feast.

feast is stuffed.

Holey Mackerel!

Only that I thought about checking through my junk mail last night, did I stumble upon an e-mail from one Stuart Bannocks of the UK. The subject line read "Broaching Brooch or Badge", that seemed pretty harmless, so I marked it as safe and proceed to click on the link that was presented to me.

This is what was waiting for me at the other end. (Link)

Stuart has been making a Badge a day since the 11 May 2009. About 20 days before I decided to start mine. Stuart is a designer and has no jewellery experience despite the fact he went to a school in the uk called Goldsmiths (apparently they don't even have jewellery as a subject - how cool is that).

Now for the moment, I feel like I'm in a bit of a non place. This guys stuff rocks. It smacks of character and awesome ideas. Truthfully I feel a little inadequate and gobsmacked by the whole thing.

Badge v brooch.

Stuart has been making badges, and I, have been making brooches. Is there much difference in it? Is something only something because you choose to call it that (Ruudt Peters anyone?)??

Much of what Stuart has been making are badges (round plastic covered button with prefabricated parts), but there are clearly times when he pushes the idea and medium and they no longer stay a badge but perhaps become a brooch or something else entirely.

Either way, he has started a dialogue, and who doesn't love one of those.

Check him out (link)!

103/365

103 - "cherryub" - Bought material (gold plastic christmas decorations) and Given Material (fake cherries given by the wonderful A Mi - thanks lady)

ps. I have some very scary looking little gold cherub heads sitting on my bench, what shall I do with them...

102/365

102 - "my other Brooch is a Ted Noten" - Outsourced materials/making (custom made badges bought through etsy)

Since I had no control over the making of these badges, just what was to be written on them, I was a little disappointed when I received them (all the way from the US of A) that they were not made very well. I wanted them to be so shiny and perfect, just like a Noten brooch, but alas they look a little rough around the edges (one is actually missing its plastic cover). On further consideration, i'm starting to embrace their faults, because they are nothing like a Noten brooch, and thats kind of the point.

Now these are in an Limited Edition off 11 and I'm willing to trade. What have you got worth one of these super collectable and desirable badges?

So, what do you say?

Just what I thought, you would love too.

For the Love of the Brooch

A few months ago I was approach by the lovely ladies from Studio 20/17 to curate a special satellite Christmas show for them. Feast, which is due to open in a little over 3 weeks (YIKES!) on the 20th Dec, has been a great experience and huge learning curve.

Invited participants include established and emerging jewellers from Australia and also a promising fresh crop of exciting and experimental works from New Zealander jewellers.

Two of these New Zealanders (Sharon Fitness & Lynsay Raine) have been keeping a close eye on my 365 project and in an inspired moment came up with a particularly nifty brooch idea.

"Here is a brooch that Sharon made today, after an exciting car, train, walk, bus, walk journey into work today. Inspired by the need to have your ticket ready for the transport people at every train stop. We thought you might like it."

Absolutely! Keep them coming!

I hope you are all enjoying this festive season, I've been cracking on with some pretty ugly christmas decorations as my material of choice, so look out soon for lots of gold and glittery brooches to come.

Cheers - Z

101/365

101 - Reclaimed Material (Styrofoam packing bits) and Given Material (green wooden balls) and Bought findings.

100/365

100 - "only 265 more to go - better eat my sausages and eggs" - Bought Material (plastic food, from the super chef's play set) and bought finding.

99/365

99 - Reclaimed Material (small felt pom poms) and bought cameo finding.

98/365

98 - "an eraser - for when you need to erase things" - Reclaimed Material (sold as a 'toy' that you can put in DIY christmas crackers - "wow what did you get in your bonbon? an eraser?! COOL") and a bought finding.

97/365

97 - Reclaimed Material (cut from the cardboard packaging of christmas decorations) and Bought finding.

96/365

96 - Reclaimed Material (plastic cocktail things that sit on the edge of your cup) and a bought finding.

95/365

95 - Reclaimed Material (the cardboard bits left over when you punch out a hole - these ones came from rolls of christmas ribbon) and bought finding.

94/365

94 - "U-G-L-Y" - Found Material (orange plastic string), Epoxy Resin and bought finding.

NB. This is really really ugly.

93/365

93 - Found Material (piece of really beat up plastic - found while on a road trip with Albert and Mark) and bought finding (couldn't resist the gold)

92/365

92 - "stay gold, ponyboy, stay white gold" - Bought Material (acrylic sign), Stainless Steel and Aluminum.

91/365

91 - "Homage to David Neale" - Bought Material (papermache reindeer (20cm)) and Stainless Steel

Sorry for all these weird homages - but sometimes one must tip ones hat in the direction of perfection.

90/365

90 - "Orange she lovely?" - Bought material (plastic fake fruit) and Cameo Finding

89/365

89 - "A homage to Maria Hees Circa 1978" - Bought Material (black plastic hair comb)

88/365

88 - Found Material (piece from a jigsaw puzzle found at the train station) and Bought finding

87/365

87 - Reclaimed Material (dish washing scourer) and Stainless Steel

86/365

86 - Given Material (once again from the awesome kristin - i love receiving new materials (hint hint) - plastic tray from a chocolate container) and Stainless steel and Aluminum. 

85/365

85 - Given Material (painted wooded balls in the best green in the world - Thanks again kristin) and bought finding 

ps. there will be more little green ball brooches to come - they just haven't been finished - man I LOVE THIS GREEN!

84/365

84 - A Homage to M. Young - Given Material (plastic strand of pearl pink beads from the very lovely Kristin D'Agostino, as well as another strand of wood? beads from my grandmother) and stainless steel 

83/365

83 - Bought Material (plastic blue fly swat), stainless steel and aluminum

82/365

82 - Given Material (plastic spool given to me by my mother "Zoe could do something with that" - sorry it wasn't more inventive) and stainless steel

81/365

81 - Taken Material (plastic bits that go in the bottom of glass vases) and bought finding 

80/365

80 - 'Incase of an emergency" - Given material (a Durex given to me from a friend, who clearly thought i needed it more than she did! ha! Thanks lady!) and Stainless Steel.

79/365

79 - Found Material (plastic nozzle from a 5Lt keg of beer and the tip of a branch from a plastic pine tree) and Bought finding 

78/365

78 - Given Material (Florist wrapping that came from some flowers that were meant for my co-worker, but she had left for the week, so i got to take them home YAY) and stainless Steel. 

77/365

77 - 'last chance learner' - Found Material (the 'L' cut from a learners driving sign) and bought cameo finding.

76/365

76 - "tick tock" - Reclaimed material (the second hand from a clock that my sisters gave to me on my 14th or 15th birthday, the clock finally coming to its untimely death at the hands of my flat mate and a tennis ball) and bought finding. 

75/365

75 - "silence - making a little gesture as if turning off the radio " - Aluminum, enamel paint and stainless steel 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for the extended silence, damn internet capping, but back on board now. enjoy. 

74/365

74 - "the necklace that wanted to be a brooch" - Reclaimed material (Genuine Mother of Pearl - JAPAN necklace) and Stainless Steel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I started this project a few months ago as a way to power through the all those 'lost' moments of the recently graduated. You know the ones... they sometimes keep you up at night.... and go a little something like.... "what am I doing?... what did i just do with the last 3 years of my life??... who the hell would wear that?? you can't even wear that?? oh you're a jeweller - can you fix my diamond ring?? yeah its made out of paper.... eek!" I have a nasty suspicion that these feelings don't ever go away, sometimes they are louder and other times they are just a whisper on the wind.

It seems that this little (*cough*cough*) project has taken on a life of its own. I would never, even in my wildest dreams, have imagined that it could gain so much attention. The latest bout of blog love as been amazing if slightly daunting (these sites have so many members/visitors, eek!).

So many many many thanks must go to...

Feature Blog on the super excellent Kit & Caboodle (link) 

Post on the HCJ member Blog (link)

Post on Montserrat Lacomb's freaking awesome blog (link)

....remember if you have any spare/random materials lying around that are crying out to be made into a brooch drop me a line, as they say, nothing like a bit of fresh meat to liven things up.

Cheers. 

73/365

73 - Reclaimed material (faux gold chain) and Stainless Steel 

72/365

72 - Given Material (golden insert from a chocolate box (sans chocolate) and Plastic cherries) and bought findings.  

71/365

71 - "I think we need a bigger boat" - Found material (plastic guard from truck) and Given Material (plastic Toy Shark - Thanks MY) and Stainless Steel. 

09/08/09

09/08/09 - Found Material (feathers from a Badminton shuttlecock) and Reclaimed Material (costume brooch from my grandmother) 

08/08/09

08/08/09 - Found Material (lint collected from the washing machine) and stainless steel

07/08/09

07/08/09 - Reclaimed Material (cardboard pen (LAMY) boxes) and bought finding

06/08/09

06/08/09 - Reclaimed Material (cardboard pen (LAMY) boxes) and bought finding. 

05/08/09

05/08/09 - Reclaimed Material (cardboard pen (LAMY) boxes) and bought finding. 

04/08/09

04/08/09 - Reclaimed Material (balls of Silica-gel from a desiccant satchel) set in epoxy resin, aluminum and stainless steel.  

03/08/09

03/08/09 - 'CRA(F)T' - Found Material (plastic letters), Reclaimed Material (vintage drink coaster), Aluminum and Stainless Steel

02/08/09

02/08/09 - Found Material (bits from a plastic washing basket), Aluminum and Stainless Steel