Crafting for Christmas - 2013 Trends

I know it's still summer but it's already been Christmas in July (on Etsy); festive fairs are being booked; and shops are buying in seasonal stock. And seasoned crafters know now's the time to get organised for 2 reasons:

1.  Being prepared and stocked up for the end of year rush;
2. Christmas crafting is so much fun!

I've already started making cards, tags, gift bags, decorations (...and it's getting a bit addictive!) and looking around for inspiration and trends for 2013.  These are some that have been influencing my work, and maybe your work too...

All the photos are the 'prototypes' of my cards with materials I've been using to match the themes. 

Fantasy Forests

Take inspiration from nature and delicate winter colours and mix it with glitter and imagination!

Think...  glittering trees; silver pine cones and acorns; delicate fabrics; reindeer and forest creatures; pastel tones; natural; playful; lace; shimmering textures; glass.

How I'll be using it... spraying and painting pine cones in metallics, I used to do this when I was little and hang them on the Christmas tree; foxes and reindeer on Christmas cards; using lace instead of ribbon to wrap presents and tying acorns in with the bows.

Luxury and opulence 

Treat yourself at this special time of year, especially if you've had to cut back on other things throughout 2013. Indulge in the little luxuries of Christmas. 

Think... spoiling yourself; velvet and silk; gold and precious metals; jewels; rich colours such as emerald, aubergine and pomegranate; groups of ornaments; luxurious details; satin and organza ribbon and bows.

How I'll be using it... velvet ribbon as boarders on cards and for tying gift tags; 'jewels' stuck along the top of gift bags using deep, rich coloured paper; gold thread to hang luxurious decorations for the tree; using deep coloured silk papers to make favour boxes and table confetti for the Christmas dinner table.

Traditional with a Scandinavian twist

Use the traditional symbols of Christmas and give them a fresh look with lots of red and white.

Think... Father Christmas; reindeer; Christmas trees; red and white; natural colours; traditions; felt and wool; stockings; snowflakes; red bows; cross stitch; sleigh rides.

How I'll be using it... cute Father Christmas and reindeer felt decorations to hang from door handles; red and white patterned gift boxes with big red bows; wool in natural colours to attach gift tags; paper snowflake garlands; red, white and green fabric heart garlands.


Writing this just makes me want to craft even more...better get some extra Christmas fairs booked so I'll 'need' to craft. I'd love to see your work too so feel free to share!


I have a Pinterest board with Christmas 2013 inspiration too if you're interested...

10 tips for your first craft fair

I've always loved going to craft fairs and seeing all the wonderful, handmade and unique products on offer.  I often thought how lovely it must be to create and sell, but I never thought I was the person who'd do it.  But then I thought 'why not?', researched some local fairs, and found myself selling.

I did lots of research (an excuse to do a few hours of web browsing!) and got myself prepared.  But there's nothing like experience, and these are some tips I thought first time craft fair sellers might be interested in based on my own first few stalls.
 

My very first craft stall!

My Top Ten Tips for First Time Fairs

1.  Think about the image you want to create for your brand and plan your layout keeping this in mind. Think about colours, where items are placed, which products you'll give most room to and what you'll display it on. For example, I use lots of shoe boxes covered in old book pages to go with my upcycling theme which lots of people have commented on.

2.  Take plenty of change, I was surprised by how many people paid with notes for small priced items.

3.  Think about which of your items might fall over, get knocked down or if you're outside could get blown about. Then take things to stop this happening - blu-tack, weights, pegs, string. For instance, I have paper gift bags stood up and put a few coins in a plastic bag inside them to weigh them down outside - which was very useful and much needed! (Thank you to Jackie for making me think about this!)

4. Take contact cards, lots of people take these if they like your work and might be in touch later.

5. Make clear pricing signs and stickers, sometimes people don't like to ask.

I made price signs to clearly show how much items were.  I added some info to some too explaining how the items were made.

6. If you need to, have explanation signs as well to explain a term or process.  For example, I always have a sign somewhere explaining what upcycling means.

7.  Make sure you know what is and isn't provided - do you need to take tables, chairs, table coverings, parking permits for a free parking space? Ever fair I've been to has been different.

8.  Give yourself plenty of time to set up until you get used to how long it takes.  You don't want to start the fair looking flustered!

9.  Experiment with different layouts and products to see which are most popular and take more of those to your next fair.  Keep doing it to see which works best.

10. Take a note book and pen.  Write down what sells so you can remember what's popular and what to take if you do the same or a similar event again.  It's also useful for noting down and useful information other stall holders and customers give you - I've been given ideas on shops that might sell my items; business networks; websites; useful people to get in touch with.

If you're reading this and planning your first fair, I hope it's been useful - and good luck!

Uniquely Upcycled - Summer Craft Fair at Elsecar Heritage Centre

I love to craft using whatever I can find, whether that's in a craft shop, second hand shop or, well, just something laying around! I make and sell a mix of new and upcycled items and one question I always get asked is 'What is upcycling?' Simply put, it's reusing something that's served its purpose and uping its value in some way; this could be in terms of money, usefulness or decoration. Got an old book that's been scribbled in? Use the pictures for gift tags.  Got a load of used postage stamps? Decorate a notebook. Today I had a stall at Elsecar Heritage Centre and decided to dedicate it all to upcycling.

It's amazing what you can do with goods past their best or intended use. There are loads of great ideas on the internet and I've added some links to my favourites below.  This is something I've always done, but I've only recently found that upcycling is what it's called!

Some of my favourite things to make are greeting cards, gift bags and gift tags like the ones on my stall today.  I'll always find something to make, I even upcycled the displays.  I covered shoe boxes with pages from a falling to pieces dictionary to act as 'shelves'; covered box lids with maps and music sheets to make little stands; and made price signs by cutting letters out of books and sticking them together to make words.

I had some lovely comments (thank you!) from customers and visitors to the fair who loved the uniqueness and creativity of my stall as well as liking the idea of things not being wasted and finding a new life. I also loved the feedback that people hadn't seen anything like this before and it's not what they usually find at craft fairs - I love the idea of creating something different.

The fair itself had a great choice of crafts and stalls ranging from cupcakes to cardigans, chairs to chutneys and candles to crocheted owls (lots of talented crafters here in Yorkshire!) If you're ever near the Heritage Centre when there's a fair on do call in, they're always full of interesting things.  In fact there's one next Sunday 28th July that's vintage and craft...and I have a stall there too!

So, now more people know about upcycling.  And hopefully some are inspired to try it too!

If you want to see more about upcycling, take a look at these sites:
http://twistedsifter.com/2012/06/creative-ways-to-repurpose-reuse-and-upcycle-old-things/
http://upcycledtreasures.com/
http://www.upcyclemagazine.com
http://www.commonground-do.com/
This post was kindly shared on Common Ground's linky party.  Have a look at the site as there are other upcycling ideas there too!

Hello!

This is my first post on my first blog.  Phew! I feel like I've broken the ice now, so welcome!

I love crafting, creating and sharing ideas and that's what I want to do with this blog.  My intention is to share my crafty goings on, inspirations, other crafters' work, products, information and, well, anything I think people will be interested in.

Feel free to visit me regularly for updates and articles, and share with your friends.