June Theme Competition

[LittleGem]

This Month's Theme......


Summer Holiday


Hello everyone!

Have you got your summer holiday booked?

I thought this would be a good, broad theme for this month which you could have fun with.

So post your design incorporating this theme within this thread with a little bit about the piece and the winner will be revealed at the end of the month!

The Winner will "WIN A WORKBENCH" !!


GOOD LUCK EVERYONE AND HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CREATIVITY!

A few legalities...

Terms & conditions

No purchase necessary. The closing date for the competition will be 30.06.2012. The winner will win a workbench. The judging process will take place on 02.07.2012. Our Silversmith Judging Panel will make the final decision.

The Competition is open to all Cookson Precious Metals customers who are UK residents and aged 18 years and over.

Only one entry per person.

There is no cash alternative. Cookson Precious Metals reserves the right to change the prize for one of equivalent value.

The winner will be notified on the forum within this thread by 05.07.2012. The winner's name and county will be available by sending a stamped addressed envelope to: The Competition Secretary, Marketing Department Cookson Precious Metals, 59-83 Vittoria Street. Birmingham B1 3NZ.

Employees of Cookson Precious Metals, their agents and families are excluded from the competition together with any person connected to the competition.

Entry into the competition is deemed as acceptance of the rules. The winner agrees to participate in any publicity in connection with the competition.

To enter the competition, simply publish your design/comment within this thread.

No correspondence will be entered into. The judging panel's decision is final. The promoter is Cookson Precious Metals

[Dennis]

I see that this month's theme has been subtly changed, greatly adding to the possible interpretations. So if you have been working at this like an ant, you might well be overtaken by a grasshopper. Dennis.

[Dennis]

Here is my non-competitive entry for June, hoping to encourage others: some deckchair earrings, just the thing for the beach .

The metal is blackened silver for low maintenance. The seats are fixed to very thin silver strip with double sided tape, to preserve the drape and so that they could be crimped on. In case you are wondering, they can’t be folded.

I have also made a mechanical looking chain to complement them, using drilled rectangular wire and jump rings. It is infinitely adjustable and one end has back to back tube-set crystals, which could be worn as a pendant or left out of sight.

Add a trashy book, a crusty landlady, and heavy showers and you will have the complete UK summer holiday. I read this week, that once they even charged for the use of the cruet. The use of the cruet? Dennis.

[Di Sandland]

Love the earrings Dennis - they look almost sit-onable!

[LittleGem]

Wow the deckchairs are amazing! I would love to wear them :)

[caroleallen]

Those deckchairs are so cute Dennis.

[Tabby66]

They are FAB Dennis!!

[ShinyLauren]

I love the little deckchairs Dennis - adorable!

[caroleallen]

This is my non competition entry

36573658

[Di Sandland]

Carole, that is beautiful! And so very original too

[Dennis]

I like that Carole and it makes my mouth water too. I presume the lettering was pierced and the heart formed with the Bonnie Doon. All very special. Dennis.

[Kwant]

I am an ice cream nut and am always making it, sadly any special spoons we may have had for the eating of have long since been melted down. Yours is cute though Carole, and Dennis being so easily pleased you are very welcome to come spend a short break in "Little Britain".

[Kimkie]

Deckchairs are gorgeous!
Spoon is adorable!

[ShinyLauren]

Love the spoon Carole - the picture with the ice cream is gorgeous too!

[caroleallen]

Thanks everyone. Anyone else entering?

[Di Sandland]

I might do Carole - I have a suitable product that sells very well. I just need to find some time really.

[Kimkie]

Mine is a non-competitive entry, I was thinking 'deckchair' but as there are already such cute deckchairs I decided 'Picnic' would be good!


The lid flips up and down and the whole set, basket, champagne, glasses and strawberries, will fit on a 5p piece.

3664

[Di Sandland]

That's really neat!

[caroleallen]

I love that picnic basket.

[springeth]

That picnic set is so adorable!

[ShinyLauren]

So cute!!!

[Kimkie]

Thanks for the nice comments! Sometimes it's good to have a little fun :dance:

[Tabby66]

Aaaaww!!!! Kimkie, that is wonderful!! So neat and tiny ;D

[Di Sandland]

Thanks for the nice comments! Sometimes it's good to have a little fun :dance:

Kim! I've just realised who you are!

[Dennis]

The lid flips up and down and the whole set, basket, champagne, glasses and strawberries, will fit on a 5p piece.

They're great Kim, do they all fit in the basket too?

Mutters: it looks as if most members already have a work bench and don't have room for another. Now if the person who decides the prizes is of the "finish your dinner, or you'll have it for breakfast" school we shall be stuck with this prize for the rest of the year. Dennis.

[Kimkie]

Denis, I think the strawberries will have to come in a separate bag, but the glasses and champagne do yes.

Di, I think you have an advantage over me :-)

I do enjoy thinking about what to make for these competitions and I love a little challenge. Also I get to use all those little funny shaped bits of scrap that sit on my bench for ages!

[t1ggerk1ns]

I don't have a workbench, and am currently working on a competition entry, but attempts 1 and 2 failed completely. I just hope I can finish in time to enter.

[Kimkie]

Good luck with no.3 t1ggerk1ns.

Looking forward to seeing it here.

[Dennis]

Yes, hurry and you've got it made (The competition I mean). Post a question in the help section and we'll all chip in. Dennis.

[t1ggerk1ns]

Ok, so I don't do Summer Holidays cos it always rains, so I think this says it quite well.
I know it's not as good as most of the stuff that gets shown, but it contains a fair few 'firsts' for me.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd362/t1ggerk1ns/assorted012.jpg

My photography isn't much good either!!!!!!
This is the best picture I could get.

[caroleallen]

That raincloud is so sweet and very appropriate for this summer.

[Tabby66]

Sadly too appropriate for this summer!! I agree with Carole, that's a lovely piece tiggerkins........so what were your new techniques with this piece, it's really interesting to hear some of the background to pieces!!

[Dennis]

Well doe: I wouldn't mind the rain so much if that image appeared on my weather station. Dennis.

[t1ggerk1ns]

Aww, thanks all. I know it's very basic and it did take 3 attempts to get right, which is slightly embarrasing.
I tried first with silver clay. The first one I got too hot and ended up with a blob. The second one wasn't too bad, but the finish wasn't great, and the soldering was pants. And that's being polite. I also got the droppers too hot and discoloured the crystals.
So, the one I finally was reasonably happy with was cut from silver sheet. I had never soldered the ring on before, I had always drilled, and I had never done the balling to make the pins before. The 'raindrops' are Swarovski crystal.

[Julian]

So cynical, hits my humor spot perfectly. I love it.

Julian

[Kimkie]

Very sweet raincloud. And well done for persevering t1ggerk1ns!

[Wallace]

Oh, such absolutely brilliant and lovely work by everyone. They also made me smile. This is my entry. When I was a young 'un we used to go to the beach with bucket and spade and windmill in hand........ ahhhh, sweet memories. I hand fabricated everything but the sand and glass :D .

3667

[eirish]

Wallace, that's darling! And Kim, so is your picnic basket. Loving all of these. :)

[caroleallen]

That's amazing Wallace. I love it.

[Dennis]

Perfect memento of sandcastle-ing Wallace.

[Tabby66]

That's lovely Wallace!!

[t1ggerk1ns]

That's wonderful. I love it.

[Wallace]

thanks everyone!! I had to decide how I was going to put each piece together. The bucket is linked to the handle with a soldered rivet. Well, wire that I soldered through a hole then riveted in place. The handle also has a handle cover if you look closely. Both the bucket handle and the windmill move. I like things that have movement either alluded or real.

I have learned so many things over the years in metal working and these three were in some ways a lot of the sawing, raising, shaping, drilling, hot and cold connections, blob making (erm, I mean melting),soldering, filing and finishing and have used quite a few here. The bucket's base is 12mm and I had to flare it out or cut it out with a sloping edge to give it a conical shape. I like bashing, so decided to hand flare it with my hammer and ring mandrel. I am still working out a better solution for the windmill though....... may change the way it is connected later. But, it turns when I blow on it so it is very chucklingly satisfying. :D

I didn't want a high sheen on these as I knew they were going in scratchy sand for their play time pictures. lol. I was going to paint a little dolphin on the bucket, but only have water paints which don't do much on silver.

Thanks again everyone, your kind feedback is welcomed - I loved the fun of making these and they did bring some periwinkle picking days out with my dad back into my memory too!

[Kimkie]

Wallace that is gorgeous!

[ShinyLauren]

That's gorgeous Wallace! It is my childhood, made from silver, as I grew up in Jersey and spent the majority of my time as a child with a bucket and spade!

[Kwant]

Love them all so far.

I want to enter and have all the prelim design stuff done, but still waiting on the kiln as I was hoping to do an enamel for this theme, and it would be my first enamel but hey I am a painter how hard can it be :P

[Wallace]

sorry for the delay, the posts disappear if not within the last couple of days. Thanks for the lovely comments again. :o

[Kimkie]

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of rain clouds for the next month's competition, English Weather. It's rained here almost non-stop for weeks. Although I think further up country it's been fine, here the garden is a quagmire!

:rain:

[LittleGem]

Ok, so I don't do Summer Holidays cos it always rains, so I think this says it quite well.
I know it's not as good as most of the stuff that gets shown, but it contains a fair few 'firsts' for me.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd362/t1ggerk1ns/assorted012.jpg

My photography isn't much good either!!!!!!
This is the best picture I could get.

JUNE'S WINNER!!

It is great to see you experimenting with new techniques and we hope you have learnt a lot in the process.

We loved the irony of the piece- tongue in cheek and all that!

Well Done! We hope you enjoy your workbench which will allow you to explore your new found techniques further.

Please e-mail our competition's co-ordinator at jessica.sweetingham@cooksongold.com with your account details in order for us to deliver your prize! :)

[Dennis]

Congratulations t1gger, hope that will be your lucky workbench, Dennis.

[t1ggerk1ns]

Thank you so much. I was really shocked to win.

[caroleallen]

Very well done Tiggerkins.

[snow_imp]

Congrats - I loved the design T1ggerkins.

[Wallace]

yay! Well done - lovely design

:D

[MeadMoon]

Well done t1ggerk1ns. With the summer we're having, your design is so appropriate!

[lorraineflee]

Congratulations!!

[Di Sandland]

Tiggerkins, very well done! Enjoy your new workbench too x

[Tabby66]

Congratulations Tiggerkins!! As Di says, enjoy your new bench!!

[Kimkie]

Well done! You will have hours of fun with your new bench I am sure :dance:

[t1ggerk1ns]

Hehe, thank you all. I am already re arranging to make room.