Silver bells....

I'm looking forward to an early dose of Christmas cheer at St Catherine's Artisan Market in Frome. I'm making some decorations as well as my usual fayre of Crytalline cups and Thermo Lanterns -  great those already-have-everything people, because who already has a glowing colour changing lantern?

With a mug of something mulled and mince pie in hand, I'd love to see some friendly faces (who can look after my stall while I go and buy stuff).

In the big smoke

My first mistake was to walk to Southville, that and bringing the axe.

I thought I had a pretty sweet deal going in the van to MadeLondon, it certainly sounded better than the five am megabus. Once I had trekked across town carrying a ten pound axe (for my dad's birthday) and carried all the stock down two flights of stairs I wasn't so sure. Once we got to London there was more carrying, then we built our beautiful stand (by far the best there, thanks Charlie).

The atmosphere at Made was great, and I got a lot out of talking with the other makers there and with the visitors, too. Despite the biting cold plenty of people came along, bought some of our lovely things and were genuinely interested in the work and it's making.

After three days underground and a diet of pret a manger sandwiches and coffee I was glad to see that van again. Now I've caught up on sleep it's back to the grindstone, making Christmas stock.

Well done to Sally, Alice, Bryony (and me) for bringing Bristol's best to the big smoke.

What to get me for Christmas...

Is it odd to be excited about a brush? Just discovered Harrop & Penny, purveyors or pleasingly utilitarian household bits and bobs. They have a particular knack for presenting their products as a little piece of art, each to be admired. They also have a very lovely tumblr, which cost a me a good half hour of last night in a reverie of enamelled cups and bentwood furniture. Drafting plate profiles will have to wait just one more day...

This video from Fort Ripper (found by chance on etsy's blog while looking for a knitting pattern, unsuccessfully) succeeds in being both very cute and testament to what a skilled hand can do for a neglected object.

'The beginners guide to the afterlife of an Ottoman'




I would love to make an animation of my making, I'm not sure a cup has so much anthropomorphic potential as this little guy, as proved by Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Just a couple...

Deadlines have never really irked me, in fact I rather like them. With less than a month to Made London long studio sessions are becoming routine- the cat looks at me sideways when I get in, I'm becoming a stranger in my own home. But, oddly, this is all to the good. For months I'd been meaning to make cups with my crystalline glazes- the kind of job that feels to big to start and sits in my to do list getting dusty. Now, though, it's done! Here they are on their way to be glazed.

in Devon

I'm back home after a soggy but enjoyable day at in Bovey Tracey at the Contemporary Craft Fair. We were treated to a heavy downpour, a pork roll, half a pint of cider and some very nicely made things. Below are three of my favourite things I saw today.

Wren Brooch by Rachel Eardley. Rachel had a few of these brooches and other jewellery pieces on show, all made out of defunct coins, as well as some very sweet illustration and embroidery work. Dissecting the images on each coin is quite a neat and original idea, and pretty fiddly to do I would imagine. I particularly enjoyed the one with all the heads in profile.

Ecoh by Eiko Yoshido. There is never alot of paper work at craft fairs, I suppose its a harder sell than jewellery, but the colours of the paper flower really stood out for me.

Helen Noakes makes the most incredible jewellery in silver and resin. All of the little figures frozen in these miniature scenes are railway models from Germany. She said she ended up making them because she liked them so much she had to have some, why you would need a penguin on your railway I do not know, but I'm glad someone thinks you might. There is a bit of jewellery around using tiny plastic things, kooky mini ice cream earrings being a case in point. What I love about these pieces is that they are so humorous and endearing without compromising on the quality of making.

an outing

Please come and visit me at the Made in Bristol Spring Fair at Colston Hall this Saturday and Sunday. I'll be selling thermochromes, cosies and some other bits and pieces.

furniture-by-numbers

The toy like quality of the outdoor kitchen by Nina Tolstrup only increases its appeal, but the best thing about it is the fact you get to make it yourself! A blue peter worthy project indeed.

This is easily my favourite of the designs on the ten-plan website, available to download and make yourself, with contributions from familiar names in furniture. While some of the other designs seem a little throwaway, and at worst a little patronising, Tolstrup's design really needs the extensive instructions for us to re-create it. Its a real project of the kind that incites swearing, bleeding thumbs and genuine gratification.

As soon as I'm united with my own outside space, I'll be down the hardware shop.

new shoes

These boots started life as a tracing of my foot on a scrap piece of card. Raphael is a shoemaker working out of wooden shack in Meru, Kenya. He studied at the local polytechnic before starting his own business making safari boots and repairing shoes. Small shops and businesses, from dressmakers to carpenters, appear in clusters along the dusty roads around Meru. People sustaining themselves and their families through their own skill.

* little bit of kenyan dirt in there.

yarn

These are from  my visit to Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers in Kenya, a women's group that teaches valuable skills to women that they can use to make their own income. Starting with raw wool from the local area, the women make woven products from rugs to scarves that are sold onsite, as well as over the web and to shops in the USA. This one is me spinning wool ( I was not that great, she laughed at me)

I love the holistic approach to making here, and the fact that its done more out of necessity than to adhere to some 'crafty' aesthetic. They make yarn in a variety of colours, all of which are derived from plant or animal products. Above is Lois, with a piece of cactus covered in tiny cochineal beetles, well known for its ability to make pink cakes. They collect the beetles from the forest and, when fermented for different periods, it produces a range of purples when used to dye the yarn. Almost all the other things used to dye are grown within the compound. This means they are independent, and are not reliant on the producers of chemical dyes and the prices they set, and not working with harsh chemicals.

http://www.spinnersandweavers.org/