New stretch target
With extra funding I can purchase some power tools (polishers and drills) and a stock of silver clay (made from recycled silver). It'll give me a jump start and make some of the work more efficient.
Help me create beautiful things out of rubbish, offcuts and post-industrial waste.
by Louise Lea in Southsea, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
With extra funding I can purchase some power tools (polishers and drills) and a stock of silver clay (made from recycled silver). It'll give me a jump start and make some of the work more efficient.
HELP GET THE OFFCUT PROJECT OFF THE GROUND
The what now?
The Offcut Project is a new product line from Southsea's The Mildred Trouble Shop - offering statement jewellery and accessories from waste plastic, industrial offcuts, pre-loved textiles and recycled precious metals.
I want to create some really special and unique pieces that people can treasure. I'm inspired constantly by this amazing creative community in Southsea but really concerned about the amount of waste that we create as a society.
In short; I've got the skills and the materials, and now I need the workspace.
Who are you, anyway?
I'm Lou and I've been making jewellery for over 3 years. I taught myself at my dining table with a starter kit of pliers and jewellery findings. My business has one of those classic lockdown origin stories; when my job became less creative because of the pandemic, I needed another outlet for my ideas.
Fast forward to today where I've had the pleasure of 350+ Etsy orders, sold to hundreds of people face-to-face at local markets and my creations are stocked in 3 outlets in Portsmouth. And I work full time doing a job that I also love.
What do you I need?
Until now I've been using a mix of new charms and pre-loved beads to make my own creations. I use recyclable card displays and plastic free padded envelopes. My long term goal is to use no virgin materials and I have a huge collection of material scraps, old jewellery and plastic offcuts, just waiting to be transformed.
However... I'm running out of room and it's not fair on my family (human and furry) to be sawing plastic in the lounge and storing offcuts on the dinner table.
To get this off the ground without displacing those that live here, I need a workspace. I'm raising money for a garden workshop with two jeweller workbenches which will allow me to welcome other budding makers into a safe space to practice and create when they need it.
I'm also funding for a new website which will allow me to sell direct to customers online, rather than going through Etsy, and some display equipment to enhance my current (rather basic) craft stall.
Why help?
I am passionate about protecting our planet and wanted to find a way of reusing waste that I see on our beaches and discarded by people every day. Through this project I'll be able to make the unwanted into something unique. Including the tricky materials that can't be traditionally recycled. I want to educate people on sustainability along the way, encouraging less waste. And I'll have the opportunity to share my craft with others and welcome new makers to the space for free.
What they say: some of my 5* reviewers
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