15.02.10
Hello there,
Hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day weekend! My boyfriend took me to White Scar Cave near Ingleton, North Yorkshire (England). For anyone who enjoys going underground with a hard hat and has an interest in cave formations/caverns I’d recommend! I’d also suggest suitable footwear. Unaware of my underground activities, I was not equipped with such a necessity and spent the tour tip-toeing in heeled boots to avoid the peril of metal walkway grating. Hmmm.
Here are some of the things I have been creating of late…
pompoms / rope / fabric knots / brass beads / twisted chain
leather / brass beads / fabric knots / chain
Working with leather cord and fabric knots allow me to create more sculptured shapes. I will definitely be developing this technique further.
leather / gold plated metal
I’m fondly reminded of friendship bracelets…
I’ve been testing out a sample for the past week and I’m a little in love.
A remade version of the twisted metal necklace, this time with narrower mesh.
I’ll be replacing the grosgrain ribbon with thick black silk and then it’s ready to list in the shop.
I finally got a chance to perfect the mesh bracelet last week and my hands are still healing from the perils of working with metal. I’ve already had a number of requests for the mesh bracelet since I posted the updated version to my tumblr. I’ll be making a batch of them this week!
oh, I almost forgot!! I’m giving away one of my sailor’s knot bracelets over at Post Grad Haircut. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address. Easy. The giveaway ends tonight at midnight so be quick!!
08.02.10
A constant source of inspiration, natural history is not only an interesting subject but also a feast for the eyes. Too excessive for one post, I’ll begin with minerals, crystals and patterns from the past.
Fool’s gold: The scientific name for this widespread mineral is pyrite, derived from the Greek word for fire (pyr), which refers to the sparks that are produced when it is struck with a hammer. Personal photo from The Natural History Museum, London.
“The word crystal comes from the Greek word krystallos. This in turn is derived from kryos, which means icy cold. The ancient Greeks thought that clear rock crystals (usually the minal quartz) were actually ice, frozen too hard to melt.” The natural History Museum, London
Image credits: A combination of personal photographs and internet finds. Every image is linked to further information or the original source.
Apologies for my blogging absence. I’ve missed it a lot! I’ve been working so much on shop orders and requests that I almost feel guilty for ‘taking a break’ to blog. Thanks again for your continued support and shop orders, I appreciate it so very much!
20.01.10
This image is giving me urges to wear a ridiculously large and amazing head piece…or at least make one. I’ve just finished a little shop update but many more things should be on the way soon. Here are a few of my favourites and some random other samples I have accumulated…
vintage brass locket necklace / pyrite necklace
bow and chain earrings / heart drop earrings
vintage brass chain that resembles fish spine (!?) I’m trying my best not to turn this into a body piece but I may not be able to resist!
not entirely sure what’s going on here, but I’ll find a use for those vintage brass findings one way or another.
I may have misplaced those little airplane charms but as soon as I find them I’ll make up some more of these. I’m also in the process of making more the sailor’s knot necklaces and other ropey goodies so keep an eye out if you’re interested. I’ll be back later in the week with an image packed post based on one of my favourite subjects…
source: first image via cosmic-dust / personal photographs
15.01.10
I recently did an exchange with anja from clevernettle. I’d been saving my gifts for a special post but I just can’t resist posting them now! I also received some prints from caitlin shearer in the mail this morning, my first purchase from her store but definitely not the last! Plus my favourite super comfy black suede heels thrown in for good measure..
vintage salmon pink silk blouse / vintage ruffle neck blouse / shoe clips?! / postcards – all gifts from the lovely anja
prints I purchased from caitlin shearer’s etsy / vintage lightly studded bow heels
I think the cornflower blue blouse has quickly become one of my favourites. Great tucked into a belt cinched skirt or the more I admire Miss Shearer’s delightful print, I’m eager to to pair it with a pair of shapely jeans. I wish I could make big hips look as lovely as this little lady does!
On another note, I’ve just bought a great deal of brass mesh. I’m dying to show you what else I’ve done with it but i’ll leave that until next week. There may be pompoms involved…. maybe, definitely..
hope you all have a lovely weekend!
14.01.10
Some of the things that have been inspiring me of late.
Image credits: please click an image for further information or a link to the original source
10.01.10
OK, this is getting a bit addictive! I may have to do an entire mesh collection.
For now here’s one I created before I’d even changed out of my pajamas this morning.
// self-made vintage mesh and ribbon necklace / h&m wrap dress
…and here’s what I used: some old black ribbon I picked up at an antiques fair, vintage mesh and erm…. some blu-tack.
Please forgive me, I’m still waiting for glue supplies to arrive!
I love it as a necklace, but it is perhaps a little too large for wrist-wear. I’m now on the hunt for some mesh which is half the size of this one. A more delicate approach may be better suited. I also think this piece could make a pretty amazing headpiece, perhaps not quite for everyday wear. Speaking of headpieces, how beautiful is this one? Well I hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend. I’ll be back at some point with that shop update (so long as the Postman actually pays us a visit this week, damn snow).
09.01.10
Seeing as a few of you liked the mesh bracelet, I thought I’d try a some other mesh related experiments whilst I wait for the necessary supplies to arrive. You all sure are good motivators! It’s always good to hear your opinions so thank you.
After a fair amount of rummaging I came across some vintage skinny mesh, a much thinner and delicate version of the stretchy and thick mesh I used for the first bracelet. I did try and repeat the sailor’s knot bracelet but the result was not good! After a little clipping and twisting I changed it into a tiny knotted ring band. Still not what I had in mind but not a bad first attempt!
because I couldn’t not make a mesh tassel…
… which was quickly developed into two styles of earring and then the mandatory bow necklace
…the ends still need to be filed smooth and I may try some other bow shapes. Perhaps add this to my list of ring designs?
It will also need to go through the necessary quality checks. Quality checks can often involve me making up a sample and pulling at it as hard as I can in multiple directions. Some good things can come from this! Such as when I was trying to pull the metal ends off the rope knot bracelet, I ended up destroying everything but the connection between the metal and rope. It resulted in quite a nice looking rope tassel.
While searching for the skinny mesh, I came across some tiny vintage charms I’d forgotten about………airplane earrings anyone?
I do enjoy crafty Saturdays. I’ll keep you updated on the mesh bracelet, I’m hoping to sell them in the etsy shop once they’ve been perfected :) I’ll be having another crafting day tomorrow. I have so many incomplete bits and pieces which really need finishing, so expect a proper shop update post sometime next week!
08.01.10
01 Ben Hassett for Vogue Germany January 2010 | scanned by Babi @ tfs
02 Dante Gabriel Rossetti. La Ghirlandata. 1873. Oil on canvas. The Guildhall Art Gallery, London, UK
08.01.10
In case you’re sick of my cotton rope bracelet, I thought I’d show you a few others I’ve been working on. The most recent is the brass mesh version. I’ve been meaning to work more with mesh for a while but as things sometimes go, it was put to one side for a few months.
It’s vintage brass and I liked the antique colour too much to clean it properly. This is just a first attempt and I dislike everything except the knot…i’m not giving up on it just yet though! I can’t help but think that a similar version of the knot would make a great ring.
It’s been snowing quite a lot here! Very pretty but everywhere is so icy it takes me 3 times as long to walk anywhere. I should really invest in some snow friendly/waterproof footwear…any tips? Also, the shop is back open! I’m still waiting for an order of boxes required to ship the large pompom necklaces, but if you want to reserve one then feel free to send me an email or such and I can make a list.
27.12.09
Revisiting old favourites by Ana Santos, Peter Linbergh, Marija Strajnic and more.
source: Please click an image for more information and image credits.
