Hello! …just a super quick update!
With the opening of my little online shop, imminent, I thought I’d give you all a little background as to how this came about!
I am sure some of you already know that for the last ten years or so, I was a jewellery designer, a friend and I had our own company called Fired Rocks. It all started about 17 years ago when we first met at preschool, when our oldest children had just started there. Rebecca was browsing the evening class brochure and I (being nosy as always) shyly asked her what class she was thinking about. When she said pottery, and we got chatting, it transpired that both our Mums had been keen potters, and that was that, we signed up! And became firm friends form that moment!
We made so many peculiar mugs and jugs and all sorts of random stuff. We also made small ceramic pendants and slumped coloured glass on to them. The glass melted and crackled in a very pleasing way!
Then, and this seems unrelated, stay with me! The Chair of the PTA asked us if we’d take charge of the face painting stall at the Christmas fair. ERRRR NO?? Thankyou very much for asking but NO. Good grief can you imagine ? So, rather desperately we offered to have a table selling something instead.. But what?? You guessed it! the pendants we had made at ‘pots’ (that’s our nickname for ceramic classes)
We sold £200 worth that day and Fired Rocks was born!
After a while, we tired of making the pendants so searched online for beads and we really started designing! It was so much fun! And our pieces were being snapped up!
We worked out of my studio in the garden, and twice a year we’d have a Studio Sale and invite everyone we knew. We’d make like mad and design new collections for each season. And at Christmas we’d handpick some gorgeous extra bits and bobs and we invited other makers to join us too. It was always heaving!
If you look at my Getting Stuff Done In Heels Facebook page, you can see many many images of what we made, and pictures of my studio
So, my little online shop is an extension of all that.
We don’t make jewellery any more – life moved on and Rebecca ended up taking a full time job, and I went back to hairdressing, and we miss working with each other like mad!! Time is just too short! Although we have started pottery classes again! Full Circle you might say.
I am planning a Christmas  Studio Sale -with another friend – an Interior designer with an  amazing eye for lovely things, and it will be held in her barn, just up the road from me.  We are collaborating on a gorgeous jewellery collection! And I have some fab ideas up my sleeve, but in the meantime, I am really excited to be opening my virtual shop!
So often, I get asked where I bought this or that, and at last I will be able to say ‘you can get it from meeeee!’
To start with my shop has lots of necklaces and scarves, baskets etc  and as soon as I have talked to the suppliers of the other gorgeous things I’d like to stock, I shall be adding to the shop.
My shop will never be massive, with loads of stock of any particular item. Once it’s gone, it’s gone and I’ll be on to the next thing. Equally if I see a big trend towards something I would definitely re order, if that’s what you, as my customers, would like. Let me know! Ask me!
I will be handpicking lovely pieces and stocking them, as and when I come across things I like.
I am hoping to be able to stock some of the barn stars you all love, and I have promised vintage linen table runners – all in the pipeline.
In the meantime, I thought I’d bite the bullet and open with what I have.
Do pop across, when I am up and running and visit – any feedback gratefully received, and if there’s anything you’d like me to try and source – let me know!
It’s daft – I have been doing this for years and years, but now it’s going ‘online’ I feel really nervous!
Hoping to open this weekend, & I will announce it on Instagram and Facebook!
Thanks for reading, you lot are so fab
love