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Sunday 20 December 2009

Christmas Alphabet..........

Well what can I say folks? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.......la la la la laaaaaaa........

Now truth be known I'm not the most christmassy person and I think this is mainly due to the fact of having worked in retail for far too many years to tell and when Christmas goods start appearing in your deliveries to go out on the shelves from October, that and the same Christmas tunes for 3 months solid, and watching people consume consume consume, well by December you've practically lost the will to live. The enormous commercial consumerism can just strip away the magic that I feel Christmas should have.


Anyhow that thankfully is now a life away from where I'm at now *sighs*.
I wanted to share some Christmas magic with you. My parents have a myriad of vinyl yes records! they have a large variety of various types of Christmas music from instrumental to choral, from traditional to Motown. So I wanted to share one tune of these many with you, I think my parents have a slightly different version but this I think is the original, so hop on over to the link below, in fact open it in a new tab, put it on loud, come back here and scroll through the pics I've patched together for your visual delight to (try!) and accompany this wee song. (all pics have been gathered from home, further afield and some blooming lovely dressed shop windows).

Here's the link: Christmas Alphabet - Dickie Valentine

C if for the candy trimmed around the Christmas tree


H is for the happiness with all the family


What? look at the wee sweet gingerbread and robin families!

R is for the reindeer prancing by the window pane


I is for the icing on the cake as sweet as sugar cane

This is the window from Choccy Woccy DooDah, all sorts of chocolate goodness in there, it is truly amazing the things that they create

S if for the stocking hanging on the chimney wall


T is for the toys beneath the tree so tall

you just know there are lots of toy goodies wrapped up in those packages!

M is for the mistletoe where everyone is kissed


A is for the angels who make up the Christmas list


S is for the Santa who makes every kid his pet

Be good and he'll bring you everything in your Christmas alphabet!

And here's just a few more festive shots just because I can........


Ahhhhhh the turkey, a must for so many of us




And so you don't feel all brittle and about to break into a million crystal pieces.....


wrap up against this sort of weather or better still stay at home and just be.

Remember the magic is in the wishing, seeing friends and family, the eating of dishes and the taking of a tipple or two(!), the giving and sharing of gifts and most importantly the loving of being with those you are with.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and ala tiny Tim 'God bless us every one'. Have a fab festive season ;0 X

Friday 4 December 2009

The Print Block

Well I have mentioned about printing and the little course I had been on in a few previous posts, so now here is my full post about it.
I did printing many years ago now and have not been able to find a course (that ran!) or facilities that I might have been able to use to do some more. So when I found out about The Print Block in Whitstable I quickly booked myself on one of their short printing courses. I have been itching to use more print combined with stitch in my work for ages and this has given me the chance to do that. So thank you Suki and Emrys for bringing The Print Block to Whitstable!



shelves filled with glorious inks to print with


screens galore that students have produced


I have always fancied one of these, although far too big for the normal household space! a drying rack, great for storing your printed bits and pieces so that they can dry without being squashed


screens in use



And finally to a few pics of snippets of work I produced over the few weeks there


combining print with stitch and fabric fragments to create one off simple tote bags



prints in the progress of being combined with snippets of fabric and larger panels as well as machine and hand stitching for fabric scarves



I had so much fun on this course and was so pleased that it ran. I was so fed up of not being able to attend a course because they didn't run due to lack of numbers. The classes at The Print Block are perfect as they are only small groups which means you will get the guidance and advice you may need much easier as well. They have recently run courses to print your own run of Christmas cards as well as wrapping paper, could you get much more handmade, personalised and perfect for Christmas!!??? So please if you live in, near or around the area and fancy printing then be sure to check them out. I'm looking at joining up to be able to use the facilities again for some more experimentation with my work, so maybe I'll see you there!! ;0 x

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Sparkle

Well hello bloggy bods! well the weekend has been and gone so quickly so I thought I would get back to you with some pics of the event.

Sales were made and goods have found new homes despite the terrible weather that we all seem to be having! It was grey, windy and intermittently rainy all weekend so not especially conducive to people wanting to come out and brave it. However a good weekend was had, such a lovely venue and I haven't found yet such friendly exhibitors! It's always good to somewhat immerse yourself in the company of like minded creative folk at times, don't you think? you can have a good ol chin wag about the ins and outs of your creativity and ideas. Much like we do here amongst our online blogging but I have to say it's always nice to put faces to 'online' names and to see work in the flesh, it's always even more stunning than the photos you see.

So to my pics, I was a bit better this time and actually managed to get a few snaps of the building, in between the raindrops!

The Landmark Arts Centre


A small part of the stunning ceiling


More beauty above my head!


And so to some of the stands there
The lovely Sue Allan was opposite me, which was fab, love her work and I have posted about her before back in March I think



The fabulous Ian, Potnotch, next to me whose ingenious pot hangers sold sooooooooo well


The absolutely exquisite, delicate and stunning work of Karen's, contemporary embroidery, her detail is amazing!


The lovely Jackie and her gorgeous tactile accessories, such vibrant and rich colours with stitched textural details


And one of the delicious food stalls , Planet Cake, that was opposite her, I'm not sure I could've coped sitting opposite it all weekend, I would have succumbed to the lure of the cake.........


And finally some pics of my wee stand, with me trying my hardest to make the best use of the space I had available to display my 'wares' on! With ladders, muslin covered pin boards, mannequins and shelving...........


scarf roll close up


festive skinny long stockings


purses for your pennies


And a small switch around to hang purses off the rungs instead of the fabric scarves


I am now packing up all stock to roll onto my next port of call this week, Brighton Open Houses where my work is being displayed for the next three weekends at Kate Lulham's abode - 'Delicious Delights', so if you live in or around the area be sure to check out some of the houses on the trails, you won't be disappointed!

See you all soon, avoid the raindrops if you can! ;0 x

Thursday 19 November 2009

Sparkle preparation

Well a very small and quick post from me this eve. It's been a while and I feel I have been very bad of late at posting often enough, but I have been busy, honest! me, my sewing machine and needle and thread are now as one as I have been working away to have work ready for Sparkle and then Brighton Open Houses. So here is a glimpse of a few bits and pieces to give you an idea of the kind of things I've been making...........







Just a glimpse mind, to give you a flavour, a taste of what will be adorning my stand. I shall be snapping away and hope to get pics of my stand when there as well as others. I'm looking forward to meeting a number of bloggy peeps too, so I shall be back to tell you all next week. Have a great weekend whatever you're up to! ;0 x

Sunday 8 November 2009

Hearts 'n' Fishes Workshop.....

Hello Lovely bloggy readers, well a bit later than anticipated I thought I would post a few pics of my workshop the other week.
My garland one didn't run as not enough bods but my hearts and fishes did! Although it was entitled 'Hearts & Fishes" everyone during the workshop decided to make a fish, which was lovely, as my sample was the first fish I had made as well and so it was good to see them inspired enough by my wee fish to make one themselves!




With these taster workshops all materials are supplied by the workshop leader (ie moi) and so you can just roll up and create away without the hassle of trying to remember to get things and then to bring them! All I ask is for people to just bring yourself and your creative spirit along.

So my 'creative mess' laid out to inspire with all its colour and texture.



Fishy shapes cut ready for the choosing and a'making



And so below to fish shapes stitched up and stuffed with the beginnings of decoration....

Rich red with lovey blanket stitching around the edges



The planning of shimmery gorgeous scales






And some nearly finished and finished fishes, just how lovely did they turn out!??




These are two different fish, not the two sides to one by the way! it's just that the same fabric had been chosen, their scales are lovely, much nicer in the flesh or should that be fabric?!



Again I would just like to say a BIG THANKS to the lovely ladies that came along to the workshop, what a lovely group they were. Thank you all for being so inspired and enjoying the workshop. I'm also glad to say that they took bits and pieces home with them to make more fishes and hearts too. I hope you ladies have continued with the creativity! If you have any photos of work finished since then, I'd love to see it, so send me an email!!

I would also like to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU to a list of lovely bloggers for including various items of mine in posts on their blogs. I cannot tell you all how pleased I am to be included in your posts! So lovely of you all, so Thank You! ;0 X

So my Thank You Roll Call to:

Helen from handmade by helen
Val from Blackrose
Alex from FoundonFolksy
Amanda from Etsymetal
Liana from Mixedplate

Phew! well I better get back to creating. I have a couple of orders to package up and am still making for the upcoming fair and Brighton Open House. Yep!!! that's right Brighton Open Houses, little ol' me is taking part for the first time in them, in the Christmas ones. Will let you know more v soon. I'll be down there taking pics so you can see.

Hope you've all had a good weekend, I'm typing wrapped up with layers of cardi's and a big chunky scarf if that makes you feel any better??!! just need some fingerless gloves now, always get cold hands when typing. Honestly I'm not tucked away up in a garret with half moon specs really, it just seems like it! ;0 X