Hellooo! Hellooo! Hellooo!
There's a bit of an echo here...after not posting for so long. ;-) I did not have much inspiration or drive to work on miniatures or post anything lately. Which doesn't mean I didn't do anything at all.
The past few weeks I tried to do a little inlay work. I had done a bit of inlay before, about 8 years ago in a class by Barry Hipwell. I must confess I couldn't quite remember how we did it. At that time I didn't realize I had to write everything down so I wouldn't forget how it was done.
After a bit of trying I figured out how to do the inlay again, or something which worked for me anyway. I used a tray by Émile Gallé for inspiration. I did make a few mistakes and I'm not happy with the entire design (there were some odd design choices by the great Gallé in my opinion), but I decided to finish it anyway, just for the learning experience.
It was a LOT of work and I spent a lot of time on hands and knees looking for yet another piece I had dropped (great fun looking for a piece of wood on a wooden floor), but I did enjoy it. I learned a lot from making this little tray and I have already found another piece I would like to try and make next. Now I do need more veneer!
The sides of the tray are made with pear wood, into which I carved a centre line. I finished the tray with shellac and wax. It looks lovely and smooth!
Although I made the tray just as an inlay exercise and not with a specific room in mind, it looks quite at home in this Arts & Crafts room in my Canal House. The curved edge of the tray is repeated in the curved back of the chairs.
Also for this room I made a cute Arts & Crafts inspired light fixture. I used an old metal brooch, a bit of brass tubing, a glass shade and a light bulb from Lighting Bug. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, but lighting conditions were bad lately.
Even though the lamp is a bit cobbled together, I really like it. The lamp reminds me of the ones in Standen, an Arts & Crafts house with Morris &Co. interiors in West Sussex, UK. As you may know by now, I love the Arts & Crafts movement!
