Happy New Year - copyright Helen White

I hope you all had a good start to the New Year.

It has been a bit quiet since my last post, mainly because I have been busy in the run-up to Christmas, working on a proofreading assignment, making further improvements on the website (the shop layout is now horizontal instead of one long row) and my PTLLS course, which I have finished before Christmas. I am now waiting for my City & Guilds certificate to arrive. My tutor reckons it will take until about March. However I am happy to say that I passed my nerve wrecking micro teach – a teaching session of only 30 minutes, which is rather challenging for someone who is not keen on public speaking! And planning for only 30 minutes isn’t easy.

One of the reasons why I have done this course was simply to be able to teach jewellery courses on a 1-2-1 basis to people who are interested to learn but not keen on going to big classes. But I also hope to teach journalism courses for the NUJ. So these are already two things on my ever increasing list of things I’d like to do and achieve.

Last year I have featured a lot of crafters and jewellery designers and in December Kirsty Sullivan from Ladybird Beads has returned the favour and featured me in a long interview on her blog. You can read it here:

http://www.ladybirdbeads.blogspot.com/ I hope you like it. I also hope to improve my own PR and get featured in other blogs or magazines to get my brand more known.

Another thing on my list is to simply get my health back and being able to create jewellery without inevitable shoulder and neck pain. So I am hitting the gym and start exercising again. I haven’t been able to create new stock in the last 2 or 3 months and it’s not a nice situation to be in, especially as I have so many ideas in my head for designs. So this month I will ease myself back into creating things – and decided to work with one or two different techniques and materials each month.

As it’s very cold in the conservatory I am dreading the work bench a bit and so will spend January working in our living room. This means mainly bead work, as polymer clay is messy and the pasta machine is tricky to clamp onto our round table.

Once it gets warmer – hopefully in February I want to work with my new texture plates and get back to my polymer clay. My dad gave me a tumbling kit for Christmas which I want to use a lot too – which means working with PMC again. It’s unfortunately not a cheap material, so will start with a few designs and see how well they sell.

By the end of this year I want to change my logo to something that I think represents my jewellery better. The “logo” I have right now can be confusing as it just shows beads (photographed with my old camera before it started to tint everything pink!).

What I also like to do this year is to work with silver and copper and am currently waiting for a book to arrive by Jinks McGrath to help me get back to metal work.

Animals, especially cats, will still be one of my main themes for jewellery designs as I have noticed that my animal jewellery is quite popular with customers.

And finally  – if finances allow it – I would like to go on another jewellery course, as I think it’s important to learn new or improve existing skills.

So these are my plans for this year. I would love to hear from you. What would you like to achieve this year?

How many animals have been re-homed since the start of the charity?

Our current number stands at 1950. The majority have been re-homed and others have been transferred to other rescue charities when we have run out of space. The number signifies all those who have come into Four Paws’ care. We are due to reach our 2000^th dog and we are hoping to have a surprise celebration for the family who will be adopting the 2000^th dog.

How many active members have you got?

At present we have 30 active foster carers, 4 trustees and approximately 30 fundraising volunteers. No one at Four Paws receives a wage; we are all volunteering our time and skills.

Like any good animal charity Four Paws has a strict vetting policy and the requirements can be found on their website here Can you explain why you have such strict criteria?

Some people may see our procedures as being quite strict, however our main concern is always the welfare of the animal and the prospective owners. Many of the animals that come to us have been unwanted, neglected and sometimes abused. It is our duty to make sure they are treated with love and kindness in their next home.

One of the many dogs up for adoption - copyright Four Paws Animal Rescue (SW)

When do you turn people down?

The main reason we may turn an application down is when we have lots of applications for the same dog. It is inevitable some people will be disappointed, but we try to match the most suitable home to the dog so it is never a personal reflection of the applicant.

We also may turn people down if their current animals are not vaccinated or neutered. We also have a policy where we do not home with children under the age of five.

The hardest reason we may have to turn people down is, if they are planning on leaving a dog for longer than four hours. We know that this is a difficulty for many people but it is important to note that many rescue dogs have abandonment issues and for some dogs over four hours is too long to be away from their human companions. We never home a puppy where they will be left for more than 3 hours as we feel they need input into behaviour and training whilst they are small.

You mainly re-home dogs and have currently one cat in care. Why is that?

The reason Four Paws Animal Rescue focuses mainly on dogs is that they are more at risk of needlessly being killed at the pound. We have taken in many animals over the years including cats, birds and even a ferret! As a charity we find homing cats very difficult and as a consequence we have a limited number of spaces to be able to help them. We have recognised that there are many cats out there that need help and as a result we have recently been helping spay female cats to help the unwanted kitten problem.

Five year old Mandu is currently the only cat in care and in desperate need of a loving home as he's been with the charity for quite some time - copyright Four Paws Animal Rescue (SW)

What other animal charities do you work with to re-home and help for example cats in need?

We work with many other charities to help our animals, and for cats we often refer people who need help to Cats Protection, the RSPCA and Catwell.

What kind of dogs are the most difficult to re-home?

Brindled male Staffys! Any bull breed is hard to home but if it is a brindle colour they have been known to stay with us for up to a year. We also have difficulty finding foster homes for bull breeds due to their stereotypes, despite the fact that they are possibly the most loving breed.

One of the many dogs up for adoption - copyright Four Paws Animal Rescue (SW)

And what kind of dogs are the easiest to find homes for?

Any pedigree dogs that come to us such as Cavaliers, Spaniels, Yorkies etc. The smaller the dog the easier it is to re-home. We also have a great deal of interest when we have puppies, unless they are bull breed pups of course!

You have private fosterers as well as kennels – is that correct?

We do not have a rescue centre but a network of foster carers who dedicate their time and love to their foster dogs whilst helping them find a forever home. When we can not find a foster home for a dog we rent a kennel from a local boarding kennel. This is very expensive for us but necessary when a dog needs quarantining or has behavioural issues they need help with.

The recession has a negative effect on pet ownership. How much has the amount of animals in care increased since 2008?

The rates of dogs being handed into the pound has risen exponentially since 2008! We tripled our re-homing rates in the first year of the recession. We also have a hand-in list where people apply to hand their dogs in to us. Traditionally there have always been around 30 dogs waiting to come to us, however since the recession we have had a static number of 120 on our waiting list. It is devastating to see how many people have lost their jobs, homes and the financial means to continue looking after their furry companions.

What is the most common reason people have brought in a dog to re-home?

The main reason people hand their dogs in to us is that they can not cope with behavioural issues such as separation anxiety, toilet training or aggression. Some of these are quite simple to deal with and others not so. Therefore it always reminds us that training and socialising a dog at a young age is vital in making it a happy and healthy animal. Another common reason is the arrival of a new family member and we often see people handing dogs in as they are unable to cope with a new baby and a dog or they are worried how the dog would react to a new baby.

Readers will be interested to know how they can help animals in need. What does Four Paws mostly need, not only in terms of donations, but practical help?

Four Paws Animal Rescue is always looking for people who would like to foster. We look for people who spend quite a lot of time at home, enjoy walking and can help a rescue dog adjust to family life.

We know that not many people can foster so there is plenty of other things to do. We are always looking for people to help us run stalls at events, hold a tin outside pets at home or run your own fundraising event!

Whatever you decide to do, please feel free to come and be part of our online community where you will find lots of dog lovers, friends and practical animal owning advice.

What has been the biggest challenge for the charity?

The biggest challenge for our charity was rescuing the two Springer spaniels Bertie and Wooster. They were dumped in the pound to be put to sleep, but rescued by Four Paws. After a short period in a foster home they were re-homed. After two weeks in their new home we received a phone call to say that Bertie was going to be put down by the vet due to a spinal injury. On further inspection it turned out that Wooster had run head first into his brother crushing his spine. The family had not taken out pet insurance and as a result could not afford treatment and so agreed to have him euthanized. FPAR retrieved both, Bertie and Wooster, and spent several thousand pounds on life saving surgery for Bertie. Bertie is now living permanently with his foster carer who adopted him. Wooster has his very own home where he swims in a lake every day. It was a challenge emotionally and financially for a very small charity, but we knew that it was our duty to do the very best for our animals.

And what has been the biggest success?

Our foster carers are our biggest success! Without them FPAR couldn’t save the dogs that we have. We have a lot to thank them for. One other success is that Kirsty Thomas, the founder of the charity, won the Dogs Trust Award for “A Dog’s Best Friend”. It was wonderful to see her rewarded for all her hard work.

What are your future plans for the charity?

One day we hope to have our own rescue centre. It is a long way off but we hope to realise it one day.

When’s the next big charity event?

10^th December 2011 – Christmas Event at Buttrills Community Centre, North Walk, Barry, CF62 8BX

Thank you very much for the interview Seran.

Website here

Facebook here

Twitter here

Cat pendant - copyright Helen White

I just realised I haven’t posted for over 2 weeks. Lots of things have happened since my last post –  the terrible Norway massacre, the ongoing phone hacking scandal, Amy Winehouse’s death ( I love Amy’s voice and “Frank” is one of my all time favourite albums – I think it’s actually better than her more successful Back to Black) and the ongoing riots in England (ongoing as I write).

On a positive note – My little sister visited us for a week, which was nice and I have therefore not been able to create any new jewellery in that time. We went to Bath with her, unfortunately arrived a bit late due to late departure and a massive traffic jam in front of the tunnel near Newport, but my hubby bought be a very cute cat necklace – I normally don’t buy jewellery for obvious reasons, but I really loved the design of it. After my sister went back I had to catch up a lot on making new items.

Flamingo pendant - copyright Helen White

I decided to create animal themed jewellery, mainly because I love animals esp. cats (no surprise there) and would wear these myself. So now you can find a lot of cute earrings – horses, dinosaurs, cats, flying horses, elephants, tortoises, turtles, owls, dragonflies, hummingbirds and howling wolves which you can all find here. I will add more earrings in the near future.

Kiwi pendant - copyright Helen White

I have also started to create animal pendants using molds I bought and also molds I made myself. At the moment I have cats, Scotty dogs, flamingos, horses, kiwis, seahorses, but I am hoping to create other type of animal pendants and earrings.

Cat pendant - copyright Helen White

As I am writing my first pendants are actually drying from their first coat of varnish – they will get 2-3 coats, because I need to seal in the mica powder that gives them a beautiful shimmer. I really hope you will like them.

Horse pendant - copyright Helen White

Unfortunately one of my pendants broke while trying to file them. It was one of my more delicate pieces which fell on my floor in the conservatory. So I have to make that one again and be a bit more careful!

Scotty dog pendant - copyright Helen White

Once these pendants are all varnished I will upload them on my website. Next on my to-do list are bat and skull earrings and pendants as well as steampunk pendants. I have a bag full of tiny watch bits and pieces I will use for my pendants.

Cat face pendant - copyright Helen White

That’s it for now , thanks for reading– but before I forget: I would like to know from my readers  which animals (apart from cats) they like me to try and make pendants of.

Rachel Jinks - designer and owner of Mog's Togs

If you love cats as much as I do you will love the cute cat collars Rachel Jinks designs and sells through her online shops on Etsy and Folksy. Rachel founded her cat accessory business “Mog’s Togs” in 2010. She lives with her husband Pete and her gorgeous rescue cats Lila and Mia in Surrey. In her day job she works as a trial statistician and she is also studying for a PhD in Medical Statistics.

When did you start making collars for cats?

When Lila and Mia first started going outside, they lost their breakaway collars at an amazing rate. I didn’t want them going out without ID tags, but with no pet shop conveniently nearby, I was concerned about running out of replacement collars, so I decided to look into sewing them myself from scrap fabric.

Rachel's cat Mia - copyright Rachel Jinks

When did you start selling your collars?

After a month or so the cats stopped losing the collars quite so frequently, but by this point I was enjoying making them & had bought various cute ribbons to make more. I thought there must be cat people out there who wanted their cats to look as cool as Mia and Lila did, so I decided to try selling them. My Folksy and Etsy shops opened in October 2010.

Rachel's cat Lila - copyright Rachel Jinks

You make your collars to order – what was your most unusual collar request?

A lady I met through Twitter runs a cat agility group for ten rescue cats, to try and channel some of their destructive and aggressive tendencies. They now do their agility to music and are “dancing” at the “CamperJam” festival in July. She asked if I could make them all matching collars with a camper van design! After failing to find any suitable ribbon, I designed the fabric myself and had it printed by a US company. I also managed to find some great camper van charms to go on them too, as the finishing touch! I can’t wait to see the photos.

Cat collars with camper van charms - copyright Rachel Jinks

As you sell internationally – which countries have you sold your collars to the most?

The single country I’ve sold most collars to outside of the UK is the USA, but I also sell regularly to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Who is your most famous customer (human or feline)?

I sent a welcome home present of two collars (blue and yellow, of course!) to Larry the Downing Street cat when he arrived at Number 10 from Battersea earlier this year. I was absolutely over the moon when some photos of him were emerged on the eve of the Royal Wedding, wearing a Union Jack bow tie – attached to one of the cat collars I had sent him! I didn’t stop talking about it for days!

Note – for copyright reasons I can’t show the photo of  Larry – but here’s a link to it.

How long does it take you to make a custom collar?

In terms of actual sewing and making time, only about 15-30 minutes, but getting the fabric printed and sent from the USA usually adds a couple of weeks to the time scale unfortunately.

What’s your favourite collar design?

I have a particular soft spot for the insect design cat collars – the bumblebees and ladybirds.

Breakaway Bumblebee cat collar - copyright Rachel Jinks

My cat won’t wear a collar, but is fine with a harness as we walk her on a leash. Would you ever consider designing harnesses for cats?

Harnesses are on my To Do list. I need to do some product research first and also see if Mia and Lila will agree to test them out for me!

You’ve got two gorgeous rescue cats. Are you planning to adopt more?

Not at the moment! I would love to one day, but our house isn’t large enough to have more, especially since Lila and Mia are pretty young and energetic still. I’m not sure I could deal with 50% more cat hair either!

Breakaway cat collar in pink and green - copyright Rachel Jinks

And finally: What are your plans for the future?

I hope to finish my PhD by Christmas (fingers crossed!), and after that I’d really like to reduce my job to 4 days a week, in order to dedicate a bit more time to Mog’s Togs and tackle that To Do list. I would like to have my own web shop to give me a bit more control over selling the collars, and hopefully offer more products; those harnesses mentioned earlier, more collar charms, and perhaps some cat toys as well.

Thank you very much for taking part in this interview.

Rachel’s website and blog: Mog’s Togs

Rachel’s Folksy shop

Rachel’s Etsy shop

When we went to bed, Bobby jumped on board and calmed down – I think her own purring helped her to ease her pain a bit.

Luckily we managed to get a vet’s appointment for today. He told us that symptoms could return, injected an analgesic for her pain (Rimadyl) which should get rid of her pain within 24 hours and he also gave us two tablets to keep just in case. He thinks we are doing all the right things but suggested to change to a prescription food which helps to break down crystals and acidity in the urine. So he prescribed Bobby Royal Canin  – Urinary S/O High Dilution which is specifically formulated for FLUDT. He also generally recommended this brand as their other dry foods also contains the S/O index which helps breaking down crystals and acidity. Which is great, because Bobby loves her crunchies. We have now decided to phase out the other brands she usually eat and replace them with the Royal Canin.

The new food is already a big hit with Bobs – she totally loves it.

Bobby dreaming - copyright Helen White

Yesterday Bobby also somehow managed to get her fur covered with sticky stuff, presumably sap from plants. It took a while and some scissors to get her fur back to normal. God only knows where she got that “glue” from, because we couldn’t find it on our plants.

copyright Paul White

In my last blog I mentioned that we had to take Bobby to the vet on Saturday and now I’d like to tell you why.

When we got home from the craft fair she greeted us as usual with her delightful chirruping voice, but not long after, she started to show some odd behaviour. She went to the litter tray, tried to wee, then stormed outside – squatted again to wee, but couldn’t, then she ran back into the house. This went on for quite some time – her back fur stood up dinosaur-like – until we realised that she obviously couldn’t wee at all. We rang Valley Vets, a surgery which is thankfully not far from where we live, and were advised to bring her in.

The vet was really nice and carefully examined Bobby while gently talking to her –she was quite impressed with her too, because she didn’t hiss or scratch but endured patiently her examination. The vet checked her temperature in a different room and examined her vulva. While Bobby’s temperature was normal, her vulva was inflamed and the vet told us that it could be Cystitis, which is quite common in cats. She was given a painkiller and we were instructed to stop feeding her dry food for while, add water to her wet food and administer some anti-biotics. Not easy when your cat is addicted to her crunchies! And initially we didn’t hide away all her dry food – so the little sod managed to paw some out. Until Monday we made sure that we mashed up her food with a bit of water and then sprinkled her meds over the food. And sat next to her to make sure she ate it! And we also ordered a mini food processor for future cat food mashing purposes.

copyright Paul White

On Monday I rang our own vet Michael from the Cardiff Cat Clinic, whom I can highly recommend, because he takes a lot of time explaining things and never talks talk down to owners. We still had some meds so were advised to bring her in the next day to see how she is doing.

Bobby is surprisingly calm not only in her basket when we are driving, but also when waiting at the vets. Our vet told us first that because of her age she was more likely to be suffering from Feline Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) which covers a range of conditions associated with the feline urinary tract including cystitis and crystalluria / urolithiasis, a condition where crystals or stones are formed in the bladder and Cystitis, the inflammation of the bladder. Cystitis usually affects cats aged 10+. However Bobby is coming up to 6 this year. After he examined her he said that her bladder is fine and obviously the meds and the change in her diet must have helped her getting back to normal.

copyright Helen White

Typical causes of FLUTD are stress (changes in the home and cat’s territory, new cats in the area or home), not enough litter trays, too much dry food high in magnesium and ph and not enough water intake. Obesity is also a risk factor.

FLUDT affects both sexes but can be more dangerous in male cats as they are more susceptible to blockages in their Urethra which is longer than in female cats.

So how do know if your cat is suffering from FLUDT?

If your cat tries to wee in places she normally uses, but can’t, it’s a good sign she/he’s suffering. If your cat goes to the litter box or outside to wee a lot, squats for a some time without  passing urine or  only few drops  (it’s easier to check this with indoor cats) or when she/he  passes blood in the urine. If your cat suffers from urethral obstruction you will notice that your cat becomes very distressed and will howl in pain, because of the bladder filling up with urine which causes painful bladder distension. It’s important to see the vet immediately as this can lead to kidney failure and eventually death if not treated promptly. Other symptoms your cat would show if suffering from urethral obstruction is protrusion and constant licking of penis (in male cats), lethargy, vomiting, avoiding food and water, hiding and eventually it will fall into a coma as a result of toxins passing into the bloodstream.

It’s very important to know your cat and his/her habits well, so you can act as soon as possible when you notice unusual behaviour.

You can read more about FLUDT here :

copyright Helen White

Bobby in bay window in our conservatory - copyright Helen White

Time to write another more cat related blog entry.

Those of you who follow my blog know about our cat Bobby. She has developed a few cute and quirky habits over the years and some not so cute habits, which I’d like to share with you.

Bobby as a kitten being cuddly - copyright Helen White

First the not so cute habits:

1. Ripping the shit out of our sofa and carpets – a habit we unfortunately can’t control much and in a way encouraged –because it is cute when she actually grips the underside of the sofa and slides across the carpet. Needless to say we won’t ever buy fancy furniture. Ikea has to suffice and the next sofa we invest in will be hopefully a sofa-bed for guests.
2. Stopping in the middle of stairs when I try to go down – I swear one day I will fall down the stairs.
3. Getting in your way without saying a word and you accidentally trod on her. She then runs away in shock and we run after her to let her know how sorry we are.
4. Waking up way too early (between 4 and 5 am) and ripping the carpet in order to get us up – works a treat for her – though I have taken to throwing  a pillow at her – that often stops her and she decides to jump on bed for a cuddle and snooze- which leads me directly to….

The day we met Bobby - copyright Helen White

Bobby’s cute and quirky habits:

1. She has an incredibly cute and endearing chirruping greeting noise she makes in the mornings when she wakes us, or when she wants something from us.
2. In the evening between 5 and 6 she often tends to sit in front of the front door and is clearly waiting for hubby to come home. When I used to work in the NHS and come home she often waited in the window and still sometimes does this – and gets very excited when she sees us.
3. Bobby will only play rough with hubby and is clearly daddy’s girl in that respect. She loves sock fights, which supposed to protect my hubby’s hands from scratches – doesn’t always work though.
4. Ever since she was a kitten she needs reassurance when she’s eating. She wants whoever is available to cuddle her backside, while she eats. This also entails her asking me to go downstairs – when I am actually busy in my office-  to proceed with the cuddles.
5. She tends to follow us around and seeks our company a lot.
6. When she is tired and ready for a snooze during the day Bobby loves to get onto the bed underneath the blanket which is just a general cover. She loves her little “tent” – when it’s not on the bed she will come to us and asks us to follow her and then we quite quickly twig what she wants and make her little tent.
7. She loves watching me cook – and should have her own cookery show
8. When she was a kitten her favourite game was to take cat food pouches out of their box and carry them one by one into the living room. She still sometimes does this and it’s very funny.
9. She loves cat nip and behaves like an aggressive drunk when she’s had some.
10. In the evening when she’s tired and wants us to go to bed she clearly lets us know.
11. She loves prawns – her favourite treat and she knows exactly when we go shopping. Back from the shops she will inspect all items and sniff around until we get out the prawns. It’s very cute when she tries to grab hold of them with her paws when we feed her.
12. When she meets other cats she often sticks her face right in their space and is often surprised when she gets hissed at or gets a whack with a paw.
13. Since we came back from our honeymoon in 2007 she likes to share the bed with us – and usually on the duvet between my legs. This is not comfortable for me, but clearly comfortable for her. She loves to purr and knead with her paws until she’s super relaxed. Then she stretches her front paws out like “supercat” and goes to sleep. While she is sleeping she makes some funny and cute snuffling noises – almost like snoring – but endearing.
14. She often inspects our faces in the morning to see if we are awake.
15. She is very communicative and talks a lot.

Bobby dreaming - copyright Helen White

I am sure there are even more cute and quirky habits I could list but at the moment I can’t think of any more. And here are:

Bobby’s bizarre habits:

1. Every time she has a crap in our garden (it used to be the litter tray, but she doesn’t use it any more) she storms in like a Banshee and goes bananas. We have no idea why – maybe it’s sheer relief?
2. Every time we go into our loft to take up things or get down stuff she starts to meow very persistently – after a while that sound can get grating – even for our tolerant ears! So we tend to put her leash on and let her have a nose around upstairs. We don’t know why she feels the need to go up – maybe because it’s full of clutter.

Bobby on bay window - copyright Helen White

If you have a cat I’d love to hear about your cat’s cute and quirky habits.

Caroline Exley from Curious Cat Creative

Caroline creates beautiful jewellery and accessories out of leather. She lives with her children Elizabeth and Andrew, her partner Andy and her gorgeous cat George on the southern edge of Sheffield, almost on the Derbyshire border and has the countryside on her doorstep. Caroline works part-time as a Project Officer for her local council.

When did you start making jewellery?

“The first piece emerged by accident in 2009.”

Did you choose working with leather straight away?

“Over the years I tried many crafts purely as a hobby.  I love creative writing, pen and ink, sketching, calligraphy and water colour.  Some of these I’m better at than others and none have ever been produced for sale.

In 2009 I was looking for something new.  I like to work with tools and did consider wood as I have a real love of boxes!  For some reason I thought about leather and decided I’d have a go a making a leather box.

I did a bit of online research around the basic tools I would need and eventually found a reasonably local supplier so I could actually go and look at things.”

Leather is an unusual choice for creating jewellery items – why leather?

“Leather jewellery was never my intention.  I went down to the Identity Store in Matlock and explained I wanted to start leather work.  I had a pretty good idea what I needed but Jackie, one of the store owners, helped me sort out the basics without going overboard.

I bought a bag of leather off cuts to practice using my tools.  As little shapes and pieces started to emerge I thought how good they would look as jewellery.  The rest, as they say, is history.  I never made that box.

Now people are amazed when they know what my items were made from.  It is something different and it’s very adaptable.”

Butterfly pendant on sterling silver necklace - copyright Caroline Exley

What do you like about this material?

“Whilst it does have limitations, and I sometimes come across a logistical problem which needs rethinking, it is fabulous to work with.  Colour, paint, mould, cut, carve, glue and stitch! The list goes on.  One of the things I really like is playing with colour.”

Where did you learn your craft?

“I’m purely self-taught.  Right at the start I bought a little leather working book which explains about the basic tools and gives you some information about carving and colouring techniques.  I did consider trying to get some tuition, but I didn’t find that many courses and those I did find were some distance away.

My style has evolved.  I don’t use any pre cut shapes or commercial stamps so I can be completely individual.”

Snowdrop necklace on Sterling Silver - copyright Caroline Exley

Who or what inspires you? Do you have a favourite designer – and if so who and why?

“Inspiration comes from my desire to create something I can call my own that will appeal to others too.  I love shapes and colours. Something very simple can be transformed by colour.   A lot of my designs are inspired by nature, leaves, butterflies, and flowers for example.

Flower Duo - copyright Caroline Exley

I can’t say I really have a favourite designer, but I am always amazed by the things other people can create, EJ Lazenby for example or Sabine Little of Little Castle Designs.  They make me want to keep striving with my own work.”

Where do you sell your work outside the website?

“I have work in two outlets, the Coterie Galley at High Green in Sheffield and Mosaic Gifts in Nottingham.  The majority of my sales, however, come from Art and Craft events, which I attend regularly through the year.  My items look so much better in the flesh, photos never do them justice.”

Heart pendant - one of Caroline's favourite pieces - copyright Caroline Exley

When did you decide to start selling?

“Once I had a selection of pieces I started looking for craft fairs.  The first event I attended was in February 2010.”

When did you launch your shop?

“I set up my website at the same time as I started my business.  I found it useful to direct people to when trying to book fairs.  It allowed them to see photos of my work.  The shop was added a little time later.”

How did the name come about? I assume from your “About Me” section that you love cats because you live with one.

“I definitely do love cats and I really wanted a cat in my logo.  I looked around to find a domain name I could use.  To be honest I wanted a colour in the name, I went through colours, shades, names of coloured stones, you name it!  But either the names were in use, or those not taken, didn’t seem to fit.  Somewhere along the journey I came up with ‘curious’ and it just felt right.”

What’s your cat’s name and what does she or he look like? I have to ask this as a cat lover:)

“I have a small black cat called George.  He was a rescue cat and has three deformed paws.  I absolutely adore him J.  He has stayed very kitten like in his behaviour, loves cuddles and talks to us all the time, but this is usually because he is always hungry!”

Gorgeous George - copyright Caroline Exley

Did you design your own logo?

“My partner Andy designed my logo.  He’s a programmer and likes to create PC games in his spare time, so he is used to drawing graphics and I knew he would do a good job. It was quite fun to decide how to make a cat look ‘curious’ though!”

Keyring with Curious Cat Creative Logo - copyright Caroline Exley

What would advise readers who want to try out working with leather?

“I’ve invested a lot in tools, dyes and finishes.  The easiest and most cost effective way is to look for kits.  Many online leather stores will sell pre-cut shapes for you to decorate.  Things like keyrings, bookmarks and coaster blanks are good starting places.  There are many commercial stamps which can be bought as an alternative to tooling your own design too and these can be effective and relatively easy to use.”

Thank you very much for taking part in this interview.

You can find Caroline’s beautiful creations here:

Curious Cat Creative

And her blog here

Bobby with my Tourmaline necklace, copyright Helen White 2011

As my blog is about cats and jewellery I thought this time why not combine the two?

Last weekend I discovered that our cat Bobby is the perfect model for my jewellery. On Saturday I had a photographer around from the Echo, who took photos of me (and I pointed out that Bobby would be a better model than me) for an article about migraines and the Migraine Action Cardiff Support Group I founded on Facebook. I don’t like having my own photos taken, as I don’t think I am photogenic, but as it was for a good cause I said yes.  So obviously I also decided to wear at least one piece of my jewellery, which happened to be this gorgeous Tourmaline necklace.

Tourmaline necklace copyright Helen White 2011

I won the beads, which are 8mm, in a competition from Beads Direct and decided for a change to make something for myself. I love the colours. The only thing is, because I have neck problems I can’t wear heavy necklaces, only pendants, and this necklace is too heavy for me. The photographer is a cat fan and told me about his toms called Sootie and Sweep. He also asked me to show some jewellery from my online shop and took photos of me posing with it, which was really awkward. The article will be published this Wednesday and if I find the link I will post it here.

He left and told me that his next appointment was the rugby game and meeting Mickey Rourke – I was so jealous.

Mickey is working on a film about openly gay Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Thomas_(rugby_player) and is here for his research and I assume filming will also take place in Wales. And being a perfectionist Mickey is not only having Welsh lessons but is also being reported to having his front teeth removed to be as authentic as possible. Mickey is certainly no stranger to plastic surgery, though I have to say removing front teeth is quite extreme. Though I am not into rugby ( I prefer ice skating) I will definitely watch the movie. Loved him in “The Wrestler”, though it was quite a depressing film.

Anyway where was I?

Bobby with my Tourmaline necklace

In the evening Bobby was sitting in her favourite chair (Ikea Poang: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/series/07472/) –and the best chair in the living room – we have another one in the guest room/office which we bought originally for hypnotherapy clients, because these are very comfortable chairs. And while she was sitting there I decided to just put the necklace on her and take photos. She didn’t mind and was very patient. And my husband helped too, by distracting her – that’s why she looks up on some of the photos.

Bobby with my Tourmaline necklace looking up, copyright Helen White 2011

Thinking of it I should submit one of the photos to this website:http://stuffonmycat.com/

PS: The article has now appeared in the Echo and thankfully without the photo online. I bought the paper and was surprised by the choice made by the picture editor. The photographer spent an hour letting me pose with and without jewellery indoors and the photo they have chosen in the end was the last photo he took outside our house. Never mind. The good news is that it attracted a few people to my MA group on Facebook , so the article achieved its purpose. You can read it here:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/health-and-beauty-in-wales/2011/02/16/migraine-takes-its-toll-as-brain-malfunctions-91466-28175397/

copyright Helen White 2010

copyright Helen White 2010

copyright Helen White 2010

The plane was delayed for only two hours and a very chatty Austrian taxi driver drove us safely to my parents’ place. Cologne was covered in beautiful snow – and stayed that way until after our journey back home.

copyright Paul White 2010

Apart from a spell of a nasty migraine we had a great time and I managed to buy some fab Goretex boots – much needed as the shoes I was wearing had massive holes – no wonder I had cold and very wet feet! I also found a fantastic stall at one of Cologne’s many Christmas markets (Neumarkt) – though I imagine not everyone would get a kick out of cookie cutters. But this stall had a wide range of them – including the Statue of Liberty, bats and the Cologne Cathedral. The cutters are not for cookies though – I bought them for my future polymer clay and PMC creations.

copyright Paul White 2010

copyright Paul White 2010

copyright Paul White 2010

A trip to Cologne’s biggest cd and electronics store was also a must and I bought cds from the fab Cee Lo Green, Kristin Hersh’s Grotto, the new Charlatans, Kula Shaker’s Pilgrim’s Progress  (which is right now on heavy rotation, great album), Depeche Mode’s Barcelona dvd and an album by Die Sterne. So I am sorted with lots of new tunes for the next 5 months.

The highlights of this Christmas were sleighing down the hill at Beethoven Park on my sister’s old wooden sleigh– so much fun. Last time I did that was when my sister was little,  she’s heading towards her A-Levels this year, but we both thoroughly enjoyed it – one’s never to old for sleighing. One family had the brilliant idea to use their inflatable boat!

copyright Paul White 2010

On Sunday we travelled by train (with lots of changes and delays) to see my gran and almost all of my family was there. So we had a massive snowball fight in her garden. My aunt brought her cats again, who are now grown up. Findus is a very curious and friendly black tom and he immediately came sniffing my nose. Peppa is shy and avoided most of us hiding upstairs. She’s such a sweet cat. Findus enjoyed being outside in the snow, as my aunt can’t let her cats out where she lives in Hamburg. So Findus made the most of his temporary freedom.

copyright Helen White 2010

copyright Paul White 2010

copyright Helen White 2010

Dusty was a delight and made our separation from our own Bobby tolerable. She’s the most dextrous cat with the loudest purr I’ve ever known. It’s always fun watching her sliding across the floor chasing a paper ball.

Our journey back home was uneventful, but the next day I woke up with a massive cold, hence I didn’t update my blog.

We stayed at home over New Year’s Eve and watched Hootananny. Not exactly exciting, but when you’re sick the last thing you need is a party and having to walk home because you can’t get a taxi.

Happy New Year everyone.