A couple of years ago my mother gave me a book she had bought because it was so beautifully produced, but which turned out to be totally useless. It’s called ‘French General Treasured Notions: Inspirations and Craft Projects Using Vintage Beads, Buttons, Ribbons and Trim from Tinsel Trading Company.’ Snappy, non? Its author is Kaari Meng and it was published in 2010 by Chronicle Books in San Francisco.
Mum bought it, I think, because the photos are absolutely sumptuous and enticing:
The above photos are mood boards or inspiration boards for Meng’s projects and I absolutely love them. The problem is that the projects all require antique haberdashery: the buttons, beads, ribbons and trims of the title. Plus, they are not particularly desirable objects when you finish.
But for some reason I got the book off the shelf last weekend, and found the little medals. I thought that they would be the ideal thing to give to people who had helped me on the recent Thinking Futures day. So on Sunday afternoon I made some of my own but with a much more contemporary twist.
I was really interested to see just how much better they looked mounted on the cards. They could be framed, and they have brooch pins on the backs so they can be worn. This final one was made for a really good friend of mine who recently got his PhD after 22 years. I thought he deserved a medal:
So far the recipients have loved them, and they are a good thing to have in the repertoire for gifts for people that you want to give special thanks to. I have just ordered a bunch of 1950s ombre ribbon from Etsy, because I am hoping to have occasion to give out a whole bunch of medals in the future.
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