Deland, Prizes & Statement Necklace Production 4/4/17
Hello Friends!
It's great to see you again~ Today's post is an attempt to show you what's been going on on my work bench the last couple of weeks.
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| March 2017 was a good month for TTE Designs |
Two weekends ago I was at the Deland [FL] Outdoor Art Fest. A pleasant show in a nice venue, although sales were pretty slow for me and most of those around me
[The large tree of life wall hanger people across from me sold only one thing on Saturday-the wood worker next to me sold not one thing on Sunday] .
I did have the good fortune to win an honorable mention for my jewelry which was extremely nice and it came with a cash prize which helped offset some of the lack of sales.
Interestingly, the sales that I did have came mainly from what I call my 'statement' category, the big pieces you create that are showy and that I do for the judges and to show my range of skills.
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| 40 of these babies |
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| Playing around with the discs |
While I had slow time at the Deland show I hand cut, filed and sanded about 40 metal ovals for bracelets like the pictures you see above.
Well, 40 was way more than I actually needed. Unfortunately that tin was dented, a bit rusty and far from pristine. Many of the discs were more scarred up than I normally like to use.
Fast forward to yesterday. I have been working the past two weeks on creating some new statement pieces to fill the void before my big event in St. Augustine this coming weekend.
I had made several bright springtime pieces [which you can see below].
Yesterday I was playing around. I hated to waste the work that went into cutting and shaping them so I thought perhaps I would alter them in some way, but I had no plan what so ever.
"O well" moment #1
I decided to emboss the ovals and sand the surfaces. That would help to blend in many of the scars and scratches on the tin.
As luck would have it, I loaded the embossing plate backwards and the design was recessed instead of projected outward I had wanted.
"Oh well" moment #2, I'll sand them anyway. Maybe I can make it work."Oh well moment #3, I'm not loving this. :-( What if I can add color to the discs with alcohol ink in sort of an ombre' [light to dark] scheme?
OK, liking these colors, now to attach them.
The usual jump ring links were weird and too floppy. :-(
...So what if I rivet them instead?
OK, like the look of this but there is an odd space between two of them. try and rivet a flattened 'floral look' bead cap there as an accent and also hid the odd spot.
OK so how do I finish it off? Add the chain and clasp at the front, so that it becomes part of the design and not just an afterthought.
Voila!
I absolutely ADORE this!
Sometimes the serendipity of free style creating can be the perfect storm.
What do you think?
Here are the other statement pieces I have made in the past two weeks. Let me know your feedback, maybe your favorite one? I always take your comments to heart.
Have a great week and if you are in St. Augustine, FL this weekend [4-8/9-17] please stop by the Old Town Art Show and see me.
Warm Regards,
Tammie
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| Cobalt and Beach |
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| Abstract washer style discs with vintage Monet chain accents |
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| Segmented with moving panels and floating dangles |
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| Flirty and feminine, soft turquoise hangs from a silver plated neck wire |
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| Rich coral pink with quatrefoil motif. Vintage rope chain and custom tin and resin clasp created just for this piece. |
Tammie, these are awesome - such neat creativity. Where do you ever find all these tins? The scale of the designs on the tin pieces really works....and all those colors!!! Your set-up really must catch people's eye. Well done:)
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara! I appreciate your very kind compliments. Some of the tins are 'natural'/ the original colors, and some are created using alcohol inks, Vintaj metal patinas and embossing plates. I try not to waste any! :-)
DeleteI saw your article in Belle Amoire! I love your necklaces. I thought you used a punch. You do an impressive job hand cutting.
ReplyDeleteI have a punch for smaller circles, anything else is done with a template. Many of these necklaces needed something other than 1in circles, so I had to adapt. Thanks for your lovely comment. :-)
DeleteOh, Tammie!!! All these pieces are really amazing. Your work is so fabulous. I had no idea that you hand-cut (with a saw?) all the tin. I thought you were using a punch of some sort. I already had so much respect for what you've been doing, but you just totally raised the bar in my eyes. Wow!! Here's hoping the show this weekend goes much better. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Hope, you're too sweet.
DeleteI do have a round punch and that works well for anything up to 1in. diameter, but anything else larger, or other shapes- is cut by hand, using a template, sharpie and various tin snips.
ALL really cool pieces! GREAT JOB!
ReplyDelete