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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Now that my last Christmas fair is over, I’ve had time to add a few new kitten creatures to my Esty shop.  This one is called Lara and is available  here

Christmas is fast approaching so here is some vital shopping info…

**Christmas Orders**
To receive your order in time for Christmas I recommend making your order as soon as possible ;-) I ship from the UK by Royal Mail.  I try my best to get your item to you in time for Christmas but once I’ve posted orders, the mail service takes over delivery and I’m not able to do anything to speed it up – so please make your order in plenty of time :-))

*Last recommended order dates for each location*
December 5th – New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Asia, Far East
December 8th -USA, Canada, Eastern Europe
December 11th – Western Europe
December 18th – United Kingdom
If you prefer to shop in the old-fashioned  way you’ll find a wee selection of my handmade goodies available from the following very fine establishments:

Scotland

ReMade: 147 North High Street, Musselburgh

The Cat’s Miaou:  Elm Row, Edinburgh

Stick Factory Gallery: 69b  & 69c  Mayfield Road, Edinburgh

Studio 222 Gallery: 222 High Street, Newburgh

England

Vertiline In Love, The Nichols Building, Sheffield

Happy shopping! Julia Xx

©2012 materialised. All Rights Reserved.

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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This week has been the start of an experiment in my working routine. I’ve got the use of a studio space in Edinburgh for at least the next month, and so far it’s going very well. After more than 5 years working from home, it makes a very agreeable change.  Unfortunately, it does mean a commute of about an hour and a half each way on buses, but when I’m there I feel completely focused on what I’m there to do…no more housework demanding my attention!

So, purse and brooch production is now in full swing!

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After a few days of glorious sunshine it’s come as a bit of a shock to see the calender telling me it’s the 1st of October! I thought I’d mark the occasion by having a two day mini sale in my etsy shop. For today and tomorrow only, when you buy any item, quote OCTOSALE at checkout and a whopping 20% will be automatically deducted from the price. UK customers also receive free post and packing – and I can ship wordwide at very low cost.  Have a look here

Offer ends Sunday October 2nd at midnight.

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‘ love ‘ silk heart brooch, originally uploaded by Julia Laing.

I love sewing. I do.One of a new series of embroidered silk brooches, which I’ve been busy working on this week. They’ve already been posted off to Sheffield, where they’ll be available to buy shortly…more details soon.

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Spent the morning visiting this great new Gallery in Edinburgh. It’s the latest venture from Stick Factory Creative Projects and it’s filled with a lovely mix of contemporary fine art, gorgeous wooden handmade furniture, plus lots of other goodies, including jewellery, textiles and greetings cards.

Tucked away, behind the Gallery space, there’s also a fully equipped workshop, where they make furniture, stage scenery, props and displays which can all be commissioned to your own specifications.

I’m very happy that as from today,  a selection of my textile creatures, purses and brooches can also be found there!

…including Suzy, who I made yesterday and have a bit of a soft spot for.

The Stick Factory Gallery – Fine arts & crafts

www.stickfactory.co.uk

©2012 materialised. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 materialised. All Rights Reserved.

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.

©2012 materialised. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 materialised. All Rights Reserved.