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Unique, edgy, eye catching and completely one of a kind polymer clay necklaces.

I was born into a family of artists, musicians and creators. As a child I was surrounded by art. My father was an art teacher and my earliest memories are of me and my brother playing in his studio or helping him set up the classroom where he taught. Not a day went by when my father didn't make, paint or create something and my brother and I were encouraged to do the same. Mum was and still is an incredible seamstress and talented interior designer and together with my Dad they were incredibly inspiring parents. Growing up in such an amazingly vibrant environment it is no surprise that I am completely passionate about art and design in all its many shapes and forms.

My main artistic areas centre around printmaking (lino cutting, dry point etching, woodcutting and monoprinting). I love watercolour pen and ink, and make my own stencils for my mixed media pieces whereby I build up the piece using decoupage and my own stencils. I also love to dabble with stained glass, I renovate old furniture and I love to practice silk painting and making up my own illustrations to my favourite books (a childhood passion of mine). Not a day goes by where I don;t pick up a paintbrush or do a little sketch of some sort.

I didn't go to University and I am primarily a self taught artist. However, for many years my artistic passion lay quietly dormant whilst I concentrated on bringing up my two beautiful grown up daughters. My lovely partner Nick and I recently moved to rural Worcestershire where I have been lucky enough to build a lovely studio in our large garden. After my dear father died I inherited the table that he built himself to work on and all of his art materials and from there my passion grew and grew. My 'shed' fondly became known as the Hen House and this is where I can be found most of the time!

Several years ago my dreams came true when I got my dream job working as an Art Technician in a large secondary school. I work with a team of super creative people and get so much inspiration from our talented students.

So when the pandemic hit last year, along with the rest of the world I was given the extraordinary gift of time and lots of it, Faced with so much time my creative juices really began to flow and I found myself trying out lots of different media and techniques. I then decided to have a go at something completely new and turned my hand to making polymer clay jewellery

Nick and I are mad rock music fans and before the pandemic struck we spent most of our time going to see our favourite bands. Over the years I spent countless hours looking for unusual 'rock chic' jewellery to wear to gigs and because I wasn't always successful in finding exactly what I wanted I decided to make my own pieces.

People then began to ask me about the necklaces I was wearing and when I told them I had made them myself I suddenly had a little fan club and found myself making jewellery for friends and family. I then realised I was onto something and it was at that point that I decided to sell my creations via Folksy.

I prefer using polymer clay because it is forgiving to work with and so adaptable. I love looking for different textures to translate into my clay pieces, and am forever scouring around looking for that special 'thing'. I love making my own moulds/ stencils and texture sheets and have incredible fun mixing up my craft supplies to get amazing designs and colours. Every day I manage to find something to press into raw clay and nothing beats the excitement of getting a superb impression which is what makes each of my pieces completely different to one another.

I have an obsession with light sources and all things glass. A lot of my pieces feature light catching elements and I am a bit of a bling monster! I think it goes back to when I was little and I was totally fascinated with my Nan's diamante broaches and earrings. I adore stained glass windows and that can be seen in my 'stained glass' collection. All of my pieces are finished in resin. This not only makes them strong and protects the inclusions within them, it also gives off an incredible glassy shine.

I have a passion for florals and enjoy creating my mixed media designs on mdf substrates, some of which I am offering for sale in my shop. I have had the best fun creating my floral pendants and can't wait for the summer to start wearing them. Some of them even feature flowers that I found and dried whilst out on my many walks during the lockdown last summer. What a way to remember 2020!

So that is a little bit about me. I really do make my pieces with love because I am truly passionate about what I do. My pieces make me happy and I hope that they bring you happiness too. The Hen House is a house of love and creation. Oh and lots of fun and good music!