We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Just thought I'd do a quick post to wish you all the best Christmas ever.  Time to take a break with family and friends.  Let's hope Santa has some crafty stuff to put in my stocking and yours too.  Enjoy ....

Lino Print Robin Christmas Cards

Well - it's that time of year when Christmas cards are needed so I've dusted down the lino cutting tools, grabbed a piece of lino and set to work.  My end result was this cute little robin (let's call him Bert).  



Bert will be appearing on a range of Christmas cards and has his first flight out this Saturday 15 December 2012 at the Made in York Christmas Craft Fair at Bar Lane Studios, York, YO1 6JU from 10am to 5pm.

Flower Button Bracelets

Have just been parcelling up some colourful flower button bracelets that are now winging their way to the Ropewalk in Barton upon Humber http://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/

They should be available in their shop at the weekend.  Hope you find one you like...

Large Metal Button Brooches

Large Metal Button Brooches

 
Have just finished some large metal button brooches.  They have a chunky 6.5cm diameter and so look great on coats or this winter's big knits.  They are all an antique silver colour although one has tinges of copper coming through.  Let's take a closer look  ...





This one has a criss cross background, includes a grey button and a cute silver coloured heart button.







 


This one has tinges of copper, a large black button and a brownish mother of pearl button.

This one is all pared down silver & black.

Wooden Bird Button Brooches

I have just finished some new bird button brooches - more muted tones than usual but still very nice.  Here they are nesting on some tags.  Take a look and see what you think ....

They will be available tomorrow when Nicola's Cards and Hippystitch are having a pre-christmas fundraiser for Candlelighters(a children's cancer charity based in Yorkshire - www.candlelighters.org.uk)   For details of where to find us see the Hippystitch events page. 

Hope to see you there!

Wire & Woolly Robin Brooches

Wire Robin Brooch

Woolly Robin Brooches

You perhaps couldn't see my lastest creations very clearly in my last post so I decided to add a few more pictures for your delectation.  










I have just made some little robin brooches - both wire and woolly and they will be flying into MADE IN YORK this Sunday. 

Be there or be square (does anyone say that anymore? ...maybe just me!)  Anyway, it'll be a great afternoon out so do come along!

Champagne Restaurant - More Champagne Cork Chairs & Some Robins

Champagne Restaurant featuring Champagne Cork Chairs and Innocent Smoothie Bottle Top Table

Wire & Woolly Robins Waiting for a Friend!

It's amazing what fun you can have with a few left over bits and pieces.  I've enjoyed making the champagne (or in my case Prosecco) cork chairs so much that I've made some more.  Then using an Innocent Smoothie bottle top and an ordinary cork I've made a table.  Add a lacy mat and a menu (more cork for the stand) and what do you have -  a champagne restaurant.  So cute!  Then who might fly in but a few robins ....

Champagne Cork Chairs

Champagne Cork Chairs

Check out this great idea in the latest issue (3) of The Simple Things - a relatively new mag from the Mollie Makes crew.  I had great fun making these Champagne Cork chairs (and not just drinking the fizz!)

Chairs masquerading as place card holders

They are just sooo cute!  And guess what - you can use them as place card holders too!  They might even be good chairs for Sylvanians but I haven't tried that one!

http://www.thesimplethings.com/

Mermaids on Parade (Textile Brooches)

Storm Seanymph

Have just finished a series of new mermaid brooches.  Which one would you be - curly, wild or coiffed?

Catch one for yourself at Made in York on Sunday 18 November 2012 (see Events page) before they swim off.

Nadia Nereid

Sapphira Silvertail

Marea Mermaid

Vintage Button Brooches

Black with geometric detail + grey + cream mother of pearl

Have just finished some lovely vintage button brooches.  Mostly black and mother of pearl (cream, grey or pink) but there's an interesting deep red and a square brown amongst them.  Take a look ...

Black with pink mother of pearl

Brown square + cream mother of pearl

Black with triangular detail + cream mother of pearl

Deep red with grey mother of pearl

Textured black with cream mother of pearl

Their first outing will be at the CUT charity event for SNAPPY on Wednesday 7 November from 6pm :

CUT Hair Salon

64 Gillygate

York

YO31 7EQ

Liberty's Christmas Sparkle

Liberty glitter & sparkle

Well - it is November so I guess Christmas sparkle has descended upon us.  I really loved Liberty's giant golden paper chains and glittery lights.  Took a tour before buying some fabric for Hippystitch necklaces - should be ready for the Christmas fairs (see Events page).

I wonder who got to make the paper chains at Liberty

http://www.liberty.co.uk 

Workshop Wonders - Wild, Woolly & Wire Birds & Their Nests

We had great fun on Saturday making wild, wire and woolly birds and their homes - everyone's turned out well - which was great!  Here's some snaps to prove it ...   

Not only did everyone make lovely creatures we had lots of laughs along the way.  So ... thank you ladies for a super Saturday.            

Thanks too, to our hosts at the Ropewalk for their great venue and to the Ropery Coffee Shop for such fab food! 

 

http://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/ 

Getting Ready for the Knitted Birds & Nests Workshop - Saturday 20 October 2012

Helen's woolly bird in his nest

Today I am sorting everything out for my Knitted Birds & Nests Workshop at the Ropewalk in Barton upon Humber on Saturday 20 October.  It's going to be great fun - we'll  be knitting wire and woolly birds and their homes.  Here's a woolly one that Helen (who kindly agreed to be my making tester on this one!) made recently - isn't he cute and doesn't he look cosy! 

Oswald At Home by Hippystitch

And here's Oswald, one of my knitted wire birds, in his nest.

There's still time to book a place if you can make it ...

http://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/workshops/

Vintage Wooden Cotton Reels

Vintage wooden reel

Isn't there just something fundamentally wonderful about wooden cotton reels!  I'm a bit of a collector.  Don't get me wrong - I use the thread too, I don't just stare at it.  But I do have a basket of wooden reels on my work bench at all times - very inspirational!

Wooden reels of thread

Anyone short of present ideas for me now knows what to look out for - no excuses!

A Big Thank You from Hippystitch & Nicola's Cards

Just to say thank you to everyone who came and supported Hippystitch and Nicola's Cards today.  We had a fab time, caught up with lots of friends, ate cake and raised £70 for the NSPCC. Great stuff, folks!

Tomorrow Hippystitch & Nicola's Cards are supporting the NSPCC

Chocolate & carrot cakes

Just finished setting up for our event tomorrow - not to mention baking cakes.  So.. don't forget to join us from 9am to 4pm where we'll be selling lots of lovely things and providing tea and cake and supporting the NSPCC.  

Sneak preview of Hippystitch stock

What could be better - cards, carefully crafted items and cake? Get over here tomorrow!

New Button Cards

Lots of button cards

 
Have just finished making a new card range.  ... yes - more buttons!  Come along and see for yourself on Friday 5 October (see Events page)

Button Card

Woolly Birds

Helen's Woolly Bird

Just testing out some of my instructions in preparation for my "Knitted Birds" workshop at the Ropewalk in Barton upon Humber on Saturday 20 October.  

Fortunately Helen & Kim agreed to be my guinea pigs for this.  They made some really cute little chaps.  Here they are ... 

Kim's Woolly Bird

 Thanks folks!


http://www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/workshops/ 

Beauty is the First Test - Contemporary Craft & Mathematics

Lucy McMullen - Maelstrom, 2005

Battersea Park is a great place to visit and so too, is the Pump House Gallery.  Their new exhibition "Beauty is the First Test" explores the link between contemporary craft, particularly textiles and maths and how knowledge of one may increase the appreciation of the other.  Here's a sample of some of the exhibits ..

Ann Sutton - Four Ways from a Square, 2009

Lesley Halliwell - Beauty is the First Test, 2012

M. Brennand-Wood - Not Born to Follow (detail), 2004

Suresh Dutt - Oscillator R, 2008-12

Definitely worth a look.  And there are associated events including making stuff.  Check out the website ...
http://pumphousegallery.org.uk/exhibitions/beauty-is-the-first-test

Gold Postbox, Renegade Craft Fair & Zincwhite

Gold postbox

At last  - I have seen my first gold postbox - just near Westminster Abbey.  Apparently this one was painted to launch the Olympic gold postbox campaign - it's not for a particular athlete.   The search continues ...  

Renegade Craft Fair

Our visit to London included the fab Renegade Craft Fair at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane.  Lots of fab stuff.  http://www.renegadecraft.com

Zincwhite Paintbrush Necklace

 

Of course on the way to Brick Lane we stopped off at Spitalfields where we saw the fab "Zincwhite" duo - Lidia & Paul - and just had to indulge in some paintbruch and pencil jewellery.
http://www.zincwhite.co.uk

Zincwhite Pencil Ring

They use Derwent pencils which are made in the Lake District.  So ... on a related theme check out the Pencil Museum in Keswick next time you're there!  http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/