Celtic cufflinks

Phew, that's the December rush over with! I can't complain too much about being busy as that means I've got business coming in, but it has been a mad month with only 2 days off between working on pieces and manning my stand at a few craft fairs. The next few posts will be showing off what I've been working on as Christmas presents (both for others to gift and one for me to gift too) starting with one I know has already been given so there's no chance of spoiling the surprise for the recipient!

A customer came to me at the beginning of October looking to commission something as a gift for 'her beloved'. All she had was a sketch of a celtic motif that he liked, and a rough idea that either a ring or cufflinks would be worn and appreciated. As the motif was square I suggested cufflinks as a ring would have to be very wide to accommodate the full motif, and of the sketches I presented to her she chose to have the motifs split across 2 rectangles per cufflink (joined by a chain to go through the cuff).

After much experimentation the design was rolled on to a strip of silver, which was then cut, filed and emery-ed to make the individual rectangles and given a light polish.

Once two of the rectangles had been hallmarked by the Assay Office (one mark per cufflink in case the pair get separated at any point in the future) it was a 'simple' case of polishing each rectangle to a higher shine, soldering the chains in place then giving the whole cufflinks their final polish.

Fortunately the customer loved them, and I got a text from her a few days later to let me know that the recipient had too, which is always good to know! 

Clutch bag

I've been so busy over the last month I've barely had time to stop and post up pictures of what I've been working on, but here's a little taster for you...this beautiful clutch bag was made from offcuts of Duchess Satin from a dress I remodelled a while ago.

It's a fairly simple clutch bag but with a reasonable capacity (about 25cm wide, and 7cm deep at the base) and a lovely 'boat' shape. With a zip closure and adorned with a matching bow, it makes the perfect accessory for a party!

 

Present for a creative person?

I know it's always difficult to find a present for a creative friend. Do you buy them something ready made, or would they prefer to receive something they can use to make something for themself? And if the second, how do you know you're buying something that will be useful for them?

With this dilemma in mind, and having listened to people coming to my stall and commenting on how they'd like to learn to make some of the things, I have put together some 'make your own corsages' kits for the coming round of Christmas craft fairs.

Each kit contains pretty much everything you need to make 2 corsages of your own - all materials, thread and even a needle. All the recipient needs to have is a pencil, mug/glass and a pair of scissors, all of which most people are likely to have easily to hand at home!

The colour of the fabric and buttons inside the pack vary from those pictured on the front but I have coordinated so that you do get contents that will match not clash (well, I think so anyway). And the price? £5 a kit, which I think is reasonable considering what you get for that.

They're currently for sale in my Folksy shop or on my stall at forthcoming fairs