Barbara Franc

It has been awhile but my computer is once again connected to the tinterweb! Turns out it was an update glitch which my father, being the computer guru of the household, managed to rectify!

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and smashing new year! I'll start thhe year off with another quote.

Like you do at university, you research designers you like the work of, or who's work is relevant to your own. Out of all the designer makers I emailed (through their website and/or blogs), only a couple replied back. For a student under alot of pressure and stress, that is heart aching.

Except for one designer, who's work I went to see at the Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds;
Barbara Franc.

Whilst searching for designers, back in 2013, who predominately use recycled or reclaimed materials, I came across Franc's work. I soon discovered she would be exhibiting her 'Splendid Stags' Head' in the show 'A New Life' at the gallery mentioned above.

I grabbed the opportunity to see this magnificent stags' head and it was well worth the trip!
The room was filled with plenty more research material I needed to resume my project. Noting down the names of the designers I liked the work of, I took into consideration the questions I would ask them.

Barbara Franc replied within the fortnight, passing on some words of wisdom which I have stuck by ever since.

Don't let others tie you down, be free and spread your wings into the unknown imagine of your mind.

Secret Santa and Trains

I have had to post this after Christmas as it was a Secret Santa present and I could not risk anyone from my family seeing it. There is only one person in my family who truly appreciates trains for what they are; my dad!

Impossible to buy for as it is and to find something that would fit in a cracker would be anyone's nightmare! So, I put my degree to use and made a small silver train cutout which can be on display for everyone's pleasure.

This is the image I traced...

What a lovely train!
Anyway, Once I had the measurements, I was able to order the silver.
To keep up my reputation for being eco-friendly, I bought a small piece from the Cooksongold Ecosilver range.

The silver was prepared to be pierced out.
I traced the original image in such a way to retain some detail without making area's of the final piece weak. Holes were drilled for the detail to be pierced out;

and darn! look at the sun shining through them!
Piercing out was a faff...

but golly! Look how it reflects my bench peg!

The edges were filed and a surface finish given.

Oooh and look at the shadow it makes!

ANYWAY! This silver train was going into a cracker so it needed some protection; a small cardboard envelope to stop it from bending perhaps?

It needed to stand up, it couldn't be a flat thing to have in the cabinet, no one would see it! So a teeny tiny stand was made.

Last but not least, I had it Hallmarked.

Lovely!

Festive Dinosaurs

The dinosaurs decided to have a party as the theme for their Christmas cards!

Can't forget those I work with!

What cheeky dinosaurs!

Merry Christmas my lovely Moment-eers!!

Tiny elephants

During August, I went to the Rock Gem n Bead show at Harrogate Pavilion and my mad eccentric boyfriend found these tiny bone elephants...

So I turned them into earrings for Christmas! They even have my stamp on the small tab!

Cunning Dinosaurs, plan in action!

So the dinosaurs have asked me to do the same designs as the wrapping paper, to keep the theme running you see.

The also wanted me to show you the breakdown of it all so you understand their intensions.
So here's the breakdown:

• Red bows - Green tag
• Green Christmas tree - Red tag
• Green Holly - Red tag
• Gold bells - Silver tag
• Silver stars - gold tag

This is how I have done the wrapping paper as you well know.

This is what I have come up with...

I have added a bit of glitter to each card to really make it look Christmassy.

And here are the finished envelopes...

Hopefully the dinosaurs will like it because there are 7 of them and 1 of me!

On Wednesdays, we wear pink

On Wednesdays, Yes, we do wear pink. Any budding Mean Girls fan will recognise that quote.
So as a birthday present for my sister back in October, I made her some pink earrings to wear on Wednesdays!

I of course included my snail and initial mark.

And I loved how the sun shone on the small glass beads.

You CAN do it

When I was little, I grew up watching Disney films, along with millions of other children across the entire world. This is still incredibly true to this day.

And who can blame us?!

115 years ago today, a legend was born.

And his work thrives today!