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

Evolving and improving your craft stall

Good morning all, Happy Easter!

It's a wonderfully sunny day here in Wiltshire, but I thought I'd take time out to revisit a previous post regarding craft stalls.

As a relative novice to craft stalls there are many things I still have to learn.  Looking back at my stalls I've felt that they have evolved, but there are still many areas which I can improve on!

My post 'Top 10 Ideas To Boost Your Stall at Craft Fairs' had some useful tips on it that I collated from several books and websites, recurring themes which seemed to be practical and hopefully easy to implement.

This first image is of my first stall - unfortunately I had a very busy backdrop to contend with, no real branding and struggled with it being a bit busy.  I found it very hard to judge how everything would look as I didn't practice at home with the set-up first.  This is still something I need to learn (as I will attest to later!)

The next two pictures are from a slightly later stall (Lou La Belle 2.0!) - although I've learnt a few lessons - using more height and spacing out the products - which was thankfully easy due to the size and layout of the stall, I still have a lot of progress to make...  You can see my branding (crochet Lou La Belle letters) just above my poor Mumsie, who was very unwell but still came up to help me with the stall.  Love you Mumsie!

The next stall is from a Craft Fair only a couple of weeks later, but this was very difficult as I had limited options for height and much less space (and no Mumsie to help me!)  Despite this I got a lot of positive feedback and a few big sales here.  I also worked on my branding - particularly pushing my personalised crochet and other bunting with a pin board.  However I still felt very amateurish...

My next stall was only last week - with a rethink about height and the help of my fabulous brother, I managed to get some expandable trellis and attach it to the sides of the table, this freed up space on my tabletop for more products.

This is the 'cake stand' my brother made me - in MDF - and it is collapsible into different sections which slot together.  I am absolutely thrilled with it and it really showed off the Japanese-style Origami Bags to their full potential.  

However, I didn't have enough time to set the stall up and left not only my pinboard with all the personalised bunting on it, but also one box of products at home.  So there is still much to learn and when I look back at my previous post on the Top 10 hints for Craft Fairs, I have made some improvements in height, theme, props, labelling and branding, but have to work on the other elements and above all, practice at home so when I set up I feel more confident and in control!

I'd love to see or hear from you any ideas you have used - successfully or not!  I also have a number of inspirational ideas on my Pinterest board.

Happy crafting!


Lou x

French Style Top 5

Apologies all for a lengthy absence, due to illness and then a lovely holiday to recover!

I spent part of my holiday, as the heading may lead you to guess, in La Belle France...  A lovely few days in Dieppe with my parents was just what I needed, not only to be feeling a bit perkier but also to give me another creative jolt.

So I thought I'd start off with a quick top 10 of French style inspirations which I have and will incorporate in crafty projects!

1. La Tricolore 

OK, so the colours are the same as our beloved Union Flag, but it's very simple and stylish.  I use these colours quite a lot - and wear a lot of red and navy.  I've brought this into my craft in several pieces including these elegant cedar bags for protecting your woollens...

2. Art Nouveau

The first exhibition was held in Paris and from there we get the name.  Two of my favourite artists come from this movement - Charles Rennie Mackintosh (he warrants a post all of his own!) and Theophile Steinlen, a Swiss artist famous for his portraits of Paris life and also of animals.  One of his most famous works are the immensely chic Chat Noir series of posters.  Every member of my family has a copy of this somewhere in their houses...

Steinlen had a knack for painting animals, particularly cats, this is one of my favourites - a poster for a veterinary clinic.  Again it is done with such panache.

Being a little cat mad myself, I do use a lot of animals in my pieces and have a lot of fun with them, like these Easter Bunny bags (with added carrot, it helps you to see in the dark!) and these quilted Kitty Cat bags which I think are so sweet.

3. Linen

We found a wonderful little haberdashery in Varengeville-Sur-Mer near Dieppe called Lin et L'Autre - a play on words of l'un et l'autre (one and the other).  What a beautiful shop with some fabulous linens, trimmings and a shelf of delightful locally produced yarn (I had to shield my eyes from this to avoid adding to already massive stash!  They had these lovely decorative linen panels which quite took my fancy!

4. Shells and buttons

Another wonderful addition to Lin et L'Autre were the exquisite mother of pearl buttons and beads which they sold - Mum and I were very tempted to take some back with us, but managed to resist!  This is a close-up of the shell decorations on the above linen panels, so simple but very attractive!

5. Embroidery

As a formerly keen cross-stitcher (which I have little time or tolerance for now I've discovered crochet and knitting!) I have really enjoyed working on linen but I don't often find the British style of embroidery very inspiring. 

I have treated myself to this gorgeous new book - Made in France which may redress the balance - can't wait to get started on it!

Happy crafting!

Lou 

Spring inspiration!

After a manic few weeks, the first spring-like day that I have had free I thought I would visit the beautiful Courts Garden in Holt and share the wonderful spring flower and nature pictures I took there...

These primroses brightened up my morning - the colours were so soft and yet vivid.  

Beautiful carpets of bluebells, daffodils, grape hyacinths and snowdrops - classic spring flowers which were a real joy to see.  I find being in the midst of nature always brightens your mood and clears your head!

These two were more unusual to me - Siberian Squill (Scilla Siberica) - looks very similar to a bluebell but seems to me more elegant - this colour is apparently very in this year - I may go and look for some fabric in this gorgeous shade of blue!

The Snakes Head Fritillary on the right looked so delicate, I wondered how it coped in the high winds. The head gardener had asked everyone to check them for red mites which may be very damaging, so I had a close look but thankfully couldn't see any...

My friends on the wonderful Gardeners World Magazine forum helped remind me of the name of these lovely sun-drenched flowers - Hellebores.  I have some of these in my garden, but the large-scale planting here was amazing.

Lots of inspiration here for spring projects with these hyacinths and anemones.  The sunshine and vivid colours have given me a bit of a boost to fire up the imagination!

Happy crafting!

Lou x

Quality will out?

In my years of crafting (and my year and a bit of crocheting and knitting!) I can attest that there is nothing like working with a beautiful yarn or fabric.  My mum is a wonderful hand quilter who always uses good quality fabric - I have two beautiful quilts which she has made me and one is nearly 25 years old and the other I had just after moving into my house which was nearly a decade ago!  

I find it hard then to work with cheaper fabrics and went a little bonkers buying some wonderful hand-spun and dyed wool from Celia Gwynn recently at a craft fair in Sussex when visiting Mum (of course, Mum wants me to make a shawl for her out of it but I am desperate for once to keep it and actually make something for myself!!)  I will have to add in a picture later to show off this delicious wool, but at the moment it is safely nested away in my stash and will come out hopefully this summer for me to decide what to do with it!

Although not the best quality picture this lovely cotton yarn, Katia Degrade is a subtle and occasionally startling mix of blue, turquoise and cream.  I had lots of fun making this lavender sachet from it.

When it comes to making clothes or accessories that will lay next to the skin, I think it is a shame not to use the best quality wool or cotton, rather than acrylic, especially when it comes to items for babies. These baby booties made for my newest little cousin were made from Sublime Yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk and are as soft as you can imagine little Charlotte's feet are!

When I was in Cardiff Bay last September - OK hold on a minute - I have something to admit.  I am a geek.  Officially.  I was visiting the Doctor Who Exhibition and happened upon the Makers Guild in Wales at Craft in the Bay.  Seeing the wonderful work of the craftspeople there got me thinking about setting up my own little craft business.

The quality of the materials used made me decide to use the best quality fabrics, cottons and yarns that I could afford.  The decision to do this was vindicated by what I read in the fabulous book - Your Craft Business: A Step-by-Step Guide by Kevin Partner.  This told me everything I needed to know about pricing and materials and he explained how to always go for quality and not undersell your products. As long as you have a good idea how much it cost you to make it, the price should then reflect its value. If you start off too cheaply then people will not recognise the quality of your products.

This seems to be borne out by one of Etsy's three main principles listed on their homepage around being a marketplace for people with a passion for beautifully crafted items.  Online craft purchasing is on a steady incline and people expect quality and seem to be happy to pay for it.  I haven't yet dabbled my toe in the online market, but may do in the future, especially it if is the right market for me...

Some craft fairs have a mixture of mass-produced and crafted goods - I haven't yet done one of these but may be soon doing one in Bath.  I'm not sure how it will go but hopefully my stall will be able to hold its own against the mass-produced items.  I have seen a few stalls at craft fairs with people making beautiful designs but using cheap goods, maybe it is snobbery on my part (after all acrylic does wash well!) but I think if they have designed and spent time making something, it seems a shame to not make it the best that you possibly can.  

So for now, albeit my stash is growing at an alarming rate, I am always ready to add some striking new yarns to my collection.  These two have my attention at the moment - and surprise surprise they are both quality yarns...  Firstly (above) Rowan Lima yarn which can be bought (amongst other places) at Deramores and Debbie Bliss Angel Prints (below) which you can find at several shops including Wool Warehouse

Happy crafting!

Lou x