The Handmade Show

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Craft Fair at Pitcairngreen Village Hall on Saturday. I think it was the busiest one ever! I certainly had a great day and really enjoyed meeting customers old and new.

I was up at 6.30 this morning making lists of everything I need to do this week in order to be ready for The Handmade Show this Sunday.

Sunday 6th November 2011

Perth Concert Hall

Mill Street 

Perth

11-5pm

Free Entry

I absolutely LOVE taking my work out to fairs and shows and because I don't do it every weekend I never get fed up with it and always get really excited about upcoming events.

The Handmade Show looks set to be an extravaganza of talented designer-makers from around Scotland and beyond with a wide range of arts and crafts on display. I have 'met' one of my fellow exhibitors via Facebook and I am really looking forward to meeting her and her work in real life.

Alison Moore hails from Orkney and brings with her a stunning array of individually handmade jewellery pieces made from copper and sterling silver.

I'll be back on here later in the week with photos of new things to tempt you along on Sunday.

Meanwhile if you are on Facebook, why not become a fan of the new Open Studios North Fife Facebook page. This will keep you up to date with local events that our participants are involved in throughout the year as well as updates on the main event as it draws nearer.

October Makes

It's the October school holidays here in Scotland and I cannot believe how quickly they have come around. Seems like no time at all since the children were heading back to school after the summer! It's always difficult to fit crafting time in around holidays so I was delighted when my Mum said she would take my children for a few days to let me get on with some work. They all had a great time and I put all my child free hours to good use.

I've been making some small felt landscapes ready for my upcoming fairs.

(See Upcoming Events on the right hand side of the page for details)

This vibrant piece below is available in my Folksy shop and has been featured on Folksy's front page this week.

These little snowy scenes below have been a delight to make. I had one go off to Alaska last week and had a nice email from the customer to say she loves it and that she hopes to visit Scotland some day and trace some of her ancestry. Coincidently, I happen to have family with the same surname as hers so who knows, we might be distantly related! I love the connections we can make across oceans and continents via the internet.

Snowy Cottage and Sheep £35

In keeping with the season I've spent hours making lots of leaf shaped brooches this week. Here's a sneak peak at the cut felt pieces waiting to be stitched.

These leaves are not just cut from ready made felt. I use the finest hand dyed merino and silk fibres to make the felt then cut and match each piece, making each one different. The hand dyed fibres add to the uniqueness of the finished brooches.

These mauve and green shades are so pleasant together.

You can find these for sale in both my Etsy and Folksy shops as well as at Studio 222 in Newburgh, An Cnoc in Crieff, Zigzags in Dunkeld and Room 15 in Oban.

If there is a colour you would particularly like, just ask and I can list one especially for you

aileenclarkecrafts@yahoo.com

The birds are all made with Harris Tweed that I brought back from our summer holiday in the Outer Hebrides.

The wing pieces are handmade felt to add contrast and texture.

Brooches are all £12

I'm really looking forward to my upcoming fairs. I've got a new card stand for my stall and can't wait to see how it looks.

Right now I have to go and bake cakes. Flap jacks and fairy cakes I think.......and a big apple crumble! 

As The Season Turns

After our unexpected heat wave last week the season has definitely started to turn with the leaves changing colour and the wind whipping them up into swirling dervishes that dance across the grass. With all that sunshine we had though, some of the flowers have come out for a late showing which adds extra colour to the garden. 

We had a lovely weekend here with a few friends round. My son and his friend made us the most delicious Mocktails (non alcoholic cocktails) and we enjoyed some music and song as well.

The weather last week was perfect for drying felt outside....

 ....and for watching cows watching me!

My wee boxes have been flying off all over the world.

I made this one below with Harris Tweed sides and thick green felt for the walls and base. 

It worked really well so I made one more like it.

This one is available here

This middle sized one went off to the USA last week.

I reinforced the sides with ice cream tub plastic to make it more robust and plan to do the same with the bigger version that holds the cards (see the last blog post for photos).

I just need to get the time to make it!

Something I did make time for though was this 'First Snow' landscape. 

Last year during all that snow we had I kept being asked if I had made any snowy landscapes. I thought I'd make this in advance and have it printed up into a card so that it would arrive in plenty time before the snow!

'First Snow' £55 framed

'First Snow' Greetings Card £2.50

The Cards are available in my Etsy shop and the original will be coming with me to The Handmade Show in Perth Concert Hall on Sunday November 6th

If you would like more details about this piece just email me at aileenclarkecrafts@yahoo.com

I made this little pendant today using beautiful Orkney fibres and a soft pinky red for the apples. It is also available in my Etsy shop.

We have enjoyed some glorious sunrises here over the last week. I love the mist hanging above the field in this photo.