Well I hadn't, until several customers asked me if she was an influence on my work. Intrigued, I Googled her and saw exactly what they meant. Now I'm smitten.
My favourite brooches are her cats and foxes.
Léa Stein was born in 1931 and began making her brooches in the 1960s, although they look very Art Deco - as if they were made in the 1920s. She worked with her chemist husband Ferdinand Steinberger to develop a way of laminating cellulose acetate, and this process enabled her to incorporate fabrics and different textures into the pieces.
She is very collectable now, with brooches going for upwards of £40-£80 per piece, although not that long ago you could pick them up for a few pounds according to one of the ladies I spoke to.
I love the patterns and simple shapes - especially the fox's 3D looped tails. I did actually pick up two foxes on eBay, which I'm very proud of. They are such magnificent items, and definite statement pieces, as they're much bigger than you imagine - about 10cm long.
Maybe they'll be worth £100s one day! I wish I could have afforded one of the really decorative patterned ones though.
I also can see her influence in some of Tatty Devine's pieces, particularly this gorgeous fox.
Just back from Mallorca. It was lovely. My apartment was perfect and looked just like the pictures (fortunately). It's in Santa Catalina, an area of Palma that has smartened up over the years I've been visiting, and I loved, loved, loved it. It was mere moments from a supermarket, a buzzy covered local market - the Mercat Santa Catalina, a health food shop and both the bus stops I needed. Just typing this has made me want to wail 'Why aren't I there anymore?!"
Currently trying to think if I could run Shark Alley from out there. It may happen one day.
Anyway, I wondered what to write about it in this blog post (as I obviously haven't been doing anything creative this week) and I thought of this walk.
The weather was mixed during my stay, so on a day forecast to be cloudy, I took the bus north to Sóller. This is a special place where I fell in love with the island for the first time, and I lived there for a month in 2006. Although this made me realise that I do actually need to live in a city, Sóller has a magic about it that brings about a strong and complicated emotional reaction every single time. Apparently, this is not uncommon and is something to do with the mountains. More about these in a bit.
Personally, things are very tough at the moment. I suddenly wanted to walk and walk and walk I did, despite not really being dressed for it. God knows what the dedicated German hill-walkers thought of me in my dress, leggings and gold Fit-Flops.
I had lunch in a bar in the tiny hamlet of Biniaraix, just above Sóller, and nabbed the best seat on the terrace with a view of the mountains above the lovely houses. Just to make it even more amazing, as I sat down the sound of someone playing Erik Satie's Gnossienes on the piano came floating out of a nearby window. Stuff like this happens a lot here. I had a secret little cry.
Press 'Play' now and read on.
After lunch, I kept walking and eventually reached a path I'd never been up before. I knew roughly where I was going, but not exactly how the route worked. I felt stupidly nervous - why? - but I knew I could just turn round if I wanted to. I kept going, up and up the steep hairpin bends and every time I looked back, Sóller got smaller and it was all very exhilarating in a way and I was making a new memory, not just backtracking over old ones.
It was so beautiful and peaceful. I was totally alone. All I could hear was the sound of the birds and goat-bells clanging and tinkling nearby. There was even still a slight waft of orange and lemon blossom in the air, although most of it had disappeared by now. The clouds made it a perfect temperature to walk in. I guessed the road would drop down to the left, heading for the village of Fornalutx, but it never did, just kept climbing higher and getting narrower and narrower, so I must confess I did have a tiny panic and turn back. Then fortunately I spotted this small stony track with a helpful sign. Bingo.
Fortunately Fornalutx.
Relaxed now (maybe a little too relaxed - I slipped on a stone and gave myself an enormous bruise on my bum!), I picked my way down the path and simply enjoyed the stunning views.
One of the first things I noticed about this area in the north of the island are the beautiful mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana. They are so . . . shapely. When you drive up them, your ears pop. They lean in and hug the valley. They change colour and form depending on the light. I find them so comforting. Even on this cloudy day they looked good.
Such endorphins on the way down! I rounded off the afternoon by taking the 'scenic route' 210 bus back to Palma. This takes an hour and half (rather than 30 minutes) and goes via the jaw-dropping coast road to Deia, then Valdemossa (where Michael Douglas has a house).
Would you like to win a totallytropicaltoucan brooch?
Of course you would!
This handsome boy is a brand new design from Shark Alley. So new in fact, that he and his chums are not even on the website yet.
By some rare miracle this has actually managed to coincide with a Fashionable Trend. Toucans are everywhere right now, no doubt massively influenced by the forthcoming World Cup in Brazil this summer. Adidas have even put them on a range of sportswear!
So as toucans are IT at the moment, it seems like a perfect time to snap one up for yourself by entering my little competition.
All you need to do is head over to the Shark Alley Facebook page and find the photo at the top of the page. That will be the beautiful Ella modelling one of the toucan brooches. To be in with a chance of winning, please comment on the photo and tag a friendwho you think would really like Shark Alley jewellery or the Shark Alley page, or even just the brooch! It would be nice if you can like the page too - if you haven't already, of course! I'll pick a winner at random on Monday 26th May - that's UK Bank Holiday Monday - and they'll win a fabulous orange-beaked toucan worth £18. Maybe if I'm feeling generous, I'll throw in another brooch of some description for your friend!
This week I saw a great picture that someone had shared on Facebook. It was a series of little photos showing how to make penguin canapés - and they were AWESOME. As I had to make some nibbles for an Open House private view on the 10th, I was definitely going to try it out!
Here's how I got on.
1: You'll need some soft cheese, pitted black olives, a carrot and some cocktail sticks. The original picture just showed a tiny weeny scoopy kind of spoon full of nondescript soft cheese. I don't have a little scoopy spoon so I went for goat's cheese, which I knew I could roll into balls by hand.
2: Peel the carrots and cut into slices roughly 4mm thick, then cut out a small triangle 'beak' from each. The larger bit is for the penguins' feet.
3: Pop the beaks into the widest hole of the olives to make the penguins' heads.
4: Spoon out the soft bits of the cheese and roll it (with very clean hands!) into small balls.
5: To make the penguin bodies, cut down one side of an olive.
6: Then insert the small ball of cheese.
7: Put the two olives together on one of the cut-out carrot slices and spear with a cocktail stick. Done!
8: Repeat - et voilá - a whole army of penguins!
I am pleased to report that the penguins went down an
absolute storm. So easy and fun to make - you should definitely try
it. I didn't actually get to taste one though.
Here are the last few remaining penguins in situ at the private view. Nice blue plate!
It was a fun night - and so busy. There were a few sales and hopefully people will come back in the day to see things when it's quieter. If you're in Brighton and want to visit 60 Florence Road yourself, it's open 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th May from 11am to 5pm. Sorry there are no penguins left, but there will be tea and cake in the garden!
Here in Brighton, May means the Brighton Festival - a month filled with all sorts of cultural and artistic shenanigans and these include Artists Open Houses.
This is where local artists open up their homes as galleries every weekend, showcasing their own work as well as that of other local artists. It's a lovely relaxed environment to see all sorts of different art and craft and to meet and chat with the artists who make it.
I'm in two this year - both on the Fiveways Trail - number 13 and number 15. Fiveways is the area where the Open Houses began and is a really lovely trail to walk around. The participating houses are all quite close together and the ones that aren't are really lovely to look at as you stroll by.
My creations are equally divided between the two houses, so if you can't see what you want in one, just pop round to the other - they are very close! Apologies for the slightly blurred nature of the shots below - they were taken with my phone camera in very low light.
Number 13 (hopefully not unlucky 13!) is Delicious Delights at 60 Florence Road. This house belongs to Kate Lulham, who produces original works of art in tins from tins - and just happens to sit next to me in Cross Street Studios. Find all sorts of Shark Alley bird brooches here - toucans, birds, owls as well as dove earrings, resin pendants, purses and otters. The otters are also represented in some brand new postcards and there is a Shark Alley Otter Family Photo Album to leaf through - assembled from the wonderful shots that people have sent in of their otters getting up to various adventures (from the Get Buzzy With The Fuzzy blog).
Otter postcards
Number 15 is Polly Raynes's house at 202 Ditchling Road and features art on a 'patterns and nature' theme. I'm showing my hare and Brighton cat brooches here and introducing brand new puffins and squirrels. All the resin jewellery is here as well as fox prints, cards, postcards and mugs.
Both houses will also be serving tea and cakes in the garden. What's not to like?!
