I DO

Are you popping the question anytime soon? Is your BIG DAY already planned and booked? Are you the mother of the Bride or Groom? Are you a guest at someone’s wedding/civil partnership? Then our ‘I DO’ Wedding Exhibition is for you.

Launching on Sunday 23 June 2013 whilst our wonderful Hebden Bridge Arts Festival is in full swing we are bringing you lots of lovely ideas to inspire you, your family and your friends…what better way to spend your day? Here is a little peek at what will be showcased that day and throughout the exhibition until 28 July 2013:

You can commission our glass artist Andy Poplar to etch your keepsake milk bottle for £35:

Andy Poplar – etched glass ideas

There will be lots of lovely silk scarves and bags lovingly made by our textile artists Clare Webster, Holly Davis and Louise Taylor to match to your special outfit:

Silk scarves – Louise Taylor

Bags by Holly Davis

Silk Bags and scarves by Clare Webster

Selection of silk ties by Clare Webster for the Groom, Best Man and Ushers made to match your colour scheme

Choose from gorgeous gift ideas for the happy couple that we have lovingly sourced including a variety of ceramics.

Functional ceramics from Jane Booth

Porcelain tea lights by Amanda Mercer

Sentimental ceramics from Cat Brown

And of course don’t forget the jewellery! Lots of lovely ideas for you, your bridesmaids, your mum and future mum in law and naturally all the guests too! Here’s a very little sneaky peek – can’t give too much away now can we?

Vintage inspired jewellery for the Bride by Judith Brown

Crochet silver jewellery, a contemporary choice from Suzanne Claire

Cute silver jewellery from Karen and Victoria perfect for bridesmaid’s pressies

Joining us on 23 June is Sarah Mason, a local photographer who sees herself as the storyteller of your day; creating each chapter in pictures. In Sarah’s words – “I am here to capture those details big and small, and to make sure your day is documented how you remember it, and a little bit more…”. We have worked with Sarah before so totally agree; she is very special and so easy to work with, ‘Sarah manages to evoke such a sense of feeling in her work.  She creates photos with soul.’

Nicky & Ben, one of Sarah’s recent wedding couples.

See more of Sarah’s work over on her website.

Alongside Sarah we have local artist Julia Ogden  who will be unveiling a brand new (and exclusive to Heart Gallery) range of wedding stationery so you can discuss your requirements with her:

A sample of Julia’s pencil drawings

And we also have Sue Leslie with us to chat to you about alternative wedding bouquets using handmade papers. Her buttonholes, favours, confetti packets and table decorations also use paper and you can colour co-ordinate everything to your scheme and personalise if you wish:

Bouquet of paper roses with handmade papers – Sue Leslie

Daisy bobbin with room for a hidden message to your guests

Personalised small rose keepsake

And last but not least The Willow Garden will have a beautiful floral display for you to feast your eyes on and two lovely member of their team will be on hand to chat to about colour schemes and ideas … and they have such fabulous ideas for all occasions and budgets:

The Willow Garden, Hebden Bridge

The Willow Garden is a local, friendly flower shop in Hebden Bridge offering over 20 years’ experience styling and arranging flowers for all occasions, especially ‘I dos’. The shop itself is filled with an abundance of seasonal blooms and foliage which can be individually styled following a personal consultation with a member of the team.

Vintage bouquet from The Willow Garden

They love the natural beauty of meadow flowers, scented herbs, vintage roses and majestic peonies.

Strawberries!

Whether the scene for your celebration is opulent glamour, wild and romantic or simple and rustic the talented team at The Willow Garden can help make your big day magical and memorable.

Cream bouquet

In our beautiful garden on Sunday 23 June there will be two local outside caterers setting up for you to buy and sample their offerings. One is ‘Go The Whole Hog’ who I really have to say make the most delicious pork sandwiches I have ever eaten. Mandy buys her pork from local butcher Stephen Maskill, slow roasts it in the most amazing juices and accompanies it with her special homemade stuffing, home cooked apple sauce and the crispiest of crackling with the juiciest of gravy….delicious!

The other is the ‘The Milk Bar’ who provide milkshakes for lots of events as an alternative for guests at wedding that don’t drink … a hit with the young of course! You will be able to buy smaller versions of a handful of their best sellers including Dime Bar, Aero Mint and Skittles milkshakes! For your wedding you can chose the menu so come along and discuss your requirements with them.

So there you have it; a snippet of what’s in store for our fourth ‘I DO’ Exhibition which launches on Sunday 23 June at 12pm and continues until 28 July but remember … if you want to meet Sarah, Julia, Sue, Jane and Helen to discuss your requirements then they will only be at the launch on the 23 June so get there early and enjoy!

Ever After cufflinks

Cleaning Silver

Hi there, this is a quick care post for cleaning the beautiful jewellery you buy from us!

Most of our UK based makers (I say most as we do have some that use recycled, ethical silver for their work) only use sterling silver, one of the most beautiful and lustrous of all metals and my personal favourite. With proper care, your silver will retain its beauty and character for many generations to come. But it can tarnish for many reasons so here is a quick guide for you:

Tanya Krackowizer silver bangle selection

What you need to know:

Sterling silver tarnishes, especially when exposed to salt air and some products containing sulphur, such as rubber bands, and some papers and products containing chemicals such as sun-creams, perfumes and body lotions. However, silver that is regularly used typically needs less care, so Heart Gallery strongly encourages you to wear your silver every day……why wouldn’t you? I don’t need an excuse do you? When you are not adorned with your silver simply keep it in the box we packaged your piece in. If you do use a jewellery box then please make sure you keep each piece in a separate place, perhaps wrapped in a fabric pouch or roll.

Elaine Jenkins – Silver and 18ct gold rings

Washing silver:

Heart Gallery recommends washing silver by hand in warm water with a mild detergent. Because many gases in the air and products that we use on our skin can have a corrosive effect, we suggest that you wash your silver immediately after use. Silver should not be left to soak in water. To avoid spotting, it is important to dry your silver immediately after washing and at Heart Gallery we place on absorbent kitchen roll on top of the radiator to ensure that it is thoroughly dry before placing back in the cabinet.

Emily Morgan – Heart Charm Bracelet

Our old-fashioned tip :

Regularly using this method will stop you having to use a more abrasive approach with dips and chemicals. Take a deep bowl and line with aluminium foil. Boil a kettle and add to the bowl with a couple of teaspoons of table salt and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Wait for it to dissolve and then drop your silver jewellery in to soak for a while. This is especially good when your jewellery includes pearls or gemstones as it is not harmful to them. Remove after about 20 minutes and rinse under warm soapy water then dry thoroughly as mentioned earlier.

Amanda Cox Silver and Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Gentle rubbing:

We sell a good quality silver cloth for only £3 which is impregnated with a compound to stop the silver oxidising. This can be used to gently rub over your silver once a week to remove any tarnish by using gentle back and forth movements so you don’t damage your piece of jewellery. These cloths can be used even if your jewellery contains stones or pearls as they are not harmful or abrasive.

Emily Thatcher Companion Rings Silver Onyx and Black Diamonds

Dips & Chemicals

These are quite harsh and should be avoided really where possible. By following our simple guide above you should not need to go down this route but if you do we recommend Silvex. This cleaner is not as abrasive as silver dip and others available and it’s not harmful to silver jewellery that also incorporates fresh water pearls or gemstones. You don’t need much and you can just apply with a soft cloth, small sponge or small soft bristled brush. Rub your piece gently but firmly using even strokes then rinse in warm soapy water, dry thoroughly and then buff gently with a soft cloth/silver cloth.

Alice Stewart Silver Doves Necklace

And there you have it, a simple guide to looking after your beautiful silver jewellery to ensure your pieces will become heirlooms of the future.

Hebden Spirit Creative Auction

I have apologies to make as I been a little bit quiet lately; both on this blog and on a social front with friends and family! The reason was the enormous amount of work that went into this event which took place last Friday at the Hebden Bridge Town Hall.

Hebden Spirit Creative Auction

However, the hard work of myself and the great team I worked with paid off on Friday night when £6491 was raised! This amount was above and beyond what we all expected, especially considering the initial idea came from one of my ceramicists on twitter … little did we know that Helen Russell’s seed would grow so big and so wide and attract the generosity of so many creatives and collectors. 

Helen Russell

The night of the floods Helen watched with horror as many of her favourite haunts in Hebden were damaged and friend’s lives affected. She doesn’t live in the town but both personally and professionally it is a home from home and it quickly became obvious that many others around the UK felt the same. In a moment of frustration at not being able to help she suggested on Twitter that a creative fundraising auction might send a message of support to those affected. An hour later saw a list of 20 artists wanting to donate and Hebden Spirit was born.

The Creative Auction catalogue painstakingly put together by Alison Bartram and Richard Aked and kindly printed for Hebden Spirit by Lamberts

As the owner of Heart Gallery, a business that was hit by the floods with the building damaged and stock ruined, I understood the impact of  what this devastating act of nature would do not only to my business I had worked hard to build for 6 years but to Hebden Bridge itself.

Alison in Heart Gallery

All businesses in Hebden Bridge would be affected by the floods, even if they hadn’t been affected physically by the flood waters. Negative reporting by the press meant that members of the public were given the impression that we were down and out, closed and boarded up! We needed to tell them we most certainly weren’t closed but OPEN FOR BUSINESS and ready for them to come back and visit our beautiful town. I got involved in the auction as I could see it was such a positive event for the town and it focused on supporting the community.

Amy Leader, Business Development Officer at The Town Hall where the auction took place on Friday night, has seen that the floods in Hebden Bridge have encouraged businesses and individuals in our town to collaborate more than ever with really exciting results. The fact that the auction raised so much money is positive for the town in so many ways; as a show of support, and also to fund projects that remind people why Hebden Bridge is so unique.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

The auction attracted a total of 103 lots, donated from artists all over the UK, but with a strong emphasis on talent from Hebden Bridge itself. Many kind donations of jewellery and craft turned up at Heart Gallery from my makers; past, present and future and others were handed in at the Town Hall by local artists based in studios in Hebden Bridge or working from home. The Post Office also had to cope with numerous packages of various sizes turning up from around the UK and Ireland from creatives who had heard about the fundraising auction taking place. From tigers …

Amur Ambush – Stella Mays

… to textiles …

Textile necklace with detachable corsage - Lindsay Taylor

… ladies …

Woman in dress – Sarah McDade

… to lampshades ….

Lampshades – Karen Revill at revillrevill.com

… from birds …

Julia Ogden – Hebden Houses

… to bowls …

Jenny Tidman – felt bowls

… silver …

Jodie Hook – silver ribbon necklace

…to sexy …

Angela Smyth – A Grand Entrance

… there was something for everyone and boy did everyone turn up on the night and thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Viewing before the auction – photo blu planet photography

Viewing before the auction – photo blu planet photography

Bidding begins – photo bluplanet photography

Bidding starts to get serious – photo bluplanet photography

Our Auctioneer Jason Elliott does a stirling job – photo bluplanet photography

Jason Elliott doing his stuff – photo blu planet photography

I spoke to Jason afterwards and he declared that the Creative Auction had been so successful that it meant we could financially support lots of ideas that have been developed since the floods. We are only able to do that through the generosity of the artists that donated work, the people that turned up to bid on the night and the team of volunteers that put the whole thing together. We are all so proud that our hard work and determination to make this Creative Auction a success for Hebden Bridge was rewarded on the night with £6491 in the bank!

Hebden Bridge is planning a food festival, a poetry trail, and lots of exciting festive events which will be included on a Pop Up Hebden that will travel the north of England, telling people that the town is back open for business and money raised at the auction will help fund many of these projects.

The team that made it all happen. Helen Russell, Hannah Nunn, Amy Leader, Jason Elliott, Alison Bartram, Nina Wadcock and Richard Aked, Alison Bartram – photo blu planet photography. Sadly Sarah Mason missed the photo shoot at the end of the evening.

Thanks go to Helen Russell from Mercury Arts who set the ball in motion and the auction would not have possible without Richard Aked of Artome, Sarah Mason of Sarah Mason Photography, Jason Elliott Director at Hebden Bridge Blues Festival and Amy Leader from The Town Hall working in harmony alongside me in the weeks leading up to September 28th.

Helen Bradley from Metropolis Events, Hannah Nunn from Radiance and Nina Wadcock were also fundamental in getting this show on the road and we all made a cracking team.

Creative Auction – Hebden Bridge

Creative Auction Day

Creatives pull together for fundraising auction

In the light of the devastation this summer’s flood have wreaked on Hebden Bridge, the area’s creative community have come together to auction off some outstanding pieces of their work.

Etched Glass Bottle – Andy Poplar

On the evening of September 28^th a stunning range of work, from paintings to pots, will go under the hammer in an auction of work by artists and makers in the Waterfront Hall of the new Town Hall building to raise funds for a series of events in the build up to the Christmas Season. The plan is to help breathe new life into the town and attract visitors back with the message that Hebden Bridge is very much alive and kicking and open for business.

Hebden Bridge at Dusk – award winning photograph by local and nationally acclaimed photographer Nigel Hillier

“This is something that I’m certain will appeal to established collectors and casual buyers alike” said the auctioneer for the night, Jason Elliott. “Work has already started flooding in, if you’ll excuse the pun, and there are some quite high value pieces in there from pretty well known people. Auctions being what they are, I know that our buyers will have the opportunity to get some great bargains,” he added.

Jason Elliott, our Auctioneer, with a ltd edition print from Kate Lycett

Speaking for the Hebden Bridge Community Association who are hosting the event, Amy Leader explained, “The period leading up to Christmas is critical for the economy of Hebden Bridge with so many small independent businesses. This year the floods have caused an immense amount of hardship with many having to close for protracted periods, often laying off their staff. Hopefully this year we can help bring a bit of extra Christmas spirit to the proceedings and show visitors to the town that we were only ever ‘waving not drowning.’”

‘Amur Ambush’ by Stella Mays

More information about the auction can be found on the Town Hall website at www.hebdenbridgetownhall.org.uk

To see more images of the many kind donations received please check out the Hebden Spirit Facebook page, thank you and we look forward to seeing you at this amazing event 28 September 2012.

A Lamentation of Swans – Fiona Cameron

Hebden Spirit

Meet The Maker – Charlie Trimm

Charlotte Trimm – papercut artist

Charlotte has continued her methodical approach to creation, which was the foundation of her painting and installation work, to produce a collection of hand-drawn and hand-cut papercuts.

Dandelion clock

These works now come under ‘By Charlie’s Hand’. Founded in 2011, By Charlie’s Hand is one girl armed with a scalpel, lots of patience and a touch of OCD, as well as a love of coloured paper and tea. Charlotte has been producing highly detailed and intricate works which often explore nature, repetitive motifs and symmetry.

Mr Stag

Charlotte’s papercuts have a unique style which echoes Charlotte’s previous structured approach, which often explored colour and repetitive patterns, bringing order to the natural elements while adding a contemporary twist to traditional rhymes and familiar motifs.  Birds, trees, plants and animals feature heavily in her work but the chaos of nature is given a distinctive shape, most often becoming contained within perfect circles and hearts.

Tweetheart in Kingfisher

Magpies

These original papercuts have also grown into a range of products that includes giclee prints, greeting cards and cushion covers. Joining forces with Scottish jewellery designer and maker Molly Ginnelly (a jeweller also showcasing her amazing work in Heart Gallery at the moment) on a continuing collaboration, Charlotte’s work has found new mediums that combine both artists’ styles, leading to the distinctive and highly wearable ‘When Molly met Charlie’ collection of earrings, necklaces and brooches made of formica and silver.

Collaboration between Charlie Trimm and Molly Ginnelly now at Heart Gallery

Meet The Maker – Miranda Sharpe

Miranda Sharpe – Jeweller

Miranda started her professional practice/business designing and making contemporary jewellery in 2001 and has exhibited and sold her work widely across the UK and ventured into the international market place.  She enjoys the challenges of designing and producing a unique range of jewellery that holds commercial possibilities, alongside opportunities to create one-off or commission specific piece’s that can be larger/ bolder in design.

Miranda Sharpe – Flourish necklace

 Miranda studied for a BA Hons degree in 3D design at Manchester Metropolitan University, followed by an MA specialising in jewellery design at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. Her latest work explores ideas of emotion and emotional responses. One strand is inspired heavily by microscopic images of disease and bacteria, translating images of matter that we find unpleasant and finding the beauty within it to evoke a contrasting response.

Miranda Sharpe – Thrive 6 piece necklace

For this work she is exploring scale by working on larger pieces for walls as well as pieces of jewellery.

Miranda Sharpe – Thrive 5 drop necklace

Miranda’s approach to jewellery is to express what interests her visually, drawing on shape and form from the natural world and presenting it an abstracted way. Through the design process she explores form through simple lines and how repeating or layering materials and components can change the effect of a piece. 

Miranda Sharpe – Flourish multi drop earrings

Heart Gallery loves Miranda’s work and our customers do too – add her to your ‘wish list’ before it sells out!

Miranda Sharpe – Flourish ring stack

Meet The Maker – Lucy Palmer

Lucy Palmer – jeweller

Lucy creates unique and beautiful jewellery inspired by myths, fairytales and folklore, with an emphasis on animals and the natural world. In her jewellery she escapes the mundane and creates a magical world of enchanted forests, mysterious creatures, and far away places. 

Lucy Palmer – Moongazing silver and Keum Boo necklace

The Intricate designs are cut by hand in precious metals and are often layered to give an amazing three dimensional, miniature stage set effect. 

Lucy Palmer – Little Mermaid silver and Keum Boo necklace

The design style is influenced by toy theatres, shadow puppets and paper cutting.  Decorative techniques are used to embellish the surface, including ‘Keum Boo’, an ancient Korean technique of fusing 24ct gold foil to silver.

Lucy Palmer – Golden Wandering Fox silver and Keum Boo necklace

After graduating from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in ‘Decorative Arts’, Lucy spent several years working as a Community Artist before setting up her Jewellery business in 2007. Each piece of jewellery is handmade by Lucy in her workshop in Derbyshire.

Lucy Palmer – Under The Sea silver and Keum Boo necklace

Heart Gallery has showcased Lucy’s work before as we absolutely adore her subject matter and admire her techniques and know that you will too so see you soon!

Lucy Palmer – Enchanted Forest silver and Keum Boo necklace

Meet The Maker – Catherine Chester

Catherine Chester – Jeweller

Catherine’s work always begins with a reference to a particular narrative or character. She styles and builds the piece around the subject in order to bring out the heart of her inspiration.

Lovers’ Triptych Brooch – Catherine Chester

Handmade from sterling silver, this range excites an established but staid jewellery tradition by putting vintage erotica at its heart. The works are clearly sexual but, due to their classic form and the photographs’ outmoded images, maintain an innocence too. Each piece features a different photograph from an extensive archive. This archive is accessible to buyers who may choose their model. Old photographs and postcards are sealed behind glass in order to preserve and exhibit a precious story.

You Must See This erotica brooch – Catherine Chester

Catherine will often oxidise silver in order to emphasise the works’ antique nature and capture a piece of history in the style of its original era. Her use of pearls in this collection symbolises a concealed purity now opened, exposed and beautiful, just like the women in these photographs. Playing on nostalgia and sentimentality, these works combine archaic items with antiquated voyeurism.

Adelinda Choker – Catherine Chester

One important concept that has shaped Catherine’s work is Freud’s psychosexual theory, particularly the idea of the fetish. The idea that sexual desire can be displaced onto alternative objects or body parts has provided her with a wealth of material. Pieces will frequently evoke themes from psychology and fine art whilst retaining basic formal appeal.  

Peep Show Cameo – Catherine Chester

Catherine borrows stylistically from vintage photography and motion footage. She aims to style her pieces in the era the inspiration came from, for example, if she has used a Victorian portrait in one of her pieces, she will design the mechanism to function like a traditional Victorian piece of jewellery.

The Kiss Brooch – Catherine Chester

Through her work Catherine aims to build a visual language of sexual signifiers that remind us of shapes and rituals gone by. Whether it’s a body pose from an impressionist painter or a model in a Victorian peep show, she strives to marry modern desire with classic forms. In doing so, she acknowledges some of jewellery’s most basic functions. Not least, to supplement and communicate the wearers’ desires and self-image.

Yvette Ring – Catherine Chester

Meet The Maker – Katherine Lawrie

Katherine Lawrie - jeweller

From an early age Katherine has been familiar with the techniques involved in making jewellery and working with metal. Her father works as a jewellery designer maker and often Katherine would work alongside him in his workshop.

Silver textured heart studs

Silver textured heart drops on long wires

By the age of 16 her jewellery making became a serious hobby and Katherine sold jewellery to her friends for pocket money. She won young Craftsman of the Year in the early 1990s, which made her take her talents more seriously.

Silver textured leaf necklace with fresh water pearl

Katherine went to the Surrey Institute of Art and Design and then on to Edinburgh College of Art and in 1999 Katherine set out as a professional jewellery designer maker.

Personalised silver bracelet on fresh water pearls

Katherine’s jewellery, handmade in sterling silver and gold, is inspired by natural forms and textural qualities.She uses various techniques to create her jewellery. The predominant one is roller texturing, an unpredictable technique which involves the use of steel rolling mills and natural and manmade materials, such as feathers, leaves, lace and petals. The object disintegrates but leaves the surface of the metal with a rich ethereal texture.

Silver textured heart necklace on fresh water pearls

Using this technique involves a lot of happy accidents, but that is what keeps it fresh, and inspiring. The jewellery can be very evocative, the pressing of a special leaf from a place visited once, or grandma’s lace.

Silver textured heart necklace

She uses this in conjunction with semi-precious and precious stones and beads to create a body of work with sensitivity and subtlety which works in sympathy with the wearer. 

Personalised silver bracelet with fresh water pearls

Katherine sells her work through various outlets and off exhibitions and she is also an associate member of the Society of Botanical Artists, which has an annual exhibition at Central Hall in London. She regularly takes part in Open house exhibitions in Brighton and Heart Gallery is proud that Katherine has chosen Heart Gallery as a more northern stockist for her new range.

Meet The Maker – Helen Brice

Helen Brice - jeweller

Helen has been designing award winning jewellery since she created ‘Helen Brice Designs’ in 2000.

Helen Brice - Trio rings

Her newest collection ‘Precious’ co-ordinates the beautiful natural colouring of precious and semi-precious gemstones, with the warmth of White, Yellow & Rose Gold. Her outstanding ring designs are partnered with beautiful pendants, brooches and earrings in a stunning collection which effortlessly bridges the gap between contemporary and classical jewellery design.

Helen Brice - Meteor trio of golds

Meteor ring set with peridot and diamonds

With inspiration drawn from architectural details and celestial patterns, Helen has created a uniquely versatile collection which lends itself to be tailored to create bespoke jewellery incorporating sentimental gems for her customers.

Helen Brice - Element rings

The growing collection, which also includes wedding and engagement rings, can be produced to commission in Yellow/White/Rose Gold, 9ct & 18ct, as well as Sterling Silver or Platinum. Helen particularly enjoys designing bespoke pieces for individual clients and welcomes the opportunity to create new and innovative jewellery.

Precious gem set jewellery by Helen Brice

Heart Gallery is proud to showcase Helen’s stunning jewellery again in our Wedding Showcase five years after first meeting her. Helen’s unique design flair and creative use of gemstones has led to many delightful and inspiring jewellery commissions, which embrace both classical style and contemporary design. If you have a special occasion to celebrate, or just want to breathe new life into your inherited gemstones, through the creation of bespoke designed jewellery, we are more than happy to discuss any ideas so bob in to see Helen’s stunning range soon.

Round Meteor ring set with tsavorite garnet