Ladybug Scatter Pin

According to (the seemingly ever-present designer) Thomas Mann, this ladybug (ladybird) should bring good luck. I could certainly use some of that, which is why I wore him today. Having been fogged in at the airport for 3 hours on Monday, I got to work late only to have my flu return with a vengeance. I could hardly turn round and fly home, so I stuck it out as best I could, greatly aided by Alka-Seltzer (that stuff's a miracle, I tell you). I don't know whether the Ladybug worked, but nothing bad has happened, at least at the time of writing.

Being only 7/8", the Ladybug is small but perfectly formed. There's some interesting detail in his silver legs, head and antennae, but his red acrylic body is appropriately simple (and a nice choice of material). The brass studs set in black acrylic remind you of the spots, rather than being too literal about them, which was a smart design choice, I think. All in all, another great Mann creation.

Did you expect me to pick something ghoulish for Halloween? It crossed my mind, but I grew up with the Irish version thanks to my late Mother, which emphasized fear as much as fun. Some things shouldn't be messed with, no matter how much money gets made (cue Satanic and maniacal baritone laughter)...

Little Cat

Here's the Little Cat I mentioned when describing the Little Dog - they're stylistic siblings, so to speak. There's a subtle tilt to his head that makes you believe he's listening or watching intently: if he had eyebrows, I suspect that one of them would be raised. That made him a perfect match for my day of design reviews and planning.

Like the Little Dog, the Little Cat is made of silver, is evocatively simple, yet still expressive, which appears to be a hallmark (sorry) of Annie Kajiya's work. And no, Anne - you can't have him.

In retrospect, the Little Dog completely failed as a talisman, because I was sick for a week after that post, which is why there's been a gap. Whoever asked why I wasn't posting is clearly a "look at the pictures" person, having ignored both my words and my Twitter feed...

Repeat: Dragonfly

I know I wore this only a couple of days ago, but it's really an outstanding pin. And besides, the Piglet stud I planned to wear turned out to have a broken clasp. So here's the Dragonfly again, with a slightly better picture.

Though I've had it only a few days, I'm already thinking that this pin will come out whenever I'm seeking inspiration. The woman in the photo has an air of wonder about her, presumably inspired by the swarming dragonflies: entrancing beauty in chaos, it seems to me. Readers of the Butterfly post might recall my affinity for such things...

Little Dog

I fell asleep early last night (bad sign), overslept this morning (bad sign) and now have enough gravel in my voice to rival Barry White (good sound, bad sign). Rather than shuffle around muttering "woe is me", I opted to believe that it's an allergy rather than something dreadful, and donned the Little Dog as a talisman. I'm not feeling worse, so he's doing a pretty good job - and he's less intimidating than Determined Dog.

The Little Dog is made of silver, and is another great example of evocative simplicity. I also like his slightly skewed perspective and asymmetry, of course - especially his raised eyebrows. In a recent post about Starman, I mentioned that there would be more works out there by the designer Annie Kajiya: and I was right - the Little Dog is one of them! And I own a third pin by her, which is a Little Cat, but you haven't seen that pin yet.

Dragonfly

Here's the pin that Christy got me for our 15th wedding anniversary, front and back. It was totally worth the wait, and I'm really delighted with it - these photos don't come close to doing it justice, unfortunately. Since it's brand new, I haven't decided what the pin will mean yet, although romance must surely figure in there somewhere...

The pin is made of silver, with citrine crystal and topaz accents, but the main attraction is the 'found image', of course, which lies beneath a polycarbonate window. The designers are Dawn Estrin and George Wilson: that's their photo in the textured back of the pin, also protected beneath a polycarbonate window (a particularly delightful way to sign their work). Having glanced at their other works, I suspect my collection will be growing soon....

Starman

Come on. Admit it. He's irresistible, right? Technically a stud rather than a pin, the Starman is my choice when it's time to march joyfully into the future, regardless of knowing what that future holds. After a full day of company strategy yesterday (my excuse for failing to post), the future of my work is theoretically less uncertain: and in these troubled times, having a future - even a theoretical one - is not to be sneezed at. As a natural-born cynic, I sometimes need to be reminded that optimism is not synonymous with lunacy - and that's when I sport the Starman.

Starman is solid silver, has the rounded forms we associate with children and small animals (aaaaah), a little tuft of hair to die for, and the hint of a button-up shirt or jacket: another example of extreme simplicity being highly evocative. He was designed by Annie Kajiya, the founder of "Anni & Co" (which is stamped on his back). According to one retailer, the company was retired eight years ago, but I bet there are more Kajiya works to be found...

Saxophone

I married my sweetie fifteen years ago today, so it's a special day indeed. Unfortunately, I'm at work, 464 miles away: so we celebrated last Sunday, and one of my gifts was a pin. But not this one.

The artist is still working on the anniversary pin, but Christy showed me a picture, and it promises to be an absolute beauty - just like her. Given the two absences (mine and the pin's), I was hoping for an otherwise harmonious day, so I naturally turned to the Sax. If music be the food of love, play on - and calm the savage breast while you're at it, if you get my drift.

This little beauty was a birthday present from my friend Anne, who also wears pins on a regular basis. If memory serves, she found it in an antique shop, so it's very realistic, as things often were back in the day. It's finely detailed and artfully combines silver and resin: it's also fully three-dimensional, which you might have deduced from the shadow it casts. There's no room for a name, but I'm guessing the designer's long gone in any case.

Many Hands

I don't know whether this pin's derived from South American mythology, but it certainly looks like it might be. I like to wear this pin when there are too many things going on in my head at once, but I don't feel I can jettison any of them. As a lifelong procrastinator, I'm no stranger to having stuff build up: I've even tried to persuade myself that imminent deadlines help me prioritize. But that's delusional, of course.

Many Hands is etched into a hefty block of steel, and has a lot of fine detail. In addition to his interesting, stylized form, I like that he's holding everything together with six hands and even his feet. He's doing a fine job, and it's good to have such a worthy role model pinned to my chest. The only missing feature is the designer's signature: but I can live without that.

Love this: Cooliris

If you use Firefox, you need the Cooliris add-on. It's a great way to browse sites like Amazon and YouTube - even The Daily Pin - through their pictures. It's free, so install it, explore with it and marvel at how it sets you free.

Repeat: Fisherman

When I posted the Fisherman for the first time, he was new and that was reason enough: I hadn't figured out what he represents. I chose him today because I needed a role model (and this pin is just so unspeakably cool). He's caught his fish, he's got his bucket, and he's purposefully walking somewhere.

That was in stark contrast to my own state of mind when I woke up, so I figured I should have a constant reminder that I had work to do, and should bloody well get on with it. I definitely got quite a bit done today, in no small measure due to the Fisherman's eyeless gaze: but was it enough? Is it ever enough? Aye, there's the rub.

Angry Dragon

I've been attending a training course and had no time to post in the last few days, but hopefully normal service will be resumed now. Though dated Wednesday, this is a Thursday post.

Today's pin is currently the angriest in my collection, and represents another "let the pin do the talking" choice. I'll be watching my eldest son play water polo tonight: you might remember that he was bullied out of the Junior Varsity team, but chose to join the Novice team rather than stop playing. For his sake, I'll remain civil towards the coaches and players concerned, but the Angry Dragon will represent the real me.

Despite (or perhaps because of) his hostile intent, I think the Dragon's a terrific pin. His stainless steel form is delightfully spiky yet organic - an excellent combination of form and material which the flat finish accentuates. There's no signature, I'm afraid: but that might be just as well. If I knew who designed him, I'd shop 'til I dropped.

Rockhopper Penguin

There's something odd about this penguin, which I can't quite put my finger on. It might be that he's kinda cute and cuddly, but simultaneously knowing, even sinister, like a dwarf from Lord of the Rings. Whatever it is, the duality made him a good choice for today's mixture of thinking and doing.

As you know, I like thinking, but I'm not keen on doing. For a working stiff, this would be a crippling handicap: but as a privileged knowledge worker, it's not quite as serious. Nonetheless, even knowledge workers have to get shit done sometimes, so I did the thinking then got on with the doing while the Rockhopper looked on.

The pin's made of silver, and has a subtle level of dimensionality to him. He's not fully 3D, but he's not 2D either, a very pleasing result which speaks well of the designer. The initials "BPMW" are stamped on his back, but a quick search revealed that a marketing agency called BrandPimps uses those initials: as you might expect, they don't design pins.

Warrior

I had a lot of meetings today, some of which I could have done without. Rather than be combative, or play the "poor me" card, I grasped the nettle and made the best of them, allowing my Warrior pin to brandish the spear of resistance on my behalf. And doesn't he do it well?

The Warrior's another fine example of "less is more". His dynamic form and stance are all that's needed to evoke strength, purpose and a "don't mess with me" attitude. Additional details (like a face) would only detract from the statement, I suspect.

He's cut from a single piece of steel, which could easily have made him flat. But the enamelling definitely adds dimension: I particularly like its asymmetry, and the way it makes his hair almost flame-like. There's also a richness and depth to the colours which the iSight couldn't capture (as usual). There's no signature on the back but, for once, I don't mind. The anonymity seems to add to the Warrior's force.