Renewed Christmas Wreath

Over a month ago, I started volunteering in a charity shop. After a couple of weeks of being there, donations of unwanted Christmas decorations, trees and wreaths were brought in. So the Christmas decorating had begun!

One of the donations was a wreath. What was on it was certainly... interesting... but apparently, the oranges, cinnamon sticks, fake vegetables and heck knows what else, were all traditional wreath decorations.

That in mind, I pimped up the wreath!

The wreath I bushed up, the whole dried oranges I gave a light coat of bronze paint, the cinnamon distributed in even bundles (that's a fun word to say, bundles...) and glittery pine cones also added.
I must admit, it looks a hell of a lot better!

Done and Dusted!

Here they are! The 2 knitted place settings I promised you all (the light brown is Shreddies inspired!).

Sorry for the not-so-brilliant images. I'm clearly not a photographer!

Woolly Christmas cards

For a change, I made my Christmas cards differently this year. I knitted them! Well not literally, I took pictures of my mini knits and they went down a charm! Here are the 2 I made...

Excuse my signature, copyright reasons and all that...

First half of a knitted Christmas finished!

Wow has the past couple of weeks been busy!

First off, I finished the first place setting, yay!

Secondly, I've started the second...

I promise you my fellow moment-eers, a picture of both place settings will be up soon and more posts of my creative shenanigans are to come, you have my Christmassy word!

And if you don't hear from me, have a very Merry Christmas and a Splendid New Year!

The knitted Christmas has officially begun!

On Sunday, I started the knitting of my sisters Christmas present. I plan to make 2 place settings. Here is my first design...

The pattern is very simple, though, it isn't when you are knitting it! I have however, managed to get to grips with it and it is going quite well.

The second design will be of one colour but made up of different stitches. Hopefully it will look like a giant Shreddie! Or at least inspired by one.

Better get back to it then!

And the knitted Christmas begins!

I bought the coloured wool I needed the other day, bring on the knitting!

Wooden bowl

Back in college, I spun a wooden bowl. It's incredibly simple to do when you know how to use the lathe and at the time, I was chuffed I spun it without any assistance!

It has been about 4 years since I made the bowl and I'm still pleased with it. I know I will be able to spin much better pieces now but it is a piece I will never part with.

Plus it's holding loads of pine cones so it has an important use!

And talking about pine cones, I have noticed that some Christmas decorations being sold in shops this year are glittery pine cones on a pea stick. the are as little as £2 for 5 but why buy them when you can make them for a fraction a the price?! I know I'll be making them!

Tiny mouse

With the left over bronze clay (used to make the ammonite pocket watch fob), I made one of my classic mice. He did melt a little but he still looks like a mouse!

And I even signed him on the bottom!

This little fellow is only a couple of centimetres tall and sits proudly on the top shelf of the mice (instead of spice) rack. All of these mice, except the bronze and knitted mouse (bottom shelf), were made during my college years. I did get on with work, honest!

Preparing for a knitted Christmas!

I thought it would be fun to knit a couple of dinner placemats as a Christmas present for my sister (sort of a joking house warming gift too!). Working out a simple pattern was complicated enough so we'll see how I go when I knit it for real!

Funky dory hat

The other month, my sister asked me to knit her a hat. nothing crazy about that, easy peasy!

Nope!

Sure it became natural to me once I was in the swing of the pattern but wow was it difficult to start! I used a sock needle, ie one of these lovely things...

...and casting on was simple enough but knitting the first row was a whole other experience! I know it's just a hat but the cast on stitches were... not so much as tight... you know, it's hard to explain unless you try it, then you will understand what I went through. They felt tight but they weren't, they were just difficult to work with for a reason I simply cannot explain. After the first knitted row, the rest of the pattern became a doddle and I'd quite happily knit another!

Small rant thing aside, here is the finished hat! The first pompom however my sister made was GIGANTIC! So here is the hat with the much smaller pompom attached, lovely!

Sorry the image quality isn't brilliant... but you get the idea!

Bear pendant... Revisited GRR!

The reason I am revisiting this small project so soon after making is simple; my fun friend unfortunately lost his necklace. Hopefully it is in his clothing somewhere or his uni room but for the time being, I have cleaned up the copper prototype as a temporary measure until the original silver one is found or I create a new one.

I have sprayed the copper pendant with varnish to prevent his chest from going green... This will also stop (to a certain extent) the copper from tarnishing... Usually anyway!

If I do end up making the the silver bear again, I will be able to redesign the arms. I wasn't happy with the arms or the paws of the bear, they were good considering the size but a designer will always find problems within their work.

So if you are in Lincoln (UK) and you find a silver bear like the one above, please oh please message me!

Thank you my lovely Moment-eers!

Ammonite Shindigs - the Final

This is it! The final bronze ammonite pocket watch fob is completed!

Phew!

I am incredibly relieved it is finished. Bronze clay is very strange stuff. It's slightly springy and it would have been incredibly useful if there were better instructions on the packet.

For my advice, watch plenty of video's on Youtube about using metal clay. Cleaning can be difficult if you don't have the proper pickling solution (dilute sulphuric acid usually) but I managed with white vinegar and salt (again, there are video's of that online). It is definitely one of those 'practise makes perfect' techniques and I'm only glad my first use of metal clay wasn't in silver!

Ammonite Shindigs 5

When the clay was thoroughly dry, I was able to sand down the surface of any rough textures and edges. I didn't spend a great deal of time on it, the piece is to resemble a fossil and not all fossils are smooth and perfect...

It is still quite heavy even when dry (that would be the bronze particles) so a constant warm space is ideal and after a couple of days, you can be sure the clay is fully dry.

Next stop, FIRE!!!

Ammonite Shindigs 4

Alrighty! I have finally started making the final pocket watch fob! About time too, my mad eccentric boyfriends birthday is on Monday...

I have made the Pleuroceras ammonite I have been going on about so this will be a short post! Possibly...

I ordered 20g of Creative Bronze Clay and here is what a 20g ball looks like against a 10 pence piece.

I didn't use the whole 20g as I didn't need the whole ball but here is the sculptured clay next to the same coin.

And finally, here is my sneaky snail logo! Right there on the outer spiral... Yay!

Once the piece is fully dry, I will be able to sand the surface lightly is is smooth. It will also shrink fractionally and then a tiny bit more when I attack it with the gas torch... It is smaller than I had planned it to be, books and other websites claim it's like regular potters clay. It is but it's quite sticky and also very springy, hence why it is smaller than intended... It kept springing back on itself! AND I discovered I didn't need to oil the work surface, my hands and tools, not to the extent they recommend anyway!

More on this to come within the week!

Ammonite Shindigs 3

Wow I haven't been on for awhile! Though I haven't been on for over a week, it hasn't been lazy days and long lie ins, oh no! I've been enjoying the outside whilst the weather is lasting and cracking on with the greenhouse repairs!

Now updating on the ammonite front...

I did in the end google the Yorkshire ammonite fossil, Pleuroceras and printed off a good selection of images showing off its best features! Here is what I managed to make...

Not too sure what happened to the one on the left but the one on the right worked well! Well I think so anyway. After showing my clients all of the prototypes, we came to the conclusion the Yorkshire ammonite was the favourite. It was the perfect size and to say it bluntly, they loved it!

We also decided it would be best to use bronze metal clay for the final as the double Albert chain my mad eccentric boyfriend has is gold plated. Clearly the plated surface won't be gold for much longer the more he wears it, so using bronze clay will look more fitting than silver.

So, now onto the final!

Ammonite Shindigs 2

Yesterday and today I had a little play around with some air drying clay to see how much 10, 15 and 20g looked like. I've decided to use silver clay for the final piece so I researched a little into the material. I previously found an image of a 10g ball of silver clay next to a 10 pence piece. 10g of air drying clay, when rolled into a ball, is slightly bigger than 10 pence. This shows that silver clay is more dense per gram than regular clay.

*Useful bit of advice - before using silver clay, experiment with weights. You don't want to be working with one mass then to discover you get less silver clay per gram for the same weight you've been working in!*

Anyway, here are some of my prototypes and experiments so far...

From the left: 7g (same amount as a 10g packet of silver clay), 10g and finally 15g.

I cheekily spoke to my boyfriend about his present (to be fair, he already knew I was going to be making something!) and he requested that I make a Yorkshire fossil, an ammonite being the obvious choice. So above, from left: a failed attempt of an ammonite I can not remember the name of, and my first attempt of a Pleuroceras ammonite.

The Pleuroceras is an ammonite my boyfriend suggested. I like the shape and the detail and it sure as hell worked better than the one to the left in the picture!
I do however need to work on my modelling skills, though my first attempt isn't bad...

I sculptured the clay without the use of images so before I make any more prototypes, it would be a good idea to print some pictures off first!

Oh, and any scrap bits of clay, don't bin them, make mice, peas and beans with them!

Ammonite Shindigs

On Wednesday, I received my second commission. Not bad going in my opinion!

For this commission, I have been asked to make a pocket watch fob. My clients, strange to call them that as they are my boyfriends parents and the fob will be for his birthday, would like me to make an ammonite pendant to hang from his double Albert chain. The chain sounds snazzy but it's great what you can buy in some junk shops!

I am quite excited about this small fob. Not only am I keen to see the face of my mad and now even more eccentric palaeontologist boyfriend but I will be using new materials, processes and techniques... Fingers crossed nothing will go wrong and watch (sorry, another pun there) out for more 'Ammonite Shindigs' posts!

Fossil Fun

Over the weekend, I visited Scarborough to see my mad palaeontologist boyfriend who had enthusiastically volunteered to help at the fossil festival. The festival was held at the Rotunda Museum and we spent most of Sunday looking round, picking up freebies and talking to everyone and I mean everyone! I even received a drawing of a mammoth! (a better picture of the sketch will come and the name of the artist... I'm sorry I can't remember your name!)

Though the festival was only made up of at most 20 stalls, the size did not deter visitors and excited children from exploring the history of British fossils in and around the Rotunda.

Given the chance to go to such a place with someone I enjoy being with, makes the experience far more fun. We have similar tastes and interests meaning, inspiration is never that far away and new designs are already starting to unfold... so keep a look out, more on this will come!

Back to February 2011

Back when I was in the lovely York College studying a National Diploma in 3D Design Crafts, we were given a project during second year called 'Body Adornment'. With the theme being 'Armour', we needed to create a wearable piece of jewellery reflecting our inspirations.

My inspiration was the Marbled White Butterfly. With its 2 contrasting colours of black and white, a whole array of designs unfolded. Hard to believe but that is what happened.

Image, courtesy of: http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=galathea

As a result, I allowed my creativity to unfold. Many weeks of designing, producing mock ups and developing prototypes, I created this charming catwalk number...

Unfortunately, the vibrant colours created by heat did not last long but even to this day I am still proud of my college work and I must confess, this is still one of my favourite pieces I have made yet.

Bear pendant... Final GRR!

Alright! Getting down to the bears-ness... Hahaha sorry couldn't resist!
On the other hand, I finished the grizzly but not so grizzly bear, in silver, with an incredibly shiny chain!

TA DAH!

Personally I'm quite proud of myself at the moment. Then again I'll look back in a few years time and think to myself 'I was pants back then...' but after a few months away from the world of  intricate tiny sparkly things (jewellery making, that is...), I have done quite well. YAY!

However, the paws could be better, the pendant is 35mm in length so you can imagine how small the detail is. Although it's minor detail and they still look like paws and not blobs... First paying commission done I'd say!

Bear pendant... Double GRR!

Back with more bear-tastic shenanigans!
As the logo already existed, I saved myself a good hour or so by modifying the existent bear in Photoshop, oh Photoshop, is there anything you can't do?

Here are the changes...

From left: additional tufts of fur, upper tooth and finally upper and lower teeth.

And then I did this...

LOLLY POP!

After the joys of Photoshop and a conversation with my client, I made a funky prototype which looks like this...

Lovely jubbly! Onto the silver! More on this to come...

Bear pendant... GRR!

Recently, I was commissioned by a jolly fun friend to make a bear pendant. I have no idea where the bear logo is from but due to copyright shenanigans, my design skills were put to the test (well not really!) and the bear of bears needed a certain number of changes so it was not like the original but it still does look like the original but it isn't...

Anyway, here is the chosen logo...

More to come of this later!

Christmas Opal 2013

Last Christmas... I gave you my heart! Wham, shhh! Besides the epic Christmas song, I did however make a ring.

I was commissioned (free of charge) by my boyfriend to make a ring for his mother as a Christmas present. Well sort of, he had bought her a green opal and was planning to simply give it to his mum. I of course offered to set it properly in a setting on a simple ring, and so my first mini commission had begun!

My soldering skills were put to the test as this tiny stone required a tiny setting, complimenting the shape and simple design of the overall piece.

And here it is, the finished ring, photographed by Charlotte Atkinson Photography.

Find Charlottes facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/charlotteatkinson.photography?fref=ts

Like and share my fellow Moment-eers!

Hugs and Cuddles

During the last week of July, I helped out at a children's holiday club held at my local church.

In my friends group was a child who went round hugging everyone, including various body parts such as arms and legs. When he was questioned as to why he was hugging arms and legs, this small child simply replied 'it's not just the body that needs a hug'.

To me, this is heart warming. A child, probably about the age of 5, knew the whole body can sense and feel things and should be loved and cared for.

Respect your body, look after it and like this very individual child, hug like you mean it to everyone!