http://paperbeadsinspiration.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/selling-in-real-shop-what-to-look-out.html
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Saturday, 27 June 2015
Selling your crafts
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
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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.
I have a strong desire to produce my best work yet, so I keep going.
Even though a lot of his art is quite different from what I do I am inspired by Dali
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 :)
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.
Haha, I pretend it's exactly how I wanted it to be in the first place.
I am painting full time.
Do you recycle?
No I don't
I can't say it does.
Blue
Not at all really.
Do you have a favourite subject?
My favourite subjects are tigers.
I sell on-line and at craft fairs.
What is the most unusual/furthest place your items have gone?
The furthest is Ireland.
Pricing is very hard.
I haven't.
A single rose on a black background. I like roses, here are some more:
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Same as it does nowadays, exciting and nerve wrecking, but very, very pleasurable.
Housework.
Yes, my mother is a painter and my daughter draws.
Show us some of your work
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Spotlight on Zosia Krasnowolska
What
is your
business called?
It is called Otulina.
Here is our business card:
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:
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?
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.
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,
How did you come up with your business name?
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 get “artist block”?
I do occasionally.
What do you do to get out of an “artist 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:
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 they “help”?
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.
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
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 get “artist block”?
I do occasionally.
What do you do to get out of an “artist 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.
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 they “help”?
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?
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