A Week of Shop-Keeping

Hurrah, I did it. And it was a laugh, sitting in the shop all week, if a bit chilly! 

The shop/gallery is in a pretty old street in a slightly shabby part of town, but let's think of it as a little bit 'Rive Gauche' `(as in Paris) rather than shabby, shall we?

It was in Nunns Yard on St Augustines Street: http://www.nunnsyard.co.uk/




 

Interesting to see what people liked, bought, thought about, talked about.  I had a couple of very interesting conversations with random passers-by. One was with a man who spent £3000 on a piece of art last year and hasn't told his wife, and doesn't know what to do with it (the artwork). And he thought my work was too expensive! (I had things from £1.00 up to £950).  And he kept asking 'What d'you do with it though? What's it for?' He got slightly annoyed with me because I wouldn't tell him how much my laser cutter cost. Bless him though. I can't tell you more or it might identify him and then he'd be in trouble with the missus!

 

Do visit my Etsy shop if you want to do some Christmas shopping. Or if you are in the ast of England come and see me and you can have a cuppa and browse the items in my front room!

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/Twelvemo 

  
How many of your 'rellies could you sort out for Christmas with a few Skellies? Or flat-pack snowflakes, candelabra and Christmas trees? Easy!

Bright Little Skellies £10 each  (3 inches)
Middle Sized white Skellies £30
Colourful Skull brooches £20 (not on Etsy yet, you'll have to private message me about these if you want one.)

Here are some photos of the inside of the shop and the goods for sale. 

 

 

  

 Christmas Skellie bauble £90, not on Etsy yet

 

Enlarged parchment roses... Well, why not? Eh?

 

 

 

Twelvmemo Glass Casts which are from an artist's residency I did for the Millenium!  Some one with exquisite taste bought two of these (£50 each, but she got a little discount, just a little one.)

People did seem to like these acrylic and mdf in-laid feathers and I sold several of these at £10 each

Simply haven't ever managed to get a good photo of this piece of work, so a couple of details are all I shall give you for the mo!

(It's the piece in the middle of the wall, below the beam in this picture. Trouble is there is so much mirror that you can't take the whole thing without being in the picture too, which ain't quite what I want!)

 

So, just thought I'd let you know how that went. Now I have done it I need to get on with a few other things. 

Like Twelvemo manufacture! 
And making a centrifugal casting machine! 

Went and spoke to a chap in a proper, clanky, messy, greasy engineering shop, out of town, where they actually make engines of various kinds. Anyway, I think I may have found the motor and interrupter that I need for my machine. 

I almost forgot to write this development up so if you read all the way this far I'd like to congratulate and thank you!

The motor is nice. Not too loud,  with a longish shaft ( the bit with red tape on sticking out to the left. The motor needs to be mounted to point upright.

 

The other thing, the interrupter, is way more expensive. That's the bit I really want. It will allow anything from 1 rev per minute, up to 3000 revs per minute, controlled by a dial that feels smooth and nice.  Have sent the info to my engineer friend who will help me adapt it. 

Will keep you posted on what happens next.

Don't forget to go shopping. You know it makes sense!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Twelvemo

Please spread the word! 
Please pass it on! 
Please show and tell! 

I am so sticking my neck out on this self employment lark I have got to make it work! You  people can help!
 

For a Limited Period Only...

I have been beavering away in my workshop and planning an event for the end of the month. I know most of you people are flung rather far and wide, but if any of you are passing through Norwich at the end of November please do drop in and say hello! This is going to be quite good fun really I think. Opening afternoon is Monday 25th November, from 3 pm ish to about 7 or so.  Join me then for a glass of wine! 

Items below are for sale on my Etsy shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Twelvemo 

Large Skellie is the cupboard is about 29cm and cost £70
The large Skellie on its own is £40

Small Skellie is the cupboard is about 15cm and costs £50
The small Skellie on its own is £20

These tiny wee Skellies are 10cm cm tall (4 inches)  and cost £10 each 

 

Each one comes packed in a little bag of black, white or ivory organza. 

You ought really to buy yourselves a whole handful of them! 
(Send me a private message and I'll cut you a deal for multiple purchases of Skellie Babies)
 

Go on... Unique and bargainous!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Twelvemo 


You can probably tell that I have  been having a great deal of fun making these items, though I am now pretty knackered as I have been staying up till stupid-o-clock far too many nights in a row, and it hasn't been without its misadventures I can tell you. 

I kind of crashed my fabulous machine one night recently. God knows how, but one bit got jammed under another and I couldn't get the cutting bed to move down. It auto focused on a gap in the acrylic sheet and the pointer got stuck in the bed, then it tried to re-set itself. Or maybe that was me that tried to re-set it.... I have a show to put on it one week and the technical people are in Dublin. I thought that was it - no more Skellies or parchment roses or flat-pack Christmas trees... 

Anyway, I took the front off, and then the sides, to have a look, thought about taking a more scary bit off, remembered the warranty and didn't, fiddled and peered, until eventually, with patient and skilled use of a tiny allen key I succeeded in removing the ruler wedging the laser arm down on the bed, and LO! I got it up and running again two hours after it crashed. 

Most of the two hours had been spent peering and puzzling how to get to anything I could do anything to that might help.  Happy? Oh, Sweet Heaven! I felt like I had crashed a Ferrari or something, and escaped to find that I am unharmed and the car is fine. Very lucky me. Have been wary of the auto focus ever since.

If you have got this far down you are obviously fairly interested so I am going to paste the whole of the poem I wrote to promote the shop before I realised it was just the littlest bit too much for a flier... 

Roll Up! Roll Up!

To Sarah's Little Pop-Up Shop:

A Slightly Retrospective Rummage Sale

Of Creative Curiosities and Diverse Delights

To All And Sundry

The World And His Wife

You Me And The Gate-Post (Plus One Or More)

Are Invited To Turn Up (As And When)

At Nunns Yard

Between 10am and 6pm

25th-29th November

(Also 30^th November 9am to 12 Noon)

To View And Perchance To Purchase

From A Weird And Wonderful Array

Of Odds And Ends (And Bits And Bobs)

Gimcracks And Gew-Gaws

Knick Knacks And What-Nots

A Bit Of This And A Bit Of That

One Thing And Another

Funny Peculiar

And Funny Ha-Ha

Ornate And Elaborate

Some Exhibits Are Guaranteed To Contain

Missing And Incomplete Parts

Including But Not Limited To

Laser Cut Novelties

Skeletons In The Cupboard

Paper Christmas Trees

Tiny Silver Dancers

Flat Pack Candelabra

Parchment Roses

Handmade Books

Etchings And Screen-Prints

And Fired Glass Panels

25^th - 29th November Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm

And Saturday 30^th 9am - 12 Noon

Nunns Yard, 31 St Augustines St, Norwich, NR3 3BY

Right, that's all for now folks. Sorry I don't seem able do regular blogging like a normal person. I do binge blogging. You've been very good to read all the way and can go and make yourselves a cup of tea now. Or after you have shared and commented of course.