Award for one of my UK makers

I just wanted to share some news with you tonight that I have just found out from one of my UK makers, well two actually, mum and daughter!

Becks and Susan Jennings have just returned from the British Craft Trade Fair with another award. They won the Craftsman Craft and Design Magazine for Highly Commended Best Newcomer which is amazing.

I have been selling their fantastically fun alternatives to the boring jewellery box for nearly a year now so know how popular and amazing their work is. If you can't get down to Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge to buy your own little cupcake, ice cream or chocolate box then visit them at http://naive.biz and please make sure you mention Heart Gallery.

http://www.naive.biz

New work arriving daily at Heart Gallery

The last couple of weeks have been really exciting as Heart Gallery gets Spring cleaned and new work arrives daily ... all very exciting.

If you can bob in to see it all first hand then you are one of the lucky ones and if not then please enjoy the images here. These are some images of Clare Caulfield's amazing new original water colours and limited edition prints which were eagerly anticipated this week and arrived today.

You can also see all the new arrivals in my Facebook albums and on the heartgalleryblog website. Just check into the main Heart Gallery website at heartgallery.co.uk and follow the links. Enjoy and I hope to see you soon in Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge.

Marvelous March

Well, I really hope that Spring is well and truly on its way - it certainly feels like it at home as the bulbs start to push their way through the soil.

March should be a month when we feel much lighter as the daylight lasts that little bit longer. It's been great hearing our 'young' enjoying themselves in the village until after 6pm.

It certainly feels brighter in Heart Gallery as all the marvelous new work arrives and if you follow these links you can see some photographs of a small handful of pieces now on display in Heart Gallery.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63398&id=682814520

http://heartgalleryblog.wordpress.com

Enjoy all the lovely colours .....

THE GREATS 2009

On Thursday May 21 Progressive Gifts & Home magazine will be holding its seventh 'Greats' retail awards ceremony at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, to celebrate excellence within gift retailing. The Greats are established as the premier awards event of the year as it brings together the entire industry for a night of celebration. The Greats recognise and celebrate not only the top independent and multiple gift retailers regionally and nationally, but also the new breed of gift retailers as well as outstanding retail employees.

Heart Gallery, a Contemporary Jewellery and Craft Gallery on Market Street, Hebden Bridge, has been announced this week as a FINALIST in the BEST GIFT RETAILER OF JEWELLERY category.

Having won BEST NEWCOMER NORTH AND SCOTLAND in 2008 I thought that it couldn't get any better than this yet this fabulous news this week is just the icing on the cake.

There will be stiff competition for this as this category is not regional but national but I am happy to have got this far.

I now face a nail-biting wait until May 21 when the winners will be announced at a glamourous, Venetian themed, Greats Awards ceremony. Wish me luck!

Research and Development = exciting new work due in Heart Gallery

I have spent 3 days lost in the internet looking for exciting new makers for Heart Gallery and it's always rewarding. I have put together an exhibition for June to coincide with Hebden Bridge's Arts Festival and it is slowly coming together nicely.

If you are a UK based designer/maker working with recycled materials, or if you make something new and loved from something old and discarded, then I would love to hear from you for this exhibition. Just email me at Heart Gallery and I will forward some details.

Thank you.

Warm wishes

Alison

Welcome

Hi there, and welcome to my new blog pages which will hopefully keep you updated with Heart Gallery news periodically - in other words ... when time allows!! Which brings me nicely on to what I want to say tonight.

I am not really going to write too much about Heart Gallery tonight, although it is important to this blog. When the clocks went back last year by an hour it got me thinking about time. I remember that this turning back of time gave me a much needed extra hour in bed, many other people an extra hour socialising with friends or family and others, no doubt, another hour of drinking time! You often hear people saying "if only I could turn back time" or talking about hindsight being a wonderful thing and "doing things differently were they able to live that part of their life again". Would I wish to turn back the clock further than that hour ... no.

I believe I am the person I am today because of the paths I have trodden and the journeys I have taken and I like who I am, like where I am and more importantly am thankful that I am here now to live this life.

I opened Heart Gallery over 2 years ago because I wanted to work for myself, wanted to give Hebden Bridge something it didn't already have, wanted to enjoy walking into work every day, wanted to feel passionate about what I did. I still feel that same passion and pride today that I had the day Heart Gallery first opened. I feel it every morning when I put my key in the big, black door of Heart Gallery, open it, see the beautiful space and smell the building.

Heart Gallery will never make me rich and able to retire early but that isn't what I am driven by as I am rich in other ways. It isn't easy to take that leap of faith into self employment but it has a greater chance of success if you do it for the right reasons, and I didn't take that step to make me rich but to enrich.

I can't say that it is easy; it is extremely hard work and takes 100% commitment to get it right. I can't say it doesn't affect family or social life as I have to work hard to find the right balance; and I don't always get it right! I can't say that it hasn't been without casualties but these have happened for a reason and out of my control but ultimately for the better. 

What I can say is that my loyal customers remind me regularly that I did the right thing and they love visiting Heart Gallery as much as I love living Heart Gallery so if you haven't yet been to Hebden Bridge or to Heart Gallery, make that trip - it is so worthwhile and you will not be disappointed. It's a fabulously creative town filled with many independent shops and cafes that offer so much more and you will find unusual and unique treats or gifts that you can't get anywhere else. Heart Gallery offers a warm welcome and amazing work by over 75 local and UK based designer/makers and I look forward to seeing you in the future.