Well, here’s the first blog post of the year…and it’s the 20th already!  I’ve been busy getting my paperwork in order and submitting my tax return (yawn) .  If there is any benefit to spending so long on all that boring stuff  it ‘s the enjoyment of finally getting back to the sewing!

And, lucky me  -  I’ve got a new sewing machine!  It was a Christmas gift from my loved ones as my old one was complaining profusely by the work load by the end of last year and has had to be put into retirement. I’m still getting used to the new one but so far everything is working well.  Hoping to get these purses finished over the weekend.

Thinking about last year…I’m fairly happy with how things went for me and my wee business.  I’ve forced myself  to get more organized (spreadsheets and everything) and am working to a better routine which I hope I can keep  on improving on, this year.  As a result sales have improved and I want to thank everyone who has bought my handmade things, either directly from me at craft fairs, from my online shops, or from the lovely shops and galleries where my work is stocked. I’m so grateful to you for your support!

I’m planning to carry on with making the  purses and accessories this year, hopefully  adding new designs along the way.  I  also want to make time for other art and craft projects and hopefully work towards an exhibition sometime in the future – need to get my thinking cap on for that one!

Because I was working a lot more on orders for stockists last year my online shops weren’t updated as often as I’d have liked. Ideally I’d like to be adding something new every other day. I don’t know if it’s possible but I’ve made a start with this purple purse, which can be found here in my Etsy shop.

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Taking a quick 15 mins out, from my preparations for the Funk Fair, in Edinburgh tomorrow.  It’s a great event, which has a mixture of vintage and collectables, plus art and crafts stalls. I really enjoyed it last year. The turn out was great, despite all the snow we had at the time. I’ve got high hopes that it’ll be a good day again tomorrow – fingers crossed!

I’ve made a mock up of my stall. I’ve still got a few things to do, but hopefully it won’t be too late a night because I want to be fresh as a daisy in the morning.

Well, I like bright colour, but I’m not sure if I’ve over done it this time.  Hopefully it looks cheerful!

This is the first time I’ve used my old pink suitcase .  I hope  everything will fit inside…

I always worry about not having enough stock, until I actually try to fit it on the stall, but people do enjoy a good rummage don’t they?!

The Funk Fair is on Saturday 5th November at Picardy Place in Edinburgh, from 10-5pm .  See you there x

funkfair on facebook

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Plush art dolls by Kleja

One of the great things about having a blog is that when you discover something irresistibly charming,  you have a handy place to shout about it!

So I want to shout about this gorgeous new line of plush art dolls designed and made by Kleja (Klay Arsenault),  especially for the Visiting Artist spotlight on Anna Maria Horner’s website!

Every doll Klay creates is completely one-of-kind, and she makes them all by hand herself.  She says, “the best part about these special edition dolls, is that each one features Anna Maria’s fantastically bold and beautiful fabric! “  I’ve got to agree that I love the fabrics (who wouldn’t?) but I think it’s the way Klay has brought her designs to life and the way the fabrics have been chosen and combined which makes them so lovely!

Please visit Anna Maria’s website  to see and purchase work from the collection. You’ll also find lots of great creations from all the contributors to the Visiting Artists collection.

There are more Kleja goodies to be found on etsy and be sure to read Klay’s lovely blog to keep up with her latest news.

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At about midnight, the night before a recent craft fair, I realised to my horror, I’d run out of business cards,  so I made these handmade ones and was really surprised at all the great feedback I got about them.  I’ve just made another batch today, and they’re so simple!

Here’s how I made them…

Starting off with white A4 card,  I cut it to size using a craft knife, and patchwork ruler. The card was nothing fancy, just from a children’s activity pack .  I made my cards 3 and a half inches by 2 and a half inches, and was able to get 9 out of each A4 sheet. Of course you could change the size to whatever suits your needs.

When I had cut all my cards to the right size, I used a self inking stamp to add my details. I think the stamp came free one time when I ordered cards from vistaprint.com .  You don’t need a stamp of course…if your hand writing is neater than mine there’s nothing to stop you writing them by hand.

I laid each one out after I’d stamped it, to let the ink dry.

The motifs were all made from bits and pieces I had ready to hand. These fabric flowers were left over from greetings cards I made years ago.  They were cut out from non-woven interfacing, which I’d coloured with fabric transfer paints. They have a nice fuzzy texture, like a very fine felt.  Sewing through card isn’t a problem but blunts the needle quickly, so I used an old needle which was already past its best, and a long stitch length.

The stars had also been in my craft stash for years. They were bought from a sale of Christmas wrappings at B&Q one January, and already have sticky dots on the back.

And these felt shapes were from a children’s craft pack which had a selection of different ready-cut shapes in lots of lovely bright shades.

easy peasy!

These cards could also work well with photo copies of your work, scraps, odds and ends of fabric, buttons etc, etc, etc…

If you’ve made your own business cards I’d love to see them, please feel free to add a link to them in the comments.

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Primrose Rabbit and Lizzie Kitty: The newest guys relax and have time to pose for a photo, before their outing to the Byers Road Makers Market in Glasgow tomorrow.  I have high hopes of them finding lovely new adoptive owners at the Hillhead Library venue…if not, they’ll find their way to my shop next week ;-)

Meanwhile, I’m slightly frantic, trying to get organised. It’s my first fair this year so am looking everything out and making a few changes to my display. It’s a new venue – the first Glasgow Makers Market took place there last month and this is the 1st time I’ve been there, so I don’t know exactly what to expect.  I don’t can’t drive, so when I was offered a lift by Claire, I jumped at the chance. It’s in a great location, full of interesting shops and loads of students around, so I’m optimistic…

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Hello!  We had a wee bit sun earlier in the week,  so in celebratory mood I made this cushion (it’s been such a loooonnnnng Winter!)

I used new, recycled and vintage  fabrics, and added a few hand-embroidered details.

Now available here

Got ideas for more to come soon…

Been applying for some fairs, which I’ll let you know about as soon as they’re confirmed.

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It’s a new year… a fresh start,  and I’ve been taking some time to think about what I’d like to achieve this year.  Most of all  I want to keep on doing what I have been doing – making a variety of things,  sewing, drawing, painting, glueing etc.  But I want to combine this with being happy which means

• working at my own pace
• doing work I feel comfortable with
• working in ways most natural to me
• admitting how important my work is to me, how long I spend on it, and what processes are involved
• not underselling myself
• treating my work like  any other job -  sticking to regular hours, taking proper breaks and holidays
• taking plenty of nourishment

Nourishment – a definition

1. The substances necessary for growth,  health and good condition
2. Food

Probably one of the things I’m most grateful for from last year was to regain some  lost concentration.  I had become progressively more anxious / depressed which had a huge impact on my concentration levels – reading fiction had become out of the question. With some good treatment I’m feeling 100% better,  happy with my lot, and ready to have my mind expanded by the magic power of other peoples thoughts and ideas in the form of words and pictures !  Words are definitely the nourishment I’ve been craving and it’s  the word which sums up what I’d most like for myself this year.

This  brings me to my 1st project of the year. I recovered a notebook, which I’m going to use to make a note of all the books I read, films I watch and the exhibitions I visit… might even add a cake recipe or two. (well my memory still isn’t that great)  I’m planning on bringing more words into my sewing over the next year. I’d call it a project but I’m not very good at sticking with those, so we’ll just see how it goes…

Do you have a word that sums up your hopes for this year?

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Well…it snowed, and it snowed some more…

If there was somewhere I really need to be, there’s still public transport running…I think.

But it’s at times like this  I feel really lucky and grateful to be able to work from home. I know many people are struggling to get to work by any means possible because they have no alternative,  and my thoughts go out to them.

So what have I been going while I’ve been stuck indoors?  making bunnies a plenty!  For stockists and fairs in December.

My button stocks are starting to get low – I’ve already put out an appeal on my facebook page for more.

I know it’s a bit cheeky to ask , but if you have any going spare I’d be very grateful to have them .  Unfortunately I can’t offer any cash in return, but if you include your address I’ll send a thank you card and a  discount voucher to use in my shops. The address to send to is here Thanks in advance x

Tomorrow I’m going to try out an idea I have for owls…I’ll let you know how I get on.

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Here are a  few photos of an enjoyable  project I’ve been working on this week.

To celebrate the launch of  the Remade shop in Musselburgh, owner Nicky Orr asked ten designers to embellish a plain jumper, sourced from local charity shops. Each designer has been asked to give  their jumper a unique look in their signature style. The jumpers will go on sale at ReMade on Wednesday 1 December, with a price tag of £15 each.
All proceeds will be donated to CDC School, Campie Primary School’s Global Schools Partnership school in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burmese border.

This is the jumper I chose to embellish. The colour is a favourite of mine – one that I can’t help returning to.

and this is what I did with it:

first, I removed the chain store label, then added:

1. hand stitched sequins round the neck line.
2. a couple of ribbon bows – I made the pink one removable, by adding a pin fastener to the back, so it would be easier to launder.
3. a  removable  sash belt, with a velvet ribbon tie fastening.

It was quite hard to keep the embellishment restrained, but didn’t want to go overboard bearing in mind that it’s designed to be worn.

Find out more about this project and the designers taking part at

www.frugalcool.co.uk

ReMade

147 North High Street Musselburgh

East Lothian

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