My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - wonderfully illustrated accessories

I can't resist a cute illustration, especially when it's an animal - and even more when it's an animal that's dressed up! That's what drew me to this lovely shop where I discovered lots of drawings, both animals and others decorating a range of accessories. 

As usual, this post is in no way sponsored or influenced. The crafter featured is genuinely a favourite of mine; all quotes are the crafter's own and the opinions are mine. So, with this in mind this week's UK Crafter of the Week is...

Illustrated Goods By Zyzanna

All of these wonderful creations you're going to see are based on original drawings by Zyzanna - although she admits this isn't her real name, it's 'what I've been called by friends and family since I was 14'. I think this is a great name to reflect her work - it's original, different and fun! As I said above, I can't resist an animal that's dressed up and this is even more true when it comes to cats. Obviously, dressing up real animals isn't such a good idea (although I keep trying to get my brother to dress up his cat but for some reason he won't let me) so drawings are the best way to see this! This little kitty is all ready for winter in his chunky jumper.

Cat in a knitted jumper shopping bag £10.00 Zyzanna

Not all of Zyzanna's creatures are dressed up though; some are just as nature intended such as the lovely barn owl brooch below. Zyzanna 'discovered what an amazing material shrinky plastic is' and has made lots of unique jewellery using it based on her original drawings. And this isn't the only brooch she makes; there are a range of different birds and even some lovely trees for them to be mixed with to create a lovely jewellery woodland. 

Barn owl brooch £7.50 Zyzanna

Zyzanna has always loved drawing as says it's something 'I seem to do ALL the time'. She's known since she was little that she wanted to be an artist and this childhood dream has come true having graduated in illustration from the Edinburgh College of Art and set up her own business. She originally drew pictures such as the one below and still sells them but realised she could also apply her beautiful drawings to other items to produce a whole range of accessories. 

Berry picking print £15.00 Zyzanna

Currently Zyzanna is based in 'rainy' Edinburgh and this has clearly influenced these earrings! (There's also some other lovely raindrop based jewellery in her shop too). I love the idea of having a set of three earrings to interchange and wear in your own style - they also come in different designs so swapping between the sets would create some interesting combinations too! 

Rain drop earrings £10.00 Zyzanna

To see more of Zyzanna's wonderful work take a look here:

Zyzanna'a website

Shop with Zyzanna 
Zyzanna's blog

Facebook

Twitter

Christmas at Pink Flamingo Handcrafting!

I know it's only September and summer's still in recent memory (just about!), but I feel like it's December already! I've been busily working on my Christmas cards ready to sell at the markets I've booked, in my online shops and for actual 'real' shops too. I thought I'd share with you some of my festive creations and the ideas that brought them to life.

Keep reading for a SPECIAL OFFER for blog readers!

One of the main things I liked about selling at markets in the summer was listening to customers and their feedback. One comment a heard a few times was along these lines, 'That's a lovely card. It's a pity it's for a birthday as it would have been a great thank you card for my friend'. And this got me thinking. Something I can offer with handmade cards that it's difficult to do with printed cards is a personalised greeting; so this is what I'm going to do with my Christmas cards this year. I'll display the different cards I've made for a customer to choose from and then have a range of greetings which I can add to give people more choice. And even better, the cards sold online can have any greeting added to include names, date or occasions too! (This also explains why some of the cards in these pictures don't have greetings on.)

Love Bird Robins

I first made a card similar to this last Christmas to send to my family. I love the little robins who visit my garden in the winter and wanted to add them to a card, but I'm not a great drawer so they became stylised robins! I played around with a few designs and favoured them sitting on their branches with some little hearts in between. Each card is made with a different variation of patterns and colours to make them unique - and so I can play around with all my different papers!

I also make a version using an old falling to pieces copy of 'A Christmas Carol' and have great fun reading through the text to pick out Christmassy words to use and colouring the pages.

Festive Mrs Fox

I love little foxes and especially all the cute ones that have been around recently on stationery and clothes, so I designed one of my own. At first she was on some birthday cards but to make her more festive I've sat her next to a Christmas tree - each of which is unique. I've given her eyelashes to make her extra cute and think she's perfect to send to sisters, best friends, mums and daughters.

There are some urban foxes that I see sometimes in the early mornings wandering around behind my house which I always like to watch, but they're not as cute as these!

Christmas Russian Dolls

Anyone who's seen my bookshelves will know I have a thing about Russian Dolls. I can't even remember when I got my first set (and anyone who knows me will also know my memory isn't that great!) but I've always been fascinated with them. I love the patterns and colours which are so intricate and the stories that can be told with the images going down the dolls.

There's a continental market which visits Sheffield city centre a few times each year and there's a stall there that sells dolls from the Ukraine. I can't resist looking at them all and buying a set (and a brooch, and some Christmas decorations, and a magnet, and a jewellery box...well, you get the idea). I have a few sets of Christmas related ones too so thought it only natural to include Russian dolls in my cards. Again, each one is unique with a range of different colours and patterns available.

So, there are some of the inspirations behind my Christmas range of cards. I've also started work on decorations too and I'll share the story of those as the festive season gets closer (only 98 days til the big day!).

To help you get a head start preparing for Christmas and as a SPECIAL OFFER for blog readers, you can get 25% off all personalised Christmas cards in my Etsy shop until 30th September 2013.  Just use the code XMASBLOG25 at the checkout! Pink Flamingo Crafting on Etsy

My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - adorable characters from Madame Craig

Whilst browsing through my Facebook feed one day I was intrigued to see a little bear looking right back at me.  He was very cute and seemed to be inviting me to take a closer look (that's my excuse anyway for hunting out more adorable pictures!) and not wanting to disappoint such a sweet creature, I did. And I discovered a whole world of adorableness.

As usual, this post is in no way sponsored or influenced. The crafter featured is genuinely a favourite of mine; all quotes are the crafter's own and the opinions are mine. So, with this in mind this week's UK Crafter of the Week is...

Madame Craig 

As her name suggests, Madame Craig is indeed French. She has a background in architecture and up until 5 years ago work as a designer at an architecture practice in Scotland. Looking for a new career when the economic recession hit, Madame Craig (Rachel) trained as a teacher at a Waldorf School in Edinburgh and now teaches arts, crafts, architecture and technical drawing - hence the 'Madame'. She says the children and parents are her 'best clientele' and so thought Madame Craig was an appropriate name for her shop as this is how they know her! Rachel's needle felted work is inspired by her career where there is a strong element of creative play emphasised in childhood development and learning.

Wool Felted Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Madame Craig £80

Artistic expression and creative learning are key ideals within the teachings of a Waldorf education and Rachel's adorable characters certainly encourage this. I think the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story telling toys would encourage most children to use their imagination and be transported into the fairytale forest to act out the tale and learn about the actions and morals behind it. I used to be an English teacher myself and think this is a fantastic way, especially for young children, to explore stories and why they are important to our culture.

Maths Gnomes Educational Toys by Madame Craig £25

Even maths can be imaginative! (Sorry to all the mathematicians out there, I never found the subject interesting). These finger puppet gnomes are ideal for using poetry and story to encourage learning and would certainly helped me out as a youngster. Every parent knows that making learning fun is a great way to gets kids to develop with an open mind rather than the moans of 'boring' which can be heard all too often.

Needle Felted Fox by Madame Craig £23

Madame Craig's work is also appealing to adults and for decorative purposes too. This cute fox would make a lovely little ornament in your home.  Rachel found herself  'naturally attracted' by 'Waldorf crafts and colours' and you can clearly see why with the beautiful, bright orange on this fox. All her pieces are made by hand and mainly by needle felting. I think they'd also make gorgeous table decorations to create a themed scene for a special occasion (I love decorating tables!) and could even tempt the grown ups to use their imaginations too!

Waldorf Gnome Lantern Walk by Madame Craig £20

There are also seasonal characters available such as this gnome out for an autumnal walk as well as some irresistible The Snowman inspired creations for the winter. A great excuse to collect a few characters and change them around through out the year!

To see more of Madame Craig's work take a look here:

Etsy - Madame Craig

Facebook - Madame Craig

Back to School Stationery Fix!

I love stationery. I have so much of it - notebooks, pencils, novelty paper clips, staplers, folders, sticky notes... well, everything really! I've always associated September with new stationery from being a student buying school supplies to being a teacher stocking up on pretty things for the new academic year! And with back to school just around the corner, it's been on my mind again. So I thought I'd share some of my favourite finds and makes with you, kind of like therapy so I don't buy it all...

Novelty Animal Stationery

A category I can't resist...

1. Cute Bunny Hole Punch £3.50 Paperchase

2. Morris Memo Holder £10.00 John Lewis

3. Set of 7 Iwako Erasers £3.99 Artbox

4. Handmade Felt Animal Pencil Holders £4.50, Felt So Good Not On The High Street

5. Foxtrot Sticky Notes £5.00  Paperchase

6. Mini Zebra Stapler £3.14  Amazon

Notebooks

I can't get enough of them...

1. Sustainable A5 Notebook £2.50 Wilko

2. Moleskin Notebook £4.50  Alfamarama  Etsy

3. Lily Notebook Twin Pack £5.50 Katy Clemmans  Folksy

4. Flamingo Party Notebook £4.99 Nikki Strange Etsy

5. Polka Dot Pink Notebook £3.19  WHSmith

6. A4 Spiral Bound Notebook £5.00 Marks and Spencer

A Special Mention

I saw this in a window display when I was shopping in town and had to go in and look at it up close. It's now on my wishlist (I showed a lot of willpower not buying it straight away... I'm more in control of my stationery addiction now).

Suck UK Pencil Sharpener Desk Tidy £15.75 John Lewis

My Stationery Makes

As well as buying stationery I also like to adapt and make my own items. This stamp covered notebook was one I bought and decorated with some used postage stamps (another addiction, but that's another story). I sold some at craft fairs over the summer but made sure I kept one for myself too.

Using some of my stash of stamps to make a unique notebook

I was feeling creative one day last year and decided to try and make a notebook from scratch. I cut some blank white paper which I stuck together down the left hand side to make a 'spine' and then made a cover out of cardboard scoring a space for the note paper to fit in. Then I covered the outside of the front and back covers with paper which I folded and secured inside each cover and added some little owls as decoration.

Phew...now I've shared all that I don't feel like I'm missing out on back to school stationery anymore. This 'shopping' by collecting pictures is so much better for my bank balance (although that pencil sharpener desk tidy will be mine soon...)

I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to stationery if you'd like to see more  Feeding My Stationery Addiction

My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - handprinted gift wrap and gifts by Handmade and Heritage

While I was writing my post on gift wrapping earlier this week I was reminded of some beautiful hand printed gift wrap I'd seen before. So I looked back to where I found it and it's become part of the latest feature in my Favourite Crafters series. I love wrapping gifts (sometimes I buy extra gifts just as an excuse to try more wrapping ideas!) and finding beautiful ways to present items I've spent time finding for friends and family to make them extra special and thoughtful.

As usual, this post is in no way sponsored or influenced. The crafter featured is genuinely a favourite of mine; all quotes are the crafter's own and the opinions are mine. So, with this in mind this week's UK Crafter of the Week is...

Handmade and Heritage

As well as gift wrap, I also love birds (as anyone who's seen how my bedroom is decorated will tell you!) so I was intrigued when I first saw some brown paper gift wrap with owls printed on it. Looking into it to find more details, I discovered that the wrapping was in fact handprinted using lino printing and based on original drawings by Amiee, the creative talent behind Handmade and Heritage. I love that each piece is handmade and unique with slight variations because of the production technique and, as it's made to order, is made especially for you, the customer.

Barn Owl Rustic Gift Wrap, 3 sheets £6 Etsy

Amiee has an artistic background having studied fashion and clothing and working as a milliner. She was also inspired by her creative parents and their 'ability to make something out of nothing' which I love the idea of; it also reminds me of how Amiee's gift wrap is made to order so when you buy it is essentially 'nothing' waiting to be created! I think this makes it a truly personal and thoughtful choice as a way to share the present you've chosen for a loved one. She describes the creation of Handmade and Heritage as an ' evolution of many creative ideas over the years' inspired by and combined with a 'love of traditional craft, baking and gardening' into which she could 'incorporate my love of British nature and birds'. I love all these elements and think they truly come across in all her work. 

Hand printed brown paper gift bag, £2 Etsy

I've tried hand printing on brown paper before to make my own wrapping, but I'm not very neat and end up with smudges, inky hands and streaks all over the paper! I really admire the quality of Amiee's work and patience to hand print all her items. She describes it this way, 'there is something very calming about printing, I think its the repetitive nature of it', maybe I could learn something from this in my own crafting! Amiee turns her dining room table into her workshop in the evenings after her looking after her two young children but is 'hoping to have a studio space soon so I can claim my dining table back!'

Robin Red Breast Gift Wrap, 3 sheets £6 Etsy I think it would make great birthday or Christmas paper

As well as gift wrap, Amiee also creates embroidered gifts (perfect for having something to wrap up!) using her crafting experience from over the years. These include hand stitched bird buttons beautifully embroidered onto wool felt which make great accessories for clothes or making into unique jewellery or accessories. I love adding items like this and vintage brooches to my bags as I can change them to match my outfit, mood or the season. I think the button below would look lovely for the upcoming autumn months with its soft moss green and rusty orange. 

Hand Embroidered Chaffinch Bird Button £7 Etsy

I love the rustic, natural and traditional look of all of Amiee's work and if you'd like to discover more too you can find here in these places:

www.handmadeandheritage.etsy.com

  

www.facebook.com/HandmadeandHeritage

twitter.com/_H_and_H_

 

My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - Beautiful illustrations by Pocket Wren

It's time again for me to share with you another very talented UK crafter. I really love looking at everyone's work and admiring the imagination and effort that goes into creating it.  When I'm at a craft fair I can't help looking at everything and having a chat about the wonderful products (and buying lots too!); one advantage of looking on the internet is that I don't spend as much money as I know (or hope) it will be there later when my 'I want it! I want it!' inner voice has calmed down!

Anyway, this week's crafter is one I spotted a while ago but can't help going back to see her work. Again, this post is in no way sponsored or influenced, it features a crafter whose work I genuinely love. This week's pick is...

Pocket Wren

Pocket Wren is the working name of Helen Naylor, an illustrator based in Bolton. Her work caught my eye because it's so pretty and delicate with a lovely contemporary feel to it too. Helen's worked illustrating children's books before but now likes the chance to create something 'a bit more grown up'.

Great Tit A5 Black and white print £7 Etsy

In her range Helen turns her pen and ink drawings into prints, bags, badges and digital art. I love the cleanness of the images and the plain or pastel backgrounds keep a simple feel which really make the main feature stand out. Many of her designs incorporate birds and other animals which she attributes to her 'love of the outdoors' and growing up and living in both Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Take a Hike - Eco Friendly cotton tote shopping bag, £7 Etsy

Helen has a degree in Art and Design and uses these skills to design and hand draw all her own images.  Some of her work is available as prints produced digitally from these illustrations so that you can order the picture and frame or use it to match your own decor. I love this idea as it combines the talent of the artist with your own tastes to produce something for your home which really reflects you. The seagulls print below looks fresh and neat displayed in this frame and would look lovely in a lot of settings. But also imagine it mounted in a rustic wooden or driftwood frame to give it a coastal feel too; I think this is how I'd display it in my home.

Seagulls in the Waves Illustration £12 Etsy

Anyone who's ever taken a look in my jewellery box (only a privileged few) will have realised that I have a thing about animal brooches - the sparkly and brighter (some say gaudier) the better! But I also love simple and stylish pieces to wear on casual days or with outfits that just need a little something rather than a whole lot of bling! And this little blue tit badge fits the bill; it was also the first item of Helen's which caught my eye and went strait onto my Pinterest jewellery box.

Blue Tit Plastic Badge £3 Etsy

So if you're looking for some beautiful pictures for your home or a pretty accessory for yourself, Pocket Wren is a stylish place to start.

You can see Helen's work here:
www.pocketwren.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/HelenNaylorIllustration

My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - Children's Home Decor from Button Owl

One of my favourite things about being an online crafter is the crafting community.  Wherever I look, whoever I contact, whatever I want to find there are always loads of great products, advice and ideas from such friendly people. So I thought I’d put all that research (or being nosey) to good use by featuring one of my favourite UK crafters every week.  (That’s not to say I don’t like, or won’t feature crafters from other places!).

This post is in no way sponsored or influenced.  Each post will feature shops I've found myself and genuinely admire.  The opinions are my own, the quotes are from the crafter. Here's my first favourite...

Button Owl

I first came across Button Owl one day on Facebook.  There was an adorable picture from a craft stall with the cutest animal cushions. I made a comment that this was the type of stall I’d spend my money on before I’d made any when I do craft fairs (which often happens) and followed the links to the online shops.  And I fell in love with the cute creatures! 

The cute cushions that first caught my attention.  Jungle Friends set of 3 cushions £50 Button Owl

I contacted Roz McKenzie, the talented crafter behind Button Owl, about looking for a present (no more details though, just in case the recipient is reading!) and she quickly replied with details and a friendly message.  She also told me some more about herself and how she got started by being inspired by her mother’s dress making which Roz was involved with. This experience led her to studying at the Royal School of Needlework and learning ‘traditional embroidery techniques such as the Coronation gold embroidery which is placed on the Coronation robes when a King or Queen is Coronated’ and teaching embroidery too.

I can't resist a dinosaur! Applique T Shirt £12 Button Owl

After Roz ‘diverted for a while’ working in London, she decided to start making and creating again.  This was spurred on when she had her two daughters as she ‘couldn't ever find really unique items to place in their rooms’ so decided to make them herself – and this is when Button Owl was born. 

An adorable woodland garland with fairy lights. £26 Etsy

Roz’s online shops stock a variety of adorable, handmade and colourful characters in the form of cushions, wall hangings and appliqued t shirts as well as other clothes, hair accessories and soft furnishings for children. She loves working with felts as ‘they can be moulded to different shapes and are lovely and soft in beautiful varied colours’ which I think makes her animals all the more appealing. 

 How could any little boy or girl resist? Personalised London Bus Cushion £18 Etsy

I’ve featured some of my favourites here which I think make lovely presents for children (and adults – I’m not above having an animal cushion or two around the house!) but do have a look for yourself using the links below as there are too many to feature here and I’m sure you’ll find favourites of your own. 

I’ll leave the last word to Roz, which I think will resonate with many crafters out there, ‘I absolutely love the thought of people having and loving something so unique and personal which I've handmade.’

You can visit and shop with Button Owl here:

www.buttonowl.com

www.buttonowlboutique.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/buttonowlr