Welcome to A Winter Wonderland.

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland of Fife this snowy November!

Here's our wee cottage hunkering down against the wild east wind that has been bombarding us with snow and sleet for the past two or three days.

The sun is trying it's best to break through today but those clouds look like they may have more to offer!

Our garden birds are very busy at the feeders with the blue tits coming over to the window ledges looking for insects.

Thankfully we got the Craft Fair at Cupar out of the way before the worst set in. A big thank you to Laura for organising it. 

Thank you to everyone who came along. It was really nice to meet so many lovely people! 

I have these two mounted pieces available in my Etsy Shop right now. No snowy hillsides depicted yet but I may be tempted to have a go at a felted wintry scene.

This piece below was a commission for a lovley couple I met at the St Andrews fair in September. They had bought a few pieces from my stall at Crail Arts Festival and ordered some more from me at St Andrews. They loved the felt landscapes so much that they commissioned me to make them this piece with the stream and bridge.

I have incorporated some hand dyed roving from the Orkney island of North Ronaldsay into the background hills and a little bit of free machine embroidery adds texture and movement to the water.

My next job is to make more felt landscape bookmarks as they have been very popular. I've also had a run on brooches recently so I better get some new ones made for the next Open Studio Day. That will be on 

Saturday 11th December 10-4pm

The Green Door Craft Studio

64 Commercial Road

Ladybank

Fife

KY15 7JS

(On the corner of the main street that runs through Ladybank and Church Street)

This will be the last chance to buy directly from me this year. All my framed pieces, brooches, cuffs, necklaces, earrings and cards will then go off to all my stockists around the country.

Oh my goodness, there's the snow back on! Better get some more fuel on the log burner and stick some extra layers of clothing on the children!

From Scotland to Anywhere.

Well it's been a busy time here at Aileen Clarke Crafts over the past couple of weeks.

Most of my crafting time has been taken up with an order for 100 cards. They are off to an English language bookshop in Nerja, Spain! I got the order through Facebook so anyone still not sure about the power of social networking for your business....get a Facebook Fan Page set up now!

I also had a lovely visit to Twist Fibre Craft Studio to stock up on felting supplies. It is such a beautiful shop to visit and just bursting with inspirational ideas. As well as fibres, yarns and all things knitty, they sell beautiful fat quarters, buttons and beads. 

I made this cuff just so that I could line it with this gorgeous printed quilters cotton.

I've stitched little squares of shimmer organza onto the felt for a little bit of shimmer and shine and added a  swirly vintage button from my own collection.

 

I just love the lining fabric.

I've used it to back this bookmark too.

 

Both the Cuff and the Bookmark are available from my Etsy shop now.

Coming up this weekend is a Craft Fair at Cupar Corn Exchange. I will have a wide selection of work available including some of these smaller felt Landscapes at £25. They come complete with frame and are also available Online.

The Bookmarks have been a great success with sales coming in from as far afield as Italy, Sweden and Slovenia.

I'm working on a batch this week to go to 'Room 15', a lovely little gift shop in Oban. 
With these you can send a little bit of Scotland to anywhere!

I also made a couple of purchases. 

My best friend who taught me to make felt also makes and sells her felt creations. She is into needle felting and makes fabulous cushions, 3D animals, pictures and hot water bottle covers. She is still in the process of building up her little business and I took this piece below in to the studio for the last Open Day. I then brought it home and hung it on my wall for safe keeping and now I cannot bear to part with it! It reminds me so much of looking across to 

Great Blasket Island from Coumenole beach.

Now why on earth would I be buying a felt seascape when I make them myself you might wonder. Well, every time I make something that I think I might keep, I end up selling it and my walls are bare. I also think it's good to have other peoples art around the house. I find this piece very relaxing and dreamy.

'Dream Beach' by Kirsty Tudor
Falkland Felts.

My other purchase arrived last night.......

It may seem daft but I am so delighted to have my feet back in a pair of Dr Martens! It has been a good few years since I wore my last ones.

The winter weather can do what it likes now. I am prepared!