New Display--Trial Run

The Austin Flea went well this past Saturday. The Ghost Room is really such a nice, comfortable venue. Maybe I'll get down there one day to just sit and have a beer. 

I was allotted a bit smaller space for this show, so everything got pared down. I realized it was the first time I've displayed just a quarter of my stock. It felt kind of weird, but also kind of necessary.

I was psyched to have my new Chemcraft box finished in time. I think it looks pretty cool and it definitely functions even better than I had hoped. The ability to load up the jewelry at home, close the box, transport it and open it up ready to go is definitely a game-changer for me. Packing up at the end of the show also becomes a breeze. I even beat Natalie Tischler during tear-down at The Flea. Any of you out there that have worked a show with Natalie know she is the queen of great looking displays that set up and tear down at lightning speed. In defense of her epic loss, I'm pretty sure she was unaware of being in a tear-down race with me!

My groovy new display has also gotten me thinking more seriously about guerrilla trunk shows. Twice now I've brought my work to offices during lunch time at the behest of clients. The offices are small, but filled with women who are long on shopping and short on time. I pop in for 40 minutes or so and they all peruse my disorganized boxes of jewelry to see if there's anything of interest. It's a bit haphazard, but they seem to really enjoy themselves. I love getting a chance to focus on what people seem interested in and what gets passed by. After spending so much time alone in my work space, it's really valuable to see how other people react (or don't!) to the work.  I also get time for more individual interaction than a normal show would ever comfortably allow. So it's nice to get a chance to actually chat with people and, of course, it's a great opportunity to move out some of the ever-accumulating inventory. I'm thinking that a few more boxes like Mr. Chemcraft would simplify the process and be much more attractive for the audience.

Of course, I've already scoured google looking for similar boxes. I found another that I was totally coveting for this project and even posted about it on Facebook. In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to A. spend the money, or B. discard all the cool stuff that was still inside. Checking on it again, I think it sold. I'm a bit sad to have missed out, but at least now I don't have to obsess about it. Hopefully it went to a good home. I am definitely still on the lookout for more of these awesome hinged metal boxes. If you spot one, be sure to let me know!

Gaux Saints!

Wow. What a great game. Historic, even. I'm not exactly a rabid football fan, but I was inspired to make a few earrings in honor of the occasion. I even managed to get them listed in my Etsy shop. Crazy.

SHOW--The Austin Flea @ The Ghost Room

The Flea is back! The one back in December was great fun AND between money and canned good donations managed to donate 1,999 meals through the Capital Area Food Bank. The Valentine's Day Flea will be up and running tomorrow from 11 am to 5 pm and the fab Ghost Room. Inspired by the holiday, proceeds from this event will be donated to the Central Texas Blood and Tissue Center.

If you're in the market for a little something for your sweetie (or yourself!) be sure to stop by.

 

Metalsgirl

Flour Pots

Ornamental Things

Collin Welsch

 

Bolsa Bonita

Pommes Frites

From the Box of Buttons

You may remember a little post a while back about a box of vintage buttons that I received in the mail somewhat randomly. My 'payment' to my benefactor was to make something for her from the tiny treasures.

The crunch time of the holidays was in full swing, so the box sat for a while opened but mostly unexamined. After the whirlwind of holiday shows, I finally got a chance to sit down with my mom--who also loves random vintage-y things--to comb through it all. After an hour or so we realized we might as well organize the bounty. Color seemed the most obvious system, so we got out some trays and started in. It took a while, but that process got me closer to figuring out what I might make as a small thank you.

Antiqued bronze seemed like the right color to work with, but since I didn't have anything in my stash Natalie Tischler (Ornamental Things) was kind enough to give me a figaro chain to start with.  I got a  couple other things from an Etsy seller in that same finish just so all the tiny pieces matched. I was hoping that having all the basic findings out and ready to go would inspire me to dive in, but it was all still a bit intimidating.

Only one piece in the whole box stood out as a must-include. The square locket complete with the vintage picture of a man standing alone against a blown-out sky seemed like a logical focal piece. Choosing among the hundreds (thousands?) of other pieces ended up being an exercise in wanton randomness. A few buttons grabbed my attention immediately earning them A-list status. Though a good start, I was still unsure about where I was headed. Wanting a backup plan, I picked through again to create a second tier selection. I then put the rest of the box aside--it was too overwhelming to have it all out and available.

I attached the locket to the center of the chain. That is the ONLY piece that has stayed in one place during the process. The first few iterations included nothing but pieces from the box arranged in various ways. After looking at those ideas for a while I decided to add at least a bit of tin to the mix. That was another three day dilemma. I finally just forced myself to pick something that felt appropriate in order to move forward. This is about the 15th version of the necklace. I'm still not sure I love it, but I am sure I am at the point of not knowing what else to do with it!

Toward the end of the process I started to think a bit more directly about who I was making the piece for. I only know Maggie through a couple of emails and from reading her excellent book, Decoding Design, Understanding and Using Symbols in Visual Communication, so didn't have much to go on in the way of personal information. It occurred to me, however, that I might take inspiration directly from her book. It examines the numbers zero through ten and how those numbers work to create visual meaning. Each chapter discusses its own number, so it begins with chapter zero. Those concepts--number, grouping and pattern--helped me finalize the piece to this 1, 2, 3 asymmetrical arrangement. After looking at the final necklace a bit more, I realized those numbers are even a bit flexible within the piece. The one tin element has a distinct front and back making it a possible two. Winding the chain between the two buttons also seems to visually connect the bottom two groupings to change the feeling from three distinct elements. That may just be all in my head, but it was a fun thing to play with nonetheless.

Working on little side projects like this is a great way to stretch a bit. It also gives you a pretty good idea if it's something you have a knack for. In this case, I'm pretty sure the jewelers who work with vintage charms, buttons and lockets have nothing to fear from me!

Upcycler of the Month--Contexture Design

I am slow on the uptake on these. Produced as a limited edition, they are now sold out. I had to post them here anyway.

This is the 45 Nano Case by Contexture Design in Vancouver. Of course, I love the reuse, but the irony is a huge added bonus. They have some other really well designed products that aren't sold out. I especially like their Coffee Cuff. 

 

Working on My New Display!

 

I found this excellent box a few weeks back at one of my favorite vintage stores, Room Service. It was a complete fluke because I only stopped in because I had 10 minutes to kill before a meeting. I perused most of the store and was about to leave empty-handed, when I spotted this gem right by the door. I can't believe I walked past it twice before noticing it. Sad. Anyway, I knew it had to come home with me.

As I was carrying it to the counter I realized it would have to be transformed into a mobile jewelry display rack. It's been sitting in a corner all this time waiting for me to think through the design. It would be easy enough to drill a bunch of holes and mod it that way, but I didn't want to alter it any more than necessary. It's a pretty cool box and who knows, maybe 2 years from now I'll come up with some even higher and better use all it's vintage steely-ness. If it's got a bunch of holes in it, it may be ruined for that higher purpose.

After a bit of mulling it over and even more sleeping on it, I think I came up with a pretty elegant, simple solution. I'll post it once it's all finished.

Red, Part Two

Red Tin Bits No. 2