This is a page for info about my hairpins that I sell at markets. Scroll down for hairclips.
- They are made of air dry clay, with a wooden dowel/wire inside for strengthening, acrylic paint, sometimes a thin layer of paper mache to prevent cracks, and matte spray varnish.
- They're somewhere between 15 and 19cm long, and a fraction thinner than a sharpie
- They're somewhat prototypey - I base them on how I wear hairpins so length/weight/strength-wise I'm not sure if they suit everyone? Would love feedback if you have any! (I also tend to wear two at once)
- They should be treated delicately: don't just leave them loose in a bag, drop them on the ground, get them very wet, otherwise they're liable to break or the paint will wear/chip off.
- I tend to wear them all a little bit, drop them on carpet etc, to check they're not going to break immediately but sometimes it happens! The clay is unpredictable. I'm definitely willing to either fix them or replace with a similar one if this happens within a few weeks, at no cost. (if you live in wellington and are happy to meet somewhere to drop off/pick up, otherwise maybe shipping costs)
- After a lot of wear the paint may also start to rub off after a while - generally either at the end or in the centre, where it's going to be covered anyway. I'm keeping most of my future designs with white/pale 'stalks' so that this isn't too obvious.
end of paint starting to wear off after ~6 months of wearing (at least a few days a week)
Four hairpins that have been mended with paper mache - a slightly rougher finish but it's only noticable close up.
HAIRCLIPS
- Most of the main points about hairpins apply to these too, however these are made of polymer clay.
- This means they can be smaller/more delicate without breaking (but still should be treated with care)
- The clips are alligator clips, but the serrated edges are mostly covered by the clay (this keeps the clay attached, but looses a bit of extra grip). As long as they're used more decoratively rather than holding up a lot of hair as well, they should be fine.
- If they're stored in a warm/humid environment it's possible that the varnish will go slightly sticky (eg they might stick together if you have multiple) - the easiest fix for this is to brush some talcum/baby powder on them
- The smaller ones are 5-6cm long and the twig ones 7-8cm long.
The backs, and original alligator clips.