Because we have only been active since April/May this year, each time seasonal events happen we have to work doubly hard to get designs perfected, cut, photographed and up on the website in time, for maximum effect. Having worked in retail I know how stupidly early you have to be with seasonal things, Easter comes out in January, bikinis when it is still snowing in March, Halloween start of September, Christmas same time. So our Christmas collection has been no exception, ideas have been floating in my head for months. So it was fairly easy to pick and choose what I wanted to do, but then had to spend two weeks solidly designing and cutting getting things just right. bBut it is here now, and I have to say it is my favourite and best work to date.
This year has been a massive learning curve for BHC, fine tuning our designs, and our business, what works and what doesn't has been exciting, scary and frankly awesome. So I wanted to show case them all here for you, in a lovely blog post.
I keep wondering which is the key piece for the collection, and I am constantly torn by the following three, because I love them all so much.
You know there are things you always doodle? Christmas puddings are one of those things I always doodle, along with storm clouds and lightening bolts. So this has been the first piece I have drawn totally free hand and uploaded (and apart from having to make a dotty vector) and had to do almost no work to. In fact this necklace actually cut out first time in perfect condition! I also think you can get away with wearing it in the office/in December without it being too obnoxious.
This necklace was not as easy as the pudding, there are a lot of mishaped orange reindeer in the plastics bin in the shed, but the final product looks so striking. We even etched subtle presents into the sleigh. I toyed with the idea of adding Santa to it, but I felt it made it a bit cheesy. I wanted this piece to be super stylised, I don't think this is one to wear on Christmas day, but possibly that really fancy Christmas party? We have cut it in Silver too, and we can cut it in any colour to match that party dress you spent too much money on.
All the mirrored acrylic I have worked with has been really hit and miss. I made some awesome heart earrings that worked perfectly, bought a new sheet and everything I made bubbled up and actually caught fire in the laser cutter. So we changed brands, had a play about, bought Christmas colours, got the settings perfect, celebrated, used our acrylic glue that actually welds and melts acrylic together, this then ruined the baubles, used our jewellers glue instead and then FINALLY I think we have it 100% down now. The necklace consists of a traditional round bauble with chevron pattern, and round pointy one with gold and silver mirrored stripes, and then the middle long pointy red mirrored etched with a elaborate pattern and inked with gold.
Yeah it is super cliche and I imagine we are not the only people doing it, but it does really encompass Christmas as an image. This was another tricky one, as the sides kept melting and twisting so the little white pieces wouldn't slot in, but we got it, and I can't stop holding it and touching it because it is so tactile. Can also be done in glitter red and white if that is what you fancy.
Delicate, and intricate but still big enough to make a Black Heart Creatives statement, these are our snowflake earrings. They come in either white or slightly frosted clear acrylic. I wanted something that was impressive but at the same time affordable. I think I cracked it as these are a hit at the fairs we have been doing.
It wouldn't be a Black Heart Christmas without something rebellious right? Not that the Grinch is rebellious, but I had someone really specific in mind when I made it and thought it would be a really funny secret santa present.
I really wanted to do something Muppets Christmas Carol, but I think it would have been a bit too niche, so in my mind this necklace will be a homage to my second favourite Christmas film (Elf is obviously first) and not the Dickens Christmas classic.
So that is our Christmas collection, does this mean I should get a head start on Easter now?
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