Lost in the Wood

Evie My, it's been a busy week (and a bit). Last Friday, I was fortunate to go to a session arranged by Helfa Gelf http://www.helfagelf.co.uk about marketing for artists. I learned quite a lot of useful things (which I hope to put into practice) and met some lovely artists whose work I definitely want to know more about. The day was facilitated by Jo Quinney, PR & marketing guru http://qmpr.co.uk/ who clearly knows her stuff, is very approachable and works a lot with artists/ creative types (her diplomacy and sense of humour must help a lot with this). Also, I've enjoyed a jaunt to visit the folks & friends in Edinburgh. As well as A LOT of relaxing in the greenhouse (then garden, sitting under the apple trees when it just got too hot), I've been gatecrashing a weavers guild AGM to hear an entertaining talk on adventures and textiles in rural India (with many fabrics ingeniously crammed into a tiny suitcase for our perusal); enjoying a fantastic belly dance ...

Red Riding Hood brooch by Miss Marple Makes I'm always thrilled when I sell my work and rest assured lovely buyers, the money goes towards new materials, occasionally to the dentist (ie for the small but expensive filling last week) and to another great by-product of buying from a local artist/shop, to other artists! While pretty things spied on the internet & in magazines etc are continually tempting, I feel that my purchases help, in a very modest way, to contribute to the local economy and supporting other makers & artists (it's a good justification I employ!). Apparently a fairly high percentage of handmade items are bought by other designer/makers, which does make some sense. I'd like to share with you three lovely jewellery items I've bought recently, all by local makers in North Wales (their products are available on-line too though for you more urban/ Non-Wales types). I've been fans of all of them for some time and much coveting of their produ...

Fairly brief blog post today, just long enough to hint at silly summer crochet/ fun collaborative projects that are on the go. Above, Sootica, (the crazier of the two moggies with ears reminiscent of weird old cartoon 'Bat Fink') helpfully models my new stuffed crochet arrow. It's destiny awaits as a promo/ marketing tool for the next Caernarfon craft fair (Galeri, Sat 6th July) along with other colourful woolly things made by Little Miss Jones. Watch out for these! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crefft-Cyfoes-Caernarfon The pattern was made up as I went along and I was quite surprised & most pleased that it worked out so well. Think it might make amusing little cushions so may make a few although there's a very real danger of getting very side tracked. It was so enjoyable to be sitting outside in the sun crocheting, a real novelty that I got instantly hooked on (pun slightly intended). Also this week, I went along to a knitting group in 'The Heights...

It's been a busy week filled with Welsh exams, making felty bees, wrangling with writing an artist's statement (which isn't pretentious) and enjoying this glorious sunshine (new garden chairs purchased, BBQ had, wandering round town with delicious ice cream and glasses of prosecco in the garden, all very lovely). Firstly the exams, it's taken me about 4 years of living in North Wales to get round to taking Welsh language lessons but now I finally have embarked on it, I'm finding it very rewarding and far more fun than I'd expected. Four hours a week over two night classes doesn't, I realise,  sound very compelling but it's turned out to be a lovely, lively and supportive group. There's no denying that it seems a tricky language and it's taken me from last September to get my head around the fact that Caernarfon is sometimes said 'Gaernarfon'  and other times 'yng Nghaerfon' depending on the initially bewildering use of mutati...

Mmmm, bit quiet at yesterday's craft fair @ Galeri (Caernarfon), must have been something very exciting happening somewhere else! It's a shame (although am very much in favour of exciting things happening as a general rule) as it's  a lovely venue with fab crafters,  we just need to work at enticing more people down this way, a  strategy we'll be putting our minds & crafting hands to before the next one on 6th July.    For this fair I brought a few new friends with me including Hector, the big bunny with a slight air of sadness about him, little bunnies Mille & Leo (on his racy lime shield) and the two rival crochet squirrel heads, as well as a new range of fruits in jars (they look good on a Welsh dresser, preferably nestled next to a rack of crochet toast as in my little cottage). Rather sadly, the thing that I really enjoyed making for the fair was a jar of crochet leeches. Although almost anything can be found online, there were no patterns fo...