Abigail A. Percy

Happy, happy...

2011-12-28T16:17:00.002Z

Hello everyone - I know it has been a long time since I have posted in this neglected space, but I hope you will all head over to our new blog (where I post regularly, honest!) and share in our most exciting news!

Ryan and I were engaged on Christmas Day...and I am the happiest gal in the world! Read all about it here ...

Merry Christmas to all, and best wishes for a beautiful 2012.

Farewell Sale...

2011-07-19T21:55:00.004Z

Hello everyone...

It's been a while since I have been in this space, so I don't know if there will be anyone reading really.

Anyway! - I wanted to stop in, as I have decided, after much reflection, to close my jewellery business to focus on our ever growing abigail*ryan homewares empire... we had recent success at the Liberty Open Call, and won an award at our first Trade Fair in early June. It's certainly keeping us busy ;)

I want to close with a bang, however, and say a HUGE thank you to all the customers who have supported me for the last six years - I am offering 30% off any item you would like to order from my shop (even on custom items, or pieces that have been r etired, so email me at let me know what you would like!)... think ahead to Birthdays, weddings and even Christmas, as I won't be here ;((

The discount code is 'FAREWELL' - shop HERE

Once again, thanks so much to everyone who has followed my blog, and supported me over the last few years - it means a lot to me, and I am so happy to know so much of my jewellery is out in the world being enjoyed...

I hope you will continue to follow my career and progress over at the blog I now share with my lovely partner Ryan... he creates some awesome recipes for sweet treats, so it's worth reading our blog for those alone! ;)

All my love,

Abigail xo

Ryan's 30th :)

2011-02-07T15:54:00.005Z

We had a fantastic weekend of celebrations for Ryan's big 30th birthday on Saturday...

We cooked a big Japanese feast full of all sorts of delicious treats, and I made a cake - we had pink champagne and party poppers, and then lit sky-lanterns outside and watched them float off in to the night...

Ryan got some amazing presents, I bought him a painting and his sister and brother in law bought him (us! hehe!) a gorgeous wooden chicken house so we can have hens in our garden... it's all very exciting!

It would be nice if you celebrated with us, too! We would like to extend a lovely 30% discount on all abigail*ryan goodies when you enter HAPPYBIRTHDAYRYAN at the checkout :)))

This will last until the end of the week!

*grin*

2011-01-12T19:13:00.002Z

Blinking and the days fly by so quickly...

Happy New Year everyone. Hope yours is already off to a stellar start!?

To be honest, I am really happy to have said goodbye to 2010... I know it's a little too far in to the new year to be looking back already (I maybe should have made this post on the 1st!), but in spite of it being a year full of a lot of happy things (my move to Belfast being one of them, Angus coming in to our little family etc) - it really did kick our arses!

Starting last January off with Swine Flu had me on my back for months, barely able to work and feeling very sick and emotionally drained... those feeling really only began to abate a few months ago - and I'm finally feeling stronger now. I have been struggling with a very painful stomach since the Summer, and on Monday, finally got my confirmed diagnosis of IBS from a gastroenterologist. Stress management is all that is to be done... so let's hope less finds us this year, egh?

Worse still, for me, has been seeing Mister Bell unwell. Hospitalised the monday before Christmas, very suddenly (again), I hate more than anything seeing him ill and can't wait for this year to bring some resolution to that... our first Christmas living together wasn't quite what it should have been, but it was together no less and we can't wait for all the rest of them, to roll by, more quietly...

My life is completely full of love and happiness (the mister and the pooch alone more than see to that!) so this year, I am just wishing for health for us both... oh, and a little wealth wouldn't go astray but it's not top of the list! ;)

Already, we have had some exciting news about fantastic new stockists for our homewares... you can read more here (I am over the top!)... and we are drinking to our health with yummy juice from our new juicer!

Looking forward to Spring and all our plans to expand abigail*ryan (a garden studio is on the horizon!)... I should be popping in to this space, but as my life has moved on, I feel a little more comfortable over in this space, telling you what we've been up to. Maybe it's just that so much has changed, a new space feels better, or maybe it's just that keeping two up is too much?!

BUT, I truly love hearing from all the people who stop in to my blog, so I would love if you would stop in and see me in the new(er) space, too...

Wishing everyone a truly fantastic 2011 - and that you all find and/or enjoy your health, wealth and happiness (love!)...

More soon,

Order Updates!

2010-12-16T13:00:00.003Z

Hello everyone!

It's been a bit quiet here on the blog, and that's because I have been holed up in the workshop working my socks off completing all the orders I received during my Pre-Christmas Sale...

Just to let everyone know - ALL orders to USA, Europe and other International countries have now been dispatched and will arrive before Christmas via express mail...

I am now processing UK orders and all parcels will leave my workshop by next Monday, via Special Delivery which is still running as priority mail despite the weather, and is arriving within 2 days...

Thank you all so much :)

Abigail x

Pup's first snow...

2010-12-04T16:04:00.004Z

Now that some snow has descended in Belfast, and that Angus is a little bigger (a week older, hah!), he got let out today to run around in the powder and ice in the back garden... despite shivering SO much, he was loving it ;)

He is now full of beans after being quite poorly following his injections and tablets, so it's nice that he's all bounding around being very entertaining and then collapsing for hours worth of sleep after tiring himself out.

Let's Mister Bell and I have a chance to catch up, too!

He was a very good help during our recent a*r photo-shoot... and was very taken with our Christmas Decorations! Best styling prop, ever, I say! ;))

Hope your weekend is lovely...

Axo

Tea-towels Galore...

2010-11-29T17:10:00.007Z

It feels like it's been a very long time in coming, but our brand new tea-towel designs have FINALLY arrived...so, I can at last share some exciting a*r homewares news. *grin*

The drawings for these were very labour intensive and intricate, so it seems like we have been working on these for a really long while! I am just delighted with how the printing has come out on these. They are so beautiful, and we are in love with the new colours!!

We are introducing these in the shop at £9.50, so they make a perfect Christmas gift, or host/hostess gift for the party season. I like to take a cake, or a bottle of wine wrapped in one!

We are working on some more house softies tonight - series one went down a storm at the Craft Fair, and we only have a few left of those. But, with each series, we will use a different abigail *ryan fabric on the back - so there will always be something new to collect.

Also coming soon to the shop are our lavender bags! They will be £11.00 each, boxed, and make the most beautiful gifts... we already have a backlog on pre-order as they are proving so popular...(we will be sewing some more of those tut suite, too!) - so do drop me a line if you are interested in early ordering...

As well as all that, we will also have a few heirloom quilts going online... they are so special.

Cushions, too! ;)

As if that wasn't enough for one weekend and week ahead, we have an exciting new addition to our family. Meet Angus - my new 8 week old Lhasa Apso pup. He's only been with us since Saturday, but he's settling in nicely and we're already the best of friends ;) Mister Bell bought him for me as an early Christmas pressie and has been keeping his impending arrival secret for weeks... he's so sneaky, that one! ;-*

More soon (and a HUGE thank you to everyone who ordered during my shop sale - it was a great success!)

xo, Abigail

The Sale is LIVE!!

2010-11-26T11:58:00.002Z

From now, until midnight (GMT) on Sunday the 28th of November, my huge Pre-Christmas Sale will run in my shop - giving you 25% discount on every order, and ensuring that your jewellery will be delivered in time for giving this Christmas...

Enter the code 'HAPPYHOLIDAYS2010' at checkout to make hand-made, even more fabulous! ;)

Click HERE to view my whole shop, and enjoy browsing and shopping!

Happy Holidays, everyone :)

A small hello + stay tuned!

2010-11-24T18:28:00.003Z

Hello to anyone who might still be out there keeping an eye on this little space... how are you all?

I'm keeping very busy at the moment with all sorts of things, in the last few weeks, Ryan and I took our abigail*ryan wares to a Craft Fair (that's me above, at our wee stall) and have a collection of our goods in a Pop-Up shop in Armagh, called TANK...you should go if you're nearby! There's some lovely thing... have a wee look here, and see!

I finished my first embroidery in some stolen moments (um... hours!?) and am on to number two already... tres relaxing.

I wanted to stop in and remind you all that from this Friday through until Sunday, I am running a pre-Christmas Sale in my shop. Each and every order placed during this period will be *guaranteed* for Xmas delivery and also will have a fantastic 25% off!!! I hope you will all enjoy treating yourself, and others, to some beautiful hand-made bijoux...

Please pass this on to all your friends and family, and help more people buy hand-made this Holiday Season :)

Before I go, I also wanted to wish all my American friends a wonderful Thanksgiving for tomorrow... I hope you all have a gorgeous, relaxing and joyful days!

xo to all.

Pre-Christmas Sale... announcement...

2010-11-01T20:43:00.003Z

Hello everyone - I hope you're all well :)

Just stopping in briefly to let you know that I will be running a pre-Christmas Sale in my shop, the weekend after Thanksgiving...

Every year I get a huge flood of orders, most of which are heading off over-seas, so I wanted to give everyone the chance to get their orders in nice and early this year, ensuring dispatch before the last guaranteed delivery dates from the UK. In addition, I thought I would give everyone a lovely discount (25%!), too - so you can perhaps treat yourselves, as well as your loved ones, to some beautiful jewellery! ;)

The full catalogue of designs in my shop will be available to order... and every item can be shipped all over the world.

I will be back in this space as the countdown begins!

xo for now,

Abigail

Officially ;)

2010-10-07T13:36:00.002Z

Hello everyone - I just wanted to stop in to say I am officially taking a little break from this blog. My posts recently have been inconsistent at best, so I thought it best to make a wee announcement rather than let it drag on...

We are so busy working on new abigail*ryan goodies for launch before Xmas that that is taking up most of our time (and so I am not working on much new in the jewellery front), and we are sharing our adventures over on our a*r blog - so there's probably no point in double posting it all here, too! ;)

On top of that, I'm still not feeling great most days, and am uber tired and stressed and just need to cut something out for a few weeks and reduce any added pressures...

So... see you soon friends! Hope you will keep up with us over in this space in the meantime...

xoxo Abigail

abigail*ryan Cushions = :)

2010-09-27T19:49:00.004Z

Hello everyone,

Just a quick note from us to let you know we are running a special on our abigail*ryan cushions - Buy one and get one HALF PRICE!! :)

You can see our full range of cushions RIGHT HERE... hand made from our own exclusive fabrics combined with Irish linen, filled with soft duck feather inserts...mmm... lovely ;)

It's a fact that our cushions make people (and chairs) happy, you will know this for sure if you own one already or watch this little animationwe made (proof, you see!).

All you need to do is enter the code "HAPPYCUSHIONS" at the checkout in our shop to recieve your discount*...

We hope this will start your week off nicely!!

All our best,

Abigail & Ryan

*the discount is only for the cushions at this time, but if you add something else to your basket it will automatically become discounted too... if this happens, we will just shoot you along another little invoice to remedy this, so feel free to purchase as you wish as we will smooth everything out afterward ;)

Any questions, just email us at info@abigailryan.com

Home...

2010-09-24T22:22:00.003Z

Having been away, it's really amazing to come HOME...

I moved to Northern Ireland in May to be with Ryan - and it's the first time we've been away since then. So good to come back after a trip and really *feel* all the hard work we've put in to make our home, home.

We're really happy here. Really happy in general, and I wanted to share some little corners of our place with you...

Click HERE to see more :)

xoxo A

Weekend Fun...

2010-09-11T12:38:00.005Z

We've been working really hard these past few weeks... designing loads of new products for Christmas (I know, I know! Already, right?), and I have been drawing like a machine these past few days for new designs (tea-towels, fabrics... newness... you name it!)...Dahlia's are done (can't wait to show you) and today is Agapanthus and/or Hydrangeas... :)

I'm kinda in heaven...

So - we decided we needed to have a little bit of fun too, on top of all the 'serious' work!

We made this little animation with our a*r cushions and are pretty much in love with it (Ryan did all the hard editing work, the clever chap)... we hope you will all dance along with our happy little chair ;)

*grin*

Bon weekend, everyone.

2010-08-30T18:58:00.003Z

Three months in (since the move) and our workshop is still a disaster... I kid you not!

We may have to admit defeat at some point soon and reassess having three businesses all together in one modestly sized room... hehe... we may EVEN have to loose our guest bedroom to the entrepreneurial effort ;))

Still, here is a wee peek past all the mess (I haven't been able to muster the courage to share before now)... at the view over our garden which I look out on from the studio (slash jungle... it needs a trim!), my bench and our desk, where I have been working on new drawings for the abigail*ryan range... we're really snowed under right now trying to get lots of things made and realised!! It's hard to know which thing to do first.

I think I need a list or twenty!?

I wanted to stop in quickly tonight to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who ordered during my birthday sale - I am working really hard in the workshop this week to try and get everything out to you as soon as possible... thanks for making it the best birthday sale yet! Getting older ain't so bad really... ;)

Off to cook my Mister dinner... he's sewing up a storm!

more soon, xox

Annual Birthday Sale...

2010-08-25T09:43:00.003Z

Hi everyone - it's been another busy week so far, can't believe it's Wednesday!

BUT, it is, and it's my birthday to boot!

And so, it's time for my annual ONE DAY ONLY birthday sale - to say thank you for your support throughout the year. Great thing is, as I get older, the discount gets better! ;) Today I am 27... so there will be 27% discount!!!

We have decided to run the sale not only in my Jewellery shop, but also in our abigail*ryan homewares shop, which is uber exciting, as we have not EVER reduced any stock there since launch... we hope you enjoy treating yourselves and thinking ahead to xmas pressie giving etc!

I have some jewellery in stock, but most will need to be made. Depending on order volumes, I may not be able to get them all out next week (I am heading back to Glasgow for 2.5 weeks for a little holiday) - so please allow until the end of September for dispatch/delivery.

ENTER the code ' BDAYSALE2010 ' at checkout! And click HERE to shop jewellery, and HERE to shop abigail*ryan...

Enjoy and Happy Shopping!!

xoxox Abigail

Summer Speeding by...

2010-08-17T17:42:00.004Z

I can't quite believe how fast the Summer is flying by - we have spent the last few weeks trying to get our health back on track, and it's finally working after many trips to the doctor and lot's of taking it easy... it's been frustrating for us as we have so much work we want to be getting on with and we just had no option but to REST, so, it's been fab feeling able to do some great things this past week and really get stuck in...

We took a lovely trip to the Botanic Gardens a few weeks back to get some new inspiration for me - I am drawing for our new line of abigail*ryan goodies which will be debuting soon... it's really nice to be putting pen to paper and I am loving all the luscious blooms I am working with!!

We've been working on some quilts recently, soon to launch in our homewares shop - it's been so rewarding for us to create true heirloom pieces with such beautiful fabric as our Irish linen and, of course, our own exclusive prints - we're so excited to share :)

Back soon!

My poor neglected blog...

2010-07-22T19:58:00.005Z

Hello everyone - bad blogger here once again (bows head)...

The last few weeks have been a little crazy to say the least. Something we were working on very hard but couldn't talk about until now was a big surprise part we threw for Ryan's Mums 50th birthday - we hosted it here (bouncy castle in the back yard and all!) and baked and decorated our dream cake for the occassion.

The cake alone took a week of solid work - learning sugar-craft was a whole lot of fun though and we had a blast. Overall, we were delighted with our design for the cake as centrepiece! What do you think?!

You can see a little more of the cake HERE :)

In addition - we've been sick (still/again)! UGH times a million... I've been bad, but Ryan was much worse - trips to doctors and A+E made last week very worrying, upsetting and very stressful and we're just beginning to find our feet a little again now. I don't think I could have cried any more!

Spending lots of time recovering making simple, good food - a must for our delicate tummies ;)

This morning, for brunch, a Japanese sushi feast I prepared with rice left over from last nights dinner... the other day, lovingly baked Korean treats by Ryan were oh-so nice to wake up to - we shared the recipe HERE... fresh veg harvested from our garden - we pulled some carrot nubs this evening to munch on, and R has some spinach soup on the stove as I type after our perpetual spinach went insane!

Just stopping in to say hello... there is a lot happening and evolving work-wise, and I can't wait to share. I will, very soon. I promise!! :) We got some lovely press for abigail*ryan homewares, HERE and HERE in the last month so things are very happy workwise in that camp!

Oh yes... here's me on the bouncy castle for your amusement... we had a blast, but there is only so much bouncing a girl can do in a silk party frock before she starts to look a little worse for wear, so this is as much as I care to share of the sweaty/bouncy/rained on but super happy spectacle ;)

*grin*

more soon,

Axo

p.s. No, our gorgeous four year old niece never did run out of energy for bouncing. She was good for a full TWO days ;) Oh - to have that energy now! ;)

Bounty...

2010-07-06T17:35:00.004Z

There is some fantastically tasty treats coming out of our garden these days - the sweetest of which were our first few ripened strawberries which we picked the other day... they were so very juicy and tasty, I can't wait for the rest to red-up!

Thanks so much to everyone who left well-wishes on my last post... my horrible stomach flu lingered on for a good bit longer and seems to keep coming and going. Eating beef seems to be a bit of a flash-point for not feeling at ALL well, so I've cut that out as a start (I never used to eat very much red meat, it just so happened there has been more of it on the menu since I moved over)...good thing there is so much veg getting ripe in the yard! ;)

Still feeling drained, exhausted and a bit off and really hoping to be able to shake this off soon... sadly, I think it's all a throw back to Swine Flu at the beginning of the year, and it's proving hard for me, and Ryan's sister and Mum to get our health and energy levels back up to par! It's really quite tiresome, especially when there is so much to do to just keep up with day-to-day!!

ANYWAY - on to nicer things... ;)

I am working on some limited edition summer necklaces inspired by all the veg we're growing. Think carrots, lettuce and lovely beets in silhouette - cute, quirky and quietly humourous... I'll be sharing them with you, and they will be on sale likely this time next week!!! Hope you will all check back then.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world... hopefully be back in this space more and more from now on, all things willing, and sharing more from our new home...

back soon and happy new week!

How the days fly...

2010-06-20T19:30:00.003Z

Time is flying by - the days since the move have been disappearing before my very eyes, not helped at all by my back being seriously out for several weeks, slowing me down hugely and now my being down with a horrible stomach flu...

Three days in, and counting, I'm a little exhausted but enjoying looking back at these photos from the back garden taken just the other day when I was between time-sucking and energy-sapping disasters!! ;)

Roll on easier days and ones where I can get back to work (please!)...

Close-Up...

2010-06-02T18:32:00.004Z

I took these last week, and even since then, things have come on so much...

The tomatoes have doubled in size, the strawberries are beginning to get fruit and today we were out planting more crops (spinach, mange tout, herbs galore, carrots) and there are more to be done (lettuce, three kinds, and some golden beets) so I think our salad bowl will be well served as the summer shines on!

I am excited to hopefully be attending these two events at the Ulster Festival of Art and Design...Neisha Crosland is speaking, as is Textile artist (and friend!) Deirdre Nelson...both will be fantastic, I'm sure!

Roll on next week, egh??

Getting Settled...

2010-05-18T16:52:00.005Z

Hello from my new home in Belfast!

Thanks so much for all your kind well wishes for the move - it went as smoothly as could have possibly hoped for...

We're just over one week in after the big move and the dust is beginning to settle. We pretty much have our downstairs sorted - we've already cooked a dinner for 10, painted our bathroom, and we've even put in some time in the garden, which has been lovely. Some sunshine, deck-chair time and fresh air has been just the ticket - even if all the rain has given me some SERIOUS weeds to contend with!

My lovely chap surprised me with heaps of tomato and strawberry plants, which I had great fun potting up with my amazing new potting scoop from Joseph Bentley - hope they do well and give us some tasty eats! Can't wait to plant more edible goodies... I think I am hooked! ;)

In other news - we have reached 100 posts over at our abigail*ryan blog! Yay!

SO! We have decided to run a give-away... we want to hear what our lovely readers like about our existing range and what you would like to see from our homewares brand in the future. All you have to do is leave us a little comment over on our blog post HERE - and you could win a gorgeous set of our Sycamore Scallop tea-towels in Ink and Turquoise...

Good luck to everyone and please pass it on to your friends, we would love to hear from you!!

Back soon with more tales from beneath the piles of boxes! ;)

xo Abigail

Moving Day...

2010-05-08T11:23:00.004Z

Well, the day has finally arrived - the volcano ash has thrown everything it has at us (me home to Glasgow a week later than planned to start packing and so very behind, Mister Bell on a boat sailing his way here to help me finish up) - but D-Day has come nonetheless...

I'm still packing though the removers come at 6ish, there is still stuff to be done - but our last night in our wee Glasgow love nest has been had (I slept like a log as I was sooo tired!) and this evening we will be saying goodbye...

I will be so sad to leave this little flat, it's been fantastic and full of so many memories even after just two years. If I'm honest, I've probably had some of the best times of my life here!

...however, I am so looking forward to starting my new life in Belfast, and my new life with Ryan in our first home together.

Tomorrow, we get our forever.

It feels really good.

Farewell Glasgow, I will miss you!!

*kisses*

xox

Handle with care...

2010-04-27T17:50:00.004Z

I began my packing in earnest yesterday - my living room is almost completely finished now, my books and magazines (you know, the ones you just can't part with!?) all boxed off and labelled, and all my fragile bits and pieces too... it's only when you begin to pack that you think, simultaneously, "man, I have a LOT of stuff" and "how easily your life can pack up into a couple of boxes"...weird.

The workshop is now closed for three weeks, so I began my final stock-take late last night, counting every last pearl and bead, item of jewellery etc and I can get everything dismantled in there and packed up. It's a big job, but with another push tonight, I hope I can break the back of it.

Taking down my inspiration wall was a little sad, the workroom looks so bare now - but I am looking forward to curating a new one in our new studio room in Belfast! :)

Snapping some little bits of my day as I went...

xo A

Studio Clearance Bonanza - part FOUR!!

2010-04-26T16:28:00.004Z

Hollyhock Earrings, 18ct gold plated silver - studs - TWO pairs available (ONE pair SOLD - thank you!)...

Original Price £85.00 - SALE PRICE: £50.00

Buttercup Double Chain Necklace (18") 18ct gold plated silver, twist links onto double chain - Original Price £120.00 - SALE PRICE: £75.00

Sweet Sweet Horse Chestnut Duo Earrings, 18ct gold plated silver, hooks

Original Price £120.00 - SALE PRICE: £60.00

(SOLD - Thank you!!)

All sales are plus recorded, insured P&P.

Hi everyone - a few more items hitting my studio clear-out sale today, and some lovely ones to boot!! I found another pair of the SHC long earrings, so hopefully those will find a good home, there are two pairs of the hollyhocks, and the buttercup necklace is patiently waiting to turn someones chin yellow ;)

I began packing up the house today, and am beginning the workshop this evening - so please allow 3 full weeks for any new orders placed. (I can dispatch sale items immediately as they are in stock)... it's so odd to be putting all my stuff in boxes and dismantling the space, makes it all seem real and I know move day will be here before I know it!! eek!!

I am a little behind after being stranded in Belfast for a week longer than intended because of the closure of UK airspace (volcano-gate!) so I really have to get stuck in and make up the time...

Hope your weeks are all off to a good start! If anyone is interested in nabbing any of these bargains - just shoot me an email at abigailpercy[at]gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo Abigail

p.s. there are still pieces available from the sale, parts ONE, TWO and THREE. Check em out! :) I want to clear all my old designs out of the studio before I move... :)

Growth...

2010-04-18T19:43:00.004Z

I am so happy with my little plug plants - I picked these up in the supermarket where they were reduced to 35 pence and 45 pence! All these plants for under a pound - isn't that great!? I just planted them out into bigger pots a week ago and they have positively exploded... we even have a flower already!

I also have two blueberry plants and a cream Magnolia, along with 2 hydrangeas {which have struggled since they came home from Ikea a month or so ago - boo!} to plant out, so I am choosing pots and trying to find a moment to get that done in amongst all our clearing out/packing! We have started some sunflower seeds on our windowsill and every time Mister Bell is at the sink he calls out... 'another one's up'... it was five this morning, and now (9pm) we have 8... and leaves.

Feeling very chuffed at this point ;)

This is the first time I have had a garden as an adult - always living in apartments does limit that somewhat, so I can't wait to get stuck into this lovely space! It's really big {with wild garlic growing up at the back - which we maybe need to find a recipe for?} and has a great big deck...so I'll be starting with lots of pots and creating some beds and see where that takes me.

Herbs are a must too - as the garden is just out from our kitchen...and even though Ryan says they're "boke"- I am listening to him as much as I ever do, and he will certainly be enjoying many dinners cooked with them from now on. Probably obliviously...as long as it's not coriander {aka: his nemesis}.

I am so scared of having a black thumb, I am flexing my green fingers oh-so gingerly! ;)

I promise to share my progress, and am looking forward to many of the blooms I am trying to grow winding their way into my jewellery designs, or into my drawings for our homewares!

What's been good for you in the garden so far this year? Any tips for a newbie?? ;)

More soon!
xo

What I have been up to...

2010-04-07T15:24:00.003Z

Once again, the days are speeding by! This time, it's not through being ill - or even with very much jewellery making at all... it's been vanishing in the midst of decorating, building furniture and clearing out!

In preparation for my big across the sea hop in almost exactly four weeks time [yikes!] - we have embarked on clearing out our house in Belfast {to fit me in!} and decorating here and there. First up was our bedroom which we were swapping rooms for...and I am really delighted with it now it's finished. It's beautiful, and we are sleeping VERY soundly each night! :)

Click over to our abigail*ryan blog for a full run down on our scheme {above}...I am hearting the colours very hard!

I will be posting more clearance jewellery in the next day or so for those who are keeping their eyes out, and have a few limited edition necklaces for Spring which will be going up too. Now to find the camera chord and charger. Possibly easier said than done! ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Daffodils are up here {and in jugs in the house!} and we are getting glimpses of sunshine each day... Spring is on it's way, maybe!

I'll show you some seedlings I have coming up too - nothing like a little fresh green growth to make you feel a little brighter.

back soon,
xo A

Studio Clearance Bonanza - part THREE!!

2010-03-22T15:14:00.005Z

Olive Leaf Necklace - 18ct gold plated silver pierced leaf, large dark smokey quartz beads strung on heavy bead cord.

Original Price £300.00 - SALE PRICE: £165.00

3 necklaces available!

Begonia Outline Earrings - 18ct gold plated silver.

Large intricately pierced outline earrings - one of a kind!

Original Price £225.00 - SALE PRICE: £140.00
SOLD - thank you :)

Hi everyone... part three of my studio clear out is up today!

Another pair of earrings {one off outline earrings this time!}, and an amazing necklace {which was featured in a fab photoshoot a few years back!} - which I happen to have three of, so hopefully there will be less disappointed emails to answer ;)

Thanks so much for embracing the studio clear-out so heartily, it's quite sad to be letting some of these pieces go - but we also have a huge amount of money to raise to help pay for the move, so it is necessary as well as good to purge and start afresh in the studio!! Every piece I sell is an amazing help towards paying for the move, so thank you all very much...

Mister Bell's parents came over at the weekend to spend a few days in Glasgow and took a car-full of abigail*ryan stock back to Belfast {which had been here for the Christmas rush!} so I feel like stage one has commenced... now we just need to load vans with my whole flat full of things {how do you gather SO much stuff by the age of 26?!} and get it all across the water come May...

But one thing at a time... and working through the workshop is a great start! ;)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend...

Back soon, xo

Studio Clearance Bonanza - part TWO!

2010-03-17T19:29:00.004Z

New Leaf Necklace - 18ct gold plated silver setting and catch, carved and stained faux ivory, smokey quartz beads, and central gemstone. Limited Edition of two.

Original Price £450.00 - SALE PRICE: £270.00

Sweet Horse Chestnut Duo Earrings - 18ct gold plated silver, smokey quartz briolettes.

Original Price £120.00 - SALE PRICE £70.00

***SOLD... thank you!!!***

Hi everyone - I'm back from a short trip to Belfast, and have resumed my studio clearance sale in preparation for the big move!!

The two pieces above are ones I really love - another carved necklace - 'New Leaf' - this time with a very large and particularly lovely smokey quartz central stone {vintage!} and a strand of lovely sparkly faceted beads, also smokey quartz. I have only ever made two of these necklaces, and this is the last one... I have also included my original paint-up design above to give you an idea of the whole look, it's very regal and makes a really special statement piece!

Next up are the Sweet Horse Chestnut Duo earrings - elegant, long and swingy...these mis-matched beauties are finished off with stunning, large smokey quartz briolette stones, perfect for adding a little bit of understated sparkle to your look...

As always, just drop me an email at abigailpercy[at]gmail.com if you would like to purchase a piece, and I will email you back to confirm and then forward you a paypal invoice, which will also include an additional P+P cost...

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I will be back with more pieces, and news, very soon!!!

Abigail xo

p.s. Be sure to check out Mister Bell's STUNNING new jewellery pieces over at DesireLines, and our new Draft Excluders over at abigail*ryan... more details over on our a*r blog! :)

Studio Clearance Bonanza - part ONE!

2010-03-01T19:20:00.005Z

Sweet Horse Chestnut Necklace: 18ct gold plated silver setting, carved and stained faux ivory, smokey quartz beads. Strung circumference 80cm - hangs around mid-torso {not quite long enough to double up} - Original Price: £220GBP - SALE PRICE = £110.00

SOLD - thank you!! :)

Sweet Horse Chestnut Brooch: Degree show, 2005. 18ct gold plated silver, carved faux ivory, 18ct gold pin. This brooch has been re-plated and is a softer matt gold now. Probably one of the most intricate piceces I have ever made, and one of my favourites - I will be sad to see it go!

Original Price £600.00 - SALE price = £300.00

Hi everyone!

As promised, here are some details of the archive pieces from my Vintage collection {ones which I no longer make!} that I am offering up here, exclusively on my blog, as part of my studio relocation in the coming months...

I have a two special pieces today: a carved necklace, and a brooch I made for my degree show collection in 2005 - so it really is the last chance to get your hands on these designs! ;) I will be offering up the others over the coming few days...

I am selling each piece at HALF the original price, and it is first come, first served. Just email me at abigailpercy@gmail.com and I will email you back to comfirm...

Thanks so much for stopping by, please feel free to email me with any questions, too! :)

xo, Abigail

Time machine...

2010-02-27T14:14:00.003Z

Whilst clearing out my sideboard yesterday {and boy, I was brutal... I have cleared more than 14 black bin bags from the house in the last few days!} I found these leaves pressed in an old little notebook, right at the back.

I was throwing it away and it was sheer fluke that I found them... reminding me in a heartbeat of a holiday in Provence several years ago now when I gathered them in the blazing heat one sleepy afternoon...

I guess that is the thing about clearing out. Every little thing is linked with a memory, or a person... it's very hard to be strict with yourself and not just turn into a pack-rat!

BUT, a clear flat = a clearer mind... which I could totally do with ;)

Bon weekend, all.

p.s. my clearout/cleaning music?? Kings of Leon ;)

And by night...

2010-02-24T14:20:00.003Z

Now, I did say I might have nothing more to share than more steamed buns, didn't I? ;) Fair warning was given...

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome back, get well wishes and congrats on the forthcoming move... it's all very exciting, and apart from the physical hell of actually *moving* {which I am trying not to think about!} I think it will be pretty darn swell.

It was a busy weekend of a quick trip through to Edinburgh, some time in the workshop, dinner at the 'rents and a tummy bug which wiped out my Monday {boo!} - but I am hoping to turn things round by the end of the week!

Last night, I was teaching my Botanical Drawing class and today I have been catching up with some much neglected chores around the house. Mostly dishes and cleaning!! I need to get stuck into clearing out some junk in prep for the move {a big cupboard and six years worth of magazines are calling}... but first things were first. ;)

All the time I have spent sitting on my bum for the last weeks have catapulted me back into reading which has been lovely - for almost a year now, my head and schedule have been far too full to really knuckle down to anything, despite numerous attempts. I picked up The Coral Thief yesterday, which I am looking forward to starting in the next day or two...

Time to fix a snack now {something suitably gentle - like a smoked salmon bagel!} and crack on with the last of my cleaning...

More soon, and hopefully more than steamed buns, to boot!

;) xo

No really... back this time ;)

2010-02-19T13:27:00.004Z

I can't really believe another month has gone by {more than, even!} since my last blog post... every day I have wanted to pick up my camera and photograph little bits of my day and what I have been tentatively doing - and every day I have not managed.

This horrible flu has knocked me way harder than I thought, and even more than six weeks on/in... I am still having bad days.

It's all terribly BORING. Bless poor Mister Bell who has to put up with me going all weak and grey at regular intervals, and... sounding somewhat surprised, saying "God, I really don't feel well" for the umpteenth time that week. I think he deserves a prize!!

Still - as I said, it's all terribly boring, so I won't yap on much longer. I would be surprised if anyone is still checking in with this little space... no-one loves tumble-weeds! ;)

However - I picked up my camera today - so I hope the spell is somewhat broken!!

We are currently obsessed with these amazing bread buns we found frozen at the Chinese supermarket... we steam them every morning and have them plain or with some fruit jam and they are absolutely divine. I am hoping those + red bean mochi + miso soup + lots of fish will cure me. It's certainly a diet I would be happy to die trying, anyway ;)

The lovely orchids are left over from the Botanical Illustration class I am teaching just now on Tuesday nights - I thought they looked sweet in my little pebble vases from Paris, atop the pink granny square Mister Bell crocheted a few weeks ago...my toast catalogue arrived this morning too.

In other news, I am having a big clear out in the workshop {as a BIG MOVE is coming very soon!! :D} - I am going to be offering up some more one off gallery pieces from previous years {think statement necklaces and brooches with carved ivory and juicy smokey quartz!} over the next week or so. They are going to be massively discounted as many of them are one off items, and discontinued designs {like the carved pieces!}... so it's your chance to pick up a bargain. More details to follow...

We also have some fantastic draft excluders coming at abigail*ryan... because, I don't know about you - but it's still damn chilly here!

Okay... heading into the workshop soon, so I will go for today. Planning to be back very soon... maybe sharing more sweet treats if nothing else!?

xo Abigail

Back...

2010-01-11T18:13:00.005Z

The Mister is currently softly snoozing beside me after doing some chunky crocheting {oooh, I think it's a cowl!? *excited* ... will share soon!}...so I thought I would snaffle these few moments to stop in and say Hi...

It's a brand new year and I already feel like I have dropped the ball in this space - however, in a slight change from last year, I refuse to feel too badly about it. I seriously needed some time off after working so hard in the lead-up to Christmas {between the two of us, running our businesses and launching our new one!}, some time doing nothing to ring in the new year, to recharge my weary body and oh-so weary mind and do a little bit of nothing - some time not worrying, and not trying to juggle it all.

Mister Bell and I are in Belfast doing a good bit of exactly that!

Spanner in the works time, however, as I am, at this point, fairly under the weather - the whole Belfast side of the family have been fighting Swine Flu {yes, you heard it right!} for several weeks and now I seem to have succumbed. It's all so very frustrating as there is no hard and fast symptoms, and the doctors don't even check any more but I am swinging between feeling pretty crappy and rather hideously rough... a week in, and I am already bored of being so sore and tired.

I would rather get stuck into the year now! ;) But, what can you do??

We wanted to run sales in our shops to celebrate the snow and to thank you for all your support this year - but now, orders will be going out a little slowly because of the above... still, we wanted to say thank you nonetheless so there is 20% off in my shop, and in Ryan's, until I am back in the workshop - which will {hopefully} be a week tomorrow...

Ryan blogged more about the sale HERE :) Our codes are 'SNOWDAY10' = a lovely great whacking 20% off!

So far the year has been off to a lovely start apart from being not well - we cooked a big Hogmanay dinner for the family {traditional Scottish fair, a big steak pie!} and have spent lots of days snuggling on the sofa together, watching movies, Mister Bell playing his new computer games... leafing through cookery books we got as Christmas presents, baking together - cooking and eating good food...it's been lovely.

We even hit up Ikea in a bid to get organised - so far we have tackled the front room and it's looking great so far...shelving and storage on each side of the fire-place... DVDs all alphabetised and organised, space in many a nook for pretty things and book-shelves waiting to be filled. Now we are on the hunt for a rug - something on a budget, as sadly {really, really I mean sadly} I can't stretch to this one! ;)

I bought a new orchid to stem my floral craving though. I felt it was a necessity and an apt reward for braving Ikea {twice in two days!}.

Okay - I shall go for now, my energy window has passed and I am running on empty.

Hoping to be back soon, and able to share all sorts of new things with you. I already know 2010 is going to be a busy and exciting year for me with huge changes and new horizons... can't wait to kick this flu and get royally stuck in!!

Happy New Year everyone :)

xo

p.s. the image above is Charlie Harper. R bought me the *amazing* Todd Oldham book for Christmas, and I just adore it... good thing too, as he almost broke his ankle and wrist falling down the stairs at the train station in Glasgow carrying it home! That's love for you, egh? ;)

Merry Christmas...

2009-12-24T13:58:00.004Z

Well, it's been another hectic week - a weekend trip to Belfast and back, final posting of parcels, last minute Christmas shopping - hurry, hurry, hurry! It's what the lead-up to the Holidays is these days...

And so, I am especially glad to be able to sit down at this juncture, knowing everything is finished - that I can do no more, and that I get to have some relaxing time and enjoy tomorrow, eating and drinking good things, giving nice things too... that I can take a breath.

Wishing everyone who reads my little blog the most wonderful Christmas - and Happy Holidays to all.

See you on the other side of the weekend!!

with love, Abigail xo

Glasgow's Necropolis...

2009-12-15T23:51:00.004Z

Today we took a wander to Glasgow's Necropolis {city of the dead, cheerful, right? ;)}...which I had never been to before.

I loved the carvings on some of the crypts - they were so beautiful. The sky was amazing, and in the fading light I took many a shot of the bare trees and monument silhouetted against the mist and gloom... I'll share those soon. ;)

Just a wee reminder - we are still accepting orders for Christmas... and still running our 15% off sale - we can guarantee Christmas delivery in the UK, and although the last postal date to europe and the US has just passed, fingers crossed, they may still make it {in my experience they often do!}...

Check out my shop - the discount code is HH2009, and the DesireLines shop, also with the discount code HH2009...

Our wee sale finishes on Thursday!

Happy Tuesday, all.

Busy Bee's!...

2009-12-14T11:45:00.004Z

Hi everyone - it's been another busy week here in the HQ! Orders getting wrapped and shipped {in this photos, it's a big stack of tea-towels!}...and our launch show at Welcome Home last Saturday too...

Last night we put up our Christmas tree [YAY!], it was late {hence the dark photos} and we were so very tired, BUT, getting up this morning to the scent of my nordmann pine, I am really glad we did. Even if Mister Bell mocked my Christmas fairy... ;)

I bought some amazing Christmas decorations last year when I was in California, and have waited a whole year to use them - SO exciting!! Have a look over at the abigail*ryan blog for more decoration pics!

...we will take a photo of the tree all lit up tonight!

We have a friend coming over from Belfast today for a few nights, so I will dash for now and crack on.

Happy Monday, all! xo

Happy Holidays Sale - 15% off!...

2009-12-10T13:42:00.003Z

Hi everyone!

As the final postal dates are rapidly approaching - we wanted to offer you all a lovely big discount as our way of saying Happy Holidays!

Both myself, and Ryan are offering 15% off ALL our jewellery as well as off Ryans amazing one off bags {seriously, this is a GREAT offer, I can never emphasise enough how much I love his handbags!}...and this offer will be good though until 17th of December...

To shop Abigail A. Percy Designer Jewellery, click HERE and enter the code HH2009 at checkout!

To shop DesireLines - Luxury Accessories, click HERE and enter the code HH2009 at checkout!

Thanks so much and we hope you will find some fantastic gifts for yourself and loved ones!!

xo Abigail & Ryan

p.s. Don't forget about our abigail*ryan launch weekend at Welcome Home this coming Saturday from 3-7. Hope to see you there! :)

Special Offers...

2009-12-06T14:45:00.005Z

I have recently had some items back from a gallery in London - where they have been on show for some time and I have a few designs which I have since discontinued from my shop, but thought I would offer them up here to my lovely readers, and on facebook to people who so kindly fan me {not just when I'm warm ;)}...

First up, above, is the Begonia Necklace - I had actually forgotten how much I loved this piece - and almost want to keep it for myself, but I would rather someone else gets the enjoyment from it! It's so cool and chunky and would look awesome with some winter knits...it is hand pierced 18ct gold plated silver with chunky smokey quartz beads :)

It used to retail for £250.00 - so I am selling it here for 50% off, at £125.00

Next up, above, is this lovely carved Geranium Necklace - now, this one is nice and long... hanging around bust length... it's so lovely and unusual, it's making me a little nostalgic for my carving days! It's faux ivory, carved by me, in an 18ct gold plated silver setting, strung with smokey quartz...

It used to retail for £200.00 - so I am also discounting this one by half, and selling at £100.00 - SOLD, thank you! :)

Finally, above - a pair of ultra long and ultra swish Sweet Horse Chestnut duo earrings ... these were some of the first designs I did for my Vintage diffusion collection...and still really love wearing my own pair!

The long chain gently grazes your collarbone in length, so they are really dramatic! Hand pierced from sheet sterling silver and plated in 18ct gold... You can see them being worn here, courtesy of mav ;)

Originally retailing for £120 - I am putting these on clearance at £60.00...SOLD - thank you! :)

So - last opportunity to buy these designs, and to snap yourself a bargain to boot - maybe a treat to yourself for Christmas party season?! If you are interested... send me an email at abigailpercy[at]gmail[dot]com . All will come beautifully gift wrapped, ready for giving to yourself or a loved one, as usual :)

...first come, first served!

Happy Sunday all,

New for Old...

2009-12-05T22:06:00.002Z

Over the years I have had many requests and custom orders to make some of my best selling designs in silver {sans gold-plating!}... well, I have finally gotten round to adding what has been so asked for to my online shop - some old favourites in a NEW colourway! ;)

I've shared some of them above, and even as a die-hard gold fan, I have to admit... I am smitten too!

The final posting dates for Christmas are coming up - so if you would like anything from me for the Holidays' get shopping! ;)

I've been doing some Christmas shopping myself - and I am buying almost exclusively handmade!! Here are some new things I have found along the way which I think would make really cool gifts...

Amazing felt trees from Intres!

Beautiful textile jewellery from Maranon...

These guys are the cutest! ;)

A beautiful papercut from made by Julene...

Why not wrap your gifts in these amazing fabric wrappings?

Ooh, now I want the 25th to be here! Can't wait to wrap all that I've got for my loved ones, make some things and finally snap up the rest :) {I will, of course, be giving millions of tea-towels ;)}...

Are you buying handmade this Christmas? And, if so... who's shops are you loving!?

Hit me up!!

abigail*ryan @ Welcome Home...

2009-12-05T11:36:00.003Z

Next Saturday, the 12th of December - we are holding a one day Christmas shopping event, as part of our abigail*ryan homewares launch, at Mhari's store, Welcome Home, in Glasgow's West End.

I hope you will join us for mince pies and Christmassy drinks - Mister Bell and I will both be there along with lots of lovely stock of cushions, tea-towels and gift-sets and hand sewn Christmas decorations - we hope you can make it!!

Where: Welcome Home, 19 Keith Street, Partick, Glasgow, G11 6QQ

When: 3-7pm, Saturday the 12th of December.

Please do swing by!! :)

abigail & ryan

Perforations = RSI...

2009-12-02T20:51:00.005Z

...but it's so worth it ;)

I worked on my first perforated piece {the Magnolia Brooch, above - a big'un!} a good few months ago {God, now I think about it, it was the early Summer!} and really loved a new found way for me to explore silhouette, and combine it with my hand piercing to add further detail in 2D...

I had done so much carving previously to add form, I was looking for something new!

Despite the RSI after drilling so many hundreds of holes, I really liked the effect and loved playing with the cameo shapes {I got new oval mandrels - bliss! ;)}...as I always refer back to an age gone by... so I was really excited to work on another special piece this Christmas using the same effect. I especially love making necklaces too, so this was fun.

I knew this piece had to be kept silver, as when I plated the magnolia brooch, I secretly preferred it silver - so this was clear in my mind. When I found two strings of amazing, smooth, oval Green Garnet beads - I knew it was a match made in [my kind of] heaven...

So I got cracking! ;)

You can see a little more of the Magnolia Necklace HERE :)

Just thought I would share a little background on a few of the new Christmas pieces this week - I know I have not shared as much of my process as I normally would on the blog these last few months what with time being so tight - so now I can finally sit back and share some little tid-bits...

Hope you're all well and still enjoying the peeks - and thank you SO much for embracing the launch of abigail*ryan so warmly... Mister Bell and I are over the moon.

Happy Wednesday, all.

Shop Update and abigail*ryan launch!!...

2009-11-30T14:33:00.005Z

Oh my goodness, I don't think I have ever worked as hard as I have in the last six months or so... running back and forth to Northern Ireland {where my gorgeous boyfriend lives}, setting up a new business with him and keeping my existing one afloat - it has been challenging, tiring but ultimately very rewarding.

Today - I am so thrilled {and a little overwhelmed, read: teary!} to announce that our homewares business abigail*ryan, the fruit of all our labour, is finally live and online with our first installment of goods for your home.

abigail*ryan homewares ONLINE SHOP :)

We hope you love it as much as we do!

Secondly, I have just completed my BIG Christmas jewellery update, tons of new designs and reworked old favourites in limited edition colourways... many of the items are in stock and ready to ship so will reach you in time for Christmas...click HERE to shop!

Hope you will love all the new gemstone beads I have been working with, punchy green garnets, icy blue tones {so wintry!} and soft teals...

Mister Bell has also updated his shop with lots of new designs too - and most of his jewellery is in stock and ready to ship, as are his amazing handbags. I will share some more of what Ryan has been working on tomorrow...

We are all ready to rock and roll for the Holidays so get your orders in fast and we will parcel and wrap and tie bows like deamons and get them winging their way to you asap!!

Happy Monday everyone!!

xo Abigail

Christmas Update Info...

2009-11-26T22:23:00.003Z

It's getting very exciting, and very manic around here... the BIG Christmas update is always a big challenge {especially in Scotland!} - as I am always fighting against the fading or non-existing light to shoot the 'goods'... but this year especially, I have THREE business' 'goodies' to photograph and style, and one, for the very first time.

Eeek!

I am totally delighted to be able to tell you I will be launching my Christmas Jewellery update this coming Monday, Mister Bell will be updating his shop too - and we will, finally, be unveiling the grand launch of abigail*ryan homewares.

I really am over the top excited to be able to share the homewares collection, finally - after so many months of work! And excited too, as I know just how many more things we have in the pipe-line for the New Year to add...

Christmas will be a little different this year in our shops - so I thought I would explain a little about it. I hope you will bear with me! ;)

IN STOCK SYSTEM...

Having always worked 'to order' - I am switching things up this year. All new items will have inventory bars letting you know an item is in stock {I have made multiples in advance which means I can ship them out to you faster!} - I will work hard to keep items in stock as they are selling, however, if an item goes 'out of stock', you can still contact me to order it... but it will take my normal quoted 14 working days.

I will of course work hard to make this faster where possible, but am hoping the whole new system will make getting bijoux to YOU, from me, as quick and easy as we can! Our aim is to ship within 3 working days.

abigail*ryan homewares will be running in the same way! We have costed all our shipping as regular airmail with the option to add 'insured, trackable shipping bolt-on upgrades'. It is *always* my preference to send goods recorded, and I do this for jewellery as standard - but we wanted to give people the choice when it came to the fabric goods...

Everything will be explained clearly on each website - so have a wee read when all is live and get in touch if you have ANY questions at all. :)

VERY last postal date to the USA is the 11.12.09

VERY last postal date to Europe is 11.12.09

VERY last postal date in UK is 23.12.09

Please order as early as you can in advance of these dates so we can ensure you get your orders in time for Christmas Day!!

Stay tuned to Abigail A. Percy - Designer Jewellery, DesireLines, and to abigail*ryan so as not to miss out on the launch.

I will be back soon to reveal all!!

Abigail

p.s. You may have noticed I have retired many designs from my Vintage Collection. Many can still be specially ordered, so if you can't see what you are looking for in my shop - see my portfolio website for the full back catalogue of designs. :)

We've been busy!...

2009-11-21T17:14:00.003Z

It's been another busy week here... I can't quite believe the weekend is here already! To celebrate, we stayed in today and loafed in our PJ's. Perfect, really - and we figure we can do some work tonight. ;)

I've been really busy working on the styling of all our new abigail*ryan products, and it was the tea towels first. I just bought a little dining table for my front room - after almost 2 years of eating off the coffee table, this is SO welcome {I can hear Mister Bell cheering in the background! ;)} and we have been enjoying using a few of our tea towels as tablecloths... they are so cheery!

Here are some snaps of some recent suppers - and a wee sneak peek from one of my styling sessions...

:: Antler Mag Blog

:: This is so nice

:: I'm dreaming of a studio like this for the Mister and I... via bloesem :) {One day!}

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!!

Welcome Home Store...

2009-11-14T22:00:00.004Z

Well... these photos are now a few weeks old, as I have been busy over in Belfast - but I am so excited to share them nonetheless!

My friend Mhari McMullan recently opened Welcome Home - an amazing project which has been a LONG time in the planning. In fact, the very first time I met Mhari, back in 2007, {when she has just moved up to Glasgow from London} we ended up deep in conversation about the kind of creative shop spaces Glasgow needed and how Mhari planned to work on opening up Welcome Home as soon as she could...

Two years on, and after huge amounts of hard work and planning - Mhari's vision has finally been realised - and the reality is fantastically close to Mhari's original vision we talked about all those years ago!

A shop space dedicated to all lovely aspects of the home {the kitchen, the dressing room and the library to name but a few!} has been created in Glasgow's West End and in doing so, she has created much more...

Welcome Home is a space that will support temporary curated exhibitions {such as +Bloom+, the opening show, which I was honored to be a part of}, and provide residency space for artists and designers looking to work on special projects or run workshops. It's the type of unique creative project that any city should be glad to have and embrace warmly and support!!

Open less than a month, I think Mhari has done an amazing job thus far... you can see some shots I took when I visited the space for the first time the other week. I can't wait to see how Welcome Home progresses as the months go on, and exhibitions are unveiled... and I will look forward to popping in often to browse and pick up unique gifts for Christmas and beyond.

For any of you in Glasgow, or the surrounding locale - you will find Mhari and Welcome Home at 19 Keith Street ... and for those of you who are further afield, fear not {!}, you are able to shop her lovely products online RIGHT HERE as she has just launched her new online store...

You should also *absolutely* add the Welcome Home Blog to your blog-feeds to keep abreast of all the fun going on in store!!

Congratulations Mhari, I am so very proud of you and wish you the HUGEST of successes with your venture...

xo, Abigail

Time keeps flying...

2009-11-12T23:54:00.003Z

...and I can barely keep up! So sorry for my long absences these last few weeks - I have been working so hard preparing for the Christmas season, I am finally looking forward to sharing all my hard work with you now...

I've been super busy working on tons of new jewellery, which was showcased at Newry Craft Fair last weekend and which shall hit my online shop within the next two weeks {that blasted flying time allowing!}... there are lots of lovely one off and limited edition pieces, a lot more silver and stunningly fresh and juicy gemstones to make your mouth water!

Here are a few shots from my cabinet at the show last weekend... you may well even spot some of the new pieces! ;)

In addition to heaps of lovely jewellery - Mister Bell and I have been super busy with abigail*ryan goodness too. We have unveiled our tea-towels over on the blog and our online shop will be launching in around 2 weeks time as well... have a wee gander and see what you think. We are delighted with them, and hope you will be equally enamoured of them!

more soon, xo abigail

Oh golly...

2009-10-31T18:42:00.003Z

I've been snowed under!

Two weeks working solidly in the jewellery studio and now, back in Belfast, we are close to completing much of our abigail*ryan stock ready for a launch at the Newry Town Hall Craft Fair - running from the 5th of November to the 8th {Thursday-Sunday of next week!}... you can see more of what we have been up to over on our abigail*ryan blog!

I was SO busy in the workshop I didn't even have a chance to shoot any of our new designs - but luckily, we have TONS of brand new designs to share soon and release as part of our Holiday shop! I can't wait to share them :)

...also, our tea-towels arrived yesterday and we are delighted, so stay tuned for those and I hope you will all love them as much as we do!

More soon {and that's a promise!},
xo

p.s - if I have any readers in N.Ireland or Ireland who would like an invitation to the PV of the Craft Fair in Newry {formerly the Narrowater Castle Craft Fair} please let me know and I will mail you one.

Slowly, ever so slowly...

2009-10-13T17:50:00.003Z

This seems to be the pace everything is going at right now.

Time is slipping through our fingers as we fight against the impending 'Holiday' season... it is always this way, yet, it always takes me by surprise. Always, always...

We are organised and scheduled and pencilled in to the nth degree, but spanners are always thrown in the works...days become rushed and hectic and last minute even with the best of intentions, and the very best of planning. All one can really do in these situations is stop, when you can, when it's all done and you are exhausted and stressed to the max, and have a cup of tea and a slice of something sweet - make time for a kiss and a snuggle, even... to help put things into perspective a little.

Today was a hectic one. Very.

BUT, we feel one major step closer to our launch. The designs for our range of screen printed tea-towels are finally finalised and ready for printing... I am so. very. excited.

I am over the moon with our designs and cannot wait to see them in the flesh!! I am a true tea-towel gal, so to be printing our own just fills me with glee.

Glee that manages to shine through the sore backs {sciatica for my poor Mister Bell} all round, threatening colds and huffy post office workers... just ;)

The last of our textiles arrived last week too. Another glee-filled moment to add to the list! Looking forward to cutting and sewing this stack!!

...but, back in the jewellery workshop tonight as we prepare a big collection of work for a Craft Show we have lined up in Northern Ireland {details to follow!}...I am starting work on all the new pieces for the Christmas shop :)

Time is not on our side, but I think, as long as we are on each others - that is really all that matters.

Who's with me on that?

xo to all.

In a bubble...

2009-10-10T15:36:00.003Z

In my living room, there is trouble brewing in down-town Tokyo... a giant Kimmidoll is terrorising the city - she is the height of the sky-scapers and such sights have not been seen since the days of King Kong, although I suspect Sai {said doll} is a little sweeter in nature.

There was such shock in the streets there has been a bus and car pile up!

Here's hoping they all learn to live happily together under their glass sky...

;)

xo abigail

Irish Linen Galore...

2009-10-05T22:49:00.006Z

Well, as you may have guessed from my almost week of silence I am over in Belfast and we have been working our socks off on the new homewares!

Sourcing fabric, speaking with printers, making prototypes - as well as all the other bits and pieces that sneak into the spaces between...

Today was a really exciting day for us - we finally managed to source our Irish Linen for the backing to our scatter cushions, and are delighted to be working with a fantastic company who has been working and weaving in Northern Ireland for over 40 years. The quality is amazing, and the staff were unbelieveable wonderful to work with... we are so happy to be able to support {even in our tiny way} local industry and have the most luxurious of products to work with in the process!

Here are a couple of shots from our trip to the factory - there are more over at our abigail*ryan blog, and a little more about the history if Irish Linen {and the Guilds} too, which I found fascinating to read today... it's so sad that old industries are dying out {especially to Ryan and I, as we both come from countries with long and famous textile production histories that are fading away!} - and to me, supporting local industry is as valuable {if not moreso!} as supporting Fair Trade industries from abroad.

Hope you will nip on over and keep an eye on a*r this week as there will be lots more sneak peeks!! :)

More soon, and back in the workshop at the end of the week as the Christmas push will begin so it will be jewellery a-go-go!!

New drawings for +BLOOM+...

2009-09-28T17:32:00.004Z

Well, this has been a busy few days for me in the workshop - finishing up orders, curating a little collection of jewellery and making two new drawings for Mhari's shop opening exhibition on Saturday...

I'm finally finished, so I thought I would give you a wee preview!

+BLOOM+ opens on Saturday the 3rd, at Welcome Home Store, 11 Keith Street in Glasgow... I so wish I could be there for the opening but I am going to be over the pond in Belfast, feverishly working on abigail*ryan goodness...

I hope some of you can make it along in my absence and give Mhari your congratulations and support!!

I just know it will be a wonderful night :)

More soon! xo

Finally {!!}...

2009-09-24T14:36:00.003Z

Oh my goodness, we are so excited...

Our first delivery of abigail*ryan fabric arrived this morning {more to come, but this is the first installment!}...and we are over the moon.

Cannot wait to get into the sewing studio next week and start *making*!!!

*beam*

Bloom...

2009-09-23T13:14:00.005Z

Running around at the moment trying to chase my tail with too many things to do, a million in progress and a million more in the wings... goodness... I'm tired and my head is too full! We are waiting for our fabric to arrive for abigail*ryan and the waiting is killing me {and not especially softly, either!} ;)...

Since getting home from France, I've not been terribly well... neither has mister b {man flu's a bitch!}, so that is slowing me down a wee touch...

BUT, it's officially Autumn, and that's nice... what better way than to celebrate than with bright blooms {the last of summer?}, layers, knitwear and nice dresses, and to hole up working on a new drawing of the Anemone's blooming right now in the gardens all around here {and jewellery to accompany}!?

Lovely Mhari is finally opening the doors of 'Welcome Home' on the 3rd of October, with an exhibition entitled + BLOOM + ... I am making these drawings for the show, and the bijoux and the talented Miss Natalie Tweedie will be exhibiting too amongst others! I am actually heading down this afternoon to see the shop... so very exciting!!

But, for now I shall dash. These drawings and things will not do themselves!

More soon...

More from Provence!!

2009-09-16T11:33:00.004Z

...still fascinated by the soft {and not so soft!} colours the houses were painted in St. Maxime. It was a glorious little place to stroll around. We even made a little friend, though he was a touch shy ;)

We have started columns over at the new abigail*ryan blog...Ryan's is 'Stuff I like'... and mine is 'J'adore'. Really, just a place to put all the things we heart! <3

Getting ready to share our colour stories and patterns too - we hope you like them, we are tres excited!

More soon, xo

Back...

2009-09-14T21:18:00.005Z

Hello everyone... that's me back from my weeks glorious holiday in the Côte d'Azur and I wanted to stop in to say hello quickly, and thanks for all your orders placed during my holiday sale {which is now, sadly, over}...

I will be back over the next few days sharing some more photos and tales from my French Fancy... and we will also be sharing some sneak peeks over at abigail*ryan too, so do drop by there as well for the full low-down. :)

But now, to bed... a six hour delay at the airport on the way back from France still has us slightly wiped out!

Bon nuit,

An announcement...

2009-09-04T10:47:00.005Z

... well, two!

First of all - I am delighted to have been asked to feature in 'My Creative Life' over at Ink on my Fingers... you can read the interview with me later on today... {Thanks so much Susannah!}...

Second, lastly and most excitingly - Ryan and I have finally launched a blog for our new home-wares venture. Our first two posts act somewhat as an introduction to us, and we will be using the space to document the progress of our collection as we prepare to debut, {hopefully around late October} and our inspirations!

So, without further ado ... I give you, ABIGAIL*RYAN ... !!!

We hope you will pop over and have a wee look, and will bookmark us to keep an eye on our progress. We are off for a week on holiday as of tomorrow, so will be updating our blogs upon our return!!

As a little celebration of our launch, we are both offering a lovely wee discount in our shops for the duration of our vacation {see what I did there? ;)} - 20% OFF to all our customers who enter the code BONVOYAGE ...

Click here to shop with Mister Bell, and here to shop with me :)

Bon weekend to all, see you again very soon :)

New for Old...

2009-09-02T19:31:00.004Z

...the old bench peg was well past it's best. So long old friend ;)

In a Flash...

2009-08-31T20:42:00.005Z

That is how fast this last week has gone!

I travelled home from Belfast with Mister Bell - we were greeted by my parents who had prepared a wonderful birthday picnic for me which we ate at the beach... it was a lovely day and I even managed to snap some photos as we squinted into the sun.

My birthday sale in the shop was a fantastic success and I would like to thank everyone who placed an order with me! I am back in the workshop and working hard on getting through all the orders and they will all be going out this week...

We are continuing work on our pattern designs and are very nearly there! In fact, we will be launching our blog - with little sneak peeks - later this week, so stay tuned for that ... *eep!* :)

More very soon... off for a little bit of relaxing this rainy Monday eve.

Hope you all had a good weekend...

Twenty Six...

2009-08-24T23:04:00.004Z

Well, I guess it's official. Midnight has arrived and I have just 'turned' twenty six...

And so, I wanted to stop in to celebrate my little birthday, as I did last year, by offering a special one day only sale in my shop - honouring the number of years young I am, as a percentage and a nice juicy discount... my little way of saying thank you to all my lovely customers and readers for all your support over the last year!

Upon checking out, just enter the code TWENTYSIX to receive your 26% off... clickety click here to browse the goodies!

I think next year I shall have to start getting younger or something, egh? ;)

Heading home to the land of the free tomorrow after three weeks here in Belfast, will be lovely to see my parents and spend a nice day with them and my Mister. Not long now until we are off to France too... it's really a rather nice birthday already!!

*birthday kisses* :)

xoxo

Abigail

TGIF...

2009-08-21T19:13:00.003Z

...just a wee hello this Friday evening. I'm super tired with so much work going on and so much on my mind - excitement, worry, plans, lists, the whole shebang - I'm struggling to focus a little tonight, but I need to... MUCH to be done, much to finish and I can't *wait* to share!! ;) So, I had better get on with it.

Thinking back fondly to Monday when Mister Bell and I made this lovely 4 layer cake for his aunt's birthday tea... doesn't it look yummy? ;)

Bon weekend, all.

Finally {!!}...

2009-08-18T15:56:00.004Z

Well... I have finally managed to catch my own tail and get a few minutes {hours, really ;)} to photograph the new Summer necklaces and some new designs in general, all of which I have just added to the shop!

I am loving the vibrant new Green Garnets teamed with the gunmetal grey silver in this piece {and with the gilded silver, too... it adds such a nice fresh angle to the Vintage collection!} and I am still in love with the juicy colourful Jade which are featured in the Summer Rose Necklace, as well in the new Faceted Line necklaces for those who like something a little more simple and appreciate pared down pretty!!

Even on this dull rainy day in Belfast, these new pieces are making me feel a wee bit Summery - but I can't help but imagine how nice they would look with an Autumn wardrobe too...{for the love of layers and knits I can hardly wait!!} ;)

... have a wee look in the SHOP to see all the new pieces... hope you enjoy browsing!!

more soon, xo

Castle Ward Gardens...

2009-08-15T14:31:00.004Z

...whilst taking a short wee break from the stand last weekend with the Mister, we found the walled Gardens at Castle Ward and were blown away. I felt like I had found a hidden paradise!

Formal Gardens of the utmost opulence, secluded spots, mature trees which towered above making you feel secluded and miles away from everything that was happening at the fair. Truly amazing...

I went back the next day with my camera to capture some inspiration, as the plants were all so lovely and in perfect bloom. I am so glad I did as the photos have informed a new pattern which we are both SO excited about!!

Plans and work are very much coming together for the new venture. We are getting nervous and excited to see everything be printed and get stuck in... but we will be able to reveal some bits very soon - so stay tuned and we shall re-direct you to the hub of all the new-ness!! ;)

Happy Saturday to all,

xo!!

Craft Fest and Castle Ward...

2009-08-13T14:03:00.003Z

We had a great time over the weekend attending and exhibiting at Craft Fest in the grounds of Castle Ward...

...the weather was fantastic overall, and although quite quiet, we had a very nice time all in. Mister Bells Mum bought us both a tour around Castle Ward which was amazing... it's a stunning National Trust property and we were in awe of the fabrics, wallpapers and amazing ornate plaster vaulted ceilings. Sadly, no photography was allowed, so I just have to make do with the memories...

The gardens at the Castle were also out of this world. I have some lovely shots of those to share tomorrow, but just stopping in quickly today to share some pics from our stand. Hopefully the next time we do a fair we will have glass cabinets, but we were pleased with our display nonetheless!

Very busy today in the studio today with pattern designing... very close to getting our fabrics away to print! Yay!

More VERY soon,

Craft Fest 2009...

2009-08-05T20:48:00.003Z

Hi there everyone! Just stopping in quickly this evening in between last minute finishing in the workshop and packing {trying to plan outfits for this crazy summer is a nightmare!} before I head to Belfast tomorrow... I am delighted to confirm I will be showing at Craft Fest 2009 this coming weekend!

Mister Bell and I will both be there - I will be showing a lovely selection of jewellery, prints and postcards and DesireLines will be displaying stunning handbags, jewellery and also running a sewing demonstration on our table too!

SO! If you find yourself in the N. Ireland area - please do join us at Castle Ward...

Dates:
Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August 2009

Venue:
Castle Ward, Strangford, County Down
From Downpatrick take the A25 to Strangford
Castle Ward is signposted from Downpatrick

Open To The Public:
Friday 7th August 2009 1pm to 5.30pm
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August 2009 10.30am to 5.30pm

...you can get a little more information about the surrounding area by visiting this site.

I will be taking photos of our stand at the show and look forward to seeing what other gorgeous work is on display! I will be back on to blog to share all the news next week :)

In the meantime, hope to see some of you at the show - but bon weekend to all!

Testing...

2009-08-03T16:00:00.004Z

Hi everyone... I've been spending a little bit of time over the last few days thinking about a display for a craft fair I am hopefully doing over in N. Ireland next weekend. Portable {!} display ideas have been whirling in my head... so I have been setting a few little ideas up in the workshop, seeing how things look - what would work... what to take?!

I like the idea of jewellery being accessible - and to have it presented in a similar way to my styling... a starkly lit jewellery case doesn't quite fit in with my aesthetic, so I am hoping I can rustle some things up that do! ;)

Hopefully going to be able to fit in going to see Coco, before Chanel tomorrow evening... and I am so excited - it looks fantastic. Audrey Tautou looks like perfection in this!

Happy Monday, all!

Back on the wagon...

2009-07-30T21:39:00.004Z

When speaking to my Mum on the phone today, she remarked she was tired of looking at my bowl of rice crispies and to 'get blogging, baby!'...as always, she was right. It has been far too long.

I can't seem to keep up these days - my weeks are now split travelling between Glasgow and Belfast {where my lovely man lives}...between managing and making orders, running my business, creating new work AND, most importantly and challenging of all, forming a new business with said lovely man - so it's no wonder something had to give. It was my poor neglected blog, and I feel bad...and rather silly too, if I'm honest. After all, my blog helps me hugely in processing my thoughts and work and keeping me feeling like I have accomplished something each day/week/month.

I'm going to try and let this be a lesson to me, because, I know I have been hellishly busy over the last weeks and months, but feel I have less to show for it somehow {sans regular blogging}... and so it all feels a little 'where did the time go, what happened?'...

I guess life is about balance, and it's not always easy to keep, or to find.

Anyway, putting that aside, I can share a little of what I have been up to when over in Belfast for the last two weeks {not much, mind, as it seems I was even too busy to pick up my camera that often ;)}...one of the highlights of the trip was catering a party for the misters parents 30th anniversary. I was a lovely night - and we were so pleased with the feast we created. The savory food was demolished before I had a chance to photograph it {but believe me, it was yummy!}, but my glossy wee pearl meringues managed to get snapped... my first ever meringues in fact, I think even my granny would be proud, they were delish and were ALL dispatched pronto! ;)

...I really enjoyed arranging masses of californian bluebells along with some stock and pink roses, and lavender plucked from the garden just before everyone arrived..all presented in mis-matched glass beer mugs, it turned even a vase-less bachelor pad into something fit for a pretty partaaaay! ;)

...and finally, a sneak peek at just one of the drawings I have been working on, which are forming the basis for our textile pattern designs. It's like a dream come true to see this collection come together and I am loving learning about transitioning hand drawings onto the computer and editing them there. This one is amazing at it, and I am so lucky to have him teach me as we work together... especially, as you know, I am not the most technologically minded gal on the block...

So, really, I think that is me just about up to date. In between I have developed a passion for Project Runway {said bachelor pad has a digi box!}...Camera Obscura and a strong craving for fish and vegetables {I am tired...I need fuel, clearly}...I even took today off in the end, some time to clear my head was sorely needed.

Lastly... thanks to my lovely Mum for giving me the push I needed today. I love you. Always.

And here is to striving, every day, to find that balance needed.

More soon, and that's a promise!

;) xo

p.s. the summer necklaces I have been working on are almost ready, I just need to photograph them...so stay tuned for those over the weekend...I am so happy with how the juicy gemstones look against the silver... :)

On a Sunday...

2009-07-12T13:13:00.005Z

One should really be totally relaxing, but I have some work to do today.

Procrastinating, a little, is okay, I think ;)

I am eating a lot of rice crispies just now - too hot, and too tired to think about cooking, and still fascinated all these years later by the snap, crackle and pop! Admiring my new sandals...the old ones were on their last legs after getting a good two seasons bashing!

Drinking nice cups of tea out of this lovely cup that my boyfriends Mum sent me a few weeks ago - with all the flowers in bloom in my birth month. So lovely. It is her birthday today... so, a very Happy Birthday, Jacki! {xox :)}

...a little more progress on the summer rose necklaces, and some new colour graded faceted line ones too. I am *loving* these juicy gems!

Listen to this version of You've Got the Love by Florence and the Machine... {one of my very favourite songs of all time}... so good.

Bon weekend to all. xo