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Literary inspiration

As well as fairytales (see the entry "You shall go to the ball!"), when I was little I loved books with secret worlds like The Sceret Garden and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by nature - there were woods on my school property, we had a lovely garden and my best friend had huge sprawls of lawns, bushes and woods. "The Secret Garden" was a favourite game.

Now I'm making jewellery, images from those books keep popping back into my head. The colour combinations, the tiny brass swallows (which I get from New York - I can't for the life of me find any in England) and the use of antique keys all spring from my own idea of "the secret garden".

I think part of the appeal of these stories is that they tie in with my own romanticised idea of England - if I could ever find a tea shop in Lancashire where the fondant fancies are served on three-tier cake stands I'd be a happy girl indeed. I hope that my necklaces convey some of this romance.

Which books have inspired your work?
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Laura Johnson said…
Just spotted your note on folksy and thought I'd have a look at your blog! Great stuff! I'm hugely influenced by what I read and my first set of jewellery was influenced by Charles Frazier's 'Cold Mountain' - fabulous book with symbols and images and colours recurring throughout.
16 December 2008 at 14:21
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