Just a small post today, to confess a strange obsession I seemed to have developed, more of a compulsion really! A long time ago I was commissioned to make a hair barrette of three Tudor Roses for a customer for her wedding. Before the person decided to not see through her order or indeed contact me ever again, she made a point of saying that as a history student it was very important to her that the roses were realistically accurate. Although I am nowhere near as bad as that and understand that the Tudor Rose and indeed any Heraldic roses were presented in many different ways throughout history, there is one aspect I can't seem to shake myself free of.....they come in FIVES! Five petals on each layer, five leaves in between - FIVES! The result of this is that not only will I spend hours on Etsy and Ebay looking for flowers and findings that have five petals and reject any that don't, I will also grab anything that does have five petals regardless of what it is! I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to my friend Rachael for seizing her children's stencil from her kitchen (and as yet not returning it) just because it had a five petalled flower on it! I will even snip out the superfluous petal on six fold findings and close up the gap with pliers - I admit it I need help!'Irrespective of the subject I will make it apply'- 'Count in Fives' The Horrors.Paula x
Well this Flickr group has been totally floating my boat this week! http://www.flickr.com/groups/vintage_inspired_studios/pool/ It has got me thinking about the importance of creating a harmonious space in which to work. Before I started demolishing and rebuilding my house from the inside, the only important thing seemed to be space itself, I had been so long without it I just wanted to be able to move. Now I have my wonderful loft and I am settling into the space, adding my treasured possesions, things that look or feel nice, things that evoke my memories and might just come in useful.It is now very obvious to me that I draw more inspiration from the things within my reach and the space they are in much more than I realised. Yes I look to nature and the wider world for inspiration but it does not belong to me and isn't constant. William Holman Hunt nearly froze himself to death trying to capture the full moon's glow in the desert for 'The Light of The World'. The Pre Raphaelites worship of nature's truth meant also being a slave to it, the light, the weather, the physical limitations of temperature. (Anyone who has ever tried to photograph stuff for sale online in a UK winter will be only too aware of that!). Nature's free will is the obvious attraction for artists - to capture the moments, but for those of us who can't always pick our moments it is nice to have things stay where they were left until we need them! I have a bad memory and a cluttered life and an uncluttered space in at least one area of my home means that I can place a button on top of a piece of fabric that occurred to me would be a nice combination, and know it will still be there to remind me when I next get back to work.The spaces presented in this flickr group and others like it take the idea to it's logical conclusion. Many makers show in their pictures that they are inspired, not just by their materials but by their storage ideas, their furniture, the colours they choose for their decor. Why use a cardboard box or plastic bag when a pretty glass bowl sets those buttons off so much better!? The philosophy seems sound, create a sense of self in all things that surround you and your work and it is impossible to create anything that isn't loved, personal, handmade. This is the business we are in after all- do you think a vintage letterpress tray is tax deductable? :)You can see the rest of the pics I've uploaded on our flickr page.Paula x
Well we don't blog very often do we? And when we do it's Tudors again! Following on from the swashing buckles post we have been included in a sumptuous Tudor treasury on Etsy. Brisingr from Norway has included my new many metalled Tudor Clips in their collection so thank you very much to them.
Also the new series of The Tudors from showtime started in the UK yesterday to continue the theme yet futher!Paula x
Just a small post today, to confess a strange obsession I seemed to have developed, more of a compulsion really! A long time ago I was commissioned to make a hair barrette of three Tudor Roses for a customer for her wedding. Before the person decided to not see through her order or indeed contact me ever again, she made a point of saying that as a history student it was very important to her that the roses were realistically accurate. 
