.Life is meant for great adventures.
Hey! I’m Tarina…
I’m the owner and maker/creator of Lat Long Co°. You may think there is a team of ‘us’ here, but it’s just me! Well, I could definitely include my family in this too since they support me the most in this journey!
I’m a wife, a mother of two boys, a combat veteran, and overall a pretty cool human being (if I do say so myself).
I created and came up with the name because of my love for travel and my love for maps. I used to make all different kinds of maps during my time in the military and continue my geospatial work today. I absolutely LOVE seeing and experiencing new places, cultures, foods….all the things! I tend to love to challenge myself and create pieces that relate to a certain location or latitude longitude (hence the name). So, welcome! I hope you get a chance to look around, check things out and if you have any questions or just want to say hello, jump over to the contact page and let’s chat!
Thank you for taking your time to be here and for supporting my small business! I appreciate you.
What all goes into creating these clay pieces?
Let’s chat about it…
Many people aren’t aware of what the process is for creating just one pair of earrings. I’d love to just mention (not in full detail) the steps it takes just to create a pair of earrings - mainly because I would like for everyone to appreciate the work that goes behind creating your beautiful pieces whether it comes from me or another maker! (This is based off of my current way of creating - other makers may not have the same process)
Brainstorming unique shapes, colors, designs, etc. Once I have what I think I would like to create, I prototype.
Prototyping - This helps me learn what does and does not work once it is assembled and worn (sometimes this is a HUGE fail and it goes back to square one!). Once the prototyping and ‘happy accidents’ are complete, I can now create!
The clay and colors are chosen, rolled out to a specific depth, ensuring no bubbles and/or pesky lint is visible.
Cutters/Shapes are chosen and cut out of the clay.
Gently smooth edges by hand or with a rubber tipped tool.
Bake at required temperature for at least 1 hour. Let cool, then sanding fun happens!
Multiple ways that sanding happens - depending on the piece and the finish I am wanting to achieve. The use of a dremel, wet sanding with several different grits of sandpaper by hand, or by a sanding block or two (also by hand instead of a dremel)!
Attach posts with a strong glue, then seal over that with resin to ensure it will hold throughout the life of your earrings.
Seal the clay if needed (usually sealed if there is any paint, metallic flake, or mica powder used on the surface).
Finish assembling the beauties
Take product photos, then edit a bit and then post them to this amazing site for all of you!
So as you can see, there is quite a process to creating a pair or a collection of earrings! I hope this is helpful for someone who doesn’t know what all this clay world consists of and I also hope that you enjoy the labors of love (and possibly sweat and tears) that goes into each beautiful creation.