Open Studios North Fife 2015 on 2nd, 3rd and 4th May

I'll start this blog post off with a nice relaxing sunset taken on the Isle of Skye the week before last. 

Yes with just a few weeks to go until Open Studios, we still managed to sneak in a quick trip to Skye as we have done the past few years. It's such a great time to go. No midgies, pleasant Spring sunshine and not too busy either.

We had a great time and even though we've been to Skye a few times now we still found things to do that we hadn't done before.

One thing I'd wanted to do for a long time was take the boat trip over to Loch Coruisk from Elgol.

We took my mugs along for a wee photo shoot on the beach.

As you can see there are now six designs available.

Below is the latest design and will be available from me during Open Studios this year. My Mugs, Coasters and Notebooks are also available from three different gift shops around Scotland.

Little Thistle in Dunfermline

Wild Thistle in Braemar as well as at Braemar Castle Shop and 

Ballachulish Visitors Centre

Also new for Open Studios this year are a range of printed cushions.

Thistle Bothy Cushion

£38

Available to order here 

Other designs will also be available soon.

I also have some new heart shaped Pendants and Earrings that I am working on just now.

Pendants £24

Earrings £18

I have even managed to make some alternatives to purple and turquoise!

All of these will make their debut at Open Studios and be available online from around the 6th of May.

I've made lots of bracelets and rings as well.

Bracelets £20 and Rings £18

This week I am finishing off a batch of these Felt Heart Pendants in Blues and Turquoise. 

I also plan to do something with this hand dyed silk but I'm not sure what yet. It's gorgeous just as it is!

Staying on a purple theme, I have this landscape to finish.

 I finished this little one last week. It's 15 x 15 cm and is also available as a printed cushion.

So it is going to be an incredibly busy two weeks now. Hope to see some of you there.

I am at my usual venue, 64 Commercial Road, Ladybank.

You can download a free brochure from the Open Studios website and find directions to my venue here 

Upcoming Events and New Arrivals

March already and I am glad to see it. February disappeared into weeks of illness with one family member after the other succumbing to that rotten cold that was going around and I came down with tonsillitis. It has put me way off schedule but I am doing my best to catch up.

I'm delighted to have had this new design made up into printed items.

'Morning Mist' was a felt picture I made on the one day during early February that I actually got any work done. I took the photo after I had laid all the fibres out ready for wet felting. I don't usually take photos at this stage but the wisps of silk made perfect clouds and waves lapping on the beach. A lot of the atmosphere was lost during the felting process so I am so glad that I took the photo!

I have had it printed into Mouse Mat's, Notebooks, Sketchbooks, Sets of 8 Notelets and individual cards.

You can find them all for sale here

During February my faithful old sewing machine had to go and be serviced and repaired and although she is still going strong, I decided to buy a new machine as well. I needed more power for the things I make and it came as a wonderful surprise to find that the new machine has 50 different stitch settings including this gorgeous chain of hearts!

I soon put it to good use, giving these sheep some hearts to skip along.

I have been making these Felted Sheep Cuff Bracelets for my stall at Edinburgh Yarn Festival next weekend and now have them in four different colour ways.

The bracelets will be £22 and will go on sale online after the 16th March if there are any left.

Also new today is this Thistle Cottage card.

As I've said, I will have all these things with me at Edinburgh Yarn Festival on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March at Edinburgh Corn Exchange. If you are not sure where this venue is or how to get to it, the Corn Exchange website is excellent with everything you need to know here

For details about the Yarn Festival click here

More good news for March is that Falkland Craft Markets are returning with five dates set for this year! I will be at four of them (see events listing on the right). The first one will be on Saturday 21st March and I will be there with all my new things and all my popular favourites. You can also pick up your free Open Studios brochure from me at both of these events and start planning your Bank Holiday weekend in May!

Falkland Craft Market

Saturday 21st March 2015

10 - 4 pm 

Falkland Village Hall

Falkland 

Fife

I have lots of other makes on the go including this felt landscape picture.

I just want to go and live here. I will definitely have to make another of these similar to keep!

This one will be on display when it is finished during Open Studios North Fife on 2nd- 4th May 2015. You can see all the details about that on the website here 

Thistle's, Sheep and Forward Planning

January is usually a month to enjoy a bit of creative play time but I have had quite a few commission's to work on over the past couple of weeks and I'm constantly thinking ahead to what I need to make for shop orders and upcoming events so I haven't really had time to just play around with materials and let the creative process take over.

When I am working on commissions there is always a waiting time for felt to dry though, so I put that time to good use and made this picture last week.

The thistle's are a new addition. I hadn't tried them before. I began with using embroidery thread for the stems and leaves but it was too stark so I unpicked it all and needle felted the stems in two tone fibre instead. It has given a much more natural look.

I added some sheep and framed it and it sold as soon as it was finished. I have a request for another similar but will get one up for general sale as soon as I can.

I enjoyed needle felting the thistles onto the picture so much that I thought I would try an individual one on a brooch. I really like the three dimensional effect. I used little French knots to secure the felt and to add texture but I will try some tiny seed beads on the next one to see how that looks. The added 'bling' might be nice.

I was nearly out of Sheep Jewellery for a few weeks there but I have been working very hard to replenish stock in my Etsy shop.

Pendants £25

These pendants and brooches are now available. I'll be working on more earrings this week.

Brooches £18

Two dates for your diaries are March 14th and 15th for Edinburgh Yarn Festival at Edinburgh Corn Exchange, 11 Newmarket Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1RJ

I will be there with all my woolly wares.

Although it sounds a long time away, Open Studios North Fife is on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of May this year and all the participants are already working hard behind the scenes to bring you a wonderful weekend of inspiration and creativity. It is the 10th Anniversary year and some extra projects are in the pipeline.

I will be at my usual venue in Ladybank