News from simoneandginko land...

I've been busy at simonandginko over the past couple of months! Here's some of the things I have been doing:

A stylish capsule collection of the Lolly range of simoneandginko jewellery is now available exclusively at Lulamae. Check out the range at their Melbourne Central store! It features three spring fresh colour combinations - pink/maroon and white/green in chunky bangles, square and oval bangles and rings, as well as pale blue/dark blue in oval bangles. I'm really happy with these colours and I have been experimenting with more, such as yellow and white, for some summery action! I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to breaking out the colour for the warmer months.

Four bangles and rings from the Dirty Pastels range are now available for sale at Some Like It Hot in the Degraves subway near Flinders St Station. Check them out in the window display!

Last weekend simoneandginko had a stall at the Makers Market at RMIT Brunswick campus, as part of the Craft Cubed festival. Haven't heard of Craft Cubed before? Check out the Craft Victoria page for more info. It is nearly over for the year but make sure you get in early to book next year's activities, including fabulous speakers and workshops as well as open studios.

As part of the Makers Market, simoneandginko jewellery was featured in the Arts section of the Age newspaper on Friday 23 August! This was a lovely surprise and I think the jewellery came up really well on the page.

The Makers Market coincided with my launch of a new colour in the Deco range - a classic black and white. These brooches would go great with an evening dress for some deco glamour...

simoneandginko also ran a competition as part of the Makers Market to win a free bangle. The lucky winner will be announced tomorrow.

And finally... simoneandginko has begun new mouldmaking and resin bangle classes with Candu at their purpose-built workshop space in Swan St, Richmond. Sign up and learn how to make a mould of your favourite bangle, and then cast a bangle in resin! Bookings are at Candu or send me a message on my contact page if you would like more information.

Working with resin: Making the Deco range

Just over a month ago I launched the Deco range of resin brooches. The concept behind this range was to pick up on the glorious, rich colours and larger-than-life jewellery style of the art deco era. The idea began with some pieces of an old chandelier I picked up at a market stall.

I started by creating silicone moulds from the brooches. It was my first time using silicone so I was relieved by how easy it was to work with. After telling myself "the first silicone pour will probably be a disaster", I was actually really happy with the moulds from first go.

Mixing silicone - these shots from my latest experiment...

From then it was a process of mixing colours and pouring resin. This is the fun part of the process - particularly the moment when you pop out the new piece from the mould, and decide that yes, you really are happy with it. I played around with colours a bit until I got some that I was happy with.

Then was the sanding process, smoothing all the rough edges and making them look pretty! This can be the tedious bit, but once you get into the sanding it can be quite meditative.

Finally I found a strong enough epoxy glue to secure the brooch backs to the brooches. So far they're holding strong! I also managed to glue several of my fingers together...

I've been really pleased with how the Deco range has turned out. From the first idea to the finished piece, it was really what I had envisaged all along. This might sound unsurprising, but working with silicone moulds and resin pours isn't always as easy as it sounds. I'm lucky that my first three collections have turned out so well, because it doesn't always happen this way.

Right now I'm experimenting with ideas for a new range, and oh boy they look pretty average right now. So bad in fact that I've had to throw out both moulds and resin pours - something I really don't like to do because I'm very conscious of the impact of it on the environment. Anyone who has heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch doesn't want to contribute any more waste than they have to! Experimenting is part of the creative process though, so don't let this put you off.

After struggling a bit with my latest range, it is nice to go back to my existing collections and feel some pride for my vision and for the final products!

If you've got any questions about using resin and silicone, including where to find supplies, leave a message on my contact page. Or join a class! Because it can be very rewarding once you know the basics.

White Nights and Inspirations

 Flinders Street Station

I've had a lot going on lately... family illnesses and so on. After such an intense time, it is nice to get back to the blog and a little bit of creative normality.

Melbourne had a White Night a few months ago, mid February it was, a hot night with music, art and street performance from dusk till dawn. White Nights have been happening in other places around the world - including Saint Petersburg, Paris and Tel Aviv - but this was the first time we had experienced one in Australia.

I was impressed! The city was packed, so it made it difficult sometimes to see all the things there were to see, and find all the things that there were to find, but the volume of people added to the buzz. And it was a good sign for art in Melbourne - I have never seen so many people going into the National Gallery before.

I've been inspired by the colour, the lights and the fun to create a new jewellery range based on White Night. I might even include some textile and fashion designs in the mix! Watch this space for more news to come...

Buildings along Flinders Street 

 Busker in Hosier Lane

Flinders Lane

Money for the busker, Swanston Street

Princes Bridge

Foam artwork installation, National Gallery of Victoria (photo from NGV website)

The Dirty Pastels

I'm very proud to announce the new simoneandginko jewellery range... the Dirty Pastels!

Did someone say mid 1980s? You're in your favourite pastel ensemble, painting your nails a pearly coral. Hair is big, perms are in. Bows are big, lace is everywhere.

Enter the dirty pastels… blush pink, powder blue, powder green, bobby sock yellow, mauve pearl and beige bliss.

Oval, square and round bangles and chunky rings in every shade of the 80s makeup palette.

Wear them with your best fluffy cardigan…

The Dirty Pastels range is exclusively available at Always in Warnambool, Victoria. It is a great store with lots of lovely things and I highly recommend you check it out!

Last chance to book into December workshop

It's your last chance to book into simoneandginko's upcycled jewelry workshop on 1 December. It will be held at the Artists Shed in Queanbeyan, only 15 minutes from Canberra civic centre and 5 minutes past the airport. 

We'll provide the materials and guidance to help you create beautiful pieces of contemporary jewelry.

Date: Thursday 1 December 2011
Times: 6-9pm 
Location: the Artists Shed, 14 Foster Street Queanbeyan
Cost: $40 (includes all materials)
Bring: jewelry and beads that you would like to up-cycle

If you'd like to enrol in the class, contact us beforehand and bring your course fee to the workshop. See you there!

New simoneandginko workshop dates!

Do you have jewelry you no longer wear? Do you have broken necklaces, or a collection of beads you love but don't know what to do with? Did your grandmother leave you some gorgeous beads that you'd love to make into something for you to wear?

Good news! simoneandginko is running two upcycled jewelry workshops in November and December. They'll be held at the Artists Shed in Queanbeyan, only 15 minutes from Canberra civic centre and 5 minutes past the airport. We'll provide the materials and guidance to help you create beautiful pieces of contemporary jewelry.

Dates: Thursday 3 November or Thursday 1 December
Times: 6-9pm 
Location: the Artists Shed, 14 Foster Street Queanbeyan
Cost: $40 (includes all materials)
Bring: jewelry and beads that you would like to up-cycle

If you'd like to enrol in the class, contact us.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Resin in Canberra!

Last Saturday heralded our very first resin jewellery workshop in Canberra, courtesy of Bqueen with enthusiastic support from simoneandginko. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, at the Belconnen Arts Centre, overlooking the lovely Lake Gininderra, Canberrans created gorgeous bangles and rings in all the colours of the rainbow.

We learnt a lot from our tutor Bron, including the important safety issues when working with resin, but also how to create beautiful contemporary jewellery.

It's great to have such an exciting new workshop happening in Canberra. And simoneandginko will be running the next three workshops! They will be on Saturday 5 and 26 November, and 10 December, at the Belconnen Arts Centre. Details of how to book are at Bqueen or Belconnen Arts Centre. We hope to see you there!