Hi and welcome to my last blog of 2022!

I did intend for this blog to be a full blown account of all the crap that I’ve been put through over the past few months, but after finally moving out the last of my things yesterday, I’m feeling nothing but relief and wanting to look forward to a more positive future. If you really want to hear about it all then please message me and I’ll send you my original notes, but for now, I’ve decided not to feed the bullies and liars, but to ignore and forgive them, as I know this is the best way to make them get bored and just go away. I don’t know how many times I’ve now listened to the fantastic podcast where Holly Tucker interviews Tim Smit (founder of The Eden Project). He talks about the need to remove yourself from negativity, and do you know what, that’s now exactly what I’ve done!

Of course, there’s also been loads of great stuff this year and I need to thank all of my amazing client’s and students of whom I’ve had the great privilege to meet. I’ve helped many (many!) couples design and make either their own or each other’s wedding and engagement rings, lots of them travelling from far and wide to come just to see little old me. One couple even came all the way from California (in the USA) and I feel incredibly humbled that they chose me to visit out of all of possible places they could have gone to make their rings!!!

I’ve also had the honour of being commissioned to rescue so many (I’m not very good at keeping track of the actual numbers so “lots” will have to do) sentimental family heirlooms from being destined to sit at the bottom of a drawer; turning them into new pieces of jewellery that will now be enjoyed and most importantly worn again. I’m always a bit nervous when I hand over a finished commission, but every time this year has been a joyful one with my clients (and me!) smiling (or sometimes crying, but thankfully with happy tears).

Then finally (in every respect of the word) I’ve opened my online shop! This is still a work in progress, that I’ll be improving on and updating over the coming months. The idea being that as well as my commissioned pieces, there will be ready to wear collections that are either already made and ready to post, or pieces that can be made to order “just as they are” without the need to go through the commissioning process.

So, what’s next for Anna Fine Jewellery and The Studio Jewellery School?….

Well, for now, I’m operating from my temporary, but lovely and warm and with a teeny tiny morning commute, home studio. I have my beautiful oak bench, and everything else that I need to continue working on commissions, and hopefully, now that I’m surrounded by nature and positivity, some fab new ideas! I’ll just expand on that last sentence a bit, as its something that I really want to exploit over the coming months. As an artist, I’m totally fine with the fact that I’ll never be entirely happy with the pieces I make. That’s exactly how it should be, but I can now go out of my back door, into my garden and be totally surrounded by nature. OK, it’s some rather wild and over grown nature (some people might even go as far as calling it weeds), but I think it’s beautiful, and absolutely full of inspiration that I’ve previously not been able to properly immerse myself in!

I’m also looking forward to being able to do some events again, some that are already booked, and some I’m currently “considering”. I can’t tell you about all of them just yet, but there’s definitely going to be more Severn Sisters exhibitions, the fantastic Eclectic Wedding Extravaganza in Birmingham, and of course the FarOpen Studios next July, which I’m planing on coinciding with the official opening of my new “Eco-Studio”!

Right, onto my new “proper” studio…my “Eco-Studio”….

This is so exciting! We’re making a fully functioning, purpose built, off-grid jewellery studio, that’ll be able to house my own bench as well as all my teaching benches. This means I’ll be able to continue to offer Make Your Own Wedding or Engagement Ring workshops, Experience Days, and if there’s enough hours left in my week, some regular group classes. The great thing about my new studio, is that because I won’t have any energy bills to pay, I’ll be totally in control of my costs, and so should be able to be a bit more flexible on minimum numbers to run a class.

Right, I’ve probably waffled on for long enough now and if you’re reading this on New Year’s Eve, then it’s probably time to go celebrate (or if you’re like me, fall asleep in front of Jools Holland on TV with an alarm set on your phone for 23:55)!