Somethings just take time

 

I have been making a stash of tiny book earrings. In the process I had cut enough recycled silver-plated brass metal to make 13 pairs of earrings. I finished 3 pairs last week and finished the 10 pairs above this week.

The books in theses earring are about 2cm long, 1.5cm wide and .8cm deep. Each earring has an inspirational word stamped on the middle page. The covers and middle page are riveted together; and the book is set on a solid silver ear wire.

The making of these earrings is time consuming because of the size and slightly intricate design. Process photos follow ......

Though they are time-consuming I think these wearable books can bring joy.

Small is beautiful - tiny book earrings and nano-posters

 

I got time today to progress my tiny book earrings; and yesterday a nano poster and a post card were completed.

As you can see from the photo above these book earrings are made from recycled silver-plated metal. Each earring is 2cm long, 1.5cm wide and .7cm high; and each has an inspirational word on the inside page. Words include: joy, hope, peace and love. Joy and love can be seen in the opening photo - on the anvil.

You can see from the process photos below I have cut enough metal for 13 pairs of earrings.

I finished 3 pair today - only 10 to go.

The nano poster is a reminder to myself, and others if they wish, that we can make a difference by doing small local things.

The post card is for folk in these times.

And the photo below is just to share a bit of colour.

Finishing and preparation

 

I finished the five pairs of the tiny silver-plated metal book earrings I had on order. In the end I made seven pairs, see above, to choose from for the order; and finished two other pair that were sitting on my bench from a previous production run. The earrings are made from recycled silver-plated drink coasters - good quality and good pattern on the book 'covers'.

In the end the customer wanted 'love' on one earring and 'joy' on the other. So the five pairs are made up of the 'joy-love' mix.

In preparation for print activities at the open studio event on 21 November I have cut up a lot of our quality offcuts so that people can print bookmarks and inspiration cards. Quite a stash as you can see from the photos below. 

I'm sure the bookmark and card printing will be a bit of fun on the open studio day.

Supply and demand

 

We advertised our open studio day for the 21 November - interesting that it has resulted in requests for me to make more tiny metal book earrings and black buffalo horn earrings.  One person asked if I could make 5 pairs of book earrings with the words joy and love stamped on the centre page. 

Eight pairs of buffalo horn earrings have been completed as you can see above.

I'm working on 10 pairs of tiny metal book earrings. I have got up to the riveted pages stage.

Now for grinding, polishing and assembling.

Pieces for peace - but first....

©2019 Barry Smith - A piece for peace stamped and formed into the bowl shape - plus rust

I have made a start on the pieces I'm making for giving away to promote International Peace Day on 21 September 2019.

But the process was interrupted by a call for small book earring that contain the words peace and love. So these were made and delivered to Compassion Artists' Book Exhibition.

©2019 Barry Smith - A pairs of love and peace books for earrings

©2019 Barry Smith - Love and peace book earrings - plus rust

So the process of making my pieces could continue after completing the earrings - process photos follow.

©2019 Barry Smith - Stamping the peace and flower symbols (bit of my inner hippy appearing?) on the square blanks of silver-plated brass - cut from an old large round serving tray. Very large copper hammer is good for stamping peace symbols 

©2019 Barry Smith - Just nice symmetry

©2019 Barry Smith - Sixty-three pieces of metal stamped

Hopefully over the weekend I will form the stamped pieces into the square bowl shapes  and give them a grind and polish. This all takes time when one is making 63 pieces.

Book earrings and peace book pendants

2019 Barry Smith - Small (about 1.8cm X 1.2cm) silver-plated book earrings - solid silver hooks

During the week and today I have grabbed time to make more book earrings for the shop at Compassion Artists' Book Exhibition. A few photos of the work in progress follow.

2019 Barry Smith - A vintage bookmaker vice assists in the riveting process

2019 Barry Smith - Each pair of earrings has a compassion related word stamped on a page of both earrings

2019 Barry Smith - Nine pairs of earrings - riveted and ready for grinding and polishing - each pair is kept separated as are the left and right earring

I managed to complete 9 pairs of the earrings that are now boxed and tagged ready for delivery to the Nambour Old Ambo Gallery tomorrow afternoon.

2019 Barry Smith - The v in love almost looks like a micro heart

2019 Barry Smith - Nine pairs of earrings - boxed

I will also deliver 5 Peace Book Pendants given peace is an integral part of compassion.

2019 Barry Smith - Slender Peace Book Pendant - each pendant has 4 leaves-8 pages

2019 Barry Smith - Peace statement is stamped on the 3 page

Weather permitting I will get to finish polishing the Leaf Spoons and Leaf Pate Knives for Maleny Additions over the weekend.

Books, compassion exhibition and bones

©2019 Barry Smith - Seventy small metal book pages - each 1.9cm X 1.2cm

Fiona and I went to the official opening of the Compassion Artists' Book Exhibition yesterday afternoon - there was a good crowd to honour the work of the 26 artists.  Ken and Ardleigh, in the photo below, had done a massive job to bring it all together. Big thank you to Ken and Ardleigh. The exhibition is open for a few weeks so a good opportunity to get along.

©2019 Barry Smith - Ken and Ardleigh at the opening of Compassion Artists' Book Exhibition

I had 6 pairs small book earrings; and 12 small metal books in the exhibition 'shop'. The earrings all sold out in a couple of hours as did a few small metal books. I was asked by Ardleigh and a number of attendees whether I would be willing to make more earrings.

I started the process of making up to ten pair today as you can see from the opening photo and the process photos below.

©2019 Barry Smith - Silver-plated drink coasters destined to become book earrings

©2019 Barry Smith - I'm able to cut 10 pages (1.9cm X 1.2cm) out of each coaster

©2019 Barry Smith - Strip of metal in the jaws of my guillotine 

©2019 Barry Smith - Ten sets of 6 pages sorted into containers marked left and right - ready for stamping words on the middle page before riveting, grinding, polishing and attaching ear wires

Still a lot of work to do on the earrings; but hopefully I will finish them by or on the next weekend.

Since I was in preparation mode I decided to clean and cut more bone: some for carving and some for pendants and earrings. As you can see I managed a reasonable assortment. Bit of a warning about sawing and sanding bone - always best to be done in the open and with a good quality mask on. Bone dust is not so good for the lungs.

©2019 Barry Smith - Scraping the shin bones after they were cooked with the osso bucco 

©2019 Barry Smith - Bones marked up for cutting with a fine abrasive blade in my angle grinder.

©2019 Barry Smith - Bone that has been cut and given an initial grind.

Now that I have the pages for the books and the bone cut there is no excuse for me not grabbing bits of time to make the pieces.