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

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 Winner

This past month has been an amazing one for me, I've quit my desk job and I travelled to Japan with a group of friends....What a month!  As well as AAAALLLL that, Kirsten of Each to Own generously offered another of her brooches to Novelty Brooch Friday to give away.

I love this 'Very Handy' brooch and now one lucky person will win it for free......

Congratulations Twinklies! If you could email me your postal address I'll pop it in the post to you toot-sweet!

See you on Friday Broochettes 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@hotmail.com