Monday 7 June 2010

Strawberry Annies

As regular followers of my blog will know I have been going through a period of transition, changing my product range and rebranding.

I had been using the name Dotsy Daisy for this but have had a last minute change for reasons too dull to go into.

After much nagging of everyone to come up with alternative names I have now moved forward with the name 'Strawberry Annies'

So please, please check out my new blog www.strawberryannies.blogspot.com which will now replace this blog. Link at sidebar on this page.

Kerry x

Monday 19 April 2010

Pillowcase Dress & Frou Frou Flipflops



At last some photos,not great as I left it too late in the day but better late than ever.

I am really excited about getting started on some new stock...the kids go back to school tommorow and I am just about up to date on my arts work stuff, so this week I will make a belated start on getting my stock ready for the festivals.

Trying to source more flip flops as thats my big new thing this year.

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Home At Last

I haven't updated for awhile but I have been busy!!!

Today is a happy day as my mum has finally been allowed home from hospital. She suffered a severe stroke back in January and has been in hospital ever since. This came as a major shock as although there were some warnings last year to see your mum who is not very old, be struck down so severely is horrible. She is regaining strength and is learning to walk again so the future looks good. I am close to my mum and missed her desperately when she was ill but feels like I'm getting my mum back.

I had a tutu workshop and another fairy wing workshop last week plus a fairy dress up party and its half term. Despite this I have managed to get in my workroom (I wish I could call it my studio but I think that would be slightly overegging what is essentially a study!!) I have been making frou frou flipflops and improving on the pillowcase dressses. Will update with photos later today.

Well today I have another busy day with two different workshops planned at Whoosh in Chelmsford. I have a bugs and butterflies in the morning which should be hectic but fun as I'm taking my two youngest with me as well. Then after dashing across town to drop them at the childminders i will be back at Whoosh for a crazy creatures workshop. I have bought some fab and funky fabric for the kids to work with so looking forward to that.

The Whoosh workshops are totally free and are aimed at disadvantaged/vulnerable children. There is more coming up that are booking now so if your interested please contact either me or Whoosh direct at www.whooshcentre.com.

Tuesday 6 April 2010

Work Room Finished




At last I am in my new work room and it is all painted, clean and clutter free! How long for is another matter, to tell the truth I had to retidy it so I could take the pictures. I was making frou frou flip flops yesterday and had the floor covered in ribbon.

Just to give you an idea of what my old study looked like....

Wednesday 24 March 2010

New Craft Space - A Work In Progress



Well I have been longing for some extra work space for a LONG time but it just wasn't happening. Anyway after some careful negotitaion with my daughter she has agreed to move her bedroom downstairs into what was once our dining room but we then changed it into a family room. No one used the room much as its cold!!! but she is also desperate for more space and said she didn't mind the cold (oh well summer is on the way)

After she had removed all her junk from the walls it was covered in blue tack marks and holes, so I have polyfilled and painted the walls. I was meant to go to Ikea to get a new storage unit today but as I was rushing out the house to take my youngest to collect her new glasses from the hospital I discovered my husband had gone to work with my car keys in his pocket!!! So no ikea trip and a very slow journey with my little one on her bike.

Can't wait to get in my new room and actually getting some work done.

Tuesday 16 March 2010

New Summer Dresses




I have been busy in my study, sewing away. I started with the yellow ice creaam sundae dress for my daughter. This then led to think of making some very simple cotton dresses to sell for the summer. Let me know what you think.

Kerry x

Thursday 11 March 2010

Rainbow Tutu



Well yesterday I felt inspired to make something. At last I had a day with no arts officer bits to do, so off I went to the local sewing shop. I purchased a children's dress pattern which the lady assured me was simple. My daughter choose some gorgeous fabric and excitedly I got started.....then had to stop:( My sewing is fairly basic and self taught so although I can sew a little bit I can't follow a pattern. I cut out the basic bits and then couldn't make head nor tail of it. very disappointing but I am off to visit to my mum in hospital this evening so I will be taking it along to see if she can explain it to me. I miss my mum being at the end of the phone very much, I depend on her so much normally for chats/advice etc.

In the end I had to go back to what I know best and I made a rainbow tutu instead. I had planned to build up my stocks of this type of tutu to sell at this years festivals. They were popular at the christmas events I attended but the problem with them is storing and transporting them as they don't lend themselves to being packed small. My mission is one tutu a day (or the equivilant per week) Its never going to happen as I have already wasted this morning messing about.

Anyway let me know what you think.

Kerry x

Tuesday 9 March 2010

Desperately Seeking A Machinist


I have been pushing forward with fairy festival planning and in this vein I now need to find a machinist.

I have some items I would like to have sewn but due to market forces (ie the cost people with pay at festivals being low) I need to find someone able to machine quickly and efficently to make this viable.

Anyone interested let me know and I can let you have further details.

Kerry x

Saturday 6 March 2010

Festival Planning


Well it's that time of year again when I turn my fairy head to planning which festivals I'm going to trade at. I would like to leave you with the thought that I just browse the internet, see which look nice and then book them, turn up at them, sell my lovely fairy goodies, make lots of money and go home happy.

Unfortunatley it is never that straight forward. I do have a wish list each year, I then normally realise I have either missed the application deadline, or can't afford to apply. Out of the ones I do apply for, it is not guaranteed that they will offer you a pitch, or sometimes they do but at such extortinate rates that its no longer viable. However I am not defeated and have yet again applied in hope.

So far Womad has confirmed my pitch, so thats really good. I have another three applications waiting to filled out and posted this weekend. I have already applied to another four that I am waiting for confirmation from and have been turned down for another :(

Really pleased to be going to Womad again as this was really good fun last year. Exceptionally hard work though as the week running up to it was hectic and we had a mega early start to the weekend as we were a day late arriving!!!! (oops didn't read the trading terms very carefully) It was worth it in the end and if you wanted to see how last years Womad went check this older blog post Womad 2009.

I keep mulling over new ideas for how to make my stall more successful. I already make alot of my stock including tutus, wings, fairy hair, wands, hair accessories, the rest I buy in. I am looking to increase the amount of stock I make myself. I am desperately looking for a machinist so I can have my own designs sewn up in larger numbers. So if anyone knows anyone let me know (?)...

I am thinking of offering hair braiding on my stall as this would fit nicely with what I'm doing. Has anyone got any other ideas of what might work. I need to make my stall stand out from all the rest. Stall pitches can be so expensive that you really need to get alot of sales once you there.

Right must plough on as the kids are out for the day with their Dad and Grumpy Tony (grandad) so giving me the chance to catch up. My arts officer work is taking over abit at the moment and my mum is unfortunatley still in hospital, so theres not been enough hours in the day to get my fairy stuff sorted.

Thursday 25 February 2010

Whoosh Workshop This Saturday


I have Bugs & Butterflies Workshop this Saturday at Whoosh www.whooshcentre.com in Chelmsford.

These workshops are fully funded for disadvantaged/vulnerable children so if you are in this area and have a child you think may fit the criteria there are still spaces available.

It is always a difficult and sometimes an uncomfortable issue discussing what children would fit the criteria. For this reason I do not have any hard and fast rules but go by the thought of if they would normally find it difficult to access or attend mainstream workshops then they are probably perfect for these. This may be due to having additional needs, or perhaps come from a difficult home background, they may be a young carer for someone else in the family or be the sibling of a child with additional needs. This however is just a few of the many reasons so if you think the workshops might suit please feel free to contact me confidentially for more information. My work email is kerry.rutter@disabilityessex.org .

Also I am currently trying to recruit new volunteers to assist with the many ongoing art workshops and events I have planned, so if you live in Essex and love being crafty and would like to work with children please give me a shout. I would love to hear from you.

Kerry x

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Jewelled Hairbands

Well at last I have actually managed to make some things. These were not my own idea but I am pleased with the results.




New Blog Header

I now have my fabulously fairy gorgeous blog header. I have wanted a really special header for ages but did not have the software to do so. I now have photoshop but still can't use it!!!

So I had my blog header designed by the very talented Joanna from At A Glance Graphics.

Check out her etsy shop here www.etsy.com/shop/ataglancegraphics

Also see her website for some great marketing ideas. www.ataglancegraphics.com

Joanna was a pleasure to work with and was happy to redesign until we got just the look I wanted...and the result is fairy perfect!

I now feel I can promote my blog and feel proud of it. I just need to tweak some codes in the template to make blog header sit right as we have resized it but the template is overriding this I think. Oh to be a techie type person......

Monday 22 February 2010

Sunshine Award


Yipeeee!!!! I have received my very first award, so big big thanks to Birgitta from www.birgittadeisignz.blogspot.com Take time to have a peep at her lovely blog stuffed full of gorgeous creative stuff.

The Sunshine Award is to awarded for inspiring positivity and creativity within the blogging world.

To accept the award the rules are;

Place this award on your blog or in a post.

Pass the award on to 12 bloggers

Link the nominiees within the post

Let the nominiees know they have received the award by commenting on their blog

Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

My nominations are the following lovely bunch of creative and interesting bloggers...

www.scrumdillydo.blogspot.com Fantastic blog for looking for crafts to make with your kids, all original and beautifully presented.

www.confessionsofacraftymummy.blogspot.com Love this one for the insight into another creative mums life and busyness.

www.beachbygones.blogspot.com Not so much creating but always inspires me to get on with my own business and to keep blogging away.

www.raspberrycupcakewithacherryontop.blogspot.com Clever crafter who does some scrumptious bath cupcakes but a little bit of all sorts of stuff.

www.blondedesign.blogspot.com

www.feltmeupdesigns.blogspot.com cool name!

www.meandmilly.blogspot.com

www.janeweston.blogspot.com

www.moobeardesigns.blogspot.com - Inspirational creative mum, plenty of interesting diary type entries.

www.lucyjacksondesigns.blogspot.com

www.nattienoodle.blogspot.com - Check out the cool owls especially the one with hearts on his wings, gorgeous!

www.salsapie.blogspot.com

www.servingpinklemondade.blogspot.com


Please do visit them and leave comments and hopefully leave feeling inspired.

A very happy fairy Kerry x

Friday 19 February 2010

Whoosh Messy Art Workshop



Right kids SMILE and look like your having fun!!!!!!! Don't you hate it when your little ones just won't play their part!

As some of you may know, sometimes I'm an undercover fairy working incognito as a Community Arts Officer. So Tuesday was spent at a messy art workshop at Whoosh, in Chelmsford, Essex! It was only a small group but I took my two little ones along as well so I was kept busy keeping everything under control.

The children were lovely and I already knew one of them from another group I worked with recently, so that was great. We made monster hands, pebble pets and jigsaw aliens. Lots of paint, lots of glue, and most importantly lots of glitter!!!

Sunday 7 February 2010

Dotsy Daisy Sneaky Peek



Well at long last here are just a few of the new hair accessories from our Dotsy Daisy range. Dotsy Daisy is all about scrumptious girlie goodies with a unique little fairy finesse twist!

I will probably be selling some of these on folksy to see how they go.

Friday 5 February 2010

New Camera and Super Cat

Well after being without a camera for what seems like ages, today was C day and I am now the proud owner of a brand new cybershot! Yippee... I have it on charge and will endeavour to photograph loads of my new Dotsy Daisy range, this weekend and get them onto my website, with sneaky previews here first.

For my job as an Arts Officer I have an upcoming workshop on making Crazy Creatures so thought I really should try making one at some point. This was my creation, Crazy Cat, the proud owner of a gold glittery cape, ready to dash to Kitty Kat emergencies.

Kerry x

Monday 1 February 2010

Snow Fairy


Well a little late but my lovely friend Alison just sent me a couple of photos that she took of me when it snowed.

Our plan had been to build a snow fairy but we had missed our window of opportunity and the snow was just not sticking!!

So I had to make do with dressing up in my tutu and wings and dancing around instead. The kids didn't bat an eye as their obviously used to their mum being daft.

I didn't manage to get Alison in wings but I know shes got a pink tutu so theres always next time.

Tuesday 5 January 2010

Fairy Happy New Year

Hello.... well we have been missing in action for some time, hiding out deep in the fairy kingdom. We have been busy in our grotto making loads of new hair accessories and tutus for our Dotsy Daisy range.

We trialed these at a couple of Christmas shows and got a good response. So we will be taking these with us on our festival trail this year.

January is often a bleak time of year, but on the plus side it does mean that our thoughts start moving towards the festivals we would like to attend. Also my personal favourite part of being a fairy trader, choosing new stock and creating further fairy goodies.

We have a busy weekend of fairy parties ahead but I will be turning my thoughts to updating our website over the next few weeks.

It is that dreaded time of year when even fairies have to fill out their tax returns!!! That is next weeks task, getting my accounts in order, wish me luck.

Kerry x