Selvedge giveaway

The lovely folk at Selvedge have accidentally sent me a second copy of Issue 35 and I thought why not share the love :) Would anybody like this copy? If you'd like a better look at its contents you can view selected pages on the Selvedge website.

And this cute little Lotta Jansdotter pin cushion / pouch kit comes with it too :)

I'll select the winner via random.org on Monday 6th September.

My Creative Space - Silversmithing Workbench

Okay, so it's not a 'real' silversmithing workbench, it's an Ikea desk, but I'm so excited to finally have a dedicated space for all my silversmithing bits and pieces :) I've slowly been accumulating tools and have many still on the list but there's enough for now to get working on some pieces. I'm still fascinated by mixed media and have been working on pieces that incorporate crochet with silver. Like this one...

These are the bits from a brooch I'm making. I still have to solder on the pole on the third tree, give them a good polish, then attach all the pieces together and add the pin at the back. When it's finished it'll look something like this... (if all goes well)...

Actually, hopefully they won't look all shabby and dirty like that! My trees do need a clean and a polish ;)

I've also been fascinated with the negative spaces left after sawing out the tree shapes. Still thinking of what I can do with these...

For more creative spaces, visit Kirsty's at Kootoyoo.

Inspiration: Repeat Patterns

It's arrived! There was a special delivery this morning and I've been pouring over this most excellent book ever since... Repeat Patterns - a Manual for Designers, Artists and Architects. If you are at all interested in pattern-making in design, I thoroughly recommend it.

One of the things I've discovered while bumbling my way through screen print designs etc, is that I am visual in my design process; I need to see it before me in order to play with the design or judge whether it works or not. This had led to some pretty disastrous experiments as well as some happy accidents.

Repeat Patterns approaches the design process in a very visual way. It actually begins with a school-like tutorial in creating design units that can be positioned for the construction of a repeat pattern. I'm quite smitten :)

I should mention if you do try to find a copy, I had problems trying to buy it through these people and ended up taking Belinda's advice and getting it via the Book Depository. (Thanks Belinda - it was an excellent suggestion!) Many thanks again to KT Doyle for originally posting about the book :)

Great minds...

I've just been wandering around blogland for the first time in a while and have just had a bit of a shock... Am I seeing things or is this "Triangle Flowers" design at Bookhou from 16th August incredibly similar to my 'posts and triangles' atomic design posted on 27th July?

I'm not suggesting that Arounna has copied my design. I've loved and admired her work for a while now. It's just kind of freaky that we've both come up with something so similar and yet expressed so differently. Is it that old issue about drawing inspiration from the same design pool? Do you see the likeness or am I just seeing things?

To make matters even more freaky... I've been thinking about printing up a stripe design identical to this one (below). It is Arounna's work too and I've just seen it for the first time just a moment ago! It's such a strange feeling. Of course I can't do it now but I really wanted to make this design so I'm feeling a bit frustrated about that too ;)

I'm not making accusations here... I just can't quite get over the freaky serendipity. Do visit Bookhou - it is such a magnificent blog and Arounna's work is so beautiful.

What's the saying...? Great minds think alike and fools never differ ;)

Inspiration: Beatrice Alemagna

I first came across the beautiful work of Beatrice Alemagna via Elisabeth's very fine blog, but I think I really fell in love when I saw the homepage on her website (above). It says so much about her talents - the exquisite detail in patterning and the fine-boned illustration and story weaving. Alemagna decided at the age of eight she would become "a painter and writer of novels". Italian by birth, she now lives and works in Paris where she had her first break into the world of illustration...

My very first illustrated work was a poster of “l’Ecran des Enfants” (children’s screen) for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. It happened accidentally, when I found myself being the only adult watching in there a movie for children. I never thought one could find work by going to a movie…"

My favourite book by Beatrice is the beautiful Un Lion a Paris, and it was lovely to discover that this is her favourite too. Her combination of collage and illustration is just gorgeous... reminds me of the lovely work by this lady and this one too :)

More of Beatrice Alemagna's work can be found via her website.

Soon to be Creative Space

Things will (hopefully) be looking a lot clearer around here now... I've finally bought a new camera! I love it :) Is it too shallow to love it as much for it's gorgeous blue colour as for what it can do?

You'll find people being actually creative and not at all shallow over at Kirsty's ;)

Ceramic lace + organic skirts

I've just received some yummy crafty post :) I'm a hopeless case when it comes to resisting a beautiful brooch. These lovelies are the latest creations of talented ceramicist Kim Wallace here in Brisbane. Had to have them and how could I possibly choose between them? Kim is also the driving force behind the creative e-shop Udessi... have a stroll around and see all the fabulous goodies she has on offer.

I had coffee with the lovely Mady yesterday and she hand-delivered one of her divine pieces... I'm totally in love with this skirt :) Mady creates these pieces from organic cottons and hemp which she dyes herself. You can see her shop here and she has two fabulous blogs, Abundance and Mady Dooijes, as well as a gorgeous Tumblr site.

Summer fern

Just playing around with patterns and fern fronds found in the garden. I've just ordered this book, found via KT Doyle. Can't wait for it to arrive. Have a lovely weekend :)

Inspiration: Tithi Kutchamuch

Still thinking of silver smithing... I made a trip to the supply shop yesterday and bought a few necessary pieces to set up my workbench. Thanks for all the lovely encouragement with my soldering dilemma. (I bought some holding wire in case my plaster idea doesn't work, Christina!) I've also been thinking of more screen printing ideas and wondering just how many different genres I can juggle without dropping them all ;) I think that's why I find Tithi Kutchamuch so inspiring...

Aren't these vase rings amazing? The detail and artistry is certainly inspiring enough – but to also have such an exquisite resting place for them; one that has a 'stand alone' design quality of its own... well, that's genius I think :) What is so encouraging for me, however, is that this isn't all that Kutchamuch makes. I've posted about her work before when she produced a collection of paper rings. It's good to know that if you start doing silver smithing that everything else you make doesn't necessarily have to stop. See more of Kutchamuch's work on her website.

Structural Integrity

I haven't spoken much about the silversmithing projects I've been working on. I thought if I finished it and then showed the process etc it would be more interesting... but I've come up against a problem. This little thing above is a tiny 3mm bit of tubing... I have about 30 of them and I've been trying to work out a way of soldering them together.

I haven't come to the difficulties of soldering yet actually, I just need to figure out a way to hold them in place so that I can solder them! I've tried placing them on blu tac and then pouring plaster over them to hold them in place, but there must have been some kind of chemical reaction between the blu tac and the plaster because it didn't grab.

Is there a good egg out there who knows how I can get these cylinders to hold together so I can solder them? Any suggestions gratefully received :)

My Creative Space - Atomic T

You'd think I'd have had enough by now... I'm sure you have! ;) Sorry... I just keep doing more things with this design. The bags are not quite there yet but I did somehow find time to print up this T-shirt for the Mr. (Fortunately, he loves it) To see more variety in creative endeavour, visit Kirsty's at Kootoyoo :) and while you're there check out Kirsty's amazing broomstick crochet wristband!

A little bit of white...

I've been trying to work out why I wasn't entirely happy with my aqua version of this block print... and then it came to me. Perhaps a little bit of white is just what it needs... what do you think? Still working away on it. I've cut up the fabric into bag panels. Hopefully I'll stop fussing and have one made up for My Creative Space on Thursday :)