Ephemeral Life

The Cut-Out-&-Keeps

2012-02-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

the first quote of February

2012-02-03T14:07:00.001-08:00

As one gets older one sees many more paths that could be taken. Artists sense within their own work that kind of swelling of possibilities, which may seem a freedom or a confusion.Jasper JohnsRead more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jasper_johns.html#ixzz1lMKMN62g

tweeting

2012-02-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Have given in yet again to 21st century living and signed up with Twitter,just added a convenient button to press should anyone be interested in following although really this blog does that anyhow.Seems more and more time is spent in virtual environments. Its great fun but can be addictive so will really have to watch myself or no work will ever get done.Flip side is if I do loads of work no blogging or social mediarization (spell check doesn't like that last word)gets done. Other problem is you have to blog etc to advertise to hopefully attract some sales but what I live to do is make art and the social media band wagon totally gets in the way of creating.Its such a difficult juggling act especially when an ordinary day job has to be fitted in too plus housework and family demands. I know most other artists/crafts people must have this same problem. answer on a post card please, or a Twitter if you have the time!

Women and Jewelry - The Spiritual Dimensions of Ornamentation

2012-01-29T03:01:00.000-08:00

Women and Jewelry - The Spiritual Dimensions of Ornamentation

2012-01-26T03:13:00.000-08:00

Just joined pinterest,it seems really good. It works like a pin board you can have and name lots of pin boards with different themes and add image content from the web with the use of a `pin it` button (see the site for details). You have to sign up to then wait for an invite to join which took me 4 days. Not had a really good play but it looks like a great source of inspiration. Pictures/boards and people can be followed and liked just like on other social networks.I am looking forward to exploring and putting some interesting boards together,think it could waste rather more time than I can afford but it look such good fun!

Pablo Picass quote

2012-01-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

“The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.”

How very true.

Colour chanding Squidarellas by SquidLondon | Indie Quarter Blog

2012-01-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Colour chanding Squidarellas by SquidLondon | Indie Quarter Blog

Doesn't time fly!

2012-01-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

I apologies in part to myself for the lack of effort with my blog posts.I couldn't believe I hadn't posted for such along time. In part I have been busy getting married,changing day jobs etc but I had also got a bit stuck with it so I have set up a new blog called `Liz Hamman Paper Jewellery` which will just be about my own work.
I am still going to keep `ephemeral Life` going but the post will be of a more general nature, featuring book art finds,flickr finds and anything else that I hope will be interesting if only to me. My New Year resolution is to try to do at least a couple of posts a month to each blog,I hope I can keep my resolution!
If you click on the `view my complete profile`at the bottom of the page it will list my new blog which will give you access to `Liz Hamman Paper Jewellery` blog.

2011-07-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

envelope pendant

2011-03-10T07:45:00.001-08:00

envelope pendant, originally uploaded by effemera.

envelope pendant

`Busy shop` Ladybird book (complete book) ISBN 1-8442-2567-4

2011-03-10T07:43:00.001-08:00

`Busy shop` Ladybird book (complete book) ISBN 1-8442-2567-4, originally uploaded by effemera.

das buch brooch

2011-02-19T05:45:00.001-08:00

das buch brooch , originally uploaded by effemera.

Origami brooch made as a commission using a German book.

blue envelope brooch

2011-02-14T03:51:00.001-08:00

blue envelope brooch, originally uploaded by effemera.

This was made for the` Winter Warmth` 2010 exhibition at the Park Gallery in Falkirk, the theme was sustainability.

burnt book necklace, side 1

2011-02-14T03:48:00.001-08:00

burnt book necklace, side 1, originally uploaded by effemera.

Made from Book pages, waxed cotton,2 wood beads.

origami envelope pendant.

2011-02-14T03:46:00.001-08:00

origami envelope pendant., originally uploaded by effemera.

Origami pendant made from airmail and business envelopes.

`Town Mouse and Country Mouse` bangle

2011-02-03T06:12:00.001-08:00

`Town Mouse and Country Mouse` bangle , originally uploaded by effemera.

Paper book bangle made from Ladybird book`Town Mouse and Country Mouse`.
ISBN No 0-7214-0856-7,
Published in1985.

The bangle was made abut a year ago and wasn't able to find it amongst the chaos that is my home until yesterday!
It is now up for sale on the website `Made by hands of Britain`

There is a feature on me and my jewellery in this months (Feb) Cheshire Life magazine and I have had several enquiries about my bangles so I was doubly motivated to find it !

The Avenger

2010-11-24T06:17:00.001-08:00

The Avenger, originally uploaded by effemera.

The Avenger
Called it the Avenger as when I had finished it it reminded me of the TV show `The Avengers`.
Not really even sure why i felt the need to give it a name, I suppose I feel quite emotionaly attached to my work while i am making it, they can feel like children being born.......odd!
Anyhow I was given some kind of thin metal,a kind of foil,possibly aluminium I think its some kind of building/roofing product .The paper used is just black and white paper in alternate layers sandwiched between the metal.

Queen Clara

2010-10-12T07:55:00.001-07:00

Queen Clara, originally uploaded by effemera.

Complete ladybird book,glued,carved,sanded,varnished

Builder Bill

2010-10-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

Builder Bill, originally uploaded by effemera.

complete ladybird book,glued carved ,sanded and varnished.

`The Chilterns` origami map necklace.

2010-09-24T02:01:00.001-07:00

`The Chilterns` origami map necklace., originally uploaded by effemera.

New necklace made from a map of the Chilterns using origami and macrame with bone,wood and glass beads and seeds (job`s tears)

`The Tree and its World`, book bangle.

2010-09-24T01:59:00.001-07:00

`The Tree and its World`, book bangle., originally uploaded by effemera.

New bangle made fom the Ladybird book `The tree and its World`.

Black letter brooch

2010-09-15T03:42:00.001-07:00

Black letter brooch, originally uploaded by effemera.

Origami brooch made be recycling envelopes.

on beyond zebra necklace

2010-08-27T08:11:00.001-07:00

on beyond zebra necklace, originally uploaded by effemera.

Between The Folds Official Trailer

2010-08-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

books and red thread

2010-08-17T06:43:00.001-07:00

books and red thread, originally uploaded by effemera.

The books at the bottom were inspiration for the nacklace.The books can be viewed in my flickr book art set.
The books used were `The rape of the lock` and other poems from a book called longer poems for the necklace and Ricochet (bottom left) and Eats Shoots and Leaves` )bottom right.
The folded books were the inspiration for the necklace, i had a theme Text,Textile and Texture,all words derived from the same latin word Texere meaning to weave or fabricate.
i also very much like the combination of red thread with book pages,plus the idea of the old riddle whats black and white and red all over!

Fox in sox,equivalent

2010-08-17T06:34:00.001-07:00

Fox in sox,equivalent, originally uploaded by effemera.

The same book done two different ways.
The bottom equivalent was actually a smaller version,it had the same number of pages and the same illustrations.

Loot 2010 Exhibition New York

2010-07-31T02:32:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to show my work at this exhibition,I am excited and still cant quite believe it!

3 childrens books

2010-07-30T15:25:00.001-07:00

3 childrens books, originally uploaded by effemera.

The necklace is made up of, ( anti clockwise starting from the left )Rapunzle,Dr Daisy and The Gingerbread Man ( run, run as fast as you can!)he was very foolish!

3 little pigs bangle

2010-07-30T15:16:00.001-07:00

3 little pigs bangle, originally uploaded by effemera.

I have vivid memories of this Ladybird book,the Big bad wolf pictures terrified me.
I actually feel sorry for him now and find the pig with the brick house rather too smug !

Great cities of the North (and Midlands) ,urban brooches

2010-07-30T15:13:00.001-07:00

Great cities of the North ,urban brooches, originally uploaded by effemera.

This is the complete set of Brooches,four of the most amazing cities of the UK, there is much more to the UK than just London.So much talent has come from the North of England and the Midlands.
I could just do with finding a map of Newcastle upon Tyne!

Liverpool brooch.

2010-07-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

Liverpool brooch., originally uploaded by effemera.

This Brooch is made from a 1969 Ordnance survey map of Liverpool.Although I was born in Manchester I spent much of my childhood with my Grandparents who lived about 10 miles away.Many of their sisters and Brothers lived arround the Liverpool area although I think one of them was actually virtualy dissowned for marrying a proper Liverpudlian! My Uncle Albert like many other people who live in the area claimed to have seen the Beatles popping into a house on the street where he lived !
I would have been 7 when this map was published and have many happy memories of staying with my Grandparents on their farm. It was a beautiful map showing many familiar places and giving me some good memories.I have saved the bit that shows my Grandparents farm so i will use that for a brooch for myself.
This brooch has been made for an exhibition to be shown as part of a set with the other city brooches.

how to cut your fabric in one piece

2010-07-16T02:37:00.001-07:00

how to cut your fabric in one piece, originally uploaded by heatherknitz.

how to cut your fabric in one piece 2

2010-07-16T02:36:00.001-07:00

how to cut your fabric in one piece 2, originally uploaded by heatherknitz.

This works for paper too for getting a long length for paper yarn.you do get nonbbles though were one cut end finishes and the next cut starts,this gives an interesting texture though which I like.

newspaper necklace detail

2010-07-16T01:49:00.001-07:00

newspaper necklace detail, originally uploaded by effemera.

Crochet done with news paper yarn.

Newspaper yarn

2010-07-16T01:33:00.000-07:00

An article on how to make yarn from newspaper.I have tried this myself but not using a drop spindle.I spent ages twisting the paper by hand and I also tried using an old fashioned hand drill and a clamp to hold the other end of the paper.This did work to some extent but I only managed to get a maximum of about 2 feet in length.It was just about enough to crochet some small beads for a necklace that I made a couple of years ago,will post a pic from my flickr photo stream. When I get chance I will have another go as i was pleased with the result.Incase the title doesnt connect to the link here is the address.
http://greenupgrader.com/2138/handspun-recycled-newspaper-yarn/

Book necklace

2010-07-08T06:43:00.001-07:00

Book necklace, originally uploaded by effemera.

I felt it was fair to give credit to the original author,illustrator and publisher of this childrens book by using the Isbn number from the back of the book to form part of the closure.Hopefully if someone buys the necklace they will have the fun of looking up the isbn,buy the book and then read it to their children or grandchildren etc.
The necklace has been made for the Loot exhibition in New York in October.
The necklace is made from a complete book strung in page order and as it would be read i.e.from left to right. It took a long time to do and is made up of around 7000 circles.

combustion bangle

2010-07-08T06:34:00.001-07:00

combustion bangle, originally uploaded by effemera.

Combustion Bangle, AA book of the car,burnt.
Kind of a complete mini history of the development of man all in a bangle !

music necklace

2010-06-30T05:06:00.001-07:00

music necklace, originally uploaded by effemera.

A new design necklace using Music,bone and wood beads with an ivory sliding bead that makes the length adjustable.I was aiming for the idea that the bone and the wood could represent the piano keyboard,I also used some jewellery findings as beads,the metal coil leather ends as this is supposed to give the idea of possibly piano strings? !!!

heraldic necklace

2010-06-30T05:02:00.001-07:00

heraldic necklace, originally uploaded by effemera.

New necklace using a book on heraldry that a friend gave me.
I liked the idea that heraldry can be linked to family and heritage,if we value anything in our lives our family or at least mine is very high on my list of things to value,cherish and respect.
The other beads used are bone (not my ancestors!) and recycled metal as this reminded me of swords and knights which seemed to me to fit in with my theme.

Birmingham brooch

2010-06-30T04:53:00.001-07:00

birmingham brooch, originally uploaded by effemera.

I am planning on making a set of these `Urban`Brooches,this one is of Birmingham,although a bit of Wolverhampton snuck in!

Manchester Brooch

2010-06-26T13:54:00.003-07:00

Manchester Brooch, originally uploaded by effemera.

Manchester Brooch

2010-06-26T13:54:00.001-07:00

Manchester Brooch, originally uploaded by effemera.

Manchester is where I was born, St Marys Hospital,Whitworth park on the A34,the plan was to exhibit and hopefully sell but i am not sure I can actually do it,probably will never find this map again as it was an old map .I love the place where I was born and dont visit nearly enough even though I only live about 15 miles away.It might be a grey brooch but Manchester is one of the most vibrant and colourful cities in the UK its veins run red rather like the road system on the map.
I live in dread of when maps will be photographic rather like paper versions of Google Earth,I shudder at the thought

old new blue

2010-06-07T07:02:00.001-07:00

old new blue, originally uploaded by effemera.

I was asked recently if I made bridal jewellery which I dont specifically although paper is a wonderful material for the theme.
I thought this would be a good design challenge so I came up with this idea,based on `old, new, borrowed blue`.
I have used old,new and blue papers,the blue is a silk paper,it has wisps of silk running through it,the new is ivory coloured vellum and the old is recycled white tissue and old sewing patterns.I have capped the bottom off with reclaimed vintage buttons and the top with hand crocheted silver plated wire plus a bit of wispy white feather and threaded with an ivory satin ribbon.
Why eggs?....They symbolize rebirth,new begginings and of course fertility!
As for the borrowed part....... eggs are also linked with time and as we all know time is something all of us can only borrow.

eggs

2010-06-07T07:01:00.001-07:00

eggs, originally uploaded by effemera.

wild flower bead pendants

2010-05-24T03:48:00.001-07:00

wild flower bead pendants, originally uploaded by effemera.

While I was enjoying making the necklace using the wild flower book
thought I would continue and make a couple of pendants.These will be on display with the necklace and for sale at the next Moving Clay exhibition as part of the Macclesfield Barnaby festival in June at Duke`s Court Art Studios.

text bead necklace

2010-05-24T03:42:00.001-07:00

text bead necklace.3, originally uploaded by effemera.

Made as a commission,was nice as I havnt made a necklace using just the text from a book in ages.

OS map of exmoor,Croyde brooch.4

2010-05-23T15:15:00.001-07:00

OS map of exmoor,Croyde brooch.4, originally uploaded by effemera.

www.croydecycle.co.uk/mapsandguides.htm
Made as a commision for a paper wedding anniversary present,Croyde had romantic significance!

wild flower book beads

2010-05-23T14:52:00.003-07:00

wild flower book beads , originally uploaded by effemera.

wild flower book beads

2010-05-23T14:52:00.001-07:00

wild flower book beads, originally uploaded by effemera.

Necklace made using `A Field Guide in Colour to Wild Flowers`
isbn 0 7064 0474 2 1978 second edition,seeds(job`s tears),cotton and old buttons.
This necklace uses some pages from the white flowers section.I was inspired by the lovely weather this week and the sudden abundance of flowers and the birds singing,I love May!

town mouse country mouse 1

2010-04-15T12:34:00.001-07:00

town mouse country mouse 1, originally uploaded by effemera.

music manuscript bead necklace

2010-04-15T12:32:00.001-07:00

music manuscript bead necklace, originally uploaded by effemera.

Bartholomew half inch map,sheet 47,Mull and Oban.2

2010-04-15T12:31:00.001-07:00

Bartholomew half inch map,sheet 47,Mull and Oban.2, originally uploaded by effemera.

I have recently started selling some of my work online with an eco conscious company called Pure Design,these are the pieces I have for sale with them.
They have some fabulous work on show all made by designers who are eco and ethicaly conscious.I shall post more info on my favourites soon.

Made for aid

2010-04-02T03:44:00.001-07:00

Made4aid is a new project, raising money for charity through online auction of good quality, handcrafted items. The items for sale are donated by crafters and artists (amateur and professional) throughout the world or by anyone who has handmade items (new or vintage) to give. All proceeds will go to charitable work and aid organisations.

The organisation is run by volunteers and is entirely non-profit-making, with all proceeds initially being sent for relief work in the refugee camps in Darfur.

We are registered members of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, membership number 11190.

Visit the official Made4Aid website for more information.

Donating items to made4aid
Any postable handmade items - or arts and crafts supplies - can be donated and sold on made4aid to raise money for charity.

You can find more information about donating items on the made4aid website here.

Spring 2010

2010-03-30T01:50:00.001-07:00

Spring 2010, originally uploaded by Karen / Chalk Hill Studio.

Uk handmade spring 2010 online magazine is now ready.
This online magazine is fantastic,I was glued to my computer yesterday reading it.The mag is well laid out with some really interesting articles,interviews and how toos,all with great photos.
I only joined UK handmade recently but so far am really impressed.It seems to be a very vibrant network of people all creating some lovely things.and who seem eager to help and support each other.
I really do highly recommend registering with them if only to receive their wonderful magazine.

The moon, the wheel and the mirror

2010-03-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

The moon, the wheel and the mirror, originally uploaded by loumurphy.

My friend Lou Murphy took this fabulous photo,I just love it,I think that the composition is wonderful and its been taken in the place of my birth,wonderful Manchester.More of her photography and other artwork work can be viewed on her flickr site, so go to -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loumurphy/

Ask Harriete

2010-03-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

Have just been having a look at the Ask Harriete blog.It really is a mine full of information and advice for artists and crafts people.I have just spend around half and hour having a realy good read on pricing of work,copyright issues and a good article on protocol on submitting work to galleries.I really cant recommend this blog enough,its fantastic.There is a link to it on the right in my blog list.

paper bangle prototype 5

2010-03-12T15:26:00.001-08:00

paper bangle prototype 5, originally uploaded by effemera.

paper bangle prototype

2010-03-12T15:25:00.001-08:00

paper bangle prototype, originally uploaded by effemera.

A new bangle design that I came up with when i was poorly with a very nasty cold.I am pleased with it although this is just a prototype done with pretty poor quality paper that doesnt seem to stand up to the test of wearing.Last time I put it on a section dropped off,wasnt really suprised though it was the scrap book paper which comes in really nice colours but is just not very durable.
It made a nice colourful change from books and the texture of the paper was lovely,almost felt like,a bit dissapoined really but shall try again.
It is odd though how some of my favourite experiments are achieved when I am either ill or very tired,maybe its because I dont feel upto getting serious when I am not feeling great so dont put any pressure on myself to produce and just get into mindless fiddeling.

Heather Skowood

2010-02-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

monopoly brooch
I was thrilled to be contacted recently by Heather Skowood who invited me to submit an image of a piece of my work for a book on found object jewellery which is due to be published this year by Stackpole books.The piece she chose is `Monopoly brooch` which I made using origami techniques from a travel Monopoly set that i found in my loft when I was making a start on clearing out before moving house.
Heathers work is absolutely stunning,she makes Art jewellery and jewellery from recycled/found objects.I hope anyone reading this will click on the link to visit her website and blog.
I will post an image of the brooch shortly,it can also be seen at http://www.makers-online.co.uk/artist/liz-hamman, its for sale!

Paper book necklace,isbn 0-7214-1930-5 side 1

2010-02-24T08:38:00.003-08:00

Paper book necklace,isbn 0-7214-1930-5 side 1, originally uploaded by effemera.

Paper necklace,isbn 0-7214-1930-5 ladybird book

2010-02-24T08:38:00.001-08:00

Paper necklace,isbn 0-7214-1930-5 ladybird book, originally uploaded by effemera.

New necklace based on an experiment I did a while back.
Initially I intended to make a bracelet but i didnt have enough pages.
The book used is` Little yellow digger`,all the pages have been used and threaded in page order.
Other materials are seed beads,wooden beads and pewter.

amazing video

2010-02-06T04:33:00.001-08:00

Woven comic bracelet

2010-01-30T05:10:00.000-08:00

A bangle that was also made using `The Dandy`,woven with bright orange wooded beads.

comic book bead necklace

2010-01-30T04:16:00.001-08:00

comic book bead necklace, originally uploaded by effemera.

New necklace made from a `Dandy` comic book.
Its not quite finished,just need to complete the macrame cord and add a nice little red flower shaped button that I found in my button collection to use for the fastening.
Must do some photos of my buttons and post them,I bet there is a dedicted flickr button group too which I shall investigate,I love buttons!

For sale! Brooch,Bartholomew half inch map,Vale of Severn

2010-01-25T05:20:00.001-08:00

Brooch,Bartholomew half inch map,Vale of Severn, originally uploaded by effemera.

Selling online at last!
Have finaly got my self organised for online selling. Its with Makers Online who are still a fairly small company but very helpful and friendly,and organised.I have put a link to them on the top right of these blog pages.
They have a small selection of my work for sale including the Vale of Severn Brooch and Monopoly Brooch,hopefully i shall get more on the site soon.They also have a nice selection of other items,Jewellery,bags and accessorise made by other very talented Uk artists so its well worth having a look.Its also much easier to find things on their website compared to the etsy and etsy type sites,this was one of the things that appealed to me for joining.Etsy especially is now so huge that I feel my work would have been `lost`there.
Anyhow I am very excited and I must say a big thank you to the team at Makers Online who have been very helpful and very pleasant to deal with.I hope anyone reading this will now go and take a look.

PETALI mosaic

2010-01-20T08:42:00.001-08:00

PETALI mosaic, originally uploaded by frucci.

More examples of Fruccis bracelets,dont forget to look at her flickr photostream and etsy shop!

COSTCO petals BRACELET

2010-01-20T08:39:00.001-08:00

COSTCO petals BRACELET, originally uploaded by frucci.

Lovely folded bracelet by Frucci (Francesca Vitali).

vellum paper and clay bead bangle

2010-01-20T08:35:00.001-08:00

vellum paper and clay bead bangle, originally uploaded by effemera.

This paper bangle has been made hundreds of times,instructions can be found on the inernet.Its made of several folded units then each unit is joined together.For some reason I have never had a go at making one until now. This bangle is made of pretend vellum,its actually a posh printer paper but is very nice to work with.Its fairly heavy weight and holds a lovely crisp edge and comes in ivory or gold,my example uses the ivory colour with some reclaimed ceramic beads of the same colour.I also made a pendant and some earrings out of the same paper.
I have seen some lovely examples of these paper bangles on flickr made by the highly talented Francesca Vitali also known as Frucci of Frucci design ,its well woth taking a look at her other remarkable work too,she also sells on etsy.I shall post an image very soon,its going to be hard choosing though as all her work is fabulous.

November

2009-11-30T02:32:00.000-08:00

November has been an awful month, one of my oldest and dearest friends passed away,my partner faced redundancy from his job and I have had the upheaval of a full central heating installation in my new home.

I have had the chance to make a few new things some of which has featured in exhibition with `Moving Clay`,the art group I belong to. One of these items is a necklace made from the adult comic book `Viz`the contents of Viz could be described as rude,lude and politically incorrect but I find it often hilarious and given the general vibe of November its been good to have a reason to laugh.

This is one of the thoughts behind my work,the notion that although gold and diamonds are undoubtedly valuable in monetary terms the value of a good laugh when down or a map when lost surely is worth so much more.

Artists statement

2009-10-19T02:07:00.000-07:00

I have been struggling for the past week to redo my Artists statement.This has been mainly spurred on for an exhibition that I am participating in and the brochure for it needs all the artists exhibiting to provide a statement in 180 words. It has been something that I have needed to do for ages and i guess its something that will need doing again,its not I thought that I cherish.Having said that I do think that some kind of info regarding work is important.I certainly wouldn't want anyone to think that I go mindlessly folding and cutting up books just to be shocking or gimmicky.I found myself writing all weekend and it is surprisingly difficult to condense everything that interests me and inspires me regarding my work into only 180 words that doesn't make me sound pretentious or make me cringe.
I have done it though and it sounds a bit pretentious and the word "juxtaposed" that gets used make me cringe a little but I haven't found a better word yet given the context. Generally I am pleased that I have redone it and hopefully wont need to do it again for a little while,I shall have to re evaluate my statement more often though as it has made me re-evaluate my work and made me think of why I am doing the work I do.
Here it is,comments/suggestions on grammer,spelling etc welcome!

"My work has developed from my love of Sculpture, textiles and Artists Books (the book as an art form in its own right). I am inspired by geometry, growth patterns in nature and repetitive structures and processes. I like to produce work that is small, tactile and portable which is why much of my work is wearable.

Paper and especially books may not seem like the obvious choice as a material for jewellery or sculpture. I am interested in exploring the experience and structure of the book alongside the aspects of the fragility and transience of the material they are made from, juxtaposed against the longevity and value of the content recorded in them. I am interested in exploring the idea that these qualities reflect some aspects of being human. I am also attempting to question the nature of `value` in the society we live in and to remember that the end of the book isn’t necessarily the end of the story."
Liz Hamman
October 18 2009

allthingspaper

2009-10-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

I was contacted recently by a really nice lady called Ann Martin who asked me if she could use some images of my work for her blog http://allthingspaper-annmartin.blogspot.com/
As well as some of my own work you can see some wonderful work by lots of other paper artists. Ann who is also is a paper artist does some beautiful work using the technique of quilling(paper filigree).There are also some tutorials to take a look at which looked good,I certainly plan to take a closer look and have ago,thanks Ann!

rizla ring

2009-10-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

rizla ring, originally uploaded by effemera.

This image gives an idea of scale.

rizla ring

2009-10-14T15:55:00.001-07:00

rizla ring, originally uploaded by effemera.

This is one of the first pieces of work I have managed to complete since moving house.
Its made from the running out slips that are found in Rizla cigarette hand rolling paper packets. You get them to warn that there are only 10 papers left and they can come in different colours these are the blue and red ones.
I was inspired by the slogan that is printed on them that says-
"Rizla + its what you make of it".

Sustainable Jewellery

2009-09-08T04:26:00.000-07:00

Popped into my local library the other day and found a great book called `Sustainable Jewellery`by artist Julia Manheim. Its not a `how to` book,there are no projects to make but it is packed with some fabulous work done by her students and other up and coming artists,plus one or two that i was already aware of.
The chapters deal with aspects of sustainable jewellery such as The found object,conceptually recycled,the useful object and ephemeral jewellery.It is a really interesting read that of course deals with the notion of sustainability in jewellery and design in general with some great photos to compliment the text.I would recommend it,very inspirational!

moved

2009-09-08T04:16:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I have moved to my new home and am loving it even though everything is in disaray.
I have kept tabs on my tools and materials and have made sure to keep them handy and accessable so all being well I can start `making`again and very soon.

moving house

2009-08-20T03:46:00.001-07:00

Its such a shame that I havnt got time to spend on this blog at present.I am packing up to move into a new home and life has got hectic with sorting out my stuff from my present home and my partner making room in his home for me to move in.
Even worse is that i havnt had any time to make which is so frustrating. I am expecting it to be at least a month before I shall be in a position to be creating again.
I am at least hoping that I will have time to surf the net for interesting stuff to inspire me and all being well I shall post to this blog.

Butterfly in my garden

2009-08-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of photos of a butterfly in my garden taking the nectar from my Butterfly bush. I think that it is a Red Admiral or as my daughter used to call them when she was little a `Red Admirable. They are very admirable creatures,it is a good name.

Have just googled the butterfly and it is in fact a Painted lady or (Vanessa cardui).

NMNH Entomology Collections

2009-08-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

NMNH Entomology Collections

The U.S. National Entomological Collection ranks as the second largest insect collection in the world with approximately 35 million specimens including over 100,000 holotypes plus hundreds of thousands of additional paratypes and other secondary types.

Old Bess passes over Todmorden

2009-08-02T06:54:00.001-07:00

Old Bess passes over Todmorden, originally uploaded by effemera.

I rather liked the idea of the Butterflies having names that related to the landscapes that they have been formed from.This one has a place name of Old bess which I think is a lovely name for a Butterfly although i am not sure that butterflies really can be old.I think of them being ephemeral rather like the paper that this one has been made of.
Old Bess though is as `old as the hills`!!!

I had a thought that maybe i could make a display of them rather like a victorian collection in a cabinet,using map pins to hold them down.

A flutter of butterflies

2009-08-02T06:48:00.001-07:00

a flutter of butterflies, originally uploaded by effemera.

Since i have had so many ideas fluttering around my head recently this is what I decided to do. The practice is good and I am not really all that great at origami but I love doing it and as they say practice makes perfect.
Not sure what i shall do with them at the moment.

One & Other

2009-07-28T04:08:00.000-07:00

One & Other: "Fourth Plinth
The Fourth Plinth is the name given to the empty plinth in the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square in London. It was originally designed by Sir Charles Barry and built in 1841 to display an equestrian statue. There were not enough funds available at the time to create a statue and so the plinth was sometimes referred to as the 'empty plinth'.
In 1998 the RSA commissioned a series of three works - by Mark Wallinger, Bill Woodrow, and Rachel Whiteread - to be temporarily displayed on the plinth. Ever since, the 'empty plinth' has been home to a number of temporary works of art commissioned from leading national and international artists. The Fourth Plinth project is now managed by the Mayor of London's office, with advice from a special commissioning panel. In 2005, Mark Quinn's sculpture, Alison Lapper Pregnant, attracted a high level of interest from the public and media alike. A portrait of disabled artist Alison Lapper when she was 8 months pregnant, the 3.5m high sculpture was carved out of a single block of white marble.
Thomas Schütte's sculpture Model for a Hotel 2007 has been situated on the Plinth since November 2007. It is built of specially engineered glass in yellow, red and blue which collects the light, reflecting it through the edges.
Antony Gormley's One & Other will replace Model for a Hotel in July 2009, beginning the next chapter in the plinth's history.
www.fourthplinth.co.uk"

One and other again

2009-07-28T03:47:00.001-07:00

I have just applied to be on the fourth plinth.The selection is on August 1st for a place in September.Its a random selection with thousands of applicants applying so I probably havnt got much of a chance.If you dont enter there is no chance,rather like winning the lottery.
I am pretty excited even though I am not sure how I am gonna organise myself regarding work and also my house move should I be chosen.

one and other

2009-07-28T03:20:00.001-07:00

My friend Jean Westbrook will be appearing on the fouth plinth in Trafalger Square at midnight tonight as part of Anthony Gormleys project `One and Other`.I am hopeing she will be making an appearance with her `Big Cardigan`!
Here is the link to the live webstream.
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/

Klimt02: Paper Jewellery: poor jewellery Milan Italy exhibitions unique custom jewelry custom handmade jewellery exhibitions

2009-07-20T02:25:00.001-07:00

Klimt02: Paper Jewellery: poor jewellery Milan Italy exhibitions unique custom jewelry custom handmade jewellery exhibitions

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Some wonderful paper jewellery or as they describe it `Poor jewellery` in an exhibition to be shown in Milan this year.The pieces I think are totaly stunning,the skill of these people is amazing as is the material of paper.

find make wear

2009-07-20T01:24:00.001-07:00

find make wear, originally uploaded by effemera.

This is the piece that was included on the V&A site,its a bracelet made from cardboard boxes and wire.

Find, Make, Wear - Victoria and Albert Museum

2009-07-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

Find, Make, Wear - Victoria and Albert Museum: "Find, Make, Wear
In September 2008 the Victoria and Albert Museum set up a group on the photo sharing website flickr called Find, Make, Wear in conjunction with artist jeweller Professor Dorothy Hogg MBE who was at the time Artist in Residence at the Sackler Centre for arts education.
For the Find, Make, Wear' flickr group challenge we asked people to add photographs of jewellery pieces made from recycled materials. The group had a fantastic response from the public with hundreds of contributions. This page features a selection of some of the most creative contributions, as selected by Dorothy Hogg.
Find out more about how to join flickr and the Find, Make, Wear group.

I was lucky enough to have a piece of my work selected for inclusion on the site.I was absolutley thrilled as the V&A is one of the best places to visit on the planet!
I could happily spend months there looking at the various collections.

sunflower book sculpture

2009-07-19T05:05:00.001-07:00

sunflower book sculpture, originally uploaded by effemera.

Book sunflower,when assembled it was about 2 meters tall and used 23 folded books.The books used were childrens stories mostly from the `Horrible Histories` and `Goosebumps`range.
The flower pot book at the bottom was made from a book about flower arrangeing which seemed appropriate!
I was trying to convey the idea of personal growth through reading,and that from a small seed of an idea other ideas grow and blossom.

Older work

2009-07-19T04:57:00.001-07:00

folded book, originally uploaded by effemera.

Older work

2009-07-19T04:54:00.001-07:00

folded books, originally uploaded by effemera.

This is some of my older work.

Try Mind Mapping

2009-07-19T04:36:00.001-07:00

Try Mind Mapping, originally uploaded by creativeinspiration.

Found these rather nice mind maps on flickr.I quite like the idea that the one above is a mind map about mind maps!

De-Clutter Mind Map

2009-07-19T04:27:00.001-07:00

De-Clutter Mind Map, originally uploaded by creativeinspiration.

Really nice mind map found on flickr.

For more info and inspiration take a look at http://www.mindmapinspiration.com/

Too many ideas

2009-07-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

At the moment I seem to have too many ideas in my head.I have spent lots of time this week experimenting and doing research and development. Problem is though that one idea always leads to another and one experiment leads to another so nothing seems to be achieved.
I think I probably need to take a break for a little while and let all the ideas percolate and stew.
I do seem to have a butterfly mind which probably doesnt help.

For today while my ideas are brewing I am going mess with this blog and add some links to sites I really like and or belong too.
On the thought of butterfly mind possibly my mind could also be described as an ephemeral one too! it might be a good plan to do some mind mapping in my sketch book. I used to do this when I was at college and it really helped,must get back to doing this.Maybe my ideas would then be remembered and last for more than a brief moment.

Monopoly Brooch

2009-07-11T05:10:00.000-07:00

New origami brooch made from Monopoly money.I found a travel monopoly game in my loft,the size of the money was perfect and gave me a great oportunity to experiment with a repeating process (origami) and also a repeating material (money).This is something I have wanted to do for some time as repetition as a method of working interests me and it is suprising difficult to find suitable paper based materials without having to buy lots of stuff that you dont want,e.g sweets,lottery tickets etc.. It also gave me the chance to use money even if it is play money,the concept of value remains the same without literally breaking the bank of me!

Cafe Handmade: Share Cafe Handmade

2009-07-08T04:22:00.001-07:00

Cafe Handmade: Share Cafe Handmade

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Have just found this blog that looks pretty interesting especially if like me you create things handmade.

Goldilocks & the Three Bears Bangle

2009-06-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Bangle made using Ladybird book,I love these books as I have very fond memories of them when I was a child. My favourites were The Three Little Pigs which had some pretty scary illustrations especially of the big bad wolf! I also loved The Princess and the Pea, I used to put stuff under my mattress to see if I was a princess..... I wasnt! I also loved Cinderella, the illustrations to all the books were wonderful and certainly gave me a big incentive to read the stories.

New work

2009-06-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about cutting books rather than just folding for some time. I was especially interested if it would be possible to cut the pages yet still keep the book whole,that probably sounds like an oxymoron if that's the correct term.

One of the things about books that really interests me is the spatial properties. Books I think can be thought of as four dimensional objects,that is they have height ,width, depth and the aspect of time is involved in the experience of them. The space they take up can increase quite dramatically once folded There is also the problem that only three sides of paper can be manipulated successfully for folding. It seemed interesting to me to see if the volume could be increased by cutting .

I woke up 7.00 am last Saturday morning with a flash of inspiration and did some experiments with a `sacrificial`book,I always have one on the go as they work as a kind of sketchbook.

After experimenting I had a look at my book collection and found what I think was the perfect book for the job, its a book I have read a few times but a long time ago.

The title is`The Body of God`by D H Lawrence.

flickr favourite

2009-05-28T03:53:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by silkromero.

One of my favourite flickr finds made by silkromero,her other work is fabulous too.

The Big Cardigan

2009-05-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

Hope you find the time to have a look at my very good friends latest art project,its called The Big Cardigan. If you knit she would like you to contribute your pictures for her website ,please follow the link,(pressuming I have done it right!)

moving clay art group

2009-05-26T03:58:00.000-07:00

Managed to create a link to the art group I belong too,Yippee! Just isnt were I really wanted it,still pleased it worked though.

Flickr badge

2009-05-26T02:43:00.001-07:00

On display at the National Glass Centre,Sunderland

Managed after much searching to find out how to add a flickr badge to this blogg. Hoorah!
This is turning out to be hard going,but hopefully all up hill from here.
Am trying to get a link list going,the titles come up but dont link,I have to highlight them and go there from the drop down menu. Aaahh!! Must persist.

Am now going to try to add some images of work that I currently have on display at the National Glass centre in Sunderland. Here goes.........

Ephemeral Life

The Cut-Out-&-Keeps

the first quote of February

tweeting

Women and Jewelry - The Spiritual Dimensions of Ornamentation

Pinterest

Pablo Picass quote

Colour chanding Squidarellas by SquidLondon | Indie Quarter Blog

Doesn't time fly!

envelope pendant

`Busy shop` Ladybird book (complete book) ISBN 1-8442-2567-4

das buch brooch

blue envelope brooch

burnt book necklace, side 1

origami envelope pendant.

`Town Mouse and Country Mouse` bangle

The Avenger

Queen Clara

Builder Bill

`The Chilterns` origami map necklace.

`The Tree and its World`, book bangle.

Black letter brooch

on beyond zebra necklace

Between The Folds Official Trailer

books and red thread

Fox in sox,equivalent

Loot 2010 Exhibition New York

3 childrens books

3 little pigs bangle

Great cities of the North (and Midlands) ,urban brooches

Liverpool brooch.

how to cut your fabric in one piece

how to cut your fabric in one piece 2

newspaper necklace detail

Newspaper yarn

Book necklace

combustion bangle

music necklace

heraldic necklace

Birmingham brooch

Manchester Brooch

Manchester Brooch

old new blue

eggs

wild flower bead pendants

text bead necklace

OS map of exmoor,Croyde brooch.4

wild flower book beads

wild flower book beads

town mouse country mouse 1

music manuscript bead necklace

Bartholomew half inch map,sheet 47,Mull and Oban.2

Made for aid

Spring 2010

The moon, the wheel and the mirror

Ask Harriete

paper bangle prototype 5

paper bangle prototype

Heather Skowood

Paper book necklace,isbn 0-7214-1930-5 side 1

Paper necklace,isbn 0-7214-1930-5 ladybird book

amazing video

Woven comic bracelet

comic book bead necklace

For sale! Brooch,Bartholomew half inch map,Vale of Severn

PETALI mosaic

COSTCO petals BRACELET

vellum paper and clay bead bangle

November

Artists statement

allthingspaper

rizla ring

rizla ring

Sustainable Jewellery

moved

moving house

Butterfly in my garden

NMNH Entomology Collections

Old Bess passes over Todmorden

A flutter of butterflies