Jubilee!

This weekend looks packed with Jubilee related events. Handmade is having a much needed break but I'm tempted to potter around some of these....

Reetsweet is back at the Corn Exchange on Saturday. Looks like Becki has got lots of brilliant crafters on board, lovely! For more info check out the Reetsweet blog here


On Sunday there's a craft and vintage fair upstairs at LS6 (Clock Cafe) on Hyde Park Corner. Perfect excuse to go have a cooked breakfast followed by shopping! Facebook event page is here


And if you're not too pooped by Monday Bird's Yard are having a Jubilee "do". Sounds like it'll be a fun way of toasting the queen with cake, music, and entertainment for kids too. Their facebook event page is here.

x x x x

Saltaire Arts Trail

Unfortunately I wont be able to get over to Saltaire this weekend, which is a real shame because it's their annual art's trail and this year's events sound great. The arts trail is made up of open houses, exhibitions and a maker's fair in Victoria Hall. The maker's fair includes a HUGE range of arts and crafts delights, from jewellery, textiles and woodwork to bookbinding, print making and ceramics. A list of exhibitors is available here.

Loglike

Hugh Leishman

It looks like there will be 14 open houses this year, a mixture of businesses and homes... a great excuse to potter around Saltaire and see art displayed in unusual places! A list of open houses is available here, and if you click on each venue then you can see who will be displaying their work.

Frances Brock

Miriam Trent

There are also family events throughout the weekend, my favourite sounding of which is "The Den Experiment", where you can build yourself a den. ‘The Den Experiment’ believe that making dens fires a child’s imagination and acts as an important part of their development. Come and help Chris and the team revive this exciting pastime, enjoyed by children for centuries, and construct a mini fairground village of candy-striped tents. Sounds FUN.

There are exhibitions and films a-plenty all going on as part of the trail, and for the first time this year there's an evening event WunderNacht which sounds really interesting...Inspired by the original 16th Century Cabinet of Curiosities, Saltaire Arts Trail will put a contemporary spin on the notion of a collection of the exotic and unusual. We’ll be celebrating and showcasing local artistic talent - musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, animators, storytellers, photographers and illustrators.

The official website is here, with all the info you need on all that's going on.

Rebecca Slow

I'm happy to welcome Rebecca Slow back to handmade. I love Rebecca's whimsical designs using vintage fabrics and empheria, and her stall always looks like a nik-nak filled home I'd like to live in.

Lovely!
See you at handmade in a week! x

Knitted Knacks

Perhaps it's a purely selfish desire to get a few knitted bits for baby, but I'm excited to introduce a more traditional crafter to handmade...Knitted Knacks by Jenny Lewis. She's got some lovely knitwear and crocheted items in her etsy store, and I'm looking forward to cooing over booties and blankets!
The fair's a week tomorrow, exciting! facebook event page here x x x x

LovelyCrayfish

We've got a last minute seller...Hannah Crayford the maker behind LovelyCrayfish. I love the ceramics in her etsy shop, and by the looks there'll be lots more to look forward to seeing at the fair; the t-shirt designs on her blog are ace. Might have to get myself some dinosaur stuff and a Yorkshire baby-grow!

May's event page is here xx

NOTHS

Not On The High Street is an online store head-and-shoulders above etsy in its selectivity and therefore all-round quality of goods. They've managed to develop a really good reputation and conquer the "hip mum" and fashionista markets, making them less of a market-place and more of a real store. I LOVE etsy, and it's been great for selling my work, but I must admit that I sometimes despair about the amount of rubbish on there. I've been considering getting a shop-front with them, and was pleased to see that handmade seller Helen Entwistle AKA Memo has recently joined up. Her shop looks great, I love all the photos with simple little props...http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/memoillustration

Also on NOTHS is Sarah Fordham AKA Magasin, who'll be selling at handmade for the first time this May. I've been hounding Sarah to sell at handmade since I first started the fairs, and am thrilled that she can finally make a date. I love her cross-stitched wares (apart maybe from the really bad swears!), and I'm always excited to see her latest creations...follow her on facebook (she's just called Magasin) to see some of her latest work such as Skulls necklaces and those darn cuss-words I mentioned. Her NOTHS shop is here, and these are my favourite items from her store front...

Come along and see both Helen's and Sarah's work in person at Handmade in May, facebook event page here x x x x x

Rhi-Stitched

Joining the handmade family this May is Rhi-Stitched. Rhi-stitched bags are made out of lovely vintage fabrics, there's a print to suit everyone! I love the saddle bags, and the babushka bags are adorable. She's got a huge range of designs on offer, so come along in May to see for yourself!
All available from Rhi-Stitched etsy store here. May's event page is here. x