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Sunday 28 June 2015

Selling your crafts II



http://paperbeadsinspiration.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/selling-in-real-shop-what-to-look-out.html

Saturday 27 June 2015

Selling your crafts

Ever asked yourself when you are ready to sell your wares?  What do you need to do.  Just a few points in this blog:

http://paperbeadsinspiration.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/selling-arts-and-crafts-when-are-you.html

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Spotlight on Hayley Huckson


Spotlight on Hayley Huckson
Nice to meet you, Hayley




Tell us where you are based 
I am based in the Vale of Glamorgan
        
What is your craft?
I am an artist as, I paint and draw in various mediums, from
oil paints to pastels
     
Where do you craft? 
I work from home.

     
How long have you been crafting? 
I have only been painting professionally for a year, I have been painting and drawing for much longer.


What other crafts/skill do you have?
I like to do cross stitch too.
   
Have you got any special qualifications or are you self- taught? 
No qualifications, totally self taught. I actually flunked my 
O-level art exam. 
   
What inspires you?
I love the contrast of light and shade and I want to capture it. 

Do you ever get “artist block”?  
No, I do have "rubbish" days where things don't go the way I       want but I plough through them, keep paining even if it is rubbish and just return to it the next day and re-do it.

    

What keeps you going?
I have a strong desire to produce my best work yet, so I keep going. 

What others artists inspire you?
Even though a lot of his art is quite different from what I do I am inspired by Dali


Do you listen to music while you work?  
No, I tried classical music but it's like watching a film where there is a constant car chase and I got all anxious- I have silence now :)

Where do you sell/exhibit? 
You can find me  on:
Red  Dragon Centre in Cardiff 
And at the Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival

What is your all-time favourite creation?
My favourite is a tiger painting I did some time ago, now sadly sold.

What do you do if something you make doesn't turn out how you envisaged it?  
Haha, I pretend it's exactly how I wanted it to be in the first place. 

Do you do this full-time, part-time or just as an hobby?
I am painting full time.

Do you recycle?
No I don't


Does the Welsh landscape/Culture inspire you? 
I can't say it does.

What is your favourite colour?
Blue

Does it feature a lot in your work?
Not at all really.

Do you have a favourite subject? 
My favourite subjects  are tigers.

Where do you sell?
I sell on-line and at craft fairs.

What is the most unusual/furthest place your items have gone?
The furthest is Ireland.

Do you think you value your work enough- do you find pricing hard?
 Pricing is very hard. 

Do you get together with fellow artists?
I haven't.

What was the first thing you sold?
A single rose on a black background. I like roses, here are some more: 



Do you remember what it felt like?
Same as it does nowadays, exciting and nerve wrecking, but very, very pleasurable.

What gets in the way of your artistic endeavours?
Housework.

Anyone else in your family or a close friend who enjoys crafting?
Yes, my mother is a painter and my daughter draws.

Any other links you like us to look you up?
 
Show us some of your work 






Sunday 16 June 2013

Spotlight on Zosia Krasnowolska


 Hello Zosia

What is your business called?  
It is called Otulina.


Here is our business card:




How did you come up with your business name? 
My friend, a poet, came up with it. We called it "Otulina", which is a bit similar to the Welsh word "cwtch" - the Polish words that it's derived from have very nice connotations - "tulić" means to cuddle, and "otulić" means to tuck somebody in, to cover them with something warm. "Otulina" also means "insulation" or "an area of forest protecting a natural reserve".

Where are you based?
I am based in Abertillery, Gwent.
What is your craft?
Felt-making.

Where do you craft?  
I craft in a very messy non-photogenic room.

How long have you been crafting?
Since November last year. 

What other crafts/skill do you have?
Some knitting skills- I like making oversize scarves, like the one in the photo above.  I also like analogue photography.

Have you got any special qualifications or are you self- taught?
I have been taught by a self taught friend :-)

What inspires you?
Nature, photographs and films, any colours that I see around me in a given moment. Here’s an example of a pouch I made watching a Pedro Almodovar film:


Do you ever get “artist block”?  
Every week!

What do you do to get out of an “artist block”?  
Ignore it.

What keeps you going? 
A mixture of boredom, wish to express myself and curiosity.

What others artists inspire you? 
My friend Helena, any felt-maker I can spot and some painters and photographers as well. I’d love to recreate a Joan Miro painting in felt one day.

Do you listen to music while you work? 
Sometimes. I often watch films.

What music do you listen to? 
Depends on my mood, mostly folk and rock.

Where do you sell/exhibit?
I've recently started going to local craft fairs, here is a photo from my stall at Ty Ebbw Fach in Six Bells:

 
I exhibit on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/otulinadesign that I share with my friend Helena, who taught me how to felt. She also makes some amazing hand-beaded jewellery. I’ve just set up my Etsy page as well: http://www.etsy.com/shop/otulina

 
What gets your creative juices going? 
Nature:



What is your all-time favourite creation? 
A shawl whose design I based on photos from the Hubble Space Telescope:




What do you do if something you make doesn't turn out how you envisaged it?
Either take it apart and start again or leave it on the side for a while and wait for better ideas.


Do you do this full-time, part-time or just as an hobby?

Part-time, hoping to turn it into something more serious one day – but at the same time I realise it’d be close to impossible to make enough money just on felt-making (considering how long it takes me to complete one piece).

Do you recycle? 
I do, and try to get recycled materials from others.

Do you use materials made by other artists?   
Yes, I recently got some great threads from a fellow felt-maker Christina and used them in a glasses case:


Does the Welsh landscape/Culture inspire you?
I'd like to make a shawl based on some views from South Wales.

What is your favourite colour? 
Almost impossible to tell – maybe blue?

Does it feature a lot in your work? 
Hmm, not really... I love mixing lots of colours.

Do you have a favourite subject? 
I like abstract subjects the most.

Do you have any pets? 
I’d love to have one but unfortunately I don’t.

Where have your items been sold to? 
I have sold to private people at craft fairs.

What is the most unusual/furthest place your items have gone? Nothing unusual so far – but I helped get my friend’s shawl from Poland through Italy to New Zealand.

Do you think you value your work enough- do you find pricing hard?
I find it incredibly hard, I'm worried about overpricing, but on the other hand it costs me so much time and energy that I'd like my prices to be fair to me as well.

What was the first thing you sold? 
A black and yellow shawl with a yellow rose design:





Do you remember what it felt like? 
Great! I was really proud of myself.

What gets in the way of your artistic endeavours? 
Laziness and everyday worries.

What is your favourite tool? 
Wool.

Anyone else in your family or a close friend who enjoys crafting? My mum used to knit a lot and she’s great at sewing and embroidery. My grandmother used to make embroidered tablecloths.

Any other links you like us to look you up?  
A mention on a blog by Julie Barnett (it’s an answer to Julie’s appeal to crafters, so not sure it counts ;-)

http://julzcrafts.wordpress.com/



Show us some of your work in progress   
A recently made shawl under construction :-)




 and here it is finished:



Anything else you want to share?
A nuno-felted scarf on a piece of silk with an exotic flower pattern, inspired by the colours of Yellow Submarine :-)




 



A photo from a felting workshop I ran with my Otulina friend Helena (she’s the short-haired person in the middle, I’m the one in a yellow shawl on the right)





 
My tags, designed by me and my boyfriend:



 








 









 










 

 







Wednesday 12 June 2013

Spotlight on Clare Nicholls

Hello Clare Nicholls,
 


What is your business called?  
It is called "Raggedy Lils"



How did you come up with your business name? 
I use lots of up-cycled fabrics (rags) and named after my eldest child Lilly.

Where are you based?  
I am based in Cardiff.

What is your craft?  
Handcrafted home decor.







Where do you craft?
From my kitchen table!

How long have you been crafting?  
I have enjoyed crafting from an early age.

If you specialise when did you start?  
Raggedy Lils started in October 2012

What other crafts/skill do you have?  
I also like to draw portraits with black pencil on white canvas

Have you got any special qualifications or are you self- taught? I have a GCSE and A-Level in Art and Design.

What inspires you? My children do all the time.

Do you ever getartist block?  
I do occasionally.

What do you do to get out of anartist block?  
I take a break and come back later when I can look at things with a fresh eye.

What keeps you going? 
Proving to myself that I can be a success in what I do and show my children that you need to put in hard work to get what you want in life and that you are the only one that can change what happens.

What others artists inspire you?  
I particularly like Cath Kidston and Laura Ashley if I was to list a mainstream company similar to mine, otherwise other crafters that are also mums that juggle working from home with parenthood.
Do you listen to music while you work?  
Yes I do sometimes.

What music do you listen to? /;.
I like a bit of Michael Buble and Magic radio.

Where do you sell/exhibit? 
Mostly at local craft fairs, but you can find me on-line too.





What material gets your creative juices going? 
I love making cushions from upcycled shirts.

 
Do you have an all-time favourite creation?  
Yes, I love this one:


We all have times when you do something  and it doesn't turn out how you envisaged it. What do you do?  
Don't panic, just adapt it into something that does work.

Do you do this full-time, part-time or just as an hobby?  
I work at it almost full time now.

Silly question, do you recycle?  
Yes, I recycle a lot.

Do you use materials made by other artists? 
No, not really.

Does the Welsh landscape/Culture inspire you?  
As of yet I have not incorporated the Welsh theme.

What is your favourite colour?  
I love pink!


Does it feature a lot in your work? 
Yes it certainly does!

Do you have a favourite subject?  
My favourite thing that I make is cushions.

Do you have any pets? Do theyhelp?  
Yes, but no. I have a cat called Treacle, but I don't think he likes my work and stays away. He particularly doesn't like my sewing machine.

Where have your items been sold to?  
I have sold in Craft fairs, on Folksy,  via Facebook,  and to family and friends.
What is the most unusual/furthest place your items have gone? The furthest place I have sold to so far is England. 

Do you think you value your work enough- do you find pricing hard?  
I do not price too high to ensure the item gets sold, so probably undervalued in terms of time spent creating the item

Do you get together with fellow artists?  Yes I do so occasionally.

What was the first thing you sold?  
A rag wreath.

Do you remember what it felt like? 
I was elated!

What is your biggest bargain in connection with your craft?  
Fabric from curtains and sheets that gets passed my way by friends.

What gets in the way of your artistic endeavours? 
Lack of time, I could do with more hours in the day.

What is your favourite tool?  
My sewing machine

Anyone else in your family or a close friend who enjoys crafting? No, no one else crafts.

Any other links you like us to look you up?  
A blog can be found on my website

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Spotlight on Hannelore Cossins

 

 Hi, I am Hannelore Cossins 

What is your business called? 
It's  called Astrid's Garden.

 How did you come up with your business name? 
I lost my baby daughter in 2008 and I named the busines after her.  There is a real Astrid's Garden, it is a secluded bit in my garden where I can sit and relax. 
  
Where are you based?  
I am in Temple Bar, not far from Lampeter

What is your craft? 
I have many, I paint, make jewellery with many different media and I love crochet, knitting and sewing, but I am constantly trying out new things and skills.



Where do you craft? 
I have my main crafting area in the conservatory, but I often just sit in my chair in the livingroom to crochet or to sew and embroider little felt things.
My very messy work table

How long have you been crafting? 
I have been crafting from when I was little. My mum was always making something, whether it was knitting or sewing and I automatically ended up doing stuff with her. I can remember knitting and sewing a complete wardrobe for one of my dolls when I was 9.
  
If you specialise when did you start?
I keep doing different things. I did art and design in school and I did a bit of jewellery for that but I only started seriously designing and making jewellery in 2010. But I still learn new skills and techniques.

What other crafts/skill do you have?
I mentioned painting, knotting crochet and sewing. I also like to play my saxophone (badly) and I like making teaching aids for dyslexic children. I also love my camera.

Have you got any special qualifications or are you self- taught?
Apart from the art and design I did in school I have no formal qualifications.

What inspires you?
Colours, nature other peoples work.

Do you ever getartist block?
All the time. Because I have a big family the housework piles up and then my mojo runs away.

What do you do to get out of anartist block?
Get some housework out of the way and look through craft books, on pinterest and on some lovely Facebook pages. 

What keeps you going?
I keep going because if I didn't life would get on top of me and I would get rather narky.
What others artists inspire you? I  love the felt work from Ali Scott
love painters like Vincent van Gogh  and the Art Deco artists.
Do you listen to music while you work? 
Often.

What music do you listen to?
I love allsorts. I like jazz, rock and classical.

Where do you sell/exhibit?
I sell online, in my Etsy shop and on my website and I sell in local Fairs.
This is a stall at the Llanrhystyd Fair I shared with Milly Rees .
 I also sell some of my jewellery in Funki Blue in Aberystwyth


 What material gets your creative juices going?
Lots of things but at the moment any wool.
 
What is your all-time favourite creation?
It changes but at the moment this:
 
What do you do if something you make doesn't turn out how you envisaged it?
I put it to one side and after a while I will look at it again. Sometimes I see what I can do to make it work and other times I take it apart and recycle the materials.  

Do you do this full-time, part-time or just as an hobby? 
I do it part time at the moment

Do you recycle?
Yes I do. I recycle materials as I don't like waste and I hate to throw stuff out. I also reuse fabrics etc to make new beautiful things.
Recycled denim necklace
 Do you use materials made by other artists?
Often. I use wool rovings for my felt making, wool for knitting etc and lampwork beads.

Does the Welsh landscape/Culture inspire you?
It does, but I have yet to put some of that inspiration into actual pieces.

What is your favourite colour?
Blues and turquoises

Does it feature a lot in your work?
It does, but I try and make sure I make things in all sorts of colours 

Do you have a favourite subject?
Not really.

Do you have any pets? Do theyhelp? 
I do, I have several cats and a rescued greyhound. My daughter's chihuahua lives with us too. They hinder more than help, but I wouldn't be without them.

Did you have new supplies? I will check them out!
 Where have your items been sold to?
I have sold miniature paintings to America, Canada and Belgium and my jewellery has gone all over the place.
  
Do you think you value your work enough- do you find pricing hard?
Pricing is the hardest thing. If you were to price things for the number of hours put in they would be too expensive but finding the middle way is very hard. 

Do you get together with fellow artists?
I would love to, but so far I haven't.
  
Have you collaborated with other artists? 
I have joined a beadsoup challenge, where I send some of my beads off to another artist and somone else send me theirs. It reallychallenges you to work with materials that maybe you wouldn't normally have chosen. 

What was the first thing you sold?
I sold a pencil portrait when I was twelve. The first thing I sold since I opened Astrid's Garden was a pair of royal blue felt earrings.

Do you remember what it felt like?
I was hugely excited, it meant so much to me that someone found my creations nice enough to buy. 

What is your biggest bargain in connection with your craft?
I got a huge stack of wallpaper sample books for free. I have made quite a lot of jewellery out of them but I still have tons left.

What gets in the way of your artistic endeavours?
Life  

What is your favourite tool?
Hmmm that is a difficult question. At the moment my crochet hook, but ask me tomorrow and it may be something completely different.


Anyone else in your family or a close friend who enjoys crafting?
I am trying to get my kids involved, they all have some creative outlet or another. I have a sister and brother in law who paint and my dad used to work in pastels.

Are you on Pinterest, Tumblr or other site?
Yes you can find me on Pinterest, Tumblr and Facebook

Any other links you like us to look you up?
You can follow my blog "Paper, beads and inspiration"


Show us some of your work in progress.


I still need to add crocheted flowers to these bags.


Anything else you want to share?
Yes, if you have a craft skill, share it, if not go get one it is a brilliant thing to do.