14 Friday Jun 2013
Posted in Folksy, For Sale, Friday Finds
What’s yours in mine, and what’s mine is….mine?
My pudding Your pudding spoons by Rescue and Revive on Folksy
Not any more!
But don’t worry, if here are any arguments, there’s always this one.
More pudding please spoon by Rescue and Revive on Folksy
As always, click the photos to go shopping!
12 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in Food and Drink, For Sale, Spoonflower
Tags
bread, convoluted progress, dough, spoonflower, staff of life, trove, wedge
Oh it feels good to be blogging again, I’ve got so much to show you!
Here are some of the pieces I made for my exhibition at Trove last month. They’re all vaguely food themed, which was fun (but made for hungry stitching).
The funny thing about this whole series is that it all started with another quote about money, which I thought would be nice embroidered on fabric with a shopping theme.
So I designed the fabric, and then decided that I should do a fabric range.
But I never got around to doing the original embroidery.
But it may just have kicked off the whole embroidered word series! (Don’t worry, I still have every intention of doing the original piece.)
Oh, and in case you are keen, you can buy the fabric in a variety of weights from my Spoonflower shop.
09 Sunday Jun 2013
Posted in Friday Finds
Tags
font obsession, friday finds, illustrations, plates and cups and bowls oh my!, the big tomato company
This week’s rather belated Friday Find is a little bigger than my usual single-handed designer makers, but I thought you might appreciate them anyway.
The Big Tomato Company makes tableware with a distinctively retro and geeky tinge.
We first came across their plates at the Science Museum where Batman and I seriously debated whether it would be a good idea to have an entire dinner set of these.
Illustration by Ali Yanya for big tomato company.
But then, if gorgeous illustrations of technical tools weren’t enough..
Designed by Simon Nevin for big tomato company.
Where to start, hey?
01 Saturday Jun 2013
Posted in Folksy, For Sale, Friday Finds, Old Projects
I’m left a little cold by a lot of the technology design out there, I’m not a huge fan of shiny white boxes…
But I can completely picture myself with one of these!
Travel amp by Tinamp on FOlksy
It’s a teeny weeny amp, squeezed into a tobacco tin. All you need is an MP3 player (or if you’re really rocking the retro vibe, a Walkman) and you’re good to go!
Or if you’re on the move, why not this one?
Travel Amp by Tinamp on Folksy
As always, click through the photos to get shopping!
30 Thursday May 2013
Posted in Travel Diaries
I apologise if I’ve been a little distant recently, it’s been a bit exciting around here and I’ve not been concentrating like I should!
Batman has just got a new job as a lecturer (of real students no less) back in Edinburgh and I thought I might go with him, since we’re rather used to each other.
So this summer is going to be a bit of a whirl of trying to organise our old flat (thank goodness for not having to go house-hunting or rent anymore), tidy up after ourselves (physically and meta-physically) and say au revoir to all the lovely people we’ve met in Manchester.
It makes the little pause I decided to take even more helpful, since I have a whole lot of photo editing and website updating to do, not to mention the excavations into the deep artistic recesses of my soul.
27 Monday May 2013
Posted in Art Tatin, For Sale, Uncategorized
Tags
I have a feeling that there are going to be quite a few philosophical posts over the next few weeks…so readers of a delicate disposition, please look away now.
One of the things I want to work out is where I place my work in the craft-art continuum. (If that doesn’t make you want to run screaming now, I’m sure it soon will.) When I first started, I didn’t think it made a difference, but the more work I create the more it bothers me that I can’t seem to communicate what I want to when dealing with my work as craft. (The fact that I seem to sell better as craft, we’ll have to put to one side at the moment.)
My own definitions of art and craft have more to do with the intent of the work rather than the medium used. So if you make a scrapbook page which asks questions of the viewer about how they relate to the world, you’re making art. If you create a 15′ oil painting which is a beautiful representation of a scene, state of mind or tone poem but requires nothing but admiration from your viewer, then you’ve made craft.
Neither is better or worse or more or less worthy. It’s like pastry, if you put a top on, you have pie, if you leave the top off, it’s a tart; either way, I’d quite like a slice.
Saying that, I do find that I lean towards art. Maybe because I like to over-explain myself, or just because I had a really good time at art college, I find myself writing statements in my head or thinking of titles for pieces as I make them. But it dawned on me that I never tell anyone about what’s going on as I stitch and that perhaps it would be a good idea to share.
So watch this space…
24 Friday May 2013
Posted in Artists du Jour, Craft Fairs, Friday Finds
This week’s find was the stall almost opposite mine at the Altrincham Market last weekend.
As is the way with these things, you never get a good chance to roam about and look at other people’s work, so I only just grabbed a business card from Adam Harvey as I headed off.
As a result, I’ve had to steal photos from around the internet, so click on the photos for the original sources!
It’s hard to get a scale from the photos, but the pieces he had with him were miniscule, and balanced on tiny feet. They were also collaged, with traditional china patterns and images of 18th century ladies.
If you think they look familiar, it’s because Adam has had collections with Anthropologie…
However, it seems that there is a further spirit of adventure in the air, Adam and his wife Emma Wells (who is a glass artist) have decided to leave the heat and complications of the kiln behind and …
set off on the road in our much loved motor home, which has no name as yet.
So unlike many of my Friday Finds, I don’t have a link to an online shop, but there is an email address here, or you could pop along to the Saltaire Arts Trail between 25th and 27th May.
Happy Hunting!
(I like to get in touch with each of the artists featured as a Friday Find, so if I get any more good Adventuring Artists stories, I’ll be sure to share them!)
20 Monday May 2013
Posted in Dragon, For Sale, Pilates, Uncategorized
Tags
han solo, i love you i know, less doing more thinking, the bumpy road to artistic nirvana, toddler psychology
Do you ever suddenly wake up and realise that those rueful little shakes of the head that people give you when you tell them what you’re attempting to accomplish were perhaps more than just displays of encouragement and awe at your ability to get things done?
That it’s only when you somehow turn on the Babel fish and listen to yourself that it becomes apparent how much you are acting like a toddler…
(In case you don’t have a toddler to hand, here’s how to get the effect: Pick an object that you want and place it on the floor between 10 and 50 cm away from your hand. Say ‘Impf, impf’ or ‘Want it!’ repeatedly, without making any move towards the object beyond wiggling your fingers frantically. If the object does not suddenly appear in your hand, increase the volume and urgency of your cries, adding more vigorous physical emphasis (including, but not limited to throwing yourself on the floor and kicking your legs). Masters of the art will be able to carry on with great seriousness even when their fingers accidentally come to rest on the object in question. Repeat to exhaustion, either yours or that of your observers.)
But Katy, I hear you cry, what are you trying to tell us?
Just this, I am going to take some time off (as in only running one business and toddler-wrangling and whatever else I happen to list after the close of this parenthesis).
I’ve satisfactorily proven to myself that the embroidery fulfills my creative needs, and that some people like it enough to buy it. Now I have to work out who those people are, what they want from me and whether they’re willing to spend enough to keep me in stockings and fans.
There will still be blogging, because I’m so hopelessly behind in showing you what I’ve been making, and I’ve got another four commissions to finish, but I’m attempting to do a little more thinking and less doing for now.
17 Friday May 2013
Posted in Etsy, Friday Finds
This week’s Friday Find is inspired by a very special event (which is somewhat inexplicable to those who have never experienced it).
Given the day I’ve had (swimming costume shopping with a poorly toddler was only part of it), I’m going to let Wikipedia explain it to you if you haven’t already groaned or clapped to show your approval or dread.
As students, we had a series of truly amazing Eurovision parties. There was flag-making, fancy dress, ballots, international buffets, soundtracks and an exhaustively detailed drinking game. We even had a party where people bid for (or against) the opportunity to host the next party (there was Powerpoint)!
I’m secretly hoping to one day resurrect the tradition, but in the meantime, or if you need a helping hand with your party, you can order a complete kit. From decorations to recipes, cocktail ideas to bingo, it all comes ready to print. Click the photo to see all the goodies you can get!
It might be a little late for this year, but be sure to get it in ready for next year!
13 Monday May 2013
Posted in Craft Fairs, For Sale, Indie Shopping, Uncategorized
Tags
7 april 2013, 9th december 2012, altrincham, altrincham covered market, outdoor craft fair, trafford's taste of christmas, traffords taste of spring
Apparently, I think I’m a superhero, or at least I did in March!
I got a surprise when I consulted my diary and discovered that I had a craft fair booked for this weekend. But it didn’t take long for the shock to wear off and the excitement to kick in, and now I’m raring to go.
You might remember that I was at Trafford’s Taste of Christmas Market in December and Trafford’s Taste of Spring in April. This will be my third outing at the lovely covered market from 11am-4pm on Sunday.
Altrincham Market
I’d love to see you there, I’ve got some new things I think you’ll like…
