Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Novelty Brooch Friday - April winner

It's still April but the last Friday in April has come to an end and that means the announcement of the winner of this months brooch.  

Thank you once again Rebekah from Forgotten Stitches for answering my questions and offering one of your gorgeous creations to one lucky winner.  This month you had a chance to win a custom made Carnival Horse brooch.



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


Congratulations @samanthaskouros !!! if you could email me your postal address (tunabake at hotmail dot com) Rebekah will forward you your fantastic brooch to add to your collection.

It is always fun to showcase makers and sellers of brooches and to be able to offer a brooch to add to your collections.  

Collecting brooches is such a fun hobby, it doesn't have to be expensive and it can be a great way to support those people who continue the handmade traditions and the sellers of vintage brooches who save those brooches that might have been lost or beyond repair, back to life.

So until next Friday, keep up the brooching xx

Friday, April 3, 2015

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.

Forgotten Stitches

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:

Etsy Shop: 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

Monday, March 30, 2015

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

Friday, March 6, 2015

Novelty Brooch Friday - March

Happy March and a happy new Novelty Brooch Friday maker.

This month's maker is Heather from MerriWeather,  Heather creates wonderful jewellery inspired by the images and accessories of the 1940s, those wonderful iconic symbols: hearts, arrows, horseshoes, acorns..........a lady after my own heart.

Thank you Heather for your insightful answers, I really enjoyed reading about your experience, your inspirations and a little bit about your home town.



When did you start making jewellery and what inspired you to do so.

I started making jewellery because I desperately wanted a MacArthur Heart, but every one I found was over $700 - so I thought “I am just going to make one myself!”  So I started by carving the original out of clay. Then I had to figure out how to make a mould from it. Trying out different casting methods, and different resins - I was hooked!

I have really enjoyed the process of designing the different pieces for my shop, carving the original parts, and trying to get them just right.


Your brooches are made of resin, do you find it an easy material to work with?  Are there other materials you haven't worked with that you would like to experiment with?

Resin is easy and it is terrible! Different resins have a different finish and different clarity, they all have different hardening times. There is a bit of a learning curve to getting it just right. I think the hardest part is getting your original carving right- to create your mould from. Your mould is only as good as your original part.

I would really like to try to do some mixed materials. I would like to do some wood and resin brooches. I just need to figure out how to make the moulds. I have a few pieces that involve two-part moulds, it was really fun to figure out how to make the pieces work together.


Can you list some of the jewellery makers you admire.

I love love, love Martha Sleeper. Her work is so amazing and whimsical, it just brings me joy to look at her work. I also really love Belle Kogan, one of the first female Industrial Designers, she did all these amazing 2-tone, polka-dot pieces and bangles. Plus she did these spectacular folded origami type ceramics.

Of course, Elsa Schiaparelli, she makes you want to figure out how to build a time machine! I just love her take on things. She was so incredibly artistic, she makes me want to learn how to knit, and how to make hats. I find her truly inspiring.


You are based in Austin, Texas, can you tell us a bit about Austin and what you love about living there.

I was born in Austin, so I am a bit biased - it is the capital of Texas. It has always been this beacon for artists and musicians, creatives have been drawn to it for decades. It is a university town, so there is always an influx of youth.

There is a great music scene, there are always fabulous bands playing every night, and there are always bands passing through. There is always something to do. It is a wonderful and creative place, full of supportive people, you can be yourself- whoever that is.


Is there any advice you can give people thinking of starting their own business.

More than anything else I would say - do what you love. Do what makes you happy.  Create what makes you happy, and what brings you joy. Otherwise, what is the point? Start small, always push yourself to learn new techniques, do new designs, try new methods - learn as much as you can. Just make sure you enjoy it. Your joy will show in your work.

------------------------------

And so the brooch you could be in with a chance to win for #NoveltyBroochFriday in March is this beautiful 'Love Letters' brooch.



Just use the hashtag on any Friday in March, showing your favourite brooches on Instagram.

Thank you again Heather, and if you'd like to keep up to date with her creations you can also follow MerriWeather36 on Instagram.

See you every Friday for yours and my novelty brooch fix xxx

Monday, March 2, 2015

Novelty Brooch Friday - February winners

February was a fantastic creative and a most generous lady, thank you Olivia for offering 2 brooches to give away.  I know a lot of you had visited Desperate Beatnik Etsy shop, but I hope for some of you it was also a pleasant introduction to her work.



So the 2 people who used the #noveltybroochfriday hashtag on a Friday in February are listed below......




Congratulations!!!! if you could email me your postal address your beautiful brooch will be sent to you (tunabake (at) hotmail (dot) com) Thank you Olivia x

Keep an eye out for March's new maker on Friday - posted here and on Instagram.
Until then......happy brooching xx

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.  

Friday, February 6, 2015

Novelty Brooch Friday - February

This month there are 2 fantastic brooches to be given away by the wonderful Olivia of Desperate Beatnik.  You might have seen Olivia's work through her Etsy shop or her Instagram account @desperate_beatnik. Her distinctive work caught my eye with it's iconic symbols and sparkly finishes, I knew her work would be something special for those magpies out there. 

I hope you enjoy reading about Olivia, her work and a bit more about her background and inspirations.  Thank you Olivia for your time and for offering 2 people a brooch for February's Novelty Brooch Friday.




When did you start making jewellery?
I started making jewellery in 2013. But the ideas started when I had lost a green Bakelite clip in 2009, it was my all time favourite, and after each flea market, I thought I would never find one like it and naively thought I could make a copy. I had in mind this naïve project but procrastination always wins. I asked everyone around me if they could remake it and a few confetti earrings to match my Lucite purses, but no one was interested in remaking something that only I seemed to be passionate about.
In 2013 I separated from my partner during the holidays. I had nothing to do, I was too sad to go out with friends or to the beach. I really needed to do something with my hands and occupy my mind. So, I purchased materials. My green/yellow swirls earrings turned out as a total fiasco but not the confetti earrings and 45 rpm spindles I built. We didn’t have vintage glitter jewellery in France from the 50s, just a few pieces with sand and tiny seahorse or 80s confetti clip-ons not "period correct". Inspiration came very quickly. It was a little bit "mystic". I feel a spiritual force pushes me to work more and literally speaks to me. This "inspiration" pushed me to post on social media. I resisted during the following weeks as I didn’t think my pieces were good enough, but this "voice" literally keeps telling me to do it. So without self-confidence, I posted a picture. The "voice" was right, word spread, and other people liked them, I was the first person to make them in France and the 4th or the 5th worldwide. People want them !!!! I still can't believe it. It was incredible.

Do you have a favourite maker of jewellery?
Hard to reply to this question as there are too many !!! But being French myself, of course, I will say Léa Stein. I am so impressed by her work, each brooch is the quintessence of the figuration. For me it is the perfection.
What inspires your designs?
My inspiration is a mix of my personality and my too many passions. As a lady involved in the 50s music scene, I always spend my weekends in flea markets but as a leoness who likes everything that shines, exuberant baroque / ancient music and arts.... Well I could build a mesh/confetti jewellery parure to match one of my Lucite purses, as I could be inspired by the colour combo of venetian glass art work from the Renaissance . Well all those things are deep inside me and it comes up as a flow. I am a very prolific artist who doesn't really know the words "lack of inspiration" for a while. I build things with modern colour combinations that are full of joy, feminine and I like a pop of colour. Since the beginning, I took my work for a manifest for the Light. You will never see skulls or death symbols in my work. Our world is too dark to create macabre jewellery. My work is an ode to the Light.

Can you tell us a bit about the city you live and why you like to live there?
I live in Montpellier in South of France. I live here for professionals reasons. Yes I have a day job, my jewellery can't feed me. I am too honest, plus I am a very bad business lady ha ha. I offer too much, but I do not care, I am a beatnik. I love working with my hands and turn projects into real things. My jewels help me to put gas in my peanut tank. My town has a nice situation on the Mediterranean coast. I am not far away from my favourite Spanish 50s festival, we have nice curvy roads in the countryside for motorcycling and above all we have sea and sun !!! I know it is a privilege to ride in January in front of the sea on a cold but sunny day and stop to eat oysters. It is not California but one of the sunniest place in France.
Is there some advice you could give someone starting his or her own business?

Ha ha my best advice to someone who wants to start their own business??? Ha ha it is a joke???? Where is the hidden camera??? Well seriously, what I will say is that I too often under evaluate my work and sell with little profit. Only enough to pay French taxes and the price of the materials (the hours of work should be included in the price).
My second piece of advice is to develop your own network of shops and markets.
And my third piece of advice is be careful not to burn out if you already have a job. Manage time for you and your family.
In conclusion believe in you, everybody has something different and special inside him/her, our modern society really doesn't help for that but believe me everybody has the Light inside him/her. So as I always say: "Go Go Gorilla" !!! 
Here is the brooch you could win, and as I said there are 2 up for grabs!
All you have to do is take a photo of yourself with one of your brooches and use the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday on any Friday in February to be in with a chance. The winners will be announced on Monday 2nd March.

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