Custom Oberon's Gateway - Part I

A dear friend of mine named George (and valued customer I might add) up in Washington state e-mailed me about doing a door knocker version of Oberon's Gateway (OG) for him. By door knocker he meant an OG that featured a striker of some kind that a person could use to strike the keys and alert the home owner that someone was home. After we exchanged a few laughs over how impractical that really is he still wanted to press forward for the sake of the art. Well I couldn't agree more! Plus he's willing to pay for it! :)

So I went out looking for an appropriate striker and came up with this to try (right). It's a antique cast iron key hole cover. There we a few other possibilities but this goes along with the key theme from the original Oberon's Gateway'. There will also of course need to be a few alterations to the original design too. I don't think it would do to simply drill a hole in the bottom and hang this striker. So I worked up this concept sketch for George to approve.

It still has the character of the original design with a little extra embellishment at the bottom. I still may simplify it more once I actually start to fabricate it. I won't know really until the piece starts to take shape. I plan to post the progress in stages over the next week.

I want to use this project as an example of my willingness to listen to my customers and try to create something together. I know George will love this even if no one else does because it was his idea and personal to him. If you have an idea let me know!

Look for Part II soon!

D Magazine Shoptalk Spotlight

Hey I got some press yesterday from D Magazine's online blog. I'm really excited about it.

http://shoptalk.dmagazine.com/2010/05/12/the-handmade-bash-reviewed-ferrochie-studio/

I met Ms. Ramsey at the Handmade Bash on May 1st and I'm really happy she chose Oberon's Gateway to talk about. Perhaps I need to send her one as a thank you!

Back in the saddle! So to speak.

Yes I know! What's the deal with the lack of posts. Well if I actually thought there was more than one person interested in what's going on with me I would have been a bit more frequent. Well I can't take my one follower for granted now can I Junior. :)

Anyway I'm getting back in the saddle. The blog saddle that is. I have been busy with Ferrochie the past few months. I had my first show on May 1st and it was a success in my mind. I didn't sell a lot but I did learn a lot and made a bunch of new friends.

This is Oberon's Gateway. It's a vintage key door chime that was one of four new items I introduced for the May 1st show called The Handmade Bash. The Handmade Bash is a show run by Etsy Dallas and organization I can proudly say I am a 2010 member of. You can check out the Etsy Dallas website by clicking this link:

http://www.etsydallas.com/

I'll be posting a couple of things next week so until then . . . http://www.ferrochie.com/