Sunday, June 29, 2014

Novelty Brooch Friday - June Winners

June is at its end and that means there have been some pretty spectacular brooches throughout the month that everyone has been sharing on Instagram under  #noveltybroochfriday, and so fun to see some people wearing the same brooches as someone else on the other side of the world, coincidence or just a lot of stylish ladies?

I hope you had a chance to check out Eric's Etsy shop LuckyPatina, There are so many carefully chosen treasures to be found and Eric has so generous donating 2 brooches this month to give away, 'cause.......it was Novelty Brooch Friday's 1 year anniversary!


So who are the lucky 2 winners this month?
The lucky person to win the Wicked Queen brooch is Shorlockmutters, CONGRATULATIONS!



And the second winner, is TOMATOJANE, winning the Poison Apple brooch, CONGRATULATIONS!



If you could email me your postal addresses to tunabake@hotmail.com I will have Eric forward you your prizes. Such lucky ladies, damn it's a shame I don't get to win one myself ;)

On Friday I will be announcing July's brooch maker and the cute brooch you could add to your collection. Until then keep brooching xxx

If you're a brooch maker/ designer or vintage seller that would like to donate a beautiful brooch to our giveaway and have your shop featured, please email me with a little info about your designs, shop or otherwise and we'll get you a spot on the calendar. tunabake@hotmail.com

Friday, June 6, 2014

Novelty Brooch Friday - June .... 1 YEAR OLD!!

1 year ago this month Novelty Brooch Friday was born! 

It first started out as a little game Erin and I would play on Instagram, discovering we both liked brooches we would post once a week with a similar hashtag. With a little encouragement from other people on Instagram (whom I will write about later in the month, 'cause this being the anniversary) we came up with #NoveltyBroochFriday.  Erin has since left the organising up to me with her busy life it was a little too hard but I am more than happy to organise the giveaways and meet wonderful sellers and makers of brooches and ask them a few questions about their interests and inspirations.

And so this month, because it's a special month, Eric from LuckyPatina Vintage has so generously offered 2 brooches to give away, giving 2 people the chance to win a lovely new addition to their collections.

I have a few pieces from Eric’s shop and love his carefully selected objects, they are so special and his knowledge of jewellery shines through in his descriptions and photography. I have asked Eric 5 questions that I hope give you a bit of an introduction to his shop and wonderful items he has collected over the years.


When did you first discover your interest in vintage jewellery, home wares and objet d'art? 
I grew up surrounded by all things vintage and in a very creative household.  In my childhood kitchen, the walls were covered with kitschy Chalkware fruit and animals; the living room had an eclectic array of MCM to early Canadian furniture.  I also have distinct memories of playing with my Grandmother’s Modernist jewellery as a child.  She traveled the world and bought a piece in every country she visited. 
My taste was really shaped by the strong women in my life. 

Do you have a favourite style, material that you gravitate towards?
I do adore Bakelite, but I also like copper and brass.  I suppose what draws me in the most would be the warm patina on all of these materials.  As for style, I would consider myself a Vintage Modernist but I tend to lean towards an offshoot of Modernism called Brutalism.  Brutalist style has a bit more warmth than the ultra-clean Modernist style. 

I do wear Pins and Brooches (mostly on special occasions), but I like to wear a ring on a daily basis.  If I forget to put a piece of jewellery on in the morning, I feel naked all day. 


Can you tell us a few of your favourite makers/crafts people and what it is about them you admire?
Canada in the 1960-70’s was a major contributor of Modernist Jewellery.  There are several designers from this time period that I admire such as Rafael Alfandary, Guy Vidal and de Passille-Sylvestre. 

The Poison Apple brooch in this month’s draw was produced by de Passille-Sylvestre in the 1970’s.  They really were the leading enamel artists of this period.  Yves Sylvestre tended to do all the metal work and Micheline de Passille worked on the design and the enamelling.  Their work had no boundaries and they explored all sorts of subject matter.  Before they became enamel artists, Micheline was studying to become a Lab Technician and Yves was studying Geology.  I look to them as inspiration that it is never too late to follow your true calling.

Are there any favourite brooch makers you admire?
My favourite brooch maker on Etsy would be Luxulite!  Wonderful vintage inspired pieces and the colour combinations are fantastic. 
Another would be Fire the Laser on Etsy.  His pieces are produced out of acrylic and are wonderfully nerdy yet chic!
Vintage brooch designers would be Lea Stein, de Passille-Sylvestre, Elzac, and Martha Sleeper.  All four of these designers produced some outrageous styles and are pioneers with their materials they used. 

For those looking to start their own jewellery and brooch collections, is there any advice you could give them?
Beginner Bakelite collectors need to be understand that Bakelite is highly addictive!  You really can’t stop at just one.   There is a lot of Faux Bakelite out there so make sure you educate yourself.  Make sure you also buy what you love because many pieces of Bakelite are one of a kind.

For the Modernist collector, collect what you love not just by designer name.  It is nice to have a big ticket piece by a famous designer but there are many wonderful unsigned or “lesser” designers who make just as fabulous items.  

And so this month Eric has so generously donated 2 brooches!!! 1 each for 2 lucky people who post a photo of themselves with one of their favourite novelty brooches with the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday on Instagram any Friday in June!




Entries can be submitted on any Friday in June up to and including Friday 27th June.  I will announce the winner (randomly chosen) on Monday 30th June.

Open to everyone so get your brooches out (new or vintage) and you could have another fabulous brooch to add to your collection.

*If you are a designer or sell vintage brooches (worldwide) and wish to donate a brooch for an upcoming month and have your shop showcased, please contact me at tunabake@hotmail.com 

Monday, June 2, 2014

Novelty Brooch Friday - May winner

Well May came to an end pretty quickly I think, but this month there was a record number of people using #NoveltyBroochFriday and of course entries to win Luxulite’s fruity brooch.  


Thank you Katy, there is a lot of love for your creations on Instagram and Novelty Brooch Friday, thank you for your generous donation.

So without further ado the winner out of 477 entries is number 283…………



@peregrinationz

Congratulations! If you could email me your postal address, Katy will forward you your fabulous prize (tunabake@hotmail.com).

Next month is a special month for Novelty Brooch Friday as it will be its1 year anniversary! Yippee!! 1 whole year of brooching on a Friday! And because it’s a special celebration there will be 2 brooches and 2 winners!  Look out on Friday for June’s special shop and the brooches you could win.

I was thinking of posting my brooch collection for the anniversary as well, I might not have as many as some but I love them and thought you might be interested in seeing them.

I just also want to say I try to be as fair as possible choosing the winner, I have to sift through and count all of the legitimate entries (there are a lot of shops who like using the # now that it gets so many people using it every Friday) once I know how many entries, I use a random number generator app and then I count back through the entries (minus the shops) and come up with the winner. 

If you're a brooch maker/ designer or vintage seller that would like to donate a beautiful brooch to our giveaway and have your shop featured, please email me with a little info about your designs, shop or otherwise and we'll get you a spot on the calendar. tunabake@hotmail.com