Busy busy month!

Phew...I've been drawing breath slightly, having spent May tinkering in my garret, making lovely things for 'Bowery' http://www.thebowery.org/retail.html in Headingley and 'Crafted With Love Yorkshire' http://craftedinyorkshire.com/ based in Barnsley market. I'm looking into some new places too.

In other news.... I recently found out that I have been accepted for the Ilkley Art Trail in October 2013. This is it's 3rd year, I think it's something to keep your eye on. Will post more info as I get it, early days yet. http://ilkleyarttrail.org.uk/

Just catching up with all the mundane stuff, but have some more lovely things I'd like to make as well as some illustrations I'd like to have printed possibly by http://www.doyoupunctuate.com/. Take a look at Bec's shop....I'm loving it.

As well as all my plans to take over the world of crafting ;)....I'm starting my new p/t job at The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds, so please pop by. I can't wait to start, such a stimulating environment. http://www.craftcentreleeds.co.uk/

Ahhh...as for the cufflinks I was busy making.....I did finally finish! Available to buy in my shop, or Bowery or Crafted with Love. These are completely hand made, no massed produced parts/links. See previous BLOG.

I think they'd be fab for Fathers' Day, weddings...or just brightening up a dull business day :)

Fathers' Day is coming continued trials of cufflink making.....

...Ah so, where was I? Been a disrrupted few days, would have liked these finished last week. Hey Ho!  Photos of where I'm at so far....

 These are the reticulated rectangles, I decided to flatten them through the mill, just to see what would happen. I really liked the effect, as it left the edges, still textured, while the centres were smoothed out.

An idea to file in head for later....looks like some amoebic form growing over the surface...

 Here I'm playing with different textured shapes to see how they look, I went for little rectangles with tiny holes drilled in them.

 One idea often leads on to another, while I'm playing around with shapes...a bracelet beckons ;)

 These are going to be the squarish shaped backs for the rectangular cufflinks with the textured edges (below). I've made a start on the linky bits, these are going to have 2 flattened linked jump rings ( 1.2mm gauge wire...sturdy and chunkyish). The domed pair will have an 'S' link I think. The length between backs and fronts is usually about 1.5 ish cm....best get back to all the fiddly stuff!

Cufflinks...Fathers'Day is coming...

I've been inspired by inkylinky's blog on printmaking this week. Thought I'd share with you the making of some cufflinks. I really enjoy making these, so many variations and not enough time! I don't use ready made backs, I make my own, that way they're far more interesting and individual, it's all part of the design after all!

Here's a batch of 'organic' circular discs. I rolled the discs through the mill with a pattern I'd made on some copper sheet. It's a dotty and squiggly design. Rolling after cutting out the shapes, means that they become a little distorted and slightly oval. These have been filed and sanded and are now awaiting the linky bits.

I'm also making some rectangular ish shaped cufflinks using textures. This is 1mm gauge and will make quite heavyish cufflinks, but I've used 0.8mm which works well too. I've cut out the shapes, 

they're about 1.2cm x 1.5cm

Then I file and sand them down (left), the ones on the right are stil roughly cut.

Then I've rolled some texture onto odd bits of left over silver cuttings through the mill, then cut these out using my disc cutter. These cufflinks are going to have button shaped backs. These now need the textured discs soldering on....

OOPS! Upside down! I've also reticulated some rectangles of silver, this is heating the silver until it flows and forms ridges...I over did it a bit with these...so may or may not use thise...undecided. I like to play around with odd bits n pieces on my workbench, to see how things will look with a different shape or a contrasty piece added....

Off to Solder these....back later with more pics!

Brooches and cards

I've been tinkering with some animal brooch ideas, and pondering whether to make part gift/part greeting card

Just little sketchy ideas soo far...

I know, for my friend Kimmy...nearly as bad as my Gorillas a hug and and Happy Eggy Easter form years gone by;)

Brooches

Just started tinkering with some little brooch ideas, using characters I've doodled. So far I have a bird and a dawg. Am also thinking...owls, cats...elephants...fish...aliens....anything really! I didn't have much silver knocking around this weekend, so I'm going to do a few in copper.

This is what I have so far...

The copper is up-cycled, it has come from an old 60's cupboard and you can still see the scratch marks where it was glued ono the cupboard.

For now I'm going to pierce and punch the eyes and bits n pieces, but I think etched faces, or textures might be good too.

Craft fairs

Busy working on some more bits n pieces for my next craft fair at otley courthouse on 31 st March. Easter Sunday , hope to see people there. Also drying together submissions for other fairs and events,so watch this space!

Test run

OK, so it looks like my PayPAL payment bit isn't up and running properly, please bear with!!

 Check back later!

SHOP!!

Absolutely fabuloso!! Finally...shop is open for business...would love it to be a physical 3 dimensional...cute place by the sea...maybe one day :)

Do enjoy, have gander, mooch, browse....feedback welcome...on anything :)

Lots more shiny trinkets to add yet...doo stop by again!

New website and virgin blogger!

My first ever blog! Think I'd best keep it short, I have a tendency to ramble. Should I be excited? Well I'm mainly tired from the frustrations of setting up this new site. Technology was supposed to make life easier. Not sure how much I'll blog, and I may only appear on here when I have something to rant or rave about. Think I'd rather be designing and making...hey ho!

Just umming and ahhing as to whether to publish site now I've added stuff to my shop?hmmmm

There, short n sweet and not too painful ;)