Novelty Brooch Friday - April

As with last year there has been some incredible makers of brooches.  It's already April and the maker this month is no exception.  I have been following Rebekah of @Forgottenstitches on Instagram for a while now and enjoying her Etsy shop Forgotten Stitches. 

Using soft materials to create a magical universe of animals, ladies, flora and novelty pieces, she manages to bring to life a romantic, whimsical time so perfectly.



Thank you Rebekah for agreeing to be April's maker and offering your time and a beautiful brooch to one lucky person this month for Novelty Brooch Friday.

I asked Rebekah a few questions about her work and influences:

How long have you been making your creations in soft materials?

I have been sewing and making dolls since I was a little girl, and I decided to start making things for other people as Forgotten Stitches about 8 years ago.

You like to use recycled and vintage materials; do you start with the materials when making your creations or the concept?

Both! Sometimes when I find a new piece of fabric I know straight away what to make with it, but at other times a doll I have started almost seems to tell me what clothes or fabrics to dress her in!

Do you have any influences and artists that inspire your work?

I'm a bit of a magpie when it comes to influences, and will pick up ideas from a whole range of work and artists from certain eras, so it's hard to pick out individuals.

Are there any era's in art/fashion/textiles in particular that are interested in?

I am heavily inspired by the art, design, music and style of the 30s, 40s and 50s, and I particularly love old Edwardian postcards, posters and covers. I sometimes feel I was born in the wrong decade!

Can you give any advice to people who would like to make their craft/art into a business?

I'm still learning so I don't know if I'm the best source of advice! But I suppose I would say that the internet gives you the whole world as an audience, so if you stick to making things that you love there will always be people out there who feel the same way. I'm always pleased and surprised when a customer pops up from the other side of the world!

Thank you again Rebekah for agreeing to be April's Novelty Brooch Friday maker.  If you would like to read more about Rebekah's creations for Forgotten Stitches you can in the following places:

blog: Forgotten Stitches

Etsy Shop: Forgotten Stitches

Facebook: Forgotten Stitches

This month's brooch you can all be in with a chance to add to your collections,  will be a custom made horse brooch, similar to one of these fabulous horses.

If you are new to Novelty Brooch Friday all you need to do is post a photo of yourself and one of your favourite brooches to Instagram on any Friday this month and use the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday to be in with a chance (the winner will be chosen at random using the Random Number App).  

See you soon on Instagram and happy brooching!

xxx

If you're a brooch maker/designer or vintage seller of brooches and would like to donate a beautiful brooch to the giveaway and have your shop featured, please email me with a little info about your designs and shop and hopefully i'll get you a spot on the calendar.  

tunabake at hotmail dot com

Novelty Brooch Friday - March winner

March's novelty brooch maker was Heather from Etsy shop Merriweather, her colourful novelty brooch received so many compliments.  I hope you got the chance to visit Heather's shop to take a look at her other creations.

In March this gorgeous brooch was up for grabs, for just posting a photo of yourself with one of your own brooches and using the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday.

And so the winner is............

@deerdonna!
Congratulations! If you could email me your postal address (tunbake@hotmail.com.au) your brooch will be forwarded to you shortly.  Thank you Heather, your brooches are fantastic!!

Friday is a new maker for April! Stay tuned for another fabulous maker and brooch.

Keep brooching and see you on Friday x

Novelty Brooch Friday - November

Happy November and happy Novelty Brooch Friday for another month! 

I am so happy this maker agreed to be showcased this month because I love her work, I have purchased 2 of her creations and pine after many more - they are gorgeous.  And to tell you the truth I really wanted to find out more about her background and her business.  

Another Australian business that gets me excited and am so pleased to bring to you....if you haven't already discovered her.  Thank you Ashley for your time and for offering 2! Brooches, so this month there will be 2 winners!!! You really are lucky ducks.

Demure Couture

When did you start your business Demure Couture and what got you interested in making jewellery? 

Firstly, thanks so much for having me for November’s feature – I’m honoured… and mega-nuts about novelty brooches (clearly!), so it’s all very exciting.
 

I started the line back in 2009, under Pistol Packin’ Designs, but it was quite different then. I was (and still am) mad for vintage hats; the felt, the detailing – The wackier and kitschier the better!  When I continued the line, after moving to Australia, I found the culture to be quite different and not as receptive. A lot of the feedback I was getting would relate back to horse-racing and seemed to be most acceptable during this season; a completely new concept to me, as horse-racing isn’t such an affair in California, or at least, not that I was ever aware of. I began to focus my work towards special events; custom pieces for wedding, parties, etc. Demure Couture was born.   

After many lovely, local designers began creating pieces in the same vein, I decided to expand Demure. I’d always created bits and pieces of jewellery for myself and started to explore that space further. I’m ridiculously obsessed with novelty brooches and old plastics, and pine for those hard to find Bakelite pieces. I started toying with concepts and sketches of items I loved and wanted to reproduce, and hoped there were just a few like-minded folk out there that would dig what I was doing.  Throughout these years, I’ve finally found myself in a place where I’m absolutely in love with what I’m creating and I hope that shows. I have my mits on every little piece, down to the initial sketch, to carving and casting, sanding and hand-painting, and knowing others are stoked when they receive their orders makes it all that much better!  

 Are there any themes or imagery you like to include in your designs?  If you’re familiar with my work, there’s no denying I’m heavily influenced by good ole Spaghetti Westerns and all things South of the Border! I do love a splash of tropical Hawaiian and an under-the-sea theme as well. Pretty much, if you’re looking for donkeys, sombreros and lobsters… I’m you’re gal! Ha ha 

Can you tell us a few of your favourite artists/designers and what it is about them you admire?  Ah! How much time do we have??
1930s/40s jewellery (and fashion for that matter) had this beautiful balance of structure and complete imagination!  

My biggest icons, hands down, that steady that scale would have to be Elsa Schiaparelli, Carmen Miranda, Lupe Velez, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Nudie Cohn… the list goes on…  A few of my fave modern designers, that I seriously recommend checking out, would be: Forbidden Charm, Cork Stuff, She Accessories, Nudie Rodeo Tailors, War Path...all, seriously tops!   

Are there any materials you would like to work with that you haven't already?  I’d love to get into silver and stone work - It is an absolute craft, so I will respectfully leave that up to the pros! Ha ha  

Is there any advice you could give to someone who wants to start their own business?  Sit down and brainstorm, really nut out a vision, even if it starts out small – be sure it is something you believe in and would still want to continue doing, even if you were your only consumer. Talk to people – research your market. Be unique and true to yourself. Most of all, have fun… when the love for what you’re doing leaves, get out, or evolve! We’re always learning and growing – Allow that to reflect in your work… and don’t judge yourself too harshly when you look back.
 

If you’re keen to check out more of Ashley's work, you can find her here:  

Instagram: @demure_couture 

www.demurecouturedesigns.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/DemureCouture 
www.demurecouture.net

So would you like to see the the brooches you could be in the chance to win this month?

You guessed it its the lobster and the sombrero!

Thank you so much Ashley again, and remember post a picture of yourself with one of your favourite novelty brooches on any Friday in November with the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday to be in with a chance to be one of two lucky winners.

The winners will be announced on Monday 1st December.

Have a wonderful November and see you on Friday xx

Novelty Brooch Friday - October

I'm sure the months are getting shorter!? It feels like September's maker was only announced a week ago, and now I am announcing October's brooch.

This month feels like a return to the beginning, that is, this maker was the person who thought Novelty Brooch Friday could really be something special and was the maker to first offer one of her creations to give away for #noveltybroochfriday here.

Kirsten of Each to Own has some really wonderful pieces in her Etsy shop, not only is she a talented woman she is one of the most generous people I have had the good fortune to meet.  

I recently bought a wonderful 'Very Handy Brooch' from Kirsten and she offered to send another one to give away! So you lucky people, fix your eyes on this fantastic brooch!

So to be in the running to win this sparkly finger-nailed beauty, just tag a photo of yourself wearing a brooch on any Friday in October on Instagram #noveltybroochfriday.

Get brooching and check out Kirsten's shop if you haven't already, its a little ray of sunshine; her work will brighten up your ears, neck, fingers and tops.

Cheers,
Claire
x

Novelty Brooch Friday - September winner

What a wonderful brooch and maker we had for September! Thank you Jennie (A Little Vintage Etsy shop) for your time and generosity and donating one of your Frida hand-sewn brooches for one lucky person to win.

And thank you everyone for joining in and showing everyone your brooches over the past month.  

The lucky winner who used the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday on Instagram on a Friday is.......

Congratulations @ashlapin!! If you could email me your postal address to tunabake@hotmail.com Jeannie will forward you your prize.

Next month's brooch is a return to the beginning of Novelty Brooch Friday more than a year ago.  This special maker is such a generous person and a fantastic creative, stay tuned for Friday's reveal and another Novelty Brooch Friday.

If you're a brooch maker/designer or vintage seller of brooches and would like to donate a beautiful brooch to the giveaway and have your shop featured, please email me with a little info about your designs and shop and hopefully i'll get you a spot on the calendar.  

Novelty Brooch Friday - September

Since the beginnings of Novelty Brooch Friday (over a year ago) the driving force behind it, other than seeing everyone's brooches, was meeting brooch makers and sellers.  There is such a passion and excitement about their craft or the selling of others craft I find so appealing.  

I don't often get to meet the generous people that answer my questions and offer one of their creations to a lucky person, but recently at a craft market Finders Keepers I was lucky enough to meet a few of the lovely ladies who I have met online.

One of those lovely ladies was Jennie, Jennie is the person behind A Little Vintage Etsy shop, specialising in soft material crafts.  I am lucky enough to own one of Jennie's Frida brooches and this month she is offering one to a lucky winner!

And so in the monthly tradition I asked Jennie to answer 5 questions about her work and shop.

When did you first discover you liked creating your work out of soft materials and sewing?

My first real discovery in textiles, was actually when my Grandmother passed away. I was given her old linen tea towels. Linen makes the best tea towels – so all my cotton ones became redundant. Then one night I decided to sew them all together to make a table cloth. The only thing was, that I didn’t have a sewing machine .. so I did it all by hand! All I can say is, it must have been a very strong urge to make that table cloth! (some of the tea towels were beautiful Laura Ashley that I had been collecting over the years in England).

Do you have reoccurring themes you like to base your works around?

For the last year or so – the main theme has been Frida Kahlo. I have made a Silk Collection of dolls, some wall hangings and of course the little thread drawn brooches. Apart from admiring Frida’s artistic talent and amazing strength of character, I think what draws me back to her is how expressive and extreme I can go with fabrics/face/jewellery etc. It’s also fun to see how each Frida turns out, as they are all recognisable as her – but none are the same! Another reoccurring theme is flora/fauna, I have always been drawn to flowers in art, let alone fabric. I remember painting a huge floral wall hanging in high school for the library – so much fun! And when I was a nanny in England for many years, one of the ladies I worked for used to pay for the flowers every week when I went to a floristry course. Then, the flowers were displayed in their home (where I lived too)! It gave me way more scope, being able to buy what ever flowers I wanted – especially in expensive London.

Can you tell us a bit about artists/crafts people you admire?

Obviously Frida Kahlo – as mentioned above.
I also admire Annemieke Mein – she is a clever textile artist who creates such amazingly realistic images – mainly of insects/fish/birds. I adore how she captures movement in her works – such an inspiration.

Are there any particular materials you like working with or would like to work with?

I love working with texture. Any fabric that has the touchy – feely element. It gives another dimension, is a lot more interesting to look at - and creates depth.


Is there any advice you could give anyone thinking about starting a business? 

Go with your instincts, there is only so much you can be told about how something should be done. I’m talking about the creative side of business. What is going to set you apart is being different. This is probably where it was a good thing that I haven’t had sewing lessons – the way I sew is not the way other people do! Which has helped me be different and original.

Thank you Jennie for your offering one of your wonderful brooches and giving us a little insight into your interests, loves and inspirations............and so here it is, the fabulous Frida brooch you could win.  Just use #noveltybroochfriday on any friday in September on Instagram and show everyone your brooches.  

See you on Friday!
x