Valid only until Midnight 30 June 2013
Contemporary Wearables 2013
I am very excited to announce that my necklace, pictured above, has been selected for the Toowoomba Contemporary Wearables 2013 exhibition.
I made the beads from a Coopers Ale bottle, and embellished the flat beads with 22K Gold Leaf.
The Toowoomba Contemporary Wearables Award and Exhibition is an important event on the calendar for Australian jewellery makers. First prize is $5,000.
Seriously, I am just honoured to be part of it. This is my artist statement for the piece:
I imagine there are many uses for an empty beer bottle. Put it in the recycling bin, use it as a vase, maybe even put a candle in it. Or, if you are like me, smash it then melt it down again into beautiful glass beads embellished with gold leaf. It’s all about the Upper Glass.
New jewellery on Etsy
I have listed a few new pieces of jewellery in my Etsy store.
Sale time….
End of Year Sale!
I am getting ready to list some new recycled glass jewellery online, and would like to offer 40% discount on my current range of recycled glass jewellery in my Ethikl Store.
Simply use the coupon code: ENDOFYEAR to secure your discount. Free shipping too!
Making progress
So, I decided to try something new! And yes, that is a pretty big deal in my world. Most of the time I am busy keeping up with production, but winter time is generally a quieter time for my jewellery, so this winter I was determined to try something new.
I have an exhibition opportunity as part of the Tarts 10th Birthday exhibitions. There have been a series of exhibitions, held in various galleries in Adelaide, with this last one being held in Murray Bridge in August.
As you know, I’ve been doing a lot of up-cycling lately, and I really wanted to try something new for this exhibition. So, I got busy with some old tins and old glass, and am in the process of making a series of 10 earrings for the exhibition. Fully up-cycled!
No such thing as too much RED
I was in a craft shop the other day, looking for red wool so I could make myself a scarf. I asked the shop assistant if she could direct me to where the red wool might be. “We don’t have a lot of red wool this season,” she told me. I was devastated! If you know me, red is pretty much the only colour I wear.
“Oh no, that’s the only colour I wear,” I told her. I had red boots on to prove my point.
“Yes, I love red too, but I had to make myself wear other colours, I just had too much red.”
TOO MUCH RED? There’s no such things as too much RED!
These red items are available in my Etsy store right now:
My end of financial year wish
Towards the end of every financial year, I have a think about what I might like to buy in terms of tools. This year, as I diversify my jewellery making practice, I decided to treat myself to a disc cutter.
In all the books I have read about jewellery making, and the courses I’ve attended, they have always listed a disc cutter as an optional tool. And certainly, you don’t really need one. But, WOW, what a difference it makes to the time it takes to cut circles in metal. I had a few practice shots this afternoon, and I can safely say this is one of my best investments for a long time. I can’t wait to see what comes out of the studio now!
On the weekend I’ll be banging out a few circles (yes, that is how you use a disc cutter, by banging them with a hammer)! I’ll show you some new work next week.
Sunrise
I find my day starting before Sunrise most days. I try to walk most mornings, but lately I’ve taken to running. I honestly thought I would never run again after turning 40, but the other morning it was SO cold that I could not warm up and I just felt like I had to run to warm up. But then when I was warm, I found myself enjoying the run and I didn’t want to stop! I was surprised with how far I could run. Next day, I ran again, and it’s been a week now and I haven’t stopped!
Sunrise, it’s a time for me. A time for me to think about absolutely nothing apart from how good it feels to get outside and watch the sunrise. It’s funny how much better the day goes when I’ve been up early and had a walk.
First Necklaces
I remember clearly the day I started making jewellery. I had seen a pair of earrings in the local dress shop, but absolutely could not afford them. But wanted them so badly! I looked at them again, thinking that maybe, just maybe I could make them.
The thought stuck with me until we went to Adelaide next time, and I asked mum if we could go to a craft shop to buy some things to make jewellery with. I think that I spent more money in that shop than what the earrings were worth! I couldn’t wait to go home and make some earrings. Coming from a crafty family, it wasn’t too difficult to work it out.
First time I wore the earrings, I got compliments. “Where did you get those earrings?” I made them myself. “Do you make necklaces?” Well, no, but I probably could.
But where to start? I needed beads, and lots of them. I started at the local opp-shops. Found lots of necklaces I could cut up and use the beads. Above is the first couple of necklaces I made. Strung on dental floss (because it’s so strong), they are still quite pretty necklaces.
I started thinking about this as I get ready for my next exhibition “Upper Glass”. An exhibition of jewellery featuring recycled glass made into beads, and other up-cycled components. I’ve been collecting, and also been given, a variety of glass over the past few years. Ranging from beer and wine bottles, to Green Depression Glass, and all sorts of other glass objects, I am turning these old wares into beautiful glass beads to be incorporated into my jewellery pieces. Along the way I have also found myself accumulating a selection of all sorts of other bits and pieces that I am also using in the jewellery…from vintage sequins to seed beads and old copper to biscuit tins! Part of the fun of the exhibition will be discovering what “old” things have been used to create these beautiful new pieces.
Back to the opp-shops, and learning new ways of making jewellery. I’m happy to report that none of my new range will be strung on dental floss!