The Wedding Fair

On Sunday Distinctive Impressions exhibited at The Wedding Fair, The Lights, Andover, Hants. It was a really good day, with a great turn out of brides-to-be and their friends. I received lots of positive feedback from everyone that came up to the stand, which was brilliant, and I met some really interesting people with whom I hope to stay in contact in the future.

Kisses for Keeps was really well received and fingerprint jewellery seemed to be a unique gift that was highly sought after by members of wedding parties.

Kisses for Keeps

This week I have launched a new product into the Distinctive Impressions product portfolio, Kisses for Keeps.

Kisses for Keeps is the impression of a pair of lips purced into a kiss and captured in fine silver.


There are many times in our lives when loved ones go away for extended periods of time. A kiss preserved in fine silver eases the pain of absence, touches the hearts of loved ones and keeps them close forever.

Along with a personalised message hand engraved into the back of the kiss, this really provides a truly sentimental gift.

Vapour heart

My fantastic sister-in-law (I think I've got her hooked too as she is always on the look out) also captured a marriage proposal in the sky which was signed off with a heart....romance obviously isn't dead!

Heart in a tree stump

I am always on the look out for heart shapes and the quirkier the better. My sister-in-law was over in Australia at the end of last year and was out for a walk in the misty Blue Mountains, Katoomba, New South Wales when she came across a tree stump with the centre hollowed in the shape of a heart. She took a photo and brought it home for me....its amazing!!!

Quirky Textured Cufflinks

I am really pleased to launch 3 new sets of cufflinks. I have wanted to launch a range of cufflinks since first working with PMC as there are so many textures out there that lend themselves to the simplistic style a cufflink creates. I've had a great time over the last few months finding and capturing some new and quirky textures and starting to create my range.


Button Cufflinks


I love buttons...not sure why...I think it's their random nature and that there are so many different ones...colours, sizes, textures. Anyway, recently I have been using them to make up necklaces to sell alongside my silver at craft fairs (that's another story) and I really fancied trying to capture one in fine silver. They have turned out to be a unique round button cufflink which is a quirky alternative to the traditional shirt sleeve fastening. The button tops are approx. 15 mm in diameter and 3 mm deep and are finished with hand-soldered sterling silver t-bar arms. Due to the weight of the fine silver button they are retailing for £50 per pair.






I decided to look at textures within my own home and found some amazing objects with textures that I would never have dreamed would have looked so amazing.



Square Ribs' Cufflinks


The ribbed effect that makes these classic square-cut cufflinks so original started as a freezer bag tie!! The square tops are approx. 14 mm square and 1 mm deep, finished with hand-soldered sterling silver t-bar arms and retail for £35 per pair.





Dimples' Cufflinks

I promise I wasn't rooting around in the bottom of the food bin but after rinsing out the plastic meat tray I noticed a fantastic texture on the base. I've taken this dimpled surface and transformed it into these stylish round cufflinks. The round tops are approx. 15 mm in diameter and 1 mm deep, finished with hand-soldered sterling silver t-bar arms and retail for £35 per pair .

Being able to give back....

I am really pleased to announce that today I have been able to make a charitable donation of £64 to Naomi House, the respite care and end of life children's hospice based in Hampshire. The money donated has been a result of work commissioned by the families using the facilities. I have managed to capture the fingerprints of their nearest and dearest and preserve them in fine silver which has provided a lot of comfort in very difficult times.

I want to say a big thank you to the care and bereavement team at Naomi House for all their support to Distinctive Impressions and me personally throughout 2009. Walking into the butterfly suite for the first time, meeting bereaving families and taking as near perfect fingerprint as possible was really hard. Walking into the private room of a grieving family and being in the presence of their deceased was a challenge I had never faced before but the care and bereavement team were so supportive, they really do an amazing job in the most unfortunate circumstances. Take a look at http://www.naomihouse.org.uk/ to see examples of the amazing work that they do.

Wessex Children’s Hospice Trust Charity Registration No. 1002832

Humbled and enlightened.....

Yesterday was a very strange day for me, I had a day of very mixed emotions. I felt very privileged to have met two very beautiful girls who very very sadly have lost and are losing the battle to fight for their lives. I was honoured to be asked to meet a last minute request to visit Naomi House to take the fingerprints of a beautiful young girl who had sadly lost the challenges faced by suffering with Cystic Fibrosis and ultimately taken by the dreaded swine flu. I felt so pleased that I was able to contribute to easing the pain of grief and help preserve the memories that her family are striving to keep forever.

Then I had the pleasure of being in the company of a couple who have strength that I can not imagine possible to have and be in the presence of their beautiful daughter who is bravely fighting a battle against a degenerative genetic disorder. As carers in their own home 24/7, a commitment you can only admire, her parents oozed positive attitude and their strength towards life was just unbelievably contagious. I was so pleased (for want of a better word) they had chosen me to capture and preserve the fingerprints of their daughter...thank you.

They were such humbling experiences, they really brought home that we should all enjoy every day for what it is, forget about the negatives in life as they really aren't important and be thankful for everything that is good in your world because you really don't know what is coming round the corner.