Broach news and other things.

Hi from thepapersac
Can't believe its Friday again !!! The weather is quite bright but cold. The sky is beautiful and 'moody', Ive just heard talk of 'snow' on the radio !!

After yesterday's 'finishing' jobs - mainly earrings, I'm out of silver for my 'hook' development. Each hook is unique but I now have an idea about how much silver wire I need for each style of hook. Ive done 13 sets. Ive got a few more to do with the current batch of earrings. I'm really pleased with progress.



Most of the earrings I consider to be 'everyday' styles and not statement pieces. I have lots of statement pieces in my own earring collection and they rarely come out of their cupboard. So, my aim here is to make stuff which can be worn for most occasions and look good with a 'dressing down' outfit like scruffy jeans. I want the earrings to add a tiny bit of glamour to the face and make 'the wearer' feel good about their 'look'.


Ideas are flowing and my next batch (of jewellery) is almost there (in my head) - deep breathing required here. I also keep talking about getting my packaging into production and will process some print runs today. I simply ran out of time yesterday. The next photo is a sample design of the packaging. I will be using different artwork but the the design is the same.



Here are a few photos of the earrings in more detail. I'm going to add some more paint to some designs and all beads need a little more finishing. I like the distressed and slightly 'rough' finish but it's the balance and degree of finish which makes the item 'special'. I want to keep the 'definite' handcrafted look.



The next photo shows me that the carved bits need more depth and I will give the very dark navy another shade of paint linked to the button section on the front. This will make 2 earring styles from 1. Both bits can be separated and worn together or simply the button style on its own. This is a fantastic idea I picked up from Genervieve Williamson recently. I do, in fact, have such a design in my own earring collection. A very old and very cheap nasty design but a clever idea - bought when I was a student (decades ago).












Ive added some little post to the back of the tiny beads. I want to 'bury' the post with clay and add a second colour to the back. Here they are so far :






The current 'major' issue for me is the design of a broach back for my new broaches. I like the way they have all turned out and if possible, I want to make a special pin for each of them. Here is a quick look at the way they are at the moment.


The next photo shows some silver embedded into the clay. I like this idea and will experiment more.





I'm not sure what I will do next. I am keen to experiment with making the front of the broach (last photo) look like a piece of metal which has been sprayed with paint and distressed. Not sure if we are there yet. I have an idea about the shiney bit but the pin is another matter ! I like the thinness of the item but feel I need another layer to firm up the 'faux metal' appearance. The extra layer will help attach the pin but it's going to be a challenge. I have a Pinterest board about broach pins which have given me lots of ideas. I think I will try a combination of these first :






My broach is more like the photo above but I think the finer wire of the previous photo would work for me. The polymer clay is very lightweight so the pin does not need to be heavy duty.
My third broach design is this one :


I like the texture and will not over finish this one.
Will share my results when I have the finished items.

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend.
Bye for today.