F i E L D y

A Bit of Business.

Just a quickie to say that I am doing a couple of shows before the end of the crafty season (as well as working full time hence no blogging - well, something's got to give!)

First this weekend........

Should be good - also in attendance - My Baboo, Bella Bheag and Tartan Heart

Then next week on Friday night only at the Green Gallery Ladies Night - the same lovely ladies plus others will be there all weekend.

And finally on Saturday the 5th Dec at the Wee Green Market at Killearn.

After all that I will be packing away all my crafty stuff for a few weeks and getting ready for christmas - unfortunately I am working right up to the 22nd Dec so it will all happen in a rush!!

I went to Country Living last weekend but was really too tired to enjoy it properly - I did get some lovely coloured Nutscene string though and will hopefully get a chance to make some crocheted bags with it at some point!

Must dash - back to the grind!

Coming up for breath.

Sorry for the long silence here on the blog - I have been mad busy with work (what's new) However I have managed to fit in a cheeky wee holiday before I started my new contract...............

no prizes for guessing where I have been!

Back soon with some new tweeds and some new products! I even have some yet to be blogged finished crochet projects to share , oh and yet more stunning Etsy purchases (how I love Etsy) x

A Little Retail Therapy.

No visit to a craft event would be complete without a little retail therapy so this post is a bit of a show and tell of items I purchased whilst at the West End Festival. I had a couple of birthdays to buy for and I found some ideal gifts!

A sweet wee lanyard style charm necklace by Eleanor Barron and hand screen printed card by Isabelle Ting (I loved her stuff)

Yet more Isabelle Ting screen printed items..........

 

a lovely sketchbook and bag.........

Some gorgeous Organic soap and moisturiser by the lovely Miss Ballantyne.........

The packaging and attention to detail is amazing and the products are really lovely! I bought a load and put it by for christmas.

And for myself I bought this sweet birdy necklace by Caroline Temple...............

which makes me smile every time I wear it! I also bought this pin by the very talented Syrah Jay....

The wee cat sold it to me! And last but not least I bought this beautiful handpainted fired glass dish by Carrie Paxton (no link available I'm afraid).............

I love it's simplicity.

Well there you have it - a good time selling and buying in Edinburgh - the best of both worlds.

West End Festival.

Better late than never they say - this post is 2 months overdue! I took part in the Edinburgh West End Festival at the beginning of August and started a new job half way through my week there. Needless to say the job took up all my time and energy and something had to give hence the tardy blog.
I enjoyed my week there despite there being a few wee problems - having to move from the last week to the first because of new job (less crafting time) and having to find someone to run my stall for 3 days at short notice. However everything fell into place and thanks to the help of a few good friends I was able to participate and start my new job.
The fair went well despite the fact that I had to make a huge amount just to break even due to a few bad choices. I sold loads and Jean my replacement sold even more (Thanks Jean!!) Isn't it funny how other people can sell/market your work better than you can yourself - well that's my experience anyway.
The set up at the beginning was the most stressful time as the whole thing was an unknown quantity but it all went pretty well - my confidence was knocked a little by the organiser commenting that I should have covered the wooden walls with fabric (I hadn't realised that everyone else would be doing this) but I stuck by my decision to leave the walls bare as I felt my stuff worked well with the wooden/rustic look. I did however take his advice to get some lights to put up the next morning (luckily my friend had 3 clip on spotlights I could borrow) It was a great atmosphere in the marquee and warm and dry (unlike outside!) and I was surrounded by some really lovely people and we all kept an eye on each others stalls when one of us needed a "comfort break". It was well attended and there was a steady stream of visitors and it was great to be able to meet and talk to crafters from all over Scotland and beyond. I bought several birthday and christmas presents as well as a few bits and bobs for myself!
Here are a few pics from the event to give you a taste of what it was like...............

the marquee is top left of this picture (conveniently placed above the cafe!!) - it has bunting on the outside.

There were lots of lovely stalls outside and stalls in the arches to the right hand side of the top picture - you can see Lothian Road running along the top of them!
This is my stall.............

I took some shelves from the workroom to use.......

Tables and chairs were provided as part of the deal and you can just add stuff to suit yourself. I found some cheap shoe racks which I used to raise the table area a little...........


and used the baskets and table cover that I always use. I tried not to overcrowd the display (one of my problems in the past) and I had plenty of space to store my stock under the table. I added a map of Scotland with pins showing Edinburgh in relation to The Hebrides (where Harris tweed is produced) I was amazed at how unaware even the locals were about the nature and history of Harris Tweed and spent an awful lot of time explaining WHY it is so unique. I made lots of everything and sold some of everything so I was pleased with the overall result. I learned so much from my experience there, particularly about pricing and overheads etc. I did a re-evaluation of my prices before I went and realised that despite my best efforts I had under priced quite alot of my stuff. I have also found some great wholesale suppliers to get some of the additional items that I need to make some of my products thus making me a bigger profit margin on each item. I have also learned how important it is to plan and prioritise what to make and how much. I also surprised myself by how much I can physically make in a short space of time without killing myself. I also learned the importance and value of having such good friends - willing to put themselves out to help me in my time of need so many heartfelt thanks to Jean, Anna, Mary Jane and Caroline without whom it would not have been possiblexxx
A few more pics of the display/stall..............


Corsages and Scottie Keyrings were displayed on some old cork boards that I already had, covered in felt that I had been given from a job I did ages ago - in fact the only things I bought for the display were the shoerack (Bonnypack £6.95) and a lavender plant from B&Q.
So all in all a fabulous experience - I will be back to do it all again next year!

Magazine Giveaway

Better late than never!! This months Sew Hip goes to the lovely Isobel......again!!

Still Here!

Just popped in to say that I am still here -  although slacking a bit on the old blogging front! It has been a busy few weeks and I am finally getting back to some semblance of normality and hoping to get back into the swing of things. I started a new job 3 weeks ago and I also had a stall at the West End Festival for the first week (seems so long ago now) of the fringe so have lots to say about my first experience of doing a craft fair at that level - but that will have to wait until I sort out the pictures and have a little more time. Isobel and Lynne have also been at the festival (different weeks) so no doubt they too will be blogging sometime soon about their experiences.
Suffice to say it was a very steep learning curve for me but invaluable experience and great fun. Here is a picture of one wee part of my display that I set up in my kitchen in a trial run.........

and that will have to do for now.
Back soon with a proper post - still getting my head around it all!

Three Books.

I love books. I especially love books on art and craft of which I have rather more than I would be comfortable owning up to! (I know that I am not alone in this)  In the past few weeks I have acquired 3 books which I absolutely love and would strongly recommend that everyone have in their collection if at all possible.

I know from bitter experience that buying books without having thoroughly checked them out beforehand can be an expensive mistake so I have taken to browsing the books in Borders before purchasing them online.
The first book I would like to recommend is Homemade by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson. It has a wide variety of projects which are linked to the seasons and are within everyones capabilities. I love that it covers such a variety of crafts, from providing jam and scone making recipes to showing how to crochet a basic Granny Square, all of which is explained in detail and beautifully photographed - there really is something for everyone.
I love these blanket cushion covers..........

and I would love to make this tea cosy........

It is full of great ideas and inspiration, the sort of book that you could open at random and, for fun,  make whatever you open the page at.
The next book I am really excited about is Uncommon Crochet by Julie Armstrong Holetz. It is packed with great crochet projects using all sorts of alternatives to wool yarn. It is one of the few books that I have that I would like to make practically all the projects contained within it. I am currently sourcing jute twine to make this.......

 

and single ply sisal to make this......

The third book was actually given to me last week for my birthday so was not chosen by me but for me - I absolutely love it! The book is Textiles Now by Drusilla Cole - what can I say? Packed with inspirational work it is divided into 3 sections as follows........

CONSTRUCTED

 

Wool felt Cushion by Anne Kyrro Quinn.

 

Jacquard woven silk by Margo Selby.

DYED, PRINTED and PAINTED.

 

'Roses, Ornaments, Ferrets and Moths' by Brian Barratt.

MIXED MEDIA AND STITCHED TEXTILES.

'Bush Fire' by Mai-Britt Axelsen.

 

'At the Line' by Laura McCafferty (she used bits of old pillowcases and shirts for this!)

Just a very small selection of work contained in the book - it really is fab. The icing on the cake is the bookcover itself - the trunks of the trees are made of flock!

 

Perfect! I hope you have been inspired by these images - I know I have been!

SEW HIP GIVEAWAY - this month goes to Bella Bheag.

Essential Viewing!!

My friends Bevis and Benji have made a documentary which was screened on Tuesday night on BBC Scotland. It is called ' Dave Kidney - Superstar! ' and is about a 78 year old wrestler called  (you guessed it) Dave Kidney. Dave and his proteges still wrestle 'British' style, think Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy!
Thanks to the wonders of technology anyone lucky enough to live in this great United Kingdom of ours can see it on BBC iPlayer. It is available until Tuesday so go and have a look if you get the chance.
I think they have done a great job and it has got loads of attention from the media for the people featured. Dave has been interviewed for several newspapers and there have even been snippets about him on the news which is fantastic as he is nearing the end of his wrestling career.

Invercottage.

Last weekend I travelled to Invercottage (near Strachur) to take part in the first craft fair organised independently by a select band of happy crafters! Despite having spent several months driving around the whole area whilst working on my first film job I managed to get lost and was an hour late - not a good start. However it was fine as I still had an hour to set up before Invercottage opened for business.
Come inside and have a look around.......

Isn't it gorgeous! You can see people enjoying the sun and a delicious lunch up on the terrace to the left.
It was a really beautiful day and quite a few people had come along to see what we had to offer and despite it being in such a remote location sales for all of us were good - it pays to get the right location.
On offer were handmade cards and tags and some lovely Clutterbuckets courtesy of The Patchwork Dress aka Caireen.......

Cards and handmade decorations from Bella Bheag aka Isobel (just peeking out from behind her display!)

Knitted and felted bags and gifts from My Baboo aka Lynne...................

Some hand embroidered cards and hand decorated pashminas ands waistcoats from JemmaJo (no pictures - sorry)
And last but not least some of my own stuff...

The cover needs a good iron!! In fact I am a bit fed up with the way I display my stuff and think it needs a radical overhaul. I had too much stuff displayed and the overall effect was confusing and messy so I am planning to do some serious redesigning.
We had a great day chatting and eating lovely food and drinking seriously strong coffee whilst enjoying the wonderful view............
I would have shown the wonderful view but I can't seem to get it to load properly - it is a composite of 4 images and I have never been able to get anything like this to load so......... just imagine the most beautiful and peaceful Loch on a summers day!
In other news the blanket has reached this stage.

The next time I blog about it, it  will be completed ....hopefully.

Ooops looks like thew picture works in Safari! Can't be bothered to sort it out!!

'fessing up!

I have a guilty secret - I have been on a bit of a shopping spree on Etsy lately. I use the money in my Paypal account as "mad money" to spend on whatever I want and as I have been living a rather frugal life recently I decided to treat myself to a few things that I needed like this keyring for my car keys............

I am in the habit of losing my car keys unless I have something chunky attached to them and when my latest keyring broke I decided that instead of replacing it with something nasty from the local hardware shop I would invest in this Ladybird made by the dodgy sounding Leatherprince. Of course he is not dodgy at all but he and his wife are talented leather artists! They have a huge varity of keyrings and it was very hard to choose but I think will be going back for Xmas presents! I love this keyring and enjoy it every day so in my view money well spent.
Next up is this gorgeous ironing board cover from mother and daughter team CityChicCountryMouse.......

in this lovely fabric by Joel Dewberry. My old cover was completely minging! What I really wanted was a new board but until I can afford one this cover will do nicely. I bought the iron just before Christmas and it is the best iron I have ever had. It is a Rowenta Focus and has a great metal tip for those tricky bits of fine ironing and the steam is VERY steamy! If you are looking for a new iron try this - I would highly recommend it!
So I started with good intentions, i.e things that were useful that I needed anyway, but somehow I managed to persuade myself that my needles and pins are getting a little dull and what I really needed was one of these.....

It is an emery from one of my favourite Etsy sellers The Daily Pincushion. The sewing is just beautiful and I couldn't resist buying this too...

Just look at the pretty packaging ! But then you open it up and this little beauty emerges...

It is a mini pincushion (I already bought a large pincushion last year) and I love it. I might give it as a gift but then again I might not be able to part with it. I will keep it for a while just to look at and see how it goes.
Last but not least I bought a necklace from Luxedeluxe. I have long admired her work and when I saw this necklace I just had to have it. It came in a sweet little box....

so pretty.....

and I am wearing it as I type!

I love charms and I have never seen an Origami Crane before. Apparently in Japan Origami Cranes represent Peace and Longevity - I rather like that thought.