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Thursday 20 September 2012

Confetti Gifts

This week has very much been a Confetti week! First of all I was asked several weeks ago to encase a particular colour and style of confetti within a pendant for a customer. I spent ages trawling the internet and found some sold by a company called ‘Confetti’ of all things; who also claim that they are ‘wedding experts’.

Now two weeks later and there is still no sign of my confetti that I ordered and then a couple of days ago I receive an email from ‘Confetti’ stating that they do not have my confetti in stock and wouldn’t have any for several weeks!! It is a good job I wasn't getting married!

Luckily I had a very understandable customer and I looked elsewhere, found a lovely online shop (who didn't claim to be ‘wedding experts’) and received my confetti the very next day!

This leads me to a lovely custom made gift that I was asked to make recently. A lady had collected some real flower petal confetti that had been thrown at her Sister’s wedding; she wanted the confetti to be set within a paperweight as a gift for her Sister and here it is.

Confetti Paperweight - Real flower petals paperweight
Confetti Paperweight - Real flower petals paperweight


The photo doesn’t really do the paperweight justice (it is very difficult to photograph paperweights) and in real life the confetti petals do look like they are floating just as they would have done when originally thrown at the bride and groom.

If you would like to read more about confetti and its history and origins you might want to read my Confetti – Weddings, Parties or just for fun blog post that was made two and a half years ago...doesn’t time fly!

Mick

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Personalised Jewellery – Message Necklace

Probably my favourite piece of jewellery that I have made to date is still this ‘words of love necklace’. The necklace came about when one day I was seeking inspiration for my jewellery by looking through my local newspaper and got to almost the last page without success. I then arrived at the birthday announcements column and noticed how many times the word ‘love’ was used, so cut them out and made this...

Message Necklace - Words of Love
Message Necklace - Words of Love


I was contacted last week by a lady who wanted something similar making however she wanted the necklace personalised with the names of her children and husband. I suggested rather than having the names made using paper that I print the names onto a transparency sheet, cut them out and incorporate them instead; and here is the result with the names appearing to float around within the pendant...

Personalised Jewellery - Name Necklace
Personalised Jewellery - Name Necklace


This leads me onto my latest custom made paperweights; the family wanted a message and family logo to be incorporated within a paperweight to give to family and friends. I used a similar principle to the pendant and printed the messages onto a transparency sheet. The printed transparency sheet was then incorporated into the resin paperweight...

Personalised Paperweight
Personalised Paperweight


So there are my latest personalised message jewellery and paperweights. I think I am going to have some fun printing messages and incorporating them into pendants and other things!

Mick

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Horse Hair Jewellery

Traditionally horse hair jewellery has been associated with the braiding of horse hair into patterns, commonly made to form bracelets. Beading, ribbons or other embellishments are also incorporated with the hair to further personalise the item of jewellery. There is some speculation as to the history of this art form, some suggest that it dates back to 8th century Spain and there has also been evidence throughout history including Cowboys, Indians and even prison inmates during the mid-1800s used to pass the time braiding horse hair.

Braided Horse hair bracelet - Horse hair jewellery
Braided horse hair bracelet


Horse hair jewellery has great sentimental value to its owner and is often worn in remembrance to a horse that has sadly passed on. You can find some great examples of braided horse hair jewellery at Tailendjewellery.

In January 2010 I made my first piece of horse hair jewellery by incorporating the hair into a resin pendant for a friend. Since that first pendant I have made many items of jewellery containing horse and pony hair so that the owners can carry a piece of their treasured friend.

There have been the colourful...

Horse hair pendant / necklace
Horse hair pendant 


There have been the unusual...

Personalised horse hair necklace
Personalised horse hair necklace


...and everything from cufflinks, pendants, bracelets, key rings, brooches and stock pins containing horse’s hair.


Horse hair bracelet
Horse hair bracelet

The main advantage that this style of horse hair jewellery has over the traditional braided form of jewellery is that very little hair is required. I have in fact made pendants in the past containing literally one or two strands of hair that had been discovered on a grooming brush after a horse had unfortunately passed on.

Another advantage is that the horse hair is encased within resin and therefore is not exposed to the touch. Lots of beautiful effects can be created with the hair and other objects or colours included to further personalise the items of jewellery.

Horse hair necklace and forget me not flower
Horse hair necklace and forget me not flower


So there is my take on a traditional form of jewellery that has been given my Shpangle approach. Almost every order I receive for horse hair jewellery is different to the last and most new requests ask for something that little bit different. I originally used the glass vials below as pendants and charms for my name on rice jewellery, however recently a customer requested one to hold a small amount of her horses hair. Isn’t it also funny how things evolve from one craft to another?

Glass horse hair necklace
Glass horse hair necklace


If you would like to see previous commissions of horse hair jewellery that I have made for people please click here horse hair jewellery.

Mick