What a wonderful WASPS weekend

I should be heading for my bed (it's been a very busy weekend), but while I'm still buzzing from the WASPS open studio in Selkirk this weekend I thought I better let anyone that couldn't make it know what they missed out on!!

This was my display (above) within the communal space that is inside the industrial unit that Wasps occupies in Selkirk, to keep it in line with the other artwork being showcased (which is mainly framed artworks) I kept it sleek and simple and tried to display my tea-towels like works of art instead of kitchen linen. I took a few orders for my tea-towels over the event, which is great, and will be busy busy over the next week fulfilling those orders.

Here is a sneek-peek into my working space where all the magic (!) happens, it's looking very clean and tidy which has to be said isn't a common occurence...especially when it comes to the way I work!

This is a picture of the wonderful activities which were on offer for kids and adults alike, everyone went away very sparkly. Overall there was over 500 people through the doors which was an amazing turn out and it was great to see loads of familiar faces (as well as meeting some wonderful new people too). Thank you to all those that could make it along, it's great to know that WASPS is supported throughout the local community! There was great performances from two local folk bands and plenty of yummy cakes too which altogether combined to create a fantastic weekend, I'm now going to sleep for a week!

Arrows at the ready...

What a busy month September has been so far...my feet have hardly touched the ground. The weather has been a bit up and down of late but just over a week ago the sun shone for the annual Archery Competition happening at Abbotsford House (home of Sir Walter Scott) near Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. As well as the usual bows and arrows flying about there was a lovely little craft fair taking place which I took part in.

As well as my usual bits and pieces, I've just recently finished an old/new design (old as it was originally for digital, new because it's now on screen), which I have been using on tea towels in duck egg blue above (it's the birdcages). More of the tea towels along with a whole host of other bits and pieces will be making their way to Pushing Print in Margate at the end of this month...check out www.qingart.co.uk News and Events for more information on that or check back to my blog in the next few days for a separate blog all about it!

I also had to include a picture of the fantastic birdie pegs one of my sisters brought back from France while she was on her travels...they will be making theie rounds to all the other fairs I'm doing in coming months because as well as looking cool they also come in extremely handy!

And just to finish, one of the towers on Abbotsford House with it's Scottish Flag flying, it looks like an ugly grey cloud is gathering behind but it stayed dry all day, just the way I like to exhibit my work!

Harestanes Craft Fair

I may have moved away from a lovely studio space located at Harestanes just under two months ago now for pastures larger (!), but I was recently invited back to take part in a small craft fair the centre was organising, showcasing a range of crafts people from across the Borders. The weather has been so changable of late, so it was a nice surprise for the sun to make a guest appearance for the Sunday afternoon event.

It's great to be able to get involved with the local craft community scene and small events such as this are a great way of doing so. I just had a few smaller pieces on offer such as greeting cards, purses and tea-towels, but everything was still hand-screen-printed by my own two fair hands!

I shared the space with another fantastic screen-printer who is based over in Selkirk, where my new studio is. Her name is Gina Tebbutt and her attention to detail is spot on with a lovely mix of quirky owls and florals mixed in with some beautiful interpretations of the local borders region which whe creates into greeting cards and framed prints with canvas bags thrown in for good measure.

Me and Gina are hoping to do fairs together in the future as the work really sits nicely together, we both have a passion for screen-printing and want to sell it to the masses! I'm hoping to be taking part in a small craft fair at Abbotsford in the near future, so stay tuned for more information on that one.

Taking Time: Craft a Slow Revolution, Edinburgh

I was invited to a special event in Edinburgh on March 10th to view an exhibition on Craft and listen to a couple of speakers talking about their practises and the current exhibition taking place at the Dovecot Studios above. It was an event for all craft-makers who had received funding from several different Scottish funding boards over the past year. I received funding last year from CABN (Creative Arts and Business Network) to attend a fantastic conference in Holland run by the Surface Design Association http://www.surfacedesign.org/. It gave me the chance to meet several international surface designers as well as attend lectures, seminars and exhibitions all related to my field.

The exhibition itself Taking Time: Craft the Slow Revolution had a diverse range of work from textiles to digital, wood work to jewellery. My favourite has to be the ceramics (above) by Paul Scott and Ann Linneman, this one is named Tree in a Vegatable Patch. I'm always drawn to craft that I've never tried myself and I just love the saucers which can hold a piece of cake too!

Made by Hand, Wales

This week is an exciting week, I've been accepted to do Made by Hand in Wales at Christmas, I'm going to be a very busy bee! Made by Hand is an off-shoot of The Contemporary Craft Fair held every June in Bovey Tracey down in Devon...that's a little far for me to travel. There will be a great selection of craft from across lots of different disciplines including textiles, glass, ceramics, wood etc etc. I'll fill you in with more details when I know them. Check out www.madebyhand-wales.co.uk for more information.