Heart theme for Valentine's Day

Here are a few things I have made recently on a heart theme, with Valentine's Day gifts in mind.

The HANGA

The HANGA prototype

For some time I have been toying with the idea of designing brooches that you can hang your reading glasses from. In fact, also sun glasses, identity badges and anything else that my come to mind (maybe charms or ipod ear pieces?). My original idea was to incorporate a hanging ring into the brooch design but so far I have been unable to source any suitable solid metal (rather than plated) rings here in New Zealand. The only suitable ones I have found, from America, are not viable due to the excessive postage costs.

Keen to try out the idea, as feedback from initial discussions with several people has been very positive, I made my first prototype last month (around 15 August) purely from polymer clay. I have road tested it as a brooch, for both functionality and feedback, at the last few events that I have done. The comments have been encouraging and I have already had a couple of potential orders, so I intend to make some for this years Christmas markets. It seems quite strong and durable just being made from polymer clay – and most importantly, it works. I have used my only pair of reading glasses and they have not fallen off!

Several people have said that they do not wear brooches but would love one as a pendant, so I was considering making some of each. I want to have a wide range of colours and designs but it is inevitable that I will not have the right one available in the brooch or pendant form. Then I remembered having seen and managed to track down a 2 in 1 finding – it is a brooch pin with a bail soldered on. This means I only have to make one type. I have ordered some of these findings to try out (from Australia) and am keeping my fingers crossed that they arrive in time for me to complete the pieces I have started for the forthcoming markets.

I have spent the last few days trying to think of a name for this ‘brooch/pendant to hang your reading glasses, sun glasses or identity badge from’. Every name Colin and I came up with already existed, as some other object. The only name that did not, was the very first one I thought of – HANGA. I thought of this because it is a brooch/pendant on which you can ‘hang a’ pair of glasses, badge or other item. The name is short and catchy but not too tacky.

Also, co-incidentally, when I looked in the The Reed Dictionary of Modern Maori at work, 'hanga' can be translated as 'build, create, transform, make, compose, construct, generate, shape'. I may need to seek further clarification of this but it is better than 'hango' which is 'shovel'. Whilst an appropriate Maori translation is not essential, as I am making these in New Zealand, an affinity would be good. [I will post some more definitions of 'hanga', when I have completed my research].

So it looks like the Hanga Brooch/Pendant will be the name for my latest creation.

A Review of August 2009

This month has been a bit frustrating, as I have been unable to finish anything. I have now got plenty of FP sticks and other bits and pieces to experiment with and have made a few trial pieces. Unfortunately, I have had to wait over two weeks (due to incompetant couriers) to get the Envirotex Lite for the finishing coat, which I did yesterday. I checked it tonight and it has all set nice and hard and smooth. It really does make the Friendly Plastic look like glass.

SORRY, NO PHOTOS (I forgot to photograph them before they were sold). The pendants are fine but the small pictures will need another coat. I have found that if you make larger pieces of FP, they tend to curl up at the edges and even the E6000 glue will not hold it down - consequently some bits are protruding through the layer of Envirotex Lite. We will be away next weekend, which is why I am writing this now, so it will be two weeks before they get a second coat and are complete (I need to do it on a weekend in daylight, as the lighting here is too poor in the evenings).

In fact, even the small 'mosaic' pieces I made have curved slightly at the edges. They were fine when I first made them but have been waiting around for a month or so to be glued. When I start the big round mirror, I must glue the pieces on to the frame within a few days of making them.

Despite the frustrations of the month, I have also had inspiration - I now know what I want to concentrate on making with FP for the immediate future. It was on 13th August that I first had the idea of 'Art-Brooches' - a small, one-off piece of art that can be worn as a brooch, but when not being worn, fits into a frame so it can be hung on the wall or displayed on a stand. I have been busy planning and starting some designs but do not want to say anymore at the moment until I have actually made some trial pieces. Hopefully, in September I can concentrate on the idea more - as well as finding time to create my entry for the 'Surf and Sand Design Challenge'.

My order has arrived

When I got home from work yesterday, my second order from Rarebird Ltd was waiting for me - I just could not wait to play!

Now, I have so many different coloured sticks of FP, I am 'hyper' with excitement and have no excuse for not making anything. I tried the 'Heat Buddy' heat gun that I had ordered - it worked really well and was so quiet. I was able to soften the Friendly Plastic without causing bubbles, which is what happened with my old heat gun (it seemed to get too hot even though I kept moving it about). I am pleased about this because I was not sure if I was just duplicating something I already had.

I ended up working all evening (and thoroughly enjoying myself), creating four pendants, to use the different shaped pendant bases that I had. In particular, I practiced making inlays with cutters. I am curious to see how they turn out when they receive a final coat of Envirotex Lite and will then post a photo.

I managed to find two companies in New Zealand that stock Envirotex Lite and ordered some from one, last week, but I am still waiting for it to arrive. I hope it comes in time for the weekend, so I can finish the pendants and also coat the pieces in my small 'mosaic' design.