Most people know me well for being the lady that makes origami flower bouquets, but sometimes I like to fold something completely different, just to give myself a new challenge. We’re still in the middle of pandemic locdown and there’s a lot of talk about us ‘all being in the same boat’ and I thought ‘ah boats’, and so I set about making some little origami sailboats. They were fun to learn to fold and I even added little masts with paper flag bunting (boy, [or bouy] that was fiddly to attach). I finished them off with little flags atop the masts. Now what to do with them? Ah-ha, I’ll make a little mobile with them. So I added them to transparent thread and attached them to a silver ring. I was pleased with the outcome, they looked so pretty all sailing away on an invisible sea being blown this way and that by the breeze from my window. I enjoyed making them so much I made a pink version for girls too and that sailed out of my shop on the same day it was listed. The blue and red version is still bobbing around in my British Craft House Shop waiting for it’s new home. I wonder where it will sail to and who will be it’s new captain?
Category: Artisans blogs
Identity crisis
I’ve always been slightly envious of shops with a real identity, you know, those shops whose products immediately stand out as being theirs. They seem to have a style that is totally unique to them. Whether it’s the products themselves or the fabrics they choose, their designs are instantly recognisable.
I’ve never been able to replicate that.. I have so many different things in my shop and with a diverse selection of fabrics. One day I’m favouring luxury fabrics, the rich velvets and silks, the next it’s something contemporary or maybe more country, it depends on my mood. My items range from bags and purses, to home decor and more.
I’ve sometimes wondered about streamlining my shop, reducing the variety of items and sticking to a particular style, but I just can’t! My tastes are wide and varied and I love making so many different things. I’m not sure I could choose just a few, in fact if I had the time there’d be an even greater variety. In the past I’ve made jewellery, dabbled in card making – I made the invitations for my son’s wedding, I can knit and crochet and I’ve made clothes for myself and my family. Trying to stick to a particular section of crafts has proved to be impossible for me, so instead my shop is filled with an eclectic mix of designs and styles that reflect my varied tastes. I’ll just have to hope that people will enjoy browsing..
A Jeweller’s tale – Commission to Finished Product
Commissions come in many different forms, it could be something relatively simple such as taking one of my stock designs and making it in a specific size. Sometimes however, I may
be given an image of a piece of jewellery, perhaps with instructions to change some elements of the piece. Occasionally a client may have a piece of costume jewellery that they have become attached to but feel it is time to invest in a similar design in silver and real gems. The most challenging commissions are often those where the client has a clear picture in their minds of what they want but no picture or product for me to work from.
In my previous career I was a scientist working in Research and Development and so I like to approach problems in a logical way, to gather as much background information from the client as possible to help me understand the motivation behind the commission and so create the client’s dream.
When you understand why they aren’t simply going to the high street to buy a piece of jewellery, and what elements of the design are important to them you can begin to develop
ideas that may come close to that elusive design they have in their mind. Sometimes it is to replace a loved piece that has been lost or damaged beyond repair – here there may be photos that can help tremendously. Often they may simply want a unique item that no one else will have, or would like to incorporate a particular shape or gem that is special to them.
In the case of the commission for these earrings the lady wanted them to be big and bold to reflect her personality and she wanted them to be unique. By showing her some of my range of earrings I could determine her preferences. I could tell she was drawn to the circular items and liked the 3D aspect of many. She told me she loved shiny bright silver, didn’t like oxidised
or matt finishes but did like textured and planished effects. She also liked the contrast of mixed metals. I was beginning to build a picture of what was needed. Her final request was that due to arthritis in her fingers she needed easy to manipulate ear fittings but also secure so that she would not lose them. We discussed budget and we agreed based on this the metals would be
silver and copper and not the gold she had initially requested.
I have not been blessed with drawing skills but I do sit most evenings sketching and always have a book and pen nearby. My sketches are not accurate representations of finished pieces but they do remind me of my thoughts and ideas and help me focus my ideas. My next step is to mock up designs cutting out paper and shapes to see how they look.
After sharing 3 pictures of ideas I had created using paper shapes with copper elements placed on them my client chose the one she liked the best and I was ready to order materials and get cracking.
It was then down to working with the silver and copper to cut, pattern, shape and form it into the components and then assemble the earrings. I ensured that the ear wires were easy to insert into the ear but included a hook on the back of the earrings to give extra security.
It’s a very satisfying feeling as you complete the polishing process and reveal the full beauty of the silver.
Waiting for the customer’s response to their finished piece of jewellery is the hardest part of the whole process. Despite the early work you still ask yourself whether you understood their needs and have delivered against their expectations.
In the case of these earrings the first response was unrepeatable as it contained a little bad language.
“They are *******” she exclaimed, and clarified with “they are beautiful and just what I wanted”. Phew!! I can breathe again and get ready for my next challenge.
How should you wear a tiara?
How should you wear a tiara?
I’ve always found there’s a mystery around bridal wear and the whole special occasion and wedding day celebration. Rightly so, as you want to project a little mystery but, you should also have confidence in your vision of how you want to look.
There is an assumption that your tiara should be clear crystal or pearl but in truth they can be any colour and there are a lot styles to choose from. Some are wreaths of fresh or artificial flowers, some are a simple chain and some are are very grand.
I have my own design style. I enjoy making a range of tiaras but they are all distinctly in my own personal style. Rich in colour and intricate detail and made with tiny beads, crystals and pearls.
But, how should you wear your tiara?
Should you wear it to the front of your head, an inch away from your hairline or to back so that it sits round an updo?
Do you wear it so that it sits horizontally on top of your head or down so that it sits behind the ears like an Alice band?
Can you wear your hair down or does it have to be tied up and can you wear one if you have short hair?
The simple answer to all these questions is…..yes!
My wonderful daughter, who models for me, has worn all of the tiaras with her hair up and down, far back on her head and more to front, low behind the ears and sitting horizontally on top of her head. She manages to put them on with ease and within seconds, just as if she’s putting on a hat. In fact she tends to take longer to put a hat on!
Some of this is practice but mostly it’s having the confidence in her vision of how she wants to look.
Have confidence in your vision.
Summer is coming ….maybe
Unprecedented times, furlough, words about 8 weeks ago we had never considered to be part of our everyday life, supermarket queues, the world taking up baking leading to an unnormally high demand for flour of all varieties.
It has amazed me the number of people who have decided to take up gardening, me included! I currently have various ? salad leaves, radish, basil, peppers, mustard, plus some forget-me-nots and pansies popping up … it is also great for home schooling (I am not good at being a teacher, I get too ratty far too quickly, but I think that is because my little darlings know how to annoy me in the hopes I give up and they can drift back to the various game machines they have) but at least one them has been very involved in preparing, planting, and watering so I will take that as a small win 🙂
- Grey Metal Planted Planter
The Journey Continues!
Hello again! I have been meaning to do my third blog for a while, but it never seemed like the right time but now, it does.
If you have been following my little business, you may have noticed some changes to the kind of gifts I have been making? My gifts have changed as I feel like I have been on a bit of a journey with both my skills and my creativity. When I first started LouLou & Reg, I knew that I wanted to be able to create and sell gifts that I would buy, that had sentiment and that would bring a smile when gifted. I have always been an admirer of East of India and Sass & Belle and their products; I think it is both the simplicity of their beautiful items and the sentiments that were included with each one that I love. I am and always have been a big fan of dioramas and initially wanted to make these but had no idea where to start as I had no idea how to saw a piece of wood!
At the beginning, I decided I wanted to learn how to make wooden signs which I did after trying lots of techniques, I really do enjoy making them. Then as I started to size, shape, sand and paint the wood myself, my hunger for a little more knowledge and skill grew, so we bought a pillar drill – which I really need to use more; then came the belt sander and finally my husband bought me a scroll saw, that I love!
Since I have started to use my scroll saw my creativity has grown and I am being taken down a different path now, one that I think I have always wanted to get to but didn’t quite know how to get to. I have started to use wire to make shapes and I also use balsa wood shapes to create different elements for each of my items. I am hoping to start experimenting with other elements and using other techniques so that I can create and continue to make the kind of product that I would enjoy seeing in my kind of shop and a product that I would want to buy.
I am so excited to see where this journey takes me, and I really hope that you can continue this journey with me, on a rather exciting path that I seem to be travelling.
(The picture is the first item I created using my scroll saw and I’m rather proud of it as it was a freehand sketch (and I can’t draw) and my first cut……..the product that made me find a different path)
The new ‘normal’ …
Well who’d have known a couple of months ago that we would all be in this predicament?
The studio had been reopened for 6 weeks, I was starting to get into the rhythm of making again, stuff was starting to go through the kiln firings, sales were beginning again after the post-Christmas slump …
Still, life is never predictable and many, many people have it far worse than I do. I have a comfortable home, a garden, a loving daughter who willingly shops for me and the company of my mother who is sharing lockdown with me.
I have discovered new ways of doing the things I love – speaking to a good friend every evening; a weekly quiz with my badminton group; twice weekly group exercise classes; daily prayer services led by our Rector; weekly sharing of recorded music clips by our church choir; and most importantly for my creative self, the studio is meeting three times a week to pot together! All by the medium of Zoom, an app I had never heard of before lockdown, but such a boon in these isolated times.
The numbers of pieces I have made with the studio group and independently is growing, carefully dried out and packed away in tissue paper until such a time as I can return to the studio to get them fired. I seem to be loving making birds at the moment, probably inspired by the garden birds that I am taking more notice of now, more than ever before.
I’m not sure how much longer this will last. Some days are more difficult than others. Today is difficult. But I’m trying to focus on one day at a time … one … day … at … a … time.
2 year old smile ….
Today, Easter Monday I received a message via the other side beginning with E and ending in Y … from a lovely customer who, 2 years ago ordered some bespoke planters, they took some time to make, I never heard back so wasn’t sure she was happy or not, however I wasn’t fazed as in my experience most people forget to leave good feedback, rarely do they forget to leave feedback for a negative experience, many tell the world so I assumed all was good.
Fast forward 2 years, to a chilled Easter Monday, and this lovely lady, Sarah, messaged me simply to say, she tried to leave feedback but couldn’t see how to do it, the remainder of her message is below (I did ask permission to post)
“They look really fantastic, we look like we have a wildly expensive landscaped garden at a fraction of the cost!” “2 years in and these still look new. Thank you so much we are really pleased”
So there you have it, Sarah G 2 years on and still her planters look like new.
This here is a Daffodil….
Inspired by my Welsh heritage and the national flower emblem I have
wanted to create a daffodil in metal for a while, but never found the
time. Taking advantage of the lockdown and a few days off from my busy
day job in the NHS I found myself drawn to creating a daffodil so I
rolled up my sleeves, put on my apron, got my sharpie, some metal and tools out and got to
work.
When I started out on this project I had a picture in my head of what I wanted my daffodil to look like, this included working out how to turn a flat piece of metal into a 3D flower. I began with some 0.5mm brass sheet and drew the outline of the flower using a felt pen, (well I drew several actually just in case I melted the first one or three!).
I cut these shapes out and gave them some texture with a hammer and then shaped the petals. For the flower trumpet I cut simple circles from the brass sheet then used my doming block and tools to shape the disc into a small cup and then ruffled the edges. The flower centre was created from tiny sterling silver balls formed from molten silver (this is my favorite pass time when I’m not making, melting tiny bits of silver into balls, it’s very therapeutic!), which I soldered in place to create the stamen. The final piece for the flower was the stem and a leaf. I formed these by hand from sterling silver, hammering, filing and shaping, then soldered all of the brass and silver pieces together, adding a silver pin to the back.
The last bit is the most time consuming of all, requiring a lot of elbow grease and polish to make the brass and silver gleam.
I loved making this and have plans now to make more flowers, I definitely want to make a bluebell and a freesia my favourite flowers of all time, then maybe a snowdrop, a crocus oh and a pansy, I could go on and on as there are so many beautiful flowers lol! I hope you enjoyed my little blog about making a daffodil and I would love to hear what your favourite flower is.
Best wishes and thanks for stopping by to read
Max
ps you can find the daffodil pin in my shop, link is below.
COVID-19 Announcement
*** COVID-19 Announcement *** As we all know, it is a very strange and worrying time in the world at the moment. With so many businesses currently needing to close their doors to the public I am fortunate that as I already work from home there is not as much disruption for my business.
That said, today is day one of having both my kids home (aged 10 and 8) while I try to work and give the kids work to do. It’s not an easy task as I’m sure parents everywhere can appreciate.
I am keeping my business open as long as possible, however I have to put the kids first so orders will take longer to ship out. I have therefore changed all my items to a 2 week turnaround which I hope will allow me to both help the kids and keep my business afloat. I will also no doubt be quieter on social media during this time.
If you need an item for a particular date please do get in touch to see if I can get it to you for this date.
Hygiene
I also want to stress that the NHS website states COVID-19 “is very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food” but I want to assure all my customers of the following:
- I wash my hands frequently
- I work from home, as does my husband now, and we are socially distancing so rarely come into contact with others.
- All my wooden items sit for 24 hours in my workroom before they are shipped off – this is to let the oil or stain dry.
- I wear gloves to package up the items and walk the to the post office 5 minutes from my house in a very rural location
Post
- I am no longer sending items out of the UK for the time being.
- I am currently offering 1st class post with Royal Mail service (no second class).
- I will post all items out within 2 weeks of being ordered (often quicker but can not guarantee this at the current time).
- Please check with Royal Mail about current delays caused by the virus and be patient at this challenging time.
Stay Safe Everyone – and support small businesses
We are in uncharted waters at the mo and everyone is doing all they can for their families. We don’t know how long the restrictions will last, or how bad it will get before it gets better. I wish everyone the best and hope you all stay safe.
If you can, please support your local small businesses at this time – I know a lot are trying their best to diversify to help their businesses and their communities and I hope this will be enough for them to stay afloat.
Stay safe, be kind and look after each other. x