I'm doing so much catch up from my time away from crafts, that it is the perfect time to preview the project's third guest maker. Yes this week's maker is Cara Codd (also known as Madam Mod Makes) the fabulous creator of unique one off pieces of jewellery and accessories.
Cara says:
"I originally trained as a fine artist and have been working in gallery & museum education for over 18 years, but due to having children and a serious illness I turned to crafts as a source of rehabilitation and a possible new career path. I have always made things as presents for family and friends, usually pendants and cards and that grew into an obsession with working with fabrics, metals, gemstones and just about anything I can upcycle."Cara obviously has a real passion for art and design, as you can see from her blog which often features very inspiring 'art of the day' posts. She loves creating something unexpected from throw away or discarded materials, and experimenting with mixing precious and waste materials together, such as used copper piping and leather laces, semi-precious gemstones and old tap washers. Some of her more popular items are made using vintage buttons and old photographs embedded in resin.
"Creating something aesthetically beautiful out of mundane or waste materials is what I love doing most."
Because each of her pieces are completely unique - Cara's online shop is a real treasure trove of inspiration.
Where you do you find inspiration for your work?
Everywhere. I initially was inspired by vintage brooches and turing these into more accessibly worn necklaces and bracelets. Then I used the family interest in mod and scooter culture and its music and used this to create hand stamped badges and photo resin badges and earrings. I found i loved breathing new life into discarded items, so sometimes is the materials that dictate the outcome of what I make and sometimes its a theme. However memories of growing up in the 1970s & 80s and an obsession with vintage & retro wallpapers is currently surfacing in some of my more recent resin pieces.
What made you decide to participate as a guest maker in the 52-week challenge?
I definatey believe what goes around, comes around, so its important to share skills, experience and ideas with others. I talk to so many makers through fairs and social networking ewebsites and its great to be part of such a diverse and talented arts & crafts community. Macmillan is such a great organisation, the funds they recieve make such as difference to the lives of those people and their families being treated for or recovering from Cancer. I myself was seriously ill with cancer and macmillan helped me financially when I desperately needed it. They also provide amazing care and support on a daily basis to those families that really need it. I can't do running or walking distances so in a small way this is how i can say Thank You to them.
With Madam Mod's clear creativity and passion for design, and her devotion to the cause of raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support you can be sure that the item she is donating will be a real gem.
Check back this Sunday for the big reveal! In the meantime you can check her out on facebook or twitter
And why not check out last week's Tangrams now up for auction:
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