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Welcome The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that we aren’t monthly anymore. Creative Crafting was always a quarterly magazine up until this year. I’ve been putting them out monthly as we took an extended break and wanted to come back with a bang. It was so wonderful to see so many of our readers who instantly joined us again. Thank you. For the last few months submissions have slowed down considerably and I would rather publish good quality content less frequently than to pad our issues with less interesting pieces. I am sure you will agree with me. So from this point we will be publishing issues as we reach a good length of articles. Thank you for your continued support.
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This Month Features: Michael Harrigan Perfidious Jewellery Heather’s Craft Studio
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Tales From The Table You get to see a lot of things from behind a trader’s table at makers’ markets and craft fairs, and meet quite the range of people! Lisa has been selling at a variety of events since she was a teenager, and some of her tales are cautionary, some simply amusing, but all of them, honestly are true.
Support Small Businesses - By Eating Everything
Few things make me look forward to, and also dread, a makers market like seeing on the pre-event booking form or promotion “food stalls”. Hands up if you’ve also got poor impulse control… In the run up, I steel myself. I pack sandwiches, crisps and a cheeky satsuma. I'm realistic though, I know I'll cave, so I agree with myself that I'll have a coffee there, and pick up a fresh brownie or hand raised pie to be my craft fair treat. Come the morning of the event, and I'm set up and sipping delightful barista coffee inevitably served from a converted VW camper van or Citreon 2CV. That's when the smell starts. Some swine is cooking wood fired pizza, or heating chunky sausage rolls. Breakfast was two and a half hours ago, and it's only 9.45. I stay behind my stall, and proudly think of my packed lunch. It's now 10.30. Really, breakfast was a long time ago. And I'll need to eat lunch at about half one, to see me through to dinner at about eight... So I get a Hawaiian slice, or sausage roll, and awkwardly mumble through it at customers. Yes, it is nice, bugger off for a minute and let me eat it.
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Treat for the day consumed, I'm done now. Lunchtime sandwich and crisps are crunched. Satsuma awaits for the afternoon. Well done me for planning ahead, let's pop to the loo. Blimey, look at those cakes. Nope. Nope. Nope. Cake. Nope. But it is unusual cake. Nope. To be fair, I'm on my feet all day. Ok, afternoon treat. Cake! Poor satsuma. Blimey, I'm fading a bit, still an hour and half left, then pack up and travel too. Uhh, I need another coffee. It's practically medicinal. Mocha? Let’s be posh, I can't do that at home. Don't look at the handmade chocolates. Or the cheese. Or the chutney stall. Free sample? Go on. Ooh, husband would love a jar of that, I'll take one. Packing up, (whoops, almost flattened the satsuma) and the Indian food lady is offering things half price. They do look much nicer than what's in the freezer. Those samosas are huge. Right, I don't want to wait ages for dinner to cook when I get in, so two of those and I'll pop chips in. Oh, husband can open his chutney! That's a good plan. Hello dear. Was it a good event? Excellent! How much money did I make? Er, well we've got a really nice dinner tonight… Fancy half a satsuma in the meantime?
Look out for Part Four of Tales From The Table next month. Tales from the table are written and illustrated for Creative Crafting by Lisa from Shop: www.PerfidiousJewellery.etsy.com Website: www.perfidiousjewellery.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/PerfidiousJewellery Twitter: www.twitter.com/Perf_Jewellery Instagram: www.instagram.com/perfidiousjewellery
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We are now well into Wedding season so to kick off our monthly special I have been having a wander around the web looking for some beautiful handmade wedding dresses. Every bride wants to feel extra special on her big day and what better way than to wear something unique.
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Hi, I'm Heather, a Mixed Media Artist and Sculptor living in central Scotland with my husband, my youngest daughter and my two fur-babies (German Shepherds). I work .… no... can't really call it work! ..... I 'play' from my studio at home, which is a converted spare room, in my pj's mostly! I work with various clays and mediums - hands on, messy fun! I absolutely love what I do and feel I'm truly blessed to be a creative and to have the opportunity to do what I love every day. It's with a teachable heart, and a ' Yes I can' approach to everything that inspires me, that keeps me all motivated and eager to learn something new.
Ohhh yes! Always been creative from as far back as I can remember. I've made so many arty and crafty things over the years but I'd have to say that my current creative work (sculpting) has certainly evolved over time. I started sculpting with polymer clay, making embellishments for my mixed media art. I got hooked, but over time, as my motivation grew, so did my sculptures and I started looking at other sculpting mediums. With practice and learning how to use my clays, my work style and technique has changed & improved, I'm inspired by so so many things (shapes, texture, nature, 3D, colours, fantasy film & art, drawings … Gosh!, I could honestly go on and on) that its difficult not to grow and evolve as you learn more.
The freedom of working for myself is a huge plus for me but mostly I love getting lost in whatever project I am working on, I stick on my country music cd's as I work and I just zone out. I look up and find what seems like 10 mins passing has actually been 3 hours! Also,my mixed media style of work with all the texture paste and embellishments is immensely enjoyable, it fulfils and ticks almost every box for the things that inspire me. However, its sculpting big projects that is putting a fire in my belly these days, it occupies most of my brain space, and what gets me leaping out of bed at 7am every morning.
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Oh loads! What's standing out for an older project is a Woodland Faerie Dollhouse I made from various mediums but predominately paper mache and the little furniture I made to go inside. I have videos of it up on my YouTube channel. A more recent project was a sculpture of an elephant head (again on my YouTube channel) I made using an outdoor sculpting medium called Pal Tiya Premium. It was the first sculpture I had attempted at that scale and when I finished, I thought ' I can actually do this!' It gave me a huge confidence boost as a sculptor and he's very special to me.
Wait for it!....When I have some down time, which sadly isn't often these days, I play an online multiplayer game called 'World of Warcraft' where I'm a warrior in a fantasy world of dragons and goblins!, I know right, who knew?!! hehe As you can imagine the game has always been a huge inspiration for my work.
Hmm, well I've already told you about my elephant bust so next would be a dragon head bust I did a few years ago. He took me a little while with the armature and epoxie sculpt, but I loved how he turned out, he's definitely one of my top 5 favs. I have a fascination for sculpting ugly faces on things like bottles, jars and books etc (on a small scale) but for large projects, forest/tree faces is a top favourite. I made a birdbath sculpture inspired by trees and faces and he sits in my garden amongst the potted plants!
Find something that gets you excited, something that truly inspires you and go for it, don't be afraid of making mistakes, there is no mistakes - its all a journey to find your own style. Join a workshop, look for a tutorial on YouTube (its bursting with tips and techniques), it will help with confidence if you're not sure where to start... oh and practice, practice, practice!
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I'm sure most creatives will feel the same as this - I am a maker, I like 'doing', I want to be inspired and I love that I am passionate about my projects.... On the flip side is the business side of things, which just makes me groan. The promotion and selling and tax returns of the business life kills my buzz! What I would change is to find a balance. I procrastinate - I need to change that..... or get someone to do it for me... yes, lets do that! haha
For my mixed media work, its very difficult to describe to someone who isn't in the art world what my style of mixed media is, so fairs and events for artists / handmade work has helped me tremendously. People see and touch it and I always get the 'oooh, I love this!, I haven't seen this kind of work before' comments. Also, I supply a gift shop called ' Something Different on the High Street' in Cowdenbeath. They sell a lot of my work for me - woop! For my sculpting classes its doing demo's that has helped. People like to see the process so I try to show as much of that as possible.
My husband, Dave. If it wasn't for him my daily life would be a very different story. He is my biggest fan! He gave me the push to leave mainstream work and gave me freedom to grow creatively. I couldn't be more grateful to him.
Hmm, let me see, I have 3 gorgeous grandsons (all teenagers now).... I know, I don't look old enough, right?! hehe.
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I'm Gillian, self-confessed crazy cat lady (I have 7 cats plus a handful of strays that come by for food) and Yorkshire ex-pat. I'm originally from Leeds, but now I live in Virginia, USA in the region between the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountain ranges. I wouldn't say I was passionate about green issues but I do think its important that we try to do our bit. I keep chickens (for eggs not meat - they're pets!!) and grow vegetables, I compost and recycle as much as possible. I'll never be a rabid fanatic about it, but I am trying to embrace the "crunchy" lifestyle and cut down on my use of chemicals in every day life, so recently I've been experimenting with making my own cleaning products. I love where I live and what I do, I count my blessings every day.
Not really, I used to draw a lot when I was little but not with any real talent. Still can't draw so anything that involves freehand work would be my worst nightmare. I fell into soap making because my husband was studying aromatherapy and herbology and would share information with me. From there I did my own research and found recipes for soap making. At first I just made melt and pour soap which is very straightforward but then gradually I started to practice with cold process soap and attended a couple of classes at a local soap school to learn new techniques for liquid and cream soaps. Certainly when I look back at some of the creations I made when I was starting out, I wonder how they even sold they are so basic.
I love the process of taking separate ingredients and creating something new and useful from them. Learning new techniques is always fun and keeps things fresh.
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That's a difficult question! I think learning any new skill is an achievement to be proud of, but if I had to narrow it down to a single thing, I would have to say the moment I got my first commission for a big order. It was for personalised wedding favours; travel size shower gels, different fragrances depending on male or female guest, plus some fun ones for the kids. Seeing them in the wedding photos set out on the tables was really special.
Most of my hobbies are craft based; I like baking, knitting and cross-stitch, although with cats around, the knitting and cross-stitch can be challenging. Mostly when I get some Me Time, I'm either reading or crashed out in front of the TV.
Oh goodness me, totally unrelated to the business side of my crafting endeavours, I occasionally like to do cross-stitch. I once made a cross-stitch picture of a west highland white terrier and turned it into a cushion cover for my friend's birthday present (she had a Westie dog at the time). I was fairly novice at cross-stitch at the time and wasn't sure it would work but in the end I was so pleased how it turned out, and she loved it!
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Don't try to run before you can walk. That was my mistake. I was so caught up with the whole whirl of "I have a business, yay" that I didn't plan anything properly, so I had raw materials that were not tracked, loads of different types of soap, all different fragrances. It is impossible to keep to a regular, reliable schedule if you spread yourself too thin. Start small and gradually increase your inventory if that's what you want to do but don't do everything at once. Secondly, I would say "do your research". Its all too easy to rush headlong into selling your craft item without thinking about the legal side of things like does it need to be tested, what are the labelling requirements, etc. Make sure you know before you go to market.
I would probably change something I don't do, and that's take my own advice! I am a terrible planner! I have lots of ideas whizzing around but I'm terrible at disciplining myself enough to sit down and formulate them into something sensible and achievable.
Networking. Especially because I live in such a rural area, I haven't had the chance to make many new friends, and certainly none that are fellow crafters. Before I left the UK I joined the Professional Crafters Guild which is an online community with crafters of all kinds, so many talented people, all who understand the trials and frustrations you might be going through, mostly because they've been through it themselves. We share ideas, worries, advice, complaints, celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries and so much more.
When I first moved to the USA I joined a Linked In group for soap makers and met a lady called Tori Hosier who was invaluable in helping me navigate a whole new set of rules and regulations.
My favourite song in the whole world is Delilah by Tom Jones. Guaranteed to make me smile if I've had a tough day - play it loud and proud!
Umm, hiding in the shed drinking gin?? Oh! Social media‌ website is www.daisychaingifts.com, Facebook is facebook.com/daisychaingifts, Twitter is @DaisieChainGift. You can also shop my ETSY store at etsy.com/shop/DaisyChainGiftsVA
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Do you love to read craft blogs? I love to discover new ones but it can be a bit of a job to track them down. So I have a running list of Craft Blogs To Follow in 2019. Do you think you should be on it? Visit the monthly posts on our website and leave a comment or contact me by email. Heart Handmade UK
Welcome to Hearthandmade UK! My name is Claire and I’m so happy you’re here! I’m a Chronically ill, disabled blogger and Heart Handmade UK is my Happy Haven. At heart handmade UK we provide high ROI DIY tutorials that you can make quickly and easily. I think you’ll really enjoy them and I’d love you to take a look
Emma Varnam Designs
For nearly ten years I have had a successful crochet and knitting design career. I enjoy balancing my daily need to be creative with sharing my experiences and inspiration on this blog
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The Crafty Gentleman
I’m a self-confessed craft addict. I passionately believe that crafting is not just for women! So I set up this blog to celebrate the diversity of making things (and to hopefully encourage a few more men to into the world of crafts). I post original DIY & craft projects, recipes, tips and crafty inspiration, all from my home in Nottingham, England.
The Gingerbread House
My name is Jenny. I’m a West London mum of two (born 2010 and 2011). I started The Gingerbread House blog back in 2005 and it has grown along with me – charting my working life, engagement, marriage, the birth of my two gorgeous children and my return to work. I work part-time in a Secondary school and juggle family, working life and my blog.
Bettes Makes
I'm Bette, the craft maker and writer behind this blog. I am based in Vancouver Canada as the resident DIY crafts and DIY Home Decor blogger. I am a international best-selling author with books translated into 7 plus languages. I started at an early age making my own clothes, home decor and even won a girl scout (guide) contest for creating the best gadgets for our outdoor camp! I have never stopped! Best of fall - my family of artists. Both my daughters are extremely creative. Carina is a master knitter, an artist, and imaginarian with all types and mediums of art. I love learning from her! Maren is a quilter and gardener along side being a Yoga Instructor. All 3 of us are writers.
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Tales From The Table You get to see a lot of things from behind a trader’s table at makers’ markets and craft fairs, and meet quite the range of people! Lisa has been selling at a variety of events since she was a teenager, and some of her tales are cautionary, some simply amusing, but all of them, honestly are true.
Planning, Preparation, and Panic.
Going to your first event as a stallholder is usually a little nerve wracking. But imagine how much more of an emotional roller coaster it is to arrive, and realise you probably needed to bring more than just stock, a price list and a float! There's a lot of advice out there for first time stallholders, from Pinterest boards packed with stall layout ideas, to lists handily summarising what you'll want to take on the day. It can be a bit bewildering… You need to decide to label individually, or have a price list? Display on rustic wooden shelves, or crisp acrylic displays?
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Let us drop back a few years to a small makers market, and a chap entering with good cheer and a tangible tinge of nerves. With most of us already set up, he unpacked his t-shirts, and began to chat with a couple of friendly faces, explaining it was his first event. Then, he started to properly look at the other stalls… “Er, I didn't know I'd need a tablecloth!” T-shirt chap asked us how much difference it makes, and consensus was: Your work still looks good! You can get one for next time! “I didn't think about my price list, it would look better in a frame than just a sheet of paper on the table…” Stallholder consensus again was: You can pick up a frame before your next event, you can even match it to your table cloth! T-shirt chap starts to panic a little, “You’ve got bags? Oh… I haven't got anything, how rubbish will it be just handing people a t-shirt to carry?!...” Being smart, t-shirt chap recognised his fellow stallholders were trying to keep him relaxed, but that he had definitely made some very basic mistakes. As fortune had it, we were across the road from a shopping centre, and ten minutes from opening to customers, so he made the decision to dash off and upgrade his stall.
Look out for Part FIVE of Tales From The Table. Tales from the table are written and illustrated for Creative Crafting by Lisa from Shop: www.PerfidiousJewellery.etsy.com Website: www.perfidiousjewellery.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/PerfidiousJewellery Twitter: www.twitter.com/Perf_Jewellery Instagram: www.instagram.com/perfidiousjewellery
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A wedding is an extravaganza or beautiful things. You can completely indulge yourself in fabulous creations, dresses, jewellery, accessories etc. These can be made even more personal when you order something bespoke, something special to you. I met a lovely designer on Twitter, Holly Stevens. Holly tells us about one of her beautiful pieces.
You can find Holly at www.wowsersinyourtrousers.co.uk and on Facebook www.facebook.com/wowsersinyourtrousers and Instagram www.instagram.com/wowsersinyourtrousers
There is also an enormous choice of handmade accessories available. Many of which you can speak to the designer and customise.
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y y, s c a t n n a a F o of i N d s t u t t h g S e i l e e F g a t t M o C s From Rest e l Char
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With such a tortuous route to what I am doing now, this is a tall order! I am sure it will be no surprise to anyone over 40 that when we look at our full CVs they often bear little relation to what we end up doing. I look at mine and wonder why I took so long to travel in several unrelated yet intertwined circles! You could look at bilingual secretarial training leading to publishing, PR and years running a medical practice for consultants in Surrey. But interwoven into this are time at art college leading to fabric and fashion design and a job in Finland, then round again to the delight of working with textiles, willow and plaster! I am lucky that apart from odd glitches and occasional personality clashes, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every one of the fifty-odd years I have been working, whatever I was doing at the time!
My mother taught me to make what we called pinwheel lace when I was a child, and I always helped her make my dresses (party dresses being the best, of course!) Growing up in Africa, I had a wonderful opportunity to appreciate all sorts of craft from ceramic beads to rush basketwork, metal work and fabric printing. So I guess it's 'in the blood'!
Coming up with the ideas – that’s the bit I like the best. I can never understand people who ask ‘what do you do if you run out of ideas?’ I have more ideas than time to try them. I don’t think in 2D, so can’t draw my ideas out. I do envy the people I meet who have bulging artbooks with notes and drawings interspersed with snippets of fabric and paint samples. Each time I have an idea I have to try it out in a 3D format. Not everything works, but when it does, the excitement beats even the biggest bar of chocolate. You should see the archive boxes I have of failed experiments! Nothing gets thrown away, though, as with felt you can always reuse bits and incorporate them into other work.
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It sort of depends on where my 'crafting life' starts. I set up a magazine for mums to find useful information when my oldest son was a baby. I sold it ten years later and remember being asked back for its 15th, then it's 20th anniversary parties. Now, with its third owners it is still going strong some 30+years later! I’m pretty proud of being chosen as Surrey Guild of Craftsmen’s Chair after just three years of membership, but do remind myself
I am boringly predictable. I like all the things that most people have on their CVs – eating out, photography, walking, travel, reading! But with so many different craft interests, I usually find something creative to try - from copper foiling glass to weaving willow or cord baskets. I go round big craft shows with so many enthusiasms I really have to keep my hands in my pockets. My work-room is pretty much a storage cupboard for all the fabrics, wools and gadgets I have gathered over the years!
A bee skep I made for an exhibition. This is a 'coiled fabric basket' but upside down - I call it a key-safe. It's made with totally recycled fabrics, even the bees were my son's outgrown corduroy trousers! I used to be a beekeeper, but had to give up when I discovered I was allergic to their stings, so I cherish it as a reminder of my beekeeping years.
● Do be sure you really love what you do. ● Be original. ● Find your own niche - don't just make something because you think it will sell, make because you love it. ● Don't expect to make money instantly. Not necessarily in that order!
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I wish I had started on this path sooner. If I could stretch the hours to fit in more, I would. I do have a 'day job' as well so time is always tight, but conversely I think if I were free to just create stuff all day every day, it might take the joy out of the hours I can dedicate to pleasing myself!
Flexibility and being willing to give something a go even if I am not sure it will work. My new business Well Urned Rest is one such gamble. As well as my own work, I also am actively looking for people who make lovely things that I can add to the website as memories to cherish, so I hope this will grow too as it encompasses other creative souls.
My husband. I know that sounds a bit twee, but while he jokes about what I do, he has never begrudged me the time or money to attend workshops, cover the house in equipment and materials or fill it with people learning from me, because as well as learning from others myself, I do try to pass on my passions and so I teach regularly!
I still can’t swim!
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