using a kitchen blowtorch to get rid of the bubbles

• checking for any remaining resin bubbles and dust particles with a magnifiying glass

checking for resin bubbles using a magnifying glass

Bubbles occur when I’ve missed seeing them - I’ve learned not to have too many tiny pieces on the resin tray as this is how the bubbles get missed! Having the larger decorations on the tray helps to manage the proportions of what I’m checking.

The tray of jewellery and decoration pieces are placed under a perspex box for the resin to do its magic.

Dust particles occur when they settle on the resin before it is covered over for its 72 hour curing process. Again, I aim to thoroughly check each piece, however sometimes things are missed.

Some other resin issues that can occasionally occur include:

• resin spill on the sides or back (this occurs when too much resin has been applied to the piece)

• resin slightly pinched at the side (due to not enough resin being applied)

The other aspect that leads to pieces being deemed seconds is the about painting process. This can either be a flaw in the setting of the paints or the piece not being reflective enough of the intended design.

In the pendant below, as the paints have settled, a small blob of the dark mauve has remained - usually it merges with the pale pink.

Vibrant Dusky Sky Heart Pendant, second due to setting of paints.

Hope you’ve found this a useful insight to what leads to my jewellery pieces being deemed “seconds”. Hope too that you can see most of the seconds are still of high quality.

The level of discount is based on the nature of the flaw and how visible it is.

Owning a “second” is a great way to enjoy a beautiful piece of jewellery at a discounted price while simultaneously contributing to waste reduction. And what’s more, in chatting with people at markets, for some there’s a distinct appeal in owning something that has a different aspect about it (making it even more unique).

I usually have some seconds to be snapped up at markets, so come along and ask about the stories behind the seconds!

Check out my Craft Market schedule to see where I’ll be next!

Thank you for reading

Perfectly Imperfect

A re-take on perfectionism!

At a recent market, I had one of these special conversations that stays with you.

It’s always lovely when people are interested in the process of what you do. Initially I was explaining that working in small batches results in subtle differences because it’s about the alchemy of what is inside me in that moment interacting with the paints.

Indeed the name Flow Creativity was drawn from the concept of “flow experience”; a term coined by a proponent of positive psychology Mihali Ciskszentmihalyi - a state of mental immersion, leading to losing one’s thoughts in the task at hand.

Entranced by the paints

Mask, goggles and gloves on! But once I settle in and visually connect with the vibrant colours, I get immersed in the process and (when relaxed enough) let the magic happen!

In turn, during the market conversation, a connection was made with theology - about St. Augustine and the state of inner peace. It really is wonderful when these chance moments happen.

I’ve been wishing I could remember more, however consider this; that from a spiritual perspective ‘flow experience’ is about connecting to something beyond oneself - whether a greater force, god, the universe - and in finding inner peace through that, creativity emanates from a place of inner stillness.

Can you relate to getting lost in a practical task?

Like cooking or gardening (or tending much loved house plants) when the need to focus whether visually or by other senses dominates over our everyday internal narratives.

Or certain types of exercise require 100% focus on one’s surroundings as well as the task; e.g hill climbing or wild swimming for safety reasons.

So lets contrast this to our everyday states of rushing around, getting ‘things done’. And add in a perfectionist streak for good measure - we can see that ‘flow experience’ and ‘inner peace’ are not really within touching distance…

Sounds familiar?

I must confess I’m no exception to that. At times driving myself to over-do, not pausing for a sense of completion before adding more to the to-do list!

Over the years, I’ve got better at managing that, however the one area it remains present is my creative work; quite ironic, given “flow experience” and “flow creativity” eh?

I justify to myself that it’s about quality, and yes, of course that’s important.

I’ve also noticed that if I’m rushing (or in a slightly frantic “lets get it done”) state of mind, it 100% affects my work.

And if while painting, I sense that something is really not working, I wipe off the paint, and start again, or just decide to switch task and return to it another day.

Switching tasks - there’s always jewellery to be made up; adding earring hooks or chains to pendants.

However, there are other times when I’m painting and the effect isn’t exactly as intended but it could have an appeal. These pieces go into a mental “decide later” box.

And this is really what I mean about unhelpful perfectionism; to re-do pieces which already have an appeal is creating a lot more work for myself! (and yes, I’ve done this!)

But back to that market conversation….it was put to me that that work I’ve deemed imperfect has its own story and therefore its own value.

And that I could tell the story of some pieces that were not exactly as intended, but yet beautiful in their own way.

Wow!! that was quite a profound revelation for me

• a) the realisation that even with all the learning from my coaching years (which I draw on daily) I was still judging my work, perhaps too harshly

• b) it would be ok to share with people that it’s not always perfect

The spirit of this perspective is not unlike Kintsugi - the Japanese process of rebuilding broken pottery with metallic laquer emphasing the joins; thus celebrating the breakage as part of the history of the piece.

So here is a story about one of my more complex designs - Dusky Sky.

Did you know…that five different paints make up the Dusky Sky design?

As well as my inner state, another aspect that plays into my work is the condition of the actual paints which, as I’ve discovered over the years, start to thicken after opening, changing the interactions between the paints.

So, rather than striving for the same exact look every time, I’ve given myself over to accepting that differences in paint consistency will impact on the designs.

But “accepting” these differences is not quite the same as “welcoming” them, (back to the alchemy from that inner state of flow….)

So I’m paying more attention to the condition of each of the paints and learning how to use their proportions accordingly - encouraging a state of curiosity within myself about how it will play out.

That doesn’t mean it all goes swimmingly though. With the most recent batch there were two pairs of earrings that went into the ‘decide later’ box; I felt they had more of a stripe than a blend.

After the market conversation, I looked at them afresh and could see the beauty and value in them just as they were.

And so now…drum roll…here are two pairs of Perfectly Imperfect Dusky Drop Earrings!

And here’s a canter through Dusky Sky batches since its inception in 2022 - do you have a favourite? Maybe you can spot your very own piece of jewellery here?

Hope you’ve found this an interesting read - with some thoughts on perfectionism and an insight into an aspect of my work. Do let me know what you think in the comments below.

Meanwhile a very sincere thanks to the people from the market conversation for prompting me to see imperfection in a new way and find the courage to share this and tell this story…

Shipping Arrangements - Domestic

Following some changes to Royal Mail UK signed for service (which now only insures to £20), I’ve reviewed postal charges across all items. The changes are in line with what I feel is appropriate insurance-wise.

Note this Blog will be updated as and when other changes occur. Prices are correct as at April 2025.

Here is a schedule of UK postal charges that I’m using with additional notes where necessary:

Note that standard postage is second class; this can be upgraded to first class at checkout.

Earrings £28 and under:

£1.55 second class standard

Pendants £28 - £40 and Earrings £29 - £40

£2.70 Tracked 48 (second class)

Jewellery £41 +

£4.60 Tracked 48 Signed for (second class)

Tracked 48 can give you email or SMS updates so you can arrange for alternative delivery if you’re not going to be in.

For jewellery items £50 + that are unique items that cannot be recreated, special delivery postage is in place (however local collection is also an option

£8.15 Special Delivery (guaranteed by 1pm the next day)

Multiple Jewellery Orders

Etsy will calculate a postage charge per additional item. Depending on the total value and whether the order includes one-off limited edition pieces postage will be:

Either:

£2.70 Tracked 48 (second class)

Or:

£4.40 Tracked 48 Signed for (second class)

Or:

£8.15 Special Delivery (guaranteed by 1pm the next day)

Cards

£0.85 Second Class for 1 card with prices increasing where more than one card is purchased.

Metals and Materials

The creation of a new Stud Earring design in 2023 prompted me to write more about the metals and materials used in my jewellery.

It can be useful to know about metals if you have allergies or are buying for someone who does.

The most common source of skin allergies relating to metal is nickel which can be found in many metals; even sterling silver can still contain traces.

I’m regularly asked about metals at markets which has prompted me to consider a more deliberate approach to the metals I’m using.

Have a look at this video of the stud earrings, shown here in the blue and silver of the popular Ocean Collection.

The studs start with flat round discs which I paint. The silver discs are made of aluminium and the golds discs are made of raw brass.

Once the paint is dry, I use Art Resin to create a shine and bring out the colours; the resin takes 3 days to cure. After that I use a strong epoxy jewellery glue to add the earring posts.

The earring posts are made of either silver or gold plated brass. Brass is made of copper and zinc. Neither aluminium nor brass contain nickel, making these less likely to cause skin irritation.

All earrings that need secured at the back have hypoallergenic clear rubber push backs.

Stud earrings are also available with earring posts made of sterling silver (or for gold studs, with gold filled earring posts) Read on for more information…

Types of Earring Hooks (also known as Earring Wires)

Since learning more about metals I’ve decided to make some earrings priced £28 + available with sterling silver or gold vermeil earring wires. Gold vermeil is a gold plating over sterling silver.

Sterling silver earring wires on the elegant earrings from the Ocean Collection

More on plated metals;

Lets take a look at pendants and chains…

Small pendant from the Forest Light Collection (this item is sold in shops)

All the plated pendant pieces I paint onto are made of brass. The brass either has a silver or gold plating. Pendants come with chains that are made of:

• sterling silver plated steel, and

• 22 carat gold plated steel

Sterling Silver

In 2022, I had two commissions which required Sterling Silver (read more on one of these in my Wedding Jewellery Blog). It had been thinking for a while to offer some sterling silver pieces as some people only want to wear this.

And so began some experimentation which has led to three main lines with sky and celestial themes; Dusky Sky, and Moon & Stars in deep purple and sparkly blue.

This has come with further learning about sterling silver. The pieces I paint onto are made of 925 sterling silver. So what does that mean?

Well, you’ll see a small stamp with 925 on the reverse of the painted side. This is the manufacturer’s guarantee that the piece is solid sterling silver.

Th 925 means that 92.5% of the piece is solid sterling silver. The rest will be made up of metal alloys; often including copper. Although copper doesn’t contain nickel, depending on the other metals used, there can be a trace of nickel in 925 sterling silver.

Recycled Sterling Silver

Another aspect to highlight is the increasingly availability of recycled sterling silver which I use wherever possible.

The Deep Purple Drop earrings below are painted onto discs that are made of recycled sterling silver are have a nice thickness.

The earring hooks are from a supplier that guarantees 99% of their stock is made from recycled sterling silver.

One really positive aspect about the supplier I use for sterling silver pendant chains is that they are made from 100% recycled sterling silver.

Caring for your jewellery

Last, but not least; an important point about jewellery is that regular polishing with a jewellery polishing cloth is recommended to keep it shiny. A Care Card is included with every jewellery purchase with advice on keeping your jewellery in good condition.

Polishing cloths can be found at your local jeweller or online and all Flow Creativity sterling silver jewellery and plated items from £35 upwards come with a complementary mini polishing cloth.

Thanks for reading!

Hope you’ve found this blog informative - please do get in touch if you have any questions :)

Wedding Jewellery (part 2) Wedding Belles & Vintage Vibes

Hope you enjoyed reading Part 1 A tale of two Tartans…

Here I share the designs for the bride, her maid of honour and bridesmaids, and a gift for the mother of the bride.

I mentioned before the process of meeting up to discuss designs, then working on prototypes. One of the things I love most about commissions is getting to know the client, building trusting relationships and really understanding what’s important for them about the pieces. Producing initial draft designs, then prototypes helps sense check that the designs are meetings the client’s needs and also provides the opportunity to demonstrate ideas that have come up for me in the design process.

Initial design ideas and Prototypes

Based on initial conversations and seeing photos of the tartans and dresses, I painted designs onto a balsa wood square. This was easy to take to meetings and could be picked up and examined by the bride and groom to be.

Around the tile are actual prototypes of painted designs; this was done as a second step to give a clearer idea of what the pieces would look like. From there we were able to agree on the painted designs.

Earrings for the Bridesmaids and Maid of Honour

Pink dresses were being worn and the bride was looking for a concept of sterling silver statement earrings with a vintage look.

The pastel palette of pale pink and green against a cream background (as shown in the protoype above) connected with the pink from the dresses, and introduced vintage tones in traditional ice cream shades of vanilla, strawberry and pistachio.

The petal and leaf design was consistent with the other pieces and to the art nouveau / Glasgow style of the venue.

Sterling Silver earrings with soft vintage tone colour palette of cream, pale pink and pale green.

(Credit to JHY Photography for the photos of the jewellery being worn)

Initially, the earrings were designed with a single pale pink Swarovski Crystal dangle, however on seeing the mock up, the bride had an idea to have strands with dangling crystals.

This was an exciting new development for me in earring design, so I had to source pre-made strands and work out a design to attach multiple strands to one earring. After much research, I found these gorgeous sterling silver hammered rings which really add to the shape of the earring and serve not only as a necessary connector, but also aesthetically; the round shape, smaller than the round earring, created a natural flow between the painted part of the earring and the crystals on the strands below.

The Statement Vintage Earrings in full!

Each earring having three strands with pale pink Swarovski crystals. Sparkling in the light and ideal for catching the eye on the dancfloor!

The use of lines; both straight and flowing were also key features of Margaret Macdonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s aesthetics. Therefore this emerging design for the earrings, connected strongly with the wedding venue too. One example below:

Sample of fabric replicated in House for an Art Lover, including the curtains in The Music Room

Gift for the Mother of the Bride

The cream background of the bridesmaids earrings also formed part of the design for earrings being gifted to the bride’s mum. Rather than strands a single drop for a classic look was chosen. I sourced genuine vintage pearls for this design, which made an authentic connection to the vintage theme.

The petal and leaf design, this time in gold and silver for a classic timeless look, perfectly complemented by the vintage pearls

Earrings for the Bride

The earring colour palette for the bride was drawn from the overskirt of her wedding dress which had embroidered pinky peach flowers and green leaves. The peach flower stands out beautifully against the darker green background.

What’s especially lovely about this design is how it connects to the other pieces:

• the pastel green connecting with the green in the bridesmaids earring design,

• the vintage pearls on the strands being the same as the pearls on the mother of the bride’s earrings

• the tiny pearl coloured domes topping the leaves and serving as a stem, connects with the design on the groom’s cufflinks.

Connections within designs and between pieces are really special, particularly in wedding jewellery as they contribute to the memories made on that special day.

Pale pink flowers and vibrant green leaf impression

The beautiful strand of vintage pearl between two strands with Swarovski crystals matching those on the bridesmaids earrings.

(read on to hear more about the background image)

In addition to the ways the pieces connected to the venue, some further reflections on significant symbolism of the Hammered Rings in the Statement Earrings:

• symbolising the wedding rings that are exchanged on the day

• in holding components of the earrings together, the rings also symbolise strength and bonding of relationships;

  • between the newly married couple

  • between family members and two families coming together

  • ongoing friendships with bridesmaids, maid of honour, groomsmen and women

• the circle shape as symbolic of balance, of the circle of life, of the interconnectedness of everything

• circles are present in the design aesthetic of Margaret Macdonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, notably in the iconic round rose shape and also behind faces and figures providing a framing effect. Both can be seen in the example below:

Photographing the pieces

Before delivering the jewellery, I took photos at home. Finding the right background can sometimes be a challenge and after some attempts, my eye caught a framed print that I had in my workspace!

Glasgow Style inspriation at home! The colours were just ideal for taking photos of all the Vintage Vibe earrings!.

Gift Wrapping

The jewellery would not have been complete without lovely boxes and gift wrap…..colours chosen to match the tones of the various pieces.

The meeting to deliver the jewellery was very special; so near the wedding and all the long made plans coming to fruition. The couple were thrilled with the pieces which was emotional all round; and an honour for me indeed.

A massive thank you to the lovely couple for putting their trust in me to bring their ideas into reality!

Learning

This was the largest commission to date at sixteen pieces and I’ve learned a lot about the process of working on commissions; look out for a Commissions Page on the website coming later this year.

As well as developing my experimentation with paints (see Blog Part 1), another practical learning point was incorporating strands into the design of dangle earrings. I’ve since made some in the Sterling Silver Dusky Sky range - and look out for some exciting similar designs for release later in the year.

If you or someone you know is interested, I have space for one wedding commission for 2024 and space for initial conversations about wedding commissions for 2025 and beyond. Contact me here for an initial complementary chat about ideas:

Thank you so much for reading ~ I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Wedding Jewellery (part 1) A tale of Two Tartans...

A special commission for 16 pieces of wedding jewellery and gifts came about when my work was seen at a market last May.

The lovely couple were getting married in September at House for an Art Lover and wanted jewellery with a vintage vibe. This was just perfect as the Flow Creativity signature petal & leaf design has that vintage look. I was thrilled to be asked and after a couple of initial online meetings, began working on designs and visited the venue for inspiration.

Here I tell the story of how I took colours and shapes from what I saw, combined with my designs, to match the colours of the outfits.

Part 1 of the Blog begins with the two tartans being worn by the groom and his father, and by the groomsmen and groomswomen.

The Kilt being worn by the groom and his father; vibrant purple against deep blue with a line of green.

I loved the textures and colours of the curtain fabric top right. Grids resembling the tartan pattern also showed up many times around the House.

Cufflinks for the groom and his father.

The signature Flow Creativity petal in pearl surrounded by a vibrant purple leaf impression against the deep blue of the kilt. Picking up the green line from the kilt; domed dots forming a stem in a curved line .

Much inspiration for these colour palettes were found at the iconic venue.

Before moving onto the groomsmen and groomswomen design; two more pieces are included here to illustrate the blue and purple design aesthetic.

Gift for the groom’s mum ~ Sterling Silver Slider Bracelet in flowing design picking up the same blue and purple colour palettes.

The design can be seen in many ways; purple sky above frothy waves, or (the other way round) a purple heather landscape below a typically robust Scottish windy sky.

What do you see?

Tie Pin for the bride’s uncle, to match a pink shirt and blue suit.

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The petal in pale pink surrounded by a violet leaf impression again vibrant blue. Aspects of my work are inspired by the Art Nouveau genre and as a Glasgow resident,

I’ve been fascinated for many years by the aesthetics of the Glasgow Style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald. These pieces that caught my eye at House for an Art Lover reflect how I’ve been inspired by the genre.

And now to the five groomsmen and groomswomen who would have lapel pins…

Tartan with gray tones with brown and fine lines of cerise and white.

There was plenty of inspiration at House for an Art Lover ~ read on to see how the colour palette was reflected in the pins.

Lapel Pin Brooch

The brooch was being worn on a grey jacket, so a background colour of a deep magenta was a good way of creating a contrast. The leaf impression is a smokey silver which shows up the magenta, with domed dots in bronze picking up the brown.

All five pin brooches

Looking at them closely, you may see subtle differences between each brooch. Due to the application and setting of paints, no two pieces of Flow Creativity jewellery are exactly the same. This adds to the uniqueness of the pieces.

A key learning point for me was mixing the paints in new ways to get the tones just right. This has enabled me to bring a greater variety of tones into my work.

If you or someone you know is interested, I have space for one wedding commission for 2024 and space for initial conversations about wedding commissions for 2025 and beyond. Contact me here for a complementary initial conversation about commissions:

Part 2 showcases the jewellery for the bride and bridesmaids ~ meanwhile, thank you for reading; l’d love to hear your your thoughts on the pieces.