The Essence of Handmade

My love of art and craft all started from Mum's love of craft.  Growing up, my sisters and I used to spend weekends doing all sorts of craft or creation whether it be drawing or painting, taking in turns writing stories and then reading them out to Mum and Dad after a Sunday roast or building things with homemade play doh.  Instead of going out and buying ready-made toys, one of my favourite hobbies as a child was when Mum would hand-draw paper dolls using the cardboard from the inserts of pantyhose and us girls would draw outfits for the paper dolls, fold the tabs over and play fashion parades.  Mum would always encourage us to do as much creation as possible to let our imaginations run free.  

As I grew older, I loved doing cross-stitch with Mum, spending Sunday afternoons surrounded by embroidery cottons and wool.  Mum, my sister Deb and I would drive around to garage sales to find the best bargains and bring home armloads of pre-loved wool and cottons and giggle with glee as we planned on what we were going to make next.  No matter what was made, it was made with love and laughter, but most importantly by hand.

As times began to change and availability of mass-produced gift items became more and more affordable, handmade gifts such as hand sewn quilts or woven table runners which would take weeks, if not months or years to make, started to fade out.  Maybe this is just my observation, but over the last 15/20 years, I've noticed less and less people I know are hand crafting, parents aren't handing down crocheting or knitting or sewing skills, community handcrafting groups are harder to find and it's much cheaper to buy the item as the cost of the craft supplies and the time required sometimes seems pointless.

About 2 years ago, I came across weaving as a new hobby interest.  I was aware of, and loved, the old ways but was completely blown away to see the amount of current online presence of people weaving these amazing inkle bands and woven pieces of fabric, all made with looms.  After doing a surmountable amount of research, and finally making a decision of which loom to start with first, I settled with babysteps and bought an "Inklette" by Ashford (www.ashfordaustralia.com).

This particular type of loom is designed for plain weave but you can design some amazing patterns.  I haven't ventured yet into pick up as I really wanted to start off slow after getting completely tangled trying to set up a backstrap loom!  One thing about weaving is it's important to get your pattern correct in the warping stage but the actual rhythm of weaving is so meditative that it leaves you with a sense of a time long past.  Here is an example of a piece of fabric that is made up of smaller inkle woven lengths.

I had chosen five colours of unmercerised cotton and freestyled different patterns and different widths.  Once I was happy with the number of pieces, I then handsewed them altogether with the hope to turn the fabric into a boho bag.  The whole process took six weeks to complete, working on it for a small time each night.

Here are a couple of smaller pieces of fabric, this time using mercerised cotton:

Most recently I decided to do another piece but making each length much longer.  Again, I decided to use mercerised cotton for its gorgeous sheen and chose a five colour palette.  To show how the overall piece comes together, here's a pic of the individual lengths.

Just a dozen or so to go and they'll be ready to wash, iron and then sew together.  Stay tuned for the finished piece - but it'll be awhile ;)

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Designing A Piece of Jewellery - How It All Comes About

When I plan to create a piece of jewellery, I can be inspired by a word, song, colour, shape, bead, person, essence or an image that zaps in and out of my mind.  If none of this happens, I go through my design sketches in hope something draws my attention.  I get asked from time to time where my ideas come from, and most of the time it's hard to describe that my inspiration is an impression - an old relic unearthed by Archaeologists, a piece of silk representing the connection between nature and man, an organic seed of a tree in South-East Asia or using old traditions in a contemporary setting to be that little bit different.  I follow my heart when I create mostly for the love of creating, as when times I've created with the intent to sell, everything went awry.  The piece just didn't work.  And I certainly can't create when I'm in a negative space.  Creating for me is deep and has intent.  This is why, I guess, I don't name my pieces but group them into series with only a few having their singular story.  My hope is when a piece of mine has a new owner that he or she connects for their own reasons just as I created the piece for mine.

Elements Series

I started off with my "Elements" series seperating pieces into themes for Earth, Air, Fire and Water.  I've always been an elemental girl, someone deeply connected to Mother Earth and all she offers.  I feel my most grounded when I'm barefoot, connecting directly with the earth and in times of despair, I find myself drawn to water - for its calming, for its clarity, for its cleansing nature.  I'm least drawn to the Air and Fire elements, despite understanding their major importance in life.  As with everything though, you need all four for there to be balance.

This is how this series came about - an opportunity for me to push myself creatively, trying to step away from my go-to colour palette (something that comes together naturally) and work with all new colour combinations and components to achieve a similar goal.  I obviously didn't succeed in my self-challenge as the pieces in "Earth" are more abundant than the others.  Perhaps it's my inability to connect, however, I do plan, in the future, to continue to build on the other three elements.

My favourites of the series:

 "Elements - Earth" Series

"Elements - Air" Series

Hint of Tribal Series

My "Hint of Tribal" series came about through my fascination of eons past where items such as clothing were created through means of necessity rather than for pure consumerism.  For example, weaving by hand fabric for clothing was a must as this was the one means of production.  The Vikings, for example, couldn't just "pop" down to the shops when a shirt became irreparable; a time where animals were respected not only as a mode of transport but for what else they could provide in the means of food and warmth.  

So my definition of tribal isn't just that of what we see in today's styles.  It is one of a time well before technology; a time before mass-produced items; a time where necessity items were made with love, care, respect and for the longhaul. The "hint" or essence - a time where everything and everyone mattered, had a place and weren't overlooked.

My favourite of the series: 

Sling-On Series

My "Sling-On" series is certainly less deep.  For me, it's more about ease and comfort.

I love wearing necklaces but there are those times that no matter how beautiful a piece is, the clasp at the back of my neck drives me insane.  You know, like those killer heels that are so sassy but by the end of the night, your toes have dropped off haha

So sling it on and off you go - easy wearing, relaxed and different.

This is my favourite!  So light and gorgeous:

Singular Pieces

As mentioned above, there are times where I really connect with a piece and in the creating stage I see a story unfold.  Here is an example of my story.

This is "Nature's Way"

Nature is such a beautiful thing - how from one minuscule seed reliant on perfect germination to grow and thrive in hopefully the correct environment to then be beautiful and bold and then go into survival mode and bolt so that the cycle can start again.  Working in nature has made me truly appreciate the pure beauty of the world around us.  All we need to do is put down our phones and open our eyes :)

• The necklace strand represents the DNA of the plant nestled in the seed.
• The seed in this piece represents the beginning (or the end) of life. 
• The wire loop below the seed represents the connection the seed has to earth - without it, there is no life.
• The enamelled bead represents gloriously chocolate earth filled with richness and humus providing the best starting point of life.
• The Czech pressed coin represents the sun which all plant life photosynthesise to thrive.
• The beaded leaves represent new growth.

If anyone is interested in the available pieces in my albums on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HighlyStrungCreations/), please PM me :)

Handpainted Bookmarks With Beaded Tassel

So I've finally finished making the tassels for my handpainted bookmarks (big grin)!
 

I'd tossed around a couple of ideas using my bungles from last week's painting session.  I started off using Vintage Bronze wire to make a wrapped loop to hang the tassels from. After testing it out in one of my books, I noticed that the wire loop could be a weak spot, especially if knocked or bent.  Plus the pressure of the wire on the wooden hole had caused a slight abrasion.  Fearing the tassel could come away from two different weak spots, I binned that idea and started again.

I reverted to my trusty lark's head knot and overhand knot to secure the Irish waxed linen.  Then I simply knotted Czech and Toho seed beads onto it, all in complementary colours to that in the bookmark.

Here's a pic of them all finished:

And a close up of the beady goodness:

I love their weightlessness and pop of colour.  I know that many books are available in electronic formats, but there's nothing better than kicking back with a great book, some snacks and hopefully some quiet, if and when time permits.  It's been quite sometime since I've done this, but am hoping to on my short break over Christmas. Now I can exchange my crusty piece of note paper with one of these!  

What are you reading at the moment?

Enjoy the week ahead :)

Working Through The Pile of Unfinished Projects

Everyone I know who loves to create art always comment that their list of "wants" to create outweigh available time (is there ever enough time? hahaha).  I definitely experience this so whenever I have an idea and zilch time, I sketch, make notes and scribble.  This is so the image in my head or idea doesn't disappear as, more often than not, the best ones pop up at the wrong time!  When I do make time to create, having all these ideas to hand is awesome as, when the creative juice is low, I get to rediscover ideas from years/months back and it reignites the flame.

So last weekend, I sat down and drew up a list (yup, I'm a lists type of gal) of all the unfinished projects and ideas I wanted to trial to give myself little projects to work on when time is stretched.  If I don't keep my hand in my art, I get a little snarly 'apparently' (according to my husband, Heath).  My explanation is:

I purchased these balsa wood bookmarks a while back with the intention to test them out before listing them in my online store (currently on holidays).  So after about um ..... 12 months .... they finally got pulled out.  I always trial every product I buy before listing as I like to know what I'm selling isn't rubbish.

This week, I thought I'd pull out some of my sketches and trial these bookmarks out.  They're a good size [12cms x 3cms] with a smooth flat surface and a slight grain.  I used a range of colours from Tim Holtz's Distress Paint series, as it leaves a beautiful matte finish on the wood when dry and the paint is very fluid and easy to use.  This finish creates a wonderful platform to doodle on when applied thinly. 

So ... I bungled a couple initially.  First, I had too much water on the brush and the paint bled into the grain.  This was remedied by adding extra layers of paint which then caused it to be too thick that when I went to draw on it in pen, it gouged and left crumbly edges.   So annoying when I was so happy with the background! hahaha

So trying again with thinner coats and much longer drying time, here are a few examples:

I love the vibrancy of some of them despite being matte.  Next step is to stamp the back and seal them to protect the paint from wear and tear.  And then to add a tassel of sorts.  I'm thinking a beaded waxed linen tassel.  

Stayed tuned for some finished pics!  

Enjoy the week ahead :)  

A Perfect Spring Day

What a fantastic start to the weekend, especially after such a huge work week!  Heath and I started off the day running a few errands and having a wander around our local market, finishing off with a yummy lunch.  As it was so beautiful today, it was also perfect weather to seal some polymer clay pendants I had finished painting about two weeks prior to the market prep, which I had hoped (time permitting) to have available also for sale.  I had another batch of what I call my "nude" (ie just baked polymer clay blanks) beads so I combined a couple from my newest batch and finally gave them a lick of colour.

Here's an example of some nude beads (excuse the lint ;) : 

Polymer clay is such a versatile medium and I love experimenting with different applications to achieve different textures and depths of colour.  I seem to naturally lean towards the old, ancient and organic vibe with chocolate brown, bronze, ecru, terracotta and olive green being my go-to colours.  Despite my love for this colour palette that I could repeat over and over, I really try to push myself to try out different colour combinations.  I love using www.design-seeds.com for inspiration as the many available palettes are fabulous.  I highly recommend this site if you struggle with colour combos like me!

Here are the ones now finished:

Here, my inspiration source for these beads was nature and ancient things.  I always like to depict nature in a different way whether it be abstract styled flowers or imitations of seeds, nuts, pods, wood textures etc.  Also, with ancient things, my muse pulls me to try and imitate items that may have been unearthed from times of Druids, Vikings and Celts.  Perhaps it's my English heritage :)

I've used a combination of mediums (alcohol ink, acrylic paint, chalk ink and embossing powder) and techniques (using my hand-carved stamps to create the impressions and carving directly into both the unbaked and baked clay) to achieve the above.  Most of the beads are pendant sized with a couple made for dangles.  They've all been sealed using PYMII for longevity of the mediums.

Have a great rest of your weekend and enjoy the week ahead ☺️

My First Market

I can't believe it's been a week since the market - this week has completely flown by!  My day job has been quite hectic thankfully since our last bout of rain (we've been experiencing another local area drought), so I decided to spend Saturday finishing some projects that were dropped in the pre- and post-market dash.

First was to upload some pics of my stall.  I shared a table with my very talented Mum of Inspire Create Embellish.  My display was quite small but as it was my first market, I didn't want to overdo it.  The base of my display was made from recycled wood kindly gifted by my sister and uncle.  Knowing I was strapped for time, Dad very generously put it together for me.  I wanted to keep an organic, rustic vibe going, so the base was covered in hessian and fastened it to the display with some handmade coils.  I hand-painted some signs for my craft supplies but ran out of time to finish my sign for my stall.

This is me 

And a close up of my display

As part of being a stall holder, we get to donate a gift to be raffled off, which in turn raises money for my nephew's school.  I had grand plans to especially design something for the raffle winner as I love making jewellery with someone or something in particular in mind . However, I was a tad overzealous and ran out of time.  I ended up donating an already made piece which I hope the person loved!  As I had already made the pendant portion, I decided to finish it adding a gorgeous carnelian and kyanite shard together with a macrame and bead combo necklace.  It's an amulet styled necklace which goes over the head, soon to be added to my "Sling-On" series.

Necklace in full

And a close up of the pendant:

Have much more to share ... but as being Sunday night, (and to be honest, it's taken awhile for me to get this blogging business hahaha), it's time to get dinner ready.  

Hope you have a great week ahead :)

N