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.

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

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......

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

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!!!