The Merry Month of May

Ah, the merry month of May has nearly been and gone but what a busy month it has been for me! 

Open Studios North Fife 2017 was a great success with nearly 400 visitors to my venue over the three days. Here I am with all my work on display. A few visitors thought we had set up shop permanently but sadly it was just for the weekend. It was great fun playing at shops but an important part of Open Studios is giving people an insight into how things are made and a sense of the spaces that artists and makers work in.

I did my best to recreate my work space by bringing all my fibres and tools and putting them on display as well.

This year I had Kirsty Tudor from Falkland Felts helping me with the demos which left me free to talk to visitors. 

My seascapes were a big hit with both the piece above and below selling and commissions being taken. The two pieces below right are canvas prints. I have two owls still available in the 20 x 20 cm size. So many people commented on how the canvasses really look textured like the felt originals.

I wasn't able to slow down too much after Open Studios as I then only had three weeks to prepare for the Outlandish UK Gathering which was on Saturday 20th May in Aviemore. I have been taking time in the evenings though to enjoy local walks and the glorious May sunshine we have been having. This wee patch of bluebells is in our garden!

The Outlander event was great fun to attend. Here's my stall next to a rather scary Jamie.

I made a few items especially for Outlander fans which went down really well.

I have one Standing Stones box left. I didn't use tweed for this one but used a gorgeous rust and green tartan instead.

Felt Trinket Box £45

I also made some dragonfly jewellery.

The Shawl Pins are £18

Pendants £26 with a choice of 16, 18 or 30 inch chain.

Also available in the dragonfly range are these A5 notebooks. The pages alternate between plain and ruled making them perfect for sketching as well as keeping notes.

My 2018 Calendar is here! I was super organised and got it ready in time for Open Studios.

It features 12 prints from some of my most popular felt picture designs. The calendars also open up to double the size, giving a whole calendar page to write on.

Calendars £10

I made lots and lots of boxes in the run up to my events so all these are now in my Etsy shop as well. They range from £30 - £35, £45 - £48.

New textile and resin jewellery includes these elegant heart pendants and earrings. Some of these are away to The Atholl Gallery in Dunkeld and Lagom Felt Studio in Crieff.

I have lots of felt sheep jewellery in stock. This is a great time to purchase these popular items as come Autumn time, I struggle to keep my online shop well stocked as I am busy with events.

The rest of May I have been busy catching up with household jobs that get put off during crazy making times. I have quite enjoyed a week or so of being a domestic Godess! Back to the making in June though as I start preparing for Perth Festival of Yarn in September.

This is shaping up to be a very exciting event and as I have taken up crochet for fun this year, I am even more excited!

This is a shawl I made using fibre I purchased at Edinburgh Yarn Festival, some scraps I was gifted and some hand spun that I bought on The Isle of Skye. I totally made it up as I went along but now I am excited to buy interesting yarn and actually think about what I will make with it.

So that's all from me this month. You can keep up with what's new on my social media, especially Instagram and Facebook. I uploaded a couple of videos of my work space but haven't figured out how to upload to the blog. I should probably ask the nearest child for techno advice! :)

New Designs for Spring

I'm delighted to share some new products that I have had made using some of my artwork.

This is Bunting Boat and Rainbow. It was inspired by a boat trip we took from Elgol to Loch Coruisk on The Isle of Skye last year. The boat was strung with bunting for a wedding later in the day and we saw rainbows all along the road on our way there.

I've had it printed onto matching Mugs and Coasters.

Mug and Gift Box £9.95

The design goes all the way around the mug with no gap between the front and back and it is split over two coasters so that when you put them together you see the whole picture.

Set of Two Coasters £7.95

The image also fits perfectly onto my Zipped Pouches.

Zipped Pouches £7.95

The pouches are washable and great for all sorts of things including pens and pencils, make up, glasses, paints, crochet hooks...the list goes on!

I also revisited this sheep design and gave the mamma sheep and lambs a more colourful world to live in with the addition of some wee birds. It also makes great mugs and pouches.

New to my range are these cotton bags. They measure 38 x 40 cm and have a nice length of handle. 100% natural coloured cotton.

Cotton Bags £7.95

Also new this week are these four designs as limited edition large printed cards.

The cards measure 15 x 15 cm £3.50 each.

And last but not least, I have two new notebooks in stock.

Dragonfly Cottage and Hughie the Coo

The idea for Dragonfly Cottage came to me when I met an Outlander fan in the village of Falkland. We got talking about my work as she was buying one of my cards in a shop and she said it reminded her of a scene from the book. She suggested I make something Dragonfly themed as the next series of Outlander is called Dragonfly in Amber. This image just floated into my head!

These notebooks have plain pages, perfect for sketching, painting or just keeping notes.

I will have all these and more with me at Falkland Craft Market on Saturday 5th March and at Edinburgh Yarn Festival on March 18th and 19th. You can also find everything in my Etsy shop here