Paul Smith Competition

As part of Paul Smith opening a new store he has launched a competition for all of us to get designing envelopes for him... all you need to do is create an individual envelope and send it to him with your address inside! Its so fun to get creative (I got carried away and entered three!)

For more info visit Paul Smith's Blog!

Now enjoy getting creative!

Summer Plans

Im currently undertaking lots of crafty courses, including fabric origami, surface embroidery and a lot of work with silk. I am really enjoying expanding my skills and learning new things that can also be used in  my future design career. I plan on carrying on expanding my knowledge and learning new skills... and practicing and they say practice makes perfect, so fingers crossed! 

Reflection

In the past year I have developed my technical skills. Personally, I'm the most pleased with my progress in the use of Photoshop. This time last year i would have struggled on how to set up a new document... now im getting very handy at using it (and even enjoying it because im not so stressed with the program all the time). Im still learning the shortcuts and the quick ways to do things but with a lot more practice on my personal projects I plan on doing over the summer I hope that by this time next year I'll be a complete whizz! 

Portfolio

I have recently updated my CV and Portfolio (and blog) to give myself a 'brand' I have chosen an ink splat I created by dripping ink and blowing it through a straw. I think it shows my creativity and personality through before the (potential) interviewer (or you) have even met me! 

People

When on holiday in Barcelona it seemed that around every corner there was a piece of art, this being a lovely example. On the way to the beach one day we came across this (and a lot more art than in other parts) after doing a bit of research it turns out we had stumbled our way into the Olympic Village!

Monochrome

The necklace in this photo stands out more than it would have done with all the colours in the background going on. It is a simple yet effective way to make sure that the focal point of the image is the jewellery!

Texture

When visiting Barcelona last October I visited the 'Gingerbread park' which is where Gaudi's house is. There were  so many amazing things to see just in this small park! This was one of the many many many photos I took, this is a walk way (sheltered from the sun) that is simply amazing to look at and touch. The texture of the stones that make up this piece of art spiral round to create this brilliant affect! Of corse there will be many more photos from this trip used as inspiration as it truly is an inspirational place... so keep your eyes peeled for some more (late) Barcelona inspiration updates!

Shape and Form

Again, on the subject of the National Picture Theatre, this is a 'Ticket book' I have designed for my project. I used this as a theme right through all the branding designs for the theatre. I used the silhouette of jumping girls (a picture i already had) to make the information stand out. 

Detail Design

Im currently doing a project on the National Picture Theatre in Hull and wanted to fit jewellery in, in some way.

A bit of History...

The NPT was bombed in 1941 and has been falling to pieces since then, the NCWW2MT are working on getting it back into use!

This is a piece of jewellery I own (and LOVE), if you look closely you can see the last three pence piece is actually from 1941! Stylish and Historical!

Jewellery Texture

Because jewellery can be made of, well, pretty much anything it can have all sorts of textures and structures!

Handmade Paper

Silk and silicone 

Dried Fruit

Wood

And these are just a few quirky options, as I said, jewellery can be made of anything! So get creative and give it all a go yourself! Or start to think outside the box when your next looking for a new purchase!

Jewellery Display

Jewellery displays can really set jewellery off. Because it is such a small item it means that it can be displayed in pretty much any way. 

From a simple glass dome

to something a little funkier!

Ethics within Jewellery

The first thing that springs to mind when it comes to ethics and jewellery is the origin of the sone and how it was mined: A blood diamond (also known as a war diamond or conflict diamond). These are stones mined in a war zone usually exploiting the workers mining them. One of the big problems is that by the time the diamond gets to the customer they do not know its a blood diamond and therefore is being sold like normal. The more the word about these conflict diamonds gets about the more aware jewellery lovers will become of them!

For more information brilliantearth.com is a fantastic site and has a lot of useful information about diamonds on!

Construction tools

These are the basic jewellery making construction tools.... (from top left clockwise) side cutter, round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, bent nose pliers and long nose pliers (I got mine as a set from Hobbycraft they don't come with any sort of long term storage but they fit in a case i already had beautifully) I would recommend some with a grippy non slip handle (mine in a lovely pink) as they are much easier to use with this feature!

Sustainability within Jewellery

Jewellery can be reworked to make something that fits with fashions or that is more wearable. A lot of places do this now, its almost like recycling rather than using more and more of our resources. Companies can completely melt the jewellery down and make something completely new or the original piece can be revamped, I like this side better as I think it keeps more of the vintage/antique character to the piece. Although if an individual really doesn't like the feel of a piece anymore yet wants to keep it it's a really good idea to make sure the jewellery still meets the purpose it was made for: to be worn!

Materials

From the previous post 'Colour' you can see that I like to use unusual materials to make jewellery, I have extended this into more jewellery.

This is like a traditional buttonhole with a twist, this is temporary jewellery and will not last forever.I made two different versions

 This just shows how you can use pretty much anything to make jewellery, this is a bracelet i made out of a normal for bent around with the prongs bent too

I like the idea that jewellery doesn't have to be the standard jewellery that is initially thought of, this is a 'necklace' I spray painted onto an old oversized t-shirt to give it a new lease of life! The template used can be used again on different items too.

Colour

Hi!

I recently found an old jigsaw in a charity shop, inspiration instantly hit me: it would make fabulous colour popping jewellery!

I covered the jigsaw pieces in clear glue to make the cardboard more durable.

Once these had been left to dry over night i peeled them off the foil and hole punched them all. I then added to the bright jigsaw colours with a bright red ribbon threaded through to them all to create the funky jewellery piece, tied with a big bow!