There is one aspect of designing jewelry that I really hate and that is the 'taking pictures' part. I find it so incredibly difficult and I am never satisfied with the result. Collaborating with a photographer for every new collection is not recommandable from a financial perspective ... so there is nothing else to do, than to give it another try.

There are two brand new collections coming up and I am once again looking up more information about photography. For those of you who have the same problem, the web site TABLE TOP STUDIO is a real winner! The gallery is doing well, the new workshop programme is ready ... time to work on a new webshop! I didn't update it for the last year, what a shame.

Valentine is coming, time for a new display in our gallery, including new designs!

Gallery TWEE is participating in the Day of Crafts. You can take a look behind the scene on sunday 5th of February from 11h untill 18h. Nathalie and me will be giving demonstrations in different jewelry techniques throughout the day. You can find all information here.

Last year I received a very special order. A mom who lost her daughter asked me to make a pendant in which her daughter's hair would be visible. I needed quite a while to think about it and do a little research. But I recently finished it and here is the result. The hair is protected by a little glass plate. Everything is kept in place by a setting of little forget-me-not's. The second jewel is a ring I made for my sister-in-law. Actually, it is the first jewel from a new collection. I have been working on it for a long time, always in between other jobs. I'll show the rest of the pictures when the whole collection is finished!

The new program is ready! This year we offer you 32 workshops. There are 9 new topics such as enamel, granule, chasing, an open studio for lost wax, and silverclay. We also offer a first workshop for children. This year all workshops are taught by Nathalie and myself.

The registration works a bit different now. You register directly through the website and you pay the full fee upon registration.

We also propose a new concept: "Jewel with brunch." We will invite 3 designers to join us for a brunch in the gallery. This offers you a unique way to get to know the designer and his work. A maximum of 7 students can participate. Who will be coming and when...we're still keeping a secret for now! Read are newsletters very carefully!

I haven't had a lot of time to keep the blog updated since the opening of the gallery. But now we are really starting to feel at home at our new place and we are both really busy making new collections for the holidays!

From the 1st of December you can come and have a look at our holiday display. We are organizing extra opening days in December for all your Christmas shopping at the gallery:

sat 3 : 11u till 18u

sat 10 : 11u till 18u
sun 11 : 14u till 18u

fri 16 : 16u till 20u
sat 17 : 11u till 18u
sun 18 : 14u till 18u

fri 23 : 16u till 20u
sat 24 : 11u till 16u

fri 30 : 16u till 20u
sat 31 : 11u till 16u
My good resolve for 2012 will be to write more often on my blog!!

Gallery TWEE received some more press and is called one of the hotspots of Antwerp in the lastest issue of Marie-Claire, happy!

We had a great opening, here are some pics:

Today an article about our gallery apeared in Zone 03, hurray!

Our very first interview about gallerie TWEE appeared on the 9th of august in the Antwerp journal!

It's been very quiet on this blog lately. I really had the intention to give updates on all the hard work we have been doing, but I have just been too busy!

Yesterday we had the press opening of our gallery and from now on you can visit us every saterday from 11h untill 18h and by appointment. All the workshops take place at the new adress (Graaf van Egmontstraat 33, 2000 Antwerpen). Here are the first two pictures: The opening reception will take place on the first weekend of september.

Due to a cancellation there is one place available for the workshop origami in silver on the 25th and 26th of august. This workshop won't be on next year's programm!

Now I am taking a long needed holiday, I will be back in the studio on August 15th.

Lotte starts the day by pushing over a pot :) Nathalie is sanding the floor very diligently. And look what a pretty wooden floor we are going to have. It comes from a very old Antwerp museum...hmm, does that mean we're gonna have to make jewelry without making stains? The walls are scrubbed before they get a new coat of paint. Anyone out there bored? Feel free to join us :)

Finally, finally I can announce my big secret!

In February, Nathalie visited me because she wanted to discuss something. (For the new visitors on my blog, Nathalie is a collegue and she also teaches workshops in my studio.) I expected her to tell me about a new subject for a workshop, but no... She had found a nice location and asked me if I wanted to join are studios together and start a gallery.... I was a 'little bit' overwhelmed with her question, but after a long, sleepless night, I was full of enthousiasm!! We just go for it! And now, a couple of months later we are very proud to make our official announcement: Twee is a gallery of unique jewelry. Lotte De Mey and Nathalie Perneel create jewels with surprising materials and techniques. Would you like to have your own idea made? They can also design custom made jewels for you.
Takeover is an event during which the Twee gallery is taken over by Belgian and foreign designers. A selection of their jewelry will be presented and offered for sale. Each edition will have a different theme.
The studio is the heart of the gallery. This is the place where craftsmanship and creativity go hand in hand as Lotte and Nathalie design their jewelry. Here they also organize workshops for beginners and advanced students alike, taught by themselves and by international guest teachers. You can also consult the specialized and well-filled library.

We are now very busy to get all the work done by august. The gallery will open then, but the official opening with reception will be in september.
We have a huge to-do list: The inside and outside of the building needs a new coat of paint. We are designing the furniture. We need to brand our packaging, we need a new website and I didn't even mention all the official paperwork we have to do... So, these are some harsh months.

But let me take you on a tour of the building: The gallery will be on the streetside of the building. I love the original chandelier! This is the middle chamber with a big kitchen block with a ventilation system. Here, we will enstall a huge table for the workshops. Nathalie and me are putting our benches under the skylight. So, we will be working under real daylight, yaay! Behind our benches there is a little room where we will enstall all the machinery and the library. This was hard to capture on a picture. This is the facade (which needs a lot of paint) with a beautiful entrance and showcase. When you look to the right, you look straight at the Museum of Fine Arts. This is a great view, but I forgot to take the picture, so that will be for next time.

I'll keep you guy's posted!

It has been a very cosy silvermarket on the 1st of May. I placed a little bench in my booth this year, so I could demonstrate some techniques. The visitors liked it! Here are some pictures. Thank you Caty, for sending me these pictures!