More lovely things I’ve collected on Pinterest recently.
Click on the images to view the details on Pinterest.
Posts tagged ‘indie design’
An interview
13 June 2011
Recently I was interviewed by the lovely Jess Van Den for a Creative Biz Success story on Scoutie Girl.
I enjoyed answering the questions and it was good to think back along the path I’ve taken to get to where I am today – and wondering where I might be in a few years time too!
You can read the interview right here.
New jewellery out now!
18 May 2011
Finally my new range of handmade jewellery has been launched – hooray! This range is a celebration of pattern and ornament, with decorative elements from different eras and cultures, often combined in a single piece.
You can check out the entire new range in my Australian jewellery shop and my International jewellery shop.
Below is an introduction to just some of my new jewellery range!
This cage pendant features an intricate Elizabethan-inspired design which is hand cut in sterling silver. The interior of the pendant is gilded with 23ct gold foil (or 23kt if you’re in the US). You can also find it in my Australian shop.
Also see the cage ring and panel earrings from the same set (Australian shop: cage ring and panel earrings).
This striking dish ring has been etched with a contemporary circles design and features a rhodolite gemstone setting. Also available in my Australian shop.
These teardrop earrings are etched with an Elizabethan-inspired pattern which has been gilded with 23ct gold foil, creating a luminous gold texture. Also available in my Australian shop.
These sterling silver chandelier earrings are etched with a detailed damask pattern which has been given a matte brushed finish. Available in my Australian shop.
These contemporary cufflinks have been etched with a circles design. Each cufflink is set with a different gemstone – a faceted rhodolite and a faceted citrine. Also available in my Australian shop.
I like: Dalhaus
28 March 2011
I keep spotting these gorgeous vases by Dahlhaus around the place – and have been pondering how to choose a colour. Except really I’d love to own them all!
Now I’ve checked out the Dahlhaus shop and have found many more delicious pieces which I’d love to own.
All of these pieces and more are handmade by ceramic artist and painter, Heather Braun-Dahl in her studio in Vancouver. And I’d be happy to receive any of them as a gift, if anyone feels so inclined!
Find of the week
19 February 2011
Thanks to Regretsy I encountered Crafts are the new Crafts – a simple but lovely site celebrating (aka lampooning!) the rather bizarre trend items which keep cropping up on Etsy and in other indie venues.
I’ve been enjoying refreshing the page and snickering at the combinations! And I suspect you might enjoy it too.
So if you haven’t been there yet, go there now! You can even make suggestions of new trends you’ve spotted.
Looking forward to 2011
26 December 2010
This post is part of Epheriell Design’s blog hop: A Creative Odyssey. My blogging partner for the day is ReArtingDotNet.
I have to confess that I’ve had a difficult 2010 for a number of reasons. At one point a few months back things were looking quite bleak indeed. However, as the year draws to a close I’m finally feeling more on top of things and I’m full of ideas for moving my life and business forward.
It’s nice to be feeling positive about the next twelve months instead of just pondering how to keep my head above water!
It probably seems natural for most people to be thinking about a fresh start as a new year commences. But in my business the start of a new year really does feel like starting anew: business is flat out until Christmas and then suddenly comes to a stop (well, mostly) until a little way into the new year.
So I always feel that once the celebrations are over, I truly do have some headspace and time to so some serious planning and research and get new ideas moving along – as well as taking some much-needed personal time.
What do I expect I will be working towards as 2011 gets underway? Well, lots of things really! And here are a few of the business ideas I’ve got in mind as one year moves into the next:
Great Big Giant Top Secret Indie Project
Oh yes, that old thing! Well it seems old to me in some ways because it’s something that’s been bubbling away in my brain for years. But in other ways it seems shiny and new all over again!
As well as having lots of fresh ideas for it, I’m feeling like I’m ready to make serious progress on this project in 2011 to see where it takes me. And I also feel like lots of external factors are coming together to make it an idea whose time has come.
But it is BIG – it will require a lot of work, a lot of liaising with a partner or three and a lot of figuring out.
As for what it is, well if I tell you I would have to kill you! And then where would we be?
But it is indie design related and if I really am able to get it off the ground, then I’d say you’ll almost certainly know about it sooner or later. All I can say for now is: watch this space!
A new range in a new direction
One of the issues that crops up repeatedly in my working life is that my handmade jewellery business is limited in a major way by the amount of work I can physically manage to do myself.
Every piece I make is handmade by me personally, including most of the findings I use. Of course I love that this is the case and definitely have no interest in stopping making things in this way.
Thousands of little paper blossoms; the remaining patterns after having cut out thousands of blossoms in sterling silver, each one by hand.
However, my business has to be sustainable – in terms of my physical and mental health, plus in terms of my financial well-being (especially as I get older!).
As a result I constantly come back to this catch 22: I cannot grow my business unless I personally work harder and I cannot possibly work harder than I do already!
Having thought about this for a few years now, I’ve come to realise that there is no solution unless I change the business in some way.
So in 2011 I’m planning on researching and hopefully launching a new range – perhaps under a new label or brand – which is a bit less reliant on me personally in terms of physical labour.
The range will be created using my own designs of course and at this stage I envisage hand finishing pieces. However, having a manufacturing process involved will enable me to increase my output and help to make my business more personally sustainable.
I intend to continue my existing range as it is – all handmade by me – whatever happens with this second range. And there will be a clear distinction between one and the other.
But for now the most exciting aspects for me are learning about new processes and materials. And I’m especially excited about getting started on some new design ideas which I can hopefully take in quite different directions.
So for this project, you’ll also need to watch this space!
More time to be creative
My hope is that the new range and a few other life changes will free me up a bit more so I can spend some quality time designing, experimenting and enjoying some different creative pursuits.
I’d really like to have the time to push my jewellery designs further and be able to work on acquiring some new skills (or refreshing some old ones I’ve not used in a long time!).
In addition I’m really itching to get back to drawing again! I’ve not done any serious drawing (other than design sketches) for years and I’ve been missing it. I’m hoping to be able to make some time for drawing on a regular basis – just for the sake of it!
Bring on 2011!
So those are my thoughts about projects for 2011. They’re a bit hazy in a lot of ways, but – trust me – they’re all bubbling away frantically in my brain and are filling up notebooks as I scribble down plans and ideas!
In the next few weeks I hope to be fleshing out one or more of them and making some good progress on some of these plans.
Here’s to a good new year for all of us! I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you (and sharing in your journeys in return).
Buy handmade: support indie artists, designers and crafters!
3 December 2010
I’ve decided to put together a little gift guide of just a few of my indie favourites to encourage you to buy handmade from indie artists, designers and crafters this festive season (and in general!).
By shopping handmade you will be supporting a healthy indie design community – and help we struggling designer types to pay our bills, of course! And you’ll be purchasing products which are lovingly made in generally very small production runs (or even one-offs) – something special in a mass-produced world.
So below is just a small selection of indie shops to get you started.
My indie gift guide:
Kate Banazi
One of my favourite print artists, Kate does: stuff with silkscreens, pencils, cake and very often sharp scalpels. Sometimes, even, at the same time. I am occasionally peering up at a Kate Banazi print as I write this very blog post!
Sweet Olive Press
The Sweet Olive Press studio is located in seaside Mississippi, where the lovely Helen designs every card, invitation and announcement and prints them one by one on a 106-year-old platen press – a return to hand-crafted beauty in a mass-produced world.
Peta Pledger
Drawing inspiration from vintage patterns, Australian ’50s housewives, pin-up glamour, rock’n'roll and tattoo culture, Melbourne designer and dressmaker Peta Pledger creates lovely one-off and small run garments and accessories.
Inaluxe
Inaluxe is Kristina Sostarko and Jason Odd, who make delicious prints and cards. Inaluxe aims to: make it beautiful, use the best materials possible and be responsible and sustainable in production practice.
Able & Game
Quirky, cute and funny cards and other stationery featuring hand drawn designs of weird and wonderful people.
Jubly-Umph Originals
Stunning jewellery inspired by old school tattoo, rockabilly and pin up designs. Each Jubly-Umph piece is unique.
Kara Smith
Unique, individual and one-off handbags and more. All handmade by Kara Smith using vintage, recycled and salvaged fabrics, buttons and buckles.
Skinny Laminx
Gorgeous contemporary textiles from illustrator and designer Heather Moore. This lovely range includes tea towels and cushion covers – I plan on getting some tea towels for myself very soon!
Swirlyarts
Home of the original cheeky chicken doorstops, but all sorts of other things mostly made from recycled products. Fun and eco-friendly!
Whitney Smith Pottery
One of my favourite potters, Whitney Smith is inspired by flowers and other forms found in nature. Most of her work is hand thrown before being carved and textured.
Gretchenmist
Seriously beautiful and original artworks on paper and more by Melbourne artist Gretchen Mist. I have my eye on a number of these lovely pieces!
Handmade jewellery by Simone Walsh
I figured I may as well give my own indie shop an little plug in this gift guide! I create and sell contemporary handmade jewellery with high quality materials and using an array of metalwork techniques. My work is sold all over the world from my studio in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney.
Keep hunting!
This is a teeny tiny handful of wonderful indie designers who sell online. There are lots of artists, designers and craftspeople with online shops.
Below are some sites to help you look further, including online venues and directories for buying and selling handmade online. You can also check my blogrolls in the sidebar to find plenty of indie design blogs where you’ll make lots of handmade finds!
Handmade is not just Etsy!
Obviously there is a big name missing from my list of places to hunt for handmade items.
But it gets mentioned so often that I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage you to look further afield for handmade goodies!
There are a number of other excellent indie venues and an awful lot of designers who run their own independent shops – such as myself.
So if you’re passionate about a thriving indie community, then I’d encourage you to look around much more widely than just on Etsy.
New handmade jewellery: a sneak peek
11 July 2010
I finally managed to spend time today taking and editing photos of my new handmade jewellery range.
As usual, it was physically exhausting, took much longer than I had planned for and I ended up collapsed on the couch in pain as I edited photos until the early hours of the morning! And I’m still not done – there are more photos to take tomorrow, followed by more edits, of course.
So while I’m in the middle of photographing and before I actually list any of my new jewellery designs in my shops, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek of some of the new designs.
I hope to have some more to share with you tomorrow and of course I’ll let you know more about the pieces when I have them listed in my handmade jewellery shop.
But for now it’s bed time!
Vote for me in the Poppies!
27 January 2010
I’d love it if you felt so inclined as to vote for me in the first ever Poppies – a series of indie design awards being run by the lovely Jan at Poppytalk blog.
You can vote for my handmade jewellery right here.
Just scroll down to check my name and then a bit further down to click on ‘vote’ … and that’s it!
I’m thrilled to be in the running and have my fingers crossed for a happy outcome! Winners will be announced on 5 February 2010.
Good luck to everyone else in the running for a Poppy too. View all of the award categories and get voting for your favourite indie designers!
More new handmade jewellery
12 September 2009
Yesterday I redid the jewellery photographs that I’d taken the previous day and I’m much happier with the results. So I’ve started listing more new work in my handmade jewellery shop.
Much of this work I had previously started but not resolved – some over a year ago! So I made an effort to go back to the pieces lurking around my bench and finally got them completed and ready to put into production.
This ironwork pattern pendant is a smaller, redesigned version of the ironwork pendant I have been making for some time. It is based on an antique ironwork pattern and has been intricately cut out of sterling silver.
The pendant is 1.6cm (0.63″) tall and wide and is suspended on a blackened sterling silver chain with handmade findings.
These ixora flower pieces were inspired by the gorgeous bunches of ixora flowers in vibrant yellows and oranges that I saw in the lush tropical gardens of Bali.
The flowers are made in a metal called shibuchi. This is a Japanese alloy of 75% copper and 25% silver. Its colour varies from an golden-pink through to a light copper colour, depending much it has oxidised, meaning the colour of the pieces will vary over time as you wear them – and can of course be quickly cleaned of tarnish in silver dip to get back to the original colouring.
The ixora flowers pendant features five flowers suspended from a narrow oval of sterling silver so they hang in a cluster which changes depending on how the flowers fall. The pendant is on my favourite simple sterling silver chain with handmade findings.
The ixora flower earrings feature one flower per earring suspended from handmade sterling silver ear wires. They will swing as you move.
I’ve also added two new pairs of cufflinks to my jewellery for men range. The above damask cufflinks feature my favourite damask-style pattern. The pattern has been blackened and then the piece has been tumbled to polish the entire cufflinks, but also to give the pattern a gunmetal grey type finish.
The other pair I’ve added have a very 1960s looking circles pattern on them. Visit my jewellery for men section (also in my Australian shop) to see more.
There is more handmade jewellery already listed and more yet still to come. For now you can check out everything that’s new in my handmade jewelry shop (prices in US$, delivery everywhere) or my handmade jewellery shop (prices in AU$, delivery to Australia and NZ).
I’ll post about more new pieces soon.
New: handmade rings
9 September 2009
I’ve just added two shiny new rings to my handmade jewellery shop. The rings each feature beautiful deep pink lab-grown rubies. The tube settings that the rubies are set into are connected to the ring shank by loops at the back, meaning that each setting moves freely around the ring.
One version is a two settings ring with one stone larger than the other. The other features a single ruby setting. Of course both are also available in my Australian handmade jewellery shop.
Quite some time ago I made one of these rings for myself and I love wearing it. I particularly like the way the stones move as I do – and of course I can’t stop fiddling with it when I have it on!
The choice to use lab-grown gemstones is partly down to the fact that they are identical on a molecular level to a mined gemstone, but are flawless and beautifully coloured, while also being a lot more affordable. But also they are a more ethical choice given that there is none of the massive environmental damage that mining can cause and none of the other issues such as mistreated workers or gems being used to fund wars.
Photographing jewellery
I took the photographs of the rings today – the first time I’ve photographed my work in my new home, so it was a bit of an experiment. I’m not thrilled with how the shots I took today (including of a number of other new pieces) came out so I think I’ll have another go at them soon.
Part of the issue was down to wanting to make better use of natural light in my much brighter home, but only finding the time to take the photos on a very windy day with clouds coming and going, meaning the light level changed constantly – not ideal! But also I think the spot I chose just wasn’t quite right. I’ll see how I go in another location as soon as I get a chance.
On sale!
6 September 2009
Just a note to let you know that I’ve just added a number of pieces to the sale section of my handmade jewellery shop to help clear the way for new work.
Some of these pieces have never been sold online before and for many there is just one remaining in stock.
So stop by the sale section and take a peek! I hope to be adding more in the next little while.
PS. Australian and NZ customers can visit the handmade jewellery sale in my Australian dollar shop.
