Photos, Afflecks, and Vino

Hello,

I’ve been away and a little busy. Life seems to have a way of keeping me busy.

What have I been up to then?

My wonderful friend Daniel Mee, who is a fantastic photographer decided to go and have a little fun in and around the Northern Quarter Manchester, including the fabulous Affleck’s Palace (which is an emporium of the weird, wonderful and totally unique) and have ourselves a little photo shoot, as a mock run for further planned shoots for my website and collections. Daniel took photography up only in the recent past, but in my opinion he is fantastic. Here are some of the results.

 The hair is my favorite!

 Its Tea, in case you were wondering!

By the Sea

Hello.

I’ve been a busy little bee, meeting lots of lovely crafters including Charlotte Nash of www.littlebeauties.co.uk and making lots of new things, including a few new ranges for summer, ‘By the Sea’ who doesn’t want to be by the sea in summer, I know I do! And I’ve been working on my website, which although is still a work in progress is looking a lot better than it did a week ago!

You can find it here www.handmadebyesmae.com and you can buy lots of lovely jewels there.

I know a lot of ladies already have beautiful jewellery, but sometimes it can become a little dated or damaged. I can rework vintage and modern pieces for a whole new look. I have a several commissions at the moment, a beautiful Lola Rose three strand bracelet that I am reworking in to a statement bib necklace. It’s still a work in progress but I shall be sure to post the finished photos. A big logo necklace that I am quite excited about as it’s a whole new style for me, cuff links, and some cute daisy earrings.

For all the Worsley, Walkden locals I have a small selection of my jewellery on display in Liberties Hair design Walkden, Manchester Road.

I also have an upcoming craft fair in Bolton, at the old Tommy Balls on Saturday 23^rd June. 10-4 please do come a along.

Back to work for me, those designs won’t make themselves!

Esmae x

Craft Fair Smithills 09th June 2012

Craft fair Saturday 09th June 2012
You will be able to find Handmade By Esmae at:

Looking forward to it, and looking forward to seeing you there. I will have lots of lovely gorgeousness for sale!

Esmae x

Diary of a Looker

I found this poem that was written about me whilst I was travelling around Europe many summers ago... More details tomorrow.

Diary of a Looker

My Girlfriend, isn’t like most other girls.

She likes poking and searching, looking,

and by looking I mean that she stares and squats and thinks until she thinks that she understands what she is looking at.

And what she is looking at is usually something slimy or beastly or floppy or frantic things that little boys like to catch and squeeze and poke and,

finally,

put in a jar,

consigned to long slow death.

But my girlfriend isn’t a ten year old boy, she is a twenty-six year old girl and she watches and stares until she understands. Most other girls skip by merrily these dirty scurrying things,

else they are too absorbed in staying away from them,

putting barriers between them and the cracks and the crannies the beasts inhabit.

Not so our Alex she looks.

This is Mike writting the poem, and me looking in cracks and crannies for beastly things. I didn't know he was writting this at the time! I thought the paper this was written on was long gone, but in my organisation and tidying up, and preparation of my studio, and workshop (which is what I've been doing and where I have been) I have found lots of things that I had presumed lost. And I remember that I am blessed.

More soon

Esmae x

More Florals

I’ve been busy and away making things. The lovely and a little bonkers (in a good way) Denise Lawn of Wedding Day Silver has been training me to be one of the designers for her company. I had already tried a little experimentation with flowers and leaves but the techniques I learned have definably improved my skills as an artisan and a designer. I also made a new friend in the name of Amanda, she and her husband made me lovely steak dinner, yum. Amanda took me on a little adventure to show me all her beads… the organisation was amazing. She also showed me the beautiful Emerald that was a wedding present from her father… I am a little clumsy at the best of times and after a few glasses of wine not the best time for me to be holding precious stones, so yes you guessed it I dropped it! I then spent the next 15 minutes on my hands and knees looking for it going ‘oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, I’m so sorry!’ Amanda and Chris were very calm and not their feather not even remotely ruffled. I think they liked the entertainment! I did find the Emerald and very swiftly gave it back to Amanda for safe keeping! Chris also fed me with enough rose wine for me nearly, just nearly locked out of my hotel as I didn’t have my keys and the reception closed at 11pm… a quick phone was made and they kindly waited for me! 

So here are some pictures of my new work and more will be coming soon.

There will be more soon and a new blog of jewellery making challenges!

More soon Esmae x

Look At This Beauty

I have created this wondrous fabulous flower (oops I actually copied it from nature) from a real miniature daffodil from my mother’s garden. As the original flower came from my mothers garden and as when you pick a daffodil it never flowers again, my mum has laid claim to this for her self as a birthday present. I’m pretty sure that makes quite a few little presents she has had off me but I’ll let her off (just this once).

So to create this, I took the real flower from the garden and using silver clay and a very time consuming delicate process which had many stages and took a fair bit of time and patience I created a the exact copy.

I  have attached a bail at the back so it can be worn as a pendant, it could also be worn as a brooch and with a matching pair it could be worn as earrings.

I am very happy with the final result, and as this was my first attempt at something of this nature I think it turned out very well. It was a little practice for one of my future ventures in to wedding flower jewellery so brides can keep a memento of their bridal flowers. More about that soon…

Esmae x

Earring Crazy and Good Advice

I've been going a little bit earring crazy recently. I recieved some good advice. In fact this week I have received lots of good advice. Some of the pearls of wisdom that my older brother shared with me on a accidental meeting on a long bus journey home from town, included such information as if you have the opportunity as save some of your money every month then in ten years time you will be able to create your own destiny and make your own decisions with out your pay check being your boss. Very good and wise advice, put far more eloquently by him. Unfortunately to heed this would seriously reduce ones social life and hinder the ‘now I’ve got a kiln I want a holiday fund’. No only kidding, good advice and I will follow it. Other advice shared was don’t worry so much, and in the words of our Dad ‘Let life unfold’, which is very good advice indeed. Then we moved on to more philosophic notions such as the secret of life, that however is I believe a book. Or perhaps several of them. However the advice that was pertinent to jewellery making (see we got there eventually) was ‘make in set’s’. This basically means make in sets! Haha! I.e. earrings, bracelet, necklace, brooch. That kind of thing. 

As my design process is very chaotic and sometimes untidy, (you should see the beading corn of my living room) this is not something that I usually do.  As I have several craft fair coming up I thought I would match up some sets to other pieces of jewellery that I have made. Here are the results.

 Sweet little freshwater pearl and sterling silver.

 Carved mother of pearl, smoky quartz, and sterling silver.

 Howlite and sterling silver.

Carved rose quartz, moonstone and sterling silver.

 The above earrings match this necklace, with large freshwater pearls.

Rose quartz, crystal, and sterling silver.

As you can see I went a little earring crazy. Some of these items are available in my etsy shop right now and if they aren't they will be soon.

Esmae x

I've Bought A Kiln

I've splashed out and bought a kiln.

I've been toying around with idea for ages and I've taken the plunge and bought one! It is a brand new R9 - Mini Kiln purchased from my favourite place, eBay of course. It was a bargain and hopefully it will work not only to fire clay, but heat my workshop. Which is not as yet up and running but will be by the end of summer (when it gets cold and needs heating)!

The kiln is a very basic beginners kiln, with manual temperature control which is a hole with a cover on the top, and needs to be placed on a ceramic surface with good air clearance all around. I really wanted a high tech number with digital temperature control, and programable firing shedule but at present with all the other outgoings of a fledgling jewellery business this is just not possible.

Adventures with Silver Clay, Sterling Silver and Pickle!

Fine Silver Earrings

Look!

At these beautiful earrings! They are my first attempt at a stud and butterfly style earring using silver clay, and sterling silver post and butterfly.

First I cut the two hearts out of silver clay, at the same time I made my little roses. When they were both dry I sanded and finished them to smooth out any lumps and bumps. Then using a little silver clay paste I stuck the rose in the centre of the heart. When this had dried I attached the sterling silver post to the back of the earring again using silver clay paste. When totally dry, in this case after placing them on a radiator, on top of playing card for 24 hours (very hi-tech) I checked the earrings and fired them. 

It was quite an adventure for me as I have to use pickle to quench the piece as sterling silver develops fire scale when it is fired. I used a home made version which I found from here...

Silver Clay is created from old medical devices (urgh doesn’t sound quite so glamorous now) such as film X-Rays and the tiny particles of silver are mixed with an organic binder which is burned off during firing, the molecules of silver then ‘stick’ to one another creating a piece of solid fine silver. Fine silver when fired doesn’t develop fire scale (metal discolouration due the oxidisation of copper in sterling silver) so until this project I have never had to use pickle before.
In all honesty it was far less complicated than I ever thought it.

After I had fired the completed piece, and pickled it, I then rinsed it with tap water, dried it and then burnished and polished it as I would any silver clay piece. On these earrings I decided that I would leave the flat heart shape in a brushed metal finish and then highlight the rose detail with an agate burnisher making it shine.

As these were the first experinment, and are not quite perfect (but I like that) I'm keeping these!

Stall At Chorlton Vintage Fair May and June

Well after lots of emails and trying to get a stall at various places I have a confirmed booking! At Chorlton Vintage & Craft Fair! Handmade By Esmae is booked for the first Saturday of May and June which are 5th May and 2nd June 2012.

I will be selling made handmade jewellery, but as it is a vintage fair I will be unveiling my new range of vintage up-cycled jewellery! This is a small and unique range of jewellery made from unloved bit of vintage jewellery given new life with a wave of the magic wand (pliers) of Esmae. I will be also selling a small range of vintage dresses and accessories. Pictures will follow soon.
Chorlton Vintage & Craft Fair is held every Saturday 12-5pm at the Beech Inn, Beach Lane, Chorlton, Manchester.

Its been a while...

Well it's been a while since I was here, and in that time what have I been doing?
I attended the Lizzie Mars Vintage Tea Party at the Farmers Arms in Heskin. A very nice pub, outdoor area with a real fire! I didn't eat (I was mainly suppin') but the food smelt divine. The Lizzie Mars girls raised some money for Derian House Childrens Hospice which is local to the area, with a raffle, bingo, and some other pub games.
I took a selection of my jewellery and sold a few bracelets, I had to stand in front of a lot of ladies and give a little speech about my work. This was unexpected thus I was not prepared for it, I was a little nervous and I had very little dutch courage at that point in the evening so to say my speech was a little bit rushed would be an understatement.

I've also climbed a small mountain. Mount Famine in the Peak District, been on a little pamper day with my Mum for Mothers Day, and made this little creation.

Made from an old vintage brooch I came across, some vintage faux pearls, and some gold organza ribbon. It’s photographed on a maroon vintage red leather jewellery box. That is marked as originally for a simulated pearl choker, which is in the shape of a clam shell! Genius!
More soon
Esmae x

Bling Bling Who's There?

Tiara,

Tiara who?

Tiara you want one too?

Shocking I know, and moving swiftly on…

In a brief interlude of none stock making for my various craft fairs, and shops, and whilst waiting for bead stock to arrive I thought I would have a little creative play with some very fine wire and some glass beads that I had knocking about. I’ve not done very much wire work, in fact none before. Unless you count messing around trying to make rings out my Dad’s lead solder when I was about ten (hmmm… lead poisoning, perhaps that would explain a lot).  So after sticking some loose beads on a bit or wire and twisting, a little thought popped in to my head. Moira from Lizzie Mars had asked me if I made tiaras. The answer to that question was no, but it in my little (taking over the living room) box of tricks I had  some white satin covered head bands so I thought I would give it ago. And here are the results. I must say I am quite pleased with them.

 The bag of loose beads I had laying around coordinated beautifully with the fine wire (which I got from the bargain bucket for 50p from The Bead Shop in Affleck’s Palace Manchester). Almost a little too much coincidence, but some might say there is no such thing, only fate. Either way I really like my beaded tiaras and I hope you do too.

Launch Day!!!

Yesterday I launched in a fabulous little boutique style shop tucked away in the ye olde world of St Andrew’s Court Bolton Lancashire. LIZZIE MARS run by the fabulous Moira and Lizzie. I not yet had the pleasure to meet Lizzie, but the wonderful Moira has agreed to stock and display a range of my vintage style Jewellery.

I couldn’t be more excited as LIZZIE MARS sells the most lovely, cute, home wares and gifts and I will be attending a LIZZIE MARS vintage tea party on the 15^th of March. I believe this involves a cosy evening in a country pub, with cup cakes and the possibility of something more along the lines of Long Island Iced Tea rather than English tea. 

Welcome and Hello

Welcome to Handmade By Esmae and thankyou for reading.
This obviously is my first post so I'll start by telling you a little bit about myself.
I started making jewellery around about September/October last year. What started as a hobby to pass time on dateless cold winter evenings and get some long since stemed creative juices flowing turned into a full time beading addiction.
I've always been a little bit creative and have tried my hand at many things such as textiles, hand and machine embroidery, sewing, fashion design, and I have a love of all things old and vintage. In fact I am happiest when trawling through a disorganised shabby shop looking for treasure.
Today I went on a little adventure with my Mother to
a) See my Grandma (who is 103!)
b) Go shopping
c) Drink some cocktails.
Quite a good plan for an afternoon.
After a little detour to the charity shops in my Grandma's area I came across the most faboulous vintage find.
A vintage Harrods little black silk taffeta off the shoulder peplum dress, with pleated detail on the peplum and the shoulder. Divine. Couldn't have fitted better. And and absolute bargain at twenty-five English pounds. I'll take it and run thankyou very much.
After a bus ride some more shopping, tea, and a quick snack break, I hit another charity shop and came across a 1977 Technics RS-631 (totally old school tape deck and record player) complete with its orginal made to measure cabinet. Oh it brought back memories of one my Dad brought home for me a long time ago, thus I had to have it. I have just a few small problems to iron out... no speakers, and driving belt and the needle on the record player are broken, and its not been PAT tested so tomorrow I'll ring them and see if I can make it mine... all mine!
After all this excitement (for me anyway... my Mother was looking at me like a crazy person) we headed to a little bar called Harvey's and had a couple of Kir Royale's and a Spanish Meze. A very nice end to the afternoon.