Thursday, March 9, 2017

New Snap Brooches with Ideas and Inspiration

Our new snap brooches finally arrived yesterday.  We had ordered some samples sometime ago and really liked them so we now have plenty available.  The frames are in a beautiful tarnish resistant Tibetan silver and in three different styles, Cherry Blossom, Flourish and Leaves.

 

The snap base brooches are listed in our online store but also in bulk in our DIY snap supplies section.

I am excited about these new designs as another fun jewelry option as brooch pins have become fashionable again and not just for little old ladies.  A brooch pin is such a versatile piece of jewelry and can be worn so many different ways.  It is not only just an accent piece but can be used to hold a sweater or jacket closed or your scarf in place.

Brooches that can be worn more than one way (like the interchangeable snap type) are even better.  The first style of brooch pin we made was all from clay and had a pin back with an attached bail so it could also be worn as a necklace.  We have a special way of attaching the pin/bail to the back and this was featured in the Winter issue of the Polymer Arts Magazine.


Another style we create from clay is our Brooch Stick Pins (also featured in the same article by Julie Cleveland) which work really well with a sweater or shawl to hold it in place.  The piece actually swivels so it can be worn on the left or right hand side.



Since we discovered using snaps with our clay to make interchangeable jewelry, we have created several other styles of brooch pins.  One is multi-functional that can be worn not only as a magnetic brooch but also as a necklace, eyeglass holder or a sweater guard.


Our kilt pin style brooches work well with tighter weave knits.  The snap base is on a clip and detaches so it can also be worn as a necklace.  The charm also unclips for interchanging. 

And if you are looking for something a little simpler, we also have available both a brooch and lapel pin with a snap base that does not have a fancy frame.  These work really well with the larger clay snap styles.


So which brooch pin is your favorite?  If you are looking for more inspiration, check out some of the articles and pictures we have posted to our pinterest board.

And to make your own interchangeable snaps, I have published a tutorial on how to do this.  I have lots of tips and tricks to not only create them but for finishing as well!  I always like to provide a lot of information with my tutorials so you can dive in and start creating!



2 comments:

Sue Rostron said...

Hi I am new follower. I live in Aotearoa, New Zealand where polymer clay is not a common craft. I have just started and am looking forward to purchasing some of your tutes and learning some techniques.

I love your work and reading your uplifting blog. I enjoyed reading through all of it and want to thank you for the huge amount of information you share so generously.



One thought I had was why not add some salmon to those scenic Kamloop buttons, or something similar for the next Salmon run? I think they would sell really well as they would be a lovely visual reminder of the salmon run and the beauty of the natural environment you describe so well.

Anyways, thanks again for the inspiration.

2 Good Claymates said...

Thanks Sue for you lovely comments. We love hearing from and meeting other clay enthusiasts from around the world.

Regarding the salmon in the Kamloops button. Our town of Chase is about 50 km from Kamloops and the Salmon spawning grounds is in the Adams River. Kamloops has two rivers flowing through it called the North Thompson and the South Thompson and they come together to create one large river. The fish known best there is the Kamloops trout which is similar to a rainbow trout rather than the salmon. Just thought I would explain but I think creating a new button for our area of the Adam's river with the salmon might be a good plan! Thanks for your inspiration as well!

Carolyn Good