Tag: inspiration

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Welcome!

I just thought whilst I was photographing, listing, measuring and generally sorting what planters and window boxes I have made it would be a nice idea to introduce myself properly. 

This is my world of Metal Garden Planters. 

Welcome, my name is Fiona, I have 2 children (12 and 9) 1 mini dachshund and an OAP Cat who thinks he is a teenager still. I live in the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, famous for being voted the most boring town in the UK one year, being the birth place of myself, Margaret Thatcher, Doris Stokes and Sir Isaac Newton to name a few. 

The image is of me, no makeup, not having done my hair and dressed for the cold,  about to set off in my VW Flatbed, with some roofing sheets on the back. I sell a variety of Box Profile and Corrugated roofing sheets, and manufacture the flashings to finish the edges in house. It was from the waste I was generating in terms of making the flashings which lead me down the path of making metal boxes. 

I was on the hunt for an office bin one day, and the cost shocked me, let alone the fact they are all fairly boring looking so after some cutting, measuring, and general faffing with the Guilloline (not the kind the Frenchman used to lop off the heads of Aristocracy) but a blade which can cut thin metal sheeting safely, and my bending machine (its clamp with a lever that once lifted puts a fold in a metal sheet in its simplest form) A bright yellow tall, square bin was created, and 6+ years later it is still used daily. 

So thats how I started, if you have any specific questions for future blog posts I would be happy to answer them, in the meantime I will continue selecting troughs, and planters along with a special gardeners gift pack I am pulling together. 

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Meet the Artisan, Max Pring, aka The Crafty Welsh Mam

For me it’s all about the metal, the thing I love most about it is that it’s so versatile, you can melt it, recycle it, hammer it, bend it, stamp it, shape it, fuse it, mix it, add stones to it and if that’s not enough you can texture it, paint it, heat it, etch it and polish it too.  You will see the majority of these techniques used in my work as I do love to play!.

I find my inspiration from the lush Welsh countryside, living near Pontypridd in the Rhondda Valleys I have beautiful views across the rolling hills and a wildlife reserve just down the road. There’s also a lot of old industrial sites where nature has stepped back in, but you can find some really old interesting textures and patterns on abandoned machinery so I’m never short of inspiration and try to protect the environment by being as environmentally friendly as I can be in my work using recycled materials where I can and plastic free packaging.

I learnt to knit and sew when I was really little, sat next to my lovely Nan, my first make was a hand-sewn dress for my Tiny Tears Doll, I can even remember the colour it was purple with flowers and made from an old dress of my Nan’s. I still knit and sew  nowadays but only occasionally as my real passion is for metal jewellery, though I’ll always find time for a bit of papercraft or drawing, often sketching out new designs and little pictures for etching or making my own boxes or hand finishing my packaging with hearts and making little matching gift cards to go with each order.

I have a small bench in the spare bedroom, but have to decamp to hubby’s garage for hammering and using the blowtorch.

As well as being a maker I have a day job working in the NHS in Human Resources and I am very fortunate that I love both my jobs, my passion for metal matches my passion for people. When I’m not metalsmithing or working you will find me colouring in with my granddaughter, baking or reading with an occasional night out at the theatre.

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How Photofinish Jewellery began.

My Story
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Serendipity – finding something good/beautiful without looking for it – has played a major role in this venture.

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Fascinated as I have always been with the myriad forms, shapes and colours of the natural world, it has been a delight to discover a way in which I can combine this love of nature with my love of design and artistry, to produce a unique range of jewellery.

Photography has also been a life-long passion with me and it has brought so much satisfaction to have developed a process that has allowed me to be able to transpose images on to aluminium, creating individual items that are both beautiful and easy to wear.

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How Photofinish began

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Although basically a very practical and logical person, I also have a very strong creative streak and this has been apparent in so many ways throughout my life. It could also be said that there is something of the “butterfly” about me, with a restlessness of spirit that provides the drive towards the next idea and challenge.

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Growing up, I was always drawn to construction in one form or another; be it model making or designing and building an adventure playground in the garden for a pet rabbit. At work, my role for a number of years was to design and produce equipment to be used in conservation projects. Eventually the post became more project management based and I missed having a practical outlet for my creativity.

“The great outdoors” has always held an attraction for me: from a walk in the local park to a journey to see the spectacular wild places of the world. Any location, from the simple to the exotic, always finds me with a camera in readiness. In fact, most snaps of me – other than at my own wedding – show me with a camera, usually in the act of taking a picture.

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A change in circumstances and serendipity led me to sign up for a couple of workshops as part of the Surrey Artists’ Open Studios. Jewellery was not something that I had previously considered, but I booked in for Aileen Hamilton‘s workshop where I made a silver pendant. It was, however, the aluminium jewellery on display that caught my eye and I duly returned for another course to learn the techniques needed for the dye process.

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Over the next year, I developed a procedure that allows me to “print” my photographs on to recycled aluminium, so creating jewellery with a unique finish and appearance. Photofinish was born, celebrating nature at its best!


David Hitchcock