What are our plans?

If you've read our previous blog post, you know we're currently working on designing intricately made laser engraved boxes. We also have other plans currently in the works beyond that though! I'd like use this post to take a minute and explain what all our plans are for our in-the-works products--which will focus on customization! Everyone will be able to find something that suits them, when absolutely everything may be customized.

This post will broken down in to 2 parts, so feel free to skip to any part you are interested in.

• In-the-works - What we're currently working on.
• Customization - All about the customization for our products that we're going to be offering with our new line of product

In-the-works 

As already stated, we're currently working on producing various box designs:
A sliding top lid structure featuring a Hobbit engraving around the box.
A simple, rectangular flat-lid box with da Vinci's sketches and writing etched into the sides and lid.
An intricate box featuring recessed panels that are engraved, with steampunk designs. A few pictures of this design can be seen in this post.

We plan to have them available for sale by the end of next week! Before they're posted, we'll be updating this blog with more information and especially pictures of the finished products. We'll also be posting in-progress pictures, to give you an insight into how we go about designing our creations.

We're also working on lightboxes. These laser cut boxes are cubes with silhouetted designs cut out from the surface. Behind the wood sides a frosted clear glass is placed against the wood. Within the structure a light is placed, which will hit the frosted glass and diffuse the light, making the light cast evenly through the silhouetted designs of the wood. It is, in essence, an artfully crafted desk/table light.

Our first design for this is crow themed. Silhouettes of crows are displayed cut into the wood. One panel has a crow's feather, while others show various crows in different scenes. One such scene has three crows taking off from a tangle of tree branches.

Another project we're working on is laser engraved wall art, and painted engraved wall art. Laser engraved wood has an interesting interaction with thin layers of paint. It combines the hard, dark lines of laser engraving with the soft, subtle colors of watercolors. It makes for a very unique aesthetic, and reminds me of an old-time photo or sketch.

Customization

Basically:
We plan for everything to be customizable.

What that actually means:
All of our boxes we're designing are made so that the structure is independent from the designs we etched into it. This means that anyone can choose any box structure they like, and say "I really like this box structure, but I really want this other boxes etched designs on it."

That being said, it's not as simple as copy-and-pasting one boxes images onto another. A lot of consideration goes into the arrangement and proportions for a particular box/image combination, to make it look right. Especially if proportions are completely different from one box to another it takes a lot of manipulation to prepare it successfully with another boxes structure that it wasn't originally designed for. That isn't even including boxes who have completely different designs such as extra parts or less parts.

However keep in mind that this isn't being written to deter anyone from getting a customized piece--we're always happy to go the extra mile to satisfy what you want! We just want to give you the full disclosure of our processes and what really goes into our products and their creation.

Beyond that, we will also offer simple alterations--such as adding your name to the product!

Finally, we'll also offer complete customization--which can come in two flavors:
You choose the box type you want, of the ones we have available. You give us the images you want to apply to the box, maybe even replacing certain parts of a box design we already have available (Maybe you want an lightbulb on your steampunk box lid, rather than an air balloon).

The other flavor is, choose a box structure design you want, and then you tell us the type of design you want! Tell us the style, maybe giving us some examples, and we'll design it from scratch for you! Maybe you want a celtic designed box (Which is actually in the works, but I digress)? We'll design it and create it for you.

That's all fine and dandy, but that was only covering boxes. Essentially, the same will apply to other products too, especially our lightboxes. When we have the products listed in our store, we'll have the option available for different variables of customization.






As always, these products will be available at in our Esty store not long from now!
Want to know when they're available? Be sure to follow this blog and like our Facebook page, both of which will announce them for sale immediately after they're made available.
Finally, you can get in touch with us directly at LacersEdge@stargladecrafts.com
We love hearing from you, and any suggestions you may have!

New Development

Lacer's Edge has come a long way since its initial beginnings. With so many ideas and projects planned, we wound up focusing on Jewelry, making laser engraved pendants and earrings. We always had so many other things planned, even stemming away from laser engraved products, hoping to make routered wood products. While that's still in the plans, we're focused still currently on laser engraving.

So what's our newest development? Meticulously designed laser etched and cut boxes!

Designing the structure of the boxes alone to be compatible with our equipment and materials was a journey in and of itself. Even once the initial design is completed successfully, the structure must be altered significantly to make variable designs for different types of boxes.

Our initial design was a box structure that had a windowed panel for a lid, which was open. Below that, a rectangular slide separated the contents of the box, as a lid. The slide was easy to pull through a perfectly sized gap at the small end of the box.

Since the initial design, which was fine as it was, we've even modified it further. Through various iterations (Which are all marked as prototypes) we've come to a design we're incredibly pleased with. It features the same function, but with improved points. The slide may no longer come fully away from the container, the end of it locking it into the box with a small notch, but this remaining bit of the slide inside is hidden by the lip of the top of the box, so to not obstruct accessing the contents when opened.

We've also included magnets on the slide, to secure it safely to the whole of the box when being stored/moved about.

Guess what the original etching design for this box was. A hobbit box! Sure enough, the long sides of the box feature a delicately engraved map of the Shire, while the short ends sport the phrases "No Admittance Except on Party Business", and "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit", each bearing the familiar ornate font they appear written in. The top of the lid has border-work matching border-work from the map and short sides. The slide is barren aside from the center, in which is engraved a Hobbit Door, rune and all.

That's not even including our other box variations.

Our second design was the most simple of boxes. Just a short, rectangular box, with da Vinci's drawings and writing engraved artistically across the surfaces. The lid was just flat with an insert that fit perfectly with the rest of the box, securing it with perfect suction.

The third design and most ambitious yet, was a box who's structure was carved out like the skeleton of a box, with only the angles and bounding sides present. So what makes this a box, if none of the sides are present? Immediately behind the skeletal structure are panels, which are engraved, fleshing out the box. This gives the box a more complex design, offering depth to it.

Our very first, and currently only design for this version is a steampunk design. The "skeleton" pieces have gears as a part of their structure, partially obscuring the designs on the panels. The lid is slightly separated from the body of the box, and the top and bottom tabs are "too large" completing and accentuating the "clunky" steampunk look. (Other designs that aren't steampunk and meant to appear "clunky" will not have the enlarged tabs or separation from lid and body)

 As you can see, the gears on the edges of the box are raised from the panel beneath, giving a wonderful extra bit of dimension to the box.

 The side with the hot air balloon and text is the lid, while the watch and floral pattern is the long side.

Designing the structure of the box isn't the only hard part. Preparing, compiling, arranging, and manipulating the images takes a remarkable amount of time, and no small amount of proficiency with image editing and use of design software.

Fortunately my prior work with image editing and manipulation for our jewelry products (and even previous digital art practice) has given me a fair advantage in tackling this large of an endeavor. Rather than fumbling through [most] tools and tricks, I know a fair bit to navigate my way through what I need to do to achieve the overall aesthetic I'm after. Though there is still a good share of stumbling that occurs, as any endeavor that strays from what you're used to will inevitably cause you to encounter situations that you are unfamiliar in dealing with.

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed our previews of one of our boxes. There will be more coming later, when I'm not snowed in. I'll be showing the da Vinci box and Hobbit box fully next time. (And maybe even show the two hidden sides of the steampunk box)

If you like our designs, we always love hearing from you!
Don't like them, or something about them and have suggestions? We'd love to hear that too! We always want to know how we can improve.
Maybe you have a suggestion for more designs? We're open ears!

For those who may be wondering, yes these boxes will be for sale. They'll be appearing in our Etsy store, LacersEdge.

The best way to keep an eye on when they're available is to follow this blog, where I'll be posting frequent updates about them, and new boxes.
I'll also be posting them to our Facebook page, as soon as they're in the shop!
Finally, you can get in touch with us directly at LacersEdge@stargladecrafts.com