cloudhopping

craft fairs and more

2011-11-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little quiet on the blogging front, mainly as I decided to get back into the variable world of craft fairs so have been busy busy busy.

Yesterday I ventured over to the Doodle craft fair in Nuneaton, met some lovely people, sold a few things, - and won a prize in the raffle!

Here's a little peek at my stall:

Since being back home I have been wishing for some brighter light so I can photograph and add some of my latest creations to my Etsy shop - managed to get these on today:

And I had a few enquiries at the fair about cream wool flower corsages and wristwarmers - I sense this may be my next project.

In The Red

2011-09-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

When you find the perfect shade of red wool to match that deep red fabric that you couldn't resist buying - well they just had to come together to make a few new clutch bags:

The fabric is an unusual print, dotted with images of an Edwardian lady. I've used the same wool too for both bags - a lovely merino wool that has a subtle two-tone effect. One of the bags I pleated the fabric and crocheted a handle, while for the other one I crocheted a larger piece that covers the back of the bag as well as the fold-over top.

Both heading for my Etsy shop!

Wednesday Wool

2011-08-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Autumn approaches, a little chill in the air in the evenings and I'm looking towards my wood burner, wondering if it is too soon to get some flames going.
I've adding some wool beanie hats to my shop in anticipation of our need to to get warm and cozy, along with some other wool goodies:

All available in my Etsy shop.

Sewing For The Greyhounds

2011-08-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ever since adopting my greyhound Casey I have tried to support greyhound rescue charities in whatever way I could - either taking Casey along to greyhound rescue promotion events, attending fund raising dog shows, and of course donating items to the handmade4hounds shop on Etsy.

My local greyhound rescue, Greyhound Gap, will be running an auction for a week from the 3rd September. All the auction goodies have been donated, and already there are items being added to the on-line forum in preparation.

These are the 2 items I have been working on over the past few days for the auction:

Small embroidered greyhound picture, the hound profile is the logo for the Greyhound Gap charity:

Phone/gadget cover, featuring a greyhound profile:

The auction is being run to raise funds for one of Greyhound Gap's sponser dogs, Fleck. Greyhound Gap's founder, Lisa writes:

"Fleck is one of our sponsor dogs who landed in our care worse for wear, his ears had been home docked with scissors and his tail has undergone what we think seems to be a dodgy/home amputation. He was also very under weight with bite marks all around his ankles, they seem to be scars from possible rat bites and there is every chance that he has been left for a long number of years in a shed with minimal care.
Fleck also had co ordination problems and sadly recently he had a fall where he splayed himself out and hurt himself. This lead to us needing to investigate and it seems he may have a problem with compressed discs or disc damage at the lower end of his spine."

Read more on Fleck here.

Fleck will be undergoing his investigations on the 6th September. Lets hope the auction raises his much needed funds.

The Muse

2011-08-21T03:49:00.000-07:00

So often we hear about designers, directors, artists having a muse - sometimes a model or an actress.
I would like to introduce my very own personal muse.
He lives with me, used to have a career in the racing industry but luckily no longer has to do this, he now spends a lot of his time lying on his back with his legs in the air (quite zen like, he can lie like this for hours without moving).
Please meet Casey.....

His unique greyhound profile is currently gracing some of my latest creations

He has taken to the life of a muse with ease, as long as there is a regular supply of treats and walks through the woods, not to mention the odd belly rub.
I'm sure other muses must demand similar.

Holidays and Hounds

2011-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Braving the Great British Weather, buckets and spades packed, we headed off to Pembrokeshire, Wales for a week - this time taking our hounds along. Alfie, our lurcher, is a nervous boy and we did wonder how he would cope on his 1st holiday with us.

We needn't have worried.

Beaches were a breeze.

Castles - no fear

Woodland Walks - a chance to lie down

Pembrokeshire is lovely, outstanding beaches and we were lucky to be staying somewhere that had a wonderful view across the hills and estuary. We will be returning, with the hounds again of course.

Meanwhile back at home the vegetable patch had been quite prolific:

It's A Tartan Day

2011-07-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful Aunt who very kindly sent me a batch of Harris Tweed tartan from her home in Scotland, alongside some other lovely woollen fabrics, a fantastic gift to receive for a fabric addict like myself.

Today I decided to try how they would look if I crafted them into a brooch, and chose one of the warm brown tartans, which was the perfect background for a lovely little orange vintage button, one of my favourites.

I've padded the brooch too to give it some depth, and edged it with a contrasting orange. It will be in my Etsy shop as from today, hot off the sewing machine.

Lots more tartan, lots more ideas........

Buttons and Hounds

2011-07-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love buttons.
This is a fact.
I have boxes of buttons, bags of buttons, some new, some old, some faded, some gifted, some treasured.
So while thinking of a new picture for daughter's bedroom, it wasn't long before the buttons came to mind, and a joint project began.
One box of buttons, one tube of glue, one ikea white picture frame and the finished result -

Both myself and daughter have sorted buttons together for a few years now, and making this picture together, and hanging it in her newly decorated room, felt good. It now takes pride of place, hanging above the little black fireplace (and the restoration of that is another story...)

Making a picture for a child's room also led me to think about other ways to create wall decor that steps away from the twee and the predictable, and maybe how my hounds (or at least their images!) can find their way into bedrooms in a soothing sleep encouraging way. Over the past week I have been working on my latest wall art, the Greyhound at Night, now added to my etsy shop.

Which I think would be perfect for any age bedroom, surely the comfort of a hound guarding over you at night would help send you into happy dreamland. Made from a wonderful starry fabric, with the instructions to "shh..." embroidered next to a sleeping moon.

The Ears Of A Cat

2011-07-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

"Dear Parent
Please send your child to school dressed as the super-hero of their choice....."

Oh yes one of those frantic moments of putting together a costume with very short notice.

Cat-woman was the heroine of choice, costume sorted (black clothes, no problem), cat ears to be made:

Cat Ears Steps:
I took a plain headband, measured out some black material,a rectangular piece, and wrapped it along the headband.
I hand-stitched it together along the inside.
Now for the ears - I cut out a square piece of black fabric, ironed on some interfacing to strengthen it, then cut out 4 ear shapes.
I stitched 2 ear shapes together, interfacing on the inside for both pieces - I used an edging stitch on the sewing machine.
The bottom edge of the ears was trimmed to match the shape of the headband, and I then hand-stitched the ears onto the headband.

And cat ears were made.

Summer Crops

2011-07-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

A day of showers and sun, inbetween the latest downpour I was able to crop the last of the of fruit - and more of the prolific mange tout.

Plans had been to make more sowings - beans, lettuce, courgettes - after reading about the advantages of second sowings - more veg into the autumn (weather permitting).
However rain clouds and my aversion to gardening in the rain - oh I so need a greenhouse - have led me to a sofa and crochet day.

So hook at ready, wool stash at my feet, a bag, a bangle or a brooch? Decisions decisions.....

Tumbleweed.......and hounds

2011-07-16T03:48:00.000-07:00

I apologise for my blog neglect over the past year or so. Sometimes life brings on changes, disruptions, and for a while my focus had to be directed elsewhere.

The new additions to my home - greyhound and lurcher boys - have not only added fun and frivolity (and a plethora of soft squeaky toys) but have started to creep into my craft - little greyhound profiles in brooches, wall art, and a few other ideas which will soon be heading their way into my etsy and folksy shops.

The support we received from our local Greyhound rescues, Greyhound Gap and GRWE when we adopted our hounds was fantastic, and to add my support to their ongoing endeavours I will now be donating 10% of my profits to Greyhound rescue.

Normal blogging services now resumed!

Summer Speed

2009-08-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's been a few months since the last blog post - I seem to have got caught up in a house move, a leaking roof, trying to gain some inroads into overgrown garden borders, holidaying in the rain, and wishing all my tomatoes would ripen before autumn heads this way.

Seemed to manage to coordinate the absurdities of the UK summer weather when we took our family holiday by dodging showers in the Castle, ensconcing ourselves in the Butterfly Sanctuary when buckets of rain were non-stop and lazing on the beach (after battling with the worse-for-wear beach shelter - who says the tent poles needed that elastic cord) when the sun deemed to pay us a visit.

Oh and the ice-cream helped.

Boxing Clever

2009-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

No crafting for me lately - house move in 2 days time and everything is currently residing in a cardboard box of one size or another.

Luckily one member of the household seem to enjoy the addition of a stack of boxes - tower block apartment with a view anyone?

If You Go Down To The Woods Today.....

2009-05-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

Remember to tip-toe quietly - for this is where the fairies live of course....in their little tree houses with their little wooden doors...

....and their little staircases....

...but I don't think anyone's home today...

You never know what delights you will find in the forest. Over the Bank Holiday weekend we had an afternoon picnic - yummy food, sitting on green grass, meeting up with family, children having fun, - followed by the discovery of the secret fairy houses. Perfect!

(we picnicked at Cannock Chase - follow the sculpture trail through Birches Valley and you will find the fairy houses!)

Buttons And Gadgets

2009-04-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite things when crafting and creating is spending an excessive amount of time sifting through one of my many vintage button boxes to find the exact button that will marry perfectly with whatever fabric I happen to be using at the time. And when I was making a few gadget/mobile phone/iPod cases I found myself whiling many a minute away selecting the perfectly perfect button.

Here are the combinations I came up with:

Love this big brown button!

A starry affair livened up with a splash of pink wool

Butterscotch button and tweed.

Must start to put these in my folksy and etsy shops too - that's after I've spent another inordinate amount of time thinking up names for them!

Grey Flowers Looking Bright

2009-04-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

Another of my fabric finds has been transformed into one of my clutch bags, which I've been meaning to put online for a few weeks now and finally got round to it today. On 1st description - "grey flowers, yellowish background" you could be excused for not thinking this fabric was too cheerful, but when you see how the sweet carnation-like grey flowers sit amongst little white flowers, you realise this is one sweet unique design. I like the background colour too, whether that's because I'm drawn to things that evoke memories of other eras (70's maybe?) I'm not sure, but I think it works well.

I've popped this bag into my folksy shop and called it the Grey Carnation Clutch Bag.

Now to photograph 8 ipod covers and 10 brooches......

Simple Pleasures

2009-04-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

The sun has shone, we're browsing camping magazines and starting to feel a little light-hearted, and a copious amount of chocolate Easter eggs have been eaten. And on a day of intense cocoa bean consumption the question of "what would you like for tea" was answered with the most simple meal of all. Beans. And Cheese. In A Bowl.

Divine.

An Itch To Stitch

2009-04-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Its a strange time at the moment - caught between selling and buying a house, things in boxes, things not in boxes, life in limbo. I felt I needed to distract myself from scouring the web for sites such as "how to move house in 10 easy steps" or for waiting to accost the postman each morning for any letter that might speed up the process.

So I had to find a way to "step away, nothing to see here" and embroidery was that way. Last year I was given some of Jenny Hart's Sublime Stitching books and kits and it didn't take me long to get back into the swing of a little gentle sewing. Embroidery is therapeutic, I curl up on my red chair, feet tucked beneath me, sink back into the cushions, thread a needle and sew sew sew. There is something about the order of sewing, the rhythm, that slows your breathing and thoughts down into a calmness that is so needed right now.

This is the work in progress:

If you're new to embroidery, the Jenny Hart books are excellent - they include a load of transfer patterns that you just iron onto your fabric (I love using linen and linen-type materials). The instructions for the stitches are also very well written - even the French knot can be mastered with ease!

You can find her books on Amazon, but the Sublime Stitching website has a wealth of other patterns and kits too.

Stalls, Snips and Trips

2009-04-12T03:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy old week - started off with the handm@de craft fair in Cambridge, which was great fun - so nice to meet up with some of the lovely crafty folk I'd met last year at Oxford - amongst them paperleaf, quercus silver, pennydog, twinklyspangle - and also to discover some other great handmade delights - such as the lovely Fabric Nation, Made by Kate, and Hannahchan.

This is my stall - apologies for the poor quality photo, but there are lots more images of the fair on the handm@de flickr page.

Meanwhile over in the "its the half -term holiday and I am a child what can I do now" world, what happens when you get a boy of 7, a pair of scissors, a bathroom mirror and an active imagination? This is the fringe result of that combination. Not sure about the boy's new look myself.

There was nothing else to do but head out of the door in an attempt to channel that energy elsewhere.

Handm@de Cambridge Panic

2009-04-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

Eek only 2 days til the Handm@de Cambridge Craft Fair and yes, panic has set in. The fair comes hot on the heels of other hectic life stuff - selling house, new job, usual mundane life events that may have contributed to a recent bout of insomnia and strange 3 am thoughts about wardrobes and crochet.

Needless to say the last few days have been a whirlwind of crochet hooks and wool and sewing and making labels and hunting for a tablecloth (still unseen - must delve deeper into the back of the airing cupboard).

The Handm@de Cambridge craft fair will be held on April 4th 2009 at the Guildhall from 11am to 5pm - more info can be found on the blog here.

So if you've go nothing planned on Saturday do come along, loads of hand crated goodness, and also the chance of picking up a free goodie bag if you're one of the first 200 people to come to the fair on Saturday - see you then!

Creating Corsages

2009-03-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

I love crocheting flower brooches and corsages, and up until recently I'd been making them mainly in one colour, sometimes felting them, sometimes adding a contrasting colour button. Recently I've been inspired by the ever growing collection of coloured balls of wool that lie at my feet each evening to create some multi-coloured ones.

This one is quite chic I think - classic white and slate grey - both fine wools which create a delicate looking flower.

When the light is a bit brighter here I shall take some photos of the more vivid colour combinations I'm coming up with (imagine purples and vivid greens and bight reds and that'll give you some idea!)

Red Nose Day and Crafteroo

2009-03-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

Crafter..oo is a wonderful UK based craft forum, and this year members have been donating lovely hand crafted items to the Crafter..oo shop over at Folksy, in order to raise funds for Comic Relief.

There are some great items, and so far over £450 has been raised - I snapped up some great buttons from hollingdale designs, and there are plenty more delights on sale:

Lovely lavender rice bag by meridian

Bright sunshine stripe pendant by Blue Fairy

And these delicate pink flower earrings by miabelle

I donated one of my flower corsages which was bought this morning (thank you!)

So please call into the crafteroo/folksy shop, buy something lovely and handmade and raise money for Comic Relief!

iPod Attire and Random Notes

2009-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Only a few weeks til the Handm@de Cambridge craft fair (April 4th - come along!) hence the sudden panic of "eek have I got enough stock!"

Had a successful sewing day this week and made 5 more iPod Touch covers:

They were all intended for the craft fair but I couldn't resist adding one to my folksy and etsy shops.

Meanwhile back in home hazard land:
Anyone with a small person or 4 legged being will know the frequency that cups and mugs somehow manage to splurt their contents all over floors, tables and chairs - generally accompanied by a cry of "It wasn't me!".

In our house a shout goes out of "spillage of the day!" each time this occurs. Usually on a daily basis. This week the floor was drenched in a cupful of water (these cups do like throw themselves around) and my youngest decided to write a sign to ensure no-one would walk on the offending spot.

" "Don't Walk Here" is what I am going to write" stated the child and proceeded to write the sign and celotape it to a nearby chair. Here is said sign:

I think that sums things up nicely.

Mad Men - This I Love

2009-03-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

How did I miss this fantastic series when it 1st aired? How could such a wonderful array of clothes and hair and cigarettes and high heels pass me by? Yes I have just discovered the brilliance of Mad Men (thank you M for lending me the DVD!)

loving the buttons on this:

And this is one delectable sofa - not to mention the wall art:

I am now getting an urge to source vintage shops for just the right sort of dress - patterned fabric, clinched waist, buttons - though retraining myself to walk in stilettos may be something of an issue...

More Buttons?

2009-02-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

Oh yes I'm afraid so - another batch of vintage buttons has arrived in the cloudhopping household.

Where they will live remains an uncertainty due to my already bulging button boxes (all 6 of them) who cry out "no room at the inn!" each time I arrive home rattling little bags and boxes full of button delights.

So button sorting awaits, a strangely therapeutic task, and I promise not to buy any more buttons for at least...erm...a week?