Hope you're all having a fun summer and are getting the time to catch some rays! I've been busy in my workshop, enjoying lunches outside in the sunshine and back competing with the pipe band again so it's all go! I've quite a few things to show and tell! Let's start with some Kilt Pins, four commissioned and a wee treat for myself.
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| Himalayas Kilt Pin |
A client gave me this gorgeous big Citrine to set in a kilt pin alongside a hillscape of the Himalayas, as seen from Darjeeling. It is the biggest stone I've ever set and I enjoyed the challenge. This is something I love about making bespoke kilt pins, I'm always getting interesting requests which lead me onto learning new things down paths I might not have explored by myself. Whether it's techniques, working with different materials, history, geography or the evolution of the Batman logo (that one's coming soon!) it keeps my head buzzing with ideas.
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| Brindisi Column Kilt Pin |
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| Banff Kilt Pin |
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| Loch Trool Kilt Pin |
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| Composition Kilt Pin |
The Composition Kilt Pin was the wee treat for myself, to wear at my first pipe band competition of the season at the weekend there in Ireland, not that it brought us much luck! I hope to make more in a similar sort of way over the next couple of months and actually get something for sale online, they are really great fun to make, kinda like sketching in metal.
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| Kenmore Kilt Pin and Cuff Links |
These cuff links were made to match this kilt pin, a commission from last year, the shape is taken from the bridge at Kenmore and they have the mottos from the Bruce and Hunter Clans etched into them.
I've been lucky enough to have the help of two interns this summer,
Sheila who is just about to go into 2nd year at Duncan of Jordanstone, and
Lizzie who is embarking on her final year. It's been a massive help to have them in the workshop and really fun to have new people around, I love my own space but a change is nice!
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| Lizzie hammering her ring |
I've been having some fun recently with shrink plastic, a relaxing departure from expensive lumps of silver - think shrinking crisp packets in the oven when you were wee - making little earrings, kirby grips and brooches. They're called Thritty Pings and are available to buy at
The Tayberry Gallery in Perth. The idea came about when I was struggling for something to put in my hair for a recent wedding, couldn't find anything that wasn't flowers or feathers! So I got out my pens and colours and made myself a hair clasp from a few pieces of shrink plastic I'd bought ages ago, this inspired me to see what else I could make with it and I'm really happy with the results and very grateful to my wee sister at The Tayberry Gallery for giving me shelf space for random ideas!
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| Lots of Thritty Pings |
Right better head to the workshop, working on a new collection of
Biocubes that will be heading to the
Black Box Boutique in Edinburgh this month as well as some Strange Quarks and Melty Snarks bound for an exhibition and jewellery party hosted by the
ACJ and The Tayberry Gallery at the end of this month. This month's a busy one! Pipe band competitions every weekend, two weddings, one I'm playing fiddle at so that needs to be seriously practised(!), a hill walk planned, kilt pin orders to complete so I'd better get on, stop talking about things and start doing! GO ISLAY GO!
Cheeripops!
On a side note.... look how my bedroom view has changed! (And the blinkin weather)
