Wednesday 14 November 2012

Copper wire brooches

As often happens, a birthday crept up on me at short notice (how do they do that?) and I wanted something quick to make and give, that looked good, and was practical.




I called upon my stash of copper wire, much of it still only half-stripped after being pulled from the house during rewiring, and did some hunting in books and much searching on the net for inspiration (as well as some gazing out of the window aimlessly).

I came across the idea of creating a brooch from one piece of wire, no soldering, just some planishing, some filing, and lots of bending. Yippee.

I was not overwhelmed by my first attempt -




But preferred the second brooch I made, finding the catch more organically a part of the design, and the curves more pleasing to the eye.




I got quite a kick out of creating something that, it turns out, is going to be worn on a winter jacket for the next few months, something bold and striking, that took some planning and a bit of strength (wire is always less bendy than you think, especially if you go the wrong way and need to re-bend...), and which made someone smile when they tore off the wrapping paper.

I'm even starting to look forward to winter evenings now, curving that wire and creating bright jewellery.

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Inspiration - Autumn

September merged into October, and suddenly it's November and officially autumn and cold enough to be winter. Here's a few photos I took through September and October, things that caught my eye and inspired me, made my heart sing a little, and made me laugh.

Click on the images to see them larger and in a slideshow -  it's a little slow to load, mind.


Beach seen through sea defences sand worm traces sand advertising water marks on sand rose petals alpine strawberry web in dew against hydrangea leaves stunning cloud against stunning sky carved pumpkins by the sea


Hope you enjoyed your late summer early autumn months too.