What a gorgeous day! Brilliant sunshine, lots of lovely people & my stall is in between an ice cream van (@icequeenvan) and a gin stall (@tenhidesdistillery)!
I’m outside again and much prefer it, although you may need to remind me I said that when we get to Not-so-Sunny November and Dark & Dismal December!
There are a few new things on the stall today. I found some beautiful little faceted beads in ruby, emerald and sapphire & I’ve put them together with tiny sterling silver beads and chain to make what I think are very pretty necklets. Sapphire is September’s birthstone, so here’s a not very good photo of one of those.
There is also one pair of earrings to match, but only one, so if you’d like them, you need to let me know pretty quickly in case they sell!
A new design for 2023 is the Keepsake necklace. Suspended on a fine, diamond-cut curb chain are as many rings as you need to represent what you’re celebrating. Two – reaching the age of 20, making a family of one into a family of two, having your second child, reaching your second anniversary… Three – a 30th birthday, 3rd (or 30th) anniversary, a family grows from 2 to 3… Four – the Big 4 0!, a 40th anniversary…
You get the picture. Marmalade Emma can add up to 7 rings, each one linked through all the others and suspended from the dainty chain by two crossed jumprings. Choose from 16″, 18″ or 20″ chains.
If you need more than 7 rings it can still be done, but the rings will need to be bigger and the chain more sturdy. (Thus it will cost quite a bit more). Or you can go straight for the fiddle pendant which has 12 rings on a figaro chain.
Fiddle pendant – 12 interlocking rings on a long figaro chain. £75.00
Whatever the celebration, I’m sure Marmalade Emma has something to make your loved one feel very special.
Send me a message or an email (marmaladeemma@yahoo.com) to place your order. Or pop over to my Etsy shop -https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MarmaladeEmma.. (Please give 2-3weeks notice for me to make your order, postage is £5.)
I often have people approach my stall asking “Where’s the marmalade then?” I laugh and tell them there’s no marmalade and my name isn’t Emma either. Marmalade Emma was a tramp who lived in the town where I was born, Colchester in Essex, from around 1900 until she died in 1917. Where she came from nobody really knows for sure, although it’s thought she was born in Great Horkesley in 1860. There are a number of stories about why she was called ‘Marmalade Emma’. Was it that she loved marmalade and went about clutching a jar of it (like in the photo below), or was she sacked as a house maid for stealing some. Or was it her hair, which some claim was ‘marmalady’. Maybe the cat, which she kept tucked in her coat with its head sticking out, was a marmalade cat. We’ll never know for sure. But she and her devoted friend Teddy Grimes walked the streets of the town, begging for food, arguing, and swearing profusely. Emma died of bronchitis in the ‘Common Lodging House on Vineyard Street’, unsurprising given her way of life. You can read a bit more in the article at the link at the bottom of the page.
Marmalade Emma and Me
When I was a little girl, my family made up a rhyme using my name and that of Marmalade Emma. Probably because I liked keeping my treasures and collections in carrier bags – many of them! (and still do, my husband would say). The rhyme was sung at every opportunity, by most members of my extended family, much to my annoyance, so when it came to choosing a name for my jewellery business, Marmalade Emma it had to be.
Did you visit last Saturday’s Weaver’s Market in Trowbridge? It was quite a fun day I think, what with circus training, music, and food as well as the stalls full of handmade things. We had a good time in Emmanuel’s Yard.
I had extra help this time – I took along an old friend, Jemima. I even made her a new dress for the occasion – a closely fitted black crushed velvet number with a full skirt. She stood silently by the table for the whole day, not moving an inch as she modelled pearl necklaces and earrings, carefully arranged in sets over her torso. I did ask about the pins (Ja min’ ma putting pins in ya?) but she’s never minded before and didn’t this time either. She’s coming with me next month too, she doesn’t get out much otherwise.
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Jemima by the Stall, November 2021
More people were out and about this month, and it was great to see so many new faces. Marmalade Emma was at Emmanuel’s Yard again, I love the light, airy space and the fact that it’s completely accessible for everyone – buggies, wheelchairs, mobility aids, everyone can get in, get round to browse the stalls, have a snack at the coffee shop and visit the toilets if necessary. The other stall holders are chatty and helpful, and it was exciting to see people buying from them – Bee Awesome’s natural cosmetics, Made by Emilia’s scrunchies and comfort blankets, Wild Rye almost sold out of her amazing sourdough bread along with some very yummy cookies and cinnamon rolls and if you want to know what a worry worm is, you need to visit Handmade by Pinky’s stall. I hope they’ll all be there again next month, and I look forward to seeing you too – come along and say Hi, say the magic codeword and you’ll get 10% discount too 😉.
Codeword for 10% discount is…. PUDDLEDUCK (valid at Trowbridge Weaver’s Market only, 11/12/2021:
Stall set, payment gizmo charged, hand gel handy, mask on. Where’s my phone? Have I got the banner on straight? What have I forgotten? Oh, “Hello, lovely to see you!”… It’s 10am on the second Saturday of the month. It’s the Trowbridge Weaver’s Market, and Marmalade Emma is there!
First stall at Emmanuel’s Yard, hmm, room for improvement
Emmanuel’s Yard is the newest venue, and it is stunning. Originally Emmanuel Baptist Church, the 18th century building has been lovingly renovated to give home to a whole range of activities, groups and spaces, including a fantastic café. This is where I am. The light is lovely, the space is airy, the stalls are full of interesting, beautiful and in some instances, very yummy, things. It’s got a great atmosphere too.
Outside in the town centre, Fore Street buzzes with live music and circus workshops; food stalls scent the air with mouthwatering aromas; bunting and signs direct you to the two indoor venues, packed with all kinds of lovely things – Emmanuel’s Yard (did I say, that’s where you’ll find Marmalade Emma? 😊), and the Town Hall.
People come and go, look and comment, some buy, many don’t. But it’s all great. I love talking to people about the jewellery I make. I enjoy helping people make their choices, showing variations and suggesting alternatives. Most of all I love to carefully box what they have chosen, wrap in Marmalade Emma’s signature turquoise tissue paper with a branded sticker and slip their purchase into a little white carrier bag for them to take home, sending the jewellery on to its new home with a final touch of love and care. (No sprigs of greenery or potpourri, it’s not Love Actually).
A quiet patch. Well, there are quite a few quiet patches to be honest, but it gives me time to stock up on my chocolate (from the delightful Taboo Choc), and cards (Jacqueline Byrne has some stunning ones, I love her hare pictures, and the owls, and the badgers, and…), buy a gift for someone from another stall and order some Christmas presents for the grandchildren. Careful, careful, you’ll spend everything you’ve made…
Handknotted on silk, palest pink baroque pearl necklace
Suddenly it’s 4pm and everyone gets busy packing up. Pearls in bags, then in boxes, bracelets in their bags and box, things on chains bagged individually or I’ll spend hours untangling them, earrings, oh the earrings take ages, a big bag and I’ll sort them later… Tomorrow is sort-it-out-and-pack-it-properly day. Off with the drapes, down with the frames, fold up the table, pack the car and – breathe. A good day but now to debrief with the family, they are my greatest supporters and encouragement and I couldn’t do this without them. We chat about what worked and what didn’t, what needs changing for next time, what display things I could try. Time to start planning for October and Christmas…
Hmm, what shall I highlight? Any ideas folks? What do you think?
Handmade sterling silver bangle with hammered finish
So, this month I’ve been working on gems that sparkle. Everyone would like diamonds, but my Mum always did say I had champagne taste on beer money, so I’ve used cubic zirconia instead. These are very durable, flash with fire and sparks when they catch the light and are somewhat cheaper than the carbon crystals that take millions of years to form. These studs are 4mm (on the left) and 6mm in diameter and they’re set in sterling silver with butterfly backs. You can have your very own pair for just £10 or £12 respectively.
I’ve also got 2 pairs of dinky little sapphire studs – just 3mm diameter – they’re really lovely and if I’m not disciplined there will only be 1 pair for sale!! These are £14 a pair.
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The last sparkly ones for this month (till I make some more) are pale blue topaz drops.
These are so pretty with the facets catching the light beautifully as they swing gently from their silver hooks. These are £10 a pair.
Earlier this year I came across some rather lovely mother of pearl roses. These have made drop earrings (£10), a little pendant (£10 with chain) and form a focal point to two pearl bracelets, one traditional cream, the other purple-grey (£15 each).
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If you’d like any of these, just drop me an email – marmaladeemma@yahoo.com I’d be delighted to help.
These are so pretty with the facets catching the light beautifully as they swing gently from their silver hooks. These are £10 a pair.
Marmalade Emma 