Top 10 - Summer Seasonal Craft Trends

I was thinking back to my earlier post about the Top 10 Crafting Trends for 2014 - now I think it's time for an update with the latest ideas I have seen out and about!

1. Jewel Colours - rich and warm, these colours never seem to go out of fashion.  Check out Radiant Orchid which is Pantone's colour of the year - beautiful!  I have some beautiful wool in these kind of shades in my stash which I bought at great expense - hand dyed and spun by a very talented lady in Essex.  I have a pattern to make a shawl with it, but I think Mum wants me to make it for her - hmm...

2. Free Motion Embroidery - this is everywhere now - check out courses at The Makery in Bath - it's very addictive, as Kirstie Allsopp always testifies on her shows...

3. Opulent fabrics - this silk cushion from good ol' Marks & Spencer is a joy to behold.  It reminds me of the beautiful Mulberry coloured silk which Mum bought me - I will use it, but it's so fine (1ply but knits as 4ply) I'm not sure what to make with it.  I have 600m of it to use so any ideas would be gratefully received.  Of course, I could always look on the fabulous Ravelry advanced pattern search...

4. Scandi - the pared-down, cool-as-you-like Scandinavian influences can be seen everywhere.  My most beloved of shops, John Lewis, has a fabulous palette of neutrals with a twist - from furniture to little trinkets of loveliness!

5. Seaside - tying in with the Scandi theme, I wish that I had taken out shares in Tilda - her latest book has plenty of ideas for lovely sea-inspired themes.  And Mum made this lovely piece of bunting inspired by the beach huts along the seafront in Worthing where I grew up (at the top of this shot)...

6. Amigurumi - love 'em or hate 'em, they're still around...  Personally I love amigurumi (Japanese for knitted / crocheted stuffed toy) but I have only just started making them.  These little Friendly Monsters derived from this design by Alison Hoffman - the variations are endless!

7. Needle Felting - this has taken off out of nowhere it seems, but is so beautiful and can be very realistic - check out my Pinterest board.  I'm waiting to do a course on this but have bought a kit to try for Mum and I when we get a chance to get together.

8. Hessian - my friend Emma at Young at Heart uses it to great effect in her wedding and gift ideas - from personalised bunting to wreaths and even blinds!

9. T-Shirt Yarn - I must admit to being desperate to try this - yarn made from offcuts of garments - I've seen several projects in my magazines - hopefully I will get the chance to try some Hooked Zpaghetti!

10. Cats - OK I admit to being a mad cat lady, but I am seeing a lot of cats around at the moment. These cat cushions from Marks & Spencer are super-cute!  And this notebook from mypipsqueak on Etsy is adorable.  I want one.  Now.

And if that wasn't enough, my delightful feline companion Ella has been getting up to high jinks here, there and everywhere.

Found somewhere to sleep.

Comfy.

What!?  I'm not allowed to sleep in your bags bag?

Unfair.







Woh!  Extreme close-up!

What is my mummy doing?

Are you sure I'm not allowed in here?

I'm growing a new type of pet/vegetable. 

It's called a Catato. 

It grows in a sack, just like this one. 

One the one hand it is healthy and delicious; on the other hand lively and talkative, if a little naughty...



Well that's all for now - I'm going to rescue Ella from the windowsill now where she is looking distinctly grumpy.  Happy crafting!

Lou x

Different Audiences, Different Stock!

Good morning all!

Apologies for another long break - the weeks sometimes seem to slip away without me seeming to achieve very much (except for working full-time, gardening and dealing with a poorly cat...)

When I started my business I was full of ideas about what I would and wouldn't do - isn't it amazing how things change once you get into the swing of things...  I had only two rules, that I would not do any local Fairs or any School Fetes etc. as I didn't think they fitted with my business...  I live in an area that's not very craft-orientated and felt that these would be a waste of time and effort!

Needless to say I've broken both of these rules - my first Fair was a local Christmas Fair in December and I made the best profit so far!  The smaller items especially my Christmas Puds with a choccie hidden inside went down a treat...

And this week I have broken the other rule and attended a nearby School Fair as I had a lovely email from someone inviting me, the stall cost was very low and I had some small things to sell which I thought may go down well.  

These monsters (for more details see my products page) are by a pattern from Alison Hoffman - she is amazing!  I only had time to make three, but they got a lot of attention from the kids.

It got me thinking about my future plans and also how I could focus my stock on different audiences.  I now have a wide range of products, from very simple and small items, to more elaborate and expensive items.  So why not tailor each Fair or Fete to the stock that I have?

This picture perhaps illustrates my previous mish-mash attitude to fairs.  On the left / back are my very intricate Japanese Origami-style bags and on the front / right are some little Easter Egg baskets and Tulle Favours with choccies inside.

Yesterday I took everything with me as the car was parked very near, and set out as much of my stock as I could.  Some things I decided to put back into the car and others I made more prominent - the small, kids items were near the front where they could touch and see them.  The more expensive products were up higher, towards the back where the parents could see them.

This worked very well - I sold a lot of the smaller items and had many comments on the bags and cushions from the parents.  I also gave out a lot of cards about my personalised bunting so fingers crossed I get some commissions from that!

All in all a good day was had by all.  My fondest memory of the day was a little girl of about 10 or 11 who came up to look at these little crocheted baskets, which were filled with choccies.  

She had picked two up (exactly the same, but she obviously wanted to pick her favourite one!) and she had such a look of wonder on her face!  She said to me "these are so lovely, you are very clever..." which really made my day!  

So my plan for the next event which is on Saturday is to tailor my stock again according to the area - it's a slightly more affluent area with lots of families.  Plenty to be getting on with this week then!

Happy crafting!

Lou x