Month: October 2020

Categories
Inspiration

Manhole

I have got a few raised eyebrows over the years when I tell people the fact that I like manhole covers! As ye know, I like geometric shapes and patterns and find them esthetically pleasing to my eyes. I have found manhole covers also easy on the eyes for years but it was only in the lockdown, when I was walking the streets more that I really noticed how many there are and all the different types for the different companies that owned them. Then I started going off on a tangent, thinking about why the manhole covers are actually there and the vast network of pipes and wires that are underneath our feet. So I started doing a bit of research and was surprised to find out some interesting facts about them.

Did you know there is a museum in northern Italy, Ferrara that is completely devoted to manhole covers.There are small holes in the cover and these work as vents to leave out the toxic fumes out so they don’t build up and make the workers sick when they enter. But I think the most fascinating fact I have found out is the fact that the manhole covers have been getting stolen for decades, especially when the economy is bad . The covers were made from cast iron so people who steal them and sometimes the frame which would take a lot of effort, go to a scrap yard to get a fraction of its worth. A Lot of accidents have happened due to the fact there is a large hole in the ground that nobody knows about and people have fallen in. 

I was reading an article on the Irish Times written by a fella Frank McNally and there was a really funny fact in it. Do you know the hobby of trainspotting? Well there is another one called manhole spotting so I’m not on my own in my weirdness after all!! Really I have just liked them for the aesthetic purpose but after doing my bit of research they have definitely become more interesting.  

I just love all the different designs on them, some have shapes that I think look like little men dancing around but most have patterns. A lot of them have uniform patterns with different size squares and triangles, but many with circles and that’s maybe because most manhole covers are circular and this is because they are less likely to cave in, over the rectangular shaped ones. 

So next time you are out for a walk have a look down and see at all the geometric patterns at your feet,you won’t be disappointed..

Categories
Inspiration

Architecture

I always said if I was to ever build my own home, that I wouldn’t have a regular square or rectangular room in the house. I really like rooms that have interesting spaces like alcoves or windows, spaces that can be used for decoration and functions. But that’s just dreams! I do that a lot, dream, I love it ! If you don’t, give it a go, you won’t be disappointed.

We don’t have too many ‘out there’ buildings in Waterford to admire but we do have a few like the Museum, the house of Crystal and a few private houses. These are all contemporary architecture but the first of these unusual and Geometric shaped  buildings was in the 50s mainly in Eastern Europe, this era was known as Brutalist architecture. These buildings would be government buildings, librarys or universities. They would show a gridded Geometric style that was rough and had unfinished surfaces. They consisted of straight lines and unusual shapes. The materials were concrete and steel mostly. This style lasted till the 70s with some people thought it to be inhuman and unwelcoming. But contemporary architecture has some of those feathers but is done with beauty and consideration to the environment. It also has hitech or conceptual designs. Contemporary architecture isn’t a movement like baroque or modernism, so this meant that they didn’t have to follow a particular school of rules like movements do,so they were free to choose many styles as long as they were different from what had come before or the norm. With most contemporary architecture it tends to have a lot of curves but some also consist of cubes which I really like. They position them in particular ways that create distinctive compositions with large windows. Wood and brick are typically used as well. To me they look like massive sculptures, I find them so interesting. There are so many famous buildings I could mention like the CCTV building in Beijing or the Louis Vuitton foundation in Paris

Categories
Stuff That Interests Me

What You Don’t Know About Geometric Shapes

We have all known geometric shapes from a very young age, one of my first memories is playing with my shape sorter toy, pushing the coloured shapes through the wooden box. But there are hidden meanings to each shape, along with cultural and religious symbolic representation too. If I had to say which of the geometric shapes are my favourite, I’d have to go with the triangle. The triangle is one of the most powerful geometric shapes. It is associated with strength and resilience along with spiritual symbolism representing the father, son and holy spirit, past presents and future, mind body and spirit. The downwards triangle represents female energy along with the element water which is associated with purification, healing and peace, where the upwards triangle has masculine energy and the element fire, that represents courage, strength and passion. No matter what triangles shaped piece of jewellery you go for you will be sending a strong message. I was always drawn to triangles, I think it’s because of the angles created by the different types of triangle but then I looked into the symbolic meaning and I think it’s because I would consider myself a strong minded, passionate person so maybe that’s the reason why I’ve always liked them. If I had to give an emotion towards triangular pieces of jewellery when I wear them is empowerment. 

Without saying a word you can create influence and make a particular impression by knowing your shapes and what they say about you. Like if you want to imply stability or structure you should wear a square piece of jewellery. The square is often symbolic to the material world. Phythogoras associated the number 4 with the square and many cultures associate 4 with material things. A closed space is linked to a square and it symbolises security and balance.  Have you ever noticed it’s always a square in a city or town, that is used as a meeting place as it can be associated with a safe place and symbolises community. I would definitely consider a square piece of jewellery, if you were going to a business meeting or an interview you will send off the right impression straight away 

The circle, said to be the most perfect of geometric shapes, embodies compassion,infinity and unity. Many cultures have different philosophies on the circle, In the Zen Buddhists religion, the circle stands for enlightenment and perfection. In Chinese symbology, the circle represents the heavens. The circle is one of the oldest of geometric shapes and is seen throughout history symbolizing protection and balance. When you see a circle it is said to bring calmness.

All geometric shapes are used in jewellery design, these simplistic shapes can create an eye -catching design without having to use texture or negative spaces.  

I have always thought that your jewellery really finished an outfit off and can say alot about a person. I myself would like to keep it on the minimal side during the day, with soft textures and small shapes such as circles or ovals, but when I want to make a statement or fell fierce , I wear bold pieces with large shapes like triangles or squares

Categories
About Me

About Me

Hey! I’m Carmel.. I wanted to tell you a bit about me and why I have started this page. I think the main reason is to connect more with my followers and to share all those weird and wonderful thoughts that run through my head and what I find interesting and inspiring. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be writing my own blog, but I’m going to give it a shot. Where do I start.. 

As much as I love my friends and family and spending time with them, I also love my alone time. I do like my own company alot and maybe is the reason why I have always been into crafts because it is something I have done on my own for years even though I would talk about it with friends, we would do our projects separately. When I’m up in my workshop, away from the world and all its worries, I can just go into myself and bring out my creative hub losing myself in the process. I love this way of creating it has so much freedom and no retenses. Creating without the fear of failure or judgement, I feel I can be more adventurous and therefore more creative.

The biggest interest after jewellery design and crafting, would definitely be my garden. I started to garden about 12 years ago,starting off with a few pots and not getting far, killing them before the year was out. The next year I tried again, I bought grow bags with strawberries in them at a market, a few weeks caring for them waiting in anticipation for them to turn red and be ready and boy were they good, and so many too! I was hooked and from there, every year it grew, for the first few years I still wanted it to be pretty but as the years went by it turned more into a working garden and now I have barely enough room to lie out and sunbath, if I get the chance.

My garden isn’t so big and is completely concrete so I have over 100 pots and 4 raised beds, plus the green house. I mainly grow fruit like strawberries, raspberries and apples and salad like scallions, cucumbers and tomatoes.  I do a few things that last into the winter like leek carrots and beets too but I’m not a fan of gardening in the winter so I don’t do too many! I have a section for flowers too, can’t forget about the bees! My favourite plants are the weeping hearts plant and angel wings. I grow a plant called comfy and I make my own plant feed called comfy tea. That’s a whole blog on its own! It’s a lot of hard work and it doesn’t always work out but it’s so worth it. Having food that you know has no fertilisers or chemicals on them and it’s so fresh and tasty too!

My other big thing is animals, the love of my life is my 18 year old dog Jessie, I lost her brother Ben 2 years ago to liver failure ,Heartbroken was an understatement but I still had Jess and 2 years later she is still going strong for her age. She is so funny, I always said she must have been a cat in her past life, she is scared of her own shadow and happy out doing her own thing. I find it hard to go on walks without her as she is only able for a stroll around the block these days. Going to the beach or the park just isn’t the same without her. I remember having to leave Ben at home when he wasn’t well and that was so hard too.

I know the things I find interesting are not what you call the norm and you could probably say, are a bit weird, but that’s OK, I was never one to follow the norm. Basic Geometric shapes really do it for me, especially in repetition or patterns, I find it so esthetically pleasing to my eyes, the best example of this is manhole covers, that I have a bit of an obsession with. There are so many different patterns on some square and rectangular but mostly circular manhole covers , all owned by different companies to gain access to the sewers below. I just think it’s fascinating..Another one I like, that some do not, is buildings that have wierd or innovative architectural designs, some were built in the 1950s and were known as Brutalist Architecture and the other are contemporary architecture that can be seen built now. The clean lines and Geometric shapes are what attract me to them the most for sure but also the innovative designs and technology. But hey that’s just a snipits, I’ll go into more detail in future posts. So keep an eye out if you want to get an insight into the weird and wonderful thoughts inside my head.