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.

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

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

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

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.