Tag Archives: Design

Getting Ready

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I’m going to move this blog elsewhere… My life has made a 180 again in a good way and I feel it’s time to let go of this domain as it is a constant reminder of a past that should be just that, a past. I have moved on a long time ago and though the years I lived in the UK will always be a major part of my life, I don’t wish to make it bigger than it actually is. I’m focused on my future and have been for a while so those old posts have been archived and will remain there like old books on a shelve collecting dust until one day someone decides to clean and read them again.

I’ve been looking to buy an apartment, in a different part of the Netherlands where tourists are still sparse, where it is quiet in the streets at night, where I can make a home and unpack my boxes and all the surprises I’ve kept in them for years now. The other day I realised that I have been living out of boxes since 2006. Yes I’ve sorted them all out and I’ve given half of it to charity shops but still, I haven’t used my own things since 2006. Thirteen years altogether so it’s about time that I’ll move to an unknown place to start anew and be closer to where my current assignment is.

I’ve saved enough money to get a perfect home, replace all the things that I had to give up on when I moved to the UK. I’ll need a bed, mattress, fridge/freezer combination, wardrobe, TV, and a lot more. And looking at things online is half the fun already. I’ve checked websites and found cool furniture, even cheaper and nicer than what I had in mind when I started this journey. No prefabricated stuff but furniture made by a designer/artist with an industrial touch and a practical design as I will use two of these to set up a studio so I can neatly store my jewellery supplies.

I’ll need a small sofabed so I can have visitors stay over, friends from Amsterdam or family from Belgium or … I’ll need lots and lots of plants and a few Persian rugs on the floor, warm colours like taupe, red, grey, brown, to reflect my oriental/colonial style interior design. A moss green styled bedroom that induces a relaxing atmosphere and lots of zen energy. I could dream about it all day long if I have to and I’ve designed each and every room six times already ;) But first things first and that’s finding the perfect ‘home’ where I can have an inspiring studio to work on my jewellery.

But you see, thinking about this and going to apartment viewings makes me happy, it is something I have wished for for a long time and I’m finally at that point where I can take time to decide. Tho I am impatient too, but I should try to find that one space I can really call ‘home’, so far after all the viewings in January, there was one apartment that actually felt good, but it wasn’t ‘the one’… I have my eye on another and I’m waiting a few more weeks to see if the price will get down. If not I’ll make an offer and see if they’re interested in selling. It has the perfect space and layout.

So this is why I’ll move this blog elsewhere, I’d really like to focus on the future and getting another move done within the next six months hopefully. I’ll trust my gut feeling and I’ll trust the Universe to have it all planned for me. And when the time is right, everything will come together, like a puzzle it will fit and the missing pieces will be found and added. I can’t wait… :D

Copper Issue

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I’ve been trying new techniques and new materials for my jewellery lately but I seem to be stuck at the moment as I’m trying to find a solution for some problems I ran into. The idea that is on my mind is a cool one but in order to get it done I need to try things that -to me- are scary in a way. Each tool I use that needs a combination of speed and something sharp in order to do what it’s supposed to do I feel utterly uncomfortable with. Tools like a circular saw or a Dremel metal drill bit, a high speed cutter, or even the fast rotating Dremel carbon steel brushes/abrasive buffs I’ve used for polishing. Yes I’ve used them all but I was and am hesitant to do so because I know myself well enough ;)

I can be extremely preoccupied, thinking too many thoughts at once or trying to do several things at the same time. If I’m in such a mood I turn into a living disaster the moment I’d use my cordless Dremel or any other tool. Trust me I’ve done it before ending up cutting myself or letting the tool slip or worse. I guess it also has to do with getting older and getting more aware of lingering dangerous situations. The first time I’ve used a circular saw was in 2000 (17 years ago) when I had just moved into my new apartment where I was renovating the kitchen all by myself. I had lent the saw from a friend who lived nearby and since there was no-one around to help me I had to figure it out myself.

I’ve renovated the kitchen cabinets with a new kitchen worktop and had to make a hole to fit the sink in plus I made four more triangular shelves of the leftover bit. The worktop had a round edge profile which I wanted at the front of the shelves. So I had to fit it in the corner which was not exactly in a 90° angle as the walls didn’t have a flat surface, there were bumps in the plaster everywhere. But I’ve managed. Yes I was scared to use that tool as I had never used it before and had no idea how fast it would be or how it would behave whilst going through the wood. Would it be a smooth experience, would it go fast, would it slip away. etc., etc. Would I be careful enough to handle it?

I’ve fixed so many things over the years without hesitation, piping throughout the apartment, several old Vaillant geysers MAG 125/7.1 TZ which needed cleaning and fixing, gas heaters and so forth. Apart from renovations I’ve also always redecorated each apartment I’ve moved into myself, so I guess I could say I’m quite the DIY gal ;) Still these speedy power tools, make me feel uncomfortable the moment I have to use one which results in postponing what needs to be done in order to get to the next step of the design process. For this particular idea I have used copper piping which I have cut into rings with all different widths. Subsequently the rings need to be attached to each other.

The cutting is done by hand so there was no fear factor involved just yet but as I want to attach them to each other I will have to drill holes in each ring. I’ll also have to smoothen the edges because the cutter has left it very sharp. I recently cut myself when I took one of the rings to measure my wire wrapping design. I’ll use my Dremel to drill the holes with a very thin drill bit and perhaps to smoothen the edges of the rings as well. I still need to look into that particular part (mark the word ‘still’ ;) ) as I have been ‘busy’ looking for alternative solutions. Copper piping also gets really hot, I’ve noticed the first time I made a hole and I f… up my drill, I’m prepared this time: I’ve bought 3 spare drills :shock:

In my mind -whilst thinking about solutions- I was adding the additional horror value in case something would go wrong. I’ve read too many stories about broken cutting disks and hot flying fragments at colossal speed and the damage they can do (yes I wear safety glasses but still). I think I can retrace this reaction to a childhood memory where I’m sitting at my mum’s sewing machine -eight years old- sewing a nightdress when at some point the needle breaks. I felt it hit my cheeck at the time, only a few centimeters from my left eye. Ever since, ‘velocity’, ‘sharp-edged’, ‘high speed’ and ‘rotating’ used in one sentence causes me to try and find a workaround that is less scary to me.

See how I move around in circles? :roll: I think it’s time to get out of my comfort zone and ‘just do it’… The pillar drills is set and waiting to be used for weeks now. Guess I’ll be reporting back soon :cool: