*NEWS*
AUTUMN & WINTER 2009/2010
Well, it seems as if summer is now well and truly behind us. The chillier weather has arrived, so here are some great events, featuring Caldie Design’s beautiful jewellery, to look forward to:
- Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 November, Craft & Gift Fayre @ The Brentwood Centre (email clare@caldiedesign.co.uk for FREE tickets*)
- Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 November, Craft & Gift Fayre @ Garons, Southend on Sea (email clare@caldiedesign.co.uk for FREE tickets*)
- Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 November, 9am to 9pm Cambridge on Ice @ Parker’s Piece, Cambridge. FREE entry event with outdoor ice rink.
- Sunday 6 December, Christmas Gift Fayre @ The Brentwood Centre (email clare@caldiedesign.co.uk for FREE tickets*)
- Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 December, 9am to 9pm Cambridge on Ice @ Parker’s Piece, Cambridge. FREE entry event with outdoor ice rink
- Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 February 2010, Heart FM’s Essex Wedding Fayre @ The Brentwood Centre
FREE TICKETS – I have a small number of free tickets which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER JEWELLERY
Well, summer is well and truly here and it’s hot, hot, hot! As are the colours this season at Caldie Design, with beautiful shades of lime, bright oranges, hot pinks and striking blues. There are also some of your favourite colours, such as turquoise, peridot green, rose pink, creamy mother of pearl etc, in beautiful new designs, offering you something a little different from the high street shops to complement your summer wardrobe.
The Swarovski range has grown substantially, making use of the fantastic range of crystal colours combined with Swarovski’s pretty butterflies, daisies and hearts. Gorgeous summery colours, with a range of shades to ensure you can have jewellery in the colours you love this summer.
There are still two public summer shows where you can catch up with me:
- Southend Summer Garden Show @ Garons Park, 29 and 30 August (email me for free tickets)
- The Cambridge Festival @ Parkers Piece, 19 and 20 September (free entry)
WEDDING JEWELLERY
The wedding jewellery side of my business has expanded this year, with many brides and bridesmaids wearing bespoke Caldie Design jewellery for their special day. My on line wedding album will be featuring some of these commissions later this year.
There is also a range of Caldie Design wedding jewellery now in stock at Elegance Flowers, Newland Hall, Roxwell, Chelmsford, CM1 4LH.
In addition, I am now able to offer a bespoke tiara design service, which will include decorated hair slides and combs – ideal for brides, bridesmaids and flower girls.
I look forward to seeing you this summer.
SPRING 2009
WEDDING JEWELLERY: Firstly, a big welcome to Caldie Design for all the brides-to-be I met at the Essex FM Wedding Fayre – I look forward to working with you, helping you achieve exactly the look you want for your wedding day jewellery. If you didn’t manage to get to see me at the Wedding Fayre, please do contact me to arrange a friendly, no-obligation consultation.
EVENTS: 2009 is already looking busy with Caldie Design at many craft shows and events across the south east, with a few more still to be confirmed. I’m at my favourite shows which I have attended for the past four years and will also be adding some new ones which I hope will also become firm favourites – keep an eye on the Events page for details. For me, the craft season kicks off over Easter Weekend with the fantastic Country Show & Craft Village in Bexley, Kent – a great event for all the family.
REPAIRS AND RE-DESIGN: I also repair jewellery, such as re-threading beads, replacing broken clasps, adding extension chains, etc. In addition, we all have pieces of jewellery that we’ve had for ages (or been given as a present), that could have a new lease of life by being re-modelled into a more wearable style. For example, a long necklace could be re-designed into a choker, earrings and bracelet.
I look forward to seeing you in 2009.
AUTUMN/WINTER 2008
I’ve calculated that by the end of 2008, I will have worked at some 35 events – craft shows, wedding fayres, jewellery parties, pamper evenings, charity fundraisers and office events, throughout London, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Nottinghamshire. I’ve also been in the newspaper and interviewed live on BBC Radio Essex. It’s been an enjoyable year for Caldie Design.
Some events I’ve struggled to reach; notably the Bexleyheath event in August where being stuck in the wrong lane after the Dartford Bridge entailed an additional 50 mile tour of the Kent countryside before finding my way back on track, arriving at the venue just 4 minutes before the show opened. (At least I now know the correct route for next year!) Most shows had thousands of visitors in warm, dry weather, and others, well, just didn’t … the Easter event in Suffolk suffered from heavy blizzard conditions. Believe me, standing in an unheated building for four days, with snow falling inside through the ventilation ducts, takes away any glamour from what I do.
My main wedding show of 2009 will be the Essex FM Wedding Fayre on 28 February/1 March at the Brentwood Centre where I will be showcasing unique designs from my Wedding Collection. Most of my craft events are already planned for 2009 and these will be on the website as soon as bookings are confirmed. I look forward to seeing you.
SPRING/SUMMER 2008
EVENTS: Well, Spring has well and truly sprung and the craft show season is now in full swing. I’ve been busy designing some fantastic new jewellery for the coming season, whilst ensuring I leave in a few of the favourites from last year. Lots of new events for this year in different locations such as Colchester Castle, Bury St Edmunds, Nottingham, Castle Ashby & Long Melford, as well as my much-loved shows at Southend, Barleylands and Cambridge. Come along, say hello and you never know, you might just be tempted by one (or more) of my gorgeous pieces of jewellery …
FREE TICKETS: For most of the Aztec shows I receive an allocation of free entry tickets, which could save you up to £5 per person. If you would like get your hands on some of these freebies, drop me an email and I’ll see what I can do for you.
WEDDING JEWELLERY: February’s Essex FM Wedding Fayre was excellent and I’m thoroughly enjoying working on designing beautiful jewellery with the brides I met there. Keep an eye on my on line Wedding Album as new photos are added on a regular basis.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: I am frequently asked how I became involved in making jewellery. On Monday 21 April the Southend Echo newspaper ran an article about how it all started, so follow this link to read about how Caldie Design began.
CALDIE DESIGN ON THE RADIO: Clare will be talking about Caldie Design, on BBC Radio Essex, Friday 6 June at 10:40am.
WINTER 2008
The first News from Caldie Design for 2008 and there’s a change to my News updates this year. Instead of monthly updates, I’ll be posting updates approximately every other month, so there’ll be more to say, but less often. This means I can update other parts of my website on a more regular basis. The first major overhaul during January & early February (in preparation for the Essex FM Wedding Fayre in mid-February) will be my Weddings page. With its own Gallery featuring brides I have designed wedding jewellery for, the new page will also have more information about my bespoke wedding jewellery.
All booked shows for 2008 are now on the Events page, with a link through to the organisers for further information such as opening times, prices and location details. More shows will be added on an ad-hoc basis throughout the year. I also do many school events, pamper evenings, office sales and fund raisers throughout the year which do not always appear on the Events listing as they are not necessarily open to the public. If you are an organiser, whether for a major show or a smaller event, please do contact me if you would like Caldie Design to come along.
DECEMBER 2007
Still a good smattering of events around the county for you to do your Christmas present buying, or save the petrol and shop on line for your Caldie Design jewellery.
Don’t forget to treat yourself – remember, ‘tis the season to be jolly and, I believe, bejewelled.
I will be listing most of next year’s events and shows by the end of this year, so look forward to seeing you in 2008. The first public event for me in 2008 is the enormous Essex FM Wedding Show at the Brentwood Centre over the weekend of 16 and 17 February. If you are thinking of getting married, it’s the largest and most successful regional Wedding Fayre in the UK, so worth visiting. More info in the New Year …
Finally, I wish all my customers a fantastic and enjoyable Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 2008.
NOVEMBER 2007
SHOPPING @ CALDIE DESIGN : Nice things to do from 1 November 2007...
1. Place self in comfy chair in front of computer
2. Log on to Caldie Design
3. Take a virtual stroll around the new Caldie Design on line shop
4a. Buy some great Christmas presents – they will love you for it
4b. Buy a few little treats for yourself – you know you’re worth it
5. Wait for package to pop through your letter box (you do have to get out of comfy chair for this bit, sorry!).
But, if you really want to get out and about, there are also some excellent public events this month – see the Events page for full details.
OCTOBER 2007
SHOPPING @ CALDIE DESIGN: : I think this is going to become one of your favourite shops! Babs of Fiery Phoenix is doing an excellent job of getting the shop on line and running smoothly – she has the patience of a saint.
EVENTS: September’s Essex County Show at Barleylands was fantastic – the biggest show that Caldie Design has exhibited at to date. I even won first prize in the Recycle for Essex prize draw, which compensated for the ridiculous accident I had with my lap top a few weeks later. If you missed the Essex County Show this year, do pencil in 14 & 15 September 2008. This month’s shows include a return to both the Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester (27 & 28) and the Channels Golf Club Wedding Fayre (21). There’s also an event in support of the Canvey Island Youth Project on 20 October, which is well worth supporting. I look forward to seeing you.
SEPTEMBER 2007
SHOPPING @ CALDIE DESIGN: Well, they say that good things come to those who wait … the shop should be open on-line from the beginning of November.
EVENTS: Phew, August was pretty busy, but there’s still plenty of opportunities to see Caldie Design this summer. I’ll be in Ipswich (30 August, 1 & 2 September), then at the very popular Essex County Show at Barleylands the following weekend. The Maison Renouf Wedding Exhibition on Sunday 16 September will give all brides-to-be an opportunity to see samples of the type of wedding jewellery I can create for that special day.
AUGUST 2007
JULY PRIZE DRAW: Thank you for emailing your photos for the chance to win a £20 Caldie Design Gift Voucher. The winner was chosen at random and is Julia Whitby – well done Ju!
SHOPPING @ CALDIE DESIGN: We are currently designing my on-line shop, which will be opening for you on 1 October. Perfect for all that lovely Christmas shopping, as well as party jewellery & last minute birthday presents. No more trudging round the shops with 10,000,000 other Christmas shoppers – pure bliss. In the meantime …
EVENTS: August heralds a host of lunchtime events for Women on Top – do check the relevant link to their website for confirmation of events & venue details. Also the Craft & Country Show in Halstead and the fantastic Bank Holiday Southend Summer Show. If you’d like free tickets for the Southend event (worth £5 each), do email me.
NEW STOCK : My latest trip to Venice was fruitful & I’ve now produced some beautiful necklaces for you to drool over. Also now in stock, a range of sterling silver snake chains (including the fabulous 30” length), so you can mix and match these with the new collection of pendants I’ve created.
JULY 2007
WIN A £20 CALDIE DESIGN GIFT VOUCHER: Email me a photo of you wearing a piece of Caldie Design jewellery and all entries received by the end of July will be entered into a draw to win a £20 gift voucher. A selection of your pics will be posted on my Gallery Page - It doesn’t matter how long you’ve had the jewellery, all photos will be considered. The winner will be announced in August’s news.
EVENTS: Phew – after a very busy few months, July is time for me to work on new designs, plan the Autumn range and concentrate on my wedding commissions and other special orders. I’m also back out to Venice next week to buy more of those gorgeous large glass beads as I have now sold out of the last lot I had (even the stunning turquoise one I wanted to keep for myself!).
JUNE 2007
EVENTS: It was really good to see so many of you at the shows in May. More fantastic events coming up this June, full details on the Events page. I’ve also just added another show on 24 June, so there’s a great choice of five events for you to choose from this month!
WEDDING SHOWS: Caldie Design will be at two wedding shows this Autumn, 16 September at Maison Renouf in Rochford and 21 October at Channels Golf Club. Come and have a look at a very different side to Caldie Design jewellery and see what I can create for your wedding day.
FREE TICKETS: I often get free tickets to many shows, worth up to £5 each. If you are interested in getting your mitts on these, please email me - first come, first served. Also, for this month only, the opportunity to get free tickets to the fabulous Ladies’ Night in Chelmsford on 14 June.
MAY 2007
EVENTS: The weather is warming up nicely, so a great time to visit Caldie Design at three fantastic shows this month – The Southend Spring Garden Show, The Norfolk Spring Garden Show and The Essex Garden Show, all organised by www.aztecevents.co.uk All three shows will feature a huge range of crafts and home & living exhibitors, in addition to garden plants & equipment.
DESIGNS: I’ve been working on some great new jewellery designs which have already proved popular this Spring. Have a look at my Gallery to see some of the new designs.
I’ve also been back over to Venice to buy some stunning, large focal glass beads which, combined with Swarovski crystal, have created beautiful necklaces. These will be on display for the first time at the Southend Show during the first Bank Holiday weekend in May. And, once they’re gone, they’re gone …
APRIL 2007
CONTACTING CALDIE DESIGN: Many apologies if you’ve tried to contact me via the email contact on this website & not had a reply. A technical error has meant that these emails have not been reaching me. This has now been rectified, so get emailing …
NEW COMMISSION: I’m delighted to have been chosen by a highly respected organisation to design an exclusive jewellery range for them. This is due to be launched on-line on their website in May this year, so watch this space for further information …
EVENTS: Lots of great events to see Caldie Design at this month - the huge four day Suffolk Spring Garden Show in Ipswich this Easter weekend; the three day East of England Show in Peterborough and the weekend Chiltern Craft & Country Show in Chalfont St Giles. Further details for the Suffolk and Peterborough shows can be found at www.aztecevents.co.uk and for the Chiltern show www.oakleighfairs.co.uk. I hope to see you there!