Dogwood blossoms and Employee of the Month

This week among other things, I was able to cast another pewter hair comb featuring dogwood blossoms (one of my favourites!) with their unusually curled petals. I'm pairing it with a single dogwood bud on a light chain. I think the buds look like tiny presents! Dogwood, magnolia and pine trees always remind me of the brief time I lived in Georgia.

It's important to note that none of my waxes would ever find themselves in durable metal form without the help of my hardworking equipment! As such, I'm launching a segment called Employee of the Month, in which one of my non-human shop mates gets his day in the limelight. March goes to my lovely burnout kiln, without whom nothing would have been made this month. Congratulations Val!







Tea Rose Hair Comb

Anyone with a summer wedding coming up? This is what I've been working on this week with summer on the brain. Tea roses are fresh and fragrant and tousled, the complete opposite of the long stemmed, tightly curled Valentine's Day variety. And sculpting them, though time consuming, is very rewarding. I'm hoping to replicate this comb in a pinky bronze which I think would be lovely and romantic for a vintage inspired wedding.

Like all the combs I've been working on lately, this one could be quite easily fitted with a veil. The pendant in the picture is my Trillium Necklace in recycled pewter on a silver-filled chain. I like understated jewelry...no rhinestones please :)

Eco-friendly Cherry Blossom Bridal Set

Cherry Blossoms have been a bit overdone I'll admit. But there is something so appealing about the little curled petals and twiggy stamens that people in every craft medium have at some point felt the need to feature them, despite the overwhelming availability of mass produced blossom charms, fabric and prints. I submit to you yet another attempt!

I'm interested in creating adaptable bridalwear, suitable for use after the wedding for special occasions or anniversaries.

What makes this set eco-friendly? The blossoms are cast in pewter upcycled from old beer steins! So if you're ecologically minded, or just plain like beer, any of these pieces would make a great addition to your collection. 

Lastly, I wanted to give this set some character with a beautiful antiqued finish. The stamens are dusted with gold leaf to resemble pollen!

Hand-painted pewter butterfly clip

This is a follow up to the last post in which I mentioned painting the pewter butterflies. This is a lovely peacock butterfly which I plan on pairing with a cabbage white and a holly blue as a set in my etsy shop.

I love the look of painted metal myself, but am more than happy to offer any of my designs unpainted for more traditional girls.

Happy spring to all!

A new line in the works...

Working out the kinks in my new casting studio has taken a considerable amount of patience and effort, but here is a glimpse at what's "flying" out of the flask these days :)

No real butterflies were incinerated in the making of these future hair ornaments! I sculpted each and every one of them in wax down to the last fiddly antenna and cast them in nice durable pewter.

I plan on keeping some plain and painting some realistically to create headpieces for all the spring and summer weddings coming up. Maybe wearing them will help counteract the wedding day "butterflies in your stomach"!