Merry Christmas...

Hope you all have a great Christmas and Crafty New Year!

Go see a mafia...

The lovely people from the Glasgow Craft Mafia have these upcoming events.

18th November - Mono - 1pm-late, free entry

29th November - The Universal - 5-9pm, free entry

9th December - Mono 1pm-late, free entry

Why not go along to see a selection of Glasgow's best independent designers and crafters selling a range of textiles, homewares, art, stationery, handmade soaps, jewellery, glassware, photography, and fashion & interior accessories.

For more information on our events and members please visit http://www.glasgowcraftmafia.com/

We say hello to laurafallulah!

In another of our crafty interviews we meet Laura from laurafallulah.


Tell us a bit about yourself…who are you and what do you do?
I am Laura Harris and I run laurafallulah, my range is very kitsch, cute and girly. I design and make tote bags, purses, brooches and other accessories. I specialise in appliquéd design and hand stitching over the top of patterned fabrics. Although I do make some designs with a plainer more natural feel. I am inspired by vintage fashion, nature and colour so I always try to put this across in my work.



What first got you into crafting and making things?
I have always been a very hands on kind of person and loved drawing and collages when I was little but was never very good at traditional art like painting so I naturally turned to crafting. I have always knitted since junior school and followed my love of textiles throughout my education to a degree, which I finished in 2004.


What/who are your inspirations?
As I said above I am inspired by many things mainly nature and nature. I like to surround myself which things that I love so I can often find inspiration through the things in my home. One of my favourite things to do when I am in a design rut is to look through magazines, old and new, pulling out pictures to make scrapbooks. Also you can’t beat a day at your local fabric shop in my opinion.




As to who are my inspirations, really anyone who takes the massive step to try and make a living through their own work. It is scary and it helps to know other people who are going through the same things. Also people like, without trying to suck up, the girls at CrAftermath inspire me as they are trying to help others with their work rather than helping themselves, which is always a great thing to do.

What do you think the difference is between art and craft?
This is always a tricky one to answer. I don’t really know is the answer, I think that people tend to see art as techniques such as painting, drawing and sculpture where as craft as things like knitting and sewing. I think that the worlds of art, craft and design are so blurred and overlapped that you can’t always say what is what. I like it that way as I think I am a bit of each, I design, I craft and the finished product is art that you can wear.




Any crafty tips to share?
I usually scout all over for supplies; if you are lucky enough to live in London there are many great fabric shops and markets, like Sheppards Bush and Brixton. Also if you like old fabric and haberdasheries then boot sales and Ebay are always good. There are so many great blogs and site that I don’t know where to begin, have a browse around myspace and you will always find someone that makes things. Etsy is great for both selling and inspiration, the forum is always full of people spreading advice and just looking through the amazing array of items for sale.




What do you think about the current UK craft scene?
I think that it is encouraging but it could go a lot further. There are some amazing people making amazing things and slowly we are growing bigger. Groups like this as well as more craft mafias spreading the word helps and there are more fairs and web shops now than ever which is great.

The biggest job is to get the general public to appreciate the work and time that goes into the making of something handmade. Also to get people to pay that little but extra to get something individual, well made and special and we would be a lot closer to something like the scene that they have in the USA.





So thanks to Laura for telling us a bit about herself and inspiration, and again for the CrAftermath plug :). Please support your fellow crafters and visit laurafallulah!

Charming Armley Cake Competition

This may be of interest to you....





Come and take part in our kitschy village fete on 6th October at Charlie Cake Park in Armley. In addition to the fabulous Charming Armley Cake Competition itself we are looking for people who sell homewares or anything with a cake, sweetie or food related motif in their work to come and have a stall! Your table will be provided and all we ask is that you make either a £10 cash donation or donate goods to at least an equal value.


This event is being held to raise funds for Armley Helping Hands (Registered Charity No 1076692).

This event has already been featured in the regional press including the Yorkshire Evening Post ( http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Charlie39s-Angels-in-great-cake.3186995.jp) and on BBC Radio Leeds as we are fortunate to have some top Leeds PR ladies on the organising committee.


You can find out more information about the event at http://www.thearmleytouristboard.com/ – if you are interested in cake making then you have the opportunity to get your cake sold in the Tiled Café in Leeds Art Gallery!


If you do not think you can attend but would like to have your work on a stall anyway drop me a line to discuss the possibilities We are also looking for all makers and crafty folk to make or decorate an apron to donate (we will link to you or your business on the website in return!).

Aprons will take part in our unique 'Cakewalk' (that's a cakey catwalk for those wondering) and will be auctioned/raffled off to raise money for the charity. Aprons will need to be submitted by 3rd October 2007!

"Zoom" Hat

I made up a hat! It's named after the Zoom lollies because of the similar colours. The pattern is here.

We say hello to This Charming Girl

The second of our interviews meets This Charming Girl.

A fellow CrAftermath-ter This Charming Girl has recently had a new look website and specialises in handmade and vintage jewellery.

Tell us a bit about yourself…who are you and what do you do?
My name is Jackie and I'm a 22 year old jewellery addict from Scotland. By day I work as a Project Administrator and every other spare minute is spent designing, making, packaging and posting jewellery for my online jewellery boutique, This Charming Girl.

What first got you into crafting and making things?
As a kid I wasn't very crafty, I was always more into reading and writing stories. As I grew up I became interested in fashion and accessories like most teenage girls but I didn't get further than pouring over the pages of glossy magazines.

About two years ago I became aware of the number of independent designers on the net making lovely, different jewellery but most of them were US based. I found some supplies and started to make some jewellery for myself and friends and family which went down well then wondered if jewellery like this would appeal to other people like me in the UK. I took a leap of faith and launched This Charming Girl in October 2006 and haven't looked back!

What/who are your inspirations?
Lots of things - my friends, girls I pass in the street, films, vintage jewellery, trends over the years, music (after all my site was named after a Smiths song!) and especially my customers.

Sometimes I'll make a necklace and think "would anyone apart from me like this?!" and when it sells it's the biggest inspiration.

What do you think the difference is between art and craft?
I think they tend to overlap but generally craft is more functional as opposed to being for display. Personally I feel art and craft are one and the same as they both involve being creative, using skill and producing something from your imagination.

Any crafty tips to share?
I have to recommend the Craftermath forum! It's a great place to seek and share advice with fellow crafters and was a great help to me when I started.

For supplies I recommend the internet (I use it for practically everything), particularly eBay. There are many dedicated sellers there stocking everything you could ever need for your chosen craft, all you have to do is take a bit of time to search.

For inspiration, look at Etsy.com - it's similar to eBay but for handmade goods and there are some wonderful crafters selling their wares.

What do you think about the current UK craft scene?
It's certainly growing all the time, more and more people are turning to indie designers instead of the highstreet because they want to look more individual. I've seen a lot of talented young girls opening their own online shops recently selling everything from handmade jewellery like myself to lingerie, bags, stationery etc.

The UK scene isn't as developed as the US scene but it is getting there!

To check out all that This Charming Girl has to offer visit http://www.thischarminggirl.com/

Also be sure to look at the Happy Customers! page to see some of the gorgeous jewellery modelled by real customers!

I just want to say a big thank you to Jackie - as a previous customer and now delighted owner of 'Secret Garden' and also for the forum plug (which wasn't even hinted at by me!).

Who's got wood?

So, this weekend has involved lots of gardening/building walls/moving slabs so I am a little exhausted. This has now extended to my brain, so for this evenings selection we have to be thankful to Mat (the ever patient, fiance)!

Let me introduce you to wood...

This is a great hairslide by Numpty from Scotland who has a selection of quirky items, including a similar slide to the one below, spelling Ditzy (which actually is probably better suited to me, and has a higher Scrabble score!)

This mini print by Askey from Cheshire is of her 'Fairytale' digital illustration. Her Etsy shop features some great illustration prints and greeting cards.

The final piece of wood is from beadeliciousbaby in the form of this great chunky necklace.

Happy Sunday!