Distinctive Impressions

The Wedding Fair

2010-02-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

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....

2010-01-04T03:23:00.000-08:00

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.....

2009-11-13T04:04:00.000-08:00

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.

Something new.....

2009-10-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

I've just been working on a new project and feel very priviledged to have been asked to do so. Some friends had commissioned the making of two pendants to be designed around holding a very small amount of human ashes for two young girls who tragically lost their mum last year. And this is what I have created...

A sealed fine silver box textured with a piece of leather at the clay stage and fired with a small hole in the centre of the top face to insert the ashes. This box is left at the brushed stage to create a matt finish with a contrasting polished heart to seal the hole and contain the ashes. I attached a bale style loop to the top of the box at the clay stage so a chain can be applied and the box worn as a pendant. I will be able to add this type of product to the 'In Memory' section of my web site and provide another product to help ease the pain and bring comfort to those that have lost a loved one.

Weddings & Special Occasions

2009-10-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

May was a really busy month for me getting all of Jen and Ryan's wedding gifts made in readiness for their big day. It was the perfect time for testing my hand writing skills and launching the personal engraving service within Distinctive Impressions. I wrote the wedding date and initials of Jen and Ryan on all back of the cufflinks they gave to all of their male attendants..see below

Jen wanted to give her bridesmaid a personal gift so we took the fingerprints of both Jen and Ryan and put them individually onto small funky hearts accompanied by a single freshwater pearl and made them into earrings. I also made a single small funky heart with a mirror finish, again accompanied by a single freshwater pearl, into a pendant resulting in a totally unique and very personal gift (see image below).

Developing all these products for Jen and Ryan gave me all the pieces I needed to put my Weddings & Special Occasions category together and I am proud to say that all the imagery used on this page & on the website was shot by my husband, take a look Distinctive Impressions Weddings & Special Occasions Page

We had a fantastic day at Jen & Ryan's wedding, she looked absolutely stunning and the location was beautiful, so much thought had gone into the whole day and thankfully everyone loved their presents!!

In Memory...

2009-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

In March this year a very tragic event took place within the family of a very close friend of mine. The 13 year old son, the youngest of two, collapsed and died. The event shook my home town and as with others I could not comprehend or expel the all consuming thoughts of what the family could be going through. All I kept saying to myself was 'how can I help' but I felt so helpless, being a mum myself I could not even begin to imagine the pain and confusion of suddenly losing a child especially, when you haven't said your goodbyes! Then it came to me, I had been researching moulding kits and testing the possibilities and quality of print reproduction, maybe I could contact the funeral director to see if it would be possible to take the print of the deceased?? And to my joy it was possible, so I contacted the family to see if they would like to capture his fingerprint. Thankfully I have been able to make beautiful keepsakes and treasure something so unique to him and meaningful to them.

This triggered the thought processes behind creating an 'In Memory' category within Distinctive Impressions.

Moulding Kits

2009-09-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, I have come across the need to start using moulding kits to send out to customers to capture fingerprints from afar. When I am out and about I love combining the compounds and capturing the different textures I come across but putting the responsibility of mixing the compounds together and taking impressions of the fingerprints on my customers is a totally different ball game. The use of moulding kits to take fingerprint impressions actually goes against my grain as I am unable to achieve near perfect impressions unlike those taken directly into the clay. Hence it is more of a challenge to provide my customers with the high quality products on which I pride myself and the standard of the print reproduction is completely out of my hands. Saying all of that, I have managed to utilise the moulding kits, to what I believe to be, the maximum of their potential....

A Heart in the Pavement

2009-09-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am always looking out for new textures, designs and inspritation and whilst in Lytham St. Anne's, Lancashire last weekend I came across this heart constructed in pebbles set into the pavement, amazingly it has been there since 1895! The heart is a signature shape for Distinctive Impressions and I felt the need to photograph it and blog it for all to see.....

Down to Business

2009-09-22T03:16:00.000-07:00

As a business in the world of arts & crafts two of the major things I have had to sort out are insurance and a bank account. Public liability is so important when you work with the general public and attending craft fairs, the last thing I need is to have any come back that could effectively shut me down! Although it is a quite scary thought at what you expect to be a huge financial outlay initially.

So after lots of research and quote collecting I decided upon Ian Wallace Craft Insurance . They were so quick to quote, really friendly staff and the policy covered everything I needed at the best price.

The Abbey National give me free business banking for life which is perfect for a small business starting out and touch wood, to date, they have been brilliant to work with and the on-line banking element is so hassle free. I must admit I only accept cash and cheques at the moment so when my business has grown enough to accept debit/credit cards I will need to delve further into the research and opportunities.

As I mentioned before word of mouth has been the best sales and marketing tool for me to date. Thankfully all of my customers have been really happy with everything I have made. I have also started to get enquiries through Internet searches which is a brilliant feeling....I am being searched for on Google!!! Internet searches for my business have forced me to looking at how my business can go national....the dreaded moulding kits!!!

Catch Up!!!

2009-09-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

Well it has been such a long time since I have made an entry on here...I am ashamed that it has been just over 7 months!!! and my only excuse is that I just don't seem to find quality time to sit and write but that appears to be a consequence of running my own business alongside being a full time mum. From today I will discipline myself and make the time just wait and see.....

The last 7 months have been a huge learning curve, extremely mad , loads of fun and soooo exciting. At the beginning of March I attended a wedding fair in Salisbury which was my first show in the face of the public with my whole range of products. It wasn't necessary the best day for sales volume but it was a fantastic opportunity for exposure in Salisbury alongside confirmation that the wedding market is where I want and need to be involved in. It also gave me the perfect opportunity to look at the mechanics of my display. As you can see from the photo below, on first impressions my products appear to be adequately displayed however, I wasn't happy with how it looked...it just wasn't right and you will see in blog entries over the next few weeks that I have made some changes for the better.

Two of my closest friends popped into see me and placed a huge order for weddings gifts to present on their special day, I felt so privileged to be asked to do...thank you guys.

On reflection, I have actually received quite a bit of business across Hampshire and Wiltshire through attending the show so it proved to be a fantastic marketing opportunity.

How did I come up with the name?

2009-02-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

One of the main criteria of the training course was to research textures to be captured in the clay. I didn’t realise how absorbed I could be in the textures and shapes found in nature and what better place to be in the UK than Fowey, on the east coast of Cornwall. Some of the most intricate details of totally inspiring forms of nature, sea urchin shells, weathered pebbles, leaves, bark and loads, loads more made distinctive impressions in the clay…. a light bulb moment…the name of my business was found and the direction of the company was set.

When Edward was a baby I had his fingerprint put into fine silver and felt at the time that it was an amazing process. So, on the realisation that I could capture more than a fingerprint, the most unique impressions ever created,
I was totally enthused to transform them into possessions that could be treasured forever.

In the narrow lanes of Fowey we stumbled across a beautiful Fine Arts and Crafts Gallery called Cry of The Gulls which displayed the most wonderful contemporary pieces from local designers such as Poppy Treffry and artists. I spent hours over wet and windy days browsing the gallery absorbing the atmosphere and dreaming that one day I too would be supplying hand crafted, contemporary pieces of jewellery to establishments like this….very exciting!
On our return home, a wee bit wet under the collar from the wonderful British Summer, I set straight about writing my business plan and sourcing tools and materials.

Well Distinctive Impressions is Finally Up and Running!!

2009-02-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

I can finally say that my website is up and running...it's an amazing feeling to actually see all the hard work of writing and creating the site live on the internet and it is all mine!!

I thought I would just write a bit about how Distinctive Impressions came into being.....In April 2007 my beautiful son, Edward, was born and my world changed.Before he arrived I was so excited about the prospect of becoming a Mum and having a year to nurture this little being in readiness for adventures in the big wide world. But it wasn't quite that simple for me, unfortunately I happened to be one of the people consumed with Post Natal Depression and I had a lot of re-thinking to do....who am I? What am I? What do I enjoy? What do I want from life?

In May 2008 one of my questions was answered for me, I was made redundant. I now had the opportunity to find a career that would fit perfectly into my new life as a mum. I looked at my skill base and the elements of my previous job roles that I had enjoyed the most. My background is Product Management and Marketing, which actually requires a huge amount of creativity. I was like a pig in the proverbial mud puddle when I was in the thick of researching the latest trends in home and fashion, working out how I could bring them to market and then having a big influence on the design content. This realisation answered another one of my questions…What do I enjoy…. I enjoy (actually love) being creative. With a little bit of time on my hands I started to look into the world of arts and crafts to see if there was anything that might interest me, when I stumbled across Precious Metal Clay (PMC). I started to research into the subject and decided that I wanted to have a go. I found a training course at The Mid-Cornwall School of Jewellery, which ran over one weekend and managed to fit it into the middle of our first family camping trip. I had a fantastic time and earned myself a Grade 1 qualification in Precious Metal Clay Foundation Skills. I learnt all about the process of working with PMC, which started the creative wheels turning and left me totally inspired by the opportunities ahead.

Tune in again soon to find out how Distinctive Impressions evolved and some of the thinking behind the company…..