designjr

January Blues

2012-01-12T12:55:00.006Z

A busy festive period for designjr always finds her much distracted by the forces of cake for birthdays and events. January seems calmer with resolutions and plans for the forthcoming year still feeling fresh and possible.

Plans for 2012 include a wee update for the designjr website, more work on tactile graphics for Fife Society for the Blind and hopefully lots more opportunities to produce beautiful designs that speak for themselves.

As always please feel free to use this month's calendar as your desktop and if you have any problems give us a shout.

Time for tea

2011-12-12T20:05:00.006Z

The Salvation Army are working hard in the Dunfermline Community. They asked for my help with designing an attractive A5 leaflet for handing out to people on the street. It had to be eye-catching so I stuck to their brand colour of red (which also happens to be my favourite colour). The simple image of the coffee cup leaves the text to do the talking.

If you'd like to find out more about the work that The Salvation Army are doing check out their website at www.salvationarmy.org.uk

Tis the season to be jolly

2011-12-09T20:41:00.007Z

We're already part way through December. We've made it through the first snow of the season as well as "Hurricane Bawbag"and here I am just posting my December calendar. It's my busiest month of the year with the enjoyment of a cake to bake each week. Once I've eaten more cake than I really should there will be lots more design projects in the new year.

As always please feel free to download my festive calendar image for use on your desktop.

When two worlds collide

2011-12-01T21:26:00.005Z

After completing the logo and identity for Airthrey Ltd I was then asked to create branded cupcakes for a seminar. You can see more details of how it worked out on my other blog over at www.uppercutcakes.com. It's all part of the service!

A breath of fresh air

2011-11-28T10:47:00.006Z

The brief was to create a brochure website for the well established firm of solicitors, Marshall Ross & Munro. I concentrated on the idea that as they have been around for so long they have helped clients through many generations. It had to look professional but also friendly and welcoming.

My involvement included taking the head shots of the 4 solicitors working in the firm. A window backdrop isn't an obvious choice but in this case it really works to keep the site fresh.

Check out the rest for yourself at www.marshallrossmunro.co.uk

Busy bee

2011-11-21T09:37:00.008Z

It's been all go for designjr lately. At the beginning of the week I was in Cupar checking out some details for the tactile map I'm creating for Fife Society for the Blind. I was also lucky enough to be part of a panel hearing pitches from some of the UKs best design agencies for the branding and website design of an up and coming charity. On top of that the brochure website for Marshall Ross & Munro solicitors is almost ready to go live. Rounding off my very busy week a spot of lunch at design great Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Willow Tea Room.

Airthrey Ltd

2011-11-07T14:29:00.010Z

Recently I've been working hard on identity and branding for a brand new company. Airthrey Ltd are a Learning Evaluation company set up to help businesses to make the most of their learning and development investments.

The brief for the logo was to incorporate the business aims with a castle theme - the business having been named after Airthrey castle in Stirling. No easy task but I did this with a bar chart/battlement combo. Running with the bar chart idea I turned the business card on it's side to give it a stand out layout. A fresh company needs fresh colours and inspired by our autumn photoshoot at Airthrey Castle orange was the colour of choice.

As well as taking photos for the website I also provided consultation on the website's overall appearance and have laid out the first paper in a planned series available from the resources section of aithrey.com.

Remember remember...

2011-11-03T21:00:00.005Z

It's hard to believe that it's November already! Where has the time gone? As they say time flies when you're having fun and well, that's what I've been doing here. Lots of exciting projects on the go. With deadlines looming details will be available later this month.

Please feel free to download my calendar image for use on your desktop and send me a message if you have any problems. The 20th is the important date for me this month.

Business Cards

2011-10-17T11:58:00.009+01:00

An important part of running your own small business is networking - meeting people to work with and potentially meeting new clients. For a graphic designer I realised it's also very useful for research purposes. I go home at the end with a stack of Business Cards. I often design those (usually) 85mm x 55mm pieces of card that are passed out and have a very important job to do. These are two of my favourites from recent networking events:-

the card that likes to talk is a great idea for photographer, Jane Massey, and

the little card with the scanable details brings business cards into the 21st Century for Alternative Copy

For even more creative inspiration check out Cardonizer.

Memory Lane

2011-10-10T11:53:00.002+01:00

Before going into details about what I've been up to recently this is just a little trip down memory lane. You may remember that last year I went to Buffalo to take part in Type Camp. I did all sorts of work with letterpress printing and book making. My favourite piece of work from that experience has been featured in a blog post about Type Camp by Neenah Paper which you can check out here - www.neenahpaperblog.com

Thanks to Little Miss Bliss and Susan Geerkin for their contributions of "123 Sheep" and "cuddle".

Trick or treat

2011-10-04T22:12:00.005+01:00

This past month I've been very busy working on some exciting new projects. I hope to be able to post details in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime feel free to download October's calendar, inspired by the blood, gore and dressing up that is halloween. But while planning your costume don't forget Apple Day on the 21st!

September

2011-09-05T11:36:00.005+01:00

September is upon us and as promised here's a calendar for your desktop. The lavender harvested from my garden is hanging out to dry and the blueberries are ripening on the windowsill. Enjoy the beginning of Autumn and don't forget International Talk like a Pirate Day on the 19th!

Dream Job

2011-08-22T10:42:00.010+01:00

When I was asked if it was possible to create a business card that was also a fortune teller I was interested. When I realised the business was all about inspiring people to live their dreams it seemed like a dream come true!

I created a logo and brand identity, fortune teller business card and promotional postcard using the owner's own dream of becoming a superhero. So look out for AJP Dreams inspiring young people across the country.

Don't try this at home...

2011-08-20T22:02:00.007+01:00

IKEA – Homemade is Best. from Forsman & Bodenfors on Vimeo.

demo.fb.se/e/ikea/homemade_is_best/

I may not be able to resist!

A little bit of inspiration

2011-08-18T16:49:00.006+01:00

Love this little type family!

le droit de suite (the resale right) - VA from Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet on Vimeo.

If only all law lectures had been this pretty...

(Found on Uppercase - my new favourite website!)

Always space for cake!

2011-08-15T15:55:00.007+01:00

Ever creative, even on maternity leave, I still managed to take a few photographs and bake the odd cake. Inspired by my good friend, Little Miss Bliss I've decided to use some of my images to create a monthly calendar. It seems like a great way to give my design brain a bit of a workout and gives you an exclusively designed desktop for a month if you so choose. As August is still very much wedding season, this first photo is the bottom tier and ribbon for the cake I made for my cousin's wedding.

Just can't get the staff!

2011-08-10T12:07:00.003+01:00

You'll need to excuse the long break in my blogging, it's just that I've been working on a very big project - my baby girl was born on Christmas eve last year so I haven't had much time for designing so far this year. However, now she's getting big I can get back to it and start getting my hands dirty again with just a little bit of help!

I have a few projects from last year that I'm finishing off and some current work that I'll be able to share over the coming weeks. I'm also on the lookout for any interesting design projects that I can get involved in so just let me know!

Child Survival in Malawi Scotland cards

2010-11-09T15:38:00.004Z

Child Survival in Malawi Scotland is a small charity based in Scotland providing support to a number of projects in Malawi. Designjr was recently involved in designing a range of cards for the charity to use as part of an awareness raising campaign. The photos were taken by a member of the charity at some of the projects while on a visit to Malawi.

Type Camp

2010-11-03T14:04:00.003Z

Check out this little video for a taster of what I did at Type Camp Buffalo in the summer!

Selling like hotcakes!

2010-11-02T10:45:00.007Z

I'm very pleased to finally be in a position to start selling my new range of books on Etsy. I'm releasing them slowly and so far each time I've put them in my shop they've sold within an hour or two.

So if you'd like a Christmas Tree, Baby Bottle or Cupcake book you better act fast!

Baby Bliss Massage

2010-11-01T12:53:00.011Z

As a mum-to-be I've been learning about the importance of baby massage for ensuring a healthy happy baby. Mum of two, Karen used the techniques on her babies and has now taken the courses necessary to teach.

She asked me to create a brand for her business using baby images and hands with fresh, bright colours. The result is a logo incorporating little hands, fresh and relaxing colours and a gorgeous baby image that grabs attention.

Book sale

2010-08-23T12:34:00.005+01:00

With work under way on my new range of books, it'd be great to find good homes for my current stock. I've reduced some of my prices (and may reduce others) so head over to Little Bird Design UK to check it out!

Feeling crafty?

2010-08-20T09:41:00.001+01:00

If you live around Edinburgh and are feeling kinda crafty this weekend (or indeed anytime until 29th August) check out the craft fair that's running beside the church at the west end of Princes Street.

Especially have a look at the Owl & Lion Gallery stall with work available from the very talented illustrator, Mina Braun and the fabulous jewelery designs of Kimbarelly of Cut & Paste.

I couldn't resist these lovely window hangings by Mina. I have to say, I left the stall with a long list of things I'd like to buy but restricted by the lack of money in my purse I managed to control myself. Which leaves all the more gorgeous things for you to buy (unless I get back there first!)

Lights, camera, action!

2010-08-18T11:39:00.012+01:00

One of the projects at Type Camp was to print 3 action words - one in metal type, one in wooden type and then stick one on using letraset. My words were yawn (metal), sleep (wooden) and dream (letraset). I printed 40 copies with yawn and sleep. Then I handed over 5 of each of my precious prints to 4 people for them to respond. It was great to see the reaction that people had to my words and the outcome as prints.

With 17 type campers all doing the same the array of resulting prints was quite impressive.

I liked all four responses to my prints but these are my favourites as I will probably get them framed to put in the baby's room.

Even more images from Type Camp are now available on Flickr!

Ready to roll

2010-08-11T17:37:00.003+01:00

Ready to roll
Originally uploaded by designjr

Type Camp Buffalo is now over but I get to look back over the week by going through all the photos I took. There's a taster of each day on blipfoto for now but I'll gradually be uploading them all to Flickr so check them out.

We worked 10am to 10pm everyday and the work that was produced by all the type campers was pretty impressive! I feel very inspired by what I've learned and am hoping to put some of my new found skills into practice.

Less than one week to go till Type Camp!

2010-07-12T15:45:00.005+01:00

I get some funny looks when I tell people I'm off to Buffalo to take part in Type Camp this summer. For me it's a really exciting trip but I guess you don't really know what I'm talking about or getting myself into.

So what is Type Camp all about? It's an opportunity to leave the laptop at home and return to handcraft methods of printing. It takes place in a working printing museum giving access to metal and wood type fonts and flatbed and platen presses.

For me that means learning about typecasting, foil stamping and paper making from a number of highly respected typographers. There will also be visits to type dealers, rare book collections and the Roycroft Press. Who wouldn't be excited about all of that?

Find out more about Type Camp

These boots...

2010-07-07T19:39:00.005+01:00

The best way to find clients for my graphic design business is to speak to people face to face. Networking is a great way to meet new and interesting people and sometimes that results in some work.

I was delighted to be asked to create a logo for new networking group, Netwalking. It is exactly how it sounds - networking while you walk! Check out their website www.netwalking.com if you fancy joining some likeminded business people for a walk.

It's academic!

2010-06-30T14:24:00.006+01:00

An academic poster is very different from an advertising poster. Not only for the vast quantities of text that are required to go on it but also for the graphs and diagrams that are an integral part.

When designing this poster for an academic conference, I approached it more from the point of view of laying out a double page spread for a magazine.

I think the result is eye catching but still maintains all the information required to get the point across. I was told that one conference delegate got the reference to the "one with the hot air balloon" and picked up a copy because it looked good. Hopefully, she will have time at a later date to actually read the content!

Botanic Garden

2010-06-14T08:46:00.002+01:00

light
Originally uploaded by designjr

I've now completed my two day photography course at Edinburgh Botanic Garden. With around 500 photos still to go through from this Saturday's course it may be some time before I get these onto Flickr. In the meantime you can see what I took on the first day. I spent an hour in each of the rock garden and the alpine garden so these are a mixture.

I got some very good feedback on my images including that I was giving a different perspective of the garden to most of the other people taking part in the course.

If anyone can name any of the flowers I'd love to hear from you as you'll see I've named them pink, blue etc!

Hyperactivitypography

2010-06-04T13:33:00.004+01:00

As a bit of a type geek I love this book - Hyperactivitypography which is available to flick through on the site. Not sure I'd manage all the activities as there's an impressive amount of thought gone into them all. I'm gutted to learn that they've sold out so we will all have to make do with the online version.

I found this book and lots of other very cool stuff on the Swiss Miss blog

2010-06-03T12:51:00.004+01:00

After a bit of a creative lull I feel like my mojo's back with lots of ideas buzzing around my head for items to sell in my Etsy shop. Now I just need to get working on them and make them available to you all!

I'm also trying to establish the best way to make my items available to people in the UK as etsy only uses US $. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas I'd love to hear from you.

My first ever review

2010-05-22T13:03:00.003+01:00

My very first customer for one of my journals has posted a fabulous review of my etsy shop on her blog. How exciting to be a feature on someone else's blog - check it out here!

Summer is here

2010-05-21T10:28:00.008+01:00

To celebrate the fact that summer is here (and a certain little boy's third birthday today) I've created a book about the life of a bumblebee. With just a simple series of colourful illustrations there's endless opportunities to tell your own story.

The stripey black and yellow cover makes me think that the book is actually a bumblebee but maybe that's my own vivid imagination!

Folksy Shop

2010-04-29T11:55:00.003+01:00

Due to popular demand I have now set up a Folksy shop. So now if you live in the UK you can buy from my Folksy shop in sterling. If you see something on Etsy that you'd like and it's not on Folksy just send me a message and I'll see what I can do.

Exhibition update

2010-04-27T10:47:00.008+01:00

The ECA exhibition is now sadly finished so if you missed your chance at seeing my book in situ then here's the double page spreads. The poem is by Edinburgh based poet Nancy Somerville from her first book of poems, Waiting for Zebras. Her book (whose cover I designed) can be bought at Red Squirrel Press.

Exhibition

2010-04-20T12:18:00.003+01:00

If you've got a spare moment this week pop into Edinburgh College of Art sculpture court. There you will see all the work of people who have taken evening classes at the college. The array of work is incredible from beginners to avid enthusiasts and if you check out the cabinet at the end you'll see my little illustrated book.

I'd love to hear from you about your favourite piece/s.

Double whammy

2010-04-15T08:31:00.005+01:00

Still dizzy for my website big launch earlier this week, I am now very pleased to announce that my Etsy Shop is open for business. You can find me under the name Little Bird Design UK and I'm selling a range of handmade journals and cards.

I've got loads of ideas for products so keep an eye out for new item listings.

The big launch

2010-04-13T15:00:00.004+01:00

Woo hoo! My new website is finally up and live for all to see.

You can find the it here www.designjr.co.uk if you wish to have a look (it will be very pleased to see you too). Thanks to all of you who visited my old website in view of it's pending retirement. It will now enjoy a peaceful life in the deeper depths of my faithful macbook pro.

And now to celebrate rather than smashing a bottle of champagne against my macbook pro, I think I'll go and have a nice cup of tea and in true designjr style a piece of cake!

Important announcement

2010-04-09T08:59:00.004+01:00

With my new website built and ready to go live next Tuesday 13th April (oh yes!) this weekend will be your last chance to visit my flickable online portfolio. So go on have one final play - you know you want to!

Update: The link will no longer work as my new website has gone live. You can see it at www.designjr.co.uk

Weekend away

2010-03-29T18:57:00.006+01:00

After a rather photograph filled weekend away I've discovered that I've used up all my flickr allowance for this month. Plan B is to share the rest here so these are the "best" of the photos I took on a trip to Argyllshire (except for these ones that made it onto Flickr before the space ran out).

Hopefully I'll have more flickr allowance next month when normal service is sure to resume!

Best Before

2010-03-24T11:12:00.005Z

Last night was my final illustration class. I completed my illustrated book of Nancy Somerville's poem, Best Before. I've submitted it to the Art Studies Student Exhibition at ECA so all going well it should be on display at the Art College from 16th - 23rd April.

Also seen here is one of the images from the book done as a relief print from my weekend course. I hope in the next few weeks to complete the remainder of the illustrations in the same style.

And finally, I made the badges very quickly in the class yesterday. Now I want a badge maker!

Printing weekend

2010-03-22T14:23:00.002Z

roller
Originally uploaded by designjr

I've been very busy over the weekend taking an introductory print making class at Edinburgh Printmakers with Leena Nammari (www.leenanammari.co.uk/) who knows so much about printing.

My prints are still drying in the studio but once I get these back I'll be putting them here for all to see. In the meantime as is the way of things these days you can see my photos if you click on the roller photo.

Animation

2010-03-19T14:37:00.004Z

While working on my Etsy shop I discovered the animations of Katie Armstrong. I decided they were so cool I'd share them. I don't yet know how to put video on here but if you click on this link you'll find her.

I especially like Goodbye Sorrow. It's amazing what a difference slowing a song right down can make. I'm looking forward to seeing the website again once it's finished getting its hair done!

Clansmen

2010-03-14T23:03:00.002Z

Clansmen
Originally uploaded by designjr

A bit of sports photography was the order of the day today. People are not usually the subject of my photos nevermind action shots so it was definitely a learning experience. I think the results look ok but I was eying up other peoples cameras with big zoom lenses. It would have been better to get close ups without putting myself in danger!

Sweet tooth fairy

2010-03-13T10:53:00.005Z

Last night as my baking obsession kicked in I had an idea! I am a regular baker and like to share the baking (for obvious reasons). As a result I'm often asked for recipes for things so I thought why not share them with my blog readers.

This week I baked chocolate and hazelnut biscotti (they all got eaten before I thought about taking a photo so I illustrated them instead). The recipe was adapted from Good Food magazine. I'd love to see the results if anyone tries these out, I could even put your photos on here!

Ingredients:
2 medium eggs, 100g caster sugar, 250g plain flour, 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon citrus peel, 25g chopped hazelnuts, 25g roughly chopped dark chocolate

Method:
Beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Mix together the rest of the ingredients then fold the flour mixture into the eggs and sugar.

On a floured surface shape into a sausage and then flatten. The dough should be roughly 3cm high.

Transfer onto a baking sheet covered with greaseproof paper. Cook for 30 minutes at 180C or until golden brown.

Chop the dough into 1cm thick slices and return to the baking sheet cut side up. Put them back in the oven at 160C for 10-15 minutes until crisp. Cool on a wire rack.

I'm told that if you prefer them a little chewier you can leave out the last cooking stage!

cup cake bonanza

2010-03-12T23:54:00.004Z

I'm getting the feeling that some extensive cake baking is on the horizon. In anticipation of a cupcake baking and decorating session tomorrow I've been doing my homework. I found the following amazing sites all about food and most importantly baking:- Whisk the Pantry, Baking Obsession, Milk & Honey, Honey & Jam to name but a few (I have been "working" on this for a while!)

Type Camp - Buffalo, New York

2010-03-11T14:33:00.004Z

I'm so excited I've just paid my deposit for Type Camp in Buffalo, New York this summer! (yes, it has already been pointed out to me that I am a special sort of dork but I'm ok with that.)

One whole week spent working with type "...ink under your fingernails, cast your own lead type, and even use power tools to kern letters." - how cool does that sound? :-D

Right, I'm off to start packing...

Update

2010-03-10T10:01:00.004Z

Sorry folks, I have been very bad at updating my blog recently. As well as photography I've been busying away with illustration and web design and not letting you see any of the results. Here's a wee sneak preview of my illustration work for a book I'm creating. All going well the real deal will be available to view at Edinburgh College of Art in April.

However it is with fighting talk that I am starting my day today, I'm determined that I'm going to finish my website really soon (this week maybe) and I think the more people that are expecting it the more likely I am to finish. Well, that's the idea anyway!

So grand unveiling of my website coming soon...

Roll up, roll up!

2010-03-04T19:35:00.009Z

It's been a long wait but I've finally got the film developed from my SLR. The results are...well it depends how you look at it!

The camera definitely still works and doesn't need cleaned but the photographer needs to work on focus and basically learn how to take a decent photo. Nonetheless here's the best ones (they're few and far between and Alasdair took one of them) completely unadulterated in photoshop except the cormorant one which has been cropped.

I got two free films when I got them developed and I will definitely be out practicing some more so stay tuned.

Blipping and blogging

2010-02-21T15:31:00.007Z

I've been busy working away on my photography skills. I've just got 7 photos left to take on the old SLR then I'll see what it produces (fingers crossed, photos).

I've also started a photo journal which can be found at www.blipfoto.com/designjr if you want to know what I'm up to on a daily basis (oh and if you're seeing this on Facebook you can find my blog at designjr.blogspot.com)

a-ha

2010-02-17T22:03:00.008Z

Ever wondered what the keyboard player from A-ha does the other 47.8% (his words) of the time? Turns out he's the rather talented visual artist, Magne F. I went to hear him in conversation with Paul Stolpher at Edinburgh Printmakers. These prints are part of his Alpha Beta project which is currently showing there until 6th March. It's well worth a visit if you have the time.

Font Aid IV

2010-02-15T21:30:00.004Z

I'm really excited to have made a contribution to "Coming Together" the font made up solely of ampersands created for Font Aid IV to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti (www.typesociety.org/fontaid.html) When I read about it I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. Nearly 400 designers supplied some amazing designs, who would have thought there could be so many different ways to express an ampersand.

So these are mine:-

This is one font I will definitely be buying.

Now I know my abc's

2010-02-10T09:53:00.005Z

A class from the calligrapher Michael Ashley had me practising my italic script over and over. I'd like to be able to get the really sharp edges that make good calligraphy but maybe that'll come next week. Here's the results:-

more book binding

2010-02-02T09:55:00.003Z

I've been book binding again. It's a very relaxing and satisfying pursuit cutting and folding paper then making it into an actual object. I'm hoping to be able to make some of my output available via an etsy shop soon!

Can't see the wood for the trees

2010-01-27T11:06:00.011Z

Still without any film for my SLR (it's on my list of things to do today) here's a couple of photos from our walk at Loch Leven.

New old toy

2010-01-23T11:46:00.001Z

What better way to practice my photography skills than with a manual SLR camera. I'm lucky enough to have a loan of an original 1972 Zenit EM from my dad. So now that I've worked out that I won't see the photo on the back I need to work out what all the dials do (there are a lot) and buy some film!

Origami cards

2010-01-20T09:16:00.001Z

I started a new evening class last night which I'm very excited about. This time it's illustration so watch out for some interesting ink illustrations. I'll start putting them up as soon as I figure out how to attach my scanner to my laptop - it's all very troublesome without an IT department!

In the meantime here's some origami cards that I made to alleviate the stress of completing my tax return.

Trains

2010-01-19T10:58:00.001Z

On a recent trip to York we visited the National Train Museum. While following my very excited husband around I managed to take a few photos. My favourite was Iron Duke until I realised I was in it - must work on photography skills!

Birthday wishes

2010-01-13T19:57:00.001Z

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes and for all those who asked here's the birthday cake:

I think it's rather apt for this time of year and yes I did make it myself with the new snowflake cutter I brought back from Munich.

Snow

2010-01-08T11:49:00.001Z

When we went to Munich in December it seemed very exciting that it was snowing and only -16 degrees. Now it just seems to be the norm! We wrapped up warm for a trip to Tegernsee. I was so cold I took to wearing two pairs of gloves - mittens over leather gloves. To take these photos I had to take my mitten off just leaving the leather one brrrr!

In my ever so cosy house I've used these photos to make a snow themed card which has turned out to be very appropriate this winter.

New year, new chapter

2010-01-03T20:12:00.001Z

Happy new year everyone! I'm hoping for lots of new and exciting opportunities this year starting with improving my book binding skills. This is an address book I made as a present for someone. I'll be keeping my eyes open for all sorts of interesting papers to make into books and hopefully soon they'll be available to buy.

Christmas post

2009-12-22T17:35:00.001Z

I'm finally feeling Christmasy after a tough week or so. Christmas cake always makes me feel better so here's the first real cake post on here. I'm afraid I can't promise to keep you a piece!

More cake posts will follow in the new year and I'll keep my fingers crossed that they don't end up on cake wrecks - if you haven't seen this blog already you should check it out as it's seriously funny.

We haven't had time to put up any decorations so I hope all our presents are small enough to fit under this Christmas tree book that I've made (beautiful handmade cards from friends in the background).

Happy Christmas everyone!

It'll be lonely this Christmas

2009-12-17T10:25:00.001Z

After the length of time it took me to make my brooch I was really excited to complete both a pair of earrings and a necklace at my class this week. In fact I was so excited I wore them all to work. But sadly on a lunchtime excursion (for kuchen) I lost one of the earrings. There wasn't even enough time to photograph the pair so here's the one lonely earring and necklace.

On the bright side the necklace on its own is very wearable.

Are we nearly there yet?

2009-12-09T21:56:00.001Z

The brooch is finally finished. After a long saga of failed oxidation and scrubbing and yet more scrubbing the copper eventually turned black. And then it took just a matter of minutes to put it all together et voila:-

So now what? Well, I guess I'll have to try wearing it!

An excellent example of a displacement reaction

2009-12-02T21:48:00.001Z

The aim was to turn the copper black. It worked but then sadly the 'black' rubbed off under water - not a good look on a rainy day. So I spent most of the class scrubbing the blackness off to the point where it now looks exactly the same as it did last week!

On a happier note I did manage to turn the small central bit (or carpel, if like Elanor you majored in biology) black using another dodgy looking solution. The addition of a pin is also critical to the effectiveness of the piece.

Next week I'll be putting the leaves in the dodgy solution (wish I could remember all that chemistry I did at school) and hopefully finishing off...

Spot the difference

2009-11-29T22:17:00.001Z

After 3 more hours of work this is how the brooch is looking:

For those not sure how this is different from the last post there have been several steps to get here. I've soldered on a tube on the front to hold the flower in place and a tiny tube and a hook on the back for the brooch pin.

After all that soldering the copper was extremely flexible so I had to hit it with a hammer. The really important lesson I learned is that it is definitely not a good idea to hit the tiny tube with the hammer otherwise it's back to the blow torch!

See saw

2009-11-13T21:02:00.002Z

The votes are in and counted so the once bag is soon to be a brooch. It took me 3 hours to saw these three bits of copper. I'll leave you to puzzle over what they're all for while I do my homework.

Kilts for Kids day

2009-11-12T19:34:00.002Z

I was really pleased to learn that Kilts for Kids day has won the Institute of Fundraising (Scotland) Partnership Fundraising Award. I'm looking forward to this year's big day on 27th November and wondering what everyone's doing for it?

designjr is in business

2009-11-09T21:21:00.002Z

I've finally sorted myself out with some business cards for designjr. Why is it always so hard doing your own marketing? It's taken me all year to come up with my own but for others it can be done in a few hours!

From bags to brooches?

2009-10-26T13:18:00.001Z

If you've been following my blog you'll know that I've been doing a non-precious metals jewellery class. Well it certainly is non-precious - I took a simple plastic bag to class and turned it into this:
Now the question is should it be (a) a brooch (b) a bracelet or (c) a ring?

A perfect weekend

2009-10-24T18:27:00.001+01:00

Last weekend I had the loveliest time...book binding at the Edinburgh Printmakers. It was so relaxing and yet we created so many books including a hard back note book in a short space of time. The results are amazing and I think I may have to continue to make books. Thanks to Alice Melvin who is a great teacher and fab illustrator - check out her website here www.alicemelvin.com

I felt inspired...

2009-10-22T19:17:00.001+01:00

so here's this weeks creations from my jewellery class:

As you can image (if you know me at all) I had lots of fun creating things out of felt fibres. Maybe with a bit of imagination I can see where these might go jewellery wise but I think there may have to be a bit more experimentation first. Did I mention that this is a non-precious metals jewellery class?

Big lips, little bird!

2009-10-16T20:16:00.003+01:00

As a Friday treat I decided to go into Stampers Grove at Tollcross on my way home. I've been in lots of times but never actually bought any stamps. Today I bought 2 totally randomly. Walking to the station I realised what they are...big lips, little bird!

Little bird

2009-10-14T19:36:00.001+01:00

This is a little bird illustration I did a while ago. It's drawn and then stitched onto canvas. I'd really like to make some more like this but this one took me ages!

Jewellery?

2009-10-13T22:52:00.001+01:00

So maybe I was a bit over ambitious when I said look out for interesting and unusual jewellery from my class. My first attempts have been interesting...

...and you can maybe see how they are the beginnings of something unusual. Watch this blog to see if they miraculously transform into some jewellery!

istockphoto

2009-10-12T20:47:00.002+01:00

Some lovely members of istockphoto have given me some excellent ratings for my Heather Ball leaflet in the Designer Spotlight section. Check it out here
Also see here for a fundraising poster I did for Children 1st which has also been given some pretty good ratings. :-)

Heather Ball leaflet

2009-10-08T16:42:00.001+01:00

Flyer to advertise the Children 1st annual fundraising Heather Ball. This year it has the theme of Rouge et Noir. I think the red feather border gives the leaflet a certain je ne sais quoi!

2009-10-06T22:44:00.002+01:00

Started my jewelery evening course tonight. Looks like I'm going to be learning some fun techniques including using my favourite material...felt! Watch this space for some strange and unusual jewelery.

Gingerbread bride & groom

2009-10-05T20:44:00.001+01:00

People have been asking me about what my wedding favours were so here they are...
For the top table I made gingerbread people in the likeness of everyone in their wedding get up. Sadly I only have a photo of the bride and groom. I had a very relaxing time in the days before the wedding baking biscuits and rolling icing!

2009-10-04T11:02:00.002+01:00

Kilts for Kids day adverts are now out and about on buses in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen so I'm on full bus advert alert!

Kilts for Kids day

2009-10-04T10:50:00.001+01:00

I worked on the design concept for Kilts for Kids with the Blue Room design agency for Children 1ST. This year we wanted it to be much more fun and to try to attract more people to join in the fundraiser. The posters use close up images of the models and I've used scribbles in the pack to highlight bits.

2009-09-09T19:48:00.001+01:00

Leaflet for the Children 1st bfriends service. So that we didn't have to get different versions of the leaflet printed for each of four offices we printed and stuck on labels in-house.

Yummy magazine

2009-08-11T20:06:00.001+01:00

Student project to design and layout a front cover and four double page spreads for a magazine of our choosing.

Healthy Hub

2009-08-11T19:57:00.001+01:00

Student project to design an identity for The Healthy Hub. A Community Interest Company running a wholefoods retail facility, café restaurant, small business and research facilities. The facilities are aimed at thirty something mums, students, people who care and people who have a disposable income.

Design included logo, stationery, promotional materials, website, packaging and menus.

2009-08-11T19:50:00.000+01:00

Final Design Brief (of my HND)

2009-08-11T19:39:00.002+01:00

My final HND brief was to design an identity for the Healthy Hub which among other things was a cafe. These are the front cover and double page spreads from Wholesome magazine, a publication by the Healthy Hub as part of that identity.

Parisienne Graffiti

2009-08-10T22:37:00.001+01:00

Photograph of graffiti on a wall taken on a trip to in Paris December '08

Carefree Californian Wine

2009-08-10T22:26:00.001+01:00

College project to design a wine bottle label for Carefree Californian Wine. Design used illustrations by Alan Fletcher and a scrunched up piece of paper around the bottle.

Galaxy Chocolate

2009-08-10T22:16:00.001+01:00

College project to design posters including a limited edition logo to advertise a special edition Galaxy chocolate bar called Happiness. Melted galaxy chocolate was used to write the words happy and chocolate.

2009-08-10T22:02:00.000+01:00

2009-08-10T21:59:00.001+01:00

German poster

2009-08-10T21:56:00.001+01:00

Typography idea based on posters seen in Munich in May '09

Randon illustration

2009-08-10T21:51:00.001+01:00

A random illustration that was the result of playing with illustrator.

first post

2009-08-09T22:14:00.000+01:00

hello! Welcome to my new blog.