Happy Friday readers - welcome to a new edition of Friday Friends. I hope your working week wasn't too hectic - it feels like it really was five working days jammed into three! Today it is my absolute pleasure to reintroduce to you all a Friday Friend, DUSTy Diva and Australian Maker - meet Ruby Tombstone!
Ruby Tombstone provides a fabulous array of handmade and genuine vintage goodies - let me share some with you now. I do adore this MAD Rabbit Necklace, Pastel Bunny HoopLa with Lavender Polka Dots, it really is One of a Kind!
I was also quite taken with the bright patterns of this SWIRL Bracelet in red and pink made from fabric and wood Mod Vintage Beads.
Dear readers, I now invite you to take some time out to read the story of Ruby Tombstone in "Every Piece Tells A Story." Have a wonderful long weekend - and remember it's ANZAC day today, Lest we forget. xo♥
"Every Piece Tells A Story"
"Ruby Tombstone is an ageing hipster living alone
with her cat, Swanky, and wondering just what the hell she's doing in the
tropics anyway..."
I have only just re-opened and re-vamped my Etsy shop after taking a 2-year
break. Actually, I moved up here to Townsville from Canberra during that time,
and two years later I'm still adapting to life in the tropics! This time around
I have more time to spend working on the shop, so when I'm not being interrupted
by things like goannas, cyclones or the cat starting a pop-up butterfly house in
the kitchen, I'm actually getting a lot more craft done.
I think I have a knack for spotting interesting things and piecing them
together in beautiful and unusual ways. I find inspiration in such diverse
areas, including in all things vintage, and I really like the contrast between
very different aesthetics. So I've been collecting materials and objects for
many years, assuming that one day I'll find the right use for them. At least
that's how I think of it. Others have pointed out that this looks a lot like an
excuse for compulsive hoarding, but without the house full of cats.
Every
hand-made piece in my store is a one-of-a-kind item - I don't mass-produce
anything, and I don't bulk-buy huge amounts of cheap components. I use the
materials that I've collected and treasured over the years - maybe buttons from
my mother's button tin, vintage beads from a broken necklace, fabric from some
vintage kitchen curtains or novelties from a circus that closed down in the 60s
- and put them together when I find the right combination. I also experiment
with different techniques using the materials at hand, hoping to find just the
right effect. This means nobody else in the world will ever have the piece that
you're wearing, and at the end of the day, it's a lovely one-of-a-kind treasure
which has its own unique story.
I love jewellery and accessories that are changeable, that will adapt to
fit my mood and my style each day. "HoopLa" necklaces are my own design, made
from segments of ribbon slotted onto hinged coloured hoops. This makes each
piece really versatile, allows for adjustable sizing, and even lets you mix and
match the components. You can turn the necklace around for a round, square or
pointed neckline, swap the position of the ribbon segments, add charms and
pendants, join the hoops up with other ribbons or scarves, double up on the
ribbon segments - the options are literally endless. So with one piece of
jewellery, you're getting a lot of different looks!
I've recently started making magnetic cardigan clips, which are also really
versatile. Made from wooden rectangles with swatches of beautiful fabrics and
joined by a chain, they can fit together really well as one big geometric
brooch, or be worn as cardigan clips on the necks of cardigans, on the collar of
shirts, to fasten shawls, scarves or capes... anything!
Since the backs are
magnetic, there's no way to damage your clothes with pin-holes, and you can
place them anywhere for all sorts of different looks.
While I was making the cardigan clips, I experimented a lot with different
sealants and adhesives, trying to get a more organic effect - as if the fabric
was actually growing from the wood. I frayed the edges of the fabric, then
layered up the sealants, sanding them back each time to try and get to this
point. In the process, I came up with these earrings which have a much more
faded-in look. A local cafe saw these and asked me to produce another batch for
them to sell in their space, which I'm really excited about. I love doing custom
requests, because it gives me a concrete challenge to work on.
Along with vintage jewellery components, I have been a keen collector of
vintage clothing for many years. I tend to buy these pieces for myself, but alas
- they can't all fit me. Those which don't will hopefully find a loving home
through my shop. I think of my Etsy shop as a collection to be curated, so only
my best vintage pieces are listed here. I do a lot of background research on
each piece before I list it, not only so that I can authenticate it as genuine
vintage, but so that I can tell the story behind it. I have a great expert on
Australian vintage garments who I can email for help, and I look for background
information on the labels, like any vintage advertising that's around for each
brand, so that by the time I list a garment I have a story to share about it:
the brand's history, trends at the time, the materials, how it would have been
sold or worn. Again - you're wearing a garment which has a story to tell.
I love my horror movies, zombies in particular, so there will always be a
place for the creepy, kooky and spooky in my store. My zombie memento mori
pieces are so much fun for me to make, as I get to create a whole character and
tell their story too. I give each character in the portrait a name, include a
scrap from their dress, maybe some beads they were wearing, make the piece a
little memento of their passing.
To celebrate my return to Etsy, I'm having a 20% OFF EVERYTHING sale. The
Coupon Code is "NEWRUBY20", which will give you 20% off your total purchase
excluding shipping. I'm still adding new pieces daily, so please keep checking
back, or follow me for updates:
Follow Ruby:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rubylovesbrains
Twitter: @rubytombstone
Instagram: instagram.com/rubytombstone#
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/rubytombstone/
Blog: www.tumblr.com/blog/rubytombstone
Twitter: @rubytombstone
Instagram: instagram.com/rubytombstone#
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/rubytombstone/
Blog: www.tumblr.com/blog/rubytombstone
