brief - create earrings that are:
1. colourful
2. light and dangly
3. fun to make
see i wanted an excuse the visit the bead shop again, my guilty pleasure, so making colourful beads a part of this project was very clever. i always wait for a bunch of reasons to pile up before i go, consolidating my trips you see. i also wanted glass lenses for a new "locket" im working on and thread for macramé bracelets, a side project that i am exploring (watch this space). I chose turquoise, burnt orange and kobalt blue crystal beads to play with.
#1 be colourful check
then i went about bending up the perfect ear-wire for this. i wanted to settle on a design for an ear-wire that can quite happily take any form of design bit dangling from the drop. you may think this seems simple but quite a lot of decisions go into this, the length of sections, where to bend, how big is the loop etc. and it needs to be perfectly reproducible - and remember each one will be bent up by hand. I do these tests in copper because it is so quick and easy, but also to explore different colour combinations. this would be lovely in rose gold.
after some trial and error i have my ear-wire. #2 check
then i had to decide how i could attach the beads to the ear-wire. very often your quick little tests lead to the most beautiful results. i tried quickly threading onto binding wire* with a simple twist, only to discover that the little wire legs add to this design in a beautiful, quirky way. you may have seen my nods to binding wire on my instagram in the past, my binding wire men that i find it too hard to discard once they've served their purpose. im so happy have found a way to incorporate them into a design. #3 fun to make - check, i can do this 'till the cows come home
now i will proceed into silver . . .
* the steel wire used in jewellery making to bind pieces of metal togther, holding it in place while soldering
]]>Ons juffrou is die grondslagfase departementshoof, sy is n maatstaf van juffrou wees. Sy het met liefde en geduld my twee rakkers deur die eerste jaar van skool gehelp, met al sy ups en downs, en hulle is VREESLIK lief vir haar.
Ek kan net dink die herhenniringe wat so n loopbaan inhou. Juffrou-wees is mos nie net n werk nie, dis n roeping. Jou kolegas is jou familie en daai kindertjies is jou kinders. Ek weet dis hoe ons juffrou daaroor voel
Ek wil graag vir haar iets gee waarin sy haar herhinnreringe kan saamdra om die afskeid miskien n bietjie makliker te maak. Ek het voorheen nog net een keer so n raampie gemaak, vir my ma, en sy koester dit as n manier om al haar kleinkinders by haar te hou. Ek dink toe dit is nou ideaal vir hierdie situasie
Ek dink Juffrou sal dit geniet om die fototjies of prentjies saam te dra. Mens kan n klomp inpas en saamdra en omruil soos jy lus is. My meisiekind het ook vir haar geliefkoosde juffrou 'n paar prentjies geteken om daarin te sit
die fotos is 20x15mm en mens kan sommer n hele bladsy volmaak en laat print. juffrou kan nou nog klomp fotos print en haar kleinkinders vra om ook prentjies te teken. Dalk wil die kinders in die klas ook nog 'n bietjie vir haar prentjies teken in die laaste paar dae van skool
Liewe juffrou Lama. Geniet jou aftrede, geniet laat slaap en see toe gaan en speel met die kleinkinders. kyk mooi na jouself. Daar bly vir altyd 'n spesiale plek in ons harte vir jou
xxx Die Celliers
]]>this little fox for my mini-disk range
this time of year i miss the snow and living in London - and the fox always makes me feel a little closer to it
i think ill do a little robin for the mini disks too
]]>i think what i want to talk about here is the inability to transcend the attachment to things - here illustrated by my attachment to books. i have a dear friend from school who, upon buying ,or even just considering buying a book, will open it up wide, bury her face in it and breath in deeply. a habit that i find so endearing and I've adopted it in a slightly less enthusiastic way. i interpret this as a way of experiencing your book on a sensory level, well above valuing it for its content alone. then i have another friend who doesn't use bookmarks - you know what she does, don't you- she folds over the corner to keep her place. and when i expressed my disgust she was sort of equally disgusted at my point of view - its only a book - its the contents that matter. . .
not-able-to-transcend-objects
you see i tried a kindle - and i can totally see how it is a clever, useful invention. and i try to be a person who is not unduly materialistic. but i make a distinction between being materialistic and being sentimental and i think this is perhaps where i get at the heart of my attachment to books: i can have a thousand books on my kindle or phone and not a single one of them is going to remind me of you. not one of those virtual books is going to make me feel connected to you, with the knowledge that you took the time to ask around for recommendations, that you wrote a note in the inside cover, imbuing it with history. not one of those virtual books will leave me with the feeling that im holding something you once held, that im now reading the very same words that you yourself have also read. and when i pass it on, i will say ,so and so got me this for my birthday, its really good, enjoy it ( secretly wanting to say "please dont fold the corners" but resisting the urge because i dont want to seem uptight)
i will then totally forget who i lent it too and be surprised and overjoyed when it makes it's way back to me one day
it is with this same mindset that i create things
when i sit down at my bench i magically convert time and imagination into a concrete object, and what is more valuable than time. and when im doing it for you, every single cut, every single file-mark or beat of the hammer is done with you in mind, to create a thing that is utterly yours
let me state clearly: i dont think beiing attached to objects is negative
and im not talking about beiing materialistic. im talking about being attached to objects because they remind you of personal connections. because they fill your house with friends and family even at times when we dont see one another for months - or years. and serve as reminders, when im using my Catherine-spoons and transported back to the time we spent together, to take out the time to write her an email just to say im thinking of you
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for the things we love, for the things we care about, the things we worry about, the things we miss.
we sometimes do it even without realizing it
what is it about creating a symbol for these things, reducing it to a size that fits in the palm of your hand, that can dangle from a chain around your neck, that puts it in your control, that enables you to effectively protect and treasure it
we can create objects that help us focus our attention, that can become part of our daily rituals, our personal superstitions
we can create objects that help us internalize and then let go, by saying this is forever part of me but it no longer causes me sadness or worry
and we can create objects that we leave behind
]]>i think the first time i heard talk of spirit animals amongst my friends was when it was announced that one of us was a honey badger for sure - because he is so darned stubborn. so as far as im concerned we are just playing - its not serious - we are just choosing "spirit animals" based on qualities they have that we see in each other, or in ourselves or perhaps qualities that we aspire to. for me, mine is just the first animal that always jumps to mind - the reindeer. and because im a visual person its really lovely for me to also think of my friends as animals
so an idea started to form: i love drawing animals - imaginary animals are best, you can choose your favourite bits, make up something awesome. and i love my friends. i had been filled with a deep sadness for a long time, when we were isolating, and i pushed it far far away because it hampers my being. but i feel ready again to dream of reunions
and im thinking let it be a way for me to spend time with the people i miss, the people i wish were around me. you see when im working on a project like this, im immersed, it truely is like spending time with them. let it be a way of bringing us all together. it already has lead to some wonderful conversations
some of us have animals, for some of us i chose the animals that represent them to me, some of us chose their own. but i don't think ill be able to include everyone. maybe ill just make more animals in the future.
so in this iteration (im still working on it) illustrated here we have:
the head of the polar bear
the front paws of the honey badger
the gills of a shark
the chin and belly hair of the english cocker spaniel
the hind legs of a cat
the horns of the reindeer
the tail of the mountain lion
I think im calling it the chimera of the ones i miss
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i like to quietly do my thing and try to make a difference where i can, as best i can, without stressing out myself and my family. eat less meat, choose the options with less plastic, recycle, re-use. teach this to my children. come to think of it, they are really amazing at spreading messages - they dont care yet who they offend, they will be quick to tell you when they think you are making a bad choice. im not really like that
But i do feel this is a place where i am allowed to say my piece. im not entirely sure what i want to get at, but i have some stories to unload:
so, my parents instilled in us an unflushable love for animals. and while this may not entirely be accurate, ive always equated loving animals with being a good person, even if that is your only redeeming quality. i had every imaginable pet growing up. i know this is a huge privilege, and ive always wanted to be able to give this to my children
ok so i was counting the months to when i thought our family was ready for rabbits. so when lockdown was announced i thought this would be a great time for us, a family project. we scrambled to get rabbits while still allowed to get out of the house. somehow, by miscommunication i think, and a bit of bad planning, i wasnt able to get a rescue bunny so we did the bad thing and bought a bunny. while they were cute as hell ill tell you now, those little bunnies are stressful, they are soooo fragile. but luckily we got on the right track and were able to rescue some buns. so what i want to share here is in part a cautionary tale based on my experience: be sure you can afford a rabbit. while they cost next to nothing to adopt or buy - they are exotic pets and your wonderful regular vet will in all likelihood not be able to help them.
we learned this the hard way these past two weeks. our main rabbit got hurt in the eye, she needed stiches and several vet visits. it cost me over R5000 and i (stupidly) was entirely unprepared. but we managed. so my kids are coming to all the vet visits and im saying in the car, ok mamma will just save some money and then we will bring our next bun (Hoekie) for a check-up, we suspect she has a cold and the vet lady said we better get it checked. she had this snoring thing going on from the day we adopted her, so we just thought thats the way she was.
so one night after dinner, its just us, me, the husband and the kids. he's playing music, we are dancing, having fun, when my little one (5,5jr) disappears and comes back all teary. she was looking for her tooth-fairy money. she wants me to have it so we can take Hoekie to the vet.
we did the very next day. turns out shes very sick. shes going to need a lot of care and treatment and we dont know how it will turn out, but we are doing it
so you may think, man its just a bunny. but you know what, it really isnt. its love and joy in a ball of fur and its my responsibility to care for this little thing, no matter what it takes.
make sure you feel the same way before you commit
but when you do, know, as i do, that you are making a difference, in a small way - to a tiny animal. but in a big way by sending children out into this world who know how to love and protect the things that need protecting
]]>lets start with the practical bits. i know my client well, she loves the way i work and in the best possible client/me relationship - she gives me a lot of freedom. the brief was: a bracelet. so the concept i put forward was a "charm" bracelet - where each segment represents something that is meaningful to this one specific person
i had 9 topics/concepts/images to design around. i wanted to play with layers and levels and different ways of creating an image on metal, staying in the monotone of silver with varying degrees of "clean" that provides the only colour contrast. i approached each one completely as an individual. what ties them all together is that they are the same basic shape and thickness, and on the back of each is some writing - what i call free stamping, of the feelings and reasons she expressed for choosing each symbol, her own words.
It was challenging at times, turning large concepts into visualisations, on a rather small scale. i feel the responsibility of taking care of the things that have meaning, this is not a task i come to frivolously and i am proud of what we achieved here
i am excited to hand it over, this one in a million object that has completely taken over my waking and sleeping hours for the last few weeks. and i am also going to miss it
]]>My dreams for you, my love
Fill up the fields like bunnies do
Think not of the clever fox
I’ll watch over your sleep
Forever safe inside my heart
Your dreams for me to keep
Until one day you, big and strong,
Can chase your dreams and fly away
For now my darling, small and warm
In my arms you stay
]]>it all started with an inquiry: would i be able to make a sea turtle bracelet? before i knew more about what my client wanted my head immediately went to the way i do my kinetic animals, in separate segments, and i did a quick doodle that has been on my wall all this time. i never used this idea because for that project we worked directly from her friend's tattoo. this young man had sadly passed away and his friends and family wanted this bracelet to keep him close. he was a sailor and i learned that the sea turtle tattoo is something you earn by how many oceans you have crossed
now, in my own story, i have a dear friend who is talking a lot about leaving everything behind and sailing around the world. this talk is what brought the sea turtle back onto my raidar, the imputes to finally develop my original idea. while researching the sea turtle it became quite apparent that this is a symbol that she should treasure. this is what i read:
"traditionally, the turtle is symbolic of the way of peace, whether its inviting us to cultivate peace of mind or a peaceful relationship with our environment
those who have the sea turtle as spirit animal may be encouraged to take a break in their busy lives and look around or within themselves to find more grounded and lasting solutions"
so i dedicate this pendant to Hanlie, my friend who i can count on to encourage me question social conventions, even if i dont always like it. if and when she does decide to depart, i will make a little sea turtle for her to keep close as a reminder of us
ok so the technical bits about this pendant:
this fella in the picture is sort of like the catwalk piece - he is big and heavy - made of brass and copper. after final tweeks i will make a regular size silver one to go with the other kinetic animal range
]]>But when it comes to sewing I have to admit defeat. For the new men's bracelet I wanted a special bag that suits its vibe and size and luckily I could defer to my mom, who has been taking care of all my sewing needs for almost 40 years, from baby clothes to ball gowns
Thanks mom, I love it!
But so yes, it's also good to admit that you can't always do everything
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In the morning he would pop out for fresh chocolate croissants and coffee and then we just roamed around
We were so broke, the euro was stronger than the pound at that time so all I brought home with me was this tiiiiny little heart pendant, my most treasured thing, that I bought for 5 euro when I had no money but so much magic and love and happiness, oh it was so wonderfull
That little heart and experience is what inspired this heart
the heart is tiny (9mm)but fairly thick and heavy, brass at the front, silver at the back. It has red enamel paint in the little heart and is oxidised black in the crown
]]>now i have one single page left to fill before i have to send my book to Brooklyn, and i have stagefright becasue i dont want it to be finished. this has been a wonderful trip. i think i will just keep filling books on my own time
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now we've traded the helicopters for jumbo jets overhead
]]>darkness deep and eternal
quiet engulfs her
5.7.5
#sketchbookproject
]]>I remember a time as a masters student when I would go to the computor centre every Tuesday and write up the whole Monday, in excruciating detail, bits of dialogue and all. Not only was it an excellent excersice in memory and perception but it also forced (self-imposed) me to take out the time to sit, reflect and write
Writing, heck I used to love writing. But I think when everyone and everything in your live is in constant flux there is just so much more to write about. Plus there is the time. No responsibilities other than discovering who you are and being creative
But we need to remind ourselves to carve out time for that, we must. That is why I am so excited about this scetchbook project. I'm forcing myself to make time for drawing, an utterly selfish act, much like writing
https://www.sketchbookproject.com/
Now I'm thinking how do I decide what deserves to go in the book, I only have x amount of pages, what is book-worthy. It's always good to choose a theme to help you keep on track with a project. It's forming vaguely, I think it's going to be about exploring my own drawing style with different techniques and media and about being observant, noticing the beautiful and the funny in everyday things as well as the antithesis to that: drawing from imagination
As for subject matter: me
]]>we are working with the family crest and incorporating all of the elements in an reinterpretation of the signet ring. Instead of all the elements being on top in a traditional family crest, they are going around outside of the band. I'm carving a section to simulate a rope, there is a part that represents a belt, a stamped bit of the family creed and then there is this little handcarved acorn with which I am absolutely in love
I just want to say I am having a good time and Ill show you when they are done. I'm making two of the same ring for sisters
]]>still, somehow, i do possess a sense of what i think is cool for cars. its about proportions, colours and lines and i think a lot of that sense developed since i started playing with my son's Hotwheels. . .regularly
seeing as boys get left out a lot in the jewellery department im on a mission to make up for that and decided to construct a car for my boy. it will be a wearable piece [ i will wear it; he will play with it ] but it will still work - turning wheels and such. and i will not be precious about it - if he wants to play with it and "give it character" - that is his prerogative
when my husband arrived home yesterday and let out an unsolicited "Heck! that's a cool car!" i knew that id nailed it (he knows about cars)
now starts the next phase - getting the design cut-ready. Im going to work in brass just so i dont have to feel restricted, and I'm thinking each set of wheels is going to have to be double so that it can be freestanding. ill let you know how it went
]]>we tend to drink only freshly ground locally roasted in this household - otherwise ill just have water
when we lived in the city we were walking distance from the coffee roasters and it was part of the weekly routine to walk down and get our beans. i was a bit worried when we were about to move that would become much less convenient to get hold of good coffee. when i asked the guys if they would be opening a branch in Bellville all i got was a smirk and a grunt.
thankfully, i was happy to discover we have not one, but two artisan coffee roasters where we are now, one walking distance and the other just a 2 min drive away - phew, crisis averted
When you work alone, the service providers, the couriers, the gas people, the printers, who become part of your routine, is the closest you get to having colleagues. I value these interactions, so I'm happy to slowly be getting to know my new people. Now, I don't like asking people what they do for a living when I meet them, I don't want to put them into boxes that way. So I also don't broadcast what I do, out in daily life. I guess that's why it took almost 2 years for the guys at the coffee place to learn that I'm a jeweller. And now it has lead to an exciting project:
One of the guys is expecting a baby and wants to make a solid coffee bean pendant for her. It's beautifully logical to share one of his life passions with his first born.
for this i will be venturing into casting for the first time since my student days, and I'm happy for it because it had been on the to do list. It's a complete change form my regular modus opperandi because I'm a bit obsessed with getting things done immediately, if I do it myself I can do it NOW, and I tend to. But for this project I have to get the casters involved. Ive started a conversation and we are all systems go. The next step is to get the soon-to-be-dad to choose his perfect coffee been and then we will get the mold made to get it cast
I'm very excited to see how it turns out and hoping it will lead to more of my own cast pieces
]]>i mentioned in my earlier blog the title of these earring:
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
as the title suggests - you have options here. each earring consists of a sterling silver main front earring and then any of the 8 fine silver, yellow gold and sterling silver elements can be added on to create the earring you feel like wearing for the occasion. in the image you can see the earring on the left is "one with everything" and the one on the right models a more toned-down look
because of the loose elements, a pouch was necessary - an integral part of this composition. now, i like to think im a fair cook and i have the time spent in the kitchen observing my mom to thank for that. unfortunately her sewing skills did not rub off on me in the same way. thankfully i was able to defer to her expertise and together we could create the desired end-product
as always - thanks mamma
]]>i want to use some of the elements of my "catwalk piece" to make simpler dangly earrings. so far my earring repertoire is generally limited to studs and designing a dangly earring hook that suits my brand has been on my to-do list for ages. now, riding the creative wave of this show, ive finally gotten around to it. jay - looking forward to the new world of the dangly earring and all the new possibilities it will bring
]]>The brief this year is rather open, all it asks is that you make one incredible piece of jewellery - as long as it's a pair; I'm going with earrings
The title is "Choose your own adventure". Remember those books we all read when we were teenagers? I'm giving them this title because the earrings will be interactive, the wearer will be able to decide which elements to incorporate and how to layer them.
The elements are going to be stretched ovals in various sizes, metals, finishes. As one of my favourite techniques is stretching shapes by rolling mill, I will be indulging in it for this project. I like it because I control the shape up to a point and then let it go free . . .
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after a larger jobbie like this i like to reward myself with some time off, some wandering around the shops around there, fancy expensive cape town coffee, and grocery shopping without the kids - hehehe - a little holiday.
i also decided that i must make time for drawing - as a time out and to brush up on some old skills. im really enjoying this. its such wonderful instant gratification. its just pencil and paper and takes no time and immediately feels like ive achieved something. smile on face
]]>and i returned the favour - when you are far away from loved ones sending a parcel is like sending a hug. when you open it, for a few minutes, it feels like you are together. its the same with handwritten letters. we were away when my brother and his wife were expecting their first child - the first grandchild of our family. as a way to stay connected i crocheted a baby blanket for them. i remember my mom said my sister-in-law cried when she received it
for me, doing the work, putting in the time, the ritual of making, is how i show i care. of course not everyone is able to do this so i count myself lucky. an the final touch is in the wrapping.
what got me started on this whole tangent is finding a picture of an object i made for my moms birthday while still living abroad. it was the first kingfisher ever - this is my mom's bird - she didnt choose it - i assigned it to her. if you know my mom it might be obvious why. so when i was working at Dower and Hall we were allowed to make our own stuff in the workshop in out lunch breaks and after hours. i had bought this bit of silver sheet-metal. now, i was used to being able to melt and remake my silver any way i pleased, back home. but not in london - they dont really do that. you get this perfect bit of sheet-metal from the shop- with that blue scratch preventing sticky stuff over it, like on a new phone screen - and you only get one shot. it makes you think twice.
in the 5 years only one parcel ever went missing
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so what we did: she sent me a giant white gold ring - a beautiful dark grey colour. she wanted a heart charm ring. as the project progressed i realized we were going to have a wedge of gold left and asked if i can surprise her with the leftovers. so now besides the ring she wanted she is also getting 2 beaten bands in 2 different gauges, as well as a pair of long stick studs. i made them at 16mm so it almost sticks past the earlobe - its nice. why not use it (old goldl), if its just going to sit there
]]>as per usual with projects like this - i was chomping at the bit to get started and today was the happy day
this is so awesome, i am definitely adding this to my online store, but first i need to do ones of our cocker spaniel and german shepherd
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