Wednesday 19 December 2012

Box of Mysterious Metal Goodness

Those that know me are well aware that I welcome donations of usable bits and pieces, especially metals, and especially things such as small cogs and gears - and that those who provide me with materials will at some point karmically receive a piece of Rebejoo shininess in return. So, when I was given a mysterious box (with a 'Do Not Open' label no less), what could I do but look inside?

Yeah, right
Ooh, look, a thing - let's get it out of the box.
Yup, definitely a thing - it's got a dial and a plunger bit and it's most certainly broken. I like it. What is it?
According to James who donated the spiffy item, it's a 'Z-axis setter' i.e. a gauge for setting up a lathe/mill and it had lost an argument with a large drillbit. From my POV, if it's got a dial, it'll have gears and the like, so time to break out the tools and dissect it...

The insides of the thing.
Well, that was fun - I now have some little brassy cogs, a spring, various tiny bits of indeterminate function, some dial-faces and some rather nicely machined bits of steel. Hmmm.... what to make with them? Well, I'm looking at working towards brooches etc with moving parts (i.e. cogs you can turn, that kind of thing) and eventually automata (yup, I'm feeling ambitious). However, before I do that, I did promise to make something for James - well actually his girlfriend Charlotte as he doesn't wear jewellery...

A pendant made out of some of my exisiting jewellery parts plus some bits of the thing.
It's quite dainty and shiny (I did enquire and chunky jewellery is a no-go) so hopefully it'll be luvved and worn. That did leave me with some other bits and a twitchy hammer-arm...

Steampunky pendant goodness!
Yup, back in the steampunk zone for this one - and the first step towards the moving jewellery I mentioned. Although you can't tell from the photo, the pendant has pivot-points hidden behind the cogs so it can be compressed or extended, while the springs bring it back to shape when released. Oh yes. I hope to work on more of these - this one is however staying with me and my steampunk outfit :) More soon...

Tuesday 11 December 2012

A Touch of Rebejoo

There are lots of us making arts and crafts out there - and lots of opportunities to meet and chat about materials, techniques and creative ideas (at least that's how it feels to me), but less about the thornier topic of 'going pro' - making money from what we do. There are some excellent bits of advice if you look for them (like here) which I have found mooooost useful, along with hints and tips from fellow makers. So, with this in mind, I thought I'd share a few musings as I add 'selling via shops' to sales online and face-to-face (stalls etc).

Bishopstoke is a village-in-a-town and after having a stall at this excellent craft fair featuring local makers and organisers, it seemed right to try to sell through a local business. The question was 'where?' However, Rachel (one of the landladies in my local pub) had a fine suggestion - a nearby beauty salon had a large gift shop and might be interested in selling my shiny wares. As manicures, spa treatments and so on do not form a large part of my life, I hadn't even registered that the premises existed. So, newly informed, I took some items along to 'Touch' in Bishopstoke and after a natter or three with the owner, Abbie, I now have a small selection of Rebejoo goodies on sale.

Rebejoo shinies on sale in 'Touch'
So, why am I writing about this, apart from proclaiming 'yay!' at getting my first batch of pieces into a shop? Well, as this was being discussed, all sorts of little things popped up that I hadn't thought of before, mainly from Abbie who (unlike me) is a full-time retailer:

  • How much do I want to earn from each piece? This isn't the same as the list price as the shop will obviously need some income too. So, there needs to be some careful admin - numbered items and a list to the shop-owner including my required earnings plus an 'RRP'. I'm perfectly happy with sale-or-return so no problem there.
  • How should they be displayed? I really hadn't thought about this (despite having done so for my craft stall) and had to quickly come up with something - reworked tags (so the shop could add price labels to them, each numbered to keep track of sales), neater ear-ring cards, pendants all pre-strung, a new facebook album for items being sold elsewhere, and a sign explaining what I make, my locally handmade and recycled/reused ethos etc.
  • How to compete against cheap mass-produced-and-imported tat from Primark etc. This can be difficult - Abbie is interested in encouraging more local makers and hand-made goods, but has trouble selling items that are seen as 'expensive'. So, pieces were selected that were a little bit different but still within her customers' stylistic comfort zone - though there has already been one enquiry about more 'gothy' items as gifts for teenagers, so this could change. Much is made of the fact that each piece is unique - a one-off, so no chance of bumping into anyone else wearing it! And lastly, for now, I selected from the more affordable end of my range - as the more expensive pieces are also the more unusual and elaborate, this was pretty straightforward.
Overall, nothing especially challenging, but lots of little things that needed to be considered, and a chunk of extra time to be put aside. However it is also another nugget of experience in going pro, and well worth it - it's currently a small selection in one shop but still most satisfying and a very pleasing starting point. Now, I do believe there's a tattoo & piercing shop in Eastleigh...

And here it is - 'Touch' Health & Beauty where my jewellery awaits...

Sunday 2 December 2012

Craft Fair Number One

Rebejoo may still be young, but Christmas is coming (it's December so I'm now ready to acknowledge it) and yesterday - after a bit of umming-and-ahing on my part - was my first ever craft fair as a seller. It was also the first organised by local maker 'Queenie', along with a 'pop-up pub' courtesy of the Hampshire-based Hog 'n' Hops (which includes a brewer from the rightly famous Flowerpots), making it the wonderfully tempting 'Christmas Craft & Ale Fair'. I really had to go - and it was all of about a minute's walk from my house - it doesn't get much more local than that...

It being new an' all, I really didn't have much of an idea bout how popular it would be - would people turn up? If so, would they buy things? Much excitement, some trepidation. However, it didn't take long for punters to start appearing - and buying - and I think this was in large part due to some seriously good advertising by Queenie and her many festive elves - banners around the area, posters in pubs and shops, well-designed (by Duncan Wilson) cards through doors rather than badly photocopied fliers, plus some major social networking effort. Also, it was great to see a fair populated by genuine local craftspeople - as well as jewellery, there was graphic design (cards and posters), fabrics and cakes, among other things, but no tat shipped around the world to be resold, and all the stallholders live nearby. Bishopstoke may have been engulfed by Eastleigh in many ways, but it's still got a lot of village in it.
My first craft fair stall, ready to go! Includes honey made by Paul who lives just round the corner and kindly lent me the table. All the honey went...
Once things got going, it was fascinating to see which items people liked - I've recently started making ear-rings and these were very popular. That wasn't too surprising - I think they are pretty (OK, I know, I'm biased) and they make small, affordable gifts - plus I can make them at the stall. What I found more surprising was the popularity of stick-pins - I'd been making them to see how they came out, and was pleased with them, but I hadn't thought many people still wore them. Apparently I was wrong! I did think the cloth gift-bags would be really popular - a few went, but not so many, though my dad has now got the checked one in the photo - as a replacement bag for Scrabble tiles.
Stick-pins on their stand (which used to be a VHS cassette reel)
The steampunk pendants and brooches got a lot of attention (and some are off to new homes), and although the style is not what everyone might want to wear, it's something I'm going to keep on making - when the right people come along, they do seem to love them, and they keep challenging my creativity and metal-working skills, which has got to be good.

So, a great day - not just in terms of selling my shiny wares (more than I bought from other stalls, hurrah), but also socially. I bumped into an old school friend I haven't seen in a decade who it turns out lives mere minutes away, met some excellent local crafters (lots of mutual facebook liking followed!) and had a great celebratory (beer, rum, hic) time at the pop-up pub that the fair was transformed into for the evening, complete with the band Scallywag who were splendidly entertaining and re-formed for the event from what I gather. It went well from Queenie's POV too, so I hope that it's just the first of many - I fully intend to be there...
More of the stall - I'm gonna need a bigger board...

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Ideas and spin-offs

It's almost a month since my last post - making jewellery, keeping up with the day job etc etc do get in the way sometimes, and the Rebejoo facebook page (where stock is displayed and ordered) has needed work too. Oh, and sometimes I get distracted by the urge to write verse. Still, there has been time to try out a few ideas - steampunk bits and pieces (top hat, cane and a little Terminator/Victoriana crossover), plus expanding the range (currently mainly pendants) to include stick-pins and gift-bags, though the latter requires my needle-and-thread skills rather than the hammer-and-anvil. Anyhow, here's a little gallery of recent objects - enjoy!

Nice little woollen drawstring gift-bags, sewn by my own fair hand.

Porcelain-topped cane for the steampunk gentleman-about-town.

The start of some steampunk robotics...

Stick-pin number 0001!
Goggles made of cogs = coggles?

Thursday 11 October 2012

My ethos and the joy of clocks

As the name 'Rebejoo' comes from 'recycled and bijou', it's clear that at the heart of my jewellery-making is a recycling and re-use ethos - which means I have to be selective about what materials are utilised. There are a few areas where recycling isn't possible such as the gas needed to fuel a blow-torch - however, pretty much everything else can be sourced in such as way as to minimise the overall use of resources. This is important in our finite and limited world, and is all about being mindful. So, the metal I use all comes from items that would otherwise be thrown away, and as far as possible I use vintage tools which are often better quality anyway...


Some of the bits and pieces destined to become jewellery are things I already have (an excellent way to de-clutter!), some are 'found objects', and others are unwanted items given to me by kindly friends (who tend to get a pendant in return - more de-cluttering). The latter are great because sometimes, just sometimes, they include the holy grail of steampunk design - clocks! Broken and unwanted clocks are great - they are full of wonderful cogs and springs, and just the act of dismantling them is deeply satisfying - in fact almost every bit of an old (i.e. pre-plastic) clock is useful for something. And you can spin them like little brass tops - very therapeutic.


Not everything will become jewellery - some of these spiffy bits and pieces will - eventually - be mobiles, or parts of sculptures, or maybe something else as my ideas for Rebejoo evolve. As these ideas are driven partly by what materials I have (because I'm not buying new metal) I never quite know what I'm going to make, and that's one of the joys of doing what I do, not to mention ensuring every piece is unique. So, the bits are sorted - watch this (or the facebook) space to see what they turn into...


Monday 1 October 2012

Building the business

It's still early days for Rebejoo, but things are progressing. Sales are slowly but steadily coming in, I've got a maybe-commission on the horizon and new ideas keep popping into my head and out through my hammer. So, that's all looking good, but making shiny objects isn't all there is to it...

Brass, copper & EPNS 'Tricolor' pendant - a recent creation.
First of all, I need to make sure that people other than friends and family know about Rebejoo - hence this blog and the facebook page (which is intended as the main selling portal until I decide to set up a website and/or go down the Etsy route). Paypal is now set up, the first mail order has been paid for and sent, and later today I'm going to design and print some business cards and other stationery. The facebook listings have been split into '£10 and under', '£10-25' and '£25 and over' - plus those that have been sold to loving new homes!

The next consideration is craft fairs - shall I do them, and if so how much should I be willing to pay for a pitch, how often (they are often on Saturdays when I'm busy elsewhere) and where? My current feeling is to focus on getting pendants into galleries like the Art House and Southampton City Gallery first, and then worry about fairs - however, if I want Christmas sales I need to sort this out soon as December fairs are booking. I normally don't acknowledge the existence of Christmas/Yule before Dec 1st, so this will be a bit of a departure... Still, I have my first display board built and laden with goodies - next I need to add a 'Rebejoo' header to it (made of recycled steel, naturally), plus a business card holder. Oh, and shall I focus solely on pendants or start working on other types of jewellery? Probably the latter, but maybe not just yet... 'tis very exciting!

Display board laden with pretties.

Wednesday 12 September 2012

From Rubbish to Raygun

You may have seen some of the items that I now have for sale on Rebejoo's facebook page - if so, you might be wondering how they are made... Some are pretty straightforward, others really not, but I thought I give a little insight into how recycled/reused bits of metal are turned into (I hope) interesting and wearable jewellery - first of all, materials...

A selection of scrap metal to choose from.
As you can see, there are all sorts of things here - springs, split-rings, odd-shaped bits & bobs, a dead hacksaw blade, thick wire - some will get used, some won't and there'as always more around. So, the first step once enough materials have been gathered is to get some ideas and begin assembly, and possibly cut and drill some pieces to fit (like the steel frame in the piece below). Then, when the basic design is in place, the fun starts as the blowtorch is applied!

Heating the newly assembled piece.
Now, it generally isn't as simple as heat-it-and-hit-it; if it was, everything would cost a fiver... It's rather tricker than this - for example, in this piece, the wire heats more easily than the frame, but the frame needs to be heated and worked without melting the wire or the brass tube you can also see in the middle. Tricky - and I'm going to leave you to wonder about that - it would be boring if their was no mystery, wouldn't it ;) Anyhow, every now and again, the piece needs to be cooled...

A partly worked piece bathing in the quenching tank
This aspect is easy - dunk it in some water and enjoy the hissling... You can see the wire has blackened (it's steel and this is blacksmithing albeit on a small scale), and the brass has darkened, plus the frame has been crimped to hold the wire. After this, there are more stages - generally this is when the fiddly secretive bits happen, after which there is some light polishing (no more than enough to bring out the contrast while keeping the handmade feel, hammer-blows an' all), and a ring is attached for the chain or cord. Then, ta-dahhh! the finished item, in this case, the 'Raygun 2' pendant, complete with spring and screw-head. Enjoy!

Raygun 2 pendant

Monday 3 September 2012

A taste of steampunk

Steampunk is currently pretty popular (think Victorian tech writ large with a vintage/goth feel to it) and I must confess I do like it. So, aside from plotting and planning some new and splendid garments - a trip to Camden maybe, plus some DIY - I thought I'd try a couple of pendants. They involve a lot of components, so were pretty difficult to make. Hope you like!

Steel and brass with a bit of clock in there for good steampunk measure. The whole thing's about 30mm high. Fiddly.

A more overtly mechanical approach - as much a tiny sculpture as a piece of jewellery - hurrah for cogs & springs! Hopefully later versions will have moving parts...

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Hooks, wires and chains

After a burst of creativity over the weekend, a few new pendants have appeared...

Steel and shiny alloy wires
A robust spiralled steel hook and chain
Two more industrial/cyber pieces - on the left steel with spring and wire (looks to me like a steampunk USB memory stick!); on the right, definitely a punk influence - steel with a spring and chain, and dimples echoing studded leather.

Enjoy!


Friday 24 August 2012

Springs & things

Yesterday I posted some of my 'curly' pendants which are one of my two current design styles. The other is more industrial, with maybe a bit of a cyberpunk/cybergoth feel, and I might throw in a bit of steampunk for good measure, plus a dash of asymmetry... Anyhow, here are a few of the pendants made so far in this style - hope you like them:

Top left:  Steel with a small 'sub-pendant' on a silver ring.
Top right & bottom left: Steel with a spring.
Bottom right: Steel with a snake of drill holes - and the heaviest of them so far. Rock!




Thursday 23 August 2012

Curly, swirly & twirly


The first batches of pendants are now ready. These are all made from reused scrap metal and I think have come out quite well. All designs are one-offs; descriptions are from top-left to bottom-right - hope you like them!

1. Curly horn (steel)
2. Large knot (steel with a dark green glass bead)
3. Small knot (steel)
4. Mystery key (steel & brass)
5. Medium knot (steel)
6. Art nouveau hook (steel)