Link love digest: week 3

This is the third week of my daily 'link love' posts. I have tended to major on UK based makers and crafters, simply because they are part of my local economy, and I'm very keen on supporting the local economy wherever I go. I have already shared the link to one Austrian crafter, and a few other non-UK based pages are lined up for the future.

Please take a moment to visit the Folksy shops in the links below. Especially if you're looking for something special for someone special.

This week, my shares have looked like this.

From Peter's Folksy shop

Peter Morrison
Solas

"I started designing in 1999. Most of my products started life as something else, a washing machine, car parts or a piece of driftwood I enjoyed taking things apart re-engineering them for an alternative use.I get a lot of my materials donated from car garages, engineering companies and family. Before starting a piece I always look at the materials natural shape, character and texture then it tells me what it wants to be and I created."

Heather Tempest Elliott
Tempest Elliott Printshop

"I have always been creative, trying many different forms of arts and crafts. I went to university to study photography, video and media but craved making something more physical. So I have gradually been trying out printmaking and I adore it! It's great when you find something that is your hobby but you also want to make your job!

From Heather's Folksy shop

I was initially inspired by my trip to Sweden in the summertime, all the different landscapes, the sea and trees- it was a bit of a lightbulb moment! I am always inspired by nature and love a challenge so I pack all of my prints full of tiny details, then combining these designs with bright, bold colours to create something a little different for your walls. I now have the option of hand printed cards if you just want something a little smaller but with just the same amount of craft involved."

Jill, Nicki and Emma 
My Auntie Made It

"We are three Aunties who love to make beautiful things with love in every stitch.

From the Three Aunties' Folksy shop

We make quilts ( any size and to order ) cushions and pretty home accessories as well as purses to bags and everything in between.

We use all sorts of material and try to recycle pretty cottons if we can.

If you see something you like in our shop but would like a different fabric please do get in touch and we will work with you to deliver a design in a fabric and size that you will love."

Fiona Bradshaw
Fiona Bradshaw Designs

From Fiona's Folksy shop

"My inspiration comes from finding existing objects and combining them together in a way that gives a product thematic character. I enjoy reclaiming objects from boot fairs, then either restoring them, changing them, combining them, or all three to create a functional object that has its own character or identity. I am happy to do commissions if you have any objects or themes you would like to be incorporated into a piece of furniture."

Linda Adkins
Leather Design and Craft

"I have been making the things I want to use out of leather for decades, for archery shops for a number of years and for the last three years, full time. Pulling together years of mixed media art and craft experience to design, make and embellish useful items. Design influences? Essentially practical, no frills but with applied designs to suit, these started off as celtic and wildlife inspired.... then a wyvern and an octopus happened and now adorns many of the hair slides, flasks and coasters. My official line has developed into 'things I like drawing'!

From Linda's Folksy shop

One thing that is very important to me is to source leather and fittings responsibly. Many of my hides do not conform to a batch, they are oddments, cast offs and surplus stock, often classified as 'Industrial Waste' (madness) and over 3/4 of the buckles are the odd ones that would otherwise land up in a skip simply because it is not worth suppliers/retailers time to sort/store small quantities.

My workshop is at the front of my cottage (in rural Hertfordshire) although I am likely to work in the kitchen, dining room or garden during the day and often settle down in front of the fire in the evening to sew, make up or decorate pieces"

 Julie

From Julie's Folksy shop

The Posh Scarecrow

 "Working with fabric is a passion of mine and I love making cards so I have combined the two. My unique greeting cards are not just cards, they are a present and a keepsake all in one to be enjoyed for years to come. I like to think of them as an unfolding story. I create greeting cards and gifts that are memory makers and are a pleasure to give."

Claire Barrett Smith
Claire's Handmade Textile Art and Boho Fashions

"I have loved sewing since my mum gave me a sewing machine for Christmas when I was 13 years old (around 30 years ago!!) I now teach Art and Textiles in a secondary school. I love teaching and I adore creating unique Bohemian style garments and wall art.

From Claire's Folksy shop

I use a mixture of new, hand dyed and reclaimed fabrics and trimmings and a range of experimental techniques and processes. Many of the trimmings I use are from Turkey, a place I visit a few times each year with a culture that inspires my colourful, decorative designs. Everything I make is unique, designed and lovingly hand made by me. I like to think of the garments I spend many months creating as 'Wearable Art'.

If you see something you like in my shop and would like something similar but in different fabrics, colours, a different size or with a different motif, I am sure with a little discussion I could create a custom order just for you. Please do not hesitate to contact me- I love making custom orders!!!"

Link love digest: week 2

Continuing the practice of a daily shoutout (in my most used online spaces) for a fellow crafter/maker, here is this week's digest. You will notice that I have very little information about some of the crafters. I decided from the outset to include people on the basis of the quality of their work, regardless of how much they share about themselves in their various online spaces.

Monika Mager's work

Monika Mager
Sand & Soda

Handmade lampwork beads and jewellery since 2007. She sells her pieces via her Facebook page. She has an Etsy shop, but it isn't stocked at present.

Sarah Bell
Sarah Designs UK

Sarah makes beautiful pyrography pieces and shares my love of dragons. From her Etsy shop: 

I've always been interested in arts and crafts and making gifts for friends and family. Others became interested in me creating customised pieces for them, so I started to sell items. My husband bought me a Pyrography machine for Yule one year after I'd said I'd always wanted to try it. I loved it! I now sit most evenings when the children are sleeping, creating special items.

I love taking commissions and creating special gifts. I create my own designs and work freehand, never using templates.

Catherine May

Catherine May Design

Jewellery. From her Folksy page:

I live at home with my husband and 2 of my sons, my other son is at uni at the present,
I have always loved making and creating but never had the time, now my boys are grown up I am now able to devote more time to what I like doing, I work this in around my job in the local farm shop.  

I started a few years ago making copper enameling with a wonderful tutor who encouraged me to get my own kiln and find a space just for me, This then grew as I took a silversmith course at our local college to learn the basics. by now I was gradually spreading my self all over the house, so my husband thought it time to build a shed and move me into that. I also enjoy pyrographics (wood burning) and at present trying to work on creating drinking glasses out of bottles. (I'm still perfecting this).  

Inspiration for my designs come from history, nature and the christian religion which is very important to me

Claire Woodhead

Hook and Loop

Knitted and crocheted items. From her Folksy page:

Welcome to Hook Loop Knits. I sell hand knitted and crochet home decor and lifestyle accessories.
Explore my collection of tea cozies, egg cosies, mug cosies, hot water bottle covers, gloves scarves, hats and lots more home accessories.

My collections are inspired by nature, and my autumn fall tea cozy has a beautifully hand knitted acorn and oak leaf. My other tea cosies are embellished with crochet flowers and knitted leaves. There is a collection of tea cosies, mug cosies and egg cosies with a christmas theme. These are embellished with crochet mistletoe and berries, and another one with a nordic pine christmas tree. I also have a few items that feature owls. A brown owl tea cosy and owl mug cosy.

There are lots of different colours of hand knitted fingerless gloves and scarves to keep you warm and cosy.

If you see anything that you might like in a different colour then please feel free to contact me.

Andi Gregg
Willow and Hobbs

Vintage creations and art from reclaimed wood. From her Folksy page:

I live in rural Lincolnshire and run my furniture restoration and interiors business from my small workshop looking out over the beautiful countryside I am so lucky to be surrounded by. I am very passionate about vintage and reclaimed materials in general, loving old forgotten furniture and wood that's been left to age. It's items such as these that cry out to be re-loved to bring their beauty back into our lives once more.

I am very inspired by colours and patterns and love nothing more than transforming something old and worn into a beautiful new creation, one that'll take pride of place once more in someone's home. So stencilling, decoupage and paint effects it is to enhance the vintage elegance of the pieces I find. Making what I like to think of as heirlooms of the future!

My wall art creations are made from reclaimed wood which has been aged and as such provides a rustic quality to my work. This together with the use of decoupage and guilding, help me to create pieces which will enhance a variety of tastes and settings. Although I enjoy creating my designs, I also love to take on commissions, both for furniture pieces and for wall art, working with my customers to source and design stunning and unique pieces. Above all else I have a passion for what I do which comes across in my designs, with quality and attention to detail being fundamental.

Hannah-Mae's work

I'm always looking for new inspiration and constantly source special vintages pieces to re-love into beautiful one off bespoke creations. Ultimately my passion comes across in what I do.

Hannah-Mae Williams
Hannah-Mae Illustration

Illustrations and cut paper art.

Jacqueline Austen
J Austen Jewellery Design

Silversmithing and jewellery items. From her Folksy page:

I enjoy designing and creating jewellery. Taking inspiration from art, history, nature and very often the stones I am working with, I create designs using traditional hand knotting and metal smithing techniques

At the moment, I particularly enjoy experimenting with different casting techniques, recreating solid silver or gold replicas of found items, such as fossils and shells found on beach walks, interesting buttons and keepsakes or even leaves and seeds found in the countryside. Casting in sand, clay and even cuttlefish bone, I love the different effects these methods create in the gold and silver during the casting process.

My designs can be simple, making the most of a gorgeous stone with minimalist lines or more elaborate with lots of detail. I enjoy a challenge and embrace taking on commissions - especially those which push boundaries and ideas.

All my gemstone and pearl necklaces are traditionally hand knotted, as I believe that even the smallest details can make a difference. Much of my metal smithed work is hall marked, in accordance with the law and bears my unique makers mark.

If you have a commission idea or repairs to be made - however small - please do contact me, as I will be happy to help and advise.

Please pay a visit to these shops to see what these wonderful crafters have to offer.

Link Love Digest: Week 1

You may remember that it is my goal this year to share the link love: to link to other crafters and makers and spread the word about the work they/we do.

My summary for this week follows. Some of these folks may not even know that they've had a shout out, so please let them know if you move in their circles. I don't necessarily know them personally - I just admire their work.

Jane Weaver
Beadseedz
From her Folksy shop page:

I have been making and selling jewellery for the last ten years. It started as a hobby to help me cope with a busy and sometimes stressful job, but has become something of a passion.

Over the years I have explored many different jewellery making techniques and, although my current interest is particularly in beadweaving, I have never managed to settle entirely into one particular genre and probably never shall. Thus my work is eclectic and I am always open to new ideas and to learning new skills.

I realised early on that my beading could help me raise money for SIFT (Seed International Fund Trust). SIFT is a small Christian charity that works to relieve poverty in one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Nicaragua. Having visited this beautiful country several times and seen with my own eyes the level of need I want to do what I can to help.

However now I am retired and have more time to spend on my interests, I also want to expand my fund raising activities to support other charities from time to time.
I have recently moved to beautiful West Yorkshire with my husband and three cats. All items in my shop are handmade by me in our smoke-free home. I also keep the cats well away from the jewellery making - not only for the comfort of my customers with cat allergies but because past experience has taught me that my little tubes of seed beads are an irresistible attraction and will need to be retrieved from under the sofa and behind the washing machine if they are not kept out of the way of furry paws.

If you see something you like but would prefer it in a different colour or a different length, please contact me. I cannot guarantee to be able to help, but it is often possible.

Keeley Pearl
Fabric & Thread Designs
From her Facebook page:

Individual handmade personalised family trees and appliqués for any occasion

Peter Harries (aka Mr Mechnic)
Scrap Art Lighting
From his Etsy shop page:

After many years of being a garage owner and car mechanic throwing away used and worn out car parts whilst always looking at them with a small glow of an idea of what they may look like turned into something else I have decided to pack in the garge business and car repairs and concentrate more on using some of these old, worn out or damaged parts and blow some oxygen onto my small glowing ideas and get bigger glows and flames of better ideas and see what I come up with.

Most will be rather rustic, some will be rather strange but all will be unique and wonderful, Please feel free to look through my shop, more will be added from time to time.

Meloney Celliers
Melly the Elephant (quilled paper art)
From her Facebook page:

I design and make paper art pictures as a hobby. Happy to take commissions/requests.

Nicola Wiktorski
Wiktorski Ceramics
From her Folksy page:

I make bespoke, quirky, handmade pottery for the home and garden from a little village in Yorkshire. My passion is to create unique pieces of contemporary pottery for the home and garden. MADE WITH LOVE.

Andrew Smith
UNIQ Furniture.

From his FB page:

Huge amounts of usable, quality furniture is thrown away by schools, businesses and industry everyday. 

It is the intention at UNIQ Furniture to rescue this furniture from landfill, refurbish, repair, recycle and restyle it to give it a new, second life! 

We offer schools, business and industry a free collection service for surplus items, saving money spent on skips and waste disposal and freeing u...p valuable storage space.
Our refurbished furniture is aimed at lovers of quality materials, quality construction and unique items, whether you enjoy vintage/retro styling or you are just an individual with an individual style!

UNIQ aims to be an environmentally sound, sustainable business, which will benefit ‘suppliers’ (schools, businesses and industry) and customers who can buy pre-loved furniture, knowing that they are giving it a second life!

UNIQ’s motto is MORE TASTE, LESS WASTE!

As 2017 gets underway...

Sincere and heartfelt wishes for a happy New Year to you and yours. May the year ahead be somewhat kinder to us than the one behind.

I'm not fool enough to believe that the arbitrary flip of a calendar page has much cosmic significance. But I find myself wanting to believe that the fact that 2016 is now over will somehow also bring an end to the very negative circumstances that befell us during the year.

I'm not much of a one for making New Year's resolutions, but I do like to do a little reflection, introspection and goal setting as each new year gets underway. It's as good a time as any.

When our sons were still living at home, lunch time on New Year's Day included a time slot for each person to share their goals for the year ahead - both for themselves and for the family. The idea was that in sharing them with each other, we were making ourselves accountable to each other as we worked towards those goals.

For the first time this year, it was just the two of us. Mr Namasi is totally focused on finding a job and selling the house - he isn't thinking beyond that at this point. And I'm fine with that. After all, whenever either or both of those things happen, that will be just as appropriate a time for goal setting.

So what about me, then? What about your friendly Upsycho? I have set myself a few goals, and I'd like to share them with you. That way, I'm accountable to you.

Sharing the Link Love

I have decided that I will promote the work of fellow makers, crafters and artisans this year. I'm aiming for one a day. I'll do that in my most used online spaces: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. At the end of each week, I'll write a summary post here. I have already started this practice, so my first summary post should appear at the end of this week.

 "Do not feed the trolls"

I have a tendency to feel things very strongly and to take personally things not directed towards me. After all, everything's personal if you're a person. Even as a child, I had an overdeveloped sense of injustice, and would loudly and persistently champion the cause of someone who had been wronged, sometimes even to the point that the wronged party would beg me to shut up and let it go.

I haven't outgrown that, and I have found that some of the ugliness that has arisen out of political situations of late has ground me down to breaking point. I need to step away.

I won't be turning a blind eye to injustice any time soon - I'm not sure I could live with myself if I became inured to the conditions under which some people are forced to live and raise their families - but I must try to avoid engaging in debate with people whose minds I will never change and to whom my own views are as abhorrent as theirs are to me.

I gently suggested this approach to a Twitter follower who attracts trolls in vast numbers. I need to think about whether there is mileage even in that - if people want to feed the trolls and tilt at windmills, I guess that's their right, too. 

Learning New Things

I need to improve the accuracy of my woodwork. Practice (and YouTube tutorials) makes perfect.

I also want to learn new skills. I haven't identified those yet, but I don't feel under pressure to have all the answers at this point. As the year unfolds, I will try to live by Bigweld's mantra:

I'll come back to this point.

Sharing the Knowledge

A very dear friend of mine recently retired from the police, having served her 30 years in exemplary fashion. She prefers to refer to herself as rewired, rather than retired, and is setting up a business in which I will have a part to play.

My crafting skills will come in very handy, and I look forward to passing them on:

• To my friend, who is keen to learn
• To paying customers, with the funds going towards this charity (another brainchild of the same friend)
• To the clients of the charity, with a view to helping them produce items they can sell

These endeavours will steer me towards the sorts of skills I need to learn under the banner of Learning New Things

That's pretty much it. These aren't really SMART goals...yet. This is the broad framework within which I will look to operate this year, and which will inform such SMART goals as I do set as the year unfolds. I'm leaving room for JIT and LEAN and all those things. Aren't you proud of me?

After all, who knows what a day (or a year) may bring forth? If Mr Namasi lands a job in some far flung place, a complete rethink will be necessary.

Post Christmas ruminations

For various reasons Mr Namasi and I decided to keep Christmas very low-key this year. We were content that both our sons would be joining us. Our elder son works in the hospitality industry and isn't always able to have the time off.

Dinner was pretty much the sort of roast dinner one might serve on any Sunday or Bank Holiday when the family comes to visit.

It was lovely: warm, cosy, unspectacular.

Then...

Christmas day wasn't even over before the emails started coming in to my inbox.

eBay, Preloved, Shpock, Gumtree, the various Freegle/Freecycle and Trash Nothing groups I belong to, charities..."Make money from your unwanted gifts." "Regifting is the new giving." "Don't want it? We'll take it!"

At the same time, everyone appears to be having a sale and I'm being urged on every hand to take advantage of the low prices and buy more stuff. 60% off. 75% off. Free this when you buy that. Free delivery. Spend x and we'll throw in a <something or other>. I'm not sure I can afford to save that much money! 

It's breathtakingly mercenary, isn't it? So unapologetically cynical.

It reminds me of a scene from Jim Carrey's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas:

"Do you know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me... in your garbage. You see what I'm saying? In your garbage! I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties I found at the dump, and the avarice... THE AVARICE NEVER ENDS! "I want golf clubs! I want diamonds! I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored, and sell it to make GLUE!""

I don't really consider myself a Grinch, but as an upcycler, I also see the stuff that people throw away. It's one thing when an item has broken or clothing has worn out or been outgrown. But I see what the Grinch sees: stuff that is still perfectly useful. Stuff that someone spent money on. Stuff that the gift giver agonised over choosing (but obviously still got it wrong).

This is the side of Christmas that I don't like. And we can do something about it. Smaller, thoughtfully selected or home made gifts strike a chord that lavish impersonal things just don't. Think back on the memorable gifts in your own life. Which are the standout gifts for you?

So... during the course of this year, why not learn a new skill so that you can make something for your loved ones in 2017? Here are some suggestions:

• Attend a massage course, and give your family vouchers for massages
• Learn to make pamper products (face masks, body lotions etc.) - there are hordes of tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest
• Make a batch of wine/beer/cider
• Learn to work with wood or metal and make a shoe rack, a toy box, a key rack, a table, a <something else>
• Attend workshops on beading, sewing, knitting, crochet, calligraphy and produce something in exactly the right colour, style and size for your loved one
• Improve your baking/cooking skills and give them a promissory note for a home cooked meal with all the trimmings (for them and a plus one)
• Attend a creative writing workshop and write them a story (or a song)
• Learn calligraphy and make a beautiful plaque for their wall, or write a dedication on the fly leaf of a much loved book 

Alternatively - pay for them to attend a programme to learn/improve a skill.

The possibilities are endless...and these are gifts that are unlikely to become property of the Grinch on Boxing Day.

Giving a shout out to the independent businesses and crafters

As an independent crafter, I like to spread the 'link love' and share news of others who are in the same boat.

It was my birthday yesterday, and my friends and family took the trouble to give me gifts that supported small business and independent makers. I'd like to share their details with you. Perhaps you've already finished your Christmas shopping, but there are still birthdays, weddings, graduations, mother's/father's day and so on...

Jacaranda World Wooden Carvings

This beautiful giraffe carving was brought all the way from Cape Town when my son travelled there to attend a recent wedding. It is the work of Dennis Maguma at Jacaranda World Wooden Carvings, and is made from sustainable timber. He has a stall in the Watershed at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and can be reached at dennismaguma75@gmail.com.

Steampunk buttons

These pewter buttons came from someone who knows of my weakness for all things steampunk and my love of sewing. They came from Alchemy England. I shall have to think of something fitting to do with them!

Bath time goodies

This selection of handmade bath time goodies comes from FruFru. I'm a shower person 6 days a week. But on a Sunday night, when Mr Namasi is off playing ice hockey, I treat myself to a soak in the tub with my Sudoku. The friend who gave me these took account of my preferred colours and smells and my love of all things lime. As if that wasn't enough, the card that came with this gift was handmade, and included a watercolour portrait of me by an artist called Samantha Crowe.

Sammy's Scribbles

While not strictly a birthday gift, this also arrived today, so I'll include it: a lovely personalised Christmas bauble, hand painted by Henna Exquisite.

The last few months have been hellish for us. I lost my workshop under unpleasant circumstances (as you know), I had a cancer scare, my husband's company was closed down and he was made redundant. But thoughtful, handpicked gifts like this make a world of difference.

Ask the audience

The title of this post is drawn from a popular TV quiz programme in which contestants have the option to ask the studio audience how they would answer the current question. Contestants then have the right to go with the flow, or ignore popular opinion and choose a different answer. A lot money rides on getting it right.

==oOo==

It is said (in a widely contested quote) that if Henry Ford had canvassed people on whether he should build a motor car, they would have said they needed a faster horse.

It seems to me that large corporations spend a lot of money finding out what customers want, and then an even larger sum of money convincing them that they desperately need a product that the corporation produces.

So how much is about listening to your market, and how much is about leading it? If you only listen, you'll produce things that people are already somewhat familiar with. If you allow your creativity free rein and produce something completely innovative and different, you might never persuade people to buy it.

Now I'm not a corporation. I'm just me. As a result, I'm even more directly dependent on people liking the stuff I make enough to buy it. And I don't have a massive budget to spend on market research. I am restricted to straw polls, and reactions to the products I have already made. I am also under some pressure to produce something different and/or original, because I can't compete on price with the mass produced output of the larger corporations.

It's a fine line: it has to be desirable and different, but still mainstream enough to attract a buyer.

Flowering chive

I recently completed a cross stitch of a flowering chive. I had bought the kit from a charity shop (I have a weakness for botanical art). It was far more complex than any of the other cross stitches I have done recently (see below), so it took quite a while to complete. Then came the challenging question: what to do with it?

People don't tend to buy framed tapestries/cross stitch panels any more. I know this, because I have bought several discarded ones from charity shops, with a view to upcycling them. They are currently quite popular upcycled as cushions, bags, clothing, seat covers, etc.

So I posted a picture of the completed panel on my Facebook page and asked my followers what they would like to see done with it. There were some creative suggestions that I would really have liked to try, but I had to be conscious of what would find a buyer.

The most popular suggestion was a cushion cover. So I decided to go with that, but I avoided the obvious approach and went with something asymmetrical with just a touch of the bohemian about it.

Completed cushion cover

Of course, now comes the real litmus test. Will it find a buyer? Did I make the right decision in listening to the audience?

I have bought several miniature cross stitch kits, as well as already completed tapestries and cross stitches, as I mentioned, and I'm having fun turning them into useful items. I haven't yet gone with an item of clothing, but I think that might be next on the agenda.

Jute carrier bag

Cotton book bag

Tea cosy (commissioned item)

Craft bag

I'd be interested to hear from other independent makers, artisans and crafters how they manage the balancing act. Have you found the magic silver bullet?

Note: at the time of writing, some of the items pictured in this post are still for sale. Please contact the author with any enquiries.