Treat Yourself

Manumit Spring Summer 2012

In summer, my jewellery changes noticeably...

...it becomes bright, colourful, fun and light hearted.

 

Super size hoops like this are an essential maxi dress accessory.

Rich jewel bright necklaces like these hand cut faceted glass beads on cord are an easy way to brighten up an outfit.

Finally, even if it's just to do the school run, put on some lighthearted wow earrings with a pop of colour.

The sun may not be shining, but with summer jewellery like this, it almost doesn't matter.

All available to buy at www.manumituk.com

 

Green Hill

It's no secret that I like a hill with a view (see here and here), but somehow expeditions up steep inclines don't seem to happen as often as I would like.

We made an extra special effort to visit the most exquisite hill called 'Green Hill' last week.  

It's a hill on the North Downs, covered in cowslips & bluebells and quite magical.

Getting to the top gets your heart pumping in quite an alarming way, but the view is quite something.   Of course small children couldn't give a wotsit about a view so were keen to get moving.   I however, could have sat there all day.

Charm Bangles

 

Available in three sizes  - Little Girl, Big Girl & Grown Up, these bangles have been hand crafted in solid sterling silver.  

The silver has been worked so much that is has hardened to create some spring in the clasp.  

Charms can be added over time. 

Perfect as a Christening gift, the bangle can be upgraded to a  larger size as the child grows.   My littlest daughter has had one since she was three and treasures it whilst my eldest has asked that I make her a special charm for her 9th birthday and engrave it with the number 9...I am happy to oblige... now I just need to get on and design her a very special charm.

 

click here for more information.

Box Frames

In preparation for my very first 'open studio' (SEOS), I have been working on some wall art (as opposed to wearable art in the form of jewellery).   By using box frames, I have been able to show the inspiration for some of the jewellery designs.

When I studied at Edinburgh College of Art, although my subject was Jewellery, drawing was actually 50% of the final mark.   I could happily spend the entire day at the workbench polishing, filing & soldering jewellery.   Drawing didn't come quite so naturally, so it became part of my daily routine to draw every day for my portfolio and sketchbook.   It was an excellent discipline as it was very easy to see after four years of drawing every day how much I had improved.   Now, drawing is a kind of therapy.  It's a quiet activity compared to goldsmithing, it's also much easier to do with the girls around.  

 So for people who like one of a kind, affordable art, now there is something for you too... jewellery you can put on your walls.

email:  info@hannahwalkerjewellery.com for more information.

Thebes Collection

Inspired by the classic repetitive pattern used in design over the centuries, the newest collection has a simple elegance.   I first saw this design in wrought iron work in Venice 15 years ago, but since have noticed it crop up again and again.  The name Thebes, comes from the location of Tutankhamun's tomb.    According to the British Museum, it seems this pattern was painted onto the ceiling.   When I saw the illustration in my daughter's Egyptian book, I couldn't believe that this pattern was used over three thousand years ago and yet still works today.  

However, perhaps the most important element of this design for me as a jeweller is the way I can set a cabochon gemstone simply, whilst still protecting the stone.

 

The ring below is hand made in sterling silver and set with rutile quartz.  

Quartz is not a hard wearing stone, so I wanted the design to protect this exquisite gem. 

That way the owner of the ring can enjoy wearing it for even longer.
So from the original ring design came the pendant, and hoop earrings earrings are currently being made ready to complete the collection.

 

The pendant is suspended on the finest quality twisted silk, in a pale coffee shade, finished with a solid sterling silver sliding clasp to allow the wearer to choose the final length.

 

Available to buy at www.hannahwalkerjewellery.com

 

Great Dixter

Happily, we were able to visit Christpher Lloyd's garden at Great Dixter again recently.

Having only been once before in early autumn, I was keen to see it in spring.

Although it was a missley and drizzly day, we managed to whizz around soaking up the colours and the dampness.   For me what is so exciting about this garden is not just the plants, it's the hard landscaping details.   Curved steps, tiles layered upon each other to create places for plants to grow.

Edwin Lutyens originally designed the garden in the early part of the 20th century.   It seems to me that without the original structures and beautiful stonework, the garden would not be half the garden it is today.  

 

The orchard is a place of much needed openness and space.   The rest of the garden verges on claustrophobic.   My girls loved running along the skinny paths and through the various arches while my heart was in my mouth worrying about losing one of them, (see here for a past experience of this delight) or one of them slipping on the wet stone paths.   Always a worrier, neither of these things happened.   So arriving at the orchard with it's delightful wheelbarrow path was frankly quite a relief.   Some people covet diamonds, cars and watches...I covet this path.  I think it is really one of the nicest design features I have seen in  garden, undulating through the long grass, it is quite magical.

 

A very pleasant start to the gardening year.

 

Spring Spring Spring

As a result of my lack of writing, we have now skipped into spring.

I apologise for the jarring of snowy scenes alongside jolly flowers,

but aren't the colours just lovely?  

The garden still has a lot of bare earth and brown, but slowly the green is taking over, with little pops of colour scattered throughout.

 

Not long now before the garden will be heaving with lush growth.

At last!

All winter, I have obediently left the seed heads on my plants.  The theory goes that they keep your garden looking interesting for as long as possible.    Unless you have a very mild winter.   In this case, we end up with a garden that simply looks a bit forlorn...

 

...until now.

 

 I so nearly cut back these sedum last week - I'm glad I didn't. They look almost animated with their little snowy hats on.

 

One of my favorite plants is still looking gorgeous after months.   The Molinia with it's ethereal fronds, looks exquisite.

 

Lastly, the fantastic Eupatorium Purpurea is still looking superb.   At more than 2 metres tall it gives some much needed height.   Frost and snow decorates the skeletal seed heads beautifully.

 

The question is... is it worth the wait?  Well there is certainly no harm done by leaving them all there, and if a sprinkle of jack frost does come along, it looks breathtaking.  So I think yes, it is.

 

 

2011

In an attempt to help my eldest daughter memorise the order of the months of the year, we have created an arc of images which represent each month.  Her job is to add the months.  Our hope is that it will help her remember the order.  

Anyway,  I am finding it such a lovely piece of wall art seeing how the year progresses that it has inspired me to do a bit of a summary of 2011.

 

Lucy over at Attic24 does some lovely month montages, but that is a stretch too far for me.   It's taken me long enough to do this one.   The tiny 'minnow' narcissus are giving me a huge sense of optimism and the feeling that spring might not be so very far away.

Sale

I love the optimism of a new year.

Sometimes it feels as if anything is possible.

January is one of my busiest months, preparing for the year ahead.

 

To help clear the decks a bit, I am holding a sale until the 31st of January.

 

 

Feel free to have an online rummage through the site. 

 

Click here to visit the site

All orders have free postage and packaging.