Artem - Arts and Crafts magazine

AUTUMN EDITION 2021

FREE

ARTEM WHERE CORNISH ART COMES TO LIFE

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CRACKING CROCHET How to make your own scarf this season!

Top Tips on how to work with clay

An Exclusive Interview with a judge on the Great Pottery Throwdown

KATE MALONE

HOW TO MAKE

WIRE SEA GLASS RINGS

ceramics - jewellery making - crocheting

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Editor’s Note

Hello and welcome to Artem!

We know how important arts and crafts are, and how sitting down to create something can make you forget your troubles and anything difficult going on. Everybody remembers 2020 as the year that shall not be named, but all that free time meant a lot of scrolling through social media. As the popularity of TikTok has been growing, many crafts have been making a comeback and have been becoming trends for all to see. Cue that free time again, and many people decided to ditch the everyday pyjama look and got crafty instead.

In this issue, the ‘cool girl’ crafts are the star of the show; pottery, jewellery making, and crochet are all over social media as the younger generation grab their toolkits and yarn to settle down and create something wonderful. Ever wanted to crochet a pumpkin? Well, on page 57, we at Artem have very kindly supplied you with a step-by-step guide on how to make your own little pumpkin - you are welcome!

Editor

Megan Selby

Co -Sub Editor Bobby Angelov

We’ve even got an exclusive interview with Kate Malone, judge from the popular television show The Great Pottery Throwdown - she had a chat with one of our writers, Bobby, all about her journey to become one of the most recognisable potters in the UK, and how she started out. We also paid a visit to our Devon neighbours, where our writer Cintia spoke to Yasuharu Tajima-Simpson - a potter who created his own glaze - and spoke to Emily Dagg, a student in Plymouth running her own polymer clay earring business.

Arts and crafts are for everybody; it doesn’t matter who you see in the mirror, if you want to make something then just go for it. Artem wants to bring art to life, inspire you to create and show you the successes of people that decided to just do it. Being able to hold something in your hands that you’ve created is a wonderful feeling, and that’s the feeling we want all our readers to have once they’ve finished Artem.

I hope you love this issue as much as we loved making it, so grab a cup of tea and happy crafting!

Graphic Designer Cintia Horvath

Marketing

Callum Walker

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Contents

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Inside Krowji; Cornwall’s Biggest Creative Hub

By Bobby Angelov

Take a look inside the Krowji as they host their open studios this weekend.

Krowji, which stands

for “workshop” or “shed” in Cornish, has become the biggest regional home for creatives, as it houses artists practicing all kinds of arts and crafts.

Opened in 2005 in what used to be Redruth’s grammar school, the Krowji has continued to grow and to provide studios for artists from all over the region. In 2015 they opened their “state of art eco-building”, as well as their “Phase 2” extension which opened in 2020.

We spoke to Vivienne Orchard, who has been based in the Krowji for 8 years.

She describes her interests to be eclectic and mostly acrylic. Her paintings are often quiet scenes of the sea or boats.

What is interesting is that, before she got a studio in the Creative hub, she was a social worker; she describes herself as a social worker turned artist or “an artist turned social worker turned artist.”

Another “veteran” has been the illustrator Esther Connon, who has had her studio at Krowji for 14 years and has seen the place grow and become what it is now. Esther says that her work is Visitors can expect to see different often based on narratives and children’s artists of all crafts as there are over 130 stories. Renting a studio has been a big studios, from pottery to painting, for opportunity for her as she did not have people of all ages and interests. Some a lot of money, but the Krowji offered a of the artists never even thought that studio at a very good price, so she was they could be producing and selling able to grow and establish herself. their works of art.

Esther believes that, thanks to the

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Leslie and her workshop Krowji, she has also made wonderful connections with people of all crafts.

And whilst visitors were looking at all kinds of works of art, the Christmas spirit was brought by the Ingleheart Choir, a local choir that sings traditional Cornish carols and often tour Cornwall to sing at churches, theatres, and all kind of venues.

This time they were entertaining the visitors with Christmas Carols.

“It’s been a really great opportunity for me to meet like-minded people, and artists from different creative areas; we have designers, photographers, painters and generally all sorts of creatives here.”

Falmouth University Textiles graduate Lesley Plumridge has been at the Krowji for over a year now. She has a passion for items created with paper as well as textures.

The Krowji has also helped regional artists, and often hosts works of art from the local college. The Creative Hub plans on doing another open day this Spring.

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“I think because I did a Textiles degree I sort have this passion for textures and how my final products feel.”

If you wish to visit the Krowji they will be open for visitors Friday to Sunday, from 10am to 4pm.

Krowji 7

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www.picklepeg.com 47 Kiligrew Street Falmouth TR11 3PW 9

Jewellery making 11-16 Lockdown Hobby to Full Time Job 19-24 Treasures from the Sea, Encased in Silver

by Morva Silver Gems 27-30 How to make your own Silver Wire Sea Glass ring

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Lockdown Hobby to Full Time Job Emily Dagg, owner of Emily C Designs, began her business in the pandemic and it’s gone further than she could have imagined.

By: Megan Selby

Everybody remembers 2020, the year of constant lockdowns and the sudden need everybody felt to bake a banana bread and host a weekly Zoom quiz that nobody really wanted to do. But it was also a stepping stone for many small businesses created by people who used the days spent inside to get back in touch with their crafty side and create That’s what Emily thought, and she has some truly lovely things. been incredibly successful since starting Emily C Designs in the middle of 2020.

One of those people is Emily Dagg.

Based in both Cornwall and Plymouth Many small businesses flourished as shoppers were unable to do their during university time, Emily is the owner of Emily C Designs, which began shopping in person and instead flocked online, where small business owners when she started making and selling on platforms such as Instagram and polymer clay earrings during the first lockdown. Polymer clay is a type of clay TikTok awaited. I spoke to Emily about that is easy to model and hardens when why she started creating earrings with polymer clay and why she thinks arts baked - it has become very popular in and crafts are so important. jewellery making as it is easy to use and play around with, especially for So, first things first, why start making beginners and people wanting to try polymer clay earrings? “I started something new. And what better time making polymer clay earrings because it to release your creativity than in the was familiar. When I was growing up, I middle of a global pandemic?

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cutters adorn the likes of Etsy and Not On The Highstreet. But why has it suddenly become so popular to make start crafting beautiful jewellery, with something that many people remember playing with as children?

“It felt good to have some familiarity” played with play-doh and air-dry clay, and later, polymer clay, so when lockdown started and everything was crazy, it felt good to have some familiarity.” Many people found their creativity during lockdown as we all tried to remain sane being trapped indoors. To be able to find the familiar during such a crazy time was something that everybody was looking for as we tried to get through a year that nobody could have anticipated.

Emily’s earrings are colourful, bright, and unique - something she wanted during those awkward university Zoom call classes: “I found that wearing funky earrings was a good conversation starter.” Polymer clay earrings are often made with bright block colours or intricate patterns, and no two pairs are the same which is what adds to their popularity and one of a kind nature. There are countless tutorials online explaining how to make earrings with polymer clay, and kits and clay

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Emily’s answer was simple: “Arts and crafts are so important as creative outlets. They provide you with the opportunity to try so many new things, and they’re great for a busy mind because they keep your hands moving, and sometimes that’s all you need.” We at Artem know the importance of arts and crafts, especially when difficult times come into play and last year was definitely one of the hardest.

Emily

Emily’s bright and colourful designs 13

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running fully fledged small businesses, and Emily wants to be no different.

“Thinking of future plans is getting significantly more real and it’s quite overwhelming, but I’m glad I have something I could start with.”

“It’s an overwhelming feeling of, ‘Wow, I made that’ ”

Everybody knows that feeling of accomplishment you get when you can see the final product of what you’ve made, because it’s something that you have taken the time to create and what you have put your effort into. That is what Emily loves the most about creating her earrings. “My favourite thing about creating my earrings has to be the satisfaction. Once there’s a finished piece in front of me, it’s an overwhelming feeling of, ‘Wow, I made that.’ It’s a feeling that nothing else can quite replicate and that’s so rewarding. I also love that I have the ability to make myself earrings to go with pretty much every outfit I own!”

“My business has gone further than I ever thought, so why not take it all the way?” Definitely words to live by, especially if you’re thinking of starting up a new creative small business adventure - Emily’s advice is to just go for it, and we have to agree!

“My business has gone further than I ever thought, so why not take it all the way?”

Emily is currently in her third and final year at university, and the future is getting closer as her work nears completion. Many people who started creating in lockdown are now

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Emily’s retro and autumn designs 16

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Treasures from the Sea, encased in silver

by Morva Silver Gems

Amber Bernasconi, lover of all things sand and sea, created Morva Silver Gems as a way to combine her love of the Cornish coast and jewellery making.

By: Megan Selby

During lockdown last year, many people discovered the popularity of beach combing; and in particular, hunting for sea glass. Sea glass is exactly what it says on the tin - they are small pieces of weathered glass, often coming from broken bottles, that have been tumbled by the waves.

Amber Bernasconi loves wandering across the Cornish coast searching for those seaside gems, and what started as a way of passing time during lockdown has become a passions, so I did too.” Amber’s successful small business. friends and family were the first people to wear the jewellery that she “I started making jewellery just as a created, and they were the ones that hobby during lockdown. Working first gave her the idea that she should full time at this point as a key worker, start selling what she had created.

I didn’t have a lot of free time; “Not long after the suggestion, I however, I became super jealous created Morva Silver Gems and the of others pursuing their creative rest is I guess history!”

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“I became super jealous of others pursuing their creative passions, so I did too.”

Morva is Cornish for ‘by the seaside,’ and that is where Amber is often found: “I have always loved wearing silver jewellery and I spend most of my free time walking along Cornwall’s beaches.” Amber’s silver jewellery is a way of wearing a piece of the sea forever and wearing sea glass in jewellery has been quickly increasing in popularity; especially for those who don’t live near a beach or aren’t able to get to one to find sea glass themselves.

“It’s completely unique, each piece has a story to tell and by collecting sea glass and turning it into jewellery, it’s a sustainable craft!”

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Since lockdown, making silver jewellery has risen in popularity, and many people use sea glass in their creations because for them, the beach was the only place that they could visit for a long time. But with so many creatives making sea glass jewellery, how can you make sure your work stands out? Amber had some simple advice to share, for any of you wanting to begin creating your own jewellery inspired by the sea and wondering how to put yourselves out there in a sea of different creations.

“Go for it but be original! The best thing about sea glass jewellery is that no two pieces are the same: it’s totally unique. However, as more and more people are experimenting with home crafts, originality can be lost. So, try to be different if you can.”

Many of Amber’s pieces that she creates are bespoke, made with sea

glass that her clients have sent to her to be immortalised in silver. This is incredibly special to Amber as she is able to use the sea gems that hold meaning to her customers and create something very special.

“Bespoke orders are my favourite!

The journey a piece of sea glass goes through to become the perfectly formed shape to transform into jewellery is phenomenal. To then see the smile on a client’s face at the end of this process when they receive their custom piece of jewellery is the best feeling.”

Amber has an array of regular customers that send her bags of the sea glass they find to be made into jewellery, and after reading the reviews on her website it’s safe to say that every customer she has ends up a happy one. Some of her creations have even gone worldwide, which Amber recalled when she told me about one of her favourite clients.

“A lovely lady who has been a loyal customer right from the start of my business adventure has sent me bags of her own sea glass that she has collected for many years and comes to me regularly for jewellery; some pieces have even travelled to Israel to her friend.”

Shell ring by Morva Silver Gems 21

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Blue Sea Glass ring by Morva Silver Gems 23

Creating jewellery with other people’s findings is bound to be special, as Amber is aware that each piece of sea glass has its own unique and special meaning to an individual: “Each piece I make for her has sentimental value to her in some way and a memory is created. That’s what being a jeweller is all about for me.”

Amber has progressed very quickly since she began making jewellery; she started by simply wrapping silver wire around her beach finds to create rings, a way of creating that many sea glass jewellery makers have begun with. Amber has moved on to creating her jewellery with silver and soldering, something that she is very proud of herself for progressing too.

“I enrolled on a silversmithing day course and made my first sea glass soldered ring. Apart from that, everything you see is self-taught.

Sometimes I forget how far I’ve come along as a jeweller in such a short space of time.”

Amber’s progress in such a fine craft is sure to be inspirational to many avid creators wanting to try something new; be sure to check out our how to guide to silver wire wrapping and get making.

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How to make your own Silver Wire Sea Glass ring

You’ve seen the wire wrapped sea glass rings all over Instagram, and now it’s time to make your own!

By: Megan Selby

You will need: - 40cm of sterling silver wire (0.8mm round wire) - Your chosen piece of sea glass (we recommend a medium sized piece) - Side cutters: these are used for cutting the wire - Triblet: a triblet is a cylinder-shaped rod that used for wrapping the wire around to make the ring, with ring sizes on it - Snipe nose pliers: these are used for bending the wire, as they have a long slim nose - Flat nose pliers: these have a flatter nose, and are used for flattening the wire so we can secure the sea glass We recommend using sterling silver wire as it’s much easier to bend, but if you want a cheaper option for your first tries then we suggest using silver plated wire; although be aware, it will be more difficult to work with. You can find links to all of our recommendations for the equipment we use on our website.

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Bead Rings 28

1. Measuring your wire

It’s much easier to measure your wire when it is on a flat surface. Lay the wire out straight and measure 40cm using a ruler, and once you’ve measured use the side cutters to cut the correct length.

We recommend using 40cm of wire as it gives you enough wire for your chosen ring size while leaving enough to wrap around the sea glass.

2. Bending the wire

Bend the wire in half around the triblet and position it on your chosen ring size on the triblet. Wrap one end of the wire around the triblet again to leave two loose ends on either side.

3. Wrapping the wire

Here’s the fiddly bit: individually wrap both loose ends of the wire under the shape of the ring once or twice, making sure that there is enough space for your sea glass to fit in between the wraps.

These wraps will be what keeps the ring to your chosen size, so make sure you’ve picked the right one! It’s better to take the ring off the triblet while you do this step and the next steps.

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4. Flattening

Using the flat nose pliers, flatten the curve of the area of the wire where the sea glass will sit. By doing this, you will be able to give the sea glass a flatter surface to sit on which will make it easier to secure to the ring.

5. Securing the sea glass

Holding the sea glass in place, wrap one end of the wire around the sea glass to keep it securely where you want it.

Once you’ve run out wire to wrap, wrap some extra loops around those loops you made in step 3. Then with a piece of loose wire, wrap from the other side to make sure your sea glass is secure: you don’t want to fall out while you’re showing off your creation to everybody.

6. Finishing touches

Snip off any sharp loose wire with the side cutters and tuck in any untidy ends with the snipe nose pliers. Pop your ring back onto the triblet so you can shape your ring back to your chosen size, and et voila! You’ve got your very own wire wrapped sea glass ring: now you know the basics, you can experiment with different wrapping techniques and designs, and create a range of rings.

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www.nataliebonney.com 32

www. smallshedpottery.co.uk

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POTTERY/CERAMICS 35-40 Serenity Sculpturing 43-48 Neighbour artist of the month; Glazingly Glorious Pots 51-54 Top 10 tips for using Air Dry Clay 57-64 What it takes to become one of the most recognisable British potters

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Serenity Sculpturing

Sarah Sullivan got back into pottery during lockdown, and she couldn’t be more glad for being able to use her hands again.

By: Cintia Horvath

Sarah Sullivan is a potter in Penryn, working with both ovenware and sculpture work. She first got into pottery at the age of 19 by doing an Arts Foundation course where she discovered her love for pottery.

Sarah makes captivating sculptures called “Serenity Heads”. They give off the essence of peacefulness, calm and serenity. Looking at how she first started making these sculptures, she told me it wasn’t supposed to happen, Sarah was coiling a pot and just “carried on and make it bigger”.

“The smell of it or once you put your hands on it, the possibilities of it. Once you’re hooked, you’re hooked.”

Her influence behind her sculptures is her own experience of Sea swimming as well as meditation, she observes people as well as experiencing it herself: people sat by themselves; people floating in the water on their own; people closing their eyes while they’re in the water. The feeling she feels when shes in the water is “Serenity.”

And so, she was inspired by that one main feeling when you are in the water surrounded by the cold submerging you in a state of tranquillity. She looked at what people did to achieve this calm state and they all had their eyes closed, as if they were looking inside.

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Serenity Heads by Sarah Sullivan 36

Sarah Sullivan making her Serenity Head by Remi Cribb

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Making a sculpture can take a couple of months as Sarah has someone in mind when she makes one of her Serenity Heads, the process of her sculpting work rather than her ovenware work is more personal and holds more meaning as she gets lost in the message she is trying to convey while creating it, in comparison than the making of it like she would with her pots.

“It is that sense of serenity and calm that wild swimming gives that I am trying to capture in my sculptures. The long breath out. Being present.”

Throughout Sarah’s work, she is inspired by the sea in a bigger scale without realising, she makes her sculptures which almost represent swimmers and bathers of the Sea. The way she makes some of her pots is with coil, they have a continues wave to the touch. Even one of her glazes has aspects of sand in it, mixed in gravel making it feel quite coarse as if you were walking on the beach with the coarse sand under your feet.

Everything takes her back to the ‘sea, geology, archaeology, and rock formations’ making her work be underlyingly be influenced by how pottery started out centuries ago and the original look they held even back then.

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Neighbour artist of the month; Glazingly glorious pots

Have you wondered about how glazing works for pottery making?

Yasuharu Tajima-Simpson has - Taja has been a Devon based potter for over 40 years now working with porcelain.

By: Cintia Horvath

pottery wheel himself. He found that he was very good at making pots, so he continued to bowls and cups.

He started getting involved in pottery while learning Fine Art in Kyoto, located in Japan. At the time, he was doing oil paintings and sketching, where he met his British girlfriend who moved to the UK after being a potter trainee in Kyoto for two years - Taja fell deeply in love with her, following her to the UK and thus getting involved in the life of pottery himself. He helped build her a workshop to do her work, while also beginning experimenting with the

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He then later moved to Moretonhampstead, where they continued to make ovenware; this involved pots and bowls and such. They then found that they needed help with funds, so they tried to get help from the Craft Council to set up a grant.

They were advised that if each of them did two different kinds of pottery then they would be more likely to be granted it. Taja expressed that he “wasn’t too fussed” over what he would make, so he started getting into sculptures which were inspired by Dartmoor and the sea, making sculptures of mermaids and mermen and crabs.

A piece of advice that Taja said he would give to people who want to get involved in pottery and to become a potter was simple: “Money.” He said

that “as long as you have money, you are able to learn and perfect your style and work. ”As he got older, he expressed that he was drawn towards “quieter work,” and so he went back to making ovenware: described by him

“as long as you have money, you are able to learn”

Blue glaze fish by TajaPorcelain

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The Blue Glaze by TajaPorcelain

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as “a simple pot.” His medium that he found he works best with is porcelain slabs, and even though he has tried out different types of mediums he found porcelain was the one that works best with a glaze, due to its white colour after it had been in the kiln.

He took a trip back to Japan, where he found a huge influence and inspiration to develop his own glaze. He talked about how he saw pottery tiles that were beautifully glazed, so he found the artist behind them and asked him for his glaze technique - but the potter said no. Taja felt “envy” of that glaze, so he went back home and started the journey of finding his own glaze technique. Taja began trialling glaze from advice he found on the internet but discovered that the glaze wouldn’t turn out to be the colour he desired nor be as smooth as he wanted it to be.

After so many trials he started running out of funds, so he took a threemonth break to get the funds. Again, he tried trial after trial and he finally succeeding in making his very own signature blue glaze, that he named ‘Seiji glaze,’ which means ‘Porcelain Blue.’ He told me that it took him over 200 tries to make his signature glaze,

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Taja

“When the pot comes out of the fire pot, it is like a Christmas gift. You don’t know what to expect and it’s exciting every single time as the pot always turns out to be different.”

which he then developed and changed the components to also make a brown, green and a red copper glaze.

I asked Taja what inspires his work the most, and he told me he was inspired by two Devon-based potters, through being a potter himself - his inspirations were Sandy Brown and Clive Bowen.

As for the inspiration behind his signature blue glaze, he told me the influence was the environment around him; the sky when it wasn’t raining,

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and the sea, as he lived quite close to the sea itself, so that impacted his work in a huge way. The message that he wants to portray with his work is to make people feel a certain a way: he wants to make people get excited when they see his work, to feel calm, and to make them feel “some happiness.” I found that this message shone through his work, with the colours enabling his work to express this calm aura when you look at it.

One of the themes I found throughout his work was the feeling of freedom.

After talking to Taja, he told me how much freer he felt moving to the UK and being able to pursue the arts, because if he’d stayed in Japan, he would have had to pursue a different career. He expressed how he did not regret doing pottery at all, he was glad he pursued it but did admit that it didn’t bring in much money. He was so charmed by pottery and how it is a never-ending art, and that there is always something new that you can try out and do. His next work that he is planning to do involves porcelain coils to make something “big,” unlike his other work; he is planning to tackle making a huge pot with the technique of coils rather than slabs which is his usual technique.

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Top

10 tips for using

By: Cintia Horvath

Air Dry Clay

Looking to get your hands a little dirty?

Let me share some air-dry clay secrets with you, ranging from what you can try out and how to make it function exactly how you want.

1. Ziplock bags are your best friend Once you open the packet make sure that you ziplock the leftovers that you aren’t using so that you can use it later, rather than having to bin the rest! Just make sure it is placed in a cool dark place to ensure it keeps its moisture.

2. Clean surface

Make sure that you clean your surface before you lay out your clay so there will be no fluff and hair that could get stuck on the clay. Laying cardboard or something down to work on so that you don’t make damage anything in your home is also a good idea.

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By: John Doe 52

3. Tools

You can find basic clay equipment that you can purchase for as little as a few pounds, or you could even use tools around the house; bowls, cups for different sized circle cutters, a butter knife and brushes, or even toothpicks.

4. Preparing the clay

After you have ripped off the desired amount, knead it a little and use the heat of your palm to form the clay into a ball that is easy to manipulate. Do this until your clay is smooth and soft: this can also be called ‘conditioning’.

5. Rolling it out

When you roll out the clay, make sure that it isn’t too thin; this is so it won’t rip when you pull it off the surface and so that it doesn’t stick. About a quarter of an inch (0.25cm) is the desired thickness.

6. Smoothening

If you have accidentally made a mark or a dent in your artwork – don’t worry! Just dip your fingers in some water and gently smooth it out, or you could even use a paintbrush.

7. Dry cracks

If the bowl, for example, or something you have made is already dry but has cracks, then there is a solution for that too so do not fret. Mix in a small amount of clay with water making a paste called ‘slip’ and then lay it over the cracks, smoothening out. Once it dries it will be crack-less.

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8. Adding bits on.

After you have made a part of the clay that you want to add on to your main shape, you must do something called a ‘score’. This is when you grab a tool or a toothpick to make little crosses across the surface of both items where you want to connect them, and then add a little bit of ‘slip’ as previously mentioned. Once you’ve joined the two, use your fingertip or a tool to smoothen it out.

9. Drying your finished piece!

Air dry clay can take some time to fully dry, so you have to ensure it has time to fully dry; we recommend between 24 and 72 hours. To make sure that all surfaces completely dry, you can turn your work over so that the bottom also has time to fully dry.

10. Sealing your work.

The only downside of using air dry clay is that it is not waterproof. But to seal your work and help make it waterproof or give it a shine, you can apply an acrylic paint layer or varnish.

I recommend using ModPodge as a layer can make your work shiny and waterproof after it has dried onto the clay!

And there’s my ten top tips for you! I hope you enjoy using clay and have fun with it ~

let your creativity flow wild.

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What it takes to become one of the most recognisable British potters From a studio in London to judging on a pottery show and becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire, Kate Malone shares her way to becoming one of the most recognisable British potters.

By: Bobby Angelov

How did it all start?

Kate Malone grew up in a sportoriented family; her brother was a big football enthusiast and her father, a sports journalist. Her mother was more to the creative side, but never expressed her inner creativity as she was busy taking care of the children. Although she believes that because both her father and brother were very into sports, this has given her the ability to be competitive, and to do her best, the same way a sportsperson does, says Kate. Her general interest in pottery began when she was in school. At this time in the 1970s, government schools equally financed their subjects, so mathematics and science were financed the same as art and other creative subjects. She believed that her part in this school was very essential for her interest in pottery.

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“I think I would have been either a nurse or a teacher if my school did not have the Art department”

After that, she did a foundation year at Bristol Polytechnic at the University of West England Bristol which had a particularly good and well-funded ceramics department which, in her opinion, was very good. There were a lot of choices and material available, and she was able to explore her inner creativity.

She said that she was very lucky to be doing this at the time, as she felt very supported in many cases and was given tutorials by top potters and creatives. She then joined the Bristol Polytechnic to do a BA with them.

“II thought I would have changed my mind, as I did quite a lot of other things, but Pottery seemed to be always the thing that I wanted to pursue”

She believes that this has been a good and a bad thing as she did not know how to run a studio. From one side, at first, she did not know what to do or how to do anything, but on the other she was free in her ideas and the way Kate and her friend created a small business in which they worked a lot with she could work, so she was able to fabrics, making men’s shirts and bags. It apply anything that she liked as a style was what she needed to do, so she could or a way of running a studio. join the Royal College of Art, where you were obliged to take a year out.

In the 80s, only eight people were taken for the MA course at The Royal College of Art, and Kate was one of them. After three years of the MA, she finished at 28 with quite a lot of experience.

“I have been spoiled by the system,” she joked. But in those years, she never had a real work experience.

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“The Government at the time granted me a small studio, just under the railway, quite literally on the Thames, but it was mine for 18 months. I also got a grant of 40 pounds a month as an encouragement”

Kate Malone crafting 59

Now she was educated and equipped, and the only thing she needed now was the clients. For eleven years she was self-employed and would get extremely excited if she sold one or two works of art, so she kept going and going: in many cases, working with no profit.

“I used to work with no-profit, but just kept on going, and I always thought financially that I could last only for a few months. Every winter I used to max out my credit card to go to India, as my husband is a builder and hated working the cold in England. So, I would just earn something, spend it and be back at 0.”

like a five-thousand-pound fountain for a hospital, and just make it and pay for the materials without any profit.

“My husband was the one to always inspire me go for bigger and bigger projects. I got a project for tenthousand-pounds, which kept me going, but then he told to me ‘You have to go for something bigger,’ and I went for a project for sixty-thousandpounds, so there have been a few bigger projects I have worked on.”

After working on big projects, I asked her which her most enjoyable project was, to which she replied to me, “Enjoyable for me could be a project And she would do that every year until that I had the pleasure working on and she met her art dealer, who has now one that challenged me.” been with her for twenty-four years, and started working with him In her words, the most challenging one was when she had to create 1000 Kate Malone would often take projects, square meters of tiles for a seven-storey building on Saville Row in London, and the most gratification she had was “I would get very working as a part of a team sharing a satisfied when I sold vision with the potter Richard Miller.

three or four pieces of high-value in a year, but the good thing is as well as now I have pieces from fifteen pounds to ones that could go up to half a million pounds”

“The perfect thing for me would be to spend all day in the studio, with my assistant working on something that I want. That’s the indulgence, but sadly is not the reality when you have to take the notes of the company, letters to the council or government, and order materials and such.”

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Kate Malone’s work 61

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On being a big part of Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down...?

Kate was also a judge on Channel 4’s “The Great Pottery Throw Down”, a reality show where amateur potters compete with one another in a pottery competition. Kate joined the show as one of the judges for two seasons, and at first, she had a few doubts about joining the broadcasting world and a reality show. But the show had an audience of 8 million people, and the reason she took it on was because it was as a fantastic opportunity to share her knowledge and teach the skills, she knew to the people watching and taking part. It was great for her as she thought, in a way, she was helping the art community. After leaving the show she started running her project “FiredUp4”, which aims to build studios for marginalized and unprivileged children.

Elizabeth II with the Order of the British Empire.

“It was lovely, it made me feel more like part of my community and has made me think that you should not be doing it for the self-indulgent part of it, of course, you need money to live, but at the same time to think about how you could contribute to your community. “

“When I said I wanted to be a nurse or teacher, it was because I have always loved to serve the community and to not just be self-indulged artist.”

In 2019 for serving her community, Kate was rewarded by HM Queen

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In the era of technology is social media a great tool for young artists?

Kate believes that the education system does not encourage young people to be more interested in art, as if it wants it to die. TV shows like the Pottery Throwdown on Channel 4 and the videos on popular platforms like TikTok and Instagram as well as community centres all around the country, where people could try and experience different forms of arts and crafts.

Her opinion is that with social media, it is now an incredible place for not only potters, but people interested in all kinds of arts. Years

“Everyone is a potter the now!

It is a very funky thing to be a potter right now”

ago, to show your work, you first had to have some money to transport it, but now you just take a picture of it and, say, two thousand people could see what I have been up to in the studio, exclaims Kate, whilst being fascinated by the current technologies and qualities of phones and cameras.

At the end, a message to future creatives of all ages...

Kate believes that the most important thing is to take pleasure in the craft, as pleasure shows in the work one is doing; but also, to develop skills as perseverance and endurance, just keep going, and look at things from a perspective that takes notice of your heart!

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Kate Malone’s work 65

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https://edenproject.com Bodelva, Par PL24 2

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www. trulyhooked.com

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CROCHET

73-78 Cracking Crochet 79-82 How to Crochet a Scarf 85-86 Creepy Crochet

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Cracking Crochet

Crochet in many ways is like a creative stress ball, but you’re creating something at the same time, and that’s what’s so wonderful about it, plus what you create can last a lifetime!

By: Callum Walker

Crochet is the French word for hook; it has been called a way of meditation, due to the silent nature of the repetitive swirls and movements of your arms. A way of numbing yourself to the world and relaxing in the moment. If you’re feeling happy, you’ll look happy and be happy.

Crocheting increases self-esteem, is good for your body and it keeps your mind active. Here to discuss it is 20-year-old student Emily O’Brien.

“To crochet is to realise that life and art have become the same” To lose yourself in the moment is to pick up your yarn, sip your coffee and loop until the clock strikes midnight.

No, seriously.

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I’ve stayed up until midnight making blankets for my nieces and nephews before, albeit unsuccessfully, and it’s given me peace and quiet, time to collect my thoughts and refresh ahead of busy days where you just need that relief from stress.

Crochet is the single best self-taught hobby you can try. It can help as a stress reliever; it eases anxiety and gives you something to feel proud about. You don’t need a lot of skill to start, and the creations you make will be fabulous.

For you men out there reading this and thinking, that’s not for me. Oh! Yes, it is! You can create a jumper, hoodie, a cute bear for your significant other, crochet is not gender exclusive and it never has been! So next time you hear your friends talk about crochet as if it’s only a woman’s thing, tell them it’s not!

The reason I started crocheting is because I wanted a new hobby to keep me entertained whilst being stuck at home during the second lockdown. I had seen a lot about crocheting on Pinterest and Instagram, which inspired me to learn. It’s been ten months since I first learnt how to crochet in January,

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so it’s something anyone can pick up very easily.

Tips I would give people starting out are; firstly, I would say start off with thick and light yarn when you are just learning to crochet, as it is much easier to hold onto and to see your stitches. I would also say that learning to read patterns will help you massively because, although YouTube is a great learning tool, it’s hard to find a tutorial for every project you want to do. Learning to read patterns means that you have a lot more freedom with your work. Lastly, don’t be disheartened if you can’t get it right the first time!

Crocheting - can’t get it right first time!

Crocheting can be quite difficult at the beginning, and everyone learns at a different pace so don’t give up after first go.

Types of yarn vary for every project so the “best” type of yarn also varies for every crocheter. I do a lot of amigurumi so the best type of yarn for me personally would be 100% polyester baby yarn, I also enjoy making blankets with 100% acrylic chunky yarn – the best type of yarn is whatever you prefer using for the type of project you are creating. There are many places where I buy my yarn, but the main ones are Hobbycraft, Home Bargains, Poundland, The Range and lovecrafts.co.uk.

Like myself, many others took up crocheting during lockdown as a stress reliever, for entertainment and for small businesses. TikTok in particular has been a huge aspect of reintroducing the younger generation to the crochet community throughout lockdown. People like Bella Coco Crochet on YouTube and

Emily’s work

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@charliseycrochetcloset on TikTok shares their projects and teaches their followers how to crochet, and they’ve been big inspirations for many new crocheters starting out.

The biggest project that I have crocheted is a blanket, and the best items in my opinion that I have crocheted is a tiger, and a sun and moon tapestry. Its amazing when you think of an idea, however strange and unique, and a few weeks later its here in your hands. The best colours I have used are maroon red and baby blue, but I have also found that whatever colour you choose, it’ll all feel the same!

I have found that crocheting helps to keep people relaxed, it certainly keeps me calm when I am feeling stressed, and I have also made many

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new friends through my hobby.

There are many groups on Facebook for crocheting where we share our projects, work in progress, tips and tricks, help each other when we’re struggling with a piece and just talk in general with people who enjoy the same thing! The crochet community is a safe and positive place for everyone, and I believe everyone should have somewhere like that to go to. Crocheting is for anyone: young or old, male, or female. There is no limit to who can crochet - it is for anybody who enjoys it.

Crocheting is also a very relaxing hobby and is a great way to take a break from stressful situations. Myself and many others in the community would agree that it can be very healing to pick up a hook and create something new.

Fun Facts: - More serotonin is released with repetitive movements. It can also reduce crostil the stress hormone.

Crochet is a regular feature on famous fashion shows.

Can reduce risk of Alzheimer’s by 30-50%.

Lisa Gentry can crocheter a total of 5,113 stiches in 30 seconds.

The earliest form of crochet was done by hand with someone’s bent hook.

Crochet helped pull the Irish out of the depths of the devastating potato famine (1845–1850). A group of Ursuline nuns taught local women thread crochet, which became known as “Irish Crochet.” It became incredibly popular and provided much-needed income.

Crochet doilies were one of the most common items people made throughout the first century of the craft.

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How to Crochet a Scarf

Have you ever thought of making your veryown crochet scarf ? Well now you can. Gather your needles and yarn, because its time to get busy!

By: Callum Walker

1. Make sure you’re prepared First thing you need to do is make sure you have your yarn - we recommend around three balls of bulky yarn for a nice scarf. The best needle you’ll need for bulky yarn is a tapestry needle, and scissors to cut your yarn. Make sure you have no obstacles in your way before you begin.

Move your hair or be sure to comb it away, take off any jewellery and remove any pets from the area! Sorry, but they could mess your project up, especially kitty cats, as those furry pests can’t seem to resist a rolling ball of yarn. Second thing you need to do is position your yarn properly; this is so you can unwind your yarn easily and so you don’t get tangled. Make sure you’re in a warm comfortable spot and your yarn is either in your lap or on a stable surface.

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2. Getting down to the basics Once you have your yarn and your hook ready to loop, take a deep breath, and begin! To start, you’re going to make a slip knot. First off, hold the yarn with your left hand and pull on the string with the index finger of your right hand, pointing downwards. Twist it upwards and put your thumb in that same loop, take the tail with your finger and thumb, and loop it through the loop to create a hoop. Put your crochet hook through the loop and your yarn to tighten. Does it feel too tight or too loose? Hopefully it’s just right!

Hold the crochet hook with your thumb and finger on the indent of the hook, like you’re cutting with a knife. With your right hand holding the hook, use your left hand to wrap the yarn around your finger.

3. Making a Chain Point your hook downwards to the floor or table and put your yarn on the left side of the hook. Then turn your hook around to face you: this should position your yarn perfectly for you to pull the yarn downwards through the loop and create your first chain! Continue to do this so you have a few chains, remembering to face the hook away from you, turn over and pull through. Each chain is a loop.

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4. Crochet a Line Now we are going to learn how to do a single crochet. Insert your hook into the second chain from your hook. Insert, and then yarn over by going behind the string and pulling it through, then when you have two loops on your hook, repeat the action for making a chain. As you loop you may consider, how do I want to make this? Lengthways or widthways? If you choose lengthways then your rows will be long with many stitches, but widthways is short rows but slightly more time consuming. Keep looping until you reach your desired length. 300 loops are preferable.

5. Finishing off your scarf Once you’ve got the hang (or hoop) of it, and you’ve threaded and looped enough of your scarf for you, you’ll need to loop a last slip stitch to securely finish off the last stitch. Do not pull the yarn too tight so you do not misshape the scarf. Cut off the end and add finishing touches to your scarf by adding fineries maybe another colour or texture.

Have fun!

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‘Award Winning Pasties – Since 1949’

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Creepy Crochet

From a spooky ghost to a warm scarf, check this guide on what to crochet this autumn.

By: Bobby Angelov

Autumn is the season of warm knitted clothes, hot beverages, scarves, and the beautiful hues of orange and yellow leaves. As you explore your creativity and come up with all kinds of ideas on what to crochet this season, this guide will help get you into the autumnal spirit.

So, get nice and cosy, grab a hot beverage, and look at our picks on what to crochet this autumn season.

look very good on your table or window. You could make it a creepy Jack-O-Lantern or just a normal pumpkin and use it as a decoration throughout October and November.

True, it might not taste as good as a real roasted pumpkin, but it will sure make less of a mess!

Halloween is just around the corner, and the 31st of October always gets us into the spooky season.

Shops start selling a huge variety of Halloween-themed sweets and scary decorations, but anyone could buy these: why don’t you be one step-up and impress your friends and family this Halloween with your very own handmade crochet spooky decorations this season.

2. A spooky (and cute!) ghost

This one is very appropriate for Halloween, although it’s up to you what reactions you want when people see it. If you want it to frighten, give it a scary face. Alternatively, make him an adorable ghost that will put a smile on everyone’s face.

1. Crochet pumpkin

Not only a symbol of Halloween but generally always connected with Autumn, a crochet pumpkin could

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Of course, you can always expand this list to much more: don’t let your inspiration stop. Once you start to create, we are sure that many more crochet ideas will start popping into your head. And to add more to the Halloween scene, why don’t you give your ghost some company; a crochet vampire, or a bat, the list goes on!

Whenever you feel like you have some free time, try some of our suggestions, and don’t forget to have fun doing so as well!

3. Autumn leaf

A look into our Winter Issue…

Once we get into October, they are everywhere. Trees change their hues into beautiful colours of red, orange, and yellow and many people collect leaves and even use them as decoration. This is not the case here: whilst a natural leaf is very beautiful, they don’t last long and slowly lose their charm. But, if you crochet them, they will always look beautiful and perfect.

Get prepared for the holiday season with some festive crochet ideas! Here is a sneak peek at what to expect in our Winter issue:

‘O Christmas Tree’ One of the most important things at Christmas: the Christmas Tree!

They come in various sizes, big or small, and when we decorate them with lights and baubles it seems like the holiday season is complete with a very happy and warm feeling.

So, why don’t you recreate your Christmas tree with a crochet version of that green delight to make sure the Festive spirit will Winter Edition never leave you!

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BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK CREATED INTO CARDS, GIFTS AND PRINTS TO BRIGHTEN ANY SPACE.

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CraftyTok

Aspiring arts and crafters find popularity on a social media app. Whether you’re an established brand or a young up-and-coming artist, your work must be on TikTok.

By: Callum Walker It’s as if the site was made for you.

TikTok is the fastest growing and leading app to share your art in the entire online world. Hundreds of thousands of users have been uploading their work to the site since its launch in 2016, and many of them have made a viable business of it.

In the modern world there’s not been an app as divisive and as polarising as TikTok: you either love it or hate it. But luckily for most arts and crafts lovers, we tend to fall into the love section.

In the last twelve months, creative DIY TikToks have dominated the site with various small tutorial videos now displayed on the app’s front page, Just upload a video of you crocheting a gaining millions of views. teddy bear, speed it up, and then done!

Watch the views roll in, or if you don’t The arts of sewing, crocheting, knitting, know how to make one just search up and potting are activities that might a tutorial on the site, and you’re bound seem to be more at home in your to get there eventually as there are over grandmother’s retirement place or a 1.6b views on crafts videos. professional workshop. The resurgence of these once coined “granny crafts” is a TikTok has taken the world by storm in truly beautiful trend that is influencing the last two years, its usership booming millions of users to show off their more to 1 billion users in 2018, two years creative side. The boom of arts and crafts on from its launch. It now boasts over TikToks is proof of the increased interest two billion TikTok mobile downloads, in hobbies that were once thought to be and with this massive audience and relics of the past. relatively smaller video sizes compared to its competitor YouTube, we think Many are finding that their most it’s now the perfect place for crafters to cherished hobby can be turned into showcase their brilliant creations! monetary solutions, with thousands of accounts linking Esty and Weebly

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of self-care. We’ve seen how crochet can help calm anxiety and depression, something young people are especially vulnerable to.

pages. This outpouring of love and interaction with arty TikTok accounts coincidentally comes at a time when young people are at their lowest points.

Coping mechanisms can be found in pottery, crocheting, and sewing, which has made living through the pandemic that little bit easier, and we can all do with a little easing of the stress that comes with lockdown.

Our determination to help save the planet has also given us a nudge in the right direction, with Generation Z’s continued respect and appreciation for the issues facing the planet. The drive to craft is in response to the damage that fast fashion is causing to the planet.

Sustainability is a huge topic and trend on the site with over 500 million views on topics related to sustainability and 700 million on sustainable fashion.

People are tired of high-end fashion labels pretending to have their best interests at heart while making outrageous amounts of money for clothes and outfits that the public is realising can be done at home.

Ever wanted to make that amazing crop top that gets your crush’s attention?

Well, now you can with ease! There are hundreds of quick thirty-second tutorials out there to give you a chance at making your perfect blouse or According to a recent study conducted sleeveless top, why not try your hand at by the government, nostalgia helps calm crocheting? Make your teddy bear or hat us and fuel our current desires: this is and show it off to your friends, and with true with arts and crafts. Many artists Christmas right around the corner, now and crafters, however big or small, is a great time to get involved, so what have flocked to the app as if it is a form are you waiting for?

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Some top TikTok Arts and Crafts accounts to get you inspired...! @er1078142977 This account focuses on jewellery making with small gems and pendants, the designs are splendid. They create wood ornaments from beads which make for a lovely gift for your loved ones.

The small bead bracelet making process is easy to follow and makes for a great little hobby for young people to enjoy, boosting their creative skills and developing a bond for life.

@Forest.ceramic.co This account is run by two ceramic makers from Orcas Island in the State of Georgia. They make pots and pans from clay which include intricate designs from hundreds of stunning templates.

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@SamisJammin This TikToker created a video that involves taking a deceased relative’s piece of clothing and making a small stuffed animal. The tutorial is less than a minute long, funny, instructive, and entertaining.

What’s more to want?

@Im.really.trying.to.sew This TikToker focuses on small sewing videos and crop top making videos where she takes oversized jumpers and onesies and turns them into cute outfits for you to rock wherever you please. @Potterytiktokworld This account specialises in small pottery making videos and has a combined like count on all its videos of 3m likes and 211k followers. Those cute little vases and flowers are some of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

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@Ceramicsmaster This creator makes crude ceramic men and water fountains, and places them in funny positions. They have a reach of 357k followers and have an online shop that sells seven or eight ceramic statues a month. Will this get you inspired? @Kayleeeet420 This young TikTok creator has over 8 million likes and just under 400k subscribed followers. She’s made an extremely profitable business after advertising her crochet collection on the app and regularly gets 20k-40k views on each of her videos. She creates devils, teddy bears, injured bears, cute bees, long-legged octopuses, and all sorts of farm animals.

Would you try making a Tiktok account?

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Managing your time How do you make time for crafting and your hobbies that you dearly love in a busy life? It may get overly busy sometimes, but we all need a little breather to enjoy the smaller things in life.

By: Cintia Horvath

We have so much that we have to balance in our lives as students: doing our assignments well, attending lectures, maintaining a social life, and having time in general for everyday things like buying food and cooking for yourself. So, the question remains, how do you make time for your hobbies?

1. Calendar

If you feel like you are not very good at living out your days without a plan, and the things you want to do can just get pushed back and disappear into the oblivion, a good trick to get over this could be to keep a calendar for yourself. Make a daily list each day on what you have to do, and if you follow it then you will be able to have a day off for your crafting time! You could make this even better by using coloured pens to help yourself colour code each different type of task, and this will help you keep in check of what you should do each day.

2. Destress

Being a student studying in university can get very crowded and stressful very quickly, but we need a little time for ourselves to breathe and relax. We have to make sure that we don’t get over stressed with everything, so whenever we chill out and watch our favourite shows and movies, or even just relax to our favourite albums, we can do the crafting then. Crocheting, knitting, jewellery making, moulding, or any other skill, will be the perfect thing to pair with the good things we love to watch and listen to.

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3. Holidays

If you find that you are just simply not able to squeeze in any time at all and planning your days won’t help, then the last thing you could do is use that times when you don’t have to focus on your assignments and all your work. And the perfect time is a holiday break! Whether it be half term or the Christmas holidays, you can always squeeze some time in over those breaks to focus on your hobbies and your handy work, even if you do have to work through the holidays it’s much easier to make time for yourself.

I hope that these little suggestions will help you with your time management, and that you will be able to find some time for your crafting. But if you love doing something enough then I am sure that you will be able to get lost in your hobbies and set some time aside for yourself. The best thing to do is start with these pointers to see what works for you, and you’ll be managing your time before you know it.

Let’s start creating!

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AUTUMN EDITION 2021

‘WHERE CORNISH ART COMES TO LIFE’

ceramics - jewellery making - crocheting