Why we create

I've just read a thoughtful blog, prompted by Etsy's competition #whyicreate - and it made me think about why exactly anyone creates anything.... And, in particular, why Karen and I have really taken to heart the making of various things, constantly developing, experimenting and coming up with new ideas.

What is not important at the moment to either of us is the earnings we hope to make as our enterprise becomes more focussed and we start to make sales.  Naturally, the whole aim of our Etsy shop is to sell... But for me the process of creation is paramount at the moment, and the joy that working so closely with my daughter has brought me.

Joseph Conrad spoke of the 'web of affinity' that connects us all together, past, present and future.  This interconnectivity is, I believe, uniquely human and, like a spider's web, links us all to each other, irrespective of race, colour or creed.  We share a commonality in our compassion, our kindness towards others - and in our amazing capacity for renewal.  In other words, our creativity.

As I sew baby bunting, carefully placing puffy letters on the flags, pinning the tape and the ribbon, my nails clack on the wood of my machine cabinet - and I am transported back to my childhood when  I watched my mother sew, placing pieces carefully together and pinning, with her finger nails clacking on the wood of her machine cabinet.  She taught me to knit, to sew, to embroider, to cook, and to have the courage to experiment without being crushed when things didn't quite work out.

My father was a craftsman, making beautiful things from wood, hand turning, fitting joints with care and precision that demanded careful preparation and did not accept sloppy, careless work that resulted in a less than perfect finish.  He taught me the value of preparation, of taking time to get it right, of paying attention to detail, both in the creation and in the finishing.  So when making a quilted picture, mitring the corners has to be precise, as I can feel my dad watching me as I work and I sense his approval when I get it right.  He made bedside cabinets as a wedding gift for Trevor and me, designing them from scratch with only the vaguest ideas from me as to what we would like.
That ability to visualise and then bring to fruition is a gift that he has passed to me - and to Karen.

We don't sit at a desk and draw or sketch - or I certainly don't; ideas seem to percolate through my subconscious, browsing through Pinterest helps for inspiration - but much of what we test out is our own; some of it works, some of it doesn't.

Through it all,  I can see my grandfather's talent in wood carving through to my parents' creativity and innovation, in my own daughter's handiwork, in the care she takes, her pragmatic assessment of what works and what is simply hopeless - and in how she is teaching her own daughter to knit and cook and create with patience (not easy with a 7 year old!)  and with joy.

And so the web of affinity grows, always with creation and renewal at its centre.

Practical Presents - Part 2!

Following on from my first sally into making a 'thank you' gift for a teacher, I thought about the stuff my own daughter uses in her classrooms - planner pins, paper clips, funky pens, post-its, and so on - and I thought how cool it would be to incorporate some of those into a gift box 

- and yes I know that if you go to any major supermarket you can get any amount of office stationery for next to nothing so why would anyone want to buy a gift box with bits and bobs in it?.....

Well, why not?  why must teacher gifts be limited to flowers, or mugs, or plants or whatever?  I know some parents go completely overboard in their gift giving - and actually that can cause great embarrassment for teachers as they're not really allowed to accept very expensive gifts - bribery and corruption and all that - but something small, with a very cute and practical theme - ideal to show appreciation without embarrassment.







Check out this great tutorial on Pinterest for post-it note boxes - here












I also came across some rather neat bookmarks - origami style - another great way of using up odd paper remnants ...
- pinned here -

As daughter pointed out, these are really suitable for primary rather than secondary teachers - fair enough - but sadly there are very few male primary teachers.... still, there must be some around somewhere....

....so another trip to Colemans for a nosey through their fab cardstock ....

and this is what I came up with for lady teachers and assistants ...

and for male teachers and assistants ...

Spot the twine!  My dad never threw away string - he had a mass of bits of string of all lengths and sorts and drove my mum nuts because they cluttered up her kitchen drawers....

so it was the obvious thing to do - add a length of twine to the box for the chaps.... just in case.....  :)

Practical Presents! Part 1

I was browsing through Colemans Warehouse - an amazing Aladdin's cave of crafty stuff with something for every sort of crafter and project.  Over the weekend it's crowded with women of all ages - and husbands wandering aimlessly about, looking bored.  My mother would quote: 'That which cannot be cured must, with patience, be endured.' - and the menfolk in Colemans are the embodiment of this!

Anyway, I came across this great cardstock and couldn't resist it -

- and the wonderful Sam Hammond (www.pootles.co.uk) had posted a video for a 3 x 3 box for mini cards, and so a project was born!

YouTube is a great place to find crafty tutorials on all sorts of topics and I found a couple on making mini cards and the envelopes to fit - super easy and great for using up bits of card and paper instead of throwing them away.  

I found a great couple of clear stamps at HobbyCraft that were really inexpensive (some of them can be a bit eye-watering cost wise for a newby like me!) that said 'Just Because...' and 'Just for you' - perfect for those random moments when you want to say 'thank you' or 'I think you're great' or whatever....

And this is what I came up with -

For any of the fab teachers and teaching assistants who do so much for our children....

Love it!

Beautiful boxes!

I was browsing the internet a little while ago, trying to find a way to make a presentation box for flowergirl headdresses that I have made - and came upon demonstrators for Stampin' Up - particularly Sam Hammond who has her own blog and posts absolutely excellent videos on YouTube for a wide variety of boxes, bags and cards.  The link to her blog is http://pootles.co.uk/

She obviously promotes Stampin' Up  products which in some areas are a bit pricey - but that said I have bought crafting kit from them and have been very pleased with the quality.  Their papers and cardstock patterns and designs are stunning too.

Anyway - credit card at the ready - I invested in a scoring board (via Amazon, Martha Stewart bought from America), mouse adhesive strip (genius way of adding sticky to card rather than using liquid glue which is messy and takes time to dry!) and already had a Martha Stewart lacy edge punch ...

I experimented with a mini box tutorial and discovered potential wedding favours -

Actually, I used this particular little box to send a thank you gift to a lovely customer who placed two orders for her wedding - these little hearts and (following a cheeky suggestion from me) a throw bouquet....

So I decided to have a go at making other favours, linking in to the Pantone colour palette of rose quartz and serenity blue - 

How pretty are these?

Hearts and flowers

I loved the inspiration of this photo and the words 'small steps to happiness' as I started my next project - floral heart favours.  Hobbycraft had a sale so I snapped up as many as I could of these heart shaped little boxes.  Paper mache again - so having found how absorbent it is, I decided to paint them first with ordinary undercoat paint.  It was rather thick and streaked a bit - so I had to go over it with white acrylic to try and smooth the strokes out a bit.

My daughter suggested filling the boxes with flowers so I raided my flower stock and experimented....

So far so good - daughter approved (always a good thing)


I decided the lids would look great covered with some lovely lacy hessian that I got in Texas last year (my favourite place to visit - home of my oldest and best friend)    ......



Next - adding a hessian twine loop to hang the favours....
I used my Dad's bradawl to poke a hole in the top of the box, then, using a large darning needle, I threaded a length of twine through and knotted it on the inside, trimming off the ends....



A bit of twine round the box to add a rustic feel ....



(Top tip - use PVC glue to stick the twine to the box, let it dry - and then the bow is sooo much easier to tie and fix without the whole lot slipping off...)

I decided to go with faux silk pink rose buds glued into the base of the box.  I needed something to hold the little plastic stems - gluing them to the paper mache wouldn't work.  Enter upcycled pizza packaging - thin polystyrene foam, ideal for what I needed.  Six roses fitted beautifully - the centres looked a bit plasticky, so I added a single white pearl bead to each rose.

The idea is for the box to be presented closed - the recipient opens it and gets a lovely surprise ....

The lid can then be pushed onto the back of the box so the hanging favour has two lovely sides to show as it turns in the breeze....






Ta da!

Old but beautiful

About 10 years ago, my mother who was a feisty, independent old lady, became bed bound and we had to clear her flat in South Africa; rather than sell precious things, I shipped many over to the UK. One was her sewing machine that my father had maintained in perfect condition for over 50 years. As far as I know it still works as well as it ever did!  It has its own cabinet which has survived three international moves without mishap; over the years it has been sanded down and revarnished by Dad to smarten it up and it still looks great, if venerable!

Mum taught me to sew on this machine, I used it to make my first, (truly awful), blouse, and my wedding dress, with many dresses, blouses, curtains and other projects in between.  Mum continued to sew well into her late 80s.  I have my own Brother machine, bought as part of my trousseau when I was 22, and I still use it 40 years on - although it is in dire need of my dear old dad's ministrations.

Neither Karen (who has her own sewing machine) nor I can keep this old machine any longer and I will try to sell it.  I have an image of it standing in a large sewing room, with a swatch of gorgeous fabric under the pressure foot, looking like the sewing machine version of the dowager countess from Downton Abbey!

Something unique and different for Christmas

I made these two beauties from inspiration on Pinterest - love love love Pinterest!  So many great ideas and talented crafters who are generous to show and share their creations.

I used inexpensive wine glasses, silk autumn leaves, gold stars and gold beading - and tea light holders from Ikea.  Hot glue doesn't stick very well to glass, so PVC glue was the answer - with glitter glue to stick any problem spots and cover any glue that showed, although the PVC glue I use dries clear.

I've not listed these on Etsy - too close now to Christmas to make posting sensible, but we're at Riseley Lower School Christmas Fayre on the 5th December ...... For those folk in the UK, Riseley is a lovely village in North Bedfordshire.