Sharon Golding Designs

 It has long been my desire to make a lampshade for a lamp that was gifted to me and I have at last accomplished this. With no real idea of how to go about it, I ordered some lampshade backing which is stiff kind of polythene stuff on which to mount your fabric. The fabric was an easy choice as I have mountains of the stuff from my sewing obsession period!  Having chosen a pretty blue-ish country pattern, I set about making templates of the wire sections to be covered. I used stiff card and simply pressed it against a section of the wire skeleton shade.  As there are two distinct sizes on my shade, I had to make two templates. Here are the two completed templates.  I used these to draw around to make both the fabric sections and also the backing mounts.  After drawing four of each template on to my backing mounts and four of each on to the fabric, I cut out the sections.  I think cut out the pieces. The polythene backing came with a sticky side so I was able to mount my fabric very eas

 So I have been working the silver again and so far managed to make two pairs of earrings, two silver rings, and a silver pendant. My favourite the silver twist earrings, they’re just so beautiful. Thanks for dropping by. Best wishes Shari

 Hello again, So many people have told me that they can’t paint and they wish they could.  My answer is Yes you can paint you just need to start.  So I’ve decided to show all you beginners and doubters how to do it.  It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.... 3 paints, 3 brushes and 3 steps.  Just follow my lead. For the purpose of this demonstration I will use acrylic paints, but I will be using them like oils.  That is virtually straight from the tube with minimum water.  It’s easier using acrylics because you only need water to mix and they dry quicker than oils (sometimes too quickly!). To prepare the basics you will need are:- 3 paints:  Ultramarine Blue; Alizarin Crimson and Raw Sienna   (We will also be using Titanium White And  our Hero colour, Cadmium Yellow - use sparingly, this is the colour that will give our painting oomph!) 3 brushes: Large, Medium and small 3 steps: Draw; Block in; Refine. Two jars of water... one for mixing and one for brush washing. A palette for mixing (or an old wh

 Had enormous fun today working in the studio, making silver rings, annealing, etc.  I just adore working with silver.  Here are some pictures of my process. Rings and things  Me hard at work! Soldering And pickling  Have a wonderful day! Best wishes Shari  

 Now here’s something interesting.  I was playing around with polymer clay with my grandchildren, just showing them how you can make things like jewellery and Christmas decorations then bake them in the oven and hey presto! You have something that lasts. I then started getting out some scraps of sterling silver and here’s what I came up with.  To make it even more resilient and hopefully long lasting I coated the clay with clear resin.  I’m quite pleased with this and will make it into a pendant. This is the front with the diamond cut into the silver And here is the back with the polymer clay coated in clear resin. What do you think?  Any ideas that could help?

Today I did some enamelling using copper and brass blanks.  Have you tried the Efcolor enamels?  They’re lovely.  You just sift powder onto your metal blanks and bake in the oven on a low heat for about 5-10 minutes.  Here are some of the items I have enamelled.  I’m going to make them into jewellery, earrings etc. It didn’t take long and it’s possible to add layers and rebake. This is a closeup of the yellow and red.  It’s quite enjoyable to try different colour combos and I shall definitely be trying more of this. I wonder what is involved in proper enamelling?  It would be fun to try it if I could, although I believe a kiln is needed which is quite an expensive item.I may look into courses for after lockdown.  It’s always fun to try new things. All the best Shari x

  Recently I have got back into my jewellery making.  I love silver work and have made a number of sterling silver rings (see pic) and am now trying to get to grips with something a little different, kinetic jewellery.  There must be a way of making small items that move and I am starting experiments to do just that.  What are your thoughts?  Any ideas are welcome. I’m going to try something using copper first as it’s cheaper so if all goes pear shaped I won’t lose any precious silver.  If it works with copper then I will try it with silver. I will upload some pics of the ideas I’ve been playing around with.  When I get time I would like to upload a video or even some step by step photos of how I make my jewellery if you are interested. Stay safe.  All the best, Shari x

 To follow or not to follow?  That is the question... Will it be worth your while?  Are we compatible?  Read on and find out.  If you are slightly crazy, with a quirky sense of humour and are into all creative arts then we may just get along.  This is me and I make no apology for being me.  I’ve been around a while and I have learned a lot about life.  Have I led an interesting life?  I would say yes... in that I have always gone my own way and done my own thing.  I love life and I love the little miracles that fill our beautiful world. Ok, so introduction over and let’s get down to what this blog is all about.  I want to share with you the things that I am passionate about.  To show you how I do things and what to me is important in life.  I hope we can find some common ground, some passion that we share, because I would love for us to start a friendship and to share our thoughts and beliefs, and maybe even discover a little magic along the way. Right now we are in the middle of a loc