I signed up to participate in a Secret Santa swap which is taking place on the Australian Wandarrah Etsy team I belong to. Look what arrived in the mail – this gorgeous parcel!
When I opened it, here’s what I found inside:
Yes, it really did feel like Christmas.. and even better, a nice early Christmas! And LOOK what was inside the parcel:
Oh, how lucky am I? What totally divine Christmas ornaments, and such a beautiful key fob! The handstitching is immaculate, and these gorgeous goodies are obviously made with such love and care.
Of course, when you get a Secret Santa present, it’s just second nature to want to know who it’s from – so with a little detective work, I discovered that the creator of these handcrafted delights is Nari from Nari Design Pot!
Nari’s shop is filled with divine handmade creations – as well as these lovely Christmas ornaments, she has many other treasures.
You really should check them out – I bet there’s something there for a few people on your Christmas list! You can find Nari on FaceBook, too.
Thank you SO much, Nari – you really made my day with your thoughtfulness, and your divinely made creations. I hope your Secret Santa is as good to you as you were to me!
In 2008, we travelled to China. It was an interesting an amazing journey, and as I looked back at my photos recently, I realised that many of the things I saw have provided me with artistic inspiration.
At the time, I was silversmithing but had not yet started The Silver Forge. I spent a lot of my spare time painting Warhammer miniatures for my elder son, and he asked for his Chaos Ogre Army to be Chinese themed – which it was, as you can see from this banner!
I just loved this round window we found at the top of a khast hill climb in Yangshou, after a boatride upriver from Guilin. The exposed brick at the bottom and the grafitti all around that gorgeous window looking out onto nature are typical of the China we saw – beauty surrounded by wear and tear.
I had not thought of these beautiful old pottery pieces we found in a museum exhibit for years, but their influence is apparent when you look at my Elementals collection!
As I was discussing recently on my Facebook page, I have a fascination with manhole covers – it’s not hard to see why when you find such beauties as this one!
Travel to anywhere can provide inspiration, even just a trip down the street – and I’m glad to have seen a tiny part of China, and carried away some lovely memories, too. Xièxiè, Zhōngguó!
Vale Mick Bradley, wonderful man and photographer extraordinaire.
London: The Monument (photo Mick Bradley)
I had the pleasure and the honour of knowing Mick as the father of Morgan (my best and dearest friend since we first met in first grade nearly forty years ago) and her beautiful sisters, Elwyn and Dylan. I recall Mick first from those earlier days, a bohemian and sharply witty man who filled the room with his shine; always with a quick quip or a joke, usually with camera in hand, snapping away, capturing those fleeting moments.
Canberra, Murrumbidgee 1984 (photo Mick Bradley)
I seem to remember I was there the day this picture was taken, down by the Cotter River where Mick was camping. What an enviable ability to live life to the fullest and to just be himself he seemed to have!
London: Kew Gardens (photo Mick Bradley)
Mick was an international photographer of great repute. The Wakefield Press description of a beautiful book Mick co-created, ‘City Streets – Progessive Adelaide 75 years on’ says “His work bridges the gap between documentary and fine art photography. He was born in London, but came to Australia as a boy, and his images tell stories from our lives from the 1970s on. Mick honed his craft as a fine art printer, darkroom operator and photographer working for studios in Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and London. He has created a niche for himself in the history of South Australian photography, while his work appears in books, exhibitions and collections throughout this country and in North America and the United Kingdom.”
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (photo Mick Bradley)
Mick’s work spans decades and continents; and transcends this ordinary world, as did Mick himself. As my dear Morgan so beautifully and eloquently put it “He remains in the amazing photographs he took, in the trees, land, sky and water – in the music he loved to listen to and play, and in the people who love him.”
A Private Residence, London (photo Mick Bradley)
The world is a smaller and sadder place without him. He is remembered with so much love by so many people and he will live on in his work, and in our hearts. I can only aspire to have my life’s work bring such beauty to so many for so long, and I’m sending peace and love to all of his loved ones in my thoughts.
Sturt Highway, Australia (photo Mick Bradley)
His passing from this world makes me more aware that today is the day: “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Johnson Cheung-shing Tsang is “a Hong Kong sculptor specializing in ceramics, stainless steel sculpture and public art work. Tsang’s works mostly employ realist sculptural techniques accompanied by surrealist imagination, integrating the two elements, “human beings” and “objects”, into creative themes.”
So says Johnson’s blurb. Words, however, cannot adequately describe this body of work. It has to be seen to be believed. I strongly urge you to click on the pictures you are about to see – the links will take you to Johnson’s blog posts, giving you more detail, and more delicious images, of these stunningly beautiful pieces.
A Painful Pot – Johnson Tsang
I was blown away by ‘A Painful Pot’ – a stunning commentary on how Tsang feels about his country, made even more amazing by being able to see the process that goes into the creation of this piece.
Earth to Earth – Johnson Tsang
Earth to Earth is a result of Jonhson’s musings on life and death. You have to see this piece in its entirety – purely amazing!
Kiss of Eternity – Johnson Tsang
The beauty of a kiss and the symbol of eternity entwine to create this simple yet intricate flowing sculpture.
Breathless – Johnson Tsang
Breathless – and a little speechless – this striking bowl actually bubbles.
Humanosaur – Johnson Tsang
The humanosaur. Need I say more!
I love the humorous undertone contained in these deep and evocative pieces. I actually had to stop myself adding pictures to this blog post – I could browse through Johnson’s website from dawn to dusk! I hope I can see some of his pieces in real life some day – until now, I’ll remain inspired by these works and the beautiful and heartfelt messages behind them. Thank you, Johnson Tsang, you make the world a better and more amazing place!
Outside the Chermside Westfield Shopping Centre, there is the most fabulous art installation. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.
Each piece is a combination of beautifully sculpted metal and wonderfully colourful mosaic tiles.
These are so obviously life forms of the most unusual and exquisite type!
I see flowering gumnuts and banksia, scribbly bark and ladybeetle, all blended into these magnificent artworks.
The mystery for me is “Who?” “Who dunnit?” for nowhere could I find a plaque informing me who created these delights. I’ve searched high and low online. I even emailed the centre management team to ask – with no reply. If anyone knows, I’d be delighted to hear!!
Meanwhile, they are just there to be enjoyed. I love them, and love that they are next to a megaplex shopping centre in a tiny park with other magical creations for kids to clamber on and interact with. Whoever created these, a big bravo!!!!
I bought the most divine wooden tree puzzle from my lovely friend, Kylie, and it lives in my study where it brings me joy each day! I was inspired so much by it, that I asked Kylie how she would feel if I were to borrow her beautiful tree design for the ‘Earth’ symbol in my new Elementals range. She kindly agreed to let me! I feel honoured both that she was happy for me to use her gorgeous tree shape, and that she liked the pendant I created so much that she bought it! Below is a blog post that she wrote about it. You can read it in full over at Kylie’s Raw Toys website!
Back when I first started my little shop, I made a handful of two piece tree puzzles. I sold most of them and have not felt inclined to make more so I discontinued them. Out of the blue, I received an email from my silversmithing friend, Ruthie, from The Silver Forge, asking my permission to use the design from one of these trees she had purchased a while back for an idea she had in mind.
It’s no secret how much I adore Ruthie’s work, so as you can imagine, I was thrilled with the idea! Here is the original tree puzzle belonging to Ruthie:
And here is her finished piece.. my tree design as a stunning silver pendant!
I developed an instant crush on this pendant and decided that I neeeded to be it’s owner. The beautiful tree pendant and I are now insperable and it’s especially perfect that it features my birthstone, the peridot. Thank you so much, Ruthie, I treasure each of the beautiful creations of yours that I’m lucky enough to own – you are a rockstar!
The Mountain Kids are a fantastic brother and sister team, aged 5 and 7, who have their own great JuniorMadeIt shop on MadeIt.com.au.
I got to know of them as I have become fast online friends with their lovely mum (Kylie from Raw Toys), and after checking out their newly opened shop, Mountain Kids Creations, and the lovely goodies within, I commissioned them to make me this divine rainbow necklace.
I just love it! When I’m not wearing it, it hangs in my study and brings me joy each day!
The Mountain Family came to my place the other day, as they were interested to see what a silversmith at work looks like. It was such a pleasure to meet them in real life! I gave them a tour of my workshop and a bit of a demonstration. A few days later, and what did I find in the mail, but a lovely thank you card, and this divine bracelet.
I truly feel blessed to know such a lovely bunch of people. Do pop over and check out The Mountain Kid’s shop, and if you find yourself a little something, you’ll be helping them support the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, too. Thanks, Mountain Kids, you rock!!
My fascination with constructions in Brisbane continues! Not far from our house, and in the grounds of Flipside where my younger son and I go to learn circus skills, this divine brick chimney is all that is left of the brickworks which stood in Newmarket from 1912 to 1987. As a rare example of a load bearing chimney stack, it was allowed to survive when the Brisbane Brick Company was demolished, and is now heritage listed.
The chimney stands 50 metres tall, and when you look at it now, you can see where the opening to it has been bricked in. It is a remnant of an industry which struggled to survive in a timber-dominated building market. The brickworks was originally set up by a frustrated group of builders and architects who were unable to find good quality bricks nearby. It used the Hoffman kiln method of brick making. (If you’re interested to read more, there is a fabulous blog post on the history of Brisbane bricks here.)
(photo credit Trevor Bunning)
Mr Anderson, former Manager of Newmarket Brickworks, was the works foreman for the construction of St Andrew’s Church in Brisbane (pictured above), and he sourced the bricks from his old firm. The brickworks also supplied brick to the University of Queensland. During the war it was occupied by the Defence Force to make uniforms and other army equipment.
There are brickmakers in the distant past of my husband’s family, pioneers who came from England to Adelaide in the 1800s, and as I researched them I could only imagine what hard and yet satisfying work it must have been! I had given thought to bricklayers, but not to the people (and methods) that created the bricks themselves.
My photo doesn’t really do this beautiful chimney justice; it is a magnificent creation, built the way things used to be, with much care and attention to aesthetic detail. It was part of my inspiration for this ring, and the one below. I fell in love with this chimney the first time I laid eyes on it, although I had no idea what it was at the time, and still each time I see it it gladdens my heart.
When I first started silversmithing, I hadn’t made the connection, but I came to realise that I had become part of a family tradition of shaping metal with hammers and fire. There have been smiths in my family since the 1830s. My great-grandfather, great-great-uncle, and great-great-great-grandfather were all village blacksmiths in tiny villages in Kent and Sussex, England.
Great-Great-Uncle Bill Horton working in the forge c 1900 – Brede, Sussex, England
My grandmother, who is now 97, remembers her dad working at his forge first in Guestling Thorne, then in Icklesham, Sussex, making horseshoes and farming implements. He made the gates for Rambledown House in West Chiltington, West Sussex, where my Great-Auntie worked, which I believe may still be there.
Trivet made by Great-Granddad Robert Horton
Great-Granddad also made this gorgeous trivet (I presume for my Great-Granny), a horseshoe with little boots as the legs, which is one of my most treasured possessions.
Hook made by me
A few years ago, I did a weekend blacksmithing workshop at the railway yards in Ipswich. The first thing I smithed was this hook, and I am very proud of it. Building the forge fire using coke, maintaining it, heating the straight iron rod to red hot, and hammering it with a big hammer on a huge anvil was very exciting. I had to adjust to the idea that the metal had to be glowing red, as if you heat silver to that state, it means it’s melting! Although I got covered in black coke dust, and was pretty worn out by the end of the weekend, it was immensely satisfying and something that I mean to do again some day.
I wonder what my great-great-great-grandfather would have thought of my endeavours? I hope he would have been pleased!
