Sunday 30 September 2012

The Messy Pea: Stampin' Up! Workshops



Fancy coming along to friendly cardmaking and papercraft classes? You will make new friends and share ideas/tips with like-minded people.

Natalie Pilgrim is an independent Stampin’ Up demonstator who has been crafting for over 20 years. Her cardmaking and papercraft classes are held every other Monday in the Conservatory at The Jolly Brewers Public House, Lynn Road, Shouldham Thorpe, King’s Lynn, PE33 0EB between 7 – 9pm.

The cost of each class (from beginners to experts) will be £10.00 and this includes room hire and all materials to complete the class projects. Booking is essential to ensure sufficient supplies are ordered and kits are available for everyone.

For further information on Stampin’ Up! or to book your space please contact Natalie
on 07595 375667 or themessypea@hotmail.co.uk (email) or visit Natalie's blog: http://www.themessypea.blogspot.com/

She can also do Children’s Parties, Home Classes, Home Workshops and Hen Parties.

Monday 10 September 2012

Origami Angels and Craft Fairs

I have added my Origami Christmas Angels to my Folksy Shop. They're listed as 4 for £8 - a bargain as I normally sell them for £2.50 each! See them here.



I can now confirm that I will be having stalls at:

24th Nov - Downham Market Christmas Craft Fair, Town Hall 10am-4pm
25th Nov - Downham Market Christmas Lights Turn On, Town Hall 12am-5pm


But in the mean time... come and see me this weekend!


I am offering 20% off all purchases over £10, so come and see me for a cheeky bargain! My Christmas Angels will be there!

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Homemade Dried Petal Confetti Instructions

My Mum has decided that she is going to make the confetti for my Sister's wedding next year. We decided to use Rose petals and some Hydrangea petals.  The rose's that Mum is growing are: Mum in a Million, Isabella and Grandma. This is so my Grandma (Isabel) can kind of be there as she passed away a few years ago.

Close up of the rose and hydrangea petals

The idea my sister has is that there will be a confetti cone for every couple - that's about 60 couples in total!

Mum has been drying the petals out overnight next to our Rayburn cooker. Here is what we've done so far...

Our petal confetti box!
 The smell is amazing!  Like honey.  We have decided to press the hydrangeas instead as the crinkle up a little too much when dried by the Rayburn. Here's a step by step guide to how we did it...

1. Lay out the petals on a piece of paper. Paper is better than kitchen roll as the kitchen roll will leave the bumpy pattern on the petals!...

Laying out the Hydrangea petals

2. Lay another piece of paper on top...

Layer up the paper

3. If you have more petals layer on top again. And finish with a final piece of paper on top...

Adding multiple layers - this will increase drying time!

4. Pile on the heaviest books you can find!!...


5. Aaaand wait! If you are drying a small amount it should only take 2-3 days. As I have a lot drying I am going to leave them a couple of weeks. I want to make sure all the moisture is out of them as they are to be stored for a year.

When they are ready I will share a photo of the results!

Friday 22 June 2012

JewelOri is on Folksy!

Sorry I've been quiet for a while, but....

Horray! I'm now selling on Folksy!

After the long Etsy vs Folksy debate I decided on the latter.  Both have pros and cons, but to start with, Folksy it is.

Here is a link to my shop.  I've only listed a few items but I would love some feedback please!

That's all for now xx

Friday 15 June 2012

Craft Group King's Lynn does... World Wide Knit in Public Day!

World Wide Knit in Public Day
WWKIPD Facebook page
Craft Group King's Lynn

The first two photos are my attempts at a mini hat! They are meant to be small enough to fit on top of the 'Innocent' Smoothie bottles, as part of the Age UK Big Knit Campaign. However as you can see they ended up larger. But not large enough to fit my teddy bear so...the ducks got it!



 These are little baby booties made by Vivian on our knitting night. So Cute!


Some photo's of our crafty group knitting away. Everyone is welcome and best of all it's free! Just bring along materials each session. For more information on what Craft Group King's Lynn have planned click on the tab at the top of this page.





Wednesday 6 June 2012

Product Launch: Make Your Own Origami Fish Mobile Kit

The Kit
The kit makes a mobile similar to this one

Make Your Own Origami Fish Mobile Kit can be bought here.

CONTENTS
Included:
4x 15cm2 Pretty patterned paper (colours and patterns may vary)
80cm length of elastic with a pre-made loop for hanging
4x Beautiful Buttons or Beads (assorted)
Instructions to fold the origami fish
Assembly instructions
An example fish!

You will also need:
PVA Glue
Paperclips
Scissors
An adult to help with the fiddly bits!

This is NOT a toy.
This product is not suitable for children under 6 years old due to small parts.
Children must be accompanied by adults when making this item.

Friday 1 June 2012

10% Off Voucher for 2012 Events!



Don't forget to print off your 10% off voucher to bring along to one of my stalls at any 2012 event.

Event's I've booked to be at so far:

14th April 2012 Norwich Maker's Market, Earlham Rd.

20th May 2012 Swantosaurus, Swanton Morley, part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival

10th June 2012
Reffley Community Hall Craft and Gift Fair, King's Lynn


28th July 2012 Norwich Maker's Market, St Thomas' Hall, Earlham Road

10th November 2012 Norwich Makers Market, St Thomas' Hall, Earlham Road


By the way... if you do forget to print off the voucher, just mention my blog and you'll get 10% off anyway!

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Inspiring Interview... Wattlefield Pottery

This month’s interview is with Wattlefield Pottery.  I discovered Andrea and Wattlefield Pottery through Twitter.  Her work is beautiful and I was delighted when she agreed to take part in one of my Inspiring Interviews.

1.    Hello! Please introduce yourself … ‘What’s your name and where do you come from’!?

My name is Andrea Young and my home is in Wattlefield near Wymondham in Norfolk.  Wattlefield is a rural hamlet surrounded by fields, with a few cottages and farm houses dotted here and there.  It’s one of those places that you can’t seem to find - there are sign posts pointing to it, but you can easily drive by without realising that you’ve been through it and out the other side.

I have spent my life living in Norfolk, and moved to Wattlefield 8 years ago with my husband Peter.

2.    Tell us more about Wattlefield Pottery. When did you first start being interested in the craft of pottery and what items do you make?



I first became interested in pottery 9 years ago when a ‘have a go’ opportunity presented itself.  I paid a small fee and took a lump of clay to throw on the wheel.  I was immediately hooked by the sensory experience of the clay running through my hands while trying to mold it into a bowl.  It was quite an exhilarating experience, and my immediate response was, ‘I’m going to have to book a course to do this’.  And so I did!

That was the start of it; I enrolled on a weekly pottery workshop at Wensum Lodge in Norwich and spent 4 years at Adult Education classes learning the practical skills of pottery making.  During this time I completed a level 3 City and Guilds in Design and Craft Ceramics.  When that was completed, I wanted to learn more still; in 2006 I went to North Wales [Snowdonia] for a full time further education course in Design Technologies.  On return from my studies I wanted to have a home pottery studio where I could indulge in my creativity, and so the old wash house was converted into what may well be one of the smallest pottery studios there is. 

I most enjoy making pottery that is useful and has a purpose; therefore I tend to make domestic items such as bowls and coffee mugs.  I prefer my pottery to be enjoyed as part of daily life, adding pleasure to a coffee break, goblet of wine, or the preparation and serving of a meal.         
        
3.    What inspires you and your designs?

I like to follow my heart and so my work is intuitive, reflecting my personal tastes.  I love the ancient craft of pottery, gaining immense pleasure from the making processes which will absorb me both manually and mentally.  For me, pottery is about something that’s made entirely by hand from beginning to end. A pot, uniquely formed, that has a domestic function is able to be enjoyed and treasured as part of daily life; and it’s nice to feel that my work might provide sentimental value to someone.

I particularly like making bowls.  It is almost mesmerizing when trying to achieve a wonderfully smooth curve on the inside of a bowl; and I love the decorative spiral detail left by my hands on the outside which only needs a natural glaze in order to enhance it.   
  


4.    Tell us what your favourite creation to date is…

It’s always difficult to choose a favourite, but I find making larger items an enjoyable challenge.  When I first started to make pottery and began to get something that resembled a decent pot; it wasn’t enough!  I wasn’t going to consider myself a potter until I could throw something enormous.  Unfortunately, due to the miniature size of my studio, I haven’t the space to make large pots on a regular basis.  I made these decorative rhubarb forcers for my garden and these are the biggest that I’ve made so far.



5.    Do you have any tips for selling handmade crafts successfully in rural areas such as Norfolk?

I’ve only been selling my work within the last year and it’s certainly not easy starting out in the current economic climate.

I’ve found networking to be hugely beneficial, along with using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  I particularly like Craftspeople in Norfolk - a Facebook group.  Being a member enables me to contact and meet other crafters who like to share their information, tips and knowledge.  To add to that, it’s a great idea if you can join forces with another business complementary to your own.  I’ve recently met Sally from The Happy Bee Company and we are are soon to try combining our products by putting jars of honey together with a hand thrown honey pot to make gift sets. 

It’s important to keep putting yourself and your work out there to get noticed.  I regularly attend craft events in the local area and recently received a commission for a large quantity of mugs for the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. 

Business help and advice is available from organisations such as WEETU and Business Link.  Woman’s Work has a free monthly downloadable Notebook for women. http://www.womanswork.co.uk/                                                                                     

6.    Do you have any other hobbies or dabble in any other crafts?

At present I concentrate solely on pottery making although I have dabbled in other crafts.  Before I became interested in pottery I enjoyed woodwork classes and even went so far as getting a City and Guilds at level 2.  Joinery was particularly enjoyable, especially the dovetailing, and I loved lathe working.  What I didn’t enjoy was the hours of sanding afterwards.

One of my favorite pieces is this dovetailed coffee box made from brown oak.


There’s a certain coffee shop in Norwich where you can buy many flavours of coffee beans and this inspired me to make the box in the first place.  It has a top tray for the grinder plus nine bean compartments.  To open it up and smell the beans is simply divine, and then there’s the choice!  I loved making the box which has become part of our daily home life.  Along with drinking from my handmade mugs, it makes coffee time extra special.      


7.    How can we find out more?

I have a Website www.wattlefieldpottery.co.uk where you can find out more about the events I will be attending and where my work can be purchased. 

I sell mainly in Norfolk and Suffolk through craft fairs and country shows.  My next event is at the Strumpshaw Steam Rally, 2nd – 4th June 2012.

I can be followed on Twitter; my user name is @Andrea__Young

You can connect with me on Facebook by following the link below. http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002966240113

8.    And finally… do you have a favourite quote / saying?

‘’Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art’’
~ Leonardo Da Vinci ~

Thank you!


Sunday 29 April 2012

Norfolk Craft Fairs and 10% Discount!

Here's a list of the craft fairs I'm booked to attend this year so far:

20th May - Swantonosaurus - A Dino Day of Family Fun! 
10am-4pm
Part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival at Swanton Morley
Facebook event and more info



10th June - Reffley Community Hall Craft and Gift Fair, King's Lynn.
11am-3pm
Facebook event and more info


28th July - Norwich Makers Market, St. Thomas' Hall Earlham Road.
11am-4pm
Facebook event and more info



10th November - Norwich Makers Market, St. Thomas' Hall Earlham Road. 11am-4pm
Norwich Makers Market Facebook Page

I hope to see you at some of these events.  If you do come to an event print off the voucher below or mention that you've seen my blog and get 10% off any item or order!


Tuesday 17 April 2012

Norwich Makers Market - Success!

Hello All,

First of all a quick reminder that the King's Lynn Craft Group meets this Thursday 19th April at 7pm at The Winch.  We will be making cards, paper bird houses and learning how to use a couple of different diecut machines. It's free and everyone is welcome.


The weekend just passed I attended the Norwich Makers Market,  this was one of the best organised events I have attended to date! Rosie (the organiser) could not have done more!  Unfortunately this does mean I do not have any more fish mobiles and I am down on a few other things too - the origami flower earrings were especially popular.  I will just have to get making ready for my next fair on May 20th at Swanton Morley, which is Dinosaur themed!! (My other half is very excited about this as he has an obsession with dinosaurs!)


At this Dinosaur event there will be Erth's Dinosaur Petting Zoo.  Their Facebook group can be found here. It looks AMAZING!




I will be showcasing some of my dinosaur products, like my origami dinosaur mobile, and showing people how to make an origami dinosaur!



In other creations I have made a Sunburst Necklace out of music paper (from when I used to play the Viola!).  This necklace is one of my favourite designs and is created from 64 pieces of paper!! It can be bought on my ToSouk shop for £20.


And finally I would like to share with you my first attempt at a needle felted animal - a snail! I also tried to make a tortoise, but this was not as successful!! 



Needle felting is very addictive I have found, I need to be careful as I have quite a bit of uni work to do and currently it's being neglected!

Bye for now! I'm on the hunt for crafters to interview, so if you are interested then please leave a comment below.

Monday 2 April 2012

Inspiring Interview... Little Massingham Forge Crafts

This month’s interview is with Little Massingham Forge Crafts. I hope that you find this crafter as inspiring and interesting as I do.  I have known Claire of Little Massingham Forge for a couple of months through our local social crafting group (Craft Group King’s Lynn) and her work is beautiful.  One of my many favourite pieces of her work is this stained glass windmill:


·  Hello! Please introduce yourself … ‘What’s your name and where do you come from’!?
My name is Claire Moogan and my partner in business (and in life) is David Lowe. We are both from Doncaster in South Yorkshire and moved to Norfolk in October 2011 with our one year old son to take over a small forge.


·  Tell us more about Massingham Forge Crafts. When and how did it came about and what do you create?
After being laid off at the start of the recession and spending many months trying in vane to find new employment, we realised that we had become fairly stagnated. We had slipped into a life of expected rejection from potential employers. We decided that finding a job wasn’t going to happen fast so why not retrain? But retrain as what? All industries seemed to be suffering, so we asked ourselves “what have we always wanted to do?”  That was easy to answer….become self employed! David had always dreamt of becoming a blacksmith and I of working with stained glass! So that is what we did.

We create a number of different items in a range of mediums. As well as glass and steel, I enjoy working with wool and fabric. We make useful items such as decorative steel hooks and glass windows; but also make purely decorative and sculptural items from both materials - often working together with mixed media. We are both Pagans and will respectfully make any custom made orders, from metal wands and black mirrors to dowsing rods and bent hand made horseshoe nails.

·  What inspires you and your designs?
Nature inspires our designs the most but we also take inspiration from the past. We enjoy replicating historical designs or taking interesting aspects and expanding on them. We try to keep with modern trends and fashions but put our own unique twist to items often making them a little quirky.

·  Tell us what your favourite creation to date is…
My favourite creation at the moment is the Gothic pipe stand inspired by Victorian graves. (a little morbid I know but I like all the same!).


          
David’s favourite creation to date is a nature inspired rose candle holder.




·  Please can you share a tip or piece of advice for fellow crafters?
Do what you enjoy not just what you think people want you to make. If you truly enjoy making something then that will shine through in the quality of your work! Also network like crazy, you never know what interesting people you may find, or what useful information they may be able to give you.

·  Do you have any other hobbies or dabble in any other crafts?
My main hobby away from the forge is crochet. I find it relaxing while sat in front of the TV on an evening.




I have been known to dabble in felt also.



·  How can we find out more?

Twitter: @MassinghamForge

Facebook: Little Massingham Forge





·  And finally… do you have a favourite quote / saying?

“If what you’re doing is not your passion, you have nothing to lose.”

Thank you!

Monday 26 March 2012

Make It 2012, Craft Group King's Lynn, Tosouk and more...

Wow! What a busy busy time I've been having, which has resulted in the unforgivable neglect of my blog!

Last time I blogged I was panicking about making a Valentine's day card for my other half, since then life has flown by.  I'm now 7 weeks into my uni course and that is pretty full on! But I'm still finding time for crafting.

I went to Make It 2012 show at Farnborough where I attended a needle felting workshop and a blogging workshop by Craft Blog UK, both were fantastic! I now have an addiction to Twitter and needle felting!  Here are some of my purchases from Make It 2012:


As you can see I bought plenty of needle felting items alongside some washi tape, some decoupatch paper and some storage boxes.  The blog workshop was fantastic and Craft Blog UK do brilliant Tweet Chats: #cbuk

Through my Facebook obsession, I met some like minded crafters in my area who also wanted to start a social Craft Group in King's Lynn.  We have now had three meets. About 15 of us turn up to a local pub - The Winch at 7pm every other Thursday.  It has been fab and we've learnt to crochet and make paper/ribbon flowers so far. At our next meeting on the 5th April we will be making sock/glove animals.  I have met some amazing people and I will be asking a few of them to take part in some 'Inspiring Interviews' for me to share with you on here.  I have recently done an interview for Art of Crafts it can be found here.

I have also created an online shop on ToSouk where all my creations can be purchased: JewelOri.  Here are some of my new creations:

3D Gem Stone heart wall plaque
Origami Fan Necklace
I have booked in to do the Norwich Maker's Market on April 14th so...I also made myself a little something for my stall:


Business Card Box
And here's the inside...


Business Card Box
My next blog will contain an Inspiring Interview with Massingham Forge and Crafts.  Her creations are beautiful so I look forward to posting that soon!

Take care for now, I will blog again soon and not leave it as long!

Friday 10 February 2012

Sewing Machine Antics...

Today I tackled my temperamental sewing machine!

It was very generously given to me at a craft fair.  However, despite being a very good machine it has been stored away for a while and is very clogged with dust.  I've been lovingly cleaning it with earbuds! But not knowing sewing machines very well, and this machine not having an instruction book, it has proved difficult to put back together every so often!!  I have now managed to make myself a pin cushion and 2 cases for dictaphones (one for my Dad and one for me). 

My Dictaphone Case

It does jam quite frequently so I may need to take it to a proper sewing machine place to have an MOT!!  My stitching therefore is very dodgy and no where near perfect, but it does the job and I'm proud of it anyway.  It has a yellow patterned lining and a press-stud fastening.  The one I made for my Dad has a brown version of the same material on the outside and a green sheen material on the inside.  I forgot to take a picture of this and now it's in Afghanistan with him!  The stitching was much better on his.

All the material I use is from the off cut bins in fabric shops or charity shops.  I love to recycle!

In other news and craftyness today I received my 'product challenge' box from the Simply Homemade magazine.  In the box is...

From left to right... 5 different patterned papers, red hearts patterned fabric, 4 colours of felt, 7 ribbon lengths and numerous buttons.

The task is to create one item and explain how to make it in 8 steps.  Not all the items have to be used and I can use some of my own materials in addition to these.

I already have a definate idea in my mind.  Just need to get a couple of bits then I can get crafting.  Exciting times.  I can't wait to see what the other people taking part in the challenge come up with.

That's all for now, I'm going to make my boyfriend's Valentine's card tomorrow.  That will also be interesting as my card making projects in the past have not always proved successful!!

xx

Thursday 9 February 2012

Canvasses and Surprise Orders...

Today I thought I would share a surprise order I had last year...

A colleague of mine (who had bought a necklace set for her Mother in the past) approached me just before Christmas.  "I'd like you to make something for my Mother for Christmas".  Fair enough I thought, however that was the extent of the instruction, other than the comment of "You've met my Mother so you'll know what she likes".  I had only met her Mother once for a 5 minute "Hello, this is who made your Christmas origami necklace set"!!  After a little probing I found out she is a fan of the 1920's and big earrings.  This is what I came up with...

1920's Fashion Canvas
 
1920's Fashion Canvas
 
1920's Fashion Canvas
 
Origami Paper Fan Dangly Earrings
I got some lovely feedback on these from the recipient and I would love to hear yours.  It's the first time I have tried creating canvasses.  I got a bug of canvases and combined it with my origami models...
Dinosaur, Flower Bead, Butterfly and Fish Canvasses
 That's all for now, as always please let me know your thoughts and ideas.

xx