Sparrow Salvage

the sparrow becomes a phoenix

2012-01-23T01:31:00.000-08:00

Well hello! Yes, it's me- coming to you from the comfort of my recliner, while Joanna Lumley marvels at the shores of the nile. I thought it time that I wrote, since it's been far too long since i've blogged and as many of you know, significant things have happened. things that have - at the risk of sounding cliche - changed my life.

it's hard to know how to write this- i mean it's not a casual thing. So i'll just write it as if none of you know what's going on. On November 30, at approximately 11:17am, I was involved in a two car collision, on a winding country road in the mountains that lay between my town and the city. I was with my mother in her tin-foil tough Korean hatchback, driving cautiously uphill; Mum's always a little nervous on winding roads for good reason- large farm vehicles have a habit of racing along in the middle of the road and because of the s-bends, you don't see them till they're right on top of you. And that's exactly what happened. Mum had enough time to swerve slightly, but it wasn't enough- the last thing i remember before the blackness was the front end of a large white SUV coming right toward our windscreen.

I remember every detail of the accident from the moment of impact- I'd tell you about it, but I've lived through it enough times in my own head. The detail is tedious- 7 broken ribs, punctured lung, traumatised sternum, dislocated clavicle, shoulder nerve damage....ICU (twice), emergency surgery, induced comas, blah blah blah. 3 weeks of bland meals, white sheets, pills, needles- a lot of needles. A LOT. And my veins don't give it up easy either. 3 weeks of having to sleep half sitting up and on my back, which I cannot do, so it's probably more accurate to say '3 weeks of sleeping only when i passed out from exhaustion'.

I'm light about it now of course, but that was a pretty rough month. There were days when I was in more pain than the day of the accident, there were days when I pleaded with the nurses not to make me lay down again (anyone who's ever had a lung full of fluid or a broken chest will know what I'm talking about) - some of the painkillers they had me on were so strong I hallucinated for days on end. I sweated, cried, coughed and vomited my way through that month- I even had a tantrum- yeah, i figured I was a girl and I'd had a hard time, I was allowed to kick the table.

But here I am, out of the woods. I'm not exactly healed yet- but I get a little better every week. I made my own dinner tonight for the first time since the accident. I look 'fine' to the eye, but bones are still healing and I have the energy and stamina of a spritely 90 year old. I have a brilliant seat belt scar that has ruined my cleavage (I pray it'll fade by the end of the year) but since I can't wear a bra right now anyway that doesn't really matter. I hate not wearing a bra. And every time I complain about something trivial like that there's a little voice in my head that tells me it could be so much worse. And it could be.

Anyway- blah blah, next subject. And that is thankfulness. All the sympathy, support, emails, donations, secret auctions, prayers, thoughts and best wishes that people sent my way were so completely and utterly soaked up. I'll never be able to express the gratitude for all of that, thank you. It means so much to me that there are all these people all over the world rooting for me to get better. It's working!

So let's put this behind us and move on. I've got big plans for this year, bigger than ever, plans that will roll out as soon as I can manage. The Chinese might call it the year of the dragon, but around these parts, it's the year of the sparrow.

sweet little boulders

2011-11-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

(psst- click the pics to go to the source)

Recent additions to the Pinterest jewelry board. I'm so in love with Pinterest, it's so easy to use and everything's all neatly organised. I do love to pidgeonhole.

The Art of Thinking

2011-11-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

I've been having a good solid chat with Kim over the last couple of days about the creative process, and understanding time within that context. (Oh yeah, we are soooo elite.)

Kim was beating herself up about not getting enough time to create (something I've been fretting over lately as well) and that once she gets done taking care of house and home, there is precious little time to sit in the studio. She said 'I only have a few hours each day to grind on the shit and by the time I get concepts or sketches (in my head) down the time to make is actually gone.'

I think a lot of us suffer this problem- by the time you sit down, get grounded and relax into it, seems like you get about 2 minutes of solid crafting done and then someone somewhere expects something of you. (It's a curse born by women throughout time, so don't feel special!) I know as an Etsy seller there's a huge pressure to update your shop regularly and provide as much as you can for people, and we can worry ourselves threadbare providing a regular supply of inventory.

I used to harass myself all the time that I wasn't making enough work- I could sit at my desk 3 days in a row and still not have anything finished, and some stuff I even wanted to pull apart or throw straight in the bin. Meanwhile I would log on to my Etsy and see my shop front, shaking it's head disapprovingly at me because the latest listing is 5 days old.

But those days of tinkering and taking stock are not lost time. You need those times to think and experiment and move things around. Even 'organising' your space (and by organising I often mean 'looking through random boxes.') is good work. Playing with your materials and supplies is as much about communicating with your muse as actually making a piece is. Even when you make something and it doesn't turn out, it's still valid time spent. (The art of failure is a whole other post.)

One of the most important things in the creative journey is the thinking. Physically making and (gasp!) finishing something is grand and seems to be the golden fleece we all lament not holding on a daily basis, but you need that thinking time to feel out your materials.

There's a Carl Sagan quote: 'to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe'. And I LOVE that quote because it speaks to me it's about setting the foundations, feeling out the landscape. You can't make something until you have the energy of it around you, you need to create the world in order for the creature to live there. So all that time spent thinkin' and dreamin' and shuffling beads and string around the desk is all crucial to the process.

It's going to happen whether you like it or not, this tinkering. In fact it HAS to happen to get good work, so you might as well either square with it or consign yourself to the easy path of making frivolous trinkets. (And you know what Dumbledore said about easy choices.)

I've illustrated this post with random shots taken through my studio in the last few days. Every now and then walking around with the camera and snapping away at various things is helpful to my thinking process. This is just as valid as actually making something. Taking photos, observing, playing... it's all seeds for the harvest. So stop beating yourself up, and find validation in every minute of creative time you're blessed with. No matter how unproductive it feels.

tinkers tagalong

2011-11-10T05:12:00.001-08:00

Putting things together, taking them apart, getting cross, getting excited, getting bored, getting ideas. There's been much movement on the work desk this week but nothing actually finished. Quality takes time, I always say.

Handmade elements - carved wood (new thing), painted bits, antique tin cut-outs

The long stick is windfall Japanese maple from the garden, I carved it to resemble antler and painted it with a wheat/leaf pattern that I've been transfixed with since high school.

Awesome woven mats found at the thrift this week, they bring instant jedi zen to any surface.

Some earthy bits I arranged on the table- I like to do this when gathering thoughts. Sticks from the garden, wonky ceramic beads, bone charm, hemp rope, heishi that are sort of bone, sort of celluloid (jury's out), and some crusty shell squares Dad found in a pot in his shed, and assumed they were mine- they are now!

stuff and things

2011-11-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

bloggin bloggin, I ain't no good at it lately! My head's full of higher things. Here's some new shop stuffs!

Patience - this sold about 10 minutes after I listed it, I kinda knew it wouldn't stick around. Such gorgeous soft colours and every stone is just beautiful.

Serenity - painted tin, bone and sandalwood. These feel really calm- I had a total zen-out while making them. I think it's the carved sandalwood beads, they have a wonder about them; imagine the process involved in getting such a tiny thing to look so engineered.

Good fortune - mismatched central! These are so different from each other but because of the shape and the colours, they work. Also they have that unifying element in the bead stack.

Universal - nice and wonky, with a couple of Victorian buttons in the mix. Buying buttons is a sort of mediation you know, it's easy to zone out with a mug of earl grey in one hand and the scrolling function enabled on your mouse. And with eBay's option to list 200 results a time, scrolling feels endless! It's lucky I have the supply shop to put the unwanteds in cause no one wants to buy cruddy buttons (sellers assume) so they hide them in mix lots! Silly sellers.

Also I've started listing some pendants I made a million years ago (approximately). They no longer suit the style of work I'm going for, but since they're all so nice and tidy it seems silly to undo them all for supply destash, so I'm listing them as ready-to-wear pendants. You can even buy them to use in your jewelry projects!

All the names are coming from keywords of recent lessons and themes - patience, serenity, good fortune, universal... connections and observations. I'm an artist, I can do that.

odd socks

2011-11-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

Trembling earth - mismatched earrings with shell and clay. Love the mismatched look, it's got a lot of that whole 'found bits' thing I need to have in order to be vaguely satisfied with my work.

poetic spirit - more mismatching, this time only in the middle. Lately it's more about getting similar elements to co-exist in my work, rather than match neatly. I have some earrings to put up later tonight - or your morning...

...that have a great sense of co-habitation. It's all about the colours and the shapes- if you can get those things in line, it really doesn't matter what else you use to build it.

tribal echo 3 by Mia Montgomery, who is probably the queen of mis-matched earrings on Etsy (certainly the prettiest photos of such, too!) You can see in these ones above by keeping the circular shape to the elements and the colours down to two-and-a-metal, it works really well. Also the little bead in the ring on the right echoes the pattern of the large bead on the top left.

These fabulous creatures are by rockdarbi - another really simple method of mis-match; using two exact shapes in different colours, just highlighting each with the other.

Fanci of course is always coming up with the goods on the unexpected- these glories echo each other by having one chandelier crystal match the other's rosary medal.

pretty mis-matched china votives by BlondieBlu

There you go, there's a quick lesson in getting mis-matching right. Didn't expect that huh? Me either! And because I didn't expect it, I couldn't plan it, and I couldn't get anal about it, and have it end up taking me 39389 years to do, which my upcoming (oh God not that again) photography tutorial is clocking up in a similar time scale. It is coming, I promise! Along with the props tute. I'm trying to fit them both in the same post in an effort to stop me going on and on about them and providing many deliriously interesting details you don't really need.

Strolling through

2011-10-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

Memory - crochet wrapped crystal cuff

Dear me, I do leave such gaps between my postings! I am quietly working away (mostly in my own head, though I do spend quite some time on Pinterest lately, as it suits my style of mass input of imagery with little communication involved. I'm not a shy person, just recently not very...communicative. I'm sure by this time next month my brain will have adopted a completely different method and you won't be able to shut me up. In the meantime, my mind boils and bubbles. Ideas. Thoughts. Theories.

Object - hammered 14g wire and mis-matched beads

Attempting to combine my photography style and my jewelry shop for a more cohesive look. As my pieces become more and more organic they sit better in a background of simple props than on layers of romantic paper. This is spoiling you somewhat for my coming-soon-er-or-later post on using props in your work. Hopefully I can get most of that written this weekend while I'm spending some time at a friend's house.

Prairie walker - reclaimed metal and magnesite

I've been feeling the fire engine red lately- just small nods of it; I find it gives a liveliness next to the sun faded colours I usually prefer. These earrings above have cotton wire on them, found in Jardindepapier's shop; I'm assuming it's old milliners wire, but it's perfect for getting that 'painted sketch' look I'm after. I've used it in other projects to a more obvious effect, but those still lay half thought out on the desk. Bubbling away.

More pretties

2011-10-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Painted desert - painted wire and pink missfickle hoops which I squashed about a bit for a more organic shape. Kiwi jasper is so pretty, like turquoise and jade mixed together.

Pale Venus - missficklemedia rings (hammered slightly), painted vintage copper stampings (also hammered) and the most delightful little spiral shell beads that I found at the thrift. I can't help thinking of them as mermaid breasts!

Aztec Gold - vintage copper bezels, hammered flat and punched. Hammering does so improve things...

Light Warrior - the pendant on this was wrapped in wire and then -taking the basic principles of fanci's headpin tutorial- I dipped the top in UTEE to keep things all sealed up and pulled together, and detailed it with pigments and paint.

rust and rain - here's some more painted vintage tin; I love that the rust came through on this like speckled bird's eggs! These were so pretty all they really needed was a simple stack of 3 beads to be complete.

Here's a shot of some more painted tin pieces- it's very meditative making these, not just the cutting and sanding, but painting the tin before hand and watching the little speck of rust come through as the paint dries. I'm cutting them wonky on purpose; I want them to look like little watercolour drawings.

Oh and some of you want me to share the cookie recipe from an earlier post, I shall do that later!

Sale away sale away sale away...

2011-10-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

If anything in the above graphic takes your fancy, then you're in luck! It's been put in my clearance sale- just follow this link to shop. All the prices have already been adjusted with the original price displayed in the listing body, so you can see how much of a bargain you're getting!

Sale goes till whenever I decide everyone's had a good chance, and I take down the stuff and violently sacrifice it on my work bench and turn it into something else. You wouldn't want that to happen would you?

Shop Update - more soft shade lovelies

2011-10-09T19:53:00.001-07:00

More lovelies available in the shop:

love token - bohemian bridal earrings with vintage chain, pearls and lampwork drops from numinosity.

fire seed - orange bohemian earrings with lovely vintage beads and Bollywood bangle scrap

Prairie - vintage doily scrap brooch and an age-worn antique button

ice and snow - vintage tin earrings - these are two of the beads I got from shipwreckdandy, paired with some antique tin I've painted. I've been doing a lot of that, I shall blog about it later.

pink salt - organic metal earrings; more painted tin and some gorgeous ceramic beads from potterygirl1 - it's been a long time since I've made something I kinda sorta don't want to sell!

Star - another doily scrap brooch - found a bunch of these bases in the bottom of a box, so I finished them up watching after-dinner TV. I can't just sit and watch TV, I got to have something else to do otherwise I feel like I'm wasting time!

Unicorn blood - some more of my large double hoop earrings, this time in pretty sugar pinks.

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I've also been putting as much time into the antique/vintage supply shop as possible- I'm on a mission to get all my excess things cleaned out by the end of the year, so i have to list list list! Thankfully in weather like todays (grey and rainy) it's not too much of a burden to sit at the computer with a nice big cup of earl grey and make beautiful photos. Especially with a few homemade cookies in the deal!

mmm toffee oat crisps.

pretty junk

2011-10-06T00:33:00.000-07:00

Painted - using raw amethysts sent to me by Corvid, these earrings show my very first attempt at punching my own bead caps! I'll show you more of them in another post, but I left em not-so-dapped in these earrings so they'd stand out.

faith hope love and luck - using a beautiful ceramic pendant by boonepottery. I love the colour scheme in this one, sage green and wheat.

Insignia - pink Peruvian opal, another gift from Corvid. I painted the red bits myself! Gosh I'm clever. The purple n white ones are from missfickle who really gets a huge credit for sending me some extra stuff, it's been the catalyst for my new style.

Rainmaker- earrings that came out of my head that are very Fanci. She laughs when I say stuff that cause she usually says she got the idea from me! So they're inspired by what fanci makes when she's inspired by me. Like Chinese whispers but with metal. Yeah.

wonkaville - brooch using one of the mysterious buried buttons.

love token - super-pretty shoulder dusters with stick pearls and numinosity's pink lampworks.

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In other news, my Dad (65) has discovered the internet, and of course- eBay. He's been ringing me up constantly giving me item numbers to look over and bid on for him. I've expressly forbid him from bidding on his own because it's dangerous- he can't even work emails yet! But he can search ebay and talk to my brother on Skype. He is a bit over-excited at 'how much stuff the Americans have' and how cheap it all is- yesterday's bargain was kerosene lamp parts that would've cost him a couple of hundred here, but he got 'em for $30. So you can see, I have to keep an eye on him. He did get me to buy him some reproduction advertising signs which lead to me buying this:

So now I have to keep an eye on me as well, because we tend to both like the same stuff, and I go to things to bid for him and then I see things and it's all downhill from there. I need that sign though, truly. It will keep me motivated to knock off the waterworks, suck it up and just get on with gettin' shit done. Everyone needs a sign to mentally kick them in the arse. Plus I like wartime stuff.

Also today my 'mature age' postmaster was wearing a t-shirt with a dragon on it, and a bow tie. Which is awesome enough, but he also sports a huge white handlebar moustache and is the most flamboyant straight man I've ever met. I think he's a wizard.

The sun always shines on a sunday

2011-10-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

Holidays are over- and there's three new things in the shop! (And more to come.)

Gobstopper - scrap doily brooch, I have more of these to come (though this is the only one with a tail)

Holy Mountain - Bollywood bangles and missficklemedia patina charms

Sketchbook - missfickle wire circles, hand cut tin scrap, Moroccan beads

I've been making an effort to do something new with my work; it's time to evolve and the sketchbook earrings above are the result of that. Working on the mantra 'make it look like a drawing', I'm trying to replicate every wonky edge, like one of my 'on the phone' sketches, which I should've thought to take a picture of. Oh well. You get it- they look like a drawing, yes yes?

The rings are from a box of random things missfickle sent me when I ordered some fixin's from her shop:

...so much patina trinkets! This is only the smaller bits- there was wire and other stuffs too. It felt like Christmas going through them.

I went to a car show this morning- truth be told the lure was mostly baited with the words 'swap meet', though non-car junk was thin on the ground. I bought two knackered tins to cut up, but that's it. I did see some rather smashing cars though, and some really cute caravans all dolled up in appropriate gear.

The 1940s is SO the business. I'll blog more of them later when I fix the photos. Aside from the junk it was a good excuse to get out in the sunshine (first day in the last 4 that hasn't been rain-soaked!) and to flex my photography muscles.

This Week in Pictures

2011-09-27T08:33:00.001-07:00

Awwwwwesome beads from potterygirl1 - these little blobs are so sweet and creamy coloured..!

Vintage buttons bought from ingrandmasattic to use on textile cuffs and brooches

Gorrrrgeous Moroccan beads from Yvonnesjewels - they were sold as clay but they're stone.

Incredibly pretty ceramic pendant from boonepottery - I'm going to have to keep that pink heart one for myself!

Forget-me-nots by the garden shed

Jasmine by the garden fence

Happenstance layerings of antique paper and lace

earrings on the go

Finished pieces of jewelry waiting to be photographed and listed (soon!)

And a cake I made for Mum's birthday- first proper attempt at icing! Don't judge me. And this is as fancy as my food presentation is ever going to get. I caught a few minutes of Masterchef on the telly earlier tonight (I'm alright now, thanks) and it made me angry to see people dicking around with sauce in squeezy bottles and little wafers of shit. Just put the damn food on the plate and give it to me already! I hate pretentious food presentation. Almost as much as I hate it when people sift icing sugar over desserts. Am I still talking?

Vacation time

2011-09-20T02:16:00.000-07:00

I'm having a sudden break from the shop for 2 weeks- shipping is delayed till October 5th. I do have to go to the Post Office tomorrow but that's it for 2 weeks, so if you are very lucky and go buy something right now... you might get through in time! Otherwise...I need a break from my own brain, and the only way that's possible is if I can stop it worrying about housekeeping on Etsy. And the only way to do that is to switch it off. Etsy, not my brain. OH if I could do that...

Some loot from a parcel I received from boneflowers - look at the graphics!!! They're killer!!!!

Fagin's Daughter is on complete vacation- the only reason Sparrow Salvage isn't on complete vacation is because Etsy removes you from search when you do so, and as so many people search for me by name on a daily basis, putting the shop on vacation would mean I wouldn't show up for them and they'd think me gone for good! Not the greatest set-up Etsy, but since you haven't bothered to change it all this time I'm forced to work around you.

Inside, we have teeny vintage pearls, little flower beads, and this eeny weeny box with even eenier weenier little beads in! I think they're watch parts...

In the next two weeks I hope to do what I was supposed to do the last time I took 2 weeks off- clean up this darned blasted freakin' mother loving studio! There's so much stuff in here I may- no, will- never use. I've counted 5 boxes of vintage/antique paper and book scrap that I'll never use, as well as a suitcase of leather, another newly discovered suitcase of textiles for kits, a huge tub of pretty linens I once had bunting dreams for, etc etc and etcetera.

I made cake! Black forest, from scratch (no box mix!) - I don't make enough cakes.

So hopefully in 2 weeks I'll have a ton of kits both of the textile and paper variety, vintage fabric and antique supplies up the yin-yang, as well as lots of new jewelry, a spanking clean studio and some sort of huge announcement about the future of my world. Yes kids, this is one of those 'changing my life' vacations that I have a fetish for. And this time I mean it. With cake.

Mail tiemz

2011-09-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

I love getting things in the mail, and this week I received TWO presents from my fellow creatives!

This incredible stash of crystal beads from corvidDelights - those huge rose quartz chunks (the biggest one is about the size of a marshmallow) are beads!! They're drilled through! The spears were in her de-stash shop a while back and I always meant to buy them- they're even more amazing in real life.

I love the little pink druzy (between the amethysts) - that's going in my special collection on my bedside table, can't let that one go.

Then I got a lovely little package from Numinositybeads...

Headpins she's made herself! They're all pale pink and spotty and lovely, I can't wait to find something that's good enough to put them in! Sometimes I get supplies that are so awesome I get scared to use them, in case I ruin them with something terrible. Does anyone else get this? It's only these last few months that I've been able to crack into the 'precious' stash (after Fanci goaded me) and use things that are just way too divine to be bought down to earth in my crafty rubbish. :P (That's how I feel.)

Then, while traipsing about on eBay I ran into these curious critters:

The description for them read 'These anodised buttons along with hundreds of thousands of other various types of buttons ( no exaggeration ) were found buried under sheets of corrugated iron which in turn were buried under soil under the floor boards of a garden shed on an abandoned semi rural property.'

How cool is that!?! Under soil, under iron, under flooring! What a mysterious occurrence. Naturally stuff flike this gets me all in a frenzy of wonder, and I had to have them. I've never seen anodised buttons before, these are from the 1960s and will make great details on doily brooches and cuffs.

Iceberg

2011-09-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I did some tinkering as I am want to do- I bought some etching cream designed for people to fancy up their wine glasses and applied to it the usual dose of inappropriate use of tools (one thing about being pioneery is that you have to use tools for things they're not designed for.) In this case it wasn't too much of a stretch- this cream is for etching glass and that's exactly what I did with it.

It wasn't exactly the power house of frosty permanence I was looking for. You're supposed to brush it on and leave it for about 5 minutes, then wash it off. I brushed it on then left it- for 5 hours. Because I completely forgot about it! I went off and made a cake, because that's what I usually do while I'm waiting for some toxic stuff to finish doing something fun in the laundry.

The pink ones show obvious frosting, and I'm pleased with that- on the right you can see their original condition.

The green bicones here you can see have barely frosted at all. The frosted ones are on the left- I think...

Here's some Czech leaves- all it's really done here is strip the colour off (frosted ones are on top), but that's okay because they're now original at least, and they have a snowy feel to them.

So that was mildly successful- I shall do more of that later. And for funs, here some random shots of my desk:

Technically these were a couple of days ago, my desk is now awash in thoroughly uninspiring (to me) elements as I bag up the final mountain of destash.

I feel lately that my blog posts are somewhat sober and uninteresting. It's funny when I look through my blog, I think 'if someone wanted to get an idea of who I was, they'd end up with a pretty skewed picture just going from this!' It's not that the blogs not me, it is- but well, it's a bit of a Disney version. In real life I'm buckets of fun! Here I'm probably a bit too professional for my own good.

While I make attempts to remedy this, here's a few things about me you don't see exhibited here:

1. I swear like a dock worker. Not every second word; let's just say I cruise permanently on Billy Connolly mode. I try to get creative with my cursing when I'm in losing my patience with something, though that usually ends up with me just muttering a string of obscenities. Being within earshot of me is not for the faint hearted.

2. I like bloke's movies. People assume because I'm a girl and I'm wearing pretty floral print things and generally being nice that I'm going to want to see some heartwarming tale about some woman moving to a small town after a divorce and falling for the local half-her-age who drives a beat up truck. No thanks! I'd much rather something with explosions, aliens, car chases or all of the above.

3. I'm a domestic diva. Keeping house is probably my number one biggest hobby/passion, to the point where I'm trying to find a way of making an income out of it. I like being at home- baking, housework, decorating... it's all my bag, baby. I don't see any reason what so ever why people can't have a lovely clean and nice looking home no matter how poor they are. I live on the poverty line and I've managed it well.

4. I feel like I'm the only person involved in 'nostalgic retail' who doesn't want to go live in the past. 'Born in the wrong era' is not applicable to me. To me the past is a dull, unhygienic, labour intensive, repressed misery devoid of TV and internet (and electricity if you go back far enough). What I like best about being alive now is that I can pretend it's the 1940s or 1840s or whatever, and then once I've done that for a few hours I can have internet and TV. I love the design of things made in the past, and though I do think there are some things that were nicer then (people had better manners/fashion/attitudes about life), I doubt even a certain bow-tied chap in a police box could get me to go back there for more than a day trip.

5. In my previous internet life, I used to write fictional stories about certain well-known pirates and wizards. They were fun and did wonders to exercise my writing skills since writing with known and popular characters gives you an instant world to dive into and an instant audience to get feed-back from. I wrote mostly pirate stories- so many in fact that I can be informally credited with inventing a commonly used term in that fandom. And no, you can't see them!

Gruel and honey

2011-09-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

There are some kits available in the shop!

Only 5 up right now and one is gone already, so quick sticks my dears. There will be more available next weekend, possibly the second or even last lot as my 'unwanted' textile supply is very sparse now.

On the supply front though, I had a massive clean out this week and now officially have more supplies I don't need than stuff I do! So jewelry-making takes a back seat this next week and probably the next one while I spend some time making up little 'bead soups' for fagin's daugher.

There's also a massive amount of Victorian supply left. I feel like half my studio is 'stuff I gotta sell'. I'd like to get it out there as quick as possible so the place feels a bit more clear.

It's lucky that photographing little antique things is one of my favourite tasks ever.

the sum for the whole

2011-09-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Working steadily at my desk, developing mostly elements of things but not getting much done in the way of finished pieces. Determined to get more finished product out of my desk than custom orders, I've rented two seasons of Cranford and a small collection of dumb Hollywood comedy in an effort to stare at a screen, because there's nothing like watching TV to make me want to sew at the same time.

I am in half a mind to do a challenge of sorts, some time soon. I have some cuff bases that I feel I ought to finish, but I'm wondering if I should offer them to a select few of you instead, to see what sort of world you can build on a scruffy lace base. Still ruminating over that one.

In the meantime here's some pictures of pretty fabrics littering the studio, soon to be cuffs and brooches and possibly even kits, if I can persuade myself to let some of it go. It's easy enough kitting up the dark and murky tones, but when it comes to the dusty pastels I'm still a little clingy! I know there are quite a few of you waiting for kits and I'm trying to get some done, hopefully there will be 6 to 8 of them available this Sunday coming.

And here are some headpins I made using Fanci's technique. Just the same as her I used stone beads, UTEE and never-gunna-wear-it make up minerals.

Due to my make up being more powdered than hers I've ended up with a sort of copper gold covering rather than a glitterfest, which if I do it right only partially covers the bead, leaving the colours of the stone still visible.

I love that the one right up the back there (which has two beads; amethyst and a smaller angelite one) looks like a seashell! I'm yet to perfect the technique but I think these are pretty good for starters.

I've also just creaked open the purse and lashed out on...

A disc cutter and dapping set! So I can make amazing bead caps (like these) and other ring things out of the myriad of antique tin things I have laying about the place here. Those caps linked to above are awesome, but no one's offering anything with quite the right level of rustic ruination that I require, so I figured I'd make my own and offer some to you chaps as well. Excitement! There's nothing quite like investing in new tools. Also as I realised some time ago, I enjoy making supplies more than making jewelry. Methinks Sparrow Salvage is about to expand.

inspiration - artisan jewelry

2011-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Since we've been doing a lot of talking about technicals and since the only pretty stuff I've shown you lately is my own work, I think we're long overdue to see some exquisite trinkets from our fellow genius Etsians. So here are a few of my latest favourites.

Time whisperer by lejonklou all the way over there in Sweden! I've noticed many Swedish shops have a a very ethereal style and this one's no different- gorgeous snow-pale hues and elegant serenity. Those beautiful little faceted pink beads are lucite! They look like perfect rhodonite. I love the shabby edge on the focal -which she made herself; I'm very jealous of anyone who can make their own glazed pottery beads. I think that and enamel are my two biggest envies.

The Noosphere by fancifuldevices- you know she had to show up so let's get her out of the way early, otherwise she'll fuss around up the back being noisy. Seriously though these are blowing my mind even more than her stuff usually does for me- again the big chunkies in the middle are lucite (I'm warming to this vintage plastic thing) and the contrast of super rustic stone discs and delicate lace is just superb. Are we surprised? No.

Desert Shaman earrings by papvier - I adore the rough tourmaline together with the soft downy feathers! The contrast of slick pure white teeth, rustic orange on the feathers and that chocolate coloured wire... delicious.

I don't know what this used to be called- it's called reserved now! I'm usually a bit scared of super-chunky things, being that I'm the sort of person who wears very delicate jewelry. This necklace from MorningDove...I'm in love! The giant slabs of chrysophrase are perfect focals for the natural rustic and antique tribal beads between them. There's something powerful about this piece- not just the bold style; there's a real power in the stones. (This is also a great example of complimentary backgrounds!)

Dewdrops by Stregata - again I'm all over the contrasting textures (I sense a theme). Rustic rich metal drops and creamy smooth shell beads, and then the little glow of the moonstone. Luvverly.

Rustic by Vintajia (an Aussie!) - the deep colours in the raku and glass are perfectly showcasing the fire in the copper. I love the way she's wrapped the hanging beads too, not your usual head pin situation. Inspiring! (inspiring is a great word to use when what you really mean is 'I'm totally gunna steal that idea'.)

Poison Ivy by beadsnbones who always does such gorrrrrgeous work. The greens here are intoxicating to me right now- all that gorgeous patina and ceramic hand-formed shapes. The little pink seed beads are to die for!! Great contrast to the sea green too.

Birch bark rose ring by Umbellata, with the most exquisite rustic metal bezel like lava stone, contrasting with the slick glassy resin. This is a serious ring, sitting up high on the hand. And a bloody good price too! I'd buy it but again- I don't wear chunky things and this is some serious chunk.

Last but certainly not least - Mauve feathers by CorvidDelights, a seller who is not only one of my bestest friends who I like, tell everything to and junk, but who's also evolving right before my eyes into some kind of bead-wielding enchantress. Her work was always fantastic, but now there's a divinity coming out of it. The grungy wire and black chain with the delicate pink is drop-dead awesome.

+++

So you can see pretty strong themes here of rich earth tones especially green and amber gold, as well as the contrast of smooth and creamy with rough and rustic. This wasn't just a post to showcase some of my recent favourites, it was an exercise in what my mind is attracted to lately. I have tons of stuff in my faves that I could've shown you- but these were the things that jumped out at me. Looking at all this stuff my keywords that come to me are 'feminine but wild', 'pretty but rustic', 'pure but ancient'. Contrasts? In some ways. More unexpected examples of a type. femininity can be wild, pretty can be rustic, purity can be ancient.

There is often a significant lesson in these sorts of actions- the things you are drawn to always harbour clues to what you are currently seeking in your own world, creative or not. Sometimes (if you believe in that sort of thing) you can apply colour therapy to it. I know perfectly well why I'm attracted to pretty pink and dusty green right now, and I know what the smooth cream and rustic textures mean too. But I don't have to tell you every thing. :P

All images belong to the Etsy sellers represented

Relevancy - taming the savage beast

2011-09-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

If you hang out on the forums or know someone who does then chances are you will have heard that Etsy has changed the default setting on their website, so that search results come up as 'most relevant' rather than 'most recent'. This is brilliant for buyers because it now means when you search for 'red umbrella' you actually get red umbrellas. This is not so brilliant for people who never really mastered relevant tagging (most Etsy sellers.) and completely un-brilliant for people who don't realise this has happened (a hefty portion of Etsy sellers).

(Okay so I wanted a business cartoon but they're all so 80s and suck, and then I remembered business cat who I quite like (alot) so there you go. It's relevant-esty think this new search is great but most people are looking at it as if it IS a dead mouse. haha!)

When Etsy announced this last week, they posted a few quick Storque posts about titles and tagging and then -following the realisation made by the smarter forum monkeys that tag stuffing was the only way to get ahead- changed their tagging policy as well. They then waved cheerily and went to hide under the table and hum the theme to Care Bears in the hope of drowning out the clamorous din resulting from this sudden change of half the rules. And that was only from people who visit the forums- Etsy didn't send out letters to notify of this change, they just did it.

Admin have largely abandoned all threads, choosing instead to let the helper monkeys answer all the questions and quell rumours about what does and doesn't work. And because I've spent the best part of the last 2 weeks in the forums being one of those monkeys, I've gathered what I consider to be a helpful guide. So without further ado...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sparrow's guide to being relevant!
(or how to be seen in the modern Etsy marketplace.)
(look I discovered the coloured text settings! weeeeeeee!!! ooooooh... I bet these are hard to read.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Before I go into relevancy I want to get one thing clear- there is more to being seen on Etsy than relevancy!! I wrote a post about how you can improve other windows of visibility here - try to keep that in mind as well. No don't go reading that now, read it later. Read this now!

How relevancy works (I know it's boring- you can skip this if you don't care but reading the instructions, really helps) - When people look for something on Etsy search now, the searchbot is returning the closest it can find to that query. If someone searches for 'sterling silver leaf pendant' the search bot is going to return everything that has those words in the title and tags. The more those words appear, the more relevant it thinks it is. If the title or tags matches the exact search (that is the words are right after each other like the search is) then it's even more relevant. But how the feck can you be sure people are using the words you use and vice versa?

Let's go deeper...

(yo dawg I heard you like to lol so I put some lols in yo tutorial so you can lol while you learn)

1. it's all in the title

I don't believe there's any one most important factor in relevancy, but a good title will definitely carry you far. When you list earrings for example, you can't just say 'earrings'. You can say 'pink earrings' but that's a bit generic- there are thousands of results for 'pink earrings' on Etsy's search. But if you say 'pink lampwork earrings' or 'rose quartz earrings' or even 'pink hoop earrings', you'll be doing better.

tea party- pink lace earrings

Most of us sell unique items, and unique things can be hard to sell- no one can look for something if they don't know it exists. On the plus side unique means there's little competition- but you've got to be seen before you can be seen out-striding your opposition. You can still make a unique item easy to find, all you need do is narrow down what I call the 'everyday uniqueness' of it. There's very little in this world that is singularly unique- sooner or later there's something ordinary about it. I'm a pretty unique person but I'm also a woman, a redhead, an Aries, a human...all fairly ordinary things.

Making a title for the right buyer is another place where we meet our old friend 'Know Your Market'. Get inside the mind of the buyer- to want your item, what would they be looking for? If it's a pair of earrings with crosses hanging from them, are they earrings that will appeal to a catholic lady, or are they more gothic? Are they upside down crosses? They'll appeal more to occult people. Get the picture? Buyers will narrow down their search according to their desires, so you've got to be there to provide it, like a good butler who knows his master is thirsty before the master knows it himself.

Looking at the design of these earrings I could call them doily rosette earrings, but who's going to search that? Probably not many people. Doily earrings? I don't know if people will search that either. They're lace though, and pink, and earrings of course. All things people are likely to search for, perhaps all at once. So they're pink lace earrings! Now I'm settled on what I'm calling it, in we go with the typey typey.

Now, Etsy has put it out there that the first 3 words are the most important. Untrue. What they should have said was 'the closer to the start your keywords are, the more weight they carry'. The most important words in this listing's title are 'lace' and 'earrings', so I put those immediately after my arty title.*

Pro tip- The suggestions that pop up in Etsy search when you're typing are examples of things people have popularly searched for in the past, so clearly these are the terms people are using to find what they want. So if you're unsure what to call your item you can use the search bar to generate ideas. Originally I had my item listed as doily earrings, but I wasn't happy with it. I went to etsy's search and typed in 'doily' - sure enough neither earrings or jewelry came up as a suggestion. So I started searching 'lace earrings' and 'lace earrings' came up as one of the suggestions, showing people have searched for things this way. I added pink because there's a lot of results for lace earrings, and colour is something people are likely to add to their search. If someone searches doily earrings they still come up, so I'm covered there as well.

Pro tip 2 - If you sell multiples of things, it might be more beneficial for you to list them as individual listings rather than as having more than 1 available. This way you can give the same item (essentially) a different title and draw in a different crowd. For example, someone might search 'pink lace earrings' but other people might search 'pink doily earrings' or 'crochet earrings' - so if I had two or more of these to list I could get all those people. So if you have 5 different kinds of silver hoop in your shop or 12 different fingerless gloves patterns, add some keywords about their colour or style and mix up the order of the words a bit to cover your bases.

Pro tip 3 - If you've got a hard time of it trying to think of what to call your thing, look around in the shops of sellers who make similar work to you- what do they call it? (make sure they're doing well with views and sales and their term is searched for, no point learning from someone who's getting it wrong!)

that was a lot of learning - give yourself a rest with this hilarious moment of office humor. (click to enlarge.)

2. Categories matter

The category drop-downs (the 'what is it?' drop downs you fill out when you're listing) are very important in relevancy. Almost no guides to this stuff mentions them, but they are an important part of search. When you shop, you don't just enter 'earrings' and then sit there wading through 13,303941 listings to find something you like. (If you do, you gottalotta patience.) People are going to be specific about their search such as 'sterling silver earrings' or 'amethyst bead earrings' etc. Then after that they're highly likely to narrow down their search on the left side- from Handmade to Jewelry to Earrings... and then they're going to pick something from that (rather unhelpful) list of styles.

So when you fill out your categories, don't just think 'eh who cares' on the third category. I know they leave much to be desired, but work with them the best you can. I have the earrings above listed in 'fiber' because although I think fiber jewelry is stuff made from spun wool or felt, looking in the category itself it seems to be where 90% of the lace earrings live (second to 'dangle', which is a really vague and unhelpful term in my opinion). And technically crochet lace is fiber. You can mix your categories through different listings too if it's appropriate. If you're not sure where to put them, go to search and look for a similar item, then see where people are putting them.

3. description

The words in your description only matter if you care about Google- relevancy doesn't look at them. I know it's a butt pain along with everything else, but you should care about Google since it's what people find us with if they don't know what Etsy is. Back in '09 Etsy put out a guide to SEO and I did an easier to understand SEO tutorial in response (SEO is the techie code for 'how google finds your shop') so you can refer to those for all that stuff; you can also look in the Etsy forums.

One thing I didn't mention in my old SEO tute- If you have a link in your description that goes back into your shop, people are more likely to stay in your shop. This isn't anything much to do with relevancy, but once you are found you'd like them to stay awhile, yes? I found I've upped the traffic to my store front by having these 'click-back' links in my descriptions. Not all of my listings have them (more laziness/forgetfulness than anything) but when I do I switch it around, some times it's a link to my shop front, other times it's a link to a particular section. Sometimes on custom orders I'll link to my sold page to help people realise I can re-make some things.

Now on to tags! Tags tags tags. You need to have your tag phrases match the keywords in your title. If your keyword in the title is 'lace earrings' you need to have 'lace earrings' as ONE tag for your listing to even start being relevant. Tags really haven't been stipulated enough in most of these guides for my liking, they really are just as important as your title. A few days after relevancy was discovered to work better if you went against the tagging rules, Etsy changed their rules to allow tags of more than one word. Now you are allowed to tag your product for what it is. An evening dress can be tagged 'evening dress', a red balloon can be tagged 'red balloon'. Before it was considered tag stuffing and frowned upon, now it's a must-do. Go figure.

So- here's a close up of my tags on the earrings:

Don't worry about materials or styles or any of that guff- as far as I know, materials don't count for relevancy search and style attributes aren't being used yet. I'm not saying don't fill them out- definitely do! Materials can be included if someone uses advanced search and ticks the little box to say so, and since we're cracking open every listing to change tags and titles, you might as well drop in your style attributes while you're there- saves going back and doing it when they come in to use.

So- you can see the little coloured squares up there; the green blocks show where I've used two words as a single tag- the same two words that sit next to each other in the title. This is important- words next to each other carry more weight. If someone searches 'pink lace earrings' my listing is right on top (at the time of writing this!) - if they search 'lace earrings' I'll come in high as well, since I have a 'lace earrings' tag AND the words next to each other in the title.

The blue squares are showing you where I've put tags of other words that are in my title. The one that says 'doilies' has just been changed to say 'doily' so it matches up with everything else.

The pink and purple squares are highlighting where I've used the top two keywords of my title (lace and earrings) as many times as I can in my tags- repeating your keywords will make your listing more relevant. The searchbot will think 'they want pink lace earrings, and this listing has 'pink, lace AND earrings in it's title and several times in it's tags- I conclude it to be relevant!' Also by teaming 'lace' and 'earrings' with other words I'm covering myself for other titles people might search for, like 'pink earrings', 'crochet earrings' and 'lace jewelry'. (I'm not sure why, but I've noticed putting 'jewelry' in as a double tag as well as earrings/necklace/whatever is helping relevancy.)

If I wanted to get really on it, I could have 'pink lace' as a tag as well, but right now Etsy only gives us 13 tags so you have to make hard decisions on what's going to get searched and what can be left out. I have 'pink' a few times and 'lace' a few times too, as well as 'pink lace' in the last tag with another key word, so I think I'm well covered.

SO in conclusion, business ~~cat~~ sparrow sez:

+ keep your primary keywords next to each other in the title and have secondary keywords if you can

+ use your primary keywords as a single tag

+ repeat your keywords as many times as you can in tags

+ make sure your categories are filled out the best they can be

+ switch around titles and keywords if you carry multiple listings of a similar item

Other notes: You will only have ONE result come up on the first page. There's some kind of magical do-hickey which ensures there's no more than one item on the first page by the same seller, unless of course the search is so narrow in result that it can't be helped. This is to ensure one or two sellers don't dominate the pile, so don't have a princess moment if you only see one of your sterling silver Dalek charms on the front page instead of the 12 you have listed.

Also remember that if you're number 5 most relevant for 'angel costume' and you can't figure out why the person ahead of you is more relevant- relax! It matters not. You're on page one, that's good. In fact if you're on page 2 that's fine too. Relevancy might determine where you show up, but it has nothing to do with the 100 different reasons why someone would pick your listing over another. Price range, materials, picture, etc- these all factors in being clicked. It's not the end of the road when you come up relevant, you have to be a stand-out example on that page so your photos have to be super-awesome. Don't rely on being just what the shopper was looking for!

I know it seems like a brain drain now, but once you do a few listings it'll become easier. Changing your titles or prices is made easier with the express editor over at Craftopolis, but you can't adjust your tags there- so you might as well crack open every listing. I have heard too that if you don't have the 'who made it' etc bit filled out then listing are overlooked. I don't know if this is gospel but do fill them in anyway.

A note on renewing- it would seem now that search is by relevancy not most recent that renewing is pointless. Well yes and no. It's pointless to renew just to be seen- you can save that $1 a day or whatever it was you spent. BUT- renewing can sometimes help if you sell something that lots of other people sell too. The first 4 results shown in a search are most recent, so even if you wouldn't rank high in relevancy on a certain search, you will pop up there on most recent.

Do your listings a few at a time and don't panic about it. Generally speaking if your stats say Relevancy is in spot #6 or higher on your Etsy traffic sources, you're good. When all is said and done the best exposure you can give yourself is networking. Now is the time (if you're not all learned out) to go look at that forum post I linked to at the start of this article. It's all about using your Etsy shop stats (OH how I love stats) to find and develop the other ways people are coming to your shop.

So there you go! Any questions please do write to me and ask, either via email (from my profile) or Etsy convo. I'll try to help you as best as I can!

footnotes:

*There's a lot of talk going about that having arty titles like mine are no good- granted this may be true for hooking in Google, but in terms of search results on Etsy I find no problems. I've yet to experiment how things would improve (if at all) without them, because frankly I like my arty titles, it's part of my brand and part of my work. I'd rather work harder in other areas of the market to be able to keep them. If you're interested in learning more about why and why not, you can read my forum post on it here.

Scrap Happy

2011-08-29T08:21:00.001-07:00

Well- I was going to inform everyone that I had a few more textile kits up in the shop...

...but they're already all spoken for- and three custom ones on order! There were some very crafty tigers all ready to pounce.

I shall have some more up by next Sunday, but I must say it makes my heart glad to sell these kits.

I think when all is said and done I'd rather sell a kit than a finished piece of jewelry.

There's an enormous sense of pride in offering materials to people, it's lovely to think my creative efforts are furthering other people's. I have more to say about this but I shall do so next time when I have some interesting photos to show you full of related things.

In the meantime you can amuse yourself with these images of gorgeous things making their way to the antique shop soon (this week cross fingers!)

I'm also working on a post about relevancy- that mysterious beast that has many people pulling their hair out over at the big orange rectangle. If you're unaware, Etsy has recently changed their search engine so results come up by relevancy instead of 'most recent'.

What's that? You didn't get an email about this? Welcome to Etsy- no one did. You can read the announcement here. For the record I think this is a smashing move, but Etsy are not doing themselves any favours hiding under the table while the forum descends into a near warzone between the 'for its' and 'aggin its'. (Props to HeyMichelle who seems to have braved the fray this morning.)

Isn't this the sweetest card? Oh for the days when you could only send via post, and it would actually get there on time. There's currently a 10 day delay on parcels coming in from the US and I'm running out of patience for my new supplies to arrive! I have plans, Australia Post.

Dainties

2011-08-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Some potterings to report...

fever

Two new cuffs in the shop, they were rescued from the 'don't like it' pile and once they'd had their bleakness removed there wasn't much more to do.

fate

I like the minimal 'just lace' look they have, nothing I placed over the top seemed to suit them, so they go out (almost) naked.

And a pair of earrings which I quite like the colour of! Love that 50s teal with the dusty pink. Reminds me of picnics as a kid- I think because of the anodised cups we had.

I've 'done' another load of laces I found that were all unattractive colours- one swift bucket of dye remover later and they're filled with sherbet sweetness.

Some of this will go into packs! Hooray!

Also a parcel came in the mail with the sweetest beads, ordered from vixenandvelocity - who turned out to be an alter-ego of shipwreckdandy! (There's me neglecting to read a shop announcement.) She very generously sent me some of her polymer clay beads as well:

Aren't they the darnedest!? I love that you can see fingerprints in them, but I especially love those faceted ones, they remind me of ruined futuristic cities.

Inspires me to get a move on and make my own polymer beads (being that I unearthed a tub of clay I forgot I had on the last studio purge). But of course for any serious crafting to take place the desk must be cleaned off, for it is covered in fabric for kits. Creativity happens one step at a time here.

checking up on you

2011-08-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

How is everyone coming along with their backgrounds? Good I hope! I've been hearing good things from a few people- Charlene over at The Bead Dreamer wrote to me about working on her backgrounds (and said something really interesting about readiness). Ellen (who makes delicious beads!) showed me her blog where she posted about changing her backgrounds- as you can see from her post the darker background really sets of the finish of the beads!

The picture above was pinched from Kim's blog- she's been experimenting with backgrounds and these TO-DIE-FOR earrings look so pretty in their layerings of paper, that blue board brings out the enamel on the medals perfectly.

Here's Fanci being awesome - the shabby pink (my total favourite colour right now) of this necklace is nicely contrasted by the dusty green (another total favourite colour right now).

Look at this one! (fanci again.) the white beads just POP off the screen with that rich red underneath. Boy it's starting to look a bit like me and fanci and Kim are evolving into one three-headed hydra of awesome! We influence each other so much, but I love it. We all still have our own spark. My girls. ♥ I should note though that even though this post is decorated with them, you don't have to use a layering of papers under your work. Who's using something else? Trays? Tiles? Backs of pictures?

I've learned something myself lately- by spreading the consistency through to my antique shop, I've bought my two most active shops together under the one look.

Now when people see my Fagin listings they'll recognise my background (cause I'm that famous...) and realise it's my other shop. Additionally, I used to put off updating the antique shop because it's gloomy angle was making me glum. (Is glum the past tense of gloomy or does it just look that way?) So by adding in some colour by way of background it cheers up even the Victorian mourning stuff, and suddenly things are looking very English farmhouse in the 1960s. My secret dork rule for if the shop looks right is me looking at it and thinking 'does it remind me of the Weasley's house?' and if I say yes then we're good.

passing through

2011-08-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

I know I've not put some new work up for a while now- it's coming! I have some cuffs that are nearly finished, and some brooches and stuff. I should have some new work up by Sunday as well as some cracking new DIY kits, so all of you who are holding out for new rags- not much longer!

sunday best

Here's a very pretty picture from shooting for the antique shop this week. I'm trying to get some things up there too, hoping for a mah-ha-hassive (that's my Dr.Cox impersonation) update on victorian buttons because I have a massive shoe box full and I want them out from under the desk and into the hands of people who love them.

And here's a picture of a kookaburra sitting on the neighbour's washing line. Because that's how we roll in Australia.

Sparrow Country

2011-08-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

1. 0906_Chicamacomico Station_0046-Edit, 2. Untitled, 3. peeping again, 4. Vintage Wallpapers, 5. Baxter House - dining room, 6. rest, 7. all dyed in the backyard, 8. new fabric, 9. Dining room, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. "for your 8 track playing needs" @ never be nervous again house, 13. Campbell [?] Homestead - dining room, 14. Quilt blue fern, 15. IMG_9384, 16. Untitled

This mosaic really reflects the colours, textures and materials that I'm wanting to work with lately, but I've yet to find a descriptive term for it- for now it's just Sparrow country.

It's a little bit shabby cottage and nana chic, with some bohemian grunge mixed in. Add equal parts of Rachel Ashwell and Dottie Angel, blend with Regency period film style and drag the whole lot backwards through a hedge. Then lay in the sun and have a picnic.

What should I call it? English summer vintage? Romantic grunge? Shabby pop? I feel the need to label things- it irks me when I can't call a spade an upright landscape manipulation tool!

Back stage with the Sparrow- or how to get good background.

2011-08-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

Backgrounds!! That was sudden wasn't it? But yes here we are, the long awaited backgrounds post, the purpose of which is to teach you the best way to present your product, whether it's handmade, vintage or supplies.You might not think it's that big a deal, but trust me- it's crucial!

The purpose of the background is not only to showcase your item but also to give you shop an overall 'vibe'- or what the marketing chaps call 'brand concept'. I'm going to talk about 4 main areas- light, dark, patterned and colour. Light ones will make your shop look bright and airy, dark ones will give you drama, patterns will give you an opulence either way and colour will give you vibrancy.

In order to pick the best background for your product, you have to first do what I'm always telling you to do- know your market! Figure out who's most likely to buy your goods and market them accordingly. This of course may change over time, but as an example, in all the styles I've gone through there's a strong theme of romance, because I make romantic jewelry. Even if your jewelery doesn't look particularly 'of a style', you can still make it so- from coloured enamel beads to one of a kind vintage assemblage. Here's a pair of earrings I made in as modern a way as I can manage:

These are what Kim and I call 'hipster bait' -they're a pretty straight forward design, popular with many fashionable alternatives right now. Not much that's romantic about them, in fact they look a little bit cold (I think) with all their straight lines and silver white. But they look especially cold when shot in this style of most hipster shops- plain white background. Now then- if I shoot them on something romantic like old paper, they suddenly change:

A warmth comes into them. The earrings haven't changed, but there's a noticeably more attractive quality about them. Watch what happens the more romantic layering I use...

By the time we get to that last image, these earrings might as well be in the arms of Mr.Darcy for all their romantic saturation. With this deep layering of fluff and ruffles, I can shoot almost anything and it'll look romantic.

See?

So now you see that it's very important your background matches your desired style because it will affect your product and your overall shop style. it will effectively dictate the style of your shop possibly more than your work will.

OK, let's talk pale backgrounds. A couple of you commented that you shoot your product on plain white backgrounds and it's become boring- not surprising! Though Etsy's front page seems to favour the bright white background, it can become tired. But you can use a pale background and still have your shop look lovely and non-boring, and the key to this is texture.

Texture is what makes things interesting. A white sheet of office paper is boring because it has no texture. But a sheet of artist's watercolour paper is more interesting, because it's uneven surface reflects the light in a more natural way.

White on white is often used to create a fresh, clean look- just be sure to use 'warm' whites- ones that are more creamy, boney colours, to avoid a cold feeling.

if you like the look of white on white but don't want your shop looking too bright, you can add some darker browns in there -stick with a neutral palette when using white-on-white, colour will take you in a whole other direction which we'll talk about in a bit. In the picture below I've angled the stack so you get a bit of the dark brown underneath- this has 'mellowed' the light, giving a more earthiness and toning down the 'bright summer's day' feeling, while still keeping the clean feel.

If you can get your pale background to have texture, then it will instantly become not boring. Lilyja has a great pale textured background, caramelsafari does a great job too. Both have just that little bit of texture that you don't really notice until you're looking at it.

Now, depending on what you're shooting, white backgrounds can be tricky. Colour generally does well against a white background, no matter how bright it is, but if you sell something that's dark, the white background is going to prevent you from showing good product details. If you sell something that's pale, shooting on a white background is going to bleach our your product. For artistic and blog shots it's fine, but given that items on our Etsy shop front are represented in such small images, we need that first image to pop.

In the pic above, the item is starting to get 'lost' in the white on white theme. It's not a terrible photo, just a bit boring. In the picture below the background has become slightly darker than the item, thereby making it 'pop' out of the image and become more noticeable.

Also, by adding texture to the picture we've created a more dynamic image- because the buttons are small I kept the texture to the side so as not to crowd them out- we'll talk about that more later.

Okay- now let's talk about Dark backgrounds. These are often avoided due to their low-light nature, but looking around on Etsy you'll see a lot of shops successfully using the dark background. Up until recently changing my look, I used a dark background well (if I do say so myself). Other good shops with a dark background include Now Vintage and obsequies. The main benefit of a dark background is drama and the key to making it work is having the right light and good tonal variation.

Tonal variation is a natural part of the world around us. Look at a blackbird, or a black orchid- they're not exactly black, there are patches of brown, grey, purple or blue because of the way the light reflects on the surface. So you want to replicate that using backgrounds that are in some way natural, faded or worn down. Chalkboard, slate and worn book covers are all good sources of dark backgrounds.

Dark backgrounds will make bright things such as sterling silver jewelry or white lace look dramatic and give your shop a gothic or elegant noir edge. The best use of dark backgrounds I think is to help black things show their detail- if you've ever tried shooting dark or black patterned items, you know how frustrating it can be to capture that detail. Using a dark background might seem like a bad idea- being that they're both dark they'd fade into each other. But like white-on-white, dark on dark works good too.

The key to a good dark on dark is lighting- you want some reflected light from your item to highlight pattern and form. When shooting dark on dark your best friend is deep and low angles. (As above.) Straight bird's eye can work on some things, but generally speaking low angles are better. Low angles are also good for small things, it adds an intimacy that people relate to. You don't want people ordering from you like you're a medical supplies catalogue, you want them to desire your work! They must have it!

just as shooting white on white needs a darker background than the object, dark on dark needs the opposite. the background should be lighter than the object, so that your item looks deep and rich.

Of course, you might have a few things that are black and you need to show detail, but you don't want your shop taken up with darkness. This is where layering comes in- just like adding the dark brown background under the white stack above gave us a mellowness, layering your black under a paler background will lighten the mood.

In the pic above I stacked white pages up and topped them with an antique ring box, which has a nice distressed finish and a brown tin plate to soften the jump between black and white. It doesn't make the picture too dark but it enables the detail in the buttons to be shown. When you do this make sure you use things that are no brighter than rich cream, and try to have light dark and midtones in there, again to soften the jump.

Here's an example of dark on dark not working- the lace relies on being transparent to show it's beauty, and the dark book board underneath isn't showing us that. Below is the solution- a scrap of light paper has been placed under the lace, allowing the linework to show through. If you want to keep a dramatic look to the image, allow as little of the light page in the frame as you can. Here the layers of darker opulent textures and pattern keep the image feeling rich.

Okay- now I want to move on to patterned backgrounds. Patterned backgrounds can be tricky as they tend to become the overwhelming element in an image, so many people advise against them. Personally though I think they're fine, providing they're subdued; ideally the pattern will be sparse and faded, more of a hint of pattern than an actual obvious design. Texture often counts as pattern as well, if it's rich enough.

Here I've got a selection of my patterned backgrounds. (You can see the details of what's what in my Flickr.) You'll notice a beautifully patterned end paper there- but wait a second... that's bold isn't it? Didn't I just say no boldness? Yes I did, but of course, like most rules, this one can be bent! Provided your item is bolder than the pattern, you can use it with no trouble.

In the image above, the background used is a photo album cover that's become shredded with age - it's intense texture makes a great pattern. But it's so highly textured that the earrings are lost in the pattern- great for an artist shot, but hardly making them stand out as a product.

Above you can see that the shredded silk has been put to better use with a pale and rather large item instead. The pattern/texture is still a part of the shot, but isn't overwhelming things. The general rule you is you must be careful that your background isn't more fabulous than your product (and it's getting dangerously close above!). Think of it like a wedding- you want everything to be beautiful, but the brightest star is the bride. Your item is the bride.

If you have a pattern that you really want to use but you're worried it's overpowering things, you can use it as a layer in a stack like the one below (on the right).

On the left you have a necklace straight onto the pattern- it's looking a bit cluttered. By adding the blank page underneath and keeping the pattern just as a border, the necklace stands out more. This is a great way of adding that shabby cluttered look to your shop that pattern will give without losing the showcasing properties. below the detail of the earrings is showcased by having a plain background under them, but the image remains opulent due to the pattern and texture around it.

One other thing- small things can get lost on pattern, so it's a good idea to encase them in something. I often use a tiny dish or tray- it keeps the opulence of a patterned shot but makes a lot of tiny things essentially into one large thing.

So if you have a patterned background you want to use, experiment with it! One of my favourite shops with a patterned background is pinkgrapefruit - she manages to blend bright pattern and vintage objects together that make for delicious photos. BirdSongStudio does a good job too- her background is faded and doesn't detract from her supplies- in fact it enhances them, which is your background's main job.

Let's talk briefly about colour on colour- that is a coloured item on coloured background. You need to pay a bit more attention here, because the colours you use will have an impact on the item.

I've only just started investigating colour and already I can see what a huge difference it makes. But I've also quickly learned that the right colour is crucial to representing the item in it's best light.

Here's there's a riot of colour! the earrings are coloured, the backgrounds are all kinds of crazy rainbow- it's too much. For this to be a showcase of the earrings it needs to tone down.

Above you can see the earrings are now showcased well- they're on a pale (contrasting) background which makes their dark colours stand out, and the yellow and red either side echo the colours in the beads.

Above, the camera is angled so the red board isn't seen, and the yellow is bringing the gold tones forward.

In the image below, the red board is dominant, and the earrings appear more rich and deep.It might seem pedantic but it's a nice little tip that will help you 'see' what's the best background for your item.

So you can see from this mamoth post that there are lots of things to think about, and just choosing one background is going to be very tricky. Well good! You should mix around and change things depending on what it is you're shooting. Not only to best showcase your item, but for interest's sake. Using 3 -5 different backgrounds will 'break up' the monotony of your shop front and keep things interesting. You can see in my shop that I have largely the same backdrop, but I've changed around the stack and made some pages more dominant in some shots. This makes things cohesive and interesting at the same time.

So- in the next couple of days I want you to wander around your house/studio and find a bunch of things you might like to use for backgrounds. keep in mind your target market and shop's brand image; choose light, dark, and patterned things. (And colour too if you're this way inclined.) Don't just look at book pages, think about trays, picture frame backs, the tops of old boxes, textile pieces, linoleum offcuts, wallpaper, etc. Spend time arranging them against each other (remember the bridal theory) and take some photos- things look different in camera so don't trust your observing eye to see all.

When you've found the backgrounds you like, take an item of yours and try shooting it against them. If you have a blog it would be really great to blog it- it helps pass the knowledge along, and don't forget to give me a link so I can come along and give you any extra advice you might need. If you don't have a blog or you'd prefer a more private approach, feel free to email me from this blog's address (see my profile) and I'll help out.

Yes, it's going to take time to get this right, and time is something precious to many of us. But we all know quality takes time and practice makes perfect. There really is no cheating on this stuff. Well actually learning all this from me is kind of cheating! I'm happy to pass on what I know, and I've learned a few things myself just from doing this. It's taken me over a week to compile all this, but the driving force is to help you become better photographers and online merchants.

Questions? Ranting? Excuses? Drop them in a comment- I'll follow you up as best I can.

The next photography post will come when it happens, probably in the next 2 weeks. As to what it will be about, I don't know yet! (Suggestions welcomed.) In the meantime I'm working on a quick 'how to' regarding fake vintage supplies; there's a ton of 'vintage' out there and it's often frustrating to me the things that are listed as vintage but aren't, because I like to know the pieces in my work really are vintage if I say they are. I have a few tips and tricks to sniff out the chalk from the cheese which I'd like to pass on to you. Man you get some great free info from me, huh? You lucky things.

note- all the images here were virtually unedited- just resizing and auto levels. I wanted this post to be about the backgrounds, not sexy photography! And yes it was hard not to tinker with them- my inner perfectionist is in a terrible mood now!

Pretty little soldiers

2011-08-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Glacius - tribal style earrings unashamedly inspired by too much time playing Harry Potter when I should be working. (playing as in PC game, not...out in the forest with a costume. Though I could tell you some stories...)

vanity and pride a happy return to my scruffy lacey bits in this salvage doily shred brooch

Dragons blood - goddess hoop earrings - these were so popular when I made them and this pair were left over from an uncollected custom order. I have some pink bangles that I'd like to make into earrings like these.

invisible unicorns- a sweet necklace with vintage lace pendant- more pink and white!

bower - a salvage textile wrist cuff with a sweet little heart locket feature

Chartism with a union jack pendant done with antique papers- I made this while processing the London riots in my mind. Actually I processed them all week, but while making this I was especially thoughtful.

Backgrounds post tomorrow! true story!!

Into the light

2011-08-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

The pretty creatures illustrating this post are not the result of a week's frenzied dyeing and sewing. They are resurrected beasts, cuffs and brooches that up until yesterday were a motley pile of half-finished (and downright abandoned) projects, all in gluggy dishwater purple-grey-brown-green hues. Since my shift into the world of colour and light I haven't been able to look at dark colours much less work with them, so I had a huge pile of unwanted murky cuff bases. I don't have a pic of them (I always forget the before shot!) but this old shot should give you an idea:

Blechy.

So anyway, while I was shopping the other day I noticed some small packets of powder in what i call 'the nana section' of the supermarket cleaning isle. It's a little corner right on the end where they stock all the weird old stuff that modern people don't seem to have a use for- leather cream, brass polish, mothballs, fly papers etc. I like these things for no other reason than they're practical and remind me of my childhood in the most nostalgic way, and I'm the sort of person who enjoys practical things and reliving my childhood. But I've got enough Brasso, and the thing I discovered that we're talking about here was dye remover.

It's essentially a powder of some sodium stinky-pants stuff that smells like a combination of pink sherbet and perm solution, and you tip it into a bucket of hot water, dump your unfortunately marked garments in it and come back an hour later. I chose the one rather boldly stamped with the phrase 'for whites only' because it was 4 dollars cheaper than the colour one and I wanted something with no remorse.

Bucket, water, powder...it only took 10 minutes, and I was left with this delightful rainbow of dusty, bleached out confections of lemon yellow, sugar pink and sea foam green. EXACTLY the sort of colours I've been looking for.

A recently re-decorated studio shelf. Note the colours..!

I find a simple magic in the fact that I took a big box of work that epitomised everything I want to leave behind me, and with a little old-fashioned practicality, turned it into a big box of everything I currently deem to be good and wanted in my world.

For those who want to try their own hand at bringing the light- this is the product used. (I recommend a well ventilated room, or if you can, do it outside.) Hooray for the joy of toxic powders!

Out damned spot.

2011-08-02T07:56:00.001-07:00

mothers love

I was planning a big post on the subject of Attributes, Etsy's new tagging system which at this stage doesn't do a whole lot except frustrate and confuse people, but will no doubt soon be the default setting. Instead of drawing out that whole post here, I'll just link to my forum thread on the subject. A few descriptions have some debate surrounding them -retro seems to be a hot ticket subject; for me it's anything that's garish, mass produced and cheerful (sort of a respectable kitsch) coming from the 50s to the 70s. For other people it's something that's referencing a previous style period; technically making Greek Revival (an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries) a retro style. Which it very much isn't as far as cultural perspective goes- it's more neo-classical. You can see why this is annoying/frightening/confusing people. Anyway- it's all over on the thread.

antique bobble buttons

The backgrounds post is coming, I'm just shooting the last few images and then it'll be up by the weekend. My sincere hope for this backgrounds post is that not only will it help you to showcase your work to the best it can be, but it will help you to showcase your shops true identity. In a marketplace where more and more sellers are doing what they can to appeal to a mass market, we're losing shops that have that individual spark. The spirit of a handmade item is being lost in the public demand for generic repetition and factory-perfect finishes. With my backgrounds post under you belt you'll be able to flog a washer on dental floss and still look original and different! (Relevant attributes or not.)

Isis Reborn

The weather has been glorious the last few days- giving me an even harder dose of spring cleaning fever. Lately I've been feeling myself awakening from something- to say it's like shrugging off a cold would go part of the way, to say taking a warm bath after a long cold exorcism would be getting closer.

1930s jewelry case

All my shabby bleak Victorian stuff seems to me so cold, dead and sorrowful. I collected it under my artistic eye of what I was attracted to at the time (last 4 years) but I've long realised that all came from a haunted place in me- even now as I sit here decorating this post with recent images they all seem to me so depressingly dark- I want to re-shoot everything in my shops. Looking around the studio it's like looking at someone else's belongings; I'm not the person I was 6 months ago, but though the persona has changed, the possessions still advertise what once was. I feel haunted by my own ghost.

Pendants in progress on the studio table

It's not all doom and gloom though and I don't go down without a fight and a serious amount of swearing. The haunting won't last long- there's plenty of resistance left in me yet, mostly in the form of a box of garbage bags and a pot of white paint. Spring has sprung.

Look here you lot, I have something to say

2011-07-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Backgrounds! We all need 'em, we all got 'em, we all want 'em to look nice. That's where I come in. (No I'm not modelling for you.) But I can teach you how to know what to do to get the best results, no matter what kind of camera you have.

Above you see a picture of some of the props n' whatnot I use when photographing supplies. I have a small collection of various antique papers, books, old journals and the like, to shoot against, because the paper gives texture without too much pattern. On the top is an antique camera negative plate which gives black background for dark things, next to it is a tape measure to give an idea of scale, and on the right is a folded up piece of cloth- this is no more than a resting pad for the camera! I put my camera down a lot between shooting items, and when I'm short on temper and there's a cat wanting to be fed nownownowNOWNOWNOWNOW, I tend to drop my camera down a little too harshly, so having a padded surface means there's no damage done.

detailed and small things need a plain background so nothing distracts the eye

But this post is just sort of a teaser- the post before the post. I plan to write a nice big long ~~boring~~ post about this subject; I'm looking to teach you a little bit about the right props for your product, the right colour backgrounds for your product (another sub-lesson in Know Your Market), the right lighting, the right approach. I can't teach you how to ignore the cat, it cannot be learned.

I'm trying to do is help as many people in the right way- there's no point in me bleating on about how to shoot on a black background if none of you intend to. So many people have trouble with their photography but I maintain that once you've got your background looking good, the rest is as easy as riding a horse backwards while on fire.

So your backgrounds- let me see them! Leave a comment in this post with a link to your troubled item/s and I'll use the pic in the post so we're working with relevant examples.

Props help your item to feel less lonely.

And yes I am really on holiday, and no I don't consider this to be working! It's helping. I can help and still be on staycation. Helping is not working! Honest! Stop making that face!! Look, here I am spending time with the bird:

See? Holiday!

Rooster

2011-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

begins at home

Surprise vacation! Almost as much of a surprise to me as to you. It's a decision I only made 2 days ago; I've been finding work getting a little on top of me lately, so in order to find some breathing space I've made some. All my shops are on vacation now for the next 2 weeks, wherein they will open again.

source

As for me, the first week of my 'staycation' is mostly cleaning. (Hey don't knock it, I love a good scrub.) I'm not hanging around for that Spring thing to get into gear, the dust gets shook up now! Cleaning my studio is way overdue and I know I'm never going to get to it while I'm working, so I decided to stop working.

source

Of course we all know that lasts approximately 2 days, so to lull myself into that false sense of security we all love and depend on, I am allowed to make things, as long as they're either something for me (clothing mends, jewelry etc) or they're paper collage and painting.

source

I've been wanting to do some exhibition work for a while but again...it was never going to happen while I was working. I also plan to sort out the veggie patch, redecorate my room, purge the eBay pile, sort some destash, make more DIY kits, sew some textiles for an upcoming market stall project and generally expect too much of myself. As is my way!

source

of course I'll still be here, sharing ideas and musings. Apart from the first image (which is mine), this post is decorated with nice images I've found lately, things that resonate with me right now, for reasons that I both know and understand. All is revealed in time.

Many travel, few rest.

2011-07-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

harvest- going for some simple stuff lately, I've often remarked to myself that what I make isn't really what I'd wear, because I don't wear over the top jewelry. So I've been working on some pieces that showcase the individual form of each element rather than telling a tale by combining many. It's good to branch out.

Geology - more simple showcasing. I find it hard to use chunky beads but these bracelets work well.

Signal - more simple! The combination of antique clay pipe stem, tribal bone and African Bauxite- it's like magic, these things that come from far corners of the world to sit together so well. Humans are so connected in what we make. These simple pieces have a strong geometric flavour (which I usually don't have) that's very popular right now, I've noticed alot of people doing it- but for most shops I come across it doesn't seem like a 'jumping on the band-wagon' thing, it's more like a 'collective unconscious' thing. We're all communicating with something.

Bounty- a peak at the kind of romance that's coming into my work lately, I've been feeling textiles again and you shall see more of them in the next update!

Allooshna - fish vertebrae bones from Africa, who knows how old as they came with a big batch of trade beads, some of which are turning out to be several hundred years old.

Secret, with a tiny antique key, a lovely little scrap of glass bead work and hand painted locket.

Whitethorn, using bauxite beads hand carved by villagers in Ghana, and a tin cone I made myself out of an antique tin lid. I like the combination of painted dots and shredded lace, alluding to a kind of Ancient romantic thing I'm feeling lately. Jane Austen goes Iron Age.

Sparrow visits the castle

2011-07-19T00:58:00.001-07:00

I had a studio-free day this weekend (a rarity) , choosing instead to catch up with friends who live out in the hills behind my town.

This if you can believe it, is the view from their garage. Seriously. At it's like that on the other 3 sides of the house too. (click the pic to view large.)

Every room is filled with the treasures of a lifetime of adventuring, each object has a story connected to it.

We cleaned out some of the enormous shed while I was there (the last owners left a lot of junk), I was tasked with sorting through a whole chest of vintage craft stuff- the terms were I kept what I liked and boxed up the rest for charity. Good deal! I don't have a picture of my haul, so here's a picture of my work desk instead:

The lighter tones of pink and cream are making themselves known right now. And look- textiles! I feel as if the Spring is already inside me, the weather just needs to catch up. Unusual for me- usually I hang on to the winter as much as I can. I guess I'm just sick of sitting still. Plus I have plans brewing.

Big plans.

Coming Home

2011-07-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

These two treasuries made today are a thought train for my mind of late. There has been a real theme of 'home' in my life these last few days- more than usual! Talks I've had with friends, books I've read, thrifted things, blog posts, tumblr images... everything has been nesting itself together in my head and coming out on my work table.

The Other

Autumn Afternoons in the West Country

Pale dusty pinks, creamy tans and chocolate browns, rough texture and smooth wood... not just the sense of home in terms of buildings and people, but in colours and objects- what make me feel I am at home, whether I'm at home in a building or an environment or some abstract feeling I cannot put a finger on. A decidedly British direction (no surprise) with Iron Age evocations.

Or maybe I just watch too much Time Team. As if there could be any such thing!

Nothing is more true.

2011-07-14T08:10:00.001-07:00

Take it apart! The motto of my childhood. Read the rest of this hilarious comic (and so many more faux 19th century amusements!) at Wondermark. Always cheers me up, that site.

Beads ahoy

2011-07-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

As artists we often chide ourselves (while completing checkout I'm sure) that we don't really need any more supplies, that we should really hold off for a while and make something with what we've got..blah blah blah. But when you specialise in things that are made with antique and vintage pieces, you can't really 'hold off'- most stuff that comes up is gone before you've had a chance to figure out what you'll do with it.

It's especially hard to abstain when these things are a bargain, and these recent acquisitions were.
They need a clean obviously, but for the price they were I'm happy to get the toothbrush out. The silver metal 'block' pendant charms were from an Ethiopian necklace of an undetermined age, the rest were a 'grab bag' from an eBay seller. These are actually only about 1/10th of the total bag, but there were a lot of coloured ones that I don't have a use for. I'll be putting them in my amazing kits when I do some up with tribal bohemian overtones. (This weekend, cross fingers!)

So ancient looking- I suspect all of these to be at least 100 years old, if not older.

But look at these! Could these be the tiniest beads in the world?

How about these ones?

So tiny! I really can't imagine what anyone could do with such microscopic creatures. Those last ones are carved lapiz lazuli from Afghanistan. I bought them to make hoops like these - but I'm really bad at measuring scale on the internet- I thought they'd be much bigger! Oh well.

supplies party

2011-07-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

---- cotton candy ----

Over at Sparrow Salvage, my DIY kits are back in stock, so you can get yourself some of my hand-dyed vintage and reclaimed fabrics and special little beads ' whatnot I pick up in my travels and make your own piece of Sparrow genius!

---- blush ----

Of course in my own stubborn style I can't just snap some shots and sling up the listing, I have to go all out, spending what is probably too much time laying them out and arranging the buttons and what-have-you next to each other. Truth be told, the part about textile jewelry I liked most was actually getting the supplies and arranging them. And then the picture taking, which I love more than anything.

---- green acres ----

Love that little pie tin! These 4 are up now, then there will be more in the next few days. I have about 15-20 made up but buckets more fabric and beads, so I'll probably do about 50 kits all up. Then that's it! Gone is gone!

---- ghosts ----

The Lazy Blogger

2011-07-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

Your most gracious pardon if you will, I've been spending time in my own head- not usually recommended but sometimes necessary. Here's some supplies and components to amuse you while I get around to showing you finished things!

I bought these amaaaazing earrings to take apart, but they're in my personal collection now- I can't part with them! I love their ancient astronaut feeling. I'm thinking more about 2012 lately; an interesting subject with themes I'm attracted to right now (and for the record no- I don't think it's the end of the world).

These beads came from riveting- the blue stripeys were trade beads and the rest came on a broken necklace. They were a criminal bargain- I would've paid the cost of the necklace just for the little coral/turquoise Tibetan ones alone!

Look at their arcane grunginess! The necklace was only a 70s tourist number, but as with a lot of things made for the export market in India and Tibet back then, the people making them didn't pop down to the local craft supermarket and pick up some supplies, they just fished about for whatever they had- these beads could be 400 years old. An importer who worked with a friend of mine once said he would get in hippy skirts and patchwork cushions made of 19th century textiles, simply because the manufacturer had some in the warehouse. Is the preciousness of antique things a very modern Western attitude? How long ago did people start getting in a tizz about how old something was? I could buy this and find out.

Anyway- I bought these little metal plates from riveting as well- you can see two of them have already been introduced to His Lordship Mr.Hammer - and a brush with the novacan too. I like the way the hammering has given them a feeling of ancient gold, pushing up the 'archaeological find' vibe I'm after lately.

Here's a peak of some stuff I've been working on- the round one was the pendant that came with the broken necklace mentioned above. it only had a 'stone' in the middle to which I thought was plastic, but when I hit it with his Lordship to get it out, it powdered a little, revealing it to be glass. Then I had an idea. 10 minutes, some fire and a spot of massively innapropriate use of tools later, I succeeded in redistributing the glass, so now it's a sort of rust brown, with subtle druzy sparkles! (Which you can't capture in camera, the pixies.)

I think sci-fi has had it's short round again; it comes through now and then to clean out the dust and throw back the curtains. There are some pieces still to list that have the look I was going for (I'll show you those later) but as for new work (coming next week!) there is a definite tribal element shining through- and lo, a return of our old friend, the 18th century. Have I been influenced by anything in particular..?

Love letter to a mountain

2011-07-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Love letters come in all shapes. I've written a few of the traditional sort (only one has been given to the person concerned) but love letters can be paintings, music, photographs... the jewelry I make is a love letter to my wounded place. Because love letters don't always have to be happy- in fact the best ones do have a little sadness in them, the desperation of restless desire.

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

This video seems to me a love letter to a mountain.

found via this fantastic blog.

Shop Update - the oracle

2011-06-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Oracle of Tileth - altered kuchi metal earrings - one of many new designs now available in the shop!

The Oracle of Tileth is a folk hero of the Barrengoli people from the plains of the same name. The Oracle was a traveller who sung songs of the future, prophecies that came to her in dreams, carried she said 'by the moon's tears'. Her record was remarkably strong, accurately predicting the great flood, 3 eruptions of Kuper mountain and the sudden death of Selemek the Unforgiving. In her ageing years she retired amongst the Barrengoli people and became of great help to them in their times of need.

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I've been using my original writing to describe listings again- making up little snippets of mythology for a world that exists only in my mind. Being a life-long fan of sci fi and fantasy, I grew up reading Conan, drawing women riding dragons and watching all those amazing fantasy movies from the 70s and 80s that we just don't get any more. ~~Oh no, don't start talking about 'the olden days'!~~

wickedness

The cat is still well- eating more than ever- the weather is deeply autumnal and I've made enough jewelry to last the weekend, so I can go clean off my desk and get some paper collage done. I spend a lot of time thinking about that lately, and photography. Always photography. There is a part of me that knows sooner or later I will stop making jewelry and become a full-feathered photographer.

all in rags

I've also had an idea for making prints out of shots of my assemblage work (as above). I have a few works I've not known what to do with- most of them can't be sent overseas as they contain natural items that Mr.Customs doesn't like. They're also likely out of people's price range, so this is an affordable solution, as well as giving more than one person the opportunity to own the same piece.

Coming along quietly

2011-06-13T00:44:00.001-07:00

So much to show you chaps lately, I've got about 3 posts in draft! Photos from redecorating, recent acquisitions, finished jewelry, a look at two of grandma's cook books, not to mention my backgrounds tutorial...

And yet all I have for you right now is this pic of work in progress. Well really more 'components in progress'. I've been experimenting with kuchi metalwork and paint, trying to get more space into the space tribal. And getting the tin snips out on anything metal that's within reach. I'm happy so far- and the earrings I'll be updating with tonight are so immensely awesome that I might just show you a sneak peek right now...

Oooh.

ladies and Gentlemen...pimpin' time

2011-06-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Please welcome- my face!

Accidental lens flare for the win

Yes it's time to show you what I look like, now I have my smashing new glasses.

windy day hair + pjs = the casual look.

And even more exciting for you who know I'm in Australia and will no doubt assume I talk funny- a video to prove it! (Please excuse the lighting, the white balance was being a butt-ache. Also please excuse the yokel face Flickr has used for the image holder.)

I like the 80s War Games-esque green tech-reflection going on here, just pretend I'm in some old school hacking sci fi and I've just realised the machines are self aware. ooh atmosphere...

I might note, my best girls Fanci and Corvid both think I sound much more posh than they imagined. Well I was raised in an English household, but we don't all drawl like Crocodile Dundee! I think I'm going to do more video- studio tours and what-have-you, because it's way too much fun to leave it.

I'll also take this moment to say I've been dusting off my design blog, and will be posting all my magpie shop updates on there- I cleaned up the studio today (see ridiculously sneaky sneak peek above- the rest of the pics tomorrow) - boy oh boy oh bees knees, I gotta lotta stuff I don't need! And my Tumblr gets a work out lately as well, mostly of science fiction-y things, if that is your want. It's certainly mine, I can't think of the last time I enjoyed looking at some Victorian stuff. I think Dickens might be in his grave at last- but that's something we need to leave another post for. Personal revelations, yackitty yack.

Shop update - colour comes back

2011-06-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Keldessahn - minimal earrings (for me!) with amazing labradorite beads and vintage chain

Mynshassah - a necklace with amethyst nuggets and random tribal style beads- I'm trying to incorporate more strands of beads in my work, to flesh out where there's usually just chain. I think it gives a more patched together look, which is what I try to shoot for.

Kajal - I love the wobbly red metal parts on these earrings; the purple howlite reminds me of the muppet show for some reason. I think the word 'howlite', it's like some kind of tiny monster.

Orran - the metal on these earrings is cut from an antique tin, in my constant attempt to make my own components. Those amethyst drops have such a deep hue to them.

Lierre - hoop earrings of a ghetto fabulous size! The labradorite stone in this is very mellow, it was a bugger to photograph!

All my updates now are done with my own myths incorporated into the listing where I once had poems or (lately) astrophysics trivia. Apart from running out of stars with cool names, and realising there aren't nearly as many nice sounding nebulas as you might think, I went back to my old thing of using my writing. I've been a closet sci-fantasy writer for years now, but I'm never going to publish a novel. So this is a good way of employing it into my work. What's better, I'm starting to draw again now as I imagine the kind of people that live in my far-into-the-future, post apocalyptic tribal world, the people who inspire my work.

Soldiering On

2011-06-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Good news! Miss Kitty is not as bad as we thought- at least not right now. She does have cancer but she's ill right now because it's infected*, so once she has her anti-biotics she should get another 6 months out of life and still be purrfectly happy. I'd like her tested for diabetes, but to do that we need a urine sample. And brother, that ain't easy!

In the meantime she's almost back to her old self, with the only change being she's much more personable and wants to sit on my lap all the time. Sadly computer desks weren't meant for that, which is a huge gap in the market if you ask me. Whoever invents a desk where a kitty can sit on your lap and you can still reach the keyboard and mouse...they'll make a mint.

In other news, I've been working on a ton of stuff in the studio- apart from the things that went up last night there are 6 more pairs of earrings, a bracelet set and two necklaces ready to roll. I have 3 pots of 'ready to assemble' necklaces, 6 pots of earrings, cuff bases ready to embellish...

sneak peak of the next update

I'm also working on another photography tutorial for you chaps, one that deals with the importance of backgrounds and the difference various surfaces can make. Hooray!

* She had an ultrasound about a month ago to see why she was so fat...how they missed a tumour the size of a golf ball I'll never know, and it really pisses me off!

troubled day

2011-06-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Lierre - tribal sci fi oversized hoop earrings with labradorite

Lovestone - tribal sci fi necklace featuring a vintage rose quartz pendant

Shola - cluster charm necklace with reclaimed vintage and black agate

three waters - 3 strand bohemian bracelet with vintage beads

Pesgore trinity - tribal sci fi earrings with labradorite and black onyx

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Sad news today, my kitty companion of 14 years is ailing badly. We are waiting for the vet's report on her blood tests, in the mean time she does little but sleep and drink water. She isn't in any pain and she seems happy enough, so we wait, but will do what's best for her. I am as prepared for the inevitable as anyone can be.

Three darlings

2011-06-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

Kessel Run - hammered metal and thin quartz point dangles, these are my attempt at simplicity. I think this is as minimal as I get!

Andromeda - a bold piece with antique lace and a very sweet collection of sugar-coloured things.

Triple Sun - tribal sci fi necklace with awesome little Victorian buttons; they came to me with a whole bunch of others with their shanks cut off, why would that happen? The only thing I could think of was maybe the rag trade, slicing off the buttons rather than the stitching, but then you'd think they'd do it whole so they could sell the buttons as well.

Death by pie

2011-05-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

This is a snickers tart, from the local bakery- you know, that big one you have to walk past if you want to go to the Post Office- unless you're going to go the long way around, through the park and up the hill and let's face it, you won't. This tart is not recommended for people who are trying to watch their weight or cut down on sugar, because if you purchase this, you WILL eat the whole thing. Don't try to kid yourself that cutting it into tiny wedges 'like a pie for dollies' will mean you'll only have one piece. It will not work.

The only real way around this is to remind yourself that if you go just one block over- just one block, not even a whole block really, more of a carpark and a laneway- you can get yourself a nice big fat salmon steak for the same price. And it's so much better for you. And the walk across that laneway and carpark will do you good. Especially if you didn't walk the long way to avoid the bakery and now have a Snickers tart wedged carefully in your bag.

Shop update - rust and ruin

2011-05-29T09:04:00.001-07:00

Leia - Tribal Sci Fi earrings - with reclaimed vintage charms and mis-matched beads. I'm really happy with the way the charms came out- they were super shiny so I painted them white enamel and hammered them at the ends, then oxidized where the enamel came off. Reminds me of rusted-out old space ships.

akashic - using reclaimed metal cut from a big thrifted hoop and very subtle labradorite, these earrings represent a step toward making more elements from scratch. And not just the super funky ear wires! You will soon see what my tin snips and I have been up to...

Charon - the two discs on this one are the backs of antique buttons, which when hammered take on a great ruined appearance that I'm enjoying so much I'm now shopping for buttons where the backs matter more than the front!

Epsilon - a really sweet necklace, I had to tear this away from myself! The little wooden ring beads in the chain have such a great hand-carved quality to them, and the blue flash on that Czech bead- wow! I have to get more of them. I'm really into that luminous night sky blue lately.

countdown to junktown

2011-05-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

New items in the shop!

Asteroth - reclaimed metal and black tourmaline

Gozer - spectrolite and vintage chain

Only 2 I'm afraid- I'm slack with updating this week- I've been feeling a little unwell with back pains and a pinched nerve in my shoulder (still annoying me), and that coupled with some serious cog-whirring in the brain department (which I shall speak of later) means I haven't much in the way of finished work.

On the work bench- it's like a teaser shot for new work! (Actually that's exactly what it is.)

There are just 3 more days till the sale in my shop ends and the items affected are carted off to the big junk heap in the sky. Taken apart for new work, sold off as supply, given away to friends and blog readers (hey that's you!) ...who knows where they'll end up. I'm working on some new pieces and this primitive sci fi thing is looking to be not just the next stage of creative evolution here in sparrowland but the permanent situation, so I want the shop swept out of all that old stick. If you want something (from the sale section) and it's out of your budget- make me an offer! I can do layaway too.

visual binary

2011-05-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Rain Bride

Alpha Centauri

Corvus

Things have developed a distinctly tribal feeling of late, but I'm going with it. The space theme is still rollicking around in my head, and while it sorts itself out I'm content to play with dark wood and rusted metal. The feminine shapes and clean lines are still largely there, and that's my focus right now.

We're made of star stuff

2011-05-20T10:39:00.001-07:00

Dark Matter - Victorian tribal earrings - reclaimed hoops - clock hands

Origins - victorian sci fi earrings - vintage chain - fireglow beads

Pillars of Creation - Victorian sci fi necklace - vintage rhinestones - antique button

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"We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. We are creatures of the cosmos and always hunger to know our origins, to understand our connection with the universe. How did everything come to be? Every culture on the planet has devised its own response to the riddle posed by the universe. Every culture celebrates the cycles of life and nature. There are many different ways of being human. "

Carl Sagan

Science is my religion

2011-05-19T20:16:00.001-07:00

The beauty of a living thing is not the the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

There's your meditation for the day my children.

Box fresh

2011-05-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

I like using unconventional materials in my work, the latest being (gasp!) plastic. I've avoided it for a long time but you can't really dive head first into post-apocalyptic futurist science fiction without getting your poly vinyl freak on. Speaking in terms of design and aesthetics, plastic is the poster child of the space age.

This is an 80s model kit from eBay- some sort of Japanese Mecha. I was disappointed it came purple (I wanted white) so I've had to buy some high-gloss spray paint to right it. But hey, spray painting things is way too much fun to complain about.

I've grown up watching my Dad build model trucks, I was forced to sit with my hands behind me back so I wouldn't touch. Now I've got my own kit, and it's not going to like what I'll do to it. Dad never stuck to the instructions, he does what's now known as kit-bashing (the milenium falcon in Star Wars IV is a perfect example of kit bashing) where you follow the basic form and add your own touches to make it more realistic or accurate (don't get me started on the inaccuracy of models- I'm still thinking of re-painting my Gozer).

I remember one night, pouring through magazines at the kitchen table looking for tiny pictures of the coke logo so Dad could cut it out, wrap it around a bit of dowel and make a tiny coke can for the dashboard of a road train. He was always getting halfway to the bin with something and then stopping and saying 'wait- I can use this' and then putting it in a box in the model room. And you wonder where I get it.

And look at the tiny glue that came with the kit! So tiny!!

Tiny glue now lives on the shadow box with the thimbles and the antique dominoes and other tiny things of merit.

An anthem for the masses

2011-05-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

ps kids- don't 'kill the television' -it's a popular opinion put forth by the alternative masses, I never agreed with it. TV FTW! DIY FTW!

Thinking inside the tin

2011-05-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, I wanted to show you the method I use when working. A kind of way of organising my thoughts. I'm sure it's not original- that is to say I hope someone figured it out long before I did, it makes things so much easier! It's an extension of an older method; I'd go through my stash with an idea in mind and pick out 'pure' examples of the aesthetic I'm looking for then play with/photograph those elements.

Now though I've refined the process and in doing so ended up with a more accessible system. I bought these antique mince pie tins not long ago, originally intending to cut them up for their fabulously tarnished metal...but I can't bring myself to get the tinsnips out. They're such sweet little buggers, and as I quickly discovered dead handy for organising things.

So now my work table is largely comprised of about 6-8 of these tins, each filled with a combination of various beads, buttons, charms, chain links etc that all have a connection to each other, usually in colour scheme. Most of it is instinct.

Previously I'd just make a pile of objects (mostly pendants and focals) and work on a 'vibe', which was great to begin with but made it too abstract when it came to actually making the pieces. It can also be very distracting when you're pawing through box after box looking for the right bead- sooner or later you come across something you forgot about and before you know it you've got 6 completely different things laying around and your mind is scattered.

Once I think I have enough in the tin, I tip it out and start looking at the pieces, removing what doesn't gel and adding something else to balance it out. One might need more pink beads, another needs a brown circular object, another may need more gold.

In a way this method is sort of constricting myself- I'm forcing myself to think inside the box. Or rather inside the tin. But as I said before, having so much stash in the studio and in so many different styles, this can help me focus and refine what I'm looking to achieve.

I've found my productivity level has rocketed since adopting this technique. Go ahead and try it (if you haven't already!) -the constraint of having to build something from one small tin of elements often means your creative mind comes up with something totally unexpected.

Out with the old...

2011-05-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Two new pretties....

Orion's Belt - salvage textile wrist cuff featuring an antique button circa 1800

Vega - clear quartz necklace with vintage mother of pearl buckle

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I gotta tell ya, I'm lovin' this new space thing. There's a whole new world opening up in my creative vision lately- and to help me shed the snakeskin as it were, I'm having a sale! I've created a section in my shop where all the sale items live- they've already been marked down. What ever is still there in 2 weeks gets taken down, taken apart, given away...whatever it takes to move it on!

As an extra surprise for all my Blog readers- enter the code CRIKEY at checkout to receive free shipping on your order- yes, even the sale stuff! Or the non-sale stuff, where ever your fancy lies.

The fantasticness ends May 30th- and yes I do lay away! Just convo me with your listing/s of choice and we'll work it out.

Greetings from Rigel 4

2011-05-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

The Green flash - salvage earrings - labradorite - vintage chain

Gliese - Victorian sci-fi necklace - antique beads - vintage heart locket

Hoth summer nights - victorian sci fi necklace - crystal quartz - antique button

Glittering and Gold

2011-05-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

My best gal fanci gave me a gift certificate for my birthday (it was last month) for yummytreasures, a fabulous little supply shop on Etsy that has soooo much shiny!

With 193 pages of listings I guess 'little' isn't really the right word to use.

I'm having trouble staying under the certificate limit. I'm just going to have to pay out the overdose!

I can't cannot say no to this stuff, these elements are so perfect for my new work.

(all images the property of yummytreasures)

In praise of small things

2011-05-10T08:19:00.001-07:00

Where do stars get their energy?

Reading the blogs of my two favourite girls recently, there was a similarity mentioned, that details make the difference. Fanci spoke about having the good supplies making your work easier, and Corvid singled out a tiny handmade nail from a parcel (from Fanci, delightfully enough- aren't we the three fates!) and mused on what I'd said in an old convo- that God is in the details.

So I figured I'd make a post about it. It's a tutorial sort of, it's also sort of a love letter to supplies. We all love supplies, there's no doubt about it. Business may boom, business may suck- we might have a creative drought or an art flood- whatever the circumstances, we almost always never say no to new supplies.

A History of Galactic Warfare, Vol.I

When I finally ordered the crystals you saw in the supply post recently, I felt a wave of joy. I've been putting off buying crystals for a long time because of my ethics- I pride myself that a lot of my supply is second-hand in some way, and these crystals are not. I don't know who made them, what country they were mined in and even how they were mined. I searched and found there really was no alternative.

ethically obtained crystals- while they're my preferred choice, they don't come drilled, nor do they have the clarity that I need.

I could just use vintage beads that looked like clear quartz, especially since most of it was 'lucite' (it's plastic, people- own it) and that just doesn't compare with the weight, tonal variations and shine of rock. But the muse doesn't understand ethics. All she knows is there are things she MUST have me make, and if crystals are an unavoidable part of that, so be it. We must ~~humour~~ honour the muse.

Anyway...let's see some details.

3 blue beads. The first is just a plain round blue bead- taken from a cheap thrift necklace. The 2nd one is a wobbly hand-cast one from a vintage Indian string. The 3rd one is an antique faceted bead, made with a metallic finish and hand-cut somewhere around 1900. They look different up close like this, and while you might think any blue bead will do when you want one, I promise you these subtle variations make a difference in your work.

4 black beads- well no, not exactly black. Some black beads when held to the light will be purple, brown, blue or green, since it is hard to get a true black when any kind of transparency is involved. The 1st one is a big-holed one from India, roughly made. The 2nd is a neat and tidy factory bead, the 3rd is a Roman bead (yes, as in made by ancient Romans) and the 4th is a faceted metallic of unknown age.

3 clear beads- a frosted oval, a pink-tinged rose quartz , a faceted primitive sand cast.

Okay so you're getting the picture- what bead you use depends on the look and feel of your finished piece, and by choosing just the right (and not necessarily the more expensive) bead, you're changing the face of your piece enormously.

Let's see it in action!

An earring. Nice enough- good tarnish detail on the bow. But with a factory-made ear hook and a plastic bead...well, there's not a lot of joy there, huh? So take out that factory hook and replace it with a hand-made one, and swap out the plastic bead and put in a glass one on a handmade headpin.

Suddenly you have something that looks special, even though the ingredients aren't.

On the left- basic headpin, factory hook. On the right- handmade hook, handmade wrapped headpin. Maybe 10c difference in manufacturing cost. Which one would you pay $25 a pair for?

Detail is so so SO important in your work. If you want to make pretty things and do well from it, then go ahead and use whatever you want, I'm not saying that's bad. But if you want your work to really stand out, to look handmade, to look artisan, to look unique - get the details. Trust me when I say this- it's half the work done for you! All your awesome ideas will look 200% better because you've listened to the details.

The North- earrings made just that little bit more special with unique crackle beads

Now go buy some pretty things!

Tomorrow I shall show you something else- the method I use when working at my desk. It's a process that has helped me organise my creative thoughts (as if you really could) to such a degree than I'm hoping in sharing it, it might work for you as it does for me.

List Lover

2011-05-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

moonrise over Saturn

five fantastic things about today

1. listening to dreamweaver reallly loud

2. ginger beer

3. Autumn sunshine

4. my t-shirt has banjos on it

5. I make art and get paid for it.

When Three Worlds Collide

2011-05-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

I've been out of my mind on futurism this past week, and now things are starting to mellow, coming together in a style that's set very much in the future and still remains typically Sparrow Salvage.

Part Victorian underwear model, part futuristic apocalypse, part tribal culture, my new works focus more and more on faceted angles, sleek white finishes and hand-cast lines. I'm very much enjoying this fresh clean landscape of crystals and metallic leather, but there's still a good dash of my usual lace and hammered metal.

Our Lady of the Cosmos

I feel more 'at home' in this round of futurism than my last one. I feel this is something I've moved forward to, rather than just dancing around it for a bit.

The ghost of Jupiter

At any rate, I'm certainly more pleased and more excited about my work than I have been for some time.

new Stuff from Space

2011-05-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Okay it's not really from space exactly...more like Etsy. I ordered a haul of new supplies just before I went away, so when I came back it was like christmas! This stuff is taking my mind on one big ol' rocket trip for so many ideas I think I'm about to have some sort of creative aneurysm!

let's take a tour through the galaxy...

huge pale lavender quartz barrels, so very frosty and pretty, I can see these as feature beads in necklaces, linked for chunky bracelets or pairing for some serious rockstar earrings.

Antique nailheads in a lovely black steel colour- these will be for cuffs! Hooray cuffs!

oil slick blue-black pearls for delicate earrings and encrusted brooches, flat gold snake chain with the most wonderful rippling slither. I love snake chain.

These Czech beads with the most amazing labradorite style finish, and tiny shimmery peachy moonstone Czechs.

I couldn't believe how gorgeous these ceramic cabs are! I can't capture their stunning sparkle- I don't use the word stunning very often, but trust me, these are stunning.

mmmm Labradorite! A great mix of shapes and sizes with lots of rustic ones.

Teeny tiny vintage glass cabs with clover shapes- don't know what to do with these yet, but they're so Deco sci-fi I had to have them.

Amazing old clock hands that will make kick-bottom spacey steampunk earrings.

More art deco style Science Fiction - I love how alot of Art Deco looks futuristic. Also shown here are some lovely slender clear quartz blades. good for earrings!

These exquisite handmade beads with drops of silver among their grey-white clouds...these are even more fabulous than I can capture.

Lovely rolled clay beads with great tribal undertones.

Labradorite again, with white (!!!) snake chain and mauve pearl discs

Super cool tapered ovals of quartz rock, and some great vintage earring components - you can see I have already beaten them with the oxidising stick...

All of which joins the chaos that is my work desk right now. So many things, so many ideas, so many hours under the warmth of a work lamp. So happy.

Spacewalk

2011-05-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Visiting a thrift store in the city, I came out with quite the haul for my new machine age/futurism projects!

I find this thrift store a great source of appropriate elemtents- I complain about their prices in the clothing department but their jewelry is curiously cheap by comparison.

It's odd that whenever I have a certain style I'm developing, I can always go there and their selection will be conducive to parts I need. If I were still doing my multi-coloured tribal right now for instance, I'd not have found much at all. But it's sci-fi spacetime for me again, so there was much to be had in the way of silvery streaky spacey bits.

The handbags are for stripping- the 'leather' will be used for panels in brooches, cuffs, etc. I have some ideas with them that will make them look like worked metal rather than fabric.

I would just like to note I didn't add the lens flare there- naturally obtained! Love it.

Shipping forecast

2011-04-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Short interruption to proceedings- no new jewelry or shipping of parcels until the 5th of May, whilst I do some family guff. The good news for you is Sparrowsalvage is having a free shipping deal- just enter the coupon code FREEBIRD and receive instant free shipping!

[coupon only good for sparrowsalvage- all my other shops are exempt.]

new stars in the sparrow salvage sky

2011-04-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

Cassiopeia - salvage tribal necklace - vintage beads

Cygnus - salvage bracelet set - recycled glass beads - vintage shell bangle

Alpha Corvi - salvage hoop earrings - antique faceted glass beads

shop udate- Earring festival!

2011-04-25T00:47:00.000-07:00

Asterion - vintage chain, enamel connectors, tribal buttons

Messier 2 - suede leather, reclaimed metal, vintage chain, glass beads

Omega Centauri - mother of pearl, vintage chain, hammered reclaimed bangle

Caldwell 63 - hammered indian bangle, kyanite, Tibetan mala beads

Alderbaran - hammered reclaimed metal, vintage chain, glass beads

Mesarthim - vintage chandelier drop, found objects

Polaris - reclaimed tribal plates, moonstone, rose quartz, sugilite

---

Some recent beauties in the shop- went a bit nuts on earrings this week! I'm back on my space kick again, this time with more of a tribal edge that last. I've a lot of random thoughts on the subject which I shall leave for another post, I'm also working on a post about improving photos and another one about the importance of the right materials! What a wealth of ~~waffle~~ valuable information I am!

Peeking round the corner

2011-04-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

spirit in the woods - salvage necklace - antique buttons - reclaimed beads

the nort h - modern salvage earrings - hammered metal - antique buttons

dust in the wind - salvage bangle set - antique fob charm

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Apologies on my quietness of late- I'm working on a big project, which I shall reveal to you later, hopefully tonight. In the meantime I have some exciting news, I shall soon be in a book!

The lovely Olga Bennett who came to photograph my studio last year has collected her beautiful photographs into a publication celebrating the soul of artist's studios. You can pre-order the book on her Big Cartel website and also see a glimpse of what lies within. I also recommend visiting her portfolio to enjoy the rest of her soft, elegant work.

Thank you Olga, I am most excited!

Stuff

2011-03-28T09:36:00.001-07:00

Somebody out there somewhere gave me some kind of blog award (hey I'm good at this remembering thing huh?!) and though I can't remember who it was or find the convo it came in- I DO remember there was supposed to be 7 things about me, so here's some things about me I probably haven't told you yet.

1. I don't 'do' beauty routines. French manicures, hair products, skin care, stiletto heels, perfume, expensive lingerie...not interested. My hair regime involves washing it every second day. That's it! I don't even remember the last time I regularly 'did' my hair. All perfumes make me gag- which is okay, because apparently no matter what I do I naturally smell like roses. Please don't think I'm a total mess- I do look after myself, I'm just cursed with clear skin and a disregard for social expectations. I do wear make-up sometimes, most of the reason I don't is because I forget it exists! I can't imagine what it's like being one of those girls who worries about chipping a nail, or laddering her tights, or her hair coming undone in the wind or spends an hour every morning in front of the mirror. Having said all of that- I wish I wasn't so lazy/forgetful so I could dress like a 1940s wartime girl.

2. I am a huge Top gear fan- so huge I went to the live show, though it was frightening and overly yobbish. I am that rare creature that enjoys the show for the thoroughly British comedy and the James May; I have little interest in all that tearing about in souped-up cars. Although there were some super-cute Porsches and a white Lamborghini that was very nice, but I wasn't allowed to touch it. Also I sat in THE Delorean. My all-time favourite movie car.

3. The first thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a butcher, because I liked bones and I'd get free salami when I went there. Then someone told me you have to cut up animals, so that was that. Then I saw an old war movie and wanted to fly spitfires, but 'they don't have those any more honey' so that was out. Then Indiana Jones came out and I wanted to be an archaeologist. Then I learned you'd have to study the Romans, whom I have an inexplicable hatred for. So I went for animator, but the animating was tedious. Eventually I landed on artist because it enabled me to take what I liked from those jobs and use it in creative projects. And then have art openings and get free salami.

4. I have no interest what-so-ever in going to Paris. I don't understand the whole romantic fantasy thing that people have with French stuff- I find Russian and Spanish much more sexy as languages and I'd rather holiday somewhere interesting and slightly creepy like Transylvania or Prague.

5. I have epilepsy- it's a rare variant that gives me seizures in my sleep. It's well contained, but sometimes I have weird 'wake up sweating' nightmares that are just nonsense. For this reason I cannot read/watch/subject myself to any kind of Alice in Wonderland stuff. Anything that makes no sense just fucks with my brain too much. The Mighty Boosh! Love them, they hurt my brain. I'm not an overly logical person- if you can logically prove why sausage should be a day of the week, my head will not hurt. UGH that hurts to think about- quick someone give me some logic!

6. I play acoustic steel-string guitar for a hobby- I know about 8 chords (gets me through most folk songs), I have trouble changing from G to C and I never sing in front of anyone, despite that I'm quite good. I just learned Wayfarin' Stranger.

7. To the contrary of almost everyone else in my field, I don't think the past was that cracking, and I'm thoroughly glad I was born here in the modern world where we have sanitation, electricity, freedom to vote and don't get arrested for baring our legs in public. I can't imagine anything worse that having to deal with tempertures above 15 degrees Celsius wrapped head-to-foot in 19th century clothes. Id have to be a hooker just to be allowed to wear nothing but basic underthings. Sometimes though I do like to pretend it's the 1940s- but only for an afternoon, and then I'm going to need internet and TV.

So there ya go.

The interesting thing about this is that I realised while doing it that there are huge parts of my life that I don't share with you, because this is my 'art' blog. I'd like to change that. One of the reasons I don't blog as much as I should is because I often have trouble coming up with things to say. But if I just tell you all the ~~mundane crap~~ rich woven threads of my creative journey, it'll be alot easier!

There might possibly well be definitely will be swearing. I do that alot. Like a sailor. Fact #8!

(pictures are just random things on the work table right now- couldn't have a naked post!)

International Code Flag K

2011-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Fire & Ice - salvage earrings - tribal style - kyanite spears

old fashioned - salvage necklace - moonstone chips - butterfly pendant

traveller - salvage coin earrings - found object gypsy

quiet breathing - salvage wrist cuff - vintage textiles - antique buttons

rusted vanity - salvage metal earrings - peacock tail charms

Change - Victorian tribal necklace - salvaged vintage - Buddha pendant

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And more to come...the spark has returned.

please welcome...

2011-03-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

Unlock

Dawn

Pity me Not

Stranger

And some antique pretties from Fagin's daughter...

sweet little buttons on their original card

mother of pearl buckle with fab cut steel details

green crochet buttons

Silent Sparrow

2011-03-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

December

Gray stones

Heaven and Earth
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I have been remiss in my blogging duties- I do apologise. I am very much internal at the present, riding a rollercoaster of emotions, breaking comfort zones, taking apart antiques. I'm still here. Still fighting.

Fagin's Daughter updates

2011-03-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

Inspired internet

2011-03-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

Incredible as it may seem, this photo of a kindly old soul came from a Victorian photo album found in a bin last year in the UK. the full story is here (tiny warning, some of these people are massive creepy and there is some talk that many of these shots are post-mortem.)

This kind of thing breaks my heart though, how can people just throw something like that away!? Forget 'how can you not be interested', just...it's 150 years old!!!

I don't know if any of my readers can tell me different, but there seems to be a real ambivalence toward the 19th century in the UK. I see so many shows where people poo-poo the Victorian period as 'rubbish' and will chuck things in a skip as soon as look at it. Apparently the charity donation rate is criminally low- and seriously how many times have I heard someone on Antiques Roadshow say 'oh i found it in a skip/the wife threw it out/i work at a tip and found it there.'

When I become president of the world, throwing out anything over 100 years old is immediately illegal.

my heart is flooded

2011-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

New music found this evening.

Tinkering

2011-02-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

Bought this frame at the thrift a while back, it's glass is slightly bowed, which means I can mount things behind it with a little depth, like buttons and antique trims.

Most of these little critters are bound for fagin's daughter...and I tell you, if there's one thing that's giving me satisfaction over the last week, it's photographing antique things.

jet glass mourning buttons

18th century silk fragment

French jet bracelet bars

cut steel style black glass buttons

In fact I love the photography side so much that I've done more still life collections, and will be offering them in 8X10 - trophy (previously only printed as a postcard) is already available as an 8 by 10.

Hansel & Gretel