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.

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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

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.  

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

Novelty Brooch Friday - January Winner

January is already over and that means the winner of a fantastic brooch for Novelty Brooch Friday.

Thank you so much Zohar for your time and for offering this really special brooch from your private collection.  I know a lot of you coveted this fancy brooch but as with every month I use a random number generator to chose the winner - so it is fare.

The person who shared with us her brooch, used the hashtag in January and on a Friday is:

@dameshirleybasterd if you could email me your postal address Zohar will post out your newest edition to your brooch collection (tunabake@hotmail.com).

Thank you everyone for sharing your brooches, Friday will be a new maker and a new brooch for February.

Until then keep brooching xx

Novelty Brooch Friday - January 2015!

Happy New Year and wishing you all a fantastic 2015!  I hope it brings you adventures, love, creativity and happiness.

This month I was so happy to be approached by Zohar from RakShniya Vintage to offer a wonderful vintage brooch to one lucky person this January.  I have been following Zohar's shop on Etsy for a while now and also follow her on Instagram (@rakshniyav). Not only was I curious to learn more about her shop and her interest in vintage clothing but also to learn a little more about Tel Aviv, a city I don't know anything about.

Thank you Zohar for your time answering the following questions, I have loved reading your answers.

When did you start your shop and what inspired you to start your vintage Etsy shop?

In my late teens my sister started working in a second hand shop called "Rak Sahniya". "Rak" & "Shniya" in Hebrew it literally means "only" & "second." It's a pun with two meanings – one: a phrase saying "just a second", two: in our case (if used in the literal sense) "only second (hand)." My mother befriended the owner, one thing led to another and they decided to be business partners. In August 2014 the shop closed after 11 years and after being quite frankly one of the biggest and best second hand shops in Israel.

During those years I worked on and off in the shop and got to join my parents and my mother's business partner on their visits to people's homes, rummaging through their and their loved ones closets, cupboards and storage. I was already hooked on vintage for a quite a while.

Since the shop had such a huge clientele most of which brought in clothes and items on a weekly basis, somewhere in 2009 I got very frustrated with the fact that a lot of really beautiful and rare vintage items weren't reaching enough people because there wasn't enough room to keep everything for a long time. Then I discovered Etsy and a whole new journey started. 

Is there a particular era of clothing you appreciate more than others?

I'm very big on the 1940s right now. I love that a lot of the 40s designs are romantic and feminine but also clean and simple at the same time. Really though, I'm all about liking whatever strikes your fancy. My closet has a mix of eras, fabrics, textures and silhouettes. I'm never looking for something specific, I look for items that are interesting and that I can wear often. And that is what my shop is really about: I might be a big vintage fashionista but my customers don't have to be and I want them to be able to sneak a special vintage something into their outfits, something that they can incorporate into their daily life. 

You are offering a beautiful brooch to a lucky winner this month, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

This brooch has been a part of my private collection for quite a few years now. I don't know much about it's history but I do know it was loved because it's in such good condition. I grew up in a Moshav (hebrew for village) so nature and animals are an important part of my life. I like how this brooch has a soft and edgy mix to it: it's made from metal and has very specific accurate detailing and yet the subject, the goat looking through the leaves is very heart warming.

Could you tell us a little about Tel Aviv, what you like about your city and what you like to do when you have free time?

I am madly deeply truly in love with Tel-Aviv. It's hard to explain without actually visiting. There's something for everyone here but what I love most about Tel Aviv are the back streets, the architecture, the hidden gardens, the small coffee shops and pubs. I love how you could pretty much walk anywhere you like. I like getting lost in the city during those walks. Last year for my birthday, my boyfriend got me a book of the city's historic buildings and when we have some free time we pick a neighbourhood and walk around while reading my book. If you let it, Tel Aviv can feel quite magical, and you even get used to the faint smell of pee that comes and goes.

Is there any advice you could give those wanting to start their own business?

Starting your own business (especially in the sea that is the internet) is a hard thing to do, sometimes your passion for what you do is the only thing that keeps you going. I think it's important to remember that it's OK if you can't get everything you want done by the time you want it done. Most of us have families, a 2nd (and sometimes 3rd) job, there's always something to be done that reduces the time you have for your business and you don't need to punish yourself because of that. Try to structure your schedule and plan ahead and set boundaries (for yourself and for people around you). Also, since you’re the boss, remember to have fun and challenge yourself! 

Thank you Zohar and below are a few other places you can find Zohar:

Shop Marmelada Market (HEBREW) 

@rakshniya Instagram 
Rakshniya Pinterest 

Twitter - @rakshniya

If you would like to enter simply take a photo of yourself on Instagram on any Friday in January using the hashtag #noveltybroochfriday to be in the running to win this fabulous brooch.

The winner will be announced on Monday 1st February.

I can't wait to see the new brooches you were lucky enough to receive over the Christmas break, see you on Friday Broochettes x

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@hotmail.com

Novelty Brooch Friday - November winners

Hi there,

This month the lovely Demure Couture donated two of her fabulous brooches to lucky winners for Novelty Brooch Friday.

I love Ashley's shop because her jewellery is fun, colourful and of course...novelty, and I think a lot of you feel the same way as there was such a great response from you all regarding her work.

Thank you Ashley again for your time, giving us an insight into your shop, work and just what a swell gal you are.

So who are those 2 lucky winners?

Congratulations @imanorbyah you have won the Mexican hat brooch!

Congratulations @goldrushvintage you have won the lobster brooch!

If you could email me at tunabake at hotmail dot com with your postal address Ashley will forward you your prizes.

I'm taking a month break from #noveltybroochfriday as I have quite a few things going on with my Etsy shop but next year (January) I'll have organised another maker or seller to speak to and arrange another brooch for another lucky brooch appreciator.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone, I've had a great year speaking to makers and sellers and knowing that new brooches were joining your collections. Thank you for joining in for one day of the week, most of us wear brooches everyday but it's the one day we take the time to appreciate each others brooches through #noveltybroochfriday on Instagram.

I would also like to thank the following people for donating your time and brooches for #noveltybroochfriday this year:

Pixels and Picas

Curly Pops

Vintage Pip

Curious Pip

Luxulite

Lucky Patina Vintage

Synergy Glass Art

A Little Vintage

Each to Own

Demure Couture

Thank you
Claire
xxx