A great start to the new year visiting a metal spinner in Sheffield for the completion of the cap fitting for the Geometric Pendants. Although the industrial feel to the current fitting is interesting, there is room for improvement and will appeal to a broader market with a simpler and sleek look to complete the pendant. 

Metal spinning is a unique way of creating a smooth tapered form which will hide all electrical components and will be held in the correct place by 3 pins at a 120 degree points - this enables stability and easy access to change the bulb. 

Various designs have been drawn up and tested, but it has been decided that a very simple design is sufficient so that it does not draw the eye away from the actual glass form. It does not need to...

Earlier this year the Geometric Pendant Lighting starred in the New Design Britain Awards at May Design Series within the Accessories Category. ACHICA were the proud sponsers of this area, and gave a great input into advising with the progression of each of our designs. 

We are now in to September and the online luxury retail store has given each NDB finalist a great opportunity to promote our work through their website, as well as giving a more personal insight in to us as designers with our interviews by Emily Peck. Here, I talk about the background in to the designs, inspirations and my advice for upcoming designers. 

Since the launch of the project from ACHICA I have had a vast amount of e-mails through about pricing and lead-time for the lighting...

 The Fluidity Jewellery Collection has expanded in to new colours and adornments for 2015, with a specific colour pallette which takes inspiration from elements within nature. The work has gained quite the publicity, and will be sold at Cleethorpes Memorial Hall's Craft Fair on 6th September 2015, 10am - 4pm. Not only this, there will be another date to add to the calendar as the collections will also be avaliable at the same place, on 27/09/2015.

All jewellery comes with a branded gift box and business card, and will be a great push for the designs within the local area. However, I have also been given a fantastic opportunity for the collections to be exhibited as part of Silverside Glass in Bath at the end of October - November. This is a chance fo...

It's been a busy month with the preparation for the Cleethorpes Craft Fair which is on 27th Septemeber 2015 at the Memorial Hall where the range jewellery collections will be available for purchase. Not only this, but work has also been put in to place to launch a new Etsy shop where customers are able to purchase the work after the event. It has proven to be very popular in previous years, with expansion of the collections consisting of more variety which will be new to 2015. Commissions will also be accepted throughout the event. 

Another aspect that has been considered the past couple of months is the theme 'Connections' which explores the transition of life and humans behavior within society - how we all need to feel connected in some shape or for...

 With May Design Series all settled and the imagery collected from 35mil Photography, the business is now taking shape with it's unique logo and beautiful shots of the Geometric Pendants. 

So far this month, the images have been sent off to New Design Britain/UBM to be passed on to Design Detail Magazine which will be focusing on a 'British Collectives' issue and will be publishing the work of all 30 New Design Britain Award finalists. Not only is this another fantastic opportunity, but an insight in to the international market and an open doorway to other potential events and contacts.

 As for the progression with the lighting components and how to develop a more discreet fitting, various tests are underway to understand more about the  new adhe...

 The Kickstarter Campaign for the Geometric Pendants ended May 31st 2015 and unfortunately the target was not met and therefore means funding is still needed to finalise the product. Steel fabricators are on stand by and ready with the measurements and the designs have been drawn up of the new metal fitting prototypes. 

A great opportunity has come from the New Design Britain Awards of a feature in a magazine which needs high-quality photographs of the products and work is under way for this to be complete by the end of June. Keep your eyes peeled for more information and I'm excited to have some professional imagery of my work. 

I am also looking to create my next works which involve wall panelling using kilnformed techniques, and kinetic e...

 I'm delighted to annouce that I have been made 'Profile of the Month' as part of the Nottingham Trent University Alumni. Here, I have spoken about my progression since graduating and all the little bits and pieces I have been up to in order to get to where I am today. 

I hope to inspire the graduates of 2015 to keep making even after university as some tend to stop, making it rather difficult to get back in to the swing of things. There often tends to be a sense of limbo when finishing and before starting your own practice, and it's hard to know which direction to head. My advice is to talk to as many professionals from the industry as possible and make yourself known, use social media to find competitions and it's also a great idea to do some w...

 The New Design Britain Awards 2015 at May Design Series - an opportunity for graduates to expose their work and themselves to the industry, gaining contacts and meeting lots of new people. We can definitely say it's been a worthwhile experience, and are truly thankful to Allie Little, the judges and UBM for being part of this exciting event. 

Set up began Saturday 16th which gave us a chance to meet each other and the team, as well as organise and display our work. Our stand had been placed in a perfect location near the front of the exhibition, allowing visitors to acknowledge our work as soon as they arrive. 

Highlights of the event consisted of meeting judges from the industry who were very supportive on the next steps of production, as well...

The Glass Workshop for GCSE and A-Level students has been a great success, with a consistant bunch of pupils participating in learning new skills and techniques which can be applied to their exam modules and boost their grades. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed teaching them the processes in order to create various outcomes, from jewellery and tiles, to sculptural pieces for their courseworks. It has given them a bit of extra time to experiment using process-lead design which many can be reluctant to try due to thinking it could be a waste of time - but I believe that mistakes and accidents prove to be some of the best results.

After lots of planning, a couple of them entered the Glass Prize 2015 - Bullseye for Schools Category which can be found online: http...

The Geometric Pendants range is now ready for funding and will continue until 31st May. The work highlights british design and are a unique asymmetric faceted shape, blown by UK glass artists and supports handmade design. 

At the moment the work is made by a mould-making process which takes time, costs in materials and each mould can only be used approximately 4/5 times before it breaks down, creating wastage. This would not be an efficient way if the work is to be launched in to production and therefore means another way of creating the form needs to be apparent. 

Hence the development of the steel mould which has now been quoted and is ready to go when the funds are present! Measurements of facets and redevelopment in to a two-part mould have emer...